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.

____________________

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

Tragedy at the Ballpark

What a sad story coming out of Arlington last night. Josh Hamilton tossed a foul ball into the stands, and a fan reached out to grab it -- falling 20 feet. He ended up dying on the way to the hospital. His 8-year old son was standing right beside him.

I can't get his son off my mind. How does a person EVER get over such a traumatic thing? I pray that God will hold that boy in His arms and give him peace, as well as the man's wife and family.

Another man fell at the Ballpark nearly exactly a year ago. He survived. The irony is that both men were firefighters.

Knowing how fragile Josh Hamilton already is, I am also praying that he is able to work through this. The paper this morning said that he was devastated -- as I can only imagine. But it wasn't his fault that the accident happened. I know he has an incredible support group around him.

This is yet another reminder of how fragile life is. A healthy man is happily enjoying an evening with his son one minute. The next minute he is gone. No doubt, it never entered his mind as he headed into the Ballpark that he would never leave it.

Hug your kids and tell them you love them. Make relationships right. Live a "no regret" lifestyle.

New Friends

As I continue to think back about our trip, one of the great serendipities (aside from the gelato) was that on the 2nd evening we sat next to a couple from California. After only a few minutes, we hit it off with them. From there on, every evening (except when they were on extended excursions) we looked forward to our time with them. We talked about EVERYTHING (from family to faith to politics to movies, etc) -- and on occasion even left dinner after over 2 hours to go somewhere else and visit more.

We toured Rhodes together -- and all fell in love with it. We even teased about how we could all move there. We figured it this way: She is a nurse, so she could work in the local hospital. He works from home anyway, so he could continue to do that and take care of the wash. Beverly could have a full case load in a matter of days. All I would need to do is find someone to support a mission work in Rhodes.

We walked Crete together -- eating gelato and gyros and checking out the local shops. It was marvelous and SO relaxing.

God really gave us an unanticipated blessing in Chip and Mitzi. Now I just wish that they lived closer!

What a Trip!

Beverly and I returned home late Tuesday night from our incredible trip. We are still feeling jet-lagged, and I am dealing with another issue as well. I was on some medication that has caused me to have the hiccups. I'm talking for up to 4-1/2 hours at a time! Whew! Hopefully it will be out of my system by Sunday, because once they start I can't carry on a conversation.

We were able to visit the cities of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem. We saw the ruins of the great cities of Ephesus, Corinth and Pompeii. We toured the islands of Crete and Rhodes, and the beautiful coastline of Italy. We enjoyed quaint villages that I thought only existed in movies. It would be hard to pick out only the highlights of our trip. Probably gelato -- both Italian and Greek (they each claim to have invented it). It is awesome! Unlike any American ice cream.

Can't wait to share more about our trip in coming days. It will forever shape the way I see the Biblical text.

Mavs in 6?

Can the Mavs do it? If they do, I am really hoping it is in Game 6 on Sunday night. If not, Game 7 will be played while we sleep in Rome.

Can we please lay aside these comparisons of Lebron James being as good as Michael Jordan? What an insult to Jordan!

And Dwyane Wade is a guy that, if he was on my team, I would like. But he has been known for his theatrics through the years. So I found it ironic that after Game 4, he said something to the affect of Dirk is a great player without the dramatics. Really? Playing with 102 temperature is hardly being dramatic. And Dirk NEVER used it as an excuse, nor did he draw any attention to it.

But last night, there's Wade acting like his leg is broken. The courtside announcer (do those people ever tell you anything insightful?) said Wade was questionable for the remainder of the game. That lasted for a couple of minutes.

Come on, Mavs! Let's do it in 6. PLEASE!

Catching Up on the News

I am trying real hard to live in the moment right now. Beverly and I are preparing for a trip that I am SO excited about. We will fly to Rome and spend a day or so. Then, we will board a cruise ship that will take us to Naples, Athens (and Corinth), Ephesus, Rhodes, Crete, Jaffa and Ashdod (both in Israel). It's going to be great!

_______________

What a cool gesture by the Rangers in drafting a guy who was paralyzed when he and a teammate collided in a game a couple of months ago. I am not going to say more because a friend of mine (Jeff) is going to be blogging about it. But what a classy move by the Rangers. And the Astros did something similar, I think.

_______________

Anyone who ever accuses Dirk of being soft again needs to be flogged. Torn ligament in his finger? 102 degree fever? No biggie. Climb on my back, boys.

Have you ever tried to function AT ALL with 102 temperature? I can't get out of my bed -- unless it's to move to my recliner.

Any discussions of greatest players in NBA history that does not include Dirk Nowitzki are craziness. Note: I didn't say "the greatest" -- but he has to be in the mix of top players.

Colin Cowherd, are you listening?

Hollywood's New Low

There is a new show ABC is promoting that they have entitled, "Good Christian B*tches." What in the world is happening?

Can you even in your wildest dreams imagine Hollywood naming a show, "Good Moslem B*tches"? Or "Good Jewish B*tches"? I know Christians are often viewed as hypocrites in our culture. This is probably because we are the majority faith -- and thus more visible. But I am a little tired of the bashing of Christians -- even by our own! Take Christians out of this world, and what would it be like? Who on this planet are most concerned about taking care of the hungry? providing pure water for third-world countries? building hospitals for the sick? And by the way, this is not something that originated with the "emergent" Christians movement.

Can we do a better job? Absolutely! But the constant bashing and condescension toward our own is self-defeating.

But I digress.

What should our response be to ABC's plans? Well, I imagine what they WANT to happen is a loud public outcry. Why? Because, as Jerry Jones has said, even bad publicity is good. It will stir interest and get people to watch.

So here is my proposal. Let's ask ourselves what Jesus would do. And Scripture even provides us an answer in 1 Peter 2: 21-23. I am summarizing: ". . . follow in his steps . . . When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."

You might think, "But that won't work!" Really? Ask Gandhi. Or Martin Luther King, Jr. Or Nelson Mandela.

Perhaps the best way to handle this is for every Christian to simply not watch it. That alone would be enough for the show to bomb.

Fun with the Grandkids

The last few days have been filled with activity, much like most of you have experienced in the month of May. We were blessed to have our Memphis family (Josh and his family) here for several days, and that was such a treat. Truitt and Noah are so much fun!

Yesterday Jonathan and his family were with us. Beverly and Jennifer were looking through a lot of Jonathan's stuff from when he was a kid, when they came across his pocket New Testament.

Later while Jonathan and I were playing golf, Beverly and Jennifer were in the back yard playing baseball with the kids. When it was Jocelyn's turn to bat, Jed told Beverly he was going to read his Bible (Jonathan's NT). Now, Jed is 4 years old -- nearly 5. He opened the Bible and acted as if he were reading it.

After a few moments, he put it down. He told Beverly that he had found the passage about baseball. She asked him what it said. He said, "It says, 'Be kind when you are playing baseball.'"

It must be buried somewhere in Revelation. It's been a while since I have read that.

So Proud of My Granddaughter

Last night my precious granddaughter sang at a "Kids' Stand" event in Grapevine. This is a non-profit ministry that goes into schools to teach the kids moral lessons, and then invites them to an off-site event where they share Jesus with them. Jenny was very involved in the ministry.

The weather did not cooperate at all. We had to evacuate the auditorium twice. But when Malaya sang, it made EVERYTHING worth it. Jenny had a voice that would always give me goosebumps and would make me cry. Well, her daughter inherited her gift. When she finished, she got a standing ovation.

The song she sang is a popular song by Sidewalk Prophets. Malaya sang it as if it were advice her mom would have given her. Here are the words, with one word changed -- which I have highlighted:

Three in the morning and I'm still awake

So I picked up a pen and a page

And I started writing just what I'd say

If we were face to face

I'd tell you just what you mean to me

Tell you these simple truths

Be strong in the Lord

And never give up hope

You're gonna do great things

I already know

God's got His hand on you

So don't live life in fear

Forgive and forget

But don't forget why you're here

Take your time and pray

These are the words SHE would say.

Last time we spoke you said you were hurting

And I felt your pain in my heart

I want to tell you that I keep on praying

That love will find you where you are

I know cause I've already been there

So please hear these simple truths.

Be strong in the Lord

And never give up hope

You're gonna do great things

I already know

God's got His hand on you

So don't live life in fear

Forgive and forget

But don't forget why you're here

Take your time and pray

These are the words SHE would say.

Say . . . from one simple life to another

I will say . . . come find peace in the Father

Be strong in the Lord

And never give up hope

You're gonna do great things

I already know

God's got His hand on you

So don't live life in fear

Forgive and forget

But don't forget why you're here

Take your time and pray

These are the words SHE would say.