My Kids

I just dropped my son Josh off at the airport.  He flew in yesterday and spoke at our church last night.  I told him he hit a grand slam.  He had some really sweet things to say about the Decatur Church in his own blog today -- which you will find linked here.  What a blessing it has been this summer to have my sons speak this year on our summer series.

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Beverly has taken my daughter and her best friend to San Antonio for the weekend to celebrate Jenny's 30th birthday.  My daughter-in-law Jennifer will meet them there, along with my granddaughter Jocelyn.

30!  I remember when I got to that age, I thought I was getting old.  Now I have a child that old!

They are going to some of our favorite places we used to go when the kids were little.  They will eat at the Market Square several times, I am sure.  I LOVE to eat there.  But Dad wasn't invited on the trip.  So, I went to Taco Bell for lunch today. 

Seek 1st HIS Kingdom!

As a minister of the gospel and a promoter of the Kingdom of God, I hope that no one knows what political party I vote for.  For the last 10-15 years, it has been assumed by many that if you are a faithful Christian you must vote Republican.  Truth be known:  I am so sick of American politics that I have become a member of the Cynic Party.

I am amazed that Christian people get involved in spreading lies about a candidate they disagree with -- and even convince themselves that it is their Christian duty!  Some of the emails I have received about Barack Obama are things the National Enquirer would not even print.  It's fine if you want to disagree with one's political views.  It is a SIN to spread gossip and slander.

But last night I was watching some of the Democratic convention, and I became equally disgusted with what I heard.  Many of the Democratic party have decided to paint John McCain as someone who cannot relate to the average American because he has seven houses.  They are beating this to pieces.

As I was watching this, I was thinking:  Every one of you are millionaires.  You have, for the most part, become millionaires through family money or by taking PAC contributions.  I don't know of a national politician who does not leave office as less than a millionaire.  And you are going to point the finger at John McCain?  He is known to be less accepting of PAC money than most any politician.  He is rich, yes.  His wife inherited multi-millions of dollars.  Why he has seven houses, I don't know.  But I doubt those pointing the fingers live in the projects and drive 12 year old cars.  Bill and Hillary Clinton have become extremely wealthy.  How?  By being "public servants."  (How ironic is that statement?)  It is the height of hypocrisy. 

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Here are some more words from Countdown to Sunday, in a chapter on preaching during an election season:   

   Preaching should help us place our hope in Jesus Christ amid all the vain promises and endless words of campaign ads and convention hoopla . . . the best way to be involved, the best way to serve America (or any nation) is by being the church.  Disciples first.  Americans and Democrats and Republicans and whatever else, a distant second.

   It is terribly easy for preachers to unwittingly allow the Word of God to be domesticated and nationalized . . . it's a sin against Jesus Christ and his church; it puts the church in danger, and if the church is in danger, then so is the nation.  For what the nation most needs is the church, God's new nation among the nations, herald of hope for the world.  

      

Sermon Illustrations

I am actually reading three books right now -- two are spiritually related and one is for relaxation.  On our trip to Canada I picked up a Louis L'Amour book and really liked it.  So I will be reading his stuff for a year or so in my leisure (he was a prolific writer, and his books now sell in paperback for $3.99.  That's right up this tightwad's alley!)

But I am reading a book on preaching entitled Countdown to Sunday, by Chris Erdman.  He has a chapter on Illustration.  I have often struggled with the use of illustrations.  Obviously, Jesus and Paul both used them extensively.  But there are also inherent dangers.

Here's what Erdman (who is a post-modern preacher, by the way) says:  This business of sermon illustration, though so common, actually obscures the text of scripture we hoped to bring to the light of day (emphasis mine).  Sermons preached this way may draw the masses, but I can't be persuaded that this is preaching.  Speech-making, maybe.  Entertainment, yes.  But not preaching. 

   I used to illustrate my sermons this way too.  There were too many Sundays for too many years when folks shook my hand or wrote me notes after worship and said things like, "You're a great storyteller," or, "That story today really moved me."  For too long I liked those responses-- loved them even.  I got to the point where I preached for those responses and stewed in my frustration for a while after a sermon if I didn't get them.  

   But over time the frequent compliments grew thin, and something began to gnaw at my preacher's conscience.  I began to realize that people loved the stories I told, the illustrations that populated my well-crafted sermons, but showed little evidence that they were growing in their love for THE Story.  They were increasingly dependent on my words, but not on the Word.  That troubled me.  I began to long for someone to come out of worship, shake my hand, and say, "Preacher, the text came alive for me today, and I don't think I'll be able to shake it off.  It's disturbed something inside me, and it may well take the week to make some kind of sense about what it wants to do to us as a church."  I began to figure that if I could get that kind of response, then we as a church might really be on our way to being the people of God.  

Oh, how I want that to be the result of my preaching as well!  

The Beauty of Reconciliation

Here is a picture of Beverly and me in Juneau, Alaska, taken by Virginia Buchanan.  We had been warned to watch out for the bears.  If you click on the picture, it will make it bigger.   

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Last week I kind of mentioned in passing about Beverly and me celebrating our anniversary.  I am so proud of her.  She has striven to be the best at whatever she undertakes.  She was an incredible stay-at-home mom.  When she began teaching, she won awards after just a couple of years that were normally given to teachers who had taught for 20 years or so.  And now as a counselor, she is helping to mend relationships that will affect families for generations to come.  Every day she gets to witness Satan losing another battle.

I thought of her as I read this poem this morning.  It was written by a child named Erika Chambers, as she witnessed her  own parents fall in love again.  Reconciliation is a beautiful thing!       

All is Right

Last night I saw you kiss her on the porch
I watched you from the window
Just before I turned my covers down
Now I can go to sleep and know
That everything is right
With the world, with the night
All is right.

I listen to you laugh outside my room
You're whispering your nothings,
And you don't think I can hear you
But when I go to sleep I know
That everything is right
With the world, with the night
All is right.

And I can rest my head upon
The thought of you still going strong
And I can dream of days I know will be
When a love like yours will find me

Tonight I watched you dancing in the dark
To music from a stereo you set beneath the stars
Now I can go to sleep and know
That everything is right
With the world, with the night
All is right.

All is right.

A Variety of Topics

Yesterday marked Beverly's and my 32nd anniversary.  We are actually celebrating tonight.  It has been an incredible journey -- the process of two very different people becoming one.  We have gone through valleys and mountaintops.  We have so many rich memories to look back on.  But I don't want to dwell there.  I look forward to our future together.  Hopefully we are less than half way through our journey.

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Today is a round-the-clock day of prayer at our church for students, teachers and the next school year.  Jacob and Heather do such a good job of putting this together, and Tanya Hamilton worked hard setting up and decorating the room.   What a blessing they are!

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So the Chinese gymnastics team is in danger of losing some medals because they may have forged some birth certificates.  Earlier in the Olympics they did a story about how children are removed from their families and forced into training as gymnasts.  Even when they beg to come home, their families won't allow them to.  Apparently the government pays the families for the "use" of their kids.  Sad, so sad. 

We take SO much for granted in the U.S.  Yes, we have our problems.  But I have about had my fill of U.S. bashing -- and also, of church bashing (I am not intending to connect the two here.  The kingdom of Jesus is not of this world.  These are two separate things.)  It is so easy to find the faults in a system.  I would rather work within that system -- encouraging what is good and tweaking what might be done better.  The danger in only finding fault is that the faults become exaggerated disproportionately so that the good becomes blocked out. 

A Childlike Faith

Today I am conducting the funeral service of Gerald Polley.  Gerald passed away Saturday after a long and courageous battle with cancer. His younger brother died the day before of a cerebral hemorrhage after visiting Gerald.  This has been a really tough week for this family. 

One of the blessings in it, though, has been getting to see Brent and Kristi -- Gerald and Cheryl's oldest son and his wife.  They have recently moved to Mississippi, and I have missed them dearly.  Today in the service I am going to share a couple of observations from their young sons -- but I wanted to share them here too.

Brandon (about 8 years old) said, "I'm going to call Grandpa on his cell phone and ask him what heaven looks like."  He also wanted to know what kind of cake they would have at the funeral.

After Gerald had died Saturday, Topher (about 6) asked, "Has Grandpa's soul left his body?"   Being told that it had, he looked up toward the sky and waved.

The wisdom and faith of a child.  We can learn a lot.    

Prayer: A Call to Action

In Yancey's book on prayer, in one chapter he talks about how prayer ought to spur us on to action.  I love the visual he gives when he writes, "Sometimes, like the boy who asks his parents to solve a math problem while he plays video games, we ask God for things we should be doing ourselves."  

Prayer is a call to action.  It is a call for me to get involved in kingdom business.  "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  How is that going to happen?  We have witness of it happening when Jesus walked this earth in the flesh.  His will is that it continue to happen through His body -- Christians.  To a significant degree, WE are the answer to that prayer. 

Olympic Pride

When we were in Alaska, we missed out on a week of Texas' worst heat.  Four days of 105 or above during that week!  Since we have come back, except for a couple of days, the weather has had a feel of Fall to it.  Highs in the 80s!  And this morning I awoke to RAIN!  With more in the forecast.  It is wonderful!

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When I was a kid (in the midst of the Cold War), the Olympics were about which form of government was better.  We always wanted to beat those cheatin' Russians in the medal counts -- to prove a point (?).

Now that we find ourselves in a more global community, I don't watch the Olympics with quite the same nationalistic fervor.  Oh, I still root for the US of A.  But I enjoy watching the great athletes from around the globe.

I guess it's a good thing, because we are getting smoked by China!  As of this morning, China had 39 gold medals to our 21.  Take away Michael Phelps, and we would have a paltry 13!  Someone's saying, "Yeah, but we are leading in the total medal count."  And they would be right.  We are way ahead of China in silvers (23 to 14) and bronzes (26 to 14).  Yee-ha!  We are better at 2nd and 3rd place.  What is it someone once said?  Winning 2nd place is like kissing your sister.

Funny.  I looked on the Official Olympic website where it has listed the current TOTAL medal counts.  China has themselves listed 1st.

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I am about to call and check on my brother and his family.  They live outside of Tampa, Florida.  Join me in praying that this hurricane brings them some much-needed rain without bringing destruction.         

What Are You Reading?

It was great returning to Crockett last night.  One of the elders who hired me 20 years ago this year -- his wife came straight to me as she walked in, saying in a loud voice, "There is my favorite person."  Wow.  It was a sweet evening.

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I do a lot of reading.  I love to read, and that is good -- because that is such a large percentage of what I do.  But for relaxation, guess what I like to do?  Read.

I especially like fiction for my entertainment reading.  I have read everything by Frank Peretti.  I also like Randy Alcorn.  They both write Christian fiction.

But I love John Grisham.  I have also read all of his books.  I have tried to read Tom Clancy. One of his books I really enjoyed, but I have had trouble getting into other ones.  His books have made some really good movies, though.   And while on the Alaska trip, I picked up a paperback Louis L'amore book.  I am now on my 3rd one.  His books are pretty much the same, but yet enough different to hook you.  Old westerns.  Each one has the feel of an old western movie.  He was a prolific writer, so I might be reading him for a while.

What is your favorite read?   

What a Story!

I came across the following quote from Edward Fudge that I found to be interesting:

He said some people "want a spiritual algebra book, full of precise formulas with exact answers in the back. But the Bible is instead a storybook -- the stories of God and his people. God creates people in relationship with him. People break relationship by sin. God seeks relationship through law. People break relationship by breaking law. God makes relationship with sinners through Jesus as a substitute and representative for People. People enjoy relationship with God through faith."

I used to be one of those people who carried my spiritual algebra book.  But more and more I am discovering that the Bible is a storybook -- the story of God's desire to have relationship with His ultimate creation.  That's not to say that there are not some exact answers and expected outcomes in it for us.  There are.  But from cover to cover -- it is a beautiful story! 

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Beverly and I are headed to Crockett tonight where I will speak for their summer series.  I always love going back to where I began my ministry.  Many dear, dear people.   

The Olympics and Prayer

So have you been watching the Olympics?  I usually have them on, but am trying to read at the same time -- so it's a good thing I have DVR to rewind.  If it weren't for Michael Phelps, team USA would not even be close to China in the medals race.  Phelps is pretty incredible, huh?  And it seems that the golds he has won are in the events analysts said he would have the most difficulty with.  Could very well be that he will leave China with 8 golds!

Maybe it's just me, but are you getting a little tired of seeing Phelp's mother?  Even when another American won the anchor leg of the race Sunday night, the cameras seemed glued to her.  Enough!  

OK, enough grumping.  Beverly and Kayci and I were talking the other night as we watched the Olympics, and we were trying to think of cities in the southern hemisphere that have ever hosted.  Did you know there are only two?  Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.  I wonder why that is?  You would think Johannesburg or Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro or several other cities could be good choices.      

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I'm reading Yancey's book, Prayer, and came across "A Franciscan Benediction."  I can't remember if I have shared this before, but thought it was worth citing.

May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that yo may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may GOd bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen.   

 

Opening Ceremonies

I don't usually post on the weekends, but I just finished watching the opening ceremonies for the Summer Olympics. It was incredible! I loved the way the athletes walked across the canvas after stepping in paint. By the end, the canvas was a beautiful mixture of colors. What a wonderful statement of the way the Olympics bring the world together for 16 days every four years.

And the 9 year old boy who walked with Yao Ming! If your eyes didn't tear up at that, something is wrong. Just two months ago, he dug his way out of rubble after the devastating earthquake and then saved two of his fellow students. Wow!

I can't wait to see the story lines that develop out of this year's games.

This just in: Dwyane Wade drew 15 fouls as he walked in with the US team.

Back in the Lower 48

We are back from Alaska, although I am 8 pounds heavier (Ugh).  It was absolutely gorgeous.  We didn't see a whole lot of wildlife (a couple of grizzly bears appeared as specks in the binoculars, a few bald eagles, seals and a number of orcas), but the landscape was absolutely breathtaking!

One of the blessings was that we missed 10 days of the hottest weather in Decatur in a long time.  While it was 108 here, we were enjoying temperatures in the 60s (I just had to throw that in for Jeff). 

The highlight of the trip for me was when we went into port at Skagway.  It is the sight of the Alaskan gold rush of the late 19th century.  It still had a lot of the flavor of that era.  Lots of historical sights.  We took a train ride up to White Pass, where over 3,000 horses and many men lost their lives trying to navigate the treacherous pass on their way to "riches" in the Yukon (very few prospectors made any money).  The train ride was pretty treacherous, too!

Glacier Bay was an awesome sight as well:  watching the glaciers "calve" -- as slices of ice would fall into the water.  The sound was like a rifle shot as the ice would hit the water.

Someday I will have to tell you about the taxi driver we had in Vancouver (from Iraq) who I was afraid was about to go terrorist on us.

I would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

Next on the agenda:  Israel in November.       

I Love the Mountains

The flight to Vancouver was nice. I enjoyed watching out the window once we got over the Cascade mountains -- in my opinion, the most gorgeous mountains in the Northern Hemisphere. Many are still snowcapped. I'm pretty sure I saw Mount Saint Helens.

Last night we ate at a restaurant that sits out over the water. It was cool, but not uncomfortably so. As the sun was setting, off in the distance we could see Mount Ranier. Wow! It stands so much higher than the others. The food was delicious.

This morning we are off for Victoria Island. It is drizzling rain this morning, so I don't know how much that will affect our day.

I love the Canadian idiosyncricies. I love to hear them say "about." It comes out more like "aboat." Interesting: I've been to Australia and Canada, and talking to them you would think you were in America -- except for every once in a while just a particular word reminds you. For instance, in Australia, instead of saying "You're welcome," they say "No worries." I guess I am digressing here.

"So, "Go-day, mate!"

Alaska and Tony Snow

I have been looking forward to today for a long time. This afternoon we will fly to Vancouver, British Columbia -- arriving (if on time) about 6:50 PM their time. Tomorrow we will rent a car and drive over (actually it involves an hour and a half ferry ride) to Victoria Island. We will have "high tea" at the Princess Hotel and then tour Berchard (sp?) Gardens. Then we leave on our cruise of Alaska on Wednesday.

I will try to blog while I am away, but I don't know exactly what the internet access will be like on the ship.

I praise God that Beverly and I are able to take a trip like this!
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I received an email with a speech given by Tony Snow, President Bush's ex-press secretary who died recently from cancer. It is fairly lengthy, but quite inspiring;

Commentator and broadcaster Tony Snow announced that he had colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush Administration in April, 2006, as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced that the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen, leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 3, but has resigned since, 'for economic reasons,' and to pursue 'other interests.' It needs little intro . . . it speaks for itself.

'Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, - in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence 'What It All Means,' Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the 'why' questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer. I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths began to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out. But, despite this, - or because of it, - God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face. Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims.You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere. To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life - and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non-believing hearts - an institution that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly, exuberantly - no matter how their days may be numbered. Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease,- smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, - but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance and comprehension - and yet don't. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise. 'You Have Been Called'. Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet, a loved one holds your hand at the side. 'It's cancer,' the healer announces. The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. 'Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.' But another voice whispers: 'You have been called.' Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter, - and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our 'normal time.' There's another kind of response, although usually short-lived, an inexplicable shudder of excitement as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions. The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing through the known world and comtemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment. There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, - for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do. Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of cruicifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the Holy City. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf. We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, that we acquired purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples' worries and fears. 'Learning How to Live'. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms, not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of live. I sat by my best friend's bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was an humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He restrained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. 'I'm going to try to beat [this cancer],' he told me several months before he died. 'But if I don't, I'll see you on the other side.' His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn't promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity - filled with life and love we cannot comprehend, - and that one can, in the throes of sickness, point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms. Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do? When our faith flags, He throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us! This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminious and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God. What is man that Thou are mindful of him? We don't know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who believe each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in the hollow of God's hand.' Tony Snow

Gives a Whole New Meaning to "Courting"

I saw an interesting story this morning on GMA.  Seems a woman was jilted at the altar by her live-in boyfriend.  He fled to Europe and had his best man break the news to her.  Well, she decided to sue him for breach of contract.  After all, she had left her job (with benefits, medical, etc) and home in the mid-west and moved to live with him.  And now, she was left with nothing.

The jury agreed with her and awarded her around $150,000 in damages.  At 1st, I thought that seemed reasonable.  After all, he jilted her.  Then I got to thinking:  How wise was it for HER to leave her job and move in with him before they were married -- with no commitment yet made?  When is a contract made?  When they are married, right?  And how will this affect other engagements?  Will it mean that once a couple is engaged, if one gets cold feet he or she is subject to being sued?

It's sadly like someone said in the interview:  He would have been better off to marry her, and then divorce her after a couple of months.

What do you think?   

Summer Camp Begins

I told you that my daughter-in-law, Kayci, would get my blog page back up.  Thank you, Kayci.

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Why even play this year's NFL season?  It sounds like everybody is basically saying the Cowboys should win the Super Bowl.  Interesting, since they haven't even won a playoff game in 12 years and have a coach who has had equal success.  

I hope they do win it.  But the preseason predictions and the weekly power-rating stuff is really just fodder for radio sports talk shows.  They still have to go execute on the field.  And that is something I have not seen this Cowboy team do -- yet.  I know, I know.  Wade keeps bragging about how they went 13-3 last year.  SO WHAT?  What did that accomplish for them -- except to lower them in the draft?  It's all about winning playoff games.

Jerry Jones gives his annual "State of the Cowboys" address today.  Wow.  Let me guess what he will say.      

  

Angels Wish

As I was jogging this morning, I was listening to Steven Curtis Chapman on my iPod.  The song, "Angels Wish" came on.  I  had heard the song a number of times before, but when I'm running I'm able to concentrate on the words more.  They really touched me this morning.  They come from the verse in 1 Peter 1:12 that says, "Even angels long to look into these things."  

Was God smiling when He spoke the words that made the world?
And did He cry about the Flood?
And what does God's voice sound like when He sings, when He's angry?
These are just a few things that the angels have on me.

[Chorus:]
Well, I can't fly, at least not yet.
I've got no halo on my head.
And I can't even start to picture Heaven's beauty.
But I've been shown the Savior's love. 

The grace of God has raised me up to show me things the angels long to look into.
And I know things the angels only wish they knew.

I have seen the dark and desperate place where sin will take you.
I've felt loneliness and shame.
And I have watched the blinding light of grace come breaking through with a sweetness
only tasted by the forgiven and redeemed.

[Chorus:]
Well, I can't fly, at least not yet.
I've got no halo on my head.
And I can't even start to picture Heaven's beauty.
But I've been shown the Savior's love.
The grace of God has raised me up to show me things the angels long to look into.
And I know things the angels only wish they knew.

And someday I'll sit down with my angel friends up in Heaven.
They'll tell me about creation and I'll tell them a story of grace.

[Chorus:]
Well, I can't fly, at least not yet.
I've got no halo on my head.
And I can't even start to picture Heaven's beauty.
But I've been shown the Savior's love.T
The grace of God has raised me up to show me things the angels long to look into.
And I know things the angels only wish they knew.

I was especially captured by the bridge (I have highlighted it).  Surely that IS what Peter was referring to when he said "even angels long to look into these things."  Won't that be exciting? 

Hot, hot hot

Today is going to be a scorcher.  I really do wonder how people survived in Texas summers prior to air conditioning.  Actually, I do adapt well to hot days.  I play golf and do yard work in the middle of the summer afternoons.  But when I get really uncomfortable is if it's hot when I am trying to sleep.  I cannot sleep hot.

Vancouver, BC:  high today is 68.  Juneau, Alaska:  high today is 58.  Lord willing, that's where we will be in a week. 

We are having a new roof put on in the next few days thanks to the hail storm back in early April.  The roofer called me this morning and said they are running behind because due to the heat they can only work a few hours a day.  I can only imagine what it feels like on a roof when it's 103.

Be cool.

The ESPY's. the Old Man and the Old Country

I have never watched the ESPY's before, but last night I turned it on while I read the paper.  I have to admit:  I like Justin Timberlake.  He was hilarious.  So was Will Ferrell.  It was by far the best awards show I have seen. 

 

When I was a kid, I watched the Oscars and the Emmys.  They don't even get a look from me anymore.  They are full of Hollywood types who think that because they can act that it makes them experts in politics, world issues and the environment ("You little people must cut back on your usage so that we can continue to keep up our mansions.")

But the ESPY's were funny, light-hearted and inspiring.  The recipients of the awards were not irreverent.  They were gracious, and often gave glory to God for where they are.  I found it quite refreshing.      

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Greg Norman couldn't finish the job Sunday -- starting with three straight bogies.  But for a 53 year old to finish 3rd at the British Open -- under the most grueling of conditions -- was pretty impressive.

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Beverly and I are going to Israel, Lord willing, on November 3-13.  There are still about 10 places open on the trip, and the airline will only hold the seats until the middle of August.  If any of you readers would be interested in joining us on a trip of a lifetime, let me know and I will get you the information.  But you need to let me know before the end of the week.  Because one week from today, we are headed to ALASKA!!!!!  I cannot wait!