Which To Embrace

What We Don't Know Is A Lot...

2010-03-22T00:53:00.000-04:00

I tuned in to C-SPAN this evening, as I usually do, after watching two episodes of East Enders on PBS. I hoped to see a recording of Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions from the British House of Commons, perhaps my favorite 35 minutes of television each week. What I found instead was the House Democratic leadership celebrating the passage of the two bills that make up the much ballyhooed, much maligned health care reform legislation. While not yet completely across the finish line, it appears the legislation is nearly there with only a Senate vote on the reconciliation bill yet to come -- a near certainty with, as I understand it, only 51 votes necessary for passage in the Senate.

To be honest, I know very little about what this legislation will actually do in practice, and I fear that many who are either delighted or dismayed by all of this tonight know with any degree of detail what it will do either. We've heard the sales pitch... we've heard the invective and the vitriol... we've heard the conflicting sets of numbers, figures, projections and estimates given by every policy shop and government bureau that those in Washington can possibly drag from the woodwork. We've heard the endless rounds of "Yes, it does! -- No, it doesn't!" bickering between the legislation's supporters and opponents. Yet, with all of the coverage, with all of the punditry, with all of the commentary that this legislation has produced over the past year or so, the truth about what it will do is as obscure as it ever was. I believe that is the real danger here tonight. Perhaps even more frightening is that we will all go to the polls again in November, under the same fog of uncertainty and misinformation, and vote for whoever can best manipulate that cloud to their advantage.

The people standing at that press conference tonight know that, and make no mistake, those who wish they were standing there tonight celebrating the defeat of this legislation know that too.

My Mother's Day Sermon

2009-05-12T09:40:00.003-04:00

Below is the text of the sermon I preached at Lansdale Presbyterian Church on Mother's Day, May 10, 2009. Forgive the goofy grammar and syntax in places... I write these things as I hear them in my head.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Text and Opening Prayer
Our text from Scripture this morning is from the Gospel of Mark... the tenth (10th) chapter... verses 17 – 31.

The Story of the Rich Young Ruler
This passage in Mark's gospel is often referred to by its main character who has come to be named “The Rich Young Ruler.” That name is actually a composite of information found in all three places in the Synoptic Gospels in which this story is found. It is the story of what looks like a chance encounter – of a conversation between Jesus and a certain man that happens just in the nick-of-time, and of a convenient teachable moment between Jesus and his disciples.

A Chance Encounter?
It looks like a chance encounter, but it wasn't. It happens at this time and in this place in the providence of God as Jesus is leaving this region of Judea. You see, he's going somewhere. Only days later, he'll arrive in Jerusalem. He'll be greeted along the road from Bethany and Bethpage by throngs of people covering the road with palm branches and the very clothes off their backs, and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” Just days after that, he would be betrayed by one of his own, arrested on trumped up charges, tried in a kangaroo court, tortured and beaten, and forced to carry the instrument of his own suffering and death.

He Was Going Somewhere
He was going somewhere... he was going to the place where he would willfully endure the wrath of God. He was going to drink the cup that had been prepared for him, and to be baptized with the baptism that had been prepared for him, as he would tell James and John a little later in Chapter 10. He was going to secure for his people eternal life in the kingdom of God with his own blood. When we see this story in that context it becomes all the more striking because it means that this story is about more than a rich man and some terminally confused disciples. It means that this man and these disciples, in the final days of Jesus life on earth, still needed to know a few things about the kingdom of God. They were mistaken about how they were going to live forever and who was going to do that, and those errors needed to be dealt with. They needed to know, and so do we.

Digging into the Text
So, let's look at this text. In verse 17 of chapter 10, Mark tells us that as Jesus was starting on his way, a man appears to ask Jesus a question. In a vivid picture of words, Mark tells us that this man ran up to Jesus, and then fell to his knees, and asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” They say that you only get one chance to make a first impression, and this man certainly knew how to make an entrance. We can't help but see here a serious man – active, engaged, religious – one who is concerned enough with spiritual things – one preoccupied enough with the condition and direction of his life – to seek out this great teacher, dramatically gain his attention and ask, with reverence and respect, the question that obviously grips his heart. Later on in the passage, we learn that he is a man of considerable wealth. Thanks to Matthew we know that he was young, and Luke tells us that he was a ruler of some kind – most likely, he was a member of a local council or court. The image is unmistakable – this is a guy with a lot going for him – an earnest, passionate, successful man – but a man who, despite all of his attributes, still comes to Jesus wondering if, on some level, something is missing.

The Rich Young Ruler's Question and Jesus' Response
“Good teacher,” he says, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”, he asks in verse 17. Or as Matthew states the question, more revealingly, “what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” Notice that Jesus' answer is directed at this man's use of the address, “Good Teacher.” “Why do you call me good?”, Jesus asks. “No one is good – except God alone.” This man has come running up to Jesus thinking, “If there is anybody who can tell me what I have to do to assure my place in heaven, then it is this great man.” Jesus' reply is essentially, “Son, there is no human teacher who can give you such advice. No such advice exists, no such teacher exists, and furthermore there is no one here who is that good, including you! Watch who you are calling good. Only God is good.

If you think you can live forever by being good, then you don't need me to tell you what you need to do, and you don't need any individual revelation from God – he has already given you the commandments, just keep them.” Verse 19 – “You know the commandments,” Jesus says. “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.” “Teacher,” he replies, “all these I have kept since I was a boy!” It is as if the young man is saying to Jesus, “But Teacher, I know all of that. I have closely adhered to those conditions since I first learned them as a boy. Surely there is something more! There must be!” What are we to make of this exchange?

God Looks At the Heart
You know, as I was writing this sermon, there was one verse of Scripture that I kept seeing over and over in situations and in conversation. It is 1 Samuel 16:7: 'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Jesus, because He is God, could see what we can not see. Because He is God, Jesus was not required, as we are, to slowly and sometimes painfully unearth and interpret the endless layers of sin... pride... longing... insecurity... doubt... fear... hope... and self-righteousness that we human beings show to the world to mask what is in our hearts. Jesus immediately saw that there was indeed something missing with this man, but it was something far greater than this man had ever imagined.

The Condition of His Heart
Jesus could instantly see the condition of this man's heart. He could see that this man was mistaken about the nature of the kingdom of God. Jesus knew that this man had approached him as merely the best human teacher he had ever seen. He knew that this man thought the keys to the kingdom of God could be found in doing good. He knew that this man simply didn't understand that there was more to the commandments than outward adherence. He knew that this man already thought he was pretty good, and that one big act of goodness could put him over the top and into eternal life. And what better counsel could there be for such an act of conspicuous goodness than the best person this young man had ever seen? This man thought he had the kingdom of God figured out... but he couldn't have been more wrong. He thought he that if he did enough things on the outside that God would count them in his favor... but he couldn't have been more wrong. He thought that he wanted eternal life enough to be willing to do whatever was necessary... but he couldn't have been more wrong.

He Looked At Him and Loved Him
But, despite all of that, what is so striking here is what Mark tells us in verse 21. Mark gives us perhaps the most beautiful, exciting words in this whole passage when he writes, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Jesus looked at him, he saw him for what he was, and loved him – agape – a love of which only He is capable. And it is because he loved him that he showed him that he wasn't capable of any act that was good enough to earn his way into God's kingdom. Because he loved him, Jesus had to show him his utter lack of goodness and his need for something much more. Because he loved him, Jesus had to show him that his goodness was only skin deep and that this rich man was bankrupt before God. Because he loved him, Jesus had to show this rich young ruler – this picture of vitality, action, success, devotion and determination that he was nothing but a shadow... that though he came running in body, he was really paralyzed in spirit... that though he dropped to his knees in reverence, he stood proudly in his own heart... that though he was eager to hear of goodness and piety, he was deaf to the true nature of God's salvation and to his own eternal need... that though he was the picture of life, that he was dead in his trespasses and sins.

And because he loved him, Jesus pointed this man toward himself. He pointed him toward the one who had come so that the deaf might hear, the blind might see, and the crippled might get up and walk. “Come, follow me” Jesus says in verse 21. Follow me to Jerusalem. Follow me to Golgotha. Follow me to the empty tomb. Follow me to see that you really do need one supreme act of goodness to inherit eternal life, but you can't do it. Follow me, and you will see that I will do it for you.

Not About Being Good
You see, the kingdom of God is not about being good. We need to know, like the rich young ruler, that there is no amount of good that we can do to secure eternal life for ourselves. We need to know that our problem starts not with our actions but with the heart from which those actions proceed. That's why Jesus, in verse 21, puts his finger on the rich young ruler's wealth. “One thing you lack,” Jesus said. “Go sell everything you have and give to the poor, and then you will have treasure in heaven.” His purpose was to show him that in his heart he loved something more than eternal life. While his actions indicated obedience, his heart was rebellious, and when push came to shove, he would choose what he wanted over eternal life. The problem was in his heart. His wealth would keep the rich young ruler from following Jesus to Jerusalem, and his love for his wealth was a symptom of the greater disease of his sin. No amount of good works could change the heart – only a cross could.

It is About Being His / The Gap
The truth is that the kingdom of God is not about being good, it is about being His. The summer after my junior year of college, I went on a summer-long missions project with Campus Crusade for Christ in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. There were 34 of us from colleges across the country there that summer. We worked during the day, and at night and on the weekends tried to tell the thousands who came there, that there was a God who loved them. We all lived together in a house a block from the beach, and there was a man that summer who drove a beat up old Pinto and stood on the corner of our street and Route A1A with a sandwich board that read, “Repent of Perish! The Kingdom of God is Near.” We knew he was there, and he knew we were there, but that's about as far as it went.

Well, this man had a large painting that he used to set up on a chair on the corner. The painting depicted a canyon with flames erupting from some deep bottom, and on one side of the canyon was the world with intricately painted scenes of war, and fighting, and scantily-clad women and all manner of sin, and on the other side was a bright light and throngs of people in white walking and kneeling. Laid across the flaming canyon was a cross and there were groups of people running across it. Quite frankly, this picture and this man gave me the creeps back then, and to be honest they still do, but there's one part of all of it that I keep tucked away, and it is that cross bridging that canyon.

Bridging the Gap
Folks, no matter how hard he tries, man in his own power can never draw near to God. Our sin created a gap between man and God that we can not bridge. We desperately need God to draw near to us, and that is what He has done in Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God isn't about being good, it is about belonging to the one who bridged the gap between God and man. It is about belonging to one who gave His life as a ransom for many. It is about acknowledging in faith that Jesus really is who He said He was, and renouncing the thing that Jesus came to deal with: our sin – and believing that without Him, there is no hope of eternal life. The rich young ruler needed to know.

The Disciples Needed to Know
The disciples needed to know too. They too were mistaken about the kingdom of God. They were under the impression that what you did or even how much money you had would give you a leg-up on eternal life (which was a common superstition in those days about rich people), but Jesus was quick to dispel that notion. In verse 23, Mark writes, “Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.”” The disciples were amazed by Jesus' words. So amazed were they, that Jesus repeats them and expands upon them through the use of hyperbole to say that it is easier for an enormous animal like a camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. In exasperation, they say to each other, “If the rich man can't be saved, then who can?” Jesus' answer is at the same time devastating and glorious. “It is impossible for man on his own merits or efforts to be saved. But God is the God of the impossible.” The disciples needed to know that the field is level at the foot of the cross. No one has a head start, nobody gets special treatment... we all start from the same place of fallen-ness and sin and it is impossible for us to leave that place, but God in Jesus Christ came to redeem that place. It is not about who you are, it is about who He is as Savior and Lord of your life. It is about God doing what was impossible for us to do. The kingdom of God is not about being good, it is about being His.

Application
So what difference should this make in our lives? Well, I would submit to you that the way you enter the kingdom of God is the way you are to live in it in this life. You enter the kingdom of God not because you are good, but because you are His. You enter the kingdom of God by faith in Christ's work, not by the virtue of your own. Faith in his work on the cross to pay for your sin. Faith in his incredible love. Faith that He is God, that what He says is true, and that because of the cross He can be trusted. That is the same way that you are to approach each day of your life.

A Little Bit...
You see, there is a little bit of rich young ruler still left in all of us. Each of us tries each day to make it on our own. Each of us tries to be great in our own eyes. Each of us wants so badly to be sovereign in our own lives. Each of us wants to be worshipped. Each of us wants to think that life is all about us, but it isn't. We try to bring all of that into our thoughts, our relationships, our callings, our responsibilities, even the things we do at church, and we wonder why after a while it seems like there is something missing. We're missing the cross! We're trusting in ourselves and not looking to God in faith. We're forgetting our Creator, and forgetting faith and pouring out the grace of God onto the floor.

Pride and Despair
Through reading God's Word, and through the godly counsel of those who have helped me in my own struggles, I have come to see two ways in which we do this. Think about this for a moment: When you are tempted to find your happiness, your purpose in life, or your place in the world in the great things you do, that is not faith, it is pride. When you do that, you worship yourself and not Jesus, the God of the Universe who came near to you and poured out his grace in your life. You need not to look at yourself, but to look up to the cross– repent of your sin, accept the forgiveness that has been purchased for you, and believe by faith that the only thing you have to boast in is that you know Jesus. Or, when you are tempted to wallow in despair over your failures, your inadequacies, your challenges in this life, that is not faith, it is pride frustrated. You want to worship yourself, but you don't see anything to worship, so you hate instead. You need not to look at yourself, but to look up to the cross – repent of your sin, accept the forgiveness that has been purchased for you, and look in faith to Jesus who gave his life for you, who has not condemned you, who began a good work in you and has promised to finish what He started.

This Means You... And Me
So many of us do this... I do, and I'm only beginning to understand it in my own life. But if you belong to Jesus, then he will not allow you to stay that way. He'll break you of it and it'll hurt, but through His Word, His Holy Spirit and His Body, he'll never let you forget that He's behind it, that He loves you, that it will be OK someday, and that you'll be left with more of Him.

Conclusion
Yes, there 's a lot to learn from the rich young ruler. I was this man once... and I've got news for you... so were you. I was once a man who couldn't help living the way this man did... and I've got news for you... so were you. I was once a man who believed he was sovereign over his own life... and I've got news for you... so were you. But then, Jesus came near. He came near and drew me to himself, and showed me my sin, and gave me the faith to ask him to forgive me. He opened the kingdom of heaven to me... not because I'm good, but because he loves me, and I belong to Him.

"Mom died last night..."

2009-01-03T14:42:00.002-05:00

Mom passed away this morning. Dani, my sister, called me at home this morning in tears to tell me. I had gone home last night to spend the weekend. When I left I hoped that Mom would survive until I returned. Before I left her bedside, I kissed her on the head and whispered my love to her. I said, "Ask Jesus to come take you home, Mom. He'll forgive you if you ask him... if you haven't already. I love you."

I'm glad I did that.

A strange and scary day...

2009-01-03T14:19:00.005-05:00

When my sister told me over the phone that Mom had died, a strange mixture of grief, relief, confusion and disbelief swept over me.

I was in bed when the call came. I was trying to fend off my son, who likes to crawl into bed with us on Saturdays and fidget until we get up to watch cartoons with him, when I thought I heard the phone ringing downstairs. My wife got the phone. "It's your dad," she said, looking at the caller ID. I knew what was coming before I said a word.

I drove up here to NJ this morning. The house was full of people when I arrived. My Uncle Junior (Dad's brother) and Aunt Carol, Aunt Janet (Dad's sister) and Bill, Dani, Dad and Mr. Blanco. Mr. Blanco (Tony) is a dear friend of my dad's and my mom's. He was the superintendent of schools here in town until around the time I graduated from high school. My mother loved him a lot, and he was a good friend to her for many years. I was so glad that he was here for my Dad, and it would have pleased my mom greatly.

Aunt Mickey came too. Aunt Mickey is my mom's dear friend (her name is Lillian, but we've always known her as Aunt Mickey). She has been driving up from South Jersey two or three times a week for the last month bringing more food than we can eat. Mom loved spending time with her and so did we. When she arrived this morning, she was already in tears. "Thanks for letting me come," she said. I hugged her and whispered through my own tears, "You're family. You always have been and always will be. We don't call you Aunt for nothing."

Mom was in the room off the kitchen where she has slept for a couple of years now, and where she spent most of the last month. The funeral director had waited until I arrived to make preparations to take her body away. He gave me, and the rest of us assembled, the chance to say goodbye. It felt so very surreal to see my mother lying there with no breath of life in her. I kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "I love you. I'll see you again."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A friend reminded me of something yesterday. There is nothing that prepares you for death, especially the death of a parent. God didn't intend it to be this way. I really believe that. He didn't intend for us to experience the profound pain, shock, terror and emptiness that death brings with it. He created us to be with him for all eternity, and never to feel as if we are all alone in the world. He created us to be filled with the joy and awe of His presence, and never to feel as if we are hollow, empty and spent.

Mom said on a number of occasions: "I don't know how people face cancer and face dying without faith in God." I'm with her on this one.

Signs

2008-12-31T12:42:00.002-05:00

It came in the mail one day -- a envelope from my mom with her regular supply of grocery coupons clipped from the Sunday paper. A year or so before, she and I had talked on the phone about how expensive things were getting at the grocery store. I proudly told her about how I had gotten pretty good at using coupons. From then on, she sent me an envelope about once a month stuffed with coupons, always with a little note attached signed by "The Coupon Lady."

But this envelope was different. She had written in the same elegant, flowing cursive that I had known since I was old enough to read, but it was wobbly this time. The difference leapt off the page. It was as if the floor had given way under my feet. This sudden feeling of cold and dreadful sadness swept over me. It was a sign. Somehow, I was able to deal with all of the other physical changes that Mom's cancer had inflicted upon her -- the missing hair, the painful walk, the weakness, the times in the hospital when she looked so beaten up -- but this one really scared me. I counted on that handwriting. It was part of her, it had always been the same, and now it wasn't, and it really scared me.

About 10 days ago, I had the same cold and dreadful feeling. They say that parents and children have a special hearing for the particular voices of the other. So much so that in the densest noise a parent's voice or a child's cry can cut through the din in a way that no other voice can. Mom had weakened to the point that her voice became raspy and thin. Once again, the floor gave way beneath me. Here and there, her voice would clear and I found myself clutching inside to those times when her voice was what I had always known, and hoping for one more word.

I had no idea how much a part of my life, my sense of security, and my sense that all is and would be right with the world that my mother's voice and handwriting were. I know now.

Changes...

2008-12-28T19:31:00.002-05:00

Things are happening so fast. It used to be that I could measure changes in my Mom's health in years. Earlier this year, I started to notice that with each passing month she could not get around as well or eat like she once did. I noticed that she napped more.

Around Thanksgiving, I noticed a big change in her health. She could barely walk even with her walker, she was unsteady on her feet, and there were more and more things that she did not eat because they made her sick. It was around that time, that her skin became very jaundiced. She went into the hospital for a week needing a procedure to unblock a duct in her liver. When she came home, we were told that the cancer had been attacking her liver for some time, that it was responsible for the blockage, and it was time to make Mom comfortable. Since then, she has declined from week to week, and now day to day.

A few weeks ago, though she stayed in bed most of the time, Mom could sit up on the couch, watch TV, file her nails, drink her favorite tea, and have a conversation. She could push herself up to her feet though she needed a wheelchair to get around. After a week, while she still got out of bed to eat at the kitchen table, she needed to be lifted up and carried to her wheelchair. She slept much more, she ate less, and she was starting to lose the coordination and strength in her hands to do even simple things like use the remote control or grip a glass. Over the last couple of days, she's declined further -- she's rarely awake for more than a few minutes, and she's gotten so thin, frail and small. She's so very weak, and in a great deal of pain. It is a struggle for her to lift her head, say hello or even smile.

I know what's coming next -- when days turn to hours and then to minutes and precious seconds. I know that she may not be able to do tomorrow what she did today, and with each day a little more of Mom slips away.

A Long Road: My Mom

2008-12-26T20:40:00.004-05:00

I'm not really sure how to start this post. Until now, I have used this blog to occasionally comment on politics, sports, and spiritual things. It has also been a repository for some other writing that I have done in recent years... sermons, stories, etc. But, on the advice of a dear friend, I'm going to put this space to a different use now.

My mom is dying. There, I said it. She has been battling cancer for over 18 years. Two weeks ago, after prescribing countless treatments and guiding my mother over so many obstacles, her oncologist said something I had long feared - "I'm not winning anymore... The hardest thing for an oncologist to know is when to stop," he said. With that, I knew. I knew that my Mom was going to die soon. I knew that the pattern she had so often followed in her long fight with cancer -- aggressive treatment requiring painful, physical sacrifice, followed by a long recovery and an eventual return to an active life -- was not to be this time. No matter what new treatment she had to endure, she had always gotten better. She isn't going to get any better this time. My mom is dying, and it hurts.

So many thoughts have crossed my mind over the last several weeks, and I want to preserve them and share them. Thank you for reading. Pray for me, for my family, and for my mom.

Palm Sunday Sermon on Acts 9: 1-19

2008-03-31T17:14:00.002-04:00

Palm Sunday Sermon on Acts 9: 1-19

Here is the text of the sermon I preached on Palm Sunday. The text is Acts 9:1-19. I preached this message for the first time about 4 years ago, and I revisited the text on Palm Sunday. The text really opens our eyes to the sovereignty and love of God in election and in His pursuit of his children.

----------------------------------------------

Acts: Where We Are Now
This is an interesting point in the Book of Acts because we are about to see the Gospel go forth in a powerful way. Jesus said that his disciples would be his witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and to the uttermost parts of the earth. After the death of Stephen, the church is scattered into Judea and Samaria, and with Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch a chapter or so before, we begin to get a foretaste of the next mission field. It is just at this time, that we are re-introduced to the church’s arch enemy, Saul. Saul, who threw men and women who confessed Christ into prison, who stood by in approval as Stephen was stoned to death… this world-class Jew, this major-league Pharisee, this scourge of the church, was about to become God’s newest messenger.

Acts 9 Overview
So, let's take a look at him. The picture we get of Saul in this passage is of a man consumed by his own zeal. He is a man obsessed with ridding the earth of the followers of the Way. Their destruction is like the very air he breathes… at this point, it is what he lives for. Saul here seeks permission from the high priest to take his obsession on the road. As we see later on from Ananias, Saul's name and his reputation precede him to Damascus, his next hunting ground. His zeal for God has become a murderous pursuit, and God was about to meet him in the midst of his pursuit. Along the road to Damascus, he and his companions are stopped in their tracks by a blinding light, but only Saul hears the voice of Jesus say, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul knew well enough that the voice and the light meant he was in the presence of deity! “Who are you, lord?” or “Who are you, sir?” Saul asks. Now, I would imagine that Saul was about as terrified to ask that question as he was to hear the answer. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Here, in one sentence, Saul’s life is shattered and recast… “Jesus is alive... He is God… and I have been persecuting God!” Blinded, with the words of Jesus fresh in his mind, he is led by the hand into Damascus. After 3 days, he is visited by an obedient, but most likely petrified, Ananias who, despite all he’s heard, baptizes Saul and restores Saul’s sight.

God: The Real Story of Saul’s Conversion
This story is often recalled as “Saul’s Conversion.” There may even be a heading that reads that way in your Bible. But, the real story here, or shall I say the really great story, is not about Saul, or conversion, or perhaps even faith, but about the object of our faith… the God to whom we desperately need converting from a life of sin and death. At the center of any conversion, is God… who enters our dark world, finds us in our sin, and at precisely the right moment, in the fullness of time, calls us home. This is the really great story of Acts Chapter 9.

The God Who Seeks
So, please notice first, The God Who Seeks. Verses 3 and 4 say this, “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”” The first thing we need to know about this God who brings about our conversion is that God seeks us! It is God who confronts Saul. Saul was going to confront these “followers of the Way” in Damascus, but it was Jesus, the Way himself, who confronted Saul on the Damascus Road. Saul did not enter God’s place… Jesus entered Saul’s place.

Our Great Shepherd
You know, Jesus told a lot of parables, but my personal favorite is found in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 15, verse 4 through 6, when Jesus tells this parable… “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.”

Folks, all of us have wandered off, following the next blade of grass in life wherever it leads…realizing too late that we have followed our blades of grass into the wilderness, where there is no more grass to eat. But the greatness of the Gospel is that God, in the person of Jesus Christ, went into the wilderness after us. He did not wait for us to come back or march out stern-faced and wild-eyed demanding to know just what we thought we were doing. He took the form of a servant among a people who would eventually hang him on a cross… all for the purpose of finding his lost sheep. He is still doing that today… as He seeks out his children, picks them up out of the wild place in which He finds them, and carries them home – to the boisterous delight of all of heaven.

This is true of those whom God is saving today, and it is true of those of us who already count ourselves among his people. He rescues us from the death penalty of sin, and then continues to rescue us from our sinful nature in this life. My friends, the great thing about Christianity is that we don’t work our way to God. We couldn’t if we tried! The glorious truth of Christianity is that God came to us! Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We did not seek him out… our Good Shepherd went into the wilderness in search of us. It's what my son's Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible – a wonderful little Bible for children (I highly recommend it!) -- calls His “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love!”

God Went After YOU!
My friends, I ask you, do you believe each moment that God seeks you? If you’re a Christian, you ought to believe it, because it is true. You ought to believe it because it's glorious! You ought to believe it because it's the only way this world makes any sense! You ought to believe it because there is such joy and such freedom and such power in knowing that God is always at work in your life, that He never stops loving you, that there are no limits to his grace. Why? Because Jesus travelled a road – a road not lined with palm branches, but one lined with those who shouted, “Crucify Him!” Jesus travelled a road, beaten and bloodied, carrying the instrument of his torture and death to a place called Calvary so that one day you and I could be with him, along with the penitent thief crucified next to him, in paradise!

If you are Christian today, God sought you out and He did not spare even His own Son to do so. You are here today, because God went after you. You are not adrift in this life, you are not insignificant, you are not unloved, you are not alone, and as a preacher who I like a whole lot likes to say, God isn't mad at you, He's really quite fond of you. He went after you, after all. And when you get down and depressed, and you can't take it anymore, and life just can't get any worse, cheer up! Jesus came after you, He's still after you, and your Good Shepherd knows what you need.

The Damascus Road: The Tip of The Iceberg
Just as He went after Saul. Jesus enters the life of the very person who is probably doing more to destroy God’s people than anyone else, and God turns him into one of the church’s most powerful witnesses. But we would be mistaken if we believed that God did this all of a sudden. We would be missing something if we saw the Damascus Road as the sum total of Saul’s conversion. No, this event, as miraculous and awe-inspiring as it is, is merely the “tip of the iceberg.” You know, icebergs are a lot like some people in that they hide most of what they are below the surface. The visible part of an iceberg, the part that you see sticking out of the water is only the very top, less than 10%, of a mostly submerged mountain of ice. The Damascus Road is merely the final culmination of Saul’s conversion… there is a mountain of life underneath it.

The God Who Works All Things Together
So, notice secondly The God Who Works All Things Together. Look at Acts 9:15… “But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” God had chosen Saul of all people… and that choice had been in place before Saul was born. In Galatians 1:15, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, himself writes that God had set him apart from birth. As John Piper wrote recently, “This means that between Paul’s birth and his call on the Damascus road he was an already-chosen but not-yet-called instrument of God (Acts 9:15; 22:14).”

Saul’s Life
So, let's take a look at Saul’s life for a second, shall we? He was born Saul, in Tarsus of Cilicia, a city on the southern coast of what we know today as Turkey. He was born a Roman citizen. From a very young age, he was trained in the strictest sect of Judaism, as a Pharisee, under perhaps the most prominent rabbi of his day. He advanced quickly, beyond most his age, and was a rising star among the Pharisees. He half-boasted later that if anyone was going to stake his claim to heaven on following the law it should have been Saul, for he was doing it better than anyone. He, of course, becomes the fierce persecutor we have seen him to be. But consider this… his training was a backdrop for his later work to bring the Gospel to his own Jewish people. When he affirmed in the epistles that “the righteous shall live by faith,” could his years of Pharasaical living be far removed from his thoughts? God allowed Saul to take part in Stephen’s death perhaps to see the way Stephen died. It was not by accident that Saul made martyrs of many in Jerusalem as he witnessed their faith. And Piper provides us with even greater perspective here, when he writes, “Damascus was not Paul’s final, free will yielding to Christ after decades of futile divine effort to save him. God had a time for choosing him (before he was born) and a time for calling him (on the Damascus road). Paul yielded when God called. Therefore the sins that God permitted between Paul’s birth and his calling were part of the plan, since God could have done Damascus sooner. Do we have any idea what the plan for those sins might have been? Yes. They were permitted for you and me—for all who fear that they might have sinned themselves out of grace.” Folks, believe it or not, Saul’s whole life was orchestrated for that day on the Damascus Road so that Saul, reborn as Paul, could go out on many a far flung road and preach the gospel. And God speaks to us in Saul's life of His sovereignty and amazing grace.

He Moves Heaven and Earth
My friends, God doesn’t do anything on a whim. He has a purpose for this world which he has been working out since eternity past and will continue into eternity. That purpose included Saul and it includes us – and it includes both our faithfulness and our failures. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Therefore, redemption, our salvation, is a carefully orchestrated event… it is not a episode of Mighty Mouse… where out of nowhere when all hope seems gone, here comes Mighty Mouse to save the day! No, God works together every day, every act, every person, every event, every word spoken or withheld, and every influence present or absent to bring his children home.

Markers in Time
Listen to this. In a 2004 edition of his daily, “Slice of Infinity,” devotional, Ravi Zacharias writes the following:
“As I have aged I seem to grow more and more prone to nostalgia. Many of us do this instinctively, clinging to memories past, perhaps looking backwards with the hope of seeing a purpose for our lives. When I travel to India, I make it a point to revisit time and again those significant marking points of my own life. As I recall these moments past but not forgotten, I hear the gentle voice of God very much in the present. And He says, “I was there.” “When you were on your bike contemplating suicide, I was there. When you were but 9 years old and your grandmother died, I arranged for her gravestone to hold in time the very verse that would lead you to conversion. I was there… As we look back on these markers in time, there is a sense of the transcendent, a glimpse of a reality greater than this. Beaming from this reality is the eternal love of God. He was with you then. He is there with you now. And He loves you.”

The Day in the Cemetery
WOW! Those words from Ravi remind me of a story. A young boy was playing in his backyard one day. He was having a grand time of himself when along came his grandfather. The boy’s grandfather called out to him and said seriously, “Would you like to come with me today?” “OK,” the young boy answered, “Where are we going?” He asked. “To the cemetery.” His grandfather answered. So the boy and his grandfather got into the car and off they went. When they arrived at the cemetery, they drove through the tall iron gate and through the quiet maze of gravestones until they finally stopped by the side of the road. They got out of the car, the young boy took his grandfather’s hand, and they walked a short distance away to a particular gravestone where his grandfather stopped. The young boy stood silently. His grandfather stood quietly for a moment, took off his hat and began to speak. “Ann, it’s me,” he said. He continued in hushed words that the young boy could not understand. A few minutes later, his grandfather said softly, “Jack is with me today… Oh Ann… if you could only see your grandchildren… you would be so proud.” A few more hushed words … an Amen… a sign of the cross, and a little sigh… “OK Jack,” he said. “Let’s go home.” Jack took his grandfather’s hand and off they went.

He is With Me!
I was that little boy. The memory of that day in the cemetery, standing beside the grave of the grandmother I never knew, is one that I will never forget. I’ve thought about that day in the cemetery so many times over the years. It is perhaps my favorite memory of my grandfather – my best friend for the first 23 years of my life. After reading this passage in Acts, I now know why that particular memory stands out. That day in the cemetery is one of the first recollections I have of being part of something bigger – of being part of, as Ravi says, “a reality greater than this” -- of being precious in someone’s sight, of a love stronger than any force of nature. That day was God's way of giving me a taste of what He would teach me years later. That He had chosen me, that I was precious in His sight, and that He loved me perfectly. He had orchestrated my whole life, in every part, for the purpose of leading me to Himself. God was with me that day in the cemetery, he is with me today and he has been and will be with me always. As it was with Saul, as it is with me, Christian, so it is with you! God has moved heaven and earth to bring you to himself.

God Uses Us in the Redemption of His People
So, what do we do with all of this? In Acts 9:10-15, we see God call Ananias through a dream to minister to Saul, and then we read that God has chosen Saul specifically to take the Gospel to Jew and Gentile alike. Throughout the Scriptures, we see God seeking and redeeming His people all the while using the work of ordinary people whom He has sought out and equipped for His service. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” He has chosen to use people, like us, to bring others to himself. We have the supernatural privilege of playing a role in the sovereign plan of God.

God is working in the lives of those around us, and He allows us to play a role in His work through evangelism and through the use of whatever gift He has given each of us. I ask you this morning, what is yours? And what are you doing with it? Like most things, God gives us the choice to participate in what he is doing, and if we respond in obedience and faith we can experience something miraculous! If we choose not to, God’s purpose is not thwarted. But, we will have missed an opportunity to experience His work – to experience the peace of faith, the blessing of giving, the freedom of obedience, the joy of sacrifice. Are you fulfilling the role God has laid out for you? Have you sought out, and then sought to use the gift that God has given you? God has a purpose and He has invited us to partake in that purpose… if we step out in faith and obedience we will see His work and experience Him for who He is.

Do You Know Him?
So, on this Palm Sunday, as we remember Jesus entry into Jerusalem, I ask you to consider once again this Jesus who came in search of you and me. Consider once again the “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love of God” that we see in Him. Consider once again the work He has done, and is doing, in your life – where is He leading? What step of faith is next for you? What wall have you been banging your head against time and time again that He wants you to see is really there? Consider again the talents and gifts that He has given you? How are you using them in His service as He seeks the lost? This week, as we look to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Our Lord, look for him in His Word. Look for Him at the Cross. Look for him down the long corridors and in the forgotten corners of your life. As Mary did on Easter morning, you may just find him where you least expect him.

It's Been Way Too Long!

2008-01-10T23:15:00.000-05:00

I haven't written anything here in months! Yikes!

Well, I guess I'll try to get things moving again with some disorganized thoughts, recommendations and observations.

- I love listening to John Piper and Steve Brown -- preaching that challenges me and restores me at the same time. Great stuff! Both do a lot with podcasting and are worth some investigation on iTunes or on their websites: desiringgod.org, stevebrownetc.com

- If you've never seen a movie in IMAX, or better yet IMAX 3D, treat yourself. Sure it is twice as expensive as the regular movie ticket, but man what an experience! IMAX 3D is the ONLY way to appreciate Beowulf. I Am Legend in IMAX was positively incredible.

- Rutgers 52, Ball State 30 in the International Bowl. My alma mater ran over Ball State after a befuddling season. I suppose the dream 11-2 season last year spoiled me, but I hoped for 9-10 wins this season. If not for late game failures at Cincinnati and Maryland, this would have been at least a 9 win season with a bowl game. Ray Rice was sublime and I'll have to try to enjoy watching him play on Sundays next year. Hate to see him leave the Banks, but with what he did in the bowl game, how could he stay? Lots to look forward to in Piscataway though -- can't wait!

- I'm hooked on Facebook... ok, now you know! That infernal site is a large part of the reason I've neglected this space for some time. Now, Facebook is useful -- it is a great way to make quick contacts with people and keep in touch, but it has become a seemingly endless repository of brilliant ways to waste time.

- There is no force on Earth that will better unite the Republican party and Republican voters next November than Hillary Clinton. As a corollary, there is no more effective way for the Democratic party to give away the White House and control of Congress than to nominate Hillary Clinton for President. But really, am I alone in saying that I'm already sick of this whole process? Of no less than 15 hard-working, highly intelligent, deeply committed, deeply patriotic, profoundly different, equally interesting Americans prostituting themselves to a media machine which could not be doing them (or us) more of a disservice? Of empty rhetoric and sweeping promises frighteningly devoid of details? Of soundbite debates, endless jabbering by worn-out talking heads, and ridiculous "new technologies" that hinder rather than help, even when they do work on camera?! I don't think I can take another minute of this!

- I would not bring Verizon back into my house at gunpoint!

- I watch way too much TV and it is preventing me from be constructive, productive and faithful.

- Baseball's chickens are coming home to roost, and while this is going to get worse before it gets better, maybe now we can start to get on with the game.

- Whoever came up with the term "Terrible Twos" didn't know what he was talking about -- 2 is a piece of cake... 3 is a whole different ballgame!

- Books I've Read Recently: America at the Crossroads - Francis Fukuyama, Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition - John Geiger and Owen Beattie, American Prometheus - Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin

- Books I'm Reading: The Coldest Winter - David Halberstam, The Enemy Within - Kris Lundgaard.

- Ciao Luciano... The world lost perhaps its greatest tenor in 2007, Luciano Pavarotti. He is one of my favorites. If you can listen to him sing Nessun Dorma without getting goosebumps, there's something wrong with you.

There's more of substance I could say, but it is too late now. Another night...

Sprouting Wings

2007-06-22T11:14:00.000-04:00

My grandfather had a way with words. He spent 75 of his 97 years on this earth in the United States, but always sounded as if he had just arrived from Sicily last week. He had a wealth of funny pronunciations for words, and just as many cute sayings that my family has kept alive. At this time of year, I find myself thinking of one saying in particular.

In the summer after my junior year of college, I was accepted to take part in a summer missions project in New Hampshire. A young Christian, I was just then making my faith public to my parents and family. I was also new to the concept and process of support raising. So I had a difficult time raising the support I needed, and for a time I just about gave up on going. But, at the last minute, a dear friend offered to give me the rest of the money I needed, and I excitedly made my preparations to leave. It was then that I realized that I needed to explain to my 95 year old grandfather, my best friend, that I was going to be gone for the next 2 ½ months.

In the whirlwind of the preceding months, having only begun to understand and to explain to those around me the changes that Christ was making in my life, I had not told my grandfather about my plans. I simply didn't know how. I remember sitting with him at his kitchen table one bright May morning, and trying to explain to him where I was going and how long I would be gone. He was surprised and sad that I would not be around for the summer, but as always, he was proud of me and he was happy to see me live life well.

The next day, I left for New Hampshire. I didn't know what to expect that summer – I just knew that God had led me and he had something he wanted to do with me. While there is still a twinge of sadness when I think back to that summer, there is also a lot of joy. That summer, I met my wife, I began to get to know this Jesus who had come into my life, I learned how to share my faith with others and I began to discover the spiritual gifts that God had given me. Gramp lived to see me come home from that summer, and for two more summers after that, and in August 1996, he died.

A year or two afterward, I remember spending an evening with my aunt and my cousins remembering my grandfather and talking about him. I remember tearfully sharing that part of me had always felt guilty about leaving him that summer. My aunt gently corrected me. “No Jack..” she said, “you know, he used to say, “Sooner or later, they have to sprout wings.” It was my grandfather's own wonderful way of saying that he knew I had to go. He knew that this, for me, was part of leaving the nest and going out into the wide world... and he wouldn't have had it any other way.

A Sermon I Preached Last Month...

2007-06-14T23:53:00.000-04:00

Here's the text of sermon I preached a month or so ago... hope you enjoy!

Our text is from the Book of Joshua, Chapter 1, verses 1 through 9.

“I pray God I can manage to get the whole party safe to civilization.” These words, penned on a cold October night in 1915 somewhere on the shifting pack ice of Antarctica's Weddell Sea, captured all that mattered in the world on that night to their author, Sir Ernest Shackleton. Earlier that day, he had watched as the polar ice slowly crushed the ship upon which his Imperial Trans-Arctic Expedition's Weddell Sea party had been marooned for the better part of one year. Shackleton and his expedition had departed England in July 1914 with the grand aim of crossing the Antarctic continent. Now, over a year later, with his grand expedition as shattered as his ship, he and his crew faced the harrowing task of surviving and escaping the most hostile environment on Earth. The expedition now had but one mission: survival and home. As its leader, this was his appointed task.

Shackleton was no fool. A veteran of two previous polar expeditions, having narrowly escaped starvation in Antarctica eight years earlier, he knew what a terrible toll this blinding world of ice and perpetual cold took on the hearts and wills of even the most daring and hardened of men. He knew what ruthless deprivations, what enormous sacrifices, what brutal cunning and daring it would take to survive. For the next 10 months, under Shackleton's fierce leadership, the expedition walked over 350 miles to the edge of the ice pack, and then sailed three small boats over 200 miles to Elephant Island. From there, he and two others sailed 650 miles across the screaming, storm driven Southern Ocean to a whaling station on South Georgia Island. Shackleton returned to Elephant Island in August 1916 to retrieve the rest of the slowly starving expedition. All returned to England alive.

Each of us here is training to be a leader of a much more important expedition – what could be called the Great Expedition: to lead the people of God in taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the cold, desolate, hostile hearts of men, all the while looking forward to our own heavenly homecoming. Shackleton knew what it would take to lead his expedition. This morning I ask you: What will it take for us to lead the people of God?

“Be strong and courageous” is the answer that calls forth from the pages of God's Word in Joshua. This phrase is used three times in this passage. It also appears in Deuteronomy 31:7 and 31:23, and later on in Joshua 1:18 and 10:25. That's seven times (just for starters) that God uses this phrase, and with good reason. These two traits are what is to characterize Joshua's leadership of God's people. But hold on a minute! The message of this passage is not to gather our strength and muster up whatever courage we have, but instead to behold and accept and trust in the strength and courage offered to us by the Lord as He accomplishes his purposes in and through our lives. As we step forward to lead in ministry – in the Great Expedition of God's people -- we must see that we can be strong and courageous in ministry because Christ leads us. He has chosen his course (and his crew, by the way), He has laid up provisions in His Word, and He is with us on the journey.

So, please notice first that we can be strong and courageous in ministry because God has set the course. Look at Joshua 1:1 and following: (Read Joshua 1:1-2, 6). It had been 40 years since the spies had returned from their scouting trip of the Canaan with reports of giants, fortified cities, and throngs of enemies. Despite the exhortations of Caleb and Joshua, the spies reported that it was a land that could not be taken -- “they are stronger than we are,” they said. The rest of the people agreed, and as judgment for their rebellion, they spent the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness, watching and waiting for death to come to those who had rebelled. The world they were about to encounter was a scary place, and Israel had a history of rebellion.

Now, their great leader, God's servant Moses, himself forbidden from entering the land, was dead. Joshua had been chosen by God to lead His people as Moses had, and as verses 1-2 record, it was now time for Joshua to get his people up and ready to cross the flooded Jordan River. But here and in verse 6, God reminds Joshua of something vitally important about what lies ahead – it is “the land that I am giving to them,” and “the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.” This is the land that God had promised to Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob as far back as Genesis 15. This is the land that it had been his design to give his people. What God had promised to their forefathers was finally coming to pass, and Joshua would be the one to lead the people of God as they took possession of it. It is as if God is saying to Joshua here: “Fear not, Joshua, I AM is at work! Despite all that has happened, despite all of the hardship and suffering you have endured, and in spite of the giants and the fortified cities and the throngs of enemies, and in spite of this fickle, sinful people, my plan has endured and prevailed. This land belongs this people because I am giving it to them.”

Joshua found himself smack in the middle of the sovereignty of God, and in that he could lead. There is strength and courage in knowing that one's calling is borne forth in the sovereign plan of God to redeem His people. Joshua and his people were called not just to settle the land, but to conquer it. He was to lead them as they faced their enemies and broke down their cities, and he could do so in faith and confidence that the promise and power of God was greater than anything on earth. But remember also, that not only were the people of God invading the land of Canaan, but God was invading this world.

As we look backward on these events through the lens of Calvary, we see that Joshua is one of those earthly foretastes of the great spiritual reality that Jesus, “the Joshua who was to come,” would unleash upon the world. Joshua is a flashing neon sign pointing on the road of God's redemptive plan for this world – pointing forward to the time when Jesus Christ would lead his people across the very threshold of eternal life, conquering the forces of sin and death, and securing for all who would believe the inheritance of eternal life. The sovereign plan of God was to roll on like a wave, and like Joshua, we have been redeemed, called and uniquely gifted by God in Christ to take part in it – to lead God's people as we take the gospel of Jesus Christ to a hostile world. We can be strong and courageous leaders because Christ has already done the work of redemption for his people on the cross, and has chosen to use us to lead others to bring that to pass!

Let us always remember that we are part of God's plan for His world. God forbid that we take that lightly! God forbid that we reduce that to just the sum total of our daily activities in ministry! We finite creatures have been given the opportunity by our Creator to participate in His grand plan for heaven and earth and all of history. Joshua needed to remember that everything he did was done in the context and presence of the divine, and so do we!
Now, what we must see next is that once God has squarely laid out his course, God provides the food that is to sustain us in leadership. Please notice second that we can be strong and courageous in ministry because God has not only set the course, but He has laid up provisions for us in His Word.

Look at Joshua 1:7,8. (Read Joshua 1:7,8) We see here that Joshua's strength and courage were inextricably linked to acting in accordance with all that Moses had commanded. Notice that God's instructions to Joshua have two elements. First, the law must be the sole guide for how Joshua is to conduct himself. It is the sole path to success as a leader of the people of God – there must be no other routes, not to the right or to the left. Joshua is not to turn away from God's law but keep himself fixed upon it at all times. Second, Joshua is to meditate upon God's law day and night. He is to be so steeped in the law of God that it governs his every action, and every word that comes out of his mouth. We also see God's assurance of the results – that acting in accordance with God's law will bring success and prosperity to Joshua and his people.
In effect, God is telling Joshua here, “I have commanded you to enter the land and take possession of it. I have assured you that I am giving the land to you and your people. The process may be frightening and daunting, but fear not. I know that you are finite and prone to error, I have provided everything you need to know about how to lead my people in what I have revealed to Moses. Meditate upon it! Let it never leave your mouth, your mind and your life so that you will act in accordance with it. Then, you will be successful.”

Folks, we not only have the law of Moses, but the words of the Prophets and the Psalmists and the Teacher of Ecclesiastes, not to mention the wisdom of the Proverbs and Job, the great history of the people of God through the Kings, the Chronicles, and the books of Samuel. All of which lead us to the New Testament where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is unveiled. We have been called to be leaders in the great movement of God upon this world, and God has provided in His Word all the instruction that we need to serve him faithfully and obediently. It is the Word of God, living and active, inexhaustible and all that we need to be leaders among his people. We need to be people who are steeped in and transformed by the Word of God. This is what Paul calls us to in Romans 12 when he says, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We need to ask ourselves: Are we men and women of God's Word? Not just by virtue of its centrality to our studies here, but because it takes the foremost place in our hearts and our minds? Do we plan and guard our time in God's Word? Or is it the first thing that gets bumped down our list when we are having a busy day? Lord knows, that in ministry we will be busy and we will wrestle with competing priorities, but the question is this: Do those priorities flow from our own meditation on God's Word? Are those priorities ordered and illuminated and empowered by God's Word?

We also need to ask ourselves: what is our definition of success in ministry? Are we seeking to do God's work in God's way? Or do we write our own definitions of success according to some other standard in order to be popular, safe, inclusive, right or numerous!

These would be scary questions, and the decisions that result would be even scarier, if we were alone in this. But we're not! Please notice third that we can be strong and courageous in ministry because God is with us. Look at verses 5 and 9. (Read Josh 1:5,9) So, God has commanded Joshua to lead the people over the Jordan and into the land he is giving them. In verses 3 and 4, he defined the boundaries of the land that is theirs for the taking, and now he tells Joshua in verse 5 that no man, not even the frightful enemies they were to meet in Canaan would be able to stand in his way. Why? Because the outcome of the conquest of the land depended not upon the strength of man, whether they be God's people or their enemies in Canaan, but upon the sovereign power and strength of God that was present among his people. It would be just as it was with Moses – there was no need for alarm, no need to fear, no need to dismay now that Moses was dead, that somehow the power of God which the people had seen with Moses had somehow left him and God's people. God had chosen to accompany Joshua in the same way he had Moses. God had not left Joshua, He had not left his people, and he promised never to leave.

What a source of strength and encouragement this was! God knew the hearts of his people and of Joshua himself. He knew how prone they were to rebellion when they faced adversity or when they were called upon to act in faith. Joshua needed to know that as he crossed that river and faced the enemies of the people of God, that Almighty God crossed with them and stared into the faces of those enemies himself. What a frightful thought that is! It is a terrible thing to stand astride the warpath of the God!

My friends, in an even more wonderful and incredible way in Christ, just as God did not leave Joshua alone, neither has Christ left us, his body, alone. Remember he said in John 7, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water'”. And in John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth... you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” He has sent the Spirit of God to dwell not only with us, but in us. Christ promises his disciples that the Spirit of God will take up residence IN his people -- that He will teach them all things, remind them of everything that Jesus has said, and as he says later in Acts 1:8 that this Holy Spirit will be the power they need to do what they have been called to do.

As leaders, we will be called to do some scary things. We will be called to stand for the truth of God's Word even when it is not popular to do so, and even when our own friends oppose us or take offense. We may be called to exercise church discipline. We will all be called to minister the Word of God to broken hearts, broken marriages, broken families, broken dreams, and broken lives. And some may even be called to take the gospel into territory this not only spiritually hostile, but physically hostile. All of those things are frightening, all of those things can cause us to fear, or bring us deep dismay. But, just like Joshua, we are called to know and believe and take heart that we enter into these things and all things not alone, but with the presence of God in our hearts.

Because he is with us, he preserves and defends his Word through us... He exercises church discipline through us... He ministers to broken hearts, broken marriages, broken families, broken dreams and broken lives through us by the power of His Holy Spirit! He will use the Word of God that we meditate upon, He will give us words to say. He will direct our steps and our thoughts, and he will accomplish God's purposes in and through us. The Spirit of God is present with us – we need only trust in His presence and step out in faith according to His leading.

Be strong and courageous. Like the bells of some great cathedral, these words ring out to us from this passage. They ring out to all believers, but as leaders we have responsibility for others so we must pay special attention. We can be strong and courageous in ministry because God has gone before us – he has set the course of this world by His sovereign will. We can be strong and courageous in ministry because God has provided all that we need to know in the inexhaustible treasure of His Word. We can be strong and courageous in ministry also because He has come with us on the journey. He is present with us in the Holy Spirit – we face this world and the challenges of ministry not alone but in the supernatural presence of God.

My father once said that in life there are leaders and there are followers. As we prepare to lead the people of God, let us remember that we will lead only as well as we follow Christ who leads us in his course, according to His Word, by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Highly Recommended

2007-04-05T01:01:00.000-04:00

I've become a big fan of John Piper recently. I never used to be -- I used to shy away from reading his books or listening to his preaching. I think it was a reaction to my attempt to read his book "Desiring God" when I was a new Christian. I wasn't ready for it, and it all went completely over my head.

But, in the last little while, I've been blessed by his writing and his preaching -- God has given me much to think about through both. I have especially enjoyed his book, "Taste and See", which is a compilation of short articles he has written over the years. The subtitle says it all -- Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life. It really captures what he is all about, and it got me to thinking.

Do we really believe that God is supreme and that His supremacy is something to be savored? Now, we'll all say yes because we are good Christians and we really do believe it in our hearts, but do we act like it? God really is supreme and He really did create me to enjoy Him for all eternity. He is the greatest enjoyment we can EVER have and there is nothing better than Him -- those things are the truth!

"Gee, that's a great sermonette there, preacher boy, but you still haven't answered your own question -- do you ACT like it?" I have to say that I fall dreadfully short. So often, I fail to see my true purpose -- to glorify God and enjoy Him forever -- running through every day of my life, and in every area of my life. So often I fail to see that knowing, enjoying, and pursuing God in all things is WHAT I WAS CREATED TO DO, and therefore is not a way of life to be feared or dismissed or rebelled against, but something to be passionate about, to be zealous for, and to rejoice over! To whoever is reading this, this is all true of you too because you too live in God's world -- a world that Jesus died to redeem and a world that He will return to claim!

I suppose it all starts with what we think of God. Do we really believe that He is supreme? O God, please give me, and whoever is reading this, the grace to see you as Supreme each day -- as worthy of everything I am. In my own strength, I am capable only of serving myself and while such a life seems real and vibrant, it is only a cruel deception. You are who you are, and You are all there is -- help me to see through my sin, and see You!

Wow prayers...

2007-02-18T23:05:00.000-05:00

Been reading a book called The Valley of Vision during my devotions. It is a book of Puritan prayers that was compiled some years ago. Each time I read one of these selections I am moved to say, "Wow, these guys knew how to pray." The book has been a great blessing to me and I'll be sharing one or two now and again... here goes:

Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin
the exceeding righteousness of salvation
the exceeding glory of Christ
the exceeding beauty of holiness
the exceeding wonder of grace.

God Exists!

2006-12-29T08:40:00.000-05:00

For those of you who harbor any lingering doubts as to the existence of God, I offer this evidence which should put an end to the whole thing...

Rutgers 37
Kansas State 10

Ladies and gentlemen, God exists and he is good!!

A movie you just have to see before Monday...

2006-12-22T23:26:00.000-05:00

Have you seen Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) yet? If you haven't, please, oh please see this movie this weekend! In the midst of the vapid, post-modern commercial catastrophe that is Christmas these days, this is one Christmas movie to see!

For on Christmas Eve night in 1914, throughout the shattered French countryside, what would be known as the Great War stopped for Christmas. The young men of Germany, France, England and Scotland who earlier that summer had so eagerly answered the call to what was supposed to be a great wartime adventure, were now mired, cold and stunned, in the trenches of a horrifying standoff. For a few precious hours, soldiers on both sides of "no-man's land" all along the seven-hundred mile Western front, in the midst of their Christmas observances, called an impromptu truce. Warily, they left their trenches and met their adversaries face to face.

Something greater than war and country called these men out of their trenches... I believe (and I think I have good reason to) that something was God. He was at work that night, as suddenly and unusually as was His practice on a night some 1914 years earlier, to call his people to himself and to call the nations to more peaceful ways, as only He knew the horror that lay ahead.

The movie is wonderful (an amalgamation of many accounts of what happened that night and of other bits of color added to good effect) and the soundtrack is marvelous.

Rent it and enjoy. Merry Christmas.

At Long Last... A Sports Rant

2006-10-02T01:05:00.000-04:00

The Fall Roundup...

Haven't done this in a while, but the fall sports season is getting revved up and, while my studying doesn't leave me much time to catch any of it, I'm particularly happy about it this year. "Why?" You ask? Well, because all of the teams I hold dear are competitive and some are pretty darn good.

Football
Yeah, the Giants and Jets will probably have pretty competitive seasons, but when it comes to this sport, there's only one team that I really care about -- my Rutgers Scarlet Knights. And, lo and behold (what a great, archaic turn of phrase), my alma mater is 5-0 for the first time since I was wearing size 3T pants! Yeah, yeah, they haven't exactly played top-flight competition, but who cares?! I sure don't! They've usually coughed up at least a game at this time of year to glorified high school team, but they have taken care of business this year. Another bowl game looks like a good possibility now, and who would have thought that 5 years ago?! God bless Greg Schiano, God bless Ray Rice (where did THIS guy come from?!) and God bless the whole lot of them! They've made long suffering loyal sons very happy!

Hockey
I'm excited to see what the Rangers come up with this year. The playoffs last year were a big disappointment, and really the series was over after game 1. It was nice to see Carolina out-everything the Devils though -- I did so enjoy that :) I felt that the Rangers made some interesting moves over the summer to bring in playoff (and championship) experience, some grit, and some much needed help for Jaromir Jagr in the scoring and leadership department. I only wish we had snared Brendan Shanahan at age 27 instead of age 37, but oh well. It seems that they are maybe the only team in their division that took a step forward this summer. The Devils kept their team together but they are in a big pickle with their salary cap -- a pickle caused by two players who don't play on the NHL level. They'll be the same old Devils, but Sweet Lou doesn't have the room that he used to. The Flyers made some moves, but the local take on it here in the Philly area is that what was done wasn't enough. The Islanders are so much of a circus act that they should have Simba the Elephant in goal for the next 15 years instead of Rick "The 15 Year Ball and Chain" DiPietro. So who knows? Maybe my guys can repeat last season and write a new chapter in the playoffs. Rangers in 7!

Soccer
Too early to get too excited, but seriously, with the players that Chelsea has, they shouldn't be allowed to lose. My Red Devils are top of the table (yeah, I know its on goal differential, but who cares) right now, and they seem to be playing quite well. They are scoring well (Ruud who?), Ronaldo has become a force to be reckoned with, Louis Saha has been brilliant, Ole is back and Rooney hasn't even played a decent game yet.

Finally... Baseball
I had the pleasure of watching the Yankees end the Red Sox season early this year with that masterful 5 game sweep at Fenway earlier this summer. They look good going into the playoffs this year, but who knows? The Mets are back in the playoffs too, but in a cruel twist, they'll be without Pedro Martinez for quite some time. That will limit their chances in the post-season, but stranger things have happened.

Rant concluded!

Bye!

Fools Beware...

2006-10-02T00:59:00.000-04:00

Gotta love the reality TV craze... just when you think its gone completely goofy, they manage to unearth a true TV gem. Yes, folks, that's right... Mr T. is back!!

Apparently, Mr. T (nee B.A. Baracus or The A-Team) will star in his own reality show as the bane of fools everywhere -- a sorta motivational speaker/reality cop with a mohawk.

This I hafta see...

Turmoil and Chaos...

2006-09-10T17:32:00.000-04:00

Been a long time since my last post... moved, changed jobs, and started school.

More to come soon!

Hooked on Colin Hay...

2006-05-19T14:01:00.000-04:00

As a kid, one of my favorite popular groups was Men at Work. They had a great sound and they were from Australia (g'day!), and they had such neat, different, catchy songs. Even as a youngster, I thought their frontman, Colin Hay, had a great voice.

So a couple of years ago, I'm home one night and I'm watching Scrubs. During one typically zany episode, a fellow with a guitar strolls on-screen singing a delicious acoustic version of a Men at Work classic, Overkill -- a song that was terrific in all its 80's pop glory, but 100 times better that night as played by, none other than, Colin Hay himself!! The next morning I searched the internet frantically in the hopes of snaring a Scrubs soundtrack (which I found on Amazon) and some more info on ol' Colin. Turns out that he's had himself a successful solo career as a singer/songwriter. A year or two later, thanks to the iTunes Music Service, I picked up a few more of Colin's tunes and I've been delighted with them.

Check him out at www.colinhay.com

My favs -- Overkill, Beautiful World, Waiting for My Real Life to Begin, Company of Strangers, and especially, My Brilliant Feet

Champions League Final rant

2006-05-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

Stayed up way too late the other night to watch the Champions League final on ESPN2. I had followed the game earlier in the day online, so I wanted to see the live action.

I thought that the match started out quite evenly with both sides having their chances. Arsenal appeared to have brought their Champions League "A" game, and Barcelona looked like they were a bit frustrated with Arsenal's stingy defensive play right from the start. Theirry Henry had a glorious early chance for Arsenal, and Barcelona threatened as well. But a deft pass from Ronaldinho to spring Samuel Eto'o in alone on Jens Lehmann changed everything. Lehmann came way out of his net to challenge Eto'o. It looked like he tried to slide in front of the ball and smother it, but Eto'o eluded him. Lehmann was beaten on the play, and as he slid past he grabbed Eto'o's foot and took him out of the play. The ball was put in by Barcelona and then the fun started.

The referee blew the whistle to call the foul and disallowed the goal. He then gave Lehmann the red card. Arsenal then had to play the rest of the match one man short. There was a good deal of controversy and argument here -- the referee could have allowed the goal to stand. He later admitted that he regretted the red card decision. But Lehmann made a big mistake here -- it is better to be down a goal than down a man especially in a match like this.

Now, Arsenal did score first in the 37th minute (a terrific header by Sol Campbell), and did their best to protect that lead for the rest of the game against a relentless Barcelona attack. High praise goes to Arsenal's back line -- they were marvelous -- and Manuel Almunia, who was heroic in goal. They did protect that 1-0 lead for almost 40 minutes, but in the end Barcelona found the holes they needed -- Eto'o surgically slipping the ball by Almunia from close range, and then the hammer blow from Balletti in the 78th minute to seal the win.

Poor Arsenal -- they played so well throughout the tournament, but the odds were definitely against them in this one after Lehmann was sent off. The commentators I read said that the Arsenal players looked exhausted by the time Barcelona broke the tie. Henry himself said that he was too worn out by the end to do anything with chances that did come his way -- there was nothing left in the tank.

The best news for Arsenal came today -- Henry, who is believed to have toyed with the idea of leaving Arsenal after this season, now says that he wants to sign a new deal.

Sports Rant

2006-05-11T10:50:00.000-04:00

Looking back...

Haven't posted a sports rant lately and there's much about which to rant. So here goes...

The NHL playoffs are in full swing now... the 2nd round is about halfway through and, for the most part, the hockey has been a lot of fun to watch. I say, "for the most part," because my Rangers were thoroughly trounced by a very hot Devils team in the first round. Wasn't much of a series really and it capped a disappointing end to what was a very enjoyable, encouraging and exciting season for the Rangers.

I have become so accustomed to watching awful Rangers hockey over the past 9 years, that this season was very strange... fun, but strange. The Rangers did in one year all of the things that I thought might take them a few years to do -- commit to a team game, play some semblance of a team defensive system, give young players a real chance to contribute, win games and give the fans something to really cheer about. From top to bottom, the Rangers showed themselves to be savvy members of the new NHL -- they built an inexpensive, entertaining, competitive team for well under the league salary cap, they took advantage of the new rules, they gave Jaromir Jagr whatever he needed to flourish (and flourish, he did) and for the first time in a VERY long time, they saw two young players, Henrik Lundquist and Petr Prucha, reveal themselves as real keepers for years to come.

And the fans? Well, they are back and they had a lot to cheer about this year -- a resurgent team, Jagr's recordbreaking season, King Henrik, the return of home-ice advantage to MSG, and of course, Marek Malik's highlight reel, between-his-legs, shootout goal against the Caps in November. They also have a real reason to look forward to next year. Forget whoever the Rangers might sign in the offseason (Note to Jim Dolan: If there's any money left in the Cablevision vault, give as much of it as possible to Patrick Elias!), the real excitement lives in the young players who are coming up from the system.

But, let me say this... anyone who says that they were shocked by the Rangers ultimate demise wasn't paying attention. The Rangers had not really had a crisis throughout this season -- no major spate of injuries, no big losing streak, no locker room turmoil, no scandals... until the last 6 weeks of the season. The team faced its first real adversity and the worst possible time and it showed. The crisis came in a string of injuries to key players and the whole team collectively running out of gas. The precision, confidence and cohesiveness that had been so evident before the Olympic break was just not there. In the playoffs, they ran into a red-hot Devils team, Jagr was effectively eliminated after game 1 and the Devils got every break, bounce, chip and ricochet imaginable -- talk about two teams going in opposite directions. They lost in a sweep, but not for lack of effort or heart. So we wait for next year... but this time it is different.

So... it's been a while

2006-05-05T23:37:00.000-04:00

Whoa... time flies as they say...

I've got a bunch of things coming but I'll start with what appears below. I subscribe to Tabletalk and while I've not kept up with it as a daily devotional (a habit I'm trying to get back into), I enjoy reading the articles and essays in each issue. In the April 2005 issue, a Presbyterian minister writes in one essay about what it means to live a holy life. Holiness too often is reduced to the standard list of "don'ts" and the point of the article was to broaden our view of holiness and refocus the issue where it should be - on Christ. Read on...

"Loving God first in my life, means that in everything I am doing I love Him first. I see and hear this world through His eyes and His ears and with His heart. We have completely lost what that means as Christians. When we get home we will discover that we did not love His creation nearly as much as we should have."

"Unholy living does not enjoy God's creation too much -- it falls far short of enjoying it enough. Holiness finds satisfaction and fulfillment in all of life. That "soul satisfaction" feeds and grows a passion for life. The holy life revolves around God in every place at every moment. It is a life of passion, fulfillment, meaning, and eternity."

More to come...

In case anyone is interested...

2006-03-29T12:39:00.000-05:00

Below is a link to some items that I have for sale on Ebay.

Just a few right now, but more to come in a few days.

Ebay Items for Sale

Bye bye Next Blog...

2006-03-28T17:03:00.000-05:00

You'll notice that the customary Blogger toolbar is missing from the top of this blog page. After one too many risque surprises brought on by clicking the "Next Blog" button, I've decided to remove it from my blog with a little help from Jeff Adkins over at Low End Mac.

If you have a Blogger blog, and want to get rid of the Next Blog button, check out this link. All it takes is a quick cut 'n paste in the template and *Presto-Chango-Zappo*... it's gone.

Till Next Time...

New on Low End Mac

2006-03-24T18:39:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest installment of That Old Mac Magic.

The Burden of Christ

2006-03-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

I preached the sermon today at Grace Community Church. Below is the text for your reading pleasure.

----------------------------------------

Good morning! Our text for today is from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 11. I'm going to focus on verses 28-30 this morning, but I've asked for the whole of Matthew 11 to be printed in the bulletin this morning so that we have the context of this passage before us. So, let me read this passage for us, and then we'll dig in.

Read Matthew 11:28-30
Let’s pray!

Well, this time last Sunday, the Winter Olympics were coming to a close in Turin, Italy and, you know, one of my favorite childhood memories centers around the Winter Olympics. It was a cold, dreary Sunday in February 1980. I was 6 years old, and I had just had a bath. I remember sitting on a stool in our TV room, with my Dad in the chair next to me... newspaper spread on the floor, as my mom gave me one of her world-class haircuts. All so that we could watch what would become, "The Miracle on Ice." As my Mom snipped and clipped, we watched this no-name group of U.S. college hockey players, coached by the great Herb Brooks, defeat the Soviet Union, the best team in the world, 4-3. Of course, as the game ends, announcer Al Michaels coins the phrase by which this most incredible of upsets would be known. Remember? "Do you believe in miracles?! YES!"

As you may know, there was a movie made about 2 years ago about that Miracle on Ice team called, "Miracle." There's a memorable scene in the movie that takes place almost a year before the 1980 Olympics began. In this scene, coach Herb Brooks is being interviewed for the job he would eventually win. His message to his potential employers at USA Hockey was simple -- "We can beat the Soviets, but we have to change the way we play the game." Realize, at that time, nobody, not even the Canadians, had beaten the Soviets in Olympics in 20 years. In spite of all the eyebrows he raised, Brooks got the job, and set out teaching a raw group of college kids, a group he handpicked to howls of protest by his superiors, to play the game of hockey in a way they never had before -- all with only one purpose in mind... to beat the Soviets! Brooks was demanding and meticulous, his mindgames were infamous, and his methods were considered at times to be outlandish, and even cruel. He demanded an enormous commitment and an enormous sacrifice. Brooks knew that to achieve the only goal that mattered at the Olympics, he needed not just players, but committed followers who were prepared to do something wonderful. The Bible would call these kind of players, disciples.

To be a disciple, especially in the biblical sense, means to be an adherent of someone else: one who accepts another’s instruction and makes it his rule of conduct. To be a disciple is not just to be a student of a teacher, especially as we conceive of that relationship today. No, this is a much deeper, much more intimate relationship where one’s entire way of life is willingly deconstructed and reconstructed according to the way of one’s teacher. This is not just an intellectual assent to a set of principles, but a willing commitment to be bound by those principles. It is not a nod of the head – it is a step of faith, a state of being and a way of life… nothing less!

Jesus calls those who would listen, to precisely this type of relationship. He calls them to take up his yoke and bear his burden – the burden of Christ. We commonly conceive of a burden as something onerous, oppressive, heavy and dark. But Jesus goes to great lengths to tell us that bearing his burden, the burden of being his disciple, is nothing short of pure joy. His words here in Matthew 11, are not so much a step-by-step guide to discipleship, but more importantly, the big picture view -- the grand vista -- of what it means to be his disciple – to bear his burden.

Please note first of all that to be his disciple we must seek His rest from our burden. And please bear with me as I illustrate this by taking us on a whirlwind tour of Matthew. Mt 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” From the very beginning of his gospel, Matthew makes sure to define the ministry of Jesus in the clearest of terms. His account of Christ’s birth in Chapter 1 sets the tone for the rest of the book. – “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” His name, Jesus or Joshua, means “Yahweh saves.”

Throughout the intervening chapters, we see the ministry of Jesus emerge and develop into a ministry of repentance -- a ministry foretold by the prophets. The miracles he performs – healing the sick, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind – all testify to his identity and to the gravity of his mission. He is calling his people to repent, and he is giving them every reason to do so. But, his people are not convinced.

In Chapter 11, we see him testify to himself in the clearest terms yet. He reassures his cousin John the Baptist, languishing in a desert prison, that the prophet Malachi was right -- that he is indeed the one who was to come. He says to the crowds that, that in fact, yes, John is the Elijah who was to come before the Lord, and I am the one who was to come after John. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” In effect, Jesus is saying, “The Lord God himself has arrived to save his people.” He roundly rebukes many including those in 3 cities, because despite all the miracles, all the prophecies they had heard since they were children, all the teaching, they had refused... to repent. What was it that they needed to repent from? What was it that these people had foolishly neglected to deal with that had Jesus so angry? It was their sin.

Their sin was their problem, their sin was what should have concerned them, their sin was what Jesus was there to deal with. But, they were more concerned with whether or not Jesus was the political hero they had been told to expect. Some were more concerned with his conduct than with his identity or his teaching. They were too blinded by their own wants to see -- too concerned with their meager futures to know. Their sin was their problem.

You see, man turned from God to his own devices, with devastating consequences. Sin shattered the fellowship between man and his God and introduced death. But this, as the title of a recent book on the subject of sin says so well, is not the way it’s supposed to be. Man was never intended to be in this position. Man was created to have fellowship with God, to know Him and live with Him for all eternity. Man was never intended to experience death or the sufferings of sin. Since the Garden, all of mankind has carried an enormous, crushing, demoralizing, burden of sin from which escape in his own power or by his own design is impossible. This is the burden he chose, but was never meant to carry.

It is into this dark place that Jesus, the one who was to come, God with us, God to the rescue, speaks. “Come to me.” To those who are weary and burdened, he says, “Come to me.” To those who can stand the gruesome toil of bearing the crushing weight of sin no more, he says, “Come to me. Come to your Lord! Come to your God! You turned away from me, you did not believe me, you have rejected me, but I have not rejected you. I have come to you to give you rest from your great burden – I have come to make peace and relieve you of your burden of sin. I took the giant step out of glory for you!”

But make no mistake -- those who hear his call, know they are weary and feel the weight of their burden. They see their terrible imperfection exposed in the glory of a perfect God, and like Isaiah on that day in the temple, they are undone. It is to those who know the nature of their burden all too well, who cry out for someone to release them before it is too late, to those who acknowledge their need of a Savior -- it is to these poor souls, that Jesus offers rest from their heavy burden of sin. This rest, my friends, is a return -- a return to the state for which they were created – peace with God. This is the rest Christ offers those who will trust him.

But, I ask you this morning... are you weary of sin? Do you know the burden that weighs you down? It is clear from this passage that some people do, and some do not. Those who don’t have many ways of showing it. An arm’s length skepticism, a high-sounding philosophy, a stinging disdain for the “absurdity of God” -- all these make for interesting conversation, but in the presence of God, they are just empty words. God has revealed himself. Likewise, a belief that in the end you’ve done more good than bad or that you’re better than the next guy -- these are false hopes in the presence of a perfect God -- you have nothing to offer him, except what he offers you -- his Son, Jesus Christ, who offers you rest from your burden of sin.

To be his disciple, you must first come to him for rest. He requires nothing more than for you to acknowledge your sin and turn back to him. Have you come to Him? The glorious truth of Christianity is that he has taken the biggest step. Notice we are not commanded to “go” because we couldn’t handle the trip. We are called to “come” -- to a God who has already come to us and shown us the way. He can release you from the burden of sin and you can enter into the relationship for which you were created – a life as his disciple -- bearing the burden of Christ. But, what exactly does this burden look like?

Well, that leads me to my second point. Second, please notice that to be Christ’s disciple, we must live the life we were meant for. Mt 11:29 says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

If I were preaching this sermon in this area of New Jersey say 150 years ago, the picture of a yoke that Christ uses here would be much more familiar to us. But since, most of us probably drove here behind 100-200 horsepower instead of 1 or 2, it is worth it to take a closer look at this. The yoke that Christ speaks of here is the wooden instrument used with horses or oxen for labor. It was placed around the animal’s neck and rested on the shoulders so that the animal could pull a load – a wagon, a cart, a plow, you get the idea.

The yoke was an instrument of submission… it was a way to harness the brute force of these animals to serve a man’s livelihood. Now, if you’ve ever watched Little House on the Prairie, you know that a team of horses or oxen once yoked have to be trained to respond to certain commands and walk in such a way as to be of service to their master. They have to learn their master’s voice and understand that he is in control. When Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you” he calls us to submit to him. To submit to him is to relinquish control of our lives to Him – to put ourselves at his command, and to learn his voice. We must be willing to let his teaching in Scripture change us as the Holy Spirit applies it to our lives. Here is where the image of teacher and adherent as we talked about at the beginning appears. We are to hear the teaching of Christ as revealed throughout all of Scripture and submit ourselves to it making it the governing rule of our conduct and life. This is why both personal devotions and corporate worship are so crucial in our Christian life -- we live a lie if we neglect them -- because during those times, in effect, we sit at Jesus’s feet and submit ourselves -- to be taught and changed from within.

But there’s even more to it than that... this learning and knowledge has a purpose. Jesus calls us, as the King James Version translates this verse, to “learn of him.” Jesus is to be not only our teacher, but the subject of our learning. In other words, to submit to him is to know him, and to know him is to know God! J.I. Packer says it this way, “What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough objective, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance; and this the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?” Jesus doesn’t call us to shoulder some heavy load or bear some great burden in life. When he says his yoke is easy and his burden is light, he means it! He’s right! Because the burden of Christ, the sole purpose of man is to know God! This is the life we were intended for. This is our purpose in Creation. The core of Christ’s call to discipleship is to know Him! This is why he can say that his yoke is easy, his burden is light. Jesus said in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

But, Jesus also says that in bearing his burden we will find rest for our souls, but how? Because this was the burden we were meant to bear! To find rest in this sense is to have a sense of being put right -- of doing what we were born to do. You know, in that movie Miracle, there’s a terrific scene set right before the big game against the Soviets where coach Brooks, enters the tense locker room and addresses his players. It’s a great speech... and at one point he says, “You were born to be hockey players -- every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time” This is our rest -- that we are free to do what we were created to do. My friends, if this is the burden of Christ, then it is no burden at all. Augustine wrote, “Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy power, and infinite is thy wisdom." And man desires to praise thee, for he is a part of thy creation; he bears his mortality about with him and carries the evidence of his sin and the proof that thou dost resist the proud. Still he desires to praise thee, this man who is only a small part of thy creation. Thou hast prompted him, that he should delight to praise thee, for thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.”

Do you believe that? Do you believe that the Christian life is rest? That submitting to Jesus, taking up his yoke and following him is rest? So often, we make it seem like such a chore. So often, we seem to be dragging Jesus around behind us as we trudge through our days instead of carrying a light, easy load. What a shame. Folks, the longer we take to figure this out, the longer we will offer the world not the rest that Jesus offers us, but a heavy weight... and who needs that?

Before I close, I have a few questions for you to think about. First, if you are not a believer today, have you come to Jesus in your life? It is not too late. He offers you rest and he offers you life, if you will trust Him.

Second, and this goes for all of us, if Jesus can relieve you of a burden with eternal significance, what earthly burden can he not handle? Is there anything on this earth to big for God? Do you worry? Do you doubt? Do you fear? Of course! We all do. Jesus says , “Come to me.” He has our best at heart, and he holds the universe in his hands. What do we have to fear? I think that this truth is especially important for us now as a church as we seek God’s man to be our pastor. God is for us! God is for Grace Church! Let’s enter this time together, in joyful anticipation of what God is doing in our midst.

Third, let me ask you... do you act in ways that you don’t understand? Do you struggle with sins that seem to be insurmountable? Do you put on an act to avoid facing parts of you that you’re ashamed of? Of course! We all do. Jesus says, “Come to me.” Only He knows you better than you know yourself... Only He loves you perfectly. He can be trusted with the deepest needs and the darkest places in your life. Don’t resist his leading -- whether you know it or not, in it is the peace you seek, because He is there.

The burden of Christ -- to do what we were created to do in the presence of our God. My friends, this is no burden at all, it is peace – peace with God, and peace in Christ.

Let’s Pray!

TAG! I'm it!

2006-02-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

Friend o'mine tagged me (see below). Been MIA for a while writing a sermon, trying to get a move to PA off the ground and keeping up appearances. I'll be back... Enjoy.

Seven things to do before I die... (in no particular order)

1. Breathe (or else this will be a very short list...)

2. Go to Florida for Spring Training
3. Visit Rome, Istanbul, and Jerusalem.
4. Teach my son how to fish (and anything else I know how to do)
5. Have a job I can't wait to go to
6. Be a good husband
7. Live a simpler, less cluttered life

Seven things I cannot do...
1. Play basketball
2. Drink light beer
3. Listen to most country music
4. Sneeze while peeing (neither can any of you for that matter)
5. Draw
6. Speak any language other than English
7. Believe that I'm doing this.

Seven things that attract me to my wife...
None of your business...

Seven things I say...
1. "Absolutely"
2. "Crap"
3. "What a nightmare!"
4. "Oh my!"
5. "Hi Peanut!" (to my son)
6. "I'm sorry" (to my wife)
7. "Freakshow" (mostly in response to the folks you see who willingly participate in reality TV shows)

Seven books I love... or like a whole lot (again, in no particular order)
1. "The Power Broker"
2. "Paris 1919"
3. "The Jesus I Never Knew"
4. "Heart of Darkness"
5. "Failure is Not an Option"
6. "A Short History of Byzantium"
7. "In Our Own Words: Great Speeches of the American Century"

Seven movies I've loved...
1. "Moonstruck"
2. "The Shawshank Redemption"
3. "The Right Stuff"
4. "Zulu"
5. "The Hunt for Red October"
6. "Chariots of Fire"
7. "Broadway Danny Rose"

There you have it! Take that overlyconscious!! :)

Momentous Knowledge...

2006-01-31T23:14:00.000-05:00

What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it � the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters.

J.I. Packer
"Knowing God"

PDA for Sale: IBM C500 with several accessories

2006-01-26T12:20:00.000-05:00

If anyone is interested...

I'm selling my IBM C500 PDA on eBay. It's a pretty nice little package that will get you a full featured "Palm" organizer with wireless capability, backup storage, extra stylii, and more.

$65 on eBay right now!

Hot off the presses...

2006-01-25T10:11:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest edition of That Old Mac Magic.

Check back soon for an interesting "interview" with a young whippersnapper who is still using System 7 comfortably and productively.

Enjoy!

Super Mario Hanging Up His Cape...

2006-01-24T10:52:00.000-05:00

Just read the announcement on TSN.ca that Pittsburgh Penguins' Mario Lemieux will officially retire today at 2pm. It's a disappointing end to a marvelous career. The Penguins franchise has sat atop Super Mario's shoulders since he entered the league in the mid-80s. He has carried the organization in more ways than one, winning 2 Stanley Cups along the way, but now with his health failing and the struggling organization for sale, it appears the time has finally come to choose a different path.

What a shame. Lemieux is one of the greats. Wayne Gretzky has called him the greatest player he ever played against -- high praise from the Great One himself. In his prime, Lemieux was a fearsome combination of size, speed, and skill -- too good to be contained and too good to watch if you rooted for a team other than his Penguins. He was slated to be the next Gretzky and had his health remained anywhere near that of Gretzky, he probably would be pushing Wayne's records now. His vision, skills, guts and performance under pressure were second only to Gretzky, and perhaps equal, who knows.

The teams he led to back-to-back Stanley Cups were worthy heirs to the dynasty that the great Edmonton Oiler teams of the 1980's left behind. As a New York Rangers fan, I didn't want to watch the Rangers play Pittsburgh in those days because as good as the Rangers were, they were no match for Pittsburgh. They didn't have a guy like Lemieux who has his own force of gravity around which games and teams revolve... though they would get themselves one in Mark Messier in short order. Lemieux, with a kid named Jaromir Jagr as his linemate, and the likes of Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens, Mark Recchi, Paul Coffey, and Ulf Samuelsson with him, and oh yeah, Bryan Trottier, Joe Mullen and a goaltender named Tom Barasso "bringing up the rear," coached by a man who had as much to do with their success as Mario did in Bob Johnson, led one of the most dangerous and complete teams of the day. They were deadly, especially in the playoffs. Other teams had better regular seasons, and may have had more talent or resources (remember, the Rangers won 50 games in 91-92, had 105 points in the regular season to Pittsburgh's 87, and lost to a wiser, more stable, more experienced Penguins team), but those other teams did not have Mario. They remind me of the great late 90s Yankees teams -- sure there were better players at many positions on other teams, but it was their particular combination of great players, great men, and great minds that formed a terrific team.

He has tried to carry the Penguins organization on his back as an owner and player -- his efforts are admirable in an age where athletes seem loyal to only two things -- their egos and their paychecks.

I'll miss Mario Lemieux, the league will miss him, and Pittsburgh will miss him and the Penguins, if the oft-rumored move of the team finally does happen.

So long Mario!

The lion will lay down with the lamb...

2006-01-19T13:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, so in this case, it's a rat snake and a hamster.

Can't make this stuff up folks.

More to come... thanks for reading!

Weird, isn't he?

2006-01-09T23:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know... by posting what I'm about to post, I know that I have once and for all admitted that I'm the youngest old man alive. Yes, the CD you see on this post is my latest purchase... a giddy, tear-it-open-in-the-car and-listen-to-it-on-the-way-home purchase I might add.

Me: "Hi, um, my name is John, and I'm a Sousaphile"

Assembled Sousaphiles (3-5 maybe... tops!) "Hi John..."

I've always wanted a good Sousa sampler. I have an excuse though! See, I'm a bando... played trumpet in the marching band through high school and into college at Rutgers... played the tuba in the concert band in high school and even had the occasional opportunity to play the instrument that takes the name of the composer of all the great music on the aformentioned CD. So, I grew up listening to and appreciating marching band music, and there is no better music written for marching band that ol' J.P. Sousa's marches. Sorry to all you modernists out there who love running around a field at 208 bpm trying to pretend that everything from Shostakovich to Smashing Pumpkins should be played on a football field or in a parade. Give me Hands Across the Sea, Washington Post, or Stars and Stripes Forever any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

But, I have an ulterior motive in purchasing this particular stereophonic gem -- it contains a particular march called The Liberty Bell. See, in addition to my penchant for Sousa, I can't resist Monty Python's Flying Circus. Few TV shows make me laugh as hard (with the possible exception of Fawlty Towers). Those of you who partake of the Python know the goofy theme music that starts the show and ends with a rasberry. I've always wanted to know what they name of the song was -- searched high and low for it. Well, after stumbling on this CD on iTunes one night last week, I started sampling the tunes and what should reach my ears but those familiar strains of Monty Python. That is when I discovered that the theme music happens to be the first section of the Liberty Bell march! Anyone remember the "Roommate Switch" episode of Seinfeld and what George does when he figures out how to make it work? He bursts into Jerry's apartment and in that way that only George could, he screams "I -- GOT --IT!!!!" Well, that was me that night.

Stuff like this would have gotten me stuffed in a locker in high school... ah, the wonder of blogging!!

Sports Rant

2006-01-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's right, time for another sports rant. A lot has happened since my last rant a few months ago, so let's dive in.

NHL = New Hockey League

You might remember that I wasn't too crazy about the initial games played in the NHL when the league turned the lights back on this past fall. Well, I've watched a few more games since then, and my initial discomfort has moderated a bit. The games are, on average, much faster and more fluid than they have been in the past few years. The referees have cracked down on the clutching and grabbing and trapping that characterized the game over the last several years. Some officials have a nose for just how much to call in a game while not throwing the game out of whack. They let the players play, the game remains fast paced and fluid, and power plays seem to come at the crucial moments. But, some others call just about everything they see that looks remotely like a penalty -- these are awful games to watch because in an attempt to improve the flow of the game, they disrupt the flow of the game. I've watched too many games where one team has more than 8 or 9 penalties against -- realize that this means that one teams spends almost an entire period killing penalties. This does nothing for the game! Now, I realize that they players are responsible for their own actions, but at too many times I've seen referees call the most incidental and minor of infractions. The league has to establish some type of median - the obstuction crackdown is good for the game, but there comes a time with those trying to prevent obstruction become obstructions themselves!

That said, my Rangers have been a very pleasant surprise! To me, 2nd place in the division and controlling a playoff spot at the moment are gravy -- the meat and potatoes are that this team is competitive, hard-working, skilled, and fun to watch. There's good character to the team that has been missing for many years. And perhaps most important, what a joy it has been to watch young players play and work hard to earn their keep in the NHL. Yes, Jaromir Jagr and his Czech compatriots may be doing the bulk of the scoring, but the real pleasure has been to watch guys like Petr Prucha, Dominic Moore, Blair Betts, Jason Ward, Jed Ortmeyer, Fedor Tyutin, and of course, who can forget, Henrik Lundquist. These kids have shown that fans that there is a bright future ahead.

Other teams have not fared as well... the Devils and Islanders have struggled so far, the Bruins have struggled, Pittsburgh has not done as well as expected despite Sidney Crosby, and poor St. Louis, a perennial playoff team, looks like an AHL team. We'll see how things shake out, but right now it looks like the Flyers and Red Wings are the favorites to play for the Stanley Cup.

College Football Roundup

Well, the college football season has come to an end. This was a special season. Why? Well, for the first time since my 5th birthday, my beloved Rutgers Scarlet Knights went to a bowl game. I've become quite attached to this team over the past few years since I started going to home games with my Dad. I've always felt a lot of pride in my alma mater, but these past couple of years in particular have been special. I could tell something was good was taking shape in Piscataway, and I couldn't wait to see it come into bloom.

And bloom it did in the Insight Bowl this past Dec. 27. The Scarlet Knights took on the Sun Devils of Arizona State -- a 6-5 team made up of the defense of a 1-11 team and the offense of a national champion. ASU regularly registered more than 500 yards of offense in a game during the season, but their defense just as routinely gave up more than 500 yards of offense in a game during the season. Rutgers played a marvelous game, and while they came up short by 5 points 45-40, they announced to whoever was watching on ESPN that night, "Hi, we're from New Jersey, never heard of us? That's okay... watch what we can do."

The offense played its best game and the defense brought everything it had against freshman Rudy Carpenter and the ASU offense. In the end, ASU exploited Rutgers biggest hole - its defensive secondary - and despite gallant defensive efforts, ASU's passing game simply proved to be too much. But it was a terrific game -- Rutgers went into halftime with a lead and a superior 1st half game, they battled back to take the lead again in the 3rd quarter after ASU had gotten their offense into high gear, and then Ryan Hart led a late drive that ended in a Tres Moses touchdown to pull Rutgers within 5 points with 2 minutes left in the game.

No it wasn't a win, but I could not have been more proud of they way the team played. Can't wait for next season.

Blues Running Away With It

In the English Premier League, it has become a race to see who takes 2nd place. Chelsea have run away with the Premier League with near perfect form to this point. Manchester United and Liverpool will hang around and try to make things interesting, but nobody is beating Chelsea this season. For Man United, this season is about positioning and preparation -- for next year's Champions League... they'll look to lock up 2nd place to avoid those initial round games, and see what their team will look like come next August.

Currently Listening To...

2005-12-24T11:06:00.000-05:00

Ahhh... Luciano!

"Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Brown-iest!"

Cheer Up... And Look Around!

2005-12-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

More from Sinclair Ferguson's "A Heart for God"...

Out of the chaos of the differences among men, God weaves a glorious tapestry for his glory, a multi-colored landscape of his wisdom.

This is one of the great joys of belonging to a living Christian church: to be able to look around during church gatherings, and marvel at the way in which God has brought us by different paths to the same Christ -- some rich, some poor, some wise, some simple, some with one accent, some with another, yet all members of the same family. Not only so, but as we look around, we see some who have suffered, some who have shown great faith, some who have been restored from backsliding, some who have great gifts, some who have shown us Christ's love in a special way. It can be said of God's wisdom, as it is written of Sir Christopher Wren in St. Paul's Cathedral, London: 'If you are looking for his monument, look around you!' The church, as a living fellowship, is the multi-colored monument that God has erected of his wisdom. There we can see -- if only we will look -- how marvelous his wisdom is. We can see in what he has done on the larger canvas of human history that all he does is perfectly wise. We can see, too, on the smaller canvas of the lives of our brothers and sisters, that he does everything wisely, and works everything together for good for those who love him and have been called into his purpose (Rom 8:28).

A terrific thought...

2005-12-14T20:31:00.000-05:00

Our consolation does not lie in what God might do, although we know He can do anything that accords with his holy will. Our comfort is that he is with us. When the mountains in our lives are cast into the seas, here is our encouragement and strength: "The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress" (Psalm 46:7). When we walk through the valley of deep darkness, or the shadow of death, we fear no evil. Why? Because he is with us (Ps 23:4). We do not know whether he will reverse all human expectations and do the impossible. But we have his promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut 31:6; Heb 13:5). That is why we are able to say with confidence: "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Ps. 118:6-7; Heb 13:6)

Sinclair Ferguson
"A Heart for God"

4 Offbeat Mac Games

2005-12-06T09:40:00.000-05:00

Check out my latest on Low End Mac

The Curse of the Gamer

2005-12-03T01:07:00.000-05:00

Little something that ended up on the Low End Mac cutting room floor this month...

The Curse of the Gamer

After college, I lived with four friends in a big 4 bedroom house not far from where I live now in central New Jersey. My roommate John was the “gamer” in house – he introduced us all (well, me, at least) to A-10 Cuba, Command and Conquer: Red Alert, and Civilization II. John had the most powerful computer in the house at the time, a Gateway P-150, while the rest of us had older PCs. (Except for me, of course – I had a beautiful refurb Powerbook 5300cs.) So most of the time, John played, and the rest of us watched. What always struck me was HOW LONG we could play these games either because the games just took forever (like Civ II) or because you just had to beat that one level in C&C, or finish that one mission in A-10. One of my other roommates (and you know who you are...) tried to stay away from the gaming as much as he could – “I just don’t have the time,” he’d say. Well, one weekend, John brought home a new game that would turn computer games from a diversion into a colossal waste of time. The game was Age of Empires.

Soon hours of playing and watching became whole days! Each of us spent hours playing and watching this game. What became of that one roommate who didn’t have the time? Funny story… one Saturday I left the house early to spend the day with my girlfriend and some other friends in New York City. When I left, that roommate was sitting at John’s computer in his pajamas with a raging case of bedhead, starting a game of Age of Empires. When I returned home that evening around 6 pm, he was still sitting there in his pajamas with the raging case of bedhead playing Age of Empires. He had succumbed! A couple of months later, he decided to replace his poky old Pentium 66 desktop with a brand new Compaq P2-366 accompanied by… you guessed it… a copy of Age of Empires. Soon he and John were playing head-to-head over the phone – tying up both phone lines in the house – much to the consternation of my girlfriend and the rest of the outside world who knew that we were still alive. And of course, the rest of us would watch.

Well, I tell this story because as much fun as all of that was, it was at that time that I realized that many of the hot computer games are only fun if you are any good at them, and to be any good at them requires an enormous amount of time and energy. Let’s face it, most of these games today are like alternate universes and it takes a huge amount of time to learn and master the environment of each game. Not to mention an enormous amount of money to keep buying these games and the equipment required to run them at mind-blowing speed. It was at that time that I decided that those kinds of games just weren’t for me – they were too much. I want a diversion, a little fun, maybe a laugh or two – not an alternate reality that I emerge from in a hazy, foul-smelling stupor after hours and hours. (This is solely my opinion, mind you – nothing against gamers! I know quite a few and I am frequently amazed at what they accomplish. It’s just not for me.)

It's official...

2005-11-28T16:17:00.000-05:00

Just in case there is any lingering doubt as to the existence of God, I offer this as indisputable proof: Rutgers is going to a bowl game. Dec 27th, 2005 -- Insight Bowl!

R-U Rah Rah
R-U Rah Rah
Hoo-Rah Hoo-Rah
Rutgers RAH!

Upstream, Red Team,
Red Team, Upstream
RAH! RAH!
RUTGERS RAH!

MMMMmmmm... Fish Soda!

2005-11-15T10:46:00.000-05:00

Mom: "C'mon kids, drink your milk. It's good for you."

Son: "Aw, Mom... can't we have some fish soda instead."

Daughter: "FISH SODA!! FISH SODA!!"

Mom: "Finish your milk... and you can have some fish soda with your dessert!"

Kids: "YYYAAAAAYYYY!!!!"

Wonk-y-fication

2005-11-15T10:32:00.000-05:00

I've found myself using a new word... if you can call it that. The word is... wonky.

No, not wonk -- "One who studies an issue or a topic thoroughly or excessively".

But wonky... meaning that something that works but doesn't work quite right, and not without a little help. For instance, my old Mac SE/30 has a wonky floppy drive (sounds like something out of "A Clockwork Orange", doesn't it?). It is wonky, because it reads disks, but not without practically throwing the floppy into the drive. Periodically, I need to jab the inserted disk with a small screwdriver to get the drive to read it. It works, but it usually needs a little help.

Just thought I'd share that little tidbit with you... *Ahem* *Er..* *Um..* I mean, ALL of you.

More to come...

A New Venture

2005-11-06T22:44:00.000-05:00

A quick note to my reader *ahem* *Ahem* readers that you'll have something else of mine to read from time to time starting very soon.

You may know that I'm an avid Mac user. Don't get nervous... I'm not one of these fundamentalist, single-button mouse thumpers who will try to convert you all to Mac. I do think that they are fantastic machines, I enjoy using them, and if you give me a chance, I will tell you to give one a try.

Anyway, one of my usual haunts on the internet is a site called Low End Mac. It is a fantastic site for news and gab on all things Apple Computer, and a wonderful archive of information on just about every Mac ever made. It has been an indispensable resource to a novice Mac tinkerer like me who likes to try to resurrect old Macs purchased on eBay.

A week or so ago, the fellow who runs the site announced that he was looking for some new writers. So, I responded to him, exchanged a few emails, and beginning later this month, I'll begin as a monthly contributor to the site. Look for my column, That Old Mac Magic, on Wednesdays. I'll be commenting on old Macs and how some can be and are still used today for a variety of functions.

Hope you'll stop by and check it out at www.lowendmac.com. You can see a short piece I've written for Low End Mac when it is posted later today.

57 Channels and Nothin' On...

2005-11-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

I've come to the conclusion that I watch WAY too much TV. My wife and I have been noticing how much the TV is on in the house by the way our son seems glued to it while he is bopping around our living room. He's not yet at the stage where he freaks if we turn it off (except when Elmo is on... another topic for another time: Elmo- Cuddly Muppet or the Right Arm of Satan?". Entertainment isn't all bad, but most of the time I don't watch TV to be entertained... I watch TV because I'm too lazy to do anything else.

Anyway, with all of the preparation we need to do in order to get ready for each day and to get ready to move to seminary, TV has become, for me anyway, a huge distraction and an even bigger waste of time. So today, I made a cheat sheet of the TV I really want to see each week (Lost, Law and Order, E.R., The West Wing, hockey games, and BBC World News), and, with God's help, I hope to go in a different direction. So tonight, with nothing on, lots to do, and very little time to spend with my son, the TV is staying off. Can't promise that it will stay off, but you've got to start somewhere and take one day at a time.

Oh yeah... It helps that I checked out the preparatory reading list for seminary today... whoa, do I have a lot to read between now and next fall. Here's a list of books I've ordered just to get started...

-Let the Reader Understand, 2nd ed.: Guide to Interpreting and Applying the Bible
McCartney, Dan G.

-Preacher's Portrait in the New Testament: Some New Testament Word Studies
Stott, John R. W.

-Called to the Ministry
Clowney, Edmund P.

-Heart for God
Ferguson, Sinclair B.

-Religious Life of the Theological Student
Warfield, B. B.

-Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction
Ferguson, Sinclair B.

-Plan of Salvation
Warfield, B. B.

-Reasons of the Heart
Edgar, William

Reflections on the Blogosphere

2005-10-20T15:09:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I've been posting to this blog now for 6 months, and I figured I'd reflect upon the experience so far.

Limited Engagement
I've had about 600 or so hits to the blog since May. Lots of 'em are from me wondering if anyone else happened by (nice way to drive up the hit counter). And judging from the hit reports I get, there seems to be exactly ONE other person in the world who visits my blog with any regularity. Sure some have stumbled in by accident (no doubt in an electronic stupor brought on by boredom or an unfruitful search for porn), but its pretty much just me and one other guy. So if anyone else is reading this aside from the fellow I've already mentioned (and you know who you are... at least I hope you do, if not, let me know when you find you because I'll eventually need to return a book I borrowed from ... you...), please say hello in the comments. Big shout out to the bisexual Dutch woman who left me a comment as part of her "100 Comments in the Blogosphere Expedition".

Otherwise, this whole experiment has been the technologically-enhanced equivalent of muttering to myself while walking down the street.

Forrest Gump and the FaceHugger
Aside from my own ramblings here in cyberspace, I've taken some time to check out what others do in these blogs. The "Next Blog" button up there in the right hand corner will take one on a whirlwind tour of the interesting, cheesy, strange and stiflingly boring (The only things worse than these insufferable poker TV shows, are the blogs devoted to poker strategy. I want to meet the guy who thought this made for good TV, lock him in a room with all the people who believe him and those who write page after page on poker do's and don'ts, and throw away the key. Talk about your full house.). Ahem. Anyway, after clicking the "Next Blog" button a few times, you'll find yourself remembering bits of two movies. A few teenagers in Singapore give you the details of their daily lives... A seemingly endless number of wannabe political pundits from every corner of the "left-right" spectrum try to convince you that they know exactly what is wrong with the world... Nameless blogs tell you everything you want to know about digital copiers, farm equipment, buying a computer, and breaking down the nickel defense... A shocking parade of young, beautiful people who live the "lotsa" life -- lotsa sex, lotsa alcohol, lotsa bad grammar, and lotsa pictures of them in most stages of the above... A bevy of blogs in other languages... on and on and on. You suddenly remember dear old Forrest and his Momma, "Life is like a box o' chocolates Forrest, you never know what you're gonna get." But you also start to have flashbacks to the first half hour of Alien -- you just know that eventually this thing is going to get ugly -- your going to see something that makes you quote Stan from South Park, "Dude, this is pretty f***ed up, right here." And the further you go, the uglier it it gets, until AAAHHHHH -- there's a creature eating your face.

Moral of the story -- don't use the "Next Blog" button unless you are prepared to see some pretty strange stuff.

Highly Recommended

2005-10-18T16:40:00.000-04:00

Letter from America, 1946-2004

Late one Saturday night about two years ago, I was doing what I normally do on late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings, finishing my preparations for my Sunday School class, when I tuned in to the BBC World Service on the internet, and happened upon one of the truly delightful moments in radio, an edition of Alistair Cooke's Letter from America. Cooke broadcast his weekly reflection on life in America on the BBC every week for over 50 years. His short essays on everything from politics and popular culture to sports and language, were tremendous to listen to, but they are even better to read. This book is a collection of his best, published shortly after his death in early 2004 at the age of 96.

You'll enjoy this.

I'm in...

2005-10-06T12:55:00.000-04:00

Found out yesterday that I've been accepted to Westminster Theological Seminary in their M.Div. program.

Thrilled, relieved, and overwhelmed today. Lots to do, but God is good.

THIS JUST IN! -- SANTA DOES EXIST!

2005-10-03T09:33:00.000-04:00

You've got to be kidding.

If you've never seen the Oddly Enough section on Reuters.com, check it out.

Ah, Britain...

2005-09-30T15:51:00.000-04:00

Proof, yet again, that the truth is often stranger, and a good deal more hilarious, than fiction.

Been awhile...

2005-09-21T15:10:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted here for a while. Been quite busy completing a seminary application and just doing other things.

Hockey's Back!
With all the craziness going on in the world these days, you'd think I'd having something better to lead with. Um... no.

The NHL (National Hokey League) -- and no, that isn't a typo -- has been revving up to begin a new season. To the delight of rotisserie and fantasy leaguers everywhere, the summer buyout and free agent frenzy set off by the new collective bargaining agreement sent scores of players careening around the league crashing into place on new teams. A whole new crop of young players with a full year of quality AHL experience under their belts are ready to step in, while names that have been pillars of the league for years... Messier, Stevens, MacInnis... are all gone. You'll need a directory to figure out who plays where this year.

They've changed the rules too, you know. No more red line, no more two-line pass, big crackdown on obstruction, shootouts to decide games. Sounds great on paper and gushing from the collective cakeholes of every NHL broadcaster, color commentator, executive, owner and sponsor, but who knows what it is going to look like on the ice. I watched a Rangers-Islanders preseason game last night and I felt like I was watching someone play pinball. There was no rhyme or reason to the game -- just 10 guys skating frantically up and down the ice trying to figure out how to play a game they've played their whole lives. And the penalties, OY! The Rangers were called for 14 penalties... 14!!!!!!???!?!?! Realize, 14 penalties means that one team plays a man short for HALF THE GAME!

Now, I know it is just one game. I know that players need to get used to new rules. I know it takes time. But how much time? The NHL doesn't have a lot of time for games to keep looking the way they did last night. Certainly the players bear responsibility, but I always get nervous when those in charge claim that they can make behavior turn on a dime. It never works the way they say, and in this case, we the fans (once again) are the ones who are going to suffer through patchwork games with double digit penalties.

And then there's the obligatory preseason shootout to end each game. Who cares? I know that I'm in the minority here, but I don't have any interest in shootouts. In my opinion, it is a lousy way to end a game... I've always thought this about soccer and I'm dismayed that this is now part of hockey.

All of the above combines to give us, the National Hokey League. An organization that committed suicide and is now trying to resurrect itself with gimmicks and a rotisserie league format.

A Big Day...

2005-09-21T14:58:00.000-04:00

Turned a corner this week... A corner that's been coming for about 10 years. I finally took the first big step toward going to seminary... really my first big step toward a completely different life. On Monday, I submitted my application to the one place that I feel God is leading me and my family right now. Don't know when I'll get a response, but I'm praying that I am accepted.

But this... this is beyond surreal.

2005-09-01T11:49:00.000-04:00

This story has been overshadowed by the hurricane. Almost 1.000 Iraqi Shi'a Muslims died yesterday in one single event -- a horrifying stampede caused, it is said, by rumors of a suicide bomber. Hundreds suffocated standing up, others drowned after being pushed into the Tigris river, others were trampled to death. Iraq has been the scene of so much horror, so much grief, so much death, pain and shock, that perhaps we are all a little numb to events like these. If we are, shame on us.

This is surreal...

2005-09-01T10:43:00.000-04:00

I usually don't watch the cable news channels. Most of the time, their hyperactive, saccharine, repetitious approach to "news" is only useful to me when there isn't any ipecac in the house.

But ever since I returned home from my fishing trip on Monday, I've been glued to any and all coverage of the catastrophe unfolding along the Gulf Coast. We've all seen pictures of hurricane damage before. Remember the shocking pictures of Hurricane Andrew? We've seen homes leveled, boats perched on their sterns, families huddled in shelters, relief crews toiling to restore order. Those of us in central NJ have also seen what flooding looks like. Remember Hurricane Floyd? Bound Brook, a town I've known for several years, is just down the road. I remember driving north on I-287 and seeing deep water on both sides of the road where homes, businesses and a stadium stood. My sister's good friend who lived in Bound Brook at the time, was awakened in the early morning hours by a firefighter who evacuated her from her building... by a boat bobbing in the water below her 2nd story windows!

But there's something altogether different about what has happened in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana this week. The magnitude of the damage, flooding, death and chaos is stupefying. Electricity out, communications out, water and sewer out, no gasoline, food or medical services -- an entire population reduced to a position not far from that of the original French settlers in 1718. A major American city -- the mecca of Mardi Gras, birthplace and breeding ground for so much of American culture, the "Big Easy"-- is underwater and will never be the same again. To see such a place, drawn and quartered by the "one, two punch" of one of the worst hurricanes anyone has ever seen and the looting and violence that followed, is gut-wrenching. It is hard to believe. To see mile after mile of Gulf coastline flattened -- almost every inhabitable structure wiped away, lives lost, families torn apart, whole communities scattered on the waves... it is inconceivable to me. Something inside me keeps saying, maybe if I just see a little more, I'll wake up or this will all go away.

But this isn't a dream. It won't go away. This is all too real. My heart breaks for those who find their loved ones under the remains of what were once family homes. I shiver in terror with those trapped on roofs or in attics or in washed out houses, hoping that help will come, hoping that the looters and armed gangs will stay away, hoping to find food or water or medicine for their families.

There's a lot that we Christians can talk about right now. We can try to figure out why stuff like this happens, we can teach lessons about treasures in heaven instead of treasures on earth, we can wax prophetic about how this is God's judgment upon a wicked place, we can even start arguing about who should be doing more and why more wasn't done before. I think that there is a time for all of those things (maybe not the waxing prophetic part), but that time isn't now.

So? What DO we do about this folks? I heard a story on NPR yesterday about a husband and wife in Idaho Falls, Idaho who are gathering their neighbors together to open their homes in Idaho to those who are suffering from the hurricane. When asked how long they were prepared to host a refugee family, the wife said, "As long as it takes." A truly stupendous idea! I know that not everyone has the means to do this, but we must do something. How will those of us who call ourselves by Christ's name, with air conditioning, food, running water, and all the gasoline we can guzzle respond to the tragedy that has befallen our neighbors in the South? Will we give generously, painfully, hopefully, cheerfully? Will we love those who need it now (as if they didn't need it before?)?.

There's a red house, over yonder...

2005-08-22T09:27:00.000-04:00

If you like the blues, you haven't lived until you've heard this album.

Drop what you are doing and get this!

Who will free me from this cubicle of death?

2005-08-09T16:44:00.000-04:00

Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

"Peter Gibbons"

Office Space

All too close...

2005-07-28T15:04:00.000-04:00

I happened to be in London on July 7. I was there on a trip with my church for about 10 days. We had just gathered for the morning when we were told of what had happened earlier in the day on the Tube. We were staying on the outskirts of the city so we were nowhere near the places where hell broke loose that morning. But just two days earlier, we were sightseeing all over central London and a few of us (rabid Harry Potter fans) even passed through King's Cross station to see "Platform 9 3/4" (or something like that) mentioned in the books.

I have developed kind of a nasty habit of being way too close to these events when they happen. In September 2001, I was working for a small company in lower Manhattan. Our offices were at 250 Broadway, a squat, ugly office tower across the street from City Hall -- two blocks up and one block over from the World Trade Center. Talk about irony... prior to my company moving in, our office suite on the 14th floor had been a movie set for a movie called "The Siege", starring Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub and others. The subject of which was terrorist attacks in New York City.

September 10, 2001 was typically steamy, late-summer day. I worked until about 6:00 pm and then embarked on my near 2-hour commute home. I walked out the side entrance of the building onto Park Place and walked quickly toward Church Street, hoping to time my walk to the World Trade Center just right so that I could jump aboard a PATH train as it was pulling out of the station. At the corner of Church St. and Vesey St., I stopped for a traffic light and just happened to look up at the World Trade Center towers, as they seemed to glow a wonderful, hazy, pale yellow in the setting sun. I remember thinking, "Wow!" The light turned green, and I went into commuter mode again, walking fast across the intersection, making a beeline for the small PATH station entrance tucked into the side of 5 World Trade Center. I made my way down the long escalators to the PATH station, and hopped on an waiting train.

I arrived at my station in Harrison, NJ about 40 minutes later. A storm front had rolled in while I had been underground, so I walked to my car through the raindrops. Here is where the evening turned. I got into the car, turned the key, and... nothing. Nothing but a faint clicking noise and a low buzz from the car -- the engine didn't even try to turn over. The lights worked, but ever so faintly. The radio worked, but not above a whisper. So, I dug out my cell phone, called AAA, knowing that I had about an hour wait ahead of me for a tow truck, and then a very bumpy ride home. The truck arrived about 60 minutes later, about 8 pm. The driver asked me what the trouble was, I told him, and he went to work. He opened the hood of my car, tugged on a few wires, hooked up a small blue box (turned out to be a portable charger -- I hadn't seen one before) to my battery and in about 30 seconds he had my car running. He quickly packed his things, headed for his truck, and said, "It should be fine now." Before I could decide whether to insist on a tow home, he was in his truck and on his way.

With the car running, I thought to myself, "Well, maybe I just needed a jump. I should be okay until I get home." So, I let the car run for about 5 minutes and then headed home. I didn't get far. About 3/4 of a mile away, on what was now a dark side street, I turned on the fan to circulate the air in the car. THUNK! The car went dead (at 30 miles an hour) -- no power steering, no power brakes, no lights, no engine, just me! I managed to slow the car down by using both feet on the brake pedal (and yanking on the emergency brake, for good measure) and get toward the side of the street before the car stopped. Not even the hazard lights worked. So, I locked the car, and walked a few blocks back to a Wendy's and a payphone (my cell phone had died somewhere along the way). Another call to AAA, a Wendy's value meal, and this time a 90 minute wait for a tow truck to arrive. While I was waiting, I made one of what would be two crucial phone calls. The call was to my parents who live not more than 10 minutes from where I was stranded. While I really wanted to go home, I knew that they would be upset if they knew I had been stranded and had not called to let them know. There was no answer at their house -- they were out for the evening with friends.

At about 10 pm, the truck rumbled down the street toward me. The driver went for the blue box again, and this time I made it clear that he was towing me home. Up on the truck went my car, and up into the cab went I for the aforementioned bumpy ride home. At around 11 pm, we rolled into our local service station where my wonderful wife was waiting in her car to pick me up.

I was exhausted, anxious and annoyed when I got home. I really didn't need a huge car repair bill at that point, but what choice did I have, I needed my car. At the time, I had an arrangement with work that allowed me to work from home 2 days per week. The next day, Tuesday, was not one of my scheduled telecommuting days, but it would simply have to be. I needed to have my car fixed as soon as possible. I then made the second crucial phone call, this one to my boss, Russell. I left him a message explaining the situation and apologizing for the change in plans. My mother then called to see how things worked out. She apologized that they were out. I told her I was staying home the next day to sort out the problem. Then, I went to bed.

The next morning, my wife left for work around 7:30 am, leaving me snoozing in bed. I awoke around 8 am, turned on the TV to the Imus show, and dozed on and off for about 45 minutes. I got up for good a little before 9:00 to news that a small plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Then, suddenly, as I watched, an explosion erupted from the other tower. "What the...???", I thought.

Had I gone to work that morning, I would have been walking out of that same PATH station doorway that I had walked through the previous evening at about the time the first plane crashed into 1 World Trade Center about 1000 feet above my head. I might have been standing on the street with my coworkers as they scurried out of the way of falling debris from the second plane that hit 2 World Trade Center. I may have watched with others as some poor souls jumped from the upper floors of the towers to escape the flames.

But I wasn't at work that morning. What turned out to be a $75 dead car battery spared me from the horror of that morning. And that morning, my boss, my wife and my mother -- the three people in the world who HAD to know where I was -- all knew that I was at home that morning.

I couldn't help but recall these events on the morning of July 7th. I remember calling my wife repeatedly, hoping to get through, but without luck -- the circuits were jammed. I remember finally getting in touch with my mother. She was crying. She was relieved that I was okay, but the shock of the attacks and pictures on the news coverage had upset her. I remember that she said through her tears, "Oh John, it looks awful." Mom called my wife and others to let them know that I was okay. I finally got through to my wife about an hour later.

You can say I'm lucky, or cursed, either one. But I think blessed is the right word. It wasn't just a car battery that spared my life that morning in 2001. God didn't want me there, and He moved heaven and earth to make sure that I wasn't. Same goes for July 7 in London. He didn't do it because I had earned, He did it because He wanted to. Forgive me, but that's the best I can do.

The inevitable question is why didn't He do the same for those who died on Sept 11, 2001, or July 7, 2005, or any day, any place, any time that lives are taken by other human beings? I don't know... Sure, we can wax theological about sin, salvation, the nature and attributes of God, and on and on. But when it comes right down to it, we are still left asking, "God, I know all that, but why these people, why that place, why this way, why those things?"

But I do know a few things. I know that God is in charge, not me. I do know that He doesn't owe me or anybody else anything. I do know that He claims to be good, that He claims to be love, that He claims to be just and righteous, without fault or malice. I do believe that he revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and showed us all of the above and more in a language we can all understand. He gave us what we need to believe, and to enter into true life - a life defined by a knowledge of Him. But I don't believe He's told us everything, nor do I believe we will fully understand why He does what He does in this world until we leave it behind. Until then we know what we can know, and nothing more.

Get a room!

2005-07-28T14:22:00.000-04:00

LONDON (Reuters) - A British couple who headed out to sea in a dinghy for an amorous liaison sparked a major rescue operation when their cries of passion were mistaken for someone in trouble, British police said Tuesday.

A passer-by raised the alarm after hearing strange noises coming from the waters near a beach in Torbay on the southwest coast of England Saturday morning, prompting the coastguard to send lifeboats and police to the scene.

"It was found that there was a partially-clothed couple in a small rubber dingy that were brought ashore and asked to put their clothes back on," a spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police told Reuters.

"Our log actually mentions that 'they were having fun in their boat!', but doesn't say anything other than that."

Stay Tuned

2005-07-14T17:10:00.000-04:00

Been away for bit... more to come.

Sports Rant

2005-06-29T10:48:00.000-04:00

A Not-So-Regular Commentary

The NHL
If you were to call the NHL these days, you would probably hear a message that goes something like this, "We're sorry, the NHL is currently busy setting the sport back 75 years. You're call really isn't that important to us, but please continue to hold, and we'll answer your call this October."

Hockey has always been a strong, if somewhat cult-like, 4th among the major sports (let's leave NASCAR be for now... I still don't buy the numbers on that one). Football is America's obsession, baseball its pastime (sort of), and basketball its pride and joy. But hockey has always been Canada's game, a curious, if exciting, interloper on the American sports stage.

It has, however, steadily grown in stature over the past 100 years, reaching, I believe, its zenith in the 1980's and early 1990's. The U.S. "Miracle on Ice" triumph over the seemingly invincible Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics gave birth to a whole generation of new hockey fans and players. The dominance of the New York Islanders from 1980-1983 gave New York and the U.S. a dynasty in hockey, one that assumed the mantle of dynasty from its stately Canadian bearers, the great Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s. But the Islanders gave way. They gave way to Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers returned the Stanley Cup to Canada in 1984 and gave the sport another team for the ages. This one with an All-Star or Hall of Fame player seemingly at every turn... Gretzky, Mark Messier, Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Glenn Anderson, and more. The Oilers won 5 Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1990. The Stanley Cup, with intermediate stops in Montreal and Calgary, would not return to the U.S. until 1991 when a fellow named Mario, along with another guy named Jaromir, won two Stanley Cups in, of all places, Pittsburgh. 1993 saw the return of the Cup to its most frequent home in Montreal after a captivating 4 games to 1 win by Patrick Roy's Canadiens over the Los Angeles Kings and Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky arrived in LA in 1988 and officially put hockey on the map of the Western United States. But, then came 1994. The Stanley Cup returned to Manhattan after 54 years after a riveting playoffs. Hockey was on top of the world, and poised to reach new heights in the years to come.

But, then, like a punch to gut, came the lockout -- the players and owners could not agree on a new collective barganing agreement, so the owners shut the doors. The lockout cancelled half the season, and undercut the momentum gained in the previous seasons. The shortened season which followed saw the Rangers falter and the team with which they had fought so memorably the previous year, the New Jersey Devils, win the Stanley Cup. Over the next 10 years, the Devils would win twice more, the Detroit Red Wings would win 3 times, the Colorado Avalanche twice. Dallas won the Cup in 1999 on a goal that, given the league rules that year, should not have been allowed. And what about the Tampa Bay Lightning -- remember them? They won the Stanley Cup in 2004 after a terrific playoffs and an exciting series with a gutsy, exciting Calgary Flames team that played its heart out until the very last shot.

But for the past 10 years, the league has been playing catch-up. Desperately trying to regain the magic of years gone by, but largely without succeeding. The playoff lights have been dark in New York and Los Angeles for much of the past 10 years, and the old powerhouses like Chicago, Montreal, Edmonton and even Pittsburgh have struggled on the ice and off. The game itself has become less interesting -- defensive systems full of unremarkable players have slowed the game and have wrecked its powerful, almost magical, flow and pulse. Skilled players abound, but the game lacks the fire it once had. Teamwork and tenacity are as vital as ever, but teams appear homogeneous and lifeless; bland but effective shades of gray, where once were featured bright pictures of fluid diversity.

Just when the league seemed to be headed back in the right direction in 2004, another lockout shuts down the works. This time for an entire season. Hockey has disappeared from the sports stage. It has become a laughing stock. It's as if the two sides were standing over a bathtub arguing over how much water belonged to each side, never realizing that the drain is open. The sport may never recover from the damage done to it this time around. They have lost fans, sponsors have moved on to other areas, television has lost interest, and a growing crop of older players have decided that they won't be able to return when hockey finally does.

What galls me is that both sides knew this was coming and instead of doing what they are doing now (um... talking), they dug in for a fight when a fight was the last thing that they could afford. What a waste!

I, for one, have moved on. I've learned that I can live without hockey quite comfortably. Sure, I'll tune in when they finally do start playing again, but it will be very different for a while.

Manchester United
Two interesting summer signings for United... Edwin van der Sar and Ji-Sung Park. Van der Sar will, hopefully, give them a solid goalkeeper with European experience. He's not a young man, but he has good credentials and has played on the top flight for a number of years. I thought United had to make some move at goalkeeper, but I did not think that goal was their biggest problem last year. I thought that their inconsistent scoring was a much bigger issue. They could score at will against most teams, but when it mattered most, they seemed to struggle for goals. The Champions League matches against AC Milan are the perfect example. Yes, they conceded a costly home goal, but their bigger concern was not solving the Milan defense, and when they needed van Nistlerooy, Rooney, and Ronaldo to be lethal, they misfired. I think a year of relative health and experience will go a long way there -- Rooney and Ronaldo are still very young and Ruud missed most of the season.

As for Park, I like the signing. A young midfielder who brings energy and a scoring threat, he looks like a good acquisition for Sir Alex Ferguson who can use some young help at midfield. Perhaps the most important things for United now though is to get Rio Ferdinand squared away, make Ronaldo happy, and perhaps add some more help up front. This team wasn't that far away last season even with all of its problems -- though Arsenal finished ahead of them in the table, United outplayed them in the FA Cup Final (as they had most of the season) only to lose on penalties.

Can't wait for the season to start!

Yankees, Mets... What a mess!
New York baseball is a mess right now. The $200 million dollar Yankees can't get out of their own way against bad teams, and seem to freeze up against good teams. They look old, they've got more spare parts than your local junkyard, and they play streaky baseball. The one bright spot is that somehow, some way, they've managed to discover not one, but TWO young players who can actually play... and one of them is a starting pitcher for heaven's sake!! The Mets, on the other hand, are more interesting to watch, but they can only pitch about 6 innings a night. Between the two teams, millions have been spent for a combined .500 record between the two teams. YUCK!

A Source of Joy

2005-06-21T18:12:00.000-04:00

The apostle Paul told the Galatian Christians that one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. I've realized lately that one way in which we experience that joy is in fulfilling the roles that God has laid out for us. There is a unique, overwhelming joy in doing what we are called to do -- we experience the pleasure and wonder of God. Whether that be in our vocations or our relationships, we experience joy when we follow His lead, because somehow, some way, we get a taste of what life was supposed to be. For the past 9 months or so, one of those roles for me has been that of Dad.

I cannot describe the joy that I've experienced watching my son Ben begin to explore his rapidly expanding world. While I used to recoil at the thought of cleaning up crap and spit, or freeze solid wondering how I would calm a screaming child without losing my mind, I've come to see those things in a different light, as just the price of admission. I have learned that it is through the mundane (often messy, sometimes icky) tasks and responsibilities of parenthood that I enter into my child's world of wonder. Far from the inconvenient burden they are often portrayed to be, the tasks of parenthood are a small price to pay for something miraculous -- the privilege of being Dad. As bad as baby food sometimes smells, as many retches as the liquid eruptions that my son unleashes in his diaper induce, as many times as he screams bloody murder just because he is hungry or tired or annoyed, or some combination of all three, nothing outweighs the joy of seeing your child smile, laugh, learn and explore.

I guess it is simple really -- when I fulfill my responsibilities as a parent as I am called to do, I get to experience the rewards. I dare say that in all of this God gives a taste of the joy He feels toward us.

A Sense of History

2005-06-07T11:36:00.000-04:00

I don't read much fiction. I am more naturally inclined to non-fiction especially history, politics, and, of late, biography. I've come to realize that I've been starving myself of a feast of experience by continuing to feed my typical reading appetites, but most of the time, I just can't help myself.

I've been trying to plow my way through two thoroughly delightful books for the past several months. The first is Ron Chernow's recent biography of Alexander Hamilton, and the second is Margaret MacMillan's Paris: 1919. I finally finished MacMillan's book yesterday and I'm sad that I've done so. Such an engaging, thoughtful, well-written, and enlightening book is hard to finally close. The subject is the Paris Peace Conference which followed the end of World War I. As I've told a few friends of mine, I've been on a World War I kick for about the last year or so. The Great War, as it was known in the inter-war period, was a cataclysmic event. It marked the end of era in history, and signaled the beginning of the modern and post-modern world not only in global politics, but in Western culture in general. It set the stage for the Second World War, for the Arab-Israeli conflict, for the conflicts in Lebanon and Iraq (Iraq was created in the aftermath of the war). The great empires that had held their world order in place for centuries were either destroyed, in the cases of Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans, or shaken to their cores, as the British and French were. The resulting chaos left the peacemakers, Lloyd George of Great Britain, Clemenceau of France, Woodrow Wilson, and Orlando of Italy with the Herculean task of creating a new Europe, a new Middle East, a new world. It was a task to which perhaps no 4 men in the history of civilization have ever been equal. Given the forces arrayed against them -- the stunning ascent of Bolshevism in Russia, the unexpected collapses of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires and the rekindling of long suppressed nationalist sentiments among their subject peoples, the tension between China and Japan over territory and favor with the West, and of course, the question of how to deal with a defeated Germany -- the peacemakers cobbled together a peace that most certainly could have been better, but as MacMillan argues, could have been a whole lot worse.

Arguably, Wilson threw a giant wrench into the works by publishing his 14 Points before the Conference began. A visionary plan for a new world order it was, a blueprint for an eventual peace it was not. Wilson's closely held ideal of self-determination -- that subject peoples should decide their political and national future -- was greeted around the world with enthusiasm, optimism, and in some cases, near reverence. The 14 Points gave the world (including Germany) the hope that with peace would come renewed dignity and international cooperation, reconstruction and not revenge. Representatives from all over Europe, Asia, and Africa went to Paris to seek the blessing and aid of the Conference for their particular political struggle. Sadly, those who received attention were mostly those who were of strategic importance (location, natural resources, etc) to the peacemakers or to whom they were particularly sympathetic. Wilson compromised on self-determination in the face of pressure from Britain and France to secure what was necessary to their security and advantage (for Britain - to keep its empire alive; for France: to rebuild its shattered country and make sure that the Germans would never be able to threaten them again).

The war also ushered in a new day in the United States. For, while his internationalist policies were ultimately repudiated in his own country, and in his own right he had neither the political savvy nor the stomach to bring his ideas to life, Woodrow Wilson conceived the idea of America the World Power, the World Policeman, the World Leader. It was an idea that would not be given birth until after the Second World War, and with which we are still grappling today.

This was a fascinating book and an excellent introduction to the world we live in today. So many questions answered, so many dots connected... MacMillan doesn't write with the plodding style typical of too many historians. She is brisk, engaging and witty -- pick this book up if you see it.

Hope

2005-05-19T15:21:00.000-04:00

I "became a Christian" about 15 years ago in college. I guess you can say that I'm a "born again Christian." I use the dreaded double inverted commas because I don't particularly care for those expressions, although the latter is, I believe, technically more accurate. I guess I don't like them because they attempt to boil down the miraculous to a label or to a single point of reference. While it is true that I went through an experience of conversion in college -- an epiphany about the person and work of Jesus Christ -- and I entered into a spiritual relationship previously unknown to me, I have since learned that my place in God's universe did not start there. The wonderful, beautiful, exciting truth of Christianity is that God works in the lives of His people throughout life. Conversion is simply the tip of the iceberg, under which is a mountain of God's work. God -- good, gracious, loving, sovereign --has never not sought me. God's work in my life is too great, too amazing, too profound to be labeled or categorized.

Sadly, as awe-inspiring as God has shown his love for me to be, my response to it is often feeble, disjointed, petulant and selfish. I wonder, "When will I learn? When will I grow? What do I have to do?" Last night, I read something that gave me great hope. I used to dislike My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. I used to think that he tried to hard to be profound and ended up being confusing. Well, lately I've changed my mind. As I've read more carefully, God has used this delightful little book to challenge and humble me. He writes here about what is necessary to grow spiritually -- to live as God intends us to live. The focus of our hearts and minds must be Christ -- do this, and we cannot help but be changed forever.

Enjoy...

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin"— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" ( John 7:38 ). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field"— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.

Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest, May 18

God Bless Robert Byrd...

2005-05-17T10:13:00.000-04:00

So, last Thursday I felt sick to my stomach and stayed home from work. In between reading Ron Chernow's sterling biography of Alexander Hamilton, I happened to catch some debate from the Senate floor on CSPAN-2. I tuned in as several senators were making mostly positive speeches about the highway bill that was up for a vote and was all but passed.

Then, during and interval, up steps Harry Reid (D - NV) to talk about the pending judicial nominees and the potential "showdown" which is likely to take place this week. Democrats have filibustered about 10 judicial nominees to whom they object. He made yet another offer to vote on some of the judges at issue in this whole mess. The Republicans have said that they will attempt to eliminate the filibuster from the Senate rules (concerning debate on appointments). Dubbed the so-called, "nuclear option," eliminating the filibuster is a highly contentious proposition for which, it is thought, there is no quite enough support on the Republican side of the aisle.

Anyway, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R - TN) then stepped to his podium and essentially rejected Reid's offer. Reid and Frist then argued the point for several minutes -- as we have grown to expect from the public discourse of our elected officials of late, it was more of two men talking at one another rather than engaging each other. Enter Robert Byrd (D- WV)... Byrd, an ardent defender of the Constitution and an outspoken opponent of changing the Senate rules on the filibuster, gained the floor and posed a direct question (imagine that?) to Senator Frist that went something like this, "Senator Reid has offered to vote on some of these judges with good reason, what's wrong with that?" An interesting exchange followed. That's when things got interesting.

Byrd held the floor and continued to do so for the next 70 minutes! He argued that eliminating the filibuster, a time-tested Senate procedure, undercuts free speech (unlimited debate) in the Senate, a hallmark of the body and powerful defense for the minority. He railed against the dangerous, short-sighted attempt by the Republicans to undermine 200 years of Senate tradition and experience for their own purposes, and it was altogether delightful to watch. But what was so interesting, and downright hilarious after a while, was that Byrd as he argued for free speech and the sanctity of procedure, showed everyone watching what both looked like in real time! Once he gained control of the floor, he refused to relinquish it, as is his right. When asked a question by Senator Frist or Reid, he repeatedly stood on procedure to ensure that he did not lose his right to the floor. On several occasions, he flat out refused questions or interruptions. He could because he had a right to the floor.

He kept on speaking until everyone else in the Senate chamber had left -- he reacted with (feigned?) surprise to that. He warned Senator Frist not to make the destruction of free speech in the Senate his legacy, and he warned him to act cautiously, lest he, or his party, by hoisted on its own gallows some day (citing the book of Esther in the Old Testament). He also asked rhetorically, "You have the presidency, you have the Congress, how much do you need?" ... citing the Tolstoy story about the man who could have all the land he could walk over in a day and died trying.

It was thoroughly enjoyable to watch this old lion of the Senate give his younger brethren a lesson in Senate procedure and tradition.

Sports Rant

2005-05-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

My Teams and the Hockey Lockout
I am, for the most part, a fan of New York teams, except for two. I'll root for both the Yankees and the Mets, but I'm partial to the Yankees. Same goes for the Giants and Jets, but I'm partial to the Giants (but not by much). I have no interest in basketball so I could care less about the Knicks and Nets.

Hockey is the sport I'm passionate about... I've been a New York Rangers fan since I was 5 years old and I simply can not give any support to either the New Jersey Devils or the New York Islanders... those are the two New York area teams that I actually root against! When the Devils lost to the Colorado Avalanche a few years ago in the Stanley Cup playoffs, only the certain consternation of my wife kept me from hanging an Avalanche flag from my house to stick it to all of my Devils neighbors.

So what about the lockout? The lockout isn't about the game on the ice. The lockout might as well be between meat-packing moguls and butchers. The owners don't care about the product on the ice right now - they care about turning a profit. They have a guy in Bettman who will do whatever it takes to make sure that all 30 teams make a profit... not make the playoffs, not win Stanley Cups, but turn a profit. Personally, if certain markets can't support an NHL team for whatever reason (they don't want one, can't generate the fan interest, bad buildings, poor lease arrangements, poor timing, etc) then they shouldn't have one. Why, oh why, is it so important to have teams in places where they haven't and probably won't ever be able to thrive? Because the owners think they should - they have an investment to protect and Bettman is their enforcer.

As for the players, they are all for teams in dubious markets too -- more NHL jobs! They just want a system that allows them to reap the rewards of markets like New York, Detroit, and Dallas in places like Nashville, Florida and Phoenix, even if those places can't afford them.

So now what? We should have a system where all 30 teams spend the same amount, where there are lots of jobs for the players, where there are about the same number of fans as there were before, and where the level of play looks a lot like the NFL - sickeningly bland, defensive-driven, system-focused, mass-produced schlock that's not worthy of any of the fans who have had to sit here and listen to these fools grandstand for years and then just shut off the game until one side gets its way.

For the fans, this whole thing just stinks. We're the ones getting the shaft. But we're the ones who will inevitably put these guys back in business. It's just sad.

My New Sport: Football
Well, soccer, that is. Last spring, I happened to tune into an English Premier league match on cable and thoroughly enjoyed the action. What a wonderfully intense, physical, powerful style of play with plenty of skill and finesse mixed in. Well, I made a note to tune in the next week and then I caught the highlights show a few days later. I couldn't get enough and I knew that not only was I hooked, I had found my sports outlet for the duration of the hockey lockout and beyond.

For whatever reason, I became a Manchester United fan, though Arsenal was tearing up the English Premier League on their way to the title. I've followed the league closely this year, and especially Man. U. Unfortunately, they just didn't have enough this year to challenge Chelsea, but let's face it, who did? Man Utd made a very strong run through the middle of the season and were poised in early March to seriously challenge Chelsea down the stretch with Arsenal struggling. Then came those two demoralizing losses to AC Milan in the Champions League, draws with Crystal Palace and Blackburn, and the embarrassing loss to Norwich, and they've drifted into a secure, but dissatisfying third place.

No matter, I'm hooked now and it has gotten to the point that I don't think about when hockey will start again.

So What's With the Name of This Blog?

2005-05-10T15:17:00.000-04:00

I'm new to this whole blog thing. I like the concept and I enjoy reading others' blogs so I figured why not, as my grandfather used to say, "put up a shingle," and start my own blog. I struggled for a bit with what to call my own little piece of cyberspace real estate. Then, the three words you see at the top popped into my head, and I thought that they made for an interesting title.

They were penned by John Marshall. Marshall was the 4th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He served from 1801 to his death in 1835. He is an interesting, and rather likeable figure in American history, who as Chief Justice, established the scope and role of the Supreme Court in American government. It was Marshall who, in the Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison, enshrined the principle of judicial review -- that the Court may declare acts of Congress unconstitutional if such laws violate the Constitution, the supreme law of the land.

Marshall often found himself at odds with Congress -- both those in Jefferson's Democratic Republican party, and those in the radical wing of his own Federalist party. The Supreme Court had yet to be established as an equal participant in the new American constitutional system. It was viewed more as a political pawn of the legislative and executive branches. Marshall saw otherwise. He refused to conflate political aims and political issues with matters of law, and as a consequence, he often found himself under political pressure from all sides when a case of great importance and interest came before the Court. It was in such a case in 1807, United States v. Burr, that Marshall characteristically penned the following words, that I find quite inspiring:

"No man is desirous of placing himself in a disagreeable situation. No man is desirous of becoming the peculiar subject of calumny. No man, might he let the bitter cup pass from him without self-reproach, would drain it to the bottom. But if he has no choice in the case; if there is no alternative presented to him but a dereliction of duty or the opprobrium of those who are denominated the world, he merits the contempt as well as the indignation of his country who can hesitate which to embrace."

So that's where I get the title from...

Hope you'll stop by often.