I'm Retiring

My first blog was on Monday, September 13, 2004. Seven years of blogging! But like anything else in this life, times change. Blogs were really "in" seven years ago. Now people want shorter snippets of information. So Twitter and Facebook have moved blogs to the shelf.

Having said that, I am gratified to have people tell me that they follow my blog. At times, the ideas have flowed consistently. However, it seems that lately the ideas have come with much less frequency.

So after 7 years, I am closing up shop. I leave open the possibility of someday returning. After all, Brett Favre has done it several times.

Grace and peace to all. Keep your eyes fixed on THE Hope.

Tough Love vs. Spanking

I saw this on a friend's Facebook entry and thought it was worth sharing:

Tough Love vs. Spanking

Most of America ‘s populace think it improper
to spank children, so I have tried other methods
to control my kids when they have one of ‘those moments.’

One that I found effective is for me to just take
the child for a car ride and talk.

Some say it’s the vibration from the car, others
say it’s the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc.

Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I’ve included a photo below of one of my sessions with
my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,
Your Friend

Be sure to notice the speed on the radar in the background.

What were Pat Robertson and CC's Carpet Thinking?

Pat Robertson has determined that it is ok to divorce your spouse if he or she has Alzheimer's disease. He gave consent to the idea of a man beginning to date because his wife suffered from this illness. When questioned about the vows a couple makes, like "In sickness and in health" and "Til death do us part," he said that Alzheimer's IS a kind of death.

It seems to me that in a culture that is already looking for a loophole to commitments, Pat has just opened a huge one. Couldn't a person apply this same reasoning to many debilitating illnesses? The list could be unending.

Jesus said, "The two shall become one flesh. What God has joined together, let no one separate." One flesh! Does "one flesh" become "two flesh" because your spouse has Alzheimer's? Robertson's advice sounds very clinical. But it surely doesn't sound like love.

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I have been seeing the ads for a few weeks as I watch the Rangers' games. CC's Carpet has been promoting that anyone who buys carpet or countertops in September will receive them free if Josh Hamilton hits a grand slam.

Guess what happened in last night's game. Yep.

The owner of CC's Carpet said the promotion has brought in $500,000 of business.

Yes, he had an insurance policy to cover this. So he made a handsome profit. Josh Hamilton probably isn't the insurance company's favorite Ranger.

9-11, Birthday Wishes, Wife's Wisdom

I was moved by the remembrances of 9-11 yesterday. Thinking back on that day still seems so surreal. That morning, a friend of mine had picked me up to go near Tyler for a golf outing with a dozen or so guys. As I got in his pickup, he told me that a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers. Immediately, I thought of pictures I have seen from back in the 30s when a plane flew into the Empire State Building. I just assumed it was a freak air accident.

By the time we arrived at the golf course, the 2nd plane had struck, and the 1st tower was collapsing. Everyone was watching the TV in the clubhouse -- eyes bugged out and mouths hanging open.

Little did we comprehend at that moment that life would never be the same for us.

I continue to pray that God will cover the victims' families with His peace. And I pray for the hearts of those who promote terror, that they might be drawn to the love of the Father.

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Today is my oldest son's 31st birthday. I don't know how a father could be any more proud of his children than I am. I continue to be a student of his Christlike heart for the poor and the disenfranchised.

I also CAN'T WAIT to spend time with him and his family in a couple of weeks!

Happy Birthday, Josh!

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My wife never ceases to amaze me. She is so immersed in the presence of God that she speaks with great words of wisdom and power. Last night she was working on a talk and she shared a thought with me. She said, "Death creates a spiritual earthquake. It leaves you sifting through the rubble to find faith." Wow! That certainly describes my grief journey.

My New Toys

I did something last week that I wish I had done a long time ago.

Many of you know that I was once a drummer. While in college, I played in a band with Ronnie Dunn (of Brooks and Dunn). He was a really fun guy to hang out with, and we had a lot of good times. But it was during that time that I met Beverly, and we got married a year later. After our marriage, I was working 33 hours a week and taking a full load at school, so I sold my drums. That was 35 years ago.

I haven't really thought much through the years about returning to playing the drums. After all, they were SO loud -- not real complimentary to raising a family.

But recently, I have found myself thinking about how much I used to enjoy playing. And I figured, I am 32 -- and I'm not getting any younger (OK, so I lied a little about my age). I don't know why I haven't thought before about getting electric drums. You can play them with headphones on, and it isn't any louder than drumming on a book with pencils. But the sound on the headphones! WOW!

So I bought a set of electric drums last week. Lots of rust to be knocked off after 35 years (me, not the drums). But even in four days of playing, I can see improvement. I am loving it! It is very therapeutic. And guess what I have played to the most? Brooks and Dunn's best hits. Also enjoying the Eagles. And I had never been able to drum to any contemporary Christian music -- because it was just appearing 35 years ago with Amy Grant. So I have played some Steven Curtis Chapman. Will try Chris Tomlin and Michael W. Smith soon.

Who knows? In a few months, I may even try to find some hacks like me and put together a band.

Confusing Song Lyrics

Sometimes I am struck by how many songs I used to sing as a teenager -- with lyrics that weren't even close to what was actually written. I occasionally look them up now on Google, and want to laugh. This was especially true of many Rolling Stones songs, as well as Elton John.

Well, I received a text from my son Jonathan the other day regarding a conversation he had with my grandson Jed. He asked him what his favorite song was, and Jed said, "The one that says, 'I got two eyes.'"

Jonathan was no doubt confused by that answer. So he asked some follow-up questions. Finally he figured it out. Jed was referring to the Chris Tomlin song, "Let God Arise."

Priceless.

Anniversary Celebration

I spent precious time over the last few days with my wife of 35 years. 35 years! She has put up with me that long! We went to some fun restaurants. On Friday, we went to a movie together -- The Help. It was an inspiring movie set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. I lived there then, and although my life was pretty much lived in a different culture -- so much came back to me. It is still hard for me to understand how cultures can become so brainwashed to issues like segregation -- even though I myself could have easily been caught up in it.

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Last night after dining at Texas de Brazil (1st time, it was a blast!), we drove around and ended up at an old cemetery in Wise County. There is a grave there for a 16 year old girl who was killed by the Comanches in 1868 while going to check on her father's horses.

We found another family plot, and I just stood at it wanting to know the story. My mind could only imagine it. Two graves were for children who were born and died the same day. A third grave was for a 5 year old from the same family. And next to the 5-year old was his mother, who had died 6 days later. So I got caught up in imagining the story of this frontier family. A woman who loses two children on the same day they were born, and then loses her 5-year old. Did she and the 5-year old die of typhoid fever or something similar? Or did her child die, and then 6 days later she too died of a broken heart?

I think I will look into this.

Gear Up III

Yesterday was our third year for "Gear Up." We had over 220 volunteers on our church campus meeting the needs of people of Wise County. From immunizations to hair cuts to free books to clothes to food (hot dogs here, and canned goods to take home) to school supplies to Bible stories, puppets and crafts -- we met the needs of about 450 children and their parents. God is so good to have blessed us with this opportunity.

No event in my experience demonstrates on such a large scale how it is truly a blessing to serve. Although our intention is to serve in the name of Jesus, from the feedback I receive our volunteers come away feeling most blessed.

May God be praised! And may we continue to be involved in the in-breaking of His Kingdom in Wise County!

Tweeting with Celebs

OK, so last night my son Josh and his family sit down at the dinner table to pork chops. Truitt, my 4-year old grandson, said he didn't want to eat. Josh, who has just taught Truitt what an RBI is in baseball, said, 'Truitt, Josh Hamilton eats pork chops, and they help him get RBIs." With that, Truitt proceeded to eat heartily.

So, Josh tweeted about his mealtime victory. Here is what he said. "I hope Josh Hamilton likes pork chops. Truitt (4 yrs old) didn't want to eat. Told him JH likes them. He devoured them."

Now, catch this (especially if your name is Jeff Jones): Josh had a response to his tweet -- FROM MRS. JOSH HAMILTON! She wrote, "Actually he LOVES them! I make them for him ALL the time!!"

How cool is that?

Busyness -- a Virtue?

I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately. Somewhere back, we Christians bought into the cultural lie that busyness is a godly virtue. We have been driven by sayings like, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop" -- convincing us that we need to be busy all the time. It even seems that there is an informal competitiveness that exists to prove to others that "I am busier than you are."

I have come to view the recitations of the "busyholic" as boring. Do you know what I'm talking about? People who, whenever you are around them, have to give you a recitation of their dayplanners to prove how busy they are? It's as if they find validation as a human being in their busyness.

Now, I am well aware that Scripture warns against idleness and laziness. But I don't see where it exalts busyness. I actually believe Scripture would say that busyness is a sign of imbalance and lack of discipline. Martha was chided by Jesus for missing what Mary gained because Martha thought busyness was more important than sitting with Him.

As Christians, we would do well to reclaim the spiritual discipline of meditation. It is not some mystical practice owned only by Eastern religions. It is spoken of regularly in Scripture. I am amazed at how much better my perspective is when I face a day after sitting in silence in the morning and emptying my mind so that the Lord can fill it (I know, it doesn't take long for me to empty my mind). 5 minutes of this discipline has amazing benefits!

"Be still, and know that I am God." "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." "I will meditate on your wonders"

Happy Birthday, Princess

Thirty-three years ago today, Beverly and I became mom and dad. "It's a girl" was music to my ears!

Today we will visit Baylor-Grapevine Hospital and leave gifts in memory of Jenny.

Following are the words to a Mercy Me song that SO expresses my heart today:

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times.

And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you.


But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry


Is how long must I wait to be with you.

I close my eyes and I see your face
. If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place. 
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow. 
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways. 
The reason why, I wonder if I'll ever know.
 But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same, 
Cause I'm still here so far away from home.

I close my eyes and I see your face. 
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place. 
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow. 
I've never been more homesick than now.

In Christ, there are no goodbyes. 
And in Christ, there is no end. 
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have. 
To see you again
. To see you again.

And I close my eyes and I see your face
. If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place. 
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow. 
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow. 
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow.

I've never been more homesick than now.

Hot Tamale!

The hottest summer on record was 1980. I remember it well, but not as well as Beverly. She was pregnant that summer with our 2nd child, Josh. We lived in a small, two-bedroom house in Abilene that had an evaporative cooler (swamp cooler). During the midst of the heatwave, it broke. Our car air conditioner broke, too. We were able to get the evaporative fixed pretty quickly, but could not afford to get the car air conditioner fixed.

This summer is on the way to breaking the records of 1980. But Beverly and I are in such a different place in life! We sleep in a comfortable 70 degrees every night -- and have TWO cars with working air conditioners.

I wonder if Al Gore is smugly smiling when he sees our weather forecasts?

I did go play golf yesterday in the 107 degree heat. I saw one other group at the course -- about 7 holes behind me. Loved it!

Conscientious Objector?

I've been reading the second in a series of stories written by Elmer Kelton. It is about a young white man in post-Civil War Texas. As a child, he had been kidnapped by the Comanche Indians. During a hunting party mix-up he was left behind injured, and ended up being taken in by some white settlers. He was raised by them as their own.

Later, he joined the Texas Rangers (not the baseball team). In the story, his struggle with deciding what to do during fighting with renegade Comanches is described. Should he be a loyal Ranger? or a loyal Comanche? He concluded that since he had made the decision to become a Ranger, his loyalty was to his fellow Rangers.

Why do I say all of this? Because for the second time in the last couple years, we have the story of a Moslem American service man who CHOSE to join the Armed Forces. No one twisted his arm. He was not drafted. Then, after joining, he decided he is a conscientious objector. But his objection to fighting does not stop him from wanting to kill AMERICAN troops.

I am thankful that he was caught before he could fulfill his evil desires.

"Oh, my ______!"

This morning I was thinking, "How would I feel if, when my kids faced a surprise or a frustration in their daily routines -- they said, "Oh, my Rick!" Would I feel honored? Or would I feel put-down?

What got me to thinking about this is that the expression, "Oh, my God!" has become totally acceptable in our culture. This morning, ABC was running a commercial about an upcoming reality show. You know, the kind where they show 2-second soundbytes. It seemed that in each soundbyte, the contestant would say, "Oh, my God!"

I challenge you to watch a sitcom and count how many times this expression is used.

Right after Jenny died, there were days in which it seemed that is all I could pray: "Oh, my God!" But it was not a phrase used as an expression instead of, "Wow!" or "Good grief!" It was all my pained heart could utter. I was SO seeking Him -- but had no words.

But to use that expression so cheaply in the course of everyday communication seems to me to violate the very heart of the 3rd commandment -- to NOT take the name of the Lord in vain.

To me, that means to hold God's name in reverence.

The Jews took the command so seriously that they would not even utter the name YHWH, and as a result we don't even know for sure to this day how to properly say the name God gave to Moses in Exodus 3.

That may have been an extreme approach, but at least it came out of reverence for God. Our culture has swung to another extreme -- an extreme with NO redeeming value. That is, that God's name has become a common oath. It suggests NO reverence for God.

I pray that light might break through powerfully into the darkness!

___________________

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." (Psalm 143: 8)

Extend Some Grace

I know I am writing a lot lately about the Rangers, but I am enjoying this team. They have a great chemistry, and a lot of likable players.

So I write today about yesterday's game. C. J. Wilson pitched a complete game 2-hitter -- AND LOST! The only run was unearned, coming off of an error by Endy Chavez.

The media is pinning this loss on Chavez, and I am thinking how unfair that is. If he hadn't made the error, what would the score have been? 0-0. That is not a win. Who is to say that the Rangers would have won in extra innings?

No, when a team like the Rangers get a complete game 1-run outing, they ought to win every time. The blame for this game goes to the offense. In a 162-game season, you will have games like this, but any time THIS offense fails to score AT LEAST three runs -- they have had an off-night.

This is my humble, but expert, opinion. I am really sorry for C. J. But let Chavez off the hook here.

Time for a New Streak

The longest winning streak in Major League Baseball came to an end last night when the Rangers lost to the Angels 9-8. This afternoon is time to begin another streak.

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Verse of the day: "In quietness and trust is your strength" (Isaiah 30: 15)

Serving in the Heat

I spent some time this morning visiting with many of the young people from our church. This week they are involved in projects within our community: working with some of our non-profits, painting houses for elderly residents of Wise County -- as well as other projects. Being the hands and feet of Jesus. I am so proud of them!

Whew! It was already hot just walking from the office down to the church building this morning! We complain a lot about the heat and lack of rain -- and, yes, this year is above normal. But hey: Heat and lack of rain should be no surprise to anyone who chooses to live in this part of Texas. That is called late June, July, August to mid-September.

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On a lighter note, Rupert Murdock and his empire is making National Enquirer look more legitimate!

Hope and Peace

I love this from the daily devotional book, Jesus Calling: "Do not worry about tomorrow! This is not a suggestion, but a command."

The last year and a half has moved me deeper spiritually in a number of ways. I will mention two of them.

The first is that I want to live each day -- trusting in the Lord for that day. Too much of my life has been lived with worried eyes toward the future. I now rebuke that kind of life.

The second is that I want to live a "no regret" life. I want there to be no loose ends in any of my relationships. If I need to forgive someone, I want to do that. If I have wronged someone, I want to make it right. No regrets. It is amazing how the result of that is peace.

Those are my two big words right now: Hope and peace. My ONLY hope is in Jesus. And HE is my peace.

Jenny's Anniversary

Thirteen years ago yesterday, I gave my precious daughter away to a young man from Spring, Texas. He had impressed us with his love for her. And our family had already embraced him as our own. The wedding was lovely.

Last night, we gathered at our house to celebrate Jenny and David's anniversary. David requested that I fix hamburgers (one of my claims to fame and one of Jenny's favorites). We shared good memories, and celebrated David's coming into our family. David, we love you!

Jenny would have been proud.

Chan Nails It!

I received a link to a portion of a sermon by Francis Chan that he delivered at Catalyst 2010 in Atlanta. Out of all of the well-known preachers and writers of our day, this guy speaks most to me. I tried to download the video to my blog but couldn't. So PLEASE: paste this link into your url. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYhU0QHBixU