My Celebrity Look-Alikes

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A Way to Help on a Ugandan Mission Trip

Joshua Longbrake is leaving soon (this weekend!) for a mission trip to a Ugandan orphanage. A passion of Josh's is photography, and in a blog post, he shares a great way for any/all of us to help his trip have deep meaning for those kids.

For more info, check this out: http://www.thelongbrake.com/blog/2007/02/24/community-photo-project-3-polaroids-for-orphans-in-uganda/

The Way I See It #193

"Let's imagine a 21st century America where families, friends and neighbors gather together at the end of each day in parks and town squares and on street corners and porches, to tell stories and jokes, to sing and dance with wild abandon! I can see and hear it now . . ."

~ Dan Zanes, musician

If I was a betting man, I'd betcha that Dan Zanes is a Christian. I mean, if you think about, in just one long sentence using a handful of words, he's described the Kingdom. He asks us to imagine what community - true community - might look like. Over all that Zanes is describing, there is a sense of rhythm; without it, his image breaks down. Seeing words like those on this particular Starbucks cup are becoming common for me, as I truly feel that God is leading me to a much-needed awareness and understanding of what it means to live my life in harmony with his plans and purposes for me.

Maybe I can do my part to usher in the community life that Dan describes if I will live out these words of Thomas Merton:

The fact remains that we are invited to forget ourselves on purpose, cast our awful solemnity to the wind and join in the general Dance.

Entrance to a New Life

Lent began today. Before Rick Warren, Lent was the original 40 Days of Purpose. Though I come out of a church culture that doesn’t typically invest much time or energy in observance of a huge chunk of the traditional Christian calendar, I have been drawn to Lent for several years now. I suspect the reason for that pull towards this time of year is because for me, discipleship – learning what it means to follow Christ, and doing it – is what gets me stoked.

There are tons of good resources available (many are on the web if you google “lent”) that can help you understand the theology and history of this season. But I thought I’d throw out my take on Lent, if for no other reason than this affords me a chance to actually capture my own thoughts and think them through. So here goes.

In calling his disciples, Jesus says that if you would follow him, you would deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. In our world today, an extremely difficult part of that equation to flesh out is the “deny yourself” deal. See, between the crazy affluence that we enjoy (whether we admit and/or realize it or not!), and the power that advertising holds over our lives, we consume “stuff” at an incredible rate. More for me, new and improved for me, low monthly payments for me. And all of these things can suck the life out of our . . . life. We end up being controlled by schedules and objects, too often finding ourselves frayed, broken, and out of touch with who we were meant to be. Ultimately, and most dangerously, we lose sight of the One who we are to follow.

And we are in need of repentance. We need to return to our first love. To re-center our lives on the true Center. Lent is the time of the year when our ears are tuned in to the message of the prophet Joel, as he proclaims “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God.” With sackcloth and ashes, we bow before a God who Joel tells us is gracious and merciful, and in doing so, we find new beginnings. Again.

Fulton J. Sheen wrote, in Lent and Easter Wisdom, these words: “As the cross of ashes is traced on our foreheads on this day, may we be reminded that Christ’s conquest of death is our entrance to a new life.”

AMEN.

Lord, In This Thy Mercy's Day

On Ash Wednesday, from the Episcopal Hymnal:

Lord, in this thy mercy's day,
Ere the time shall pass away
On our knees we fall and pray.

Holy Jesus, grant us tears,
Fill us with heart-searching fears,
Ere that day of doom appears.

Lord, on us thy Spirit pour,
Kneeling lowly at thy door,
Ere it close for evermore.

By thy night of agony,
By thy supplicating cry,
By thy willingness to die,

By thy tears of bitter woe
For Jerusalem below,
Let us not thy love forego.

Judge and Savior of our race,
Grant us, when we see thy face,
With thy ransomed ones a place.

On thy love we rest alone
And that love shall then be known
By the pardoned, round thy throne.

Amen.

Transformation

Driving to St. Meinrad takes you by Patoka Lake. I stopped to snap a couple of pictures, as the lake was undergoing a transformation.

What do you see in these pictures? What is God saying to us through this natural process? Which part of the lake best represents God? What part of the lake best represents you?

Click "Comments" and share your thoughts and ideas!

Whisper

Over the past few days, I've heard whisperings, each calling me back to a truer, healthier, more God-honoring sense of identity. The whispers have come through friends here in Mitchell (XX!), friends in Ohio (Go Wolverines!), friends I don't really know who speak through their blogs (Mark Waltz and Josh Longbrake), through life stuff (here's to boundaries!), and a couple of brothers who are praying (one, a pirate who is looking for throats to slit, and then there's Agent 260).

A key lesson for me in all of this actually comes from Mark Waltz, who posted this on his blog:

One of the most challenging aspects of my role is keeping the main thing the main thing. That is, continuing to be clear on what I'm saying "yes" to, so that I have conviction and clarity on all the things I need to say "no" to. The tyranny of the urgent is one thing; the tyranny of someone else's urgent is still quite another. Is every need a call? Is every opportunity my personal challenge?

No.

It's a simple word. No. A difficult one to practice.

I am planning to spend the day Monday at St. Meinrad. The retreat center there is extremely awesome, and I have a soul thirsty for a day of quiet. This will be time well spent. If you feel so inclined, I would covet any prayers you could offer on my behalf!

Pax et Bonum!

Sami Hornback

Tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of Sami Hornback's release from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Sami's life is a beautiful story of how many MANY people lifted a very sick little girl up in prayer, and God listened. And He acted.

Sami's grandpa Mike asked me, as he took a moment to look back over the last year and remember how God has worked in Sami's - and his - life, to once again say "thank you" to all who prayed and supported the family when it seemed that hope could not be found.

Thank you!

Boundaries

God is teaching me important lessons in these days. I got this diagram from a seminar I went to a loooooooooong time ago - I actually don't remember what the conference was, or who presented the talk. But there is wisdom in this simple drawing, and I am trying to allow these truths to shape my life as I realize I'm not being the man I want to be. May this not only be a reminder for me, but maybe for you too. Peace.

If you want a copy of the diagram,

drop me an email and I'll shoot it to you!

A Friend is Baptized!

I was excited and honored to be able to stand in the waters of baptism with my friend Amy Brothers this past Sunday. I was excited for several reasons; first and foremost, because of her commitment to Jesus Christ that she made public, by being "buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, she too may live a new life." [Romans 6]

But I’m also proud of how Amy got to this point. See, this is a perfect example of “doing life together.” Amy was invited to Tulip Street by Jodi Mundy. Those two had some mutual outside interests – their lives intersected – and because of a genuine friendship that grew out of those interests and intersections, the stories of BOTH of their lives are different now, in better ways. When I look at Amy, and consider the friendship that my family is sharing with Mark, Amy and their kids, I see a very cool picture of what can happen when we open our lives up to God’s purposes and seek to live those out. Good stuff - May Kingdom Come!