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It's been a long journey - 31 weeks - but we have finally made it to the end of The Story. This journey leaves me with that awkward feeling I often have when reflecting on the past -- in a sense it seemed like we just began but in another sense it seems like Chapter One was so long ago. Our journey began in the cold winter days of February, breezed through the short Texas Spring, and survived the furnace of the record setting summer of 2011 and now ends on the tenth anniversary of one of the most infamous days in recent US history. In some ways I feel like a little kid in the back seat of my parent's car on a long road trip crying out that well-worn query, "Are we there yet?" "Are we there yet?" - a curious question as we wrap up The Story. In one sense I get this feeling that we are there. The book of Revelation, as dumbfounding and cryptic as it is, makes some things absolutely sure: Salvation has been secured, God sits on his throne, and the evil one ha...

The Story, Chapter 30 - Paul's Final Days I am often suspicious of highly motivated people, perhaps because I am much more of a laid-back kind of person. I think they call those energizer bunny types a Type A personality. I'm more a Type Z - when stressed, catch a few zzzzz's and deal with it when you wake up. Anyway, in Paul I see maybe one of the most highly motivated people I have ever read of. He's not just a Type A, he's A+! Type A's kind of scare me. They must be selling something. They must have some ulterior motives. Behind all that activity must be some devious charlatan eager to deceive me. In Chapter 29 of The Story I saw another side of Paul. I guess I saw the man that I had missed in all the activity. I often associated Paul with doctrine. I love doctrine. I studied doctrine and Paul was the master theologian. I have always been impressed with his spiritual mind. I also often associated Paul with his fast and furious missiona...

The Story, Chapter 29, Paul's Mission Have you noticed that in the last few years movies don't end when you think they do? Oh, there will be an ending, but after the credits role for a few minutes there will be some outtakes or additional scenes. I've found myself standing up, brushing the popcorn off me, and ready to go only to take my seat again to see these usually entertaining postscripts. I don’t have any insider information why producers do this, but I suspect that they reserve these scenes so we'll stay and watch the names of the many people who have made that movie possible - and it does take a bunch of people! I'm amazed at all the work that goes into making a movie, and usually the only ones we give credit to are the stars of the movie and maybe the producer and director. The same can be said of the early church. Most of us can name the main characters - Peter and Paul. Outside of them we might be able to blurt out a few more names, but most...

When LeBron James burst onto the NBA scene after a sensational high school basketball career a well-known shoe company capitalized on his fame signing him to a lucrative contract. One of their slogans used to promote their LeBron James's commercials was "We are all witnesses." I suppose we were all to feel a certain sense of privilege to be living at this time and in this place to be able to experience this incredible athlete. And, as a basketball fan, I am, to some degree, honored and privileged to see such a talent - except when he recently defeated my Boston Celtics! I've been a witness to quite a few athletic talents in my lifetime. As a Boston fan I especially remember with fondness and privilege watching the great Larry Bird, Bobby Orr, Carl Yastrzemski, and Drew Bledsoe. And as time passes I regale my sons with tales from my sports-watching childhood. I boastfully recite statistics and proudly recall championships. I was a witness! I noticed that ...

The Story, Chapter 27 - The Resurrection On occasion I’ll stop by a fast-food restaurant and find myself silently complaining about everything from the quality of the food to the service. The person who took my order seemed preoccupied with flirting with the kid behind me. I struggle to find a table that doesn’t have the marks of a three year old’s eating habits. I open my sandwich, take a bite and am repulsed by the mustard that I specifically refused at the counter. I immediately try to wash it down to find my soda has too little fizz making it taste more like medicine than a soft drink. To add to all this mayhem I hear the annoying sound of a kid’s meal toy ringing in my ear like a siren! I’m exaggerating a bit, but sometimes I just get annoyed at the low standards I frequently encounter. But then I think and realize that that’s what you get for the $3.99 special! You see, I can’t expect fine dining at a restaurant that has a playground. It’s unrealistic to think that I will get...

The Story, Chapter 26 - The Hour of Darkness Sometimes people's fortunes can turn on a dime. Ask Jack Polz. The Washington native woke up one Monday expecting it to be just another beginning of another week. The most excitement he typically had was gathering all the lottery tickets he bought throughout the week and setting down at the store he bought them at to see if he was a winner. Well, Monday, July 18 one of those tickets paid off big-time. Jack Polz was the winner of $6.4 million from the Washington State Lotto. Imagine the party that followed! His fortune turned on a dime! Ask Hunter Pence. Last Sunday, July 31, Pence woke up as the starting right-fielder for the last place Houston Astros. Not only last place Astros, but worst-record-in-the-league Astros. He was putting up some decent numbers and had even played in the recent All-Star game, but the Astros were going nowhere fast. By the end of the day he had learned that he was traded to the first place Philadelphia Phillies...

The Story, Week 25 - Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus was the epitome of an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Who really was this man? Questions abound about the true identity of this teacher from Nazareth. No doubt he was an extraordinary teacher, a charismatic leader, and an indisputable miracle-worker. But was he another prophet like Elijah? Was he another King like David? Was he another deliverer like Moses? Was he another father of a nation like Abraham? Jesus seemed to be like all these other Old Testament heroes, but there was no one category you could fit him in. He was all of the above wrapped into one plus a little something more. That little something more actually is a big something - Jesus is making a claim to be more than human. He makes claims that only God himself can make. This becomes especially clear in a discussion he has with the Jewish leaders when he makes the bold statement, "Before Abraham was born, I am." With this, Jesus is claiming not only to h...

The Story - Week 24 - No Ordinary Man Even though the Woman's Soccer team lost a heart-breaker to Japan in last week's World Cup final, soccer enthusiasts see the success of the team as a boom for soccer. No doubt more than a few young girls around the country were inspired by the team's performance and will either rededicate themselves to soccer or give soccer a try for the first time. And that gives soccer coaches and players chills thinking that more and more people will come to love the sport that has captured their hearts. For some it's not about winning or losing, it's about getting the word out about a great sport. That's how it is when you love something - you want more and more people to catch the fever! This week in The Story we have the retelling of one of Jesus' most well-known parables, The Sower and the Seed. Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven expands as people spread the seed in as many places as possible. Those whose hearts have been cap...

The Story, Week 23 - Jesus Ministry Begins This week Jesus is off and running. After thirty years of "waiting it out" Jesus gets to the work he came here to do. Several things strike me about this chapter. Preparation by temptation Jesus goes through a time of intense preparation with a 40 day fast. Jesus realizes that spiritual focus is of utmost value as he begins his ministry. It's 40 days alone with the Father, apart from physical needs, and time to deal with any doubts or fears he has had about this mission. This preparation includes a time of intense temptation from the devil. In fact, the Spirit has led him to the wilderness for this exact reason - to face temptation. Satan's goal is to derail this mission, but the temptations actually have the opposite effect. Jesus gets more focused than ever. I never thought about temptation like that before - it can either get us off track or help us dig in even deeper. For Jesus, temptation serves the latter purpose. He le...

The Story Chapter 22 - The Birth of a King So, we are now into the New Testament, but I'm seeing all sorts of references back to the Old! Imagine just jumping into the Gospels without some background to build on. It would be like jumping into a trilogy and skipping episodes one and two and starting with three. It would be like watching Rocky V without watching the previous four installments (did anyone really watch Rocky V anyway?). You could probably get some sense of the story, but you would miss out on so much! No doubt we live under the new covenant but knowledge of the old proves itself so important. Right off the bat in this opening chapter of the New Testament we see repeated quotes, references, and allusions to the Old. Case in point: John's introduction to the story of Jesus has several allusions back to Genesis 1. "In the beginning," "light," "word of God". There's no doubt that John sees the coming of Jesus as somewhat of a new g...

Chapter 21 - Rebuilding the Walls Saying goodbye to a good friend is a bitter sweet experience - while fondly remembering all of your common experiences you bid farewell often without knowing when you'll see each other again. Reading chapter 21 in The Story stirred up some of those same feelings. With this chapter we wrap up what we call the Old Testament saying goodbye to all the friends we have made along the way. It has been quite a journey and it'll be a while before The Story will pick up again. Actually, for all of us making this journey together it'll be just next week when we'll pick up with the New Testament, but in real time there is a 400 year gap between Malachi and Matthew! God has graciously placed his people back in the Promised Land with Jerusalem's wall rebuilt and the temple (though not even close to the splendor of Solomon's temple) rebuilt and back in business, but now comes the long wait. Little did any of the Israelites know that the plan w...

The Story Chapter 20 - The Queen of Beauty and Courage "Do you believe in Miracles?" Those words will forever be associated with the unlikely victory of the USA hockey team over the indomitable Russian team in the 1980 Winter Lake Placid Olympics. Not only was this victory memorable because we won, but because "they" lost. "They" being what was regarded as the best hockey team on earth. The Russians had already proved their dominance in victories over an NHL All-Star squad, so a bunch of amateurs certainly seemed to be no challenge for the mighty USSR. "They" also being the arch enemies of the good old USA. They were perceived as such an evil threat in so many areas of our life that beating them in tiddlywinks would be cause for celebration. It was a classic story of good over evil -- underdog over prohibitive favorite! Esther tells that same story. A pretty but for the most part insignificant Jewess from the tribe of Benjamin (one of the smalles...

Chapter 19 - The Return Home When I was a kid I remember whenever I was in a place that had public telephones I would always check the coin return to see if I could pick up any extra change left behind by careless callers. It was rare to find anything but every once in a while I'd come up with a nickel or dime which for me was like a pirate digging up a buried treasure! However, one day I remember hitting the mother lode! I came upon several quarters left behind in two or three pay phones - it was by far the biggest payday of my treasure hunting exploits. Come to find out, those coins were not left behind carelessly but were placed there by family members. Knowing my tendency to check all the coin returns they had set me up!! Chapter 19 is a set up of sorts. After seventy years in exile God makes things happen. The Lord moves the heart of King Cyrus to send the Jews back to their land to rebuild what Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians had destroyed. Not only that but he opens up th...

The Story Chapter 18 - Daniel in Exile I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I live in Texas. Shortly after I had moved to the Lone Star State I came across a bumper sticker - "Keep Texas beautiful. Put a Yankee on a bus." Although that sentiment has not been characteristic of my life in Texas, I know how it feels to be an outsider. People talk differently, the food is different, customs are different and sometimes I have struggled just to fit in. All in all, the jokes and the jabs have all been in fun but still there is some discomfort in being a "foreigner.". Yet, my experience is minimal in comparison to what the Jews experienced as they were exiled to Babylon. The jokes and jabs were not in fun. In fact, the differences that existed were often times a matter of life and death. Conformation was often not an option, but a state-mandated requirement. This is the dilemma that Daniel and his three cohorts (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) find themselves in and the...

Chapter 17 - The Kingdom Falls There's always two sides to a story, including this week's story of the fall of Jerusalem. One side is really quite disturbing. Jerusalem is surrounded by the Babylonians, a famine sets in, the temple is burned and all the treasured possessions of the Jews are destroyed. The one side of the story is that God has simply had enough with these stubborn, rebellious people and they get what they deserve. But the other side of the story is equally disturbing. God who is broken-hearted. This time around I saw this story through the eyes, or should I say, the heart of God. Can you imagine the pain he suffered allowing such destruction to take place. God really deserved a better performance from his children! I have never experienced a house fire, but I painfully try to imagine the ache of losing all my prized possessions. Those pictures you worked so hard to pose for and then frame just right. The furniture you purchased after weeks of research. The cloth...

Chapter 16 - The Beginning of the End (of the Kingdom of Israel) Sad news in chapter 16 - The northern kingdom falls to Assyria. This however did not come without several warnings. Prophets predicted it and kings refused to listen so God delivered on his promise and sent the Assyrian armies into the capital of Samaria and took captive the northern kingdom of Israel. As the armies of Assyria turned their eyes toward Jerusalem the southern kingdom of Judah looked on and seemed doomed to the same fate. But instead of accepting defeat the young king Hezekiah turned to God's prophet Isaiah and he promised that Assyria will not take Jerusalem. In an interesting exchange we have two voices calling out to Hezekiah. The voice of the Assyrian general taunting him for having faith in his God. "Do you really expect your God to stand up against this army when all other nations and their gods have fallen so easily?" was the mocking of the Assyrian general. On the other hand you h...

Chapter 15 - God's Messengers Chapter fifteen introduces us to the work of the prophets as they confronted the evil and idolatry that had become standard fare in the nation of Israel. Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea are featured in this chapter as bold proclaimers of God's simple and direct message - repent or be destroyed! It's in this chapter that is recorded one of my favorite Old Testament stories - Elijah's meeting with God at the cave on Mount Horeb. Elijah has just experienced a great victory at Mount Carmel over the prophets of Baal, but in depression and desperation has fled to the wilderness. He's down in the dumps as he struggles with finding God in the mess that is Israel. He needs a fresh revelation of God and God gives it to him. The Lord instructs Elijah to go to the mouth of his cave hideaway because He is about to pass by. A great and powerful wind, an earthquake, and a fire all appear but neither of these carry the presence of God. Foll...

Chapter 14 - A Kingdom Torn in Two Earlier this year I invested quite a bit of my time watching Ken Burns' Civil War documentary. Like every other red-blooded American kid I studied the Civil War in school but I had never quite realized the impact that event had on our country until I watched this gripping series. It really is quite amazing that the country was able to stay together after four years of brutality. One thing that happens when countries experience times like that is that it is impossible for them to really live out the reason they exist. A majority of time, resources, and energy is devoted to simply surviving rather than concentrating on growth, expansion and serving its citizens. Disunity always results in dysfunction. And that's what we see in Chapter 14. The kingdom of Israel is no longer unified and the results are disastrous. Instead of being a light to the world, God's people struggle to survive, both politically and spiritually. No longer are king...

Chapter 13 - The King Who Had it All The story of Solomon is simply amazing. Having asked for wisdom to administer the nation of Israel, God grants not only that request but gives him a dose of wealth and honor that few have ever known. Reading through this chapter Solomon reminds me of those commercials featuring The Most Interesting Man in the World. You know, the guy described by the following: • "He is the life of parties he never attended." • "He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it felt." • "He's won trophies for his game face alone." • "His words carry weight that would break a less interesting man's jaw." • "Sharks have a week dedicated to him." • "He can speak French, in Russian." • "At museums he is allowed to touch the art." • "He bowls overhand." Solomon is THE MAN! Kings and Queens from all over come to sit as his feet and marvel at his wealth and wisdom. Nobles from around th...

Chapter 12 - The Trials of a King What was he thinking? How could David fall for the oldest trick in the book? Lonely night, can't sleep, beautiful woman and … well, you know the rest of the story. How sobering to see such a man of God fall so dramatically that he would not only sin morally but then arrange for the death of his lover's husband. I see two warnings in this chapter: (1) Sin can get us all. If Satan can find David's weakness then certainly he can find mine. Vigilance is required of all God's people, and although David finds forgiveness he suffers greatly from his sin. It's easy to throw stones at David, but perhaps even more sobering is his encounter with Nathan and his damning words, "You are the man." As we come to this chapter in The Story let's not forget that each one of is The Man. We are all guilty to some degree of egregious sins and we should all be asking that same question of ourselves - "What was I thinking?"...

Chapter 11 - From Shepherd to King Make sure you listen to our middle school students read chapter 11. Go to www.thestory4texoma.com for a link to the audio. In chapter 11 we are introduced to David -- the great king of Israel, great poet, and man after God's own heart. It is indeed a wonderful story. The youngest of his family he is hand-chosen by God through Samuel to succeed the less-than-impressive Saul. Even as a young man he demonstrates his courage and strength in his battle with Goliath. Have you ever read a more moving challenge against evil than his words on p. 120, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." It makes you want to get up and shout! And that's what his actions do. After he slays Goliath the armies of Israel surge ahead to defeat their enemies. All it took was one man to stand up for the rest to follow along! And ...

The Story - Chapter 10 Standing Tall, Falling Hard I am not a tall man and have long ago embraced my height (or lack thereof) and have even found some advantages to being vertically-challenged. Here are some: • Shorter fall to the ground. • You don't hit your head so often. • You can get in places at kids prices. • The atmosphere is less rarefied. • You can fit in to a locker to hide from bullies. • You can do the limbo without breaking your back. … and the list goes on! I bring up the height issue because in this week's reading one of the descriptions of Saul includes that he was a head taller than anyone else. As a short person I wonder why this is important enough to include in the inspired record. Is it just a passing comment or is this somehow related to the choice of Saul as king? I tend to believe the latter to be true. Saul's height no doubt contributed to his selection as king. Right or wrong, his imposing stature must have given the Israelites confidence that...

The Story - Chapter 9 I recently saw on television a show called Best in Film. It chronicled poll results in film categories, one of which was best film ending. Personally I think the end of Field of Dreams is the very best - father and son reunited and reconciled over a game of catch. Or what about Planet of the Apes when Charlton Heston discovers he's really on a futuristic earth as he glimpses a broken and fallen Statue of Liberty? You have to love the ending of Rocky - Rocky loses in the ring but who cares because Adrian is racing to his side. Great endings really can make a movie memorable. As far as books of the Bible are concerned, I think Ruth has one of the greatest endings. Down and out Ruth and Naomi. Both widowed. Both desperate for the security of a husband. Both childless. They've experienced the death of loved ones, a devastating famine, and financial hardships. This book has all the makings of a real downer. But there's that ending. Boaz enters to ...

The Story - Chapter 8 This period of Judges is indeed an odd time in the history of Israel. You have this on-again-off-again relationship between Israel and God. In a way it reminds me of my high school or college days when boys and girls would date, then break-up, get back together, etc. For some couples you really never knew if they were a couple or not. One moment they'd be holding hands walking blissfully around campus and then next they'd be vowing to talk to the other never again. It all reminds me of the title of a recent movie, It's Complicated! We really want a relationship with God but there are so many variables, so many issues that complicate the matter. There are times when the relationship seems to take so much maintenance you wonder if it's worth it. There are demands on my time, sacrifices I must make, expectations I must live up to, other girls that seem more compatible, and the list goes on. When you think about it, it really is amazing that any...

The Story - Week 7 As you read through these stories of plagues and conquests it's almost as if you are reading some mythical account - like the tales of King Arthur or the adventures of Harry Potter. You may even think that some of these stories belong in the latest edition of Ripley's Believe It Or Not. Some of these events seem almost too far-fetched to be actually true. There's the temptation to question the historicity of these events. And certainly some have. But whoever wrote the book of Joshua leaves little notes that seem to serve as witnesses that these are real events. Names and events have not been changed. These things really happened and you can verify the events yourself. Consider these little clues: Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day. - Joshua 4:9 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and ...

Week 6 - Wandering I must admit -- sometimes I am a pessimist, and after reading chapter 6 of The Story it doesn't help! Seems that at every turn the people are messing up, making God angry, and suffering some catastrophic plague. I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt like Indiana Jones in some dark cave and seeing corpses of men who have failed all around me. The secret traps have fallen them all. If they couldn’t do it then how do I expect to make through the twists and turns of life? Am I, are we all, doomed to failure? But in the darkness of these wandering years I spy a few glimmers of hope. Joshua and Caleb! When everyone else seems scared and faithless these two are beacons of hope! "We can do it" "Let's not be afraid" "God is with us" When it seems like the darkness of doubt has overwhelmed everyone these two make me believe that perhaps failure is not the only option. Certainly an option that many have chosen, but not the only opt...

The other day I sat down on the couch to watch a movie and realized I had four remote controls for the task! One for the television, one for the DVD player (which I really didn’t need, but grabbed anyway because it seems I always need the one I don't pick up), one for the cable box, and one for the game system that accesses the movies. Another time I had plopped down on the couch (where there is barely any room with all the remotes spread out) and couldn't access the movie provider and realized that my wireless internet connection wasn't working! So I had to get up and reset the router hoping that would resolve the problem. What's worse is trying to watch television at someone else's house. Have you ever been asked to turn on a friend's television and a cold sweat comes over you when they hand you the remotes? There's a one in a thousand chance that I'll be able to figure it out. When did watching television become so difficult? It has become so ...

The Story - Week 4 Deliverance Complain, complain, complain!!! Of all the themes in this week's reading one that stood out to me is how often the people are complaining. As the story begins we find them crying out about the slavery. This is a good complaining. No one should be happy being in slavery to a godless master. No one should settle for an existence that has no real eternal purpose. Sometimes complaining is a virtue. But after God acts the complaining goes from good to bad!! When things get even tougher after Moses confronts Pharaoh they really let Moses have it! Why was Moses confronting Pharaoh? To get them some relief so they wouldn't have to complain so much. Did they think the problem would just go away without a little effort? Then (well after a few miracles and plagues) deliverance comes and you'd think the complaining would stop. But nooooooooooo! More complaining. When they are trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's ensuing army they co...

The Story - Week 3 I love the story of Joseph. It all ends so wonderfully. Joseph ends up with the last laugh! His dreams of grandeur come true. His father's preferential treatment is validated. The expression, "All's well that ends well" never depicted a story so fittingly. I love the story, at least I love the ending. The process is not so endearing. Joseph was sold off by his brothers, forgotten by his jail-mate, and falsely accused by his boss's wife. He found himself in pits and prisons. His coat of many colors was torn and bathed in blood. For a good portion of his life he lived without the support of family. For all he knew his family had just let him go without any effort to find him. He lived in a foreign land where his dreams of success must have been fading fast. Yet Joseph somehow kept those dreams alive and perhaps it was those dreams that kept HIM alive! When we stop envisioning a better future then our present is bound to be full of angui...

Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. - Galatians 3:7, 9 In chapter two of The Story we are introduced to one of the most influential characters of the entire Bible- Abraham. God chooses this one man through whom he will build a nation that will forever have a special place in God's dealings with human beings. It is through Abraham that the Jewish race will descend and eventually give us the Messiah, Jesus himself. As Abraham is referenced in the New Testament it is most often in conjunction with some instruction on faith. Abraham is the "father of the faithful," the example of what it means to follow God without question (or at least with just a few), the man who stands as a model to us all. And by all, I mean not only Jews but all who believe, Jew and non-Jew alike. In fact, Paul even makes the case that all of us who believe are children of Abraham and benefacto...

Chapter One - Creation Creation has always been intriguing to me, especially the vastness of it all. I remember as a young child lying out on the grass on a warm summer's day looking up at the sky wondering how far it went and then wondering if it ended then what was after that. I couldn’t imagine a universe contained, but I also couldn't imagine a universe eternal! Even now as I look up into a star-filled evening sky it amazes me - the distances and sizes just boggle my mind. I figure there must be something behind it all! Recently I've also been amazed by the variety of creation. All the different types of animals out there, each one with its own distinctive look. I'm no scientist, but I hear the naturalistic explanation of life and it just doesn’t seem to account for so much variety. If life happened by some accident then there must have been a lot of different accidents to produce all these different kinds of life. I figure there must be something behind it ...

The Fly Over As we enter into this 31-week study through the Bible I'm confident of many benefits we'll experience individually and as a congregation, but the one that comes to mind on the cusp of this voyage is the opportunity to get a panoramic look at God's relationship with us humans. It'll be a fly-over of sorts as we start at square one, creation, and end up with a glimpse of the consummation of God's plan, heaven. There are a lot of people, Christians included, who have trouble understanding God. They'll say, "How could God do this or that?" or "If God really loved us He wouldn't act that way!" Granted, there are many God-denying events recorded in the Bible (as well as other records of human history) that seem to indicate that God can't exist, at least the God we hear about in Bible Classes. Many of these atheistic or agnostic conclusions are based on individual events or statements, not on His total body of work. How wo...

As you read this Sunday morning Texas Stadium will have been reduced to a pile of rubble. Growing up in New England in the 1970’s as a National Football League fan there was no sight quite like the aerial view of Texas Stadium – especially on Monday Night Football! To a pre-teen Yankee, Texas seemed so far away, the Cowboys were football royalty, and Texas Stadium was the royal residence. I remember being told that the hole in the roof was there so God could watch his favorite team! Years later I walked into the legendary stadium to see Denison’s high school football team vie for a state championship. Walking into Texas Stadium was like living a childhood dream - - here I was in the very place that I so admired as a child. I could almost hear the voices of Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cossell announce my arrival. Just two years ago my daughters actually stepped foot on the hallowed turf as one cheered on the Yellowjackets and another marched with the band as once again Denis...

You’ve probably seen the replay by now of what happened in Arlington during last Sunday’s Ranger game. A 28-year-old man dived over a row of seats in pursuit of a foul ball. In his way was a four-year-old fan who was pushed aside and bumped. The man returned to his seat a row behind and victoriously held up the ball as other fans began chanting, “Give him the ball!” He didn’t and that overaggressive act set off a wave of response. Word of the injustice got back to the dugouts, and before the game was over Ranger and Cardinal players gave the four-year-old two bats and four baseballs, one signed by Nolan Ryan! Later in the week, the family was invited to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America and more good fortune came his way – he was given New York Met souvenirs and tickets to the Mets game. Turns out, not getting that ball was one of the best things that ever happened! We all get jostled now and then by overaggressive people. At our feet we find treasures snatched away by someone stron...

Over the last couple of months I’ve tuned into Extreme Makeover – Home Edition on Sunday evenings. The stories I’ve seen are heart-wrenching. A family whose mother has died gets a new home with specially designed rooms for each kid and the widower. A family with a child beset with autism and numerous other health setbacks get a new home specifically designed to nurture the autistic child. The family has been away one week while a top-notch crew renovates the home with a seemingly unlimited budget. After the week is up the family returns and gets a room-by-room tour of their new home - jaws drop at the transformation, smiles erupt with each opened door, tears of appreciation flow. The end of the show leaves me in tears. I don’t even know these people yet I feel myself overwhelmed with a sense of joy that they now have such a beautiful place to live. Yet, I also feel a twinge of jealousy – wouldn’t it be so awesome to be one of those families? To have a home specially designed for me, on...

Ran across an article today - Doctors Often Prescribe Placebo Treatments. I know I had placebo as vocabulary word in High School, but just to refresh myself I looked it up in the dictionary. Placebo—A substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well. The article defines the placebo effect as a benefit produced by assuring someone that whatever is being given will benefit whatever the problem happens to be. Apparently this sometimes actually works! I find it amazing that our minds can have so much control! What we think can actually affect how we feel. Now I’m not here to debate the ethics of this type of treatment or to defend or refute any medical practice, but I do see a spiritual parallel here. What we think about can determine our spiritual health. If you think spiritually unhealthy thoughts, you will feel spiritually unhealthy. If you think spiritually healthy thoughts, you will feel spiritually healthy. Last week in o...

Disturbing news for anyone who has ever been or ever plans to go to a zoo – on Christmas day a seemingly innocent visit to the San Francisco Zoo turned tragic. A Siberian Tiger escaped from her enclosure killing a young man and mauling two others. Couldn’t help but think of the warning from the apostle Peter - “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). How and why the attack occurred is under investigation, but one thing is sure -- whatever fence, barrier, or barricade that separated the helpless guests from the ferocious beasts was inadequate. If you’re going to get close to danger you’d better be sure you’re protected. The same is true is a spiritual sense. Certainly one way to avoid that danger is to simply stop going to the Zoo. Chances are slim that a Siberian tiger or, for that matter, any dangerous beast will find his way down my street. But in a spiritual sense Peter seems to be saying the ...

One of my summer memories is sleeping late and waking up to watch Bob Barker host The Price is Right. As a kid I did pretty well – no telling how many dinettes, bedroom suites, and cars I could have won if my name had ever been called to Come on Down! With a different schedule it’s been a while since I’ve watched the Price is Right, but I hear that Bob is stepping down after 30+ years. One of the premises of the popular game show and the inspiration for the title is determining how much a product is worth. It’s a case of television imitating reality – every day we face the same challenge. Is that car worth the payments; are the clothes worth the price tag; is the house worth the mortgage; is the meal worth the tab? Over and over we make decision whether or not the price is right. Jesus challenges potential disciples to go through the same process. Before you commit to discipleship you have to realize that discipleship, like everything else, comes with a price. Jesus uses the...

While I was out raking some leaves this past fall a strange thought crossed my mind. It seemed as if there were fewer leaves for this time of year and I wondered whether or not the extended daylight savings time had anything to do with it. Then I thought how ridiculous that thought was. Changing our clocks can have no effect on the natural laws God has set into effect. That would be like on a cold day in February turning the calendar to July expecting to get warmer weather. I can say it’s summer till I’m blue in the face, but if it’s winter, it’s winter. God's natural law does not depend on human opinion. In the same way God’s moral law cannot be altered by human opinion. We can say sin is not sin until we’re blue in the face, but if it’s sin, it’s sin. And if it’s sin there will be some consequences. Calling sin “choice”, “disposition”, “alternative lifestyle”, “preference”, “inclination”, or “the new morality” will never change God's moral law. To do so is as ridiculous as ...