Good Friday

During the Passion Week, I am reminded of God’s love for us demonstrated through the sacrifice of Christ.  The price paid and the pain demonstrated through the flogging, crown of thorns, tortuous walk, and nailing to the cross is often overlooked.  We tend to white wash the excruciating ordeal since it makes us uncomfortable.  We would rather focus on Sunday morning and not Friday morning and afternoon.  The ordeal that Christ endured is a true example of love and obedience.  It is for this reason that Christ came into the world.  He was born to die.  Not just any death, but through the hands of the best executioners.  The Romans excelled at causing pain in hopes of deterring others from causing havoc and chaos to the Roman Empire.  Crucifixion was just one means of showing the public not to mess with them.  However, God used it to model grace, love, forgiveness, and compassion.

How often does God take our mess and make it beautiful?  How often does God overlook our rags and exchange them for His garments?  I am humbled that God would take this country boy, who slaughters the Kings English, and make me into a servant.  I am honored that each day I serve the sheep of His pasture.  All because of Calvary.  All because of His love poured out to a thirsty ground to satisfy the demands of the law.  Not because of me, but in spite of me, God demonstrated His love in Christ dying for the ungodly.  Christ died for the very ones causing pain.  That is love in the purest form.  That is Christ. May we all embrace God’s mercy and compassion, and share it with others.

Memory makers

I know that it has been a while since I have maintained a systematic entry, but I have written countless times in mind.  There was a small computer glitch, and then I eased into a pattern of NOT writing, so now I am trying to ease back into a pattern of faithfully writing random thoughts.  Recently, there have been numerous events that have rekindled memories that have brought smiles to my face.




Seeing boys and girls from our preschool is always a delight no matter where I see them.  It is such a joy to see those smiles and hear their stories of where they are now, and what they are doing.  Hearing from friends that have crossed our paths years ago, and seeing what God is doing in their lives.  Listening to my wife and daughter make memories and new traditions from birthdays, Christmas, school, and other holidays. 




I love to laugh.  I also love to hear laughter.  Since I inherited it mostly from my mom (dad did too), I feel the need to share it with others.  So when I hear a laugh, or help bring laughter into someone's life, I am pleased that I am helping pass along a grand tradition from mom and her family.  Yes, laughter is contagious and it should be since God has given us this great emotion to use and share.

Giving Thanks in All Things

Just recently I was invited to attend a breakfast with the Gideon's and learn about a new outreach they are implementing.  First off I love food, especially breakfast.  Second, I love the work that Gideon's do in sharing the Word of God with all people.  What they failed to tell me was the location.  I don't like to leave the ground.  I don't like roller coasters, but sometimes it is necessary to please a little 6 year old girl and my lovely and talented wife.  However, on this occasion, they served breakfast at the Wells Fargo Building in downtown Raleigh, NC.  A beautiful structure, but the meeting and eating place was located on the 28th floor.  Twenty-eight floors.  Did you understand that?

 
The Cardinal Club, though very nice, is located unnecessarily off the main level.  The expression on my face should have been captured on camera when the receptionist announced that the Cardinal Club is located on the 28th floor.  Do what?  Where are the steps?  But I strode to the elevators and solemnly pushed the button marked 28.  Thankfully it did not stop at any other floor, but it did take a little while before the doors opened.  After I stepped out, I exhaled while maintaining my focus on the beautiful and luxurious carpet.  I was then escorted to the corner room with 4 panoramic windows overlooking the scenic downtown area.  I tried to maintain a focal point away from the windows towards a power point presentation, but my hosts and colleagues were all seated in front of the windows.  This is where prayer and God’s grace washed over me and held me through the next 90 minutes.

 
It was then that I shifted my focus to the presentation of God at work in our teenagers through the Gideon’s plan of sharing “The Life Book” with teens across America.  It was amazing that we are about to witness a prolific movement of God using willing vessels to share His story of love and redemption.  Even though I was out of my comfort zone, it was great to hear about God’s work and how I could be a part of this movement.

Faith Sharing

I want to encourage you to walk across the street and meet someone new.  Make a friend.  Expose yourself.  Make yourself vulnerable.  Humble yourself.  Place others ahead of you.  Meet their needs ahead of your own.  Why would I suggest a thing?  In hopes of sharing the message of a living faith, that is Jesus Christ.  Earn their respect and trust, while modeling for them a changed life in Christ Jesus.  In a world that is focused on self and ego, do the opposite.  Love them.  Bring to the table: encouragement, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness.  I believe that this is what Christ did when He chose to eat a meal with them.  When He chose to carry on conversations that religious leaders chose to not engage.  Christ met a basic human need: acceptance.  He did not leave them in their sin, but lovingly pointed them to the Gospel in hopes of redemption.  Forgiveness of sin.

It seems today that we are facing two options: resign them to hell or love them to hell.  Yet, we have a third option, the one that Christ gave us.  Love them enough to teach the truth.  I say we, the church, ought to take up the mantle that Christ gave us and love them enough to teach the truth.  It may not be popular.  It may not be acceptable to society standards.  It may go against the political correctness model, but it is the way that Christ lived.

So the next time you encounter one of the many forgotten by society or church, speak kind words.  Offer a cup of cold water.  Offer a set of clothes.  Offer a warm meal.  Offer your friendship.  You may just be surprised that a smile will often be treated with a smile.  All the while gaining trust to share the greatest message: Christ loved you enough to die on a cross.  I believe that is a message worth sharing, no matter how difficult to gain an audience.

Go Fish!

In his book In the Eye of the Storm, Max Lucado tells about something that happened to him while he was in high school. Every year, he and his family used to go fishing during spring break. But one year, his brother and his mom couldn’t go, so his dad let him invite a friend.

They looked forward to this vacation with great anticipation. They pictured the sun shining down on them as they sat in the boat in the middle of the lake. The yank of the rod and the spin of the reel as they wrestled the bass into the boat. The smell of fish frying in a skillet over an open fire. They could hardly wait. Finally spring break arrived, they loaded the camper and set out for the lake.

They arrived at night, set up the camper and went to bed anxious to get up the next morning and go fishing. But that night, a northeaster blew through. The wind was so strong they could barely open the door of the camper the next morning. The sky was gray. The lake was choppy. There was no way they could fish in that weather.

"No problem," they said. They could spend the day in the camper. They had brought Monopoly and Reader’s Digest. They knew a few jokes. It wasn’t what they came to do, but they would make the best of it and fish the next day. So they passed the day indoors. The hours passed slowly but they did pass. Night finally came and they crawled into their sleeping bags dreaming of fishing.

The next morning it wasn’t the wind that made the door hard to open, it was the ice! They tried to be cheerful. "No problem," they said. "We can play Monopoly...again. We can reread the stories in Reader’s Digest. And surely we know another joke or two." But they weren’t nearly as cheerful about it all.

And as the day went on, they began to get more and more irritable and edgy. It was a long day and a long night. The next morning, when they awoke to the sound of sleet hitting the roof, they didn’t even pretend to be cheerful. They were flat-out grumpy. They sat in misery the whole day, their fishing equipment still unpacked.

The next day was even colder and they finally headed home. But Max says that he learned an important lesson that week. Not about fishing, but about people. He writes, "When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight. When energy intended to be used outside is used inside, the result is explosive. Instead of casting nets, we cast stones...Instead of being fishers of the lost, we become critics of the saved."

 So for us, lets learn from this simple lesson and go fish!

A Grand Visit

Recently I was able to make a trek to Worthington, KY to visit my padre.  My visits seem to come every other year, but would prefer every year, alas scheduling is always difficult.  This visit did not disappoint.  The usual: dad speaking to me on the subjects of tomato raising, lawn care, music, pastoring, preaching, Bible study, and Bible trivia.  We did manage to watch one movie, but mostly we talked…well he talked, I listened.  Still it was a great visit that brought laughter and smiles.  A treat for me was to preach at church on Sunday morning at Wurtland Missionary Baptist Church.  Dad and Hazel are faithful members there, and it’s good to see them still actively serving in the church.

Even though Hazel was not her usual vibrant self, due to back pain, she was still a gracious hostess.  It’s always good to visit the ones you love.  Most thankful for the times we share through visits, phone calls, or emails.  Time spent wisely is always a good thing.  Since dad's health is declining, this visit was even more meaningful. 

 

Dad playing piano before church started.  Love to hear him play.

Catching Up

Perhaps I have a small case of writers cramp, since I have not posted anything new for some time now.  So here I sit at the computer waiting for some type of inspiration to jolt into my brain.  Still sitting and waiting.  Well here it goes....

At church, we are exploring our identity as church on mission.  Since we are to be a place of obedience to God through His Scriptures, we ought to be on mission.  Making disciples.  Impacting lives.  Making a difference.  Now don't get me wrong, we are doing some things, but we should be making a greater impact in our neighborhood, state, nation, and world.

Hence we are examining our relationship in accordance with God's Word as to how to make this happen.  The two main Scripture verses are Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. and Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Through these verses we understand that we are to be on mission.  Sharing the love of God with others with the express hope that they would turn to Jesus and believe.  For this month our focus is on missions: local, state, national, and international.  We are offering ways for families to be on mission in a creative way that will also make an impact.  Join us in being a church on mission.

Oh Dear, it's a deer!

After spending some great quality time with family over the Christmas break, we made our usual trek from Statesville to Fuquay Varina.  We were engaged in normal conversation when a rather large buck decided to play a game of tag.  We were about 5 miles east of Siler City on Highway 64 when this huge animal jumped right in front of our car.  We hit him, I hit the brakes, Lisa screamed, Mary's eye grew large...all within three seconds.  Fortunately, the air bags didn't deploy, and no one was hurt or slightly injured.  Except maybe for the car...only $3750 worth of damages, but thank you Allstate for taking care of that.

As you can see, the Buick decal is missing.  I watched it fly over the car the moment after impact, and no doubt it's firmly detailed on the side of the buck.  So if you know of someone in Chatham county, let the know to look out for the buck with the Buick emblem.

I'm most thankful for God's protective care that night.  It could have been much, much worse.  For whatever reason, we endured that episode and are much more cognizant of deer roaming around the roads and highways.

As for the buck, he didn't get knocked down. He merely lost his balance, but quickly regained it and continued to jaunt across the highway into the woods.  Oh well, maybe next time I come across a buck, I will be armed with a gun while seated in a tree stand.  Until then, be careful and watch out for those amazing creatures.

Giving

I believe that God is always teaching us to be “bucket fillers” in life.  Givers and not takers.  This lesson is learned at an early age and then repeated throughout his or her lifetime.  Are you a giver?  Do you seek to use others for your benefit?  Are you concerned with the bottom line?

The following link is for the story of Hattie May Wiatt and her 57 cents that helped build much needed space for Sunday School for a church outside Philadelphia, PA.

http://library.temple.edu/collections/scrc/hattie

Obviously she was a giver.  She sought to give others a chance to hear about Christ and learn more about God.  We often over look small gifts, but when this is placed in the context of 1886, her small gift represent one of great sacrifice.

Whenever a penny came into her possession, she was tempted like most children, to spend it on candy or a small toy.  She could have easily misplaced it.  She could have shared it with someone else.  However, she had a purpose in mind: to help others learn about God.  She saved her precious pennies to make an impact in this world.  Because of her sacrifice, many children came to hear, learn, and know about God’s love expressed through Christ.

May we too learn about such sacrificial giving in 2012 in hopes of being bucket fillers in a world obsessed with taking.  May Christ be glorified in our giving.

Concert of Prayer

Last night I attended the Concert of Prayer for Wake County.  The ground work for this event started over a year ago with monthly prayer gatherings.  Don Rayno was instrumental in being used by God to bring this together.  He met with many pastor prayer groups to bring unity.  The last one was conducted was almost 16 years ago, and this has topped all expectations. 

When we gathered last night in the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, there was a sense of anticipation in what God would accomplish.  Almost 2000 people were present, and over 92 churches were represented.  Across denominational lines.  Across racial lines.  Across political lines.  Across socio-economic lines.  The people of God gathered for the express purpose to seek God in moving in the church and through the church.

The first 30 minutes we worshiped God through music.  Hearing all those voices sing praises to God helped me catch a glimpse of what heaven would be like.  Then several ministers led us in prayer with a focus on oneness in the church, and confession of: pride, arrogance, prayerlessness, lack of first love, not trusting and leaning on God, selfishness, critical spirit, lack of love for the unchurched, worldliness in the church, reproach on Christ, and the need for spiritual awakening.

Then we gathered in prayer huddles in the auditorium to repeat those prayers on a more personal level.

More worship music helped us segue into the second prayer emphasis…God moving through the church.  Prayers offered to God for the church to: go and make disciples; reach our neighbors; reach our youth; reach our schools/education; reach our regions marketplace; reach our urban/inner city; reach our poor, needy, homeless; reach our local government; reach those in jails/prisons; reach our state/nation; reach the nations of the world; reach the unreached peoples.  Then once more we gathered in prayer huddles to repeat those prayers.

Near the end, Don gathered us for a 30 second silent prayer that sent chills through me.  With all those people, there was complete silence.  Amazing.

A wonderful time of prayer, worship, and fellowship.  I am certainly looking forward to God answering these prayers in a way that only He can.  To God be the glory!!

View from our seats



Starting the Journey

I’ve heard that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  I’ve also heard that it is most difficult to take that first step.  I wonder why?  Why do we struggle with taking that first step?  In losing weight, getting physically fit, changing careers, improving relationships, improving faith, starting a journey of faith, or altering our patterns of choice…all are difficult in taking that first step.  Even when we KNOW we ought to, it’s a challenge.  Why?

I would also suggest that the disciples also struggled with taking that first step, but on most occasions, they yielded to God.  In the texts when Jesus calls the men to leave fishing nets, families, jobs, or careers, they respond obediently.  There may have been a moment or two of anxiety, but that did not prevent them from following the Master.

In our culture, my humble opinion, we place too much emphasis on comfort for the individual.  We ask wrong questions…will this make me more uncomfortable?  How much discomfort will this choice make?  How much discomfort can we endure before quitting?  Our starting point is wrong: focus on self.  So naturally the outcome will be fractured.

We should start with God.  Honoring, obeying, glorifying, and exalting His Name.  Next the questions should reflect that…how can this bring glory to God?  How can we exalt Christ through this challenge?  The starting point is correct and thus it will lead to a better conclusion.

Mary as a pirate at Krispy Kreme

Speaking of choices…my princess knows how to work the system.  When she is good and behaving appropriately, she knows to ask for items.  It’s more of a challenge to say “no” to a well behaved child than it is to a misbehaving child.  She struck gold at Busch Gardens recently when we had a weekend get-a-way.

Mary at Yankee Candle Outlet

She is loving the "fake" snow AND seeing Mr. Clause!

Laughter Brings More Laughter

From time to time, I often encounter moments of laughter with thanks from my friends and family members.  As is my custom, I laugh out loud.  Laughter has played a HUGE role in my life.  Laughter is my outlet for frustration, anger, disappointment, success, happiness, and joy.  Thanks to my family, I’ve had many occasions for laughter.  Usually at my own expense, but still laughter.

I love to laugh.  No matter if it’s a story, cartoon, movie, sitcom, or conversation.  Laughter is wonderful.  I love the subtle humor found in movies like:

O Brother Where Art Thou? “What a coincidence, me and Pete just got saved!”

The Outlaw Josie Wales “I ain’t yer Pa!” (I know some of you bewildered, but I LOVE this movie)

Pink Panther (original movies) - all the lines spoken with a terrible accent that most have a difficult time understanding.  Gold.
Home Alone - all scenes after they arrive to break into the house.
Support Your Local Sherriff - this is a classic.  Love it!

Just to name a few, but they all evoke a great memory.  My mom played a great role in helping to define laughter.  She would laugh at the cartoons we watched, regardless if she had seen it once or a thousand times.  She introduced my daughter to Tom and Jerry and still laughed at the appropriate times.  As do I.

Even in the darkest of times, she displayed a sense of humor that brought laughter.  My, how I miss hearing that laugh, but I’ve got it recorded in my brain so I can hear it along with my own.  It’s hard to believe that one year has come and gone since she graduated to God’s kingdom, but my grief is replaced with hope.  My sorrow is replaced with joy knowing that I’m headed to where she is now.  One day, I shall step into the chilly waters of the Jordan River, and see my Savior and Redeemer.  Then I shall see my family.  Hear laughter.  Share hugs.  That, will be a grand reunion…until then, take care.

First pic: Nancy and Dean sharing hug and laugh

Second pic: Nana and Mary getting ready to go

Third pic: Lisa and Mary self pic

Fourth pic: Nana and Mary "silly faces"

Emotions

There are times that I often feel so inadequate.  I feel like a failure as a husband, father, minister, and friend.  Feel.  Ah, there is the explanation: emotions.  Our human emotions cannot rule our hearts and lives.  They are fleeting.  They are incomplete.  They are troublesome.

Remember as a teenager, when we would say, “I love you, forever and ever!”  Then the next week, month, or year, we have moved on to someone else and expressed the same sentiment.  Emotions.  I heard the story of a young couple talking about life during the first year of marriage.  The young man asked, “Would you love me if I cheated on you?”  His new bride replied, “Yes.”  He then asked, “Would you love me if I lost my job?”  “Yes,” she replied.  “One more question,” he asked, “what if I was in a terrible accident and could not walk again, would you still love me?”  She smiled at him, and spoke with great compassion, “I will love you always and forever, because of my obedience to God, not because of your abilities or inabilities.”

She has learned that emotions cannot be trusted, but obedience will always trump emotions.

Don’t let the world sway you; choose obedience to God in seeing you through those terrible days that always leave you questioning your faith or existence.  In the big picture, God is with you desiring to move you out of your comfort zone to strengthen your faith and bring glory to Christ.  Yet, you still have to make the choice to allow God to do that in your life.  Trust me, I’ve constantly experienced the pitfalls of emotions, and the only remedy is obey and trust God.

Carpool. 5 year old. Passion.

This can be dangerous, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately.  Why does carpool take so long?  Why does a 5 year old possess so much power to make or break your day?  Why does free speech bring out passion in folk?  Why do we (and I mean we) neglect God’s Word so much?  Why are we so prone to make poor choices?  Not that I have any answers to these questions, but it’s worth pondering.

There are many things in life that can stir the passion in me, just to name a few: un-sportsmanship behavior, greed, selfishness, ignorance, and disrespect.  However, how about we look at our spiritual well being?  How do we measure our selves in respect to God’s Word and His desire for us to develop and mature in our walk of faith? 

Sadly, too often we have developed a “good enough” posture in the church.  (Let’s donate this to the church since we bought a new one…its good enough for the church.) 

We only want “just enough” of Christ to save us, but not to change us.  (Easy pastor.  I’m not going to serve in the church.  I just want to come once a week and throw a few dollars in the plate, hear some music, preaching, and then go home.  No commitment and no more time.)

No where in scripture do we find such thinking, so then where do we find this?

We have allowed Satan to quiet our passion in following God.  We’ve bought into an entitlement of our spiritual journey.  Looks similar to this:

                        I deserve this because____________.

                        I should be recognized because ____________.

                        I earned this because ___________.

The passion to follow God is not paved with emphasis on “I.”  Rather, it’s paved with self-less attitudes and behavior that bring glory and honor to Him and Him alone.

Just thinking a loud.  Hopefully, you too are now thinking. 

Carpool.  5 year old.  Passion.

Blessings,

Jack

Men Of Conviction

Where are the men of conviction?  Where are the women of principle?  Too often in our culture, people are accustomed to lurking in the shadows passing judgements without investing personally.  This ought not to be.  We need people to take the point and lead.  I'm reminded of my childhood.  I grew up in Logan, WV and my backyard was Chief Logan State Park. 

We lived close to the entrance, as did many others, and we spent many hours walking the trails all through the park.  Since most trails were narrow, it was necessary for someone to take the point.  The point man would look carefully for spider webs and spiders as well as snakes.  Rattle snakes were not an issue, since they would make that specific noise, but alas the copper heads...a different story all together.  Thankfully, none of our group were ever bitten, but we had plenty of spider encounters where one of us would walk right through a large web...with the spider centered perfectly in the middle.  Yuck!  Still hate the thought of that.  Hence, the point man was responsible for taking care of others and looking out for every one's well being.  If one person became sick or injured, then we all had to safely return home for care.  Not much fun in going back home, so we all had to look out for one another.

So, are you looking out for someone?  Are you a point man for others?  Stop lurking in the shadows.  Get to the front and make a difference.  I once saw a poster that read: "He who never goes into battle, never will win."  Get out there and make a difference in the life of someone.

Yet another first...

Yesterday was a HUGE day for the Lee family.  Mary started kindergarten at Willow Springs Elementary School.  Wow, where did the time go?  How did we get here so quickly?  It seems that the other day I was holding her for the first time, and now she is waving good bye as she talks with her teacher Mrs. Alala.

I had my moment of tears a few weeks ago when she had her last chapel service, so this time it was for Lisa to have a tear filled moment.  Over all, it was a wonderful day!

Amazing Wonders Aviation

A few weeks ago, we celebrated a great week at Pleasant Grove with Vacation Bible School.  It was a fabulous time with terrific decorations that depicted a wonderful world that God created, plus we were able to travel to see them through imagination (remember "Sponge Bob" saying "imagination" while using his hands???).  The children has a grand time too while playing with friends during recreation, getting crafty, singing, exploring mission stories, and learning about God and His great love exhibited through Jesus Christ.

Absolutely, positively a wonderful week!

Many thanks to the people who worked tirelessly to ensure this would be a successful week.  Those who deorated, delivered snacks, nursery duty, teachers, craft leaders, sound technicians, recreation, and general flunkies.  Because of the sacrificial work, children heard the Gospel where seeds were planted and watered, and hopefully one day we will see the harvest.  However, we were faithful to God in doing our part.  Thank you!  Not many churches were able to hold a VBS because it's time consuming and requires many workers, but thank you for taking the challenge and exceeding it.

On another note, the children collected an offering each night to assist with the Appalachian Regional Ministries to help with school supplies.  We were able to collect over $1156.  Wow!!  Double WOW!!  Mucho gracias to all the families who participated and gave that week.  Indeed, a great week where God was honored through teaching His Word.  Thanks to you all!

Zing!

I have always desired for Mary to take after Lisa in all ways, except for one...I wanted Mary to have my sense of humor.*  Well, further proof arrived yesterday this week.  While driving out of our subdivision, I spotted a large rabbit while feasting on the grass of vacant lot.  I then called to Mary's attention to look over at the bunny, only for her to not see it.  She then asked if it was a baby rabbit or a mommy rabbit or a daddy rabbit.  I told her it was fairly big, so it probably was a mommy or a daddy.  She proudly heralded that it was a daddy rabbit.  Then she waited for about 3 seconds...asked if that daddy bunny also had a large belly.

I nearly wrecked!  I had to laugh, it was too funny not to enjoy a hearty chuckle.  I had just been zinged by a 5 year old.  Not new, but usually we tag team against mom.  It was so funny that I immediately called Lisa to share in the moment.  I wonder how long she had been planning that zing.  Well played my angel, well played indeed.


As for the asterisk...I shared with the congregation about desiring Mary to take after my sense of humor, and one young 9 year old heard this.  He spoke to his mom, "Why?  Pastor Jack's not that funny."  And he was serious.  Dead serious.  Oh well, at least MOST of the congregation appreciates my sense of humor.  Guess he was assuring me to not quit my day time job.

Milestone

Last week we encountered another milestone as Mary graduated from preschool.  Our time with Mother's Morning Out has been an amazing journey over the last three years.  We have celebrated sharing, playing politely, potty training, good manners, knowing numbers, reciting the pledge of allegiance, knowing letters, scripture memorization, and many, many more.  Sadly our time at MMO has come to an end, but we are not saying good bye, just merely farewell.  We are endebted to Carla (director), Beth (assistant), and Mary's teachers: Janice, Marjorie, Candy, and Vicki (plus all the other teachers).  Each of you have poured your love, wisdom, insight, knowledge, attention, and passion into Mary.  Each week brought laughter and smiles into her life that has helped develop her character and personality.  You are a blessing to the Lee family, and we will cheish you always.  Thank you for all that you do with children entrusted to your care.  It's a joy to know you and see you in action modeling Christ's love.  You are the best!

Mary at the mall...she did a back flip too!

Listening to tunes at Lifeway

We are now counting down the days to kindergarten at Willow Springs Elementary School and Mrs. Alala's class...starting July 11.  Yeah!!!

"Do Over"

I remember from my child hood the long trusted policy of "do overs" echoing from ball fields and backyards.  Many a time we would call out, "do over" after a failed attempt, but hardly did anyone chide the response.  In fact, most (if not all) everyone would concede to the request of getting another try.  Now in my adult life, we still evoke that same request, though now we call them mulligans. 

Mary has started to display an interest in sports (much to my delight) and now she loves to take a small bat and ball in the backyard to play with her old man.  I'm loving this.  Even when she throws the ball far away from me, I'm reliving a great memory of playing catch with my old man.  Good memories.  And yes, dad, I'm trying to teach her to make a good catch and make a good throw.  She will often cry out "do over" when something doesn't work according to her plan, and I'm quick to grant that request.

Typically, I need mulligans on a daily basis.  Since I'm charged with an awesome responsibility (and loving it) to speak into lives the redemptive love of Christ, I make many mistakes.  Many.  Did I say many?  I mean many.  In fact, I often ask for a mulligan on that shot, and calmly drop another ball.  In my feeble attempt at playing golf, I always (and I mean always) carry at least three golf balls in my pockets, since I play golf, hunt, and fish at the same time.  Hunt for lost balls in the woods and fish them out of the water...while actually playing golf.  There are many times that I need mulligans in my speech, actions, facial expressions, or internal prejudices.

It is quite difficult to represent Christ in a challenging culture without requiring a mulligan.  Yet, Christ really does want us imperfect human beings to speak into the lives around us.  My neighbors see the best and worst in me.  They see my good days and my bad days.  They see me dressed in coat and tie, and they see me in shorts and t-shirt ready to be tossed into the dumpster.  They see me laugh, and they see me ready to explode in anger over a delightful 5 year old.  They see it all.  That is why I need mulligans in life, so they can see I'm not perfect, just forgiven, and God desires to offer hope to all who will seek Him.

The next time you make a mistake, just remember that God allows mulligans...ask Him.