Calloused foreheads…real devotion or sandpapered fakes?

I read a story about the recent surge of dark calluses on men’s foreheads in Egypt and it got me thinking a little bit about our own religious pride.  Basically the story is that more and more men in Egypt are having dark calluses appear on their forheads and people are trying to figure out why.  The answer that the men want you to believe is that they are highly devoted to their religion of Islam…that the calluses are there because as they carry out their daily prayers (5 specific prayer times each day) and as they lay their face to the ground during those prayers (34 times each day) their foreheads are calloused because of their devotion to Allah.  Some people believe, though, that many of the men are using sandpaper on their foreheads only to make it appear like they are devoted to their God.  It made me laugh a little bit.  Is it a “Muslim revival” in Egypt or is it an economic boost for hardware stores?  Who knows?

I didn’t laugh long, though, before I wondered about my own life and the lives of those around me.  How much of my life is lived because I am absolutely in love with my Savior and how much of it is lived because I want people to think I am close to my God?  Pride can get in the way in my life quickly.  And I just don’t want to ever be at a point where I publicly “fake” my devotion to Christ so people will see me and think I’m special.

My prayer for today:  “God, thank you for hearing me when I cried out to you for forgiveness 19 years ago.  Thank you for being willing to love a guy like me…with all my sin…with all my junk…with all my imperfections…with all my disobedience.  Thank you for your Son and his sacrifice.  At this moment, I know I didn’t deserve Jesus’ forgiveness…help me to never forget this.  Holy Spirit, teach me as you live within me.  Teach me what it means to humble myself before God.  Teach me what it means to live my life with only God in mind.  Teach me how to daily put away my pride and teach me how to be genuine before you and others.  May my relationship with you never be examined by others and found to be fake or dishonest or exaggerated.  In Jesus name, amen.”

So, here comes my evening and there’s a morning after that.  And as I head home, I ask myself the question:  Will I live the next 24 hours truly devoted to my God or will I live it with a piece of sandpaper in my hand?

Sunday…What a Day!!!

It’s Monday afternoon and I’m finally recovering from yesterday.  So let me set the stage:  Russ is in Africa, the sound guys we usually use are all out of town, Nathan Boyd is speaking (his first time handling the entire Sunday morning message here), Josh and Rebekah are handling Media Shout for the first time with us, and at least one of our set-up crew has to head out of town at the last minute.  All of that as it was, the first Gathering was excellent.  Nathan did an amazing job sharing the story of John 4 in both Gatherings (listen to it by clicking here and choosing “listen online” in the upper left corner of the CATG website). 

After the Gathering, Nathan and I were hanging out talking when my mother in law had a seizure (possibly a stroke) and we began to put things in place to get her some help.  This is where I was amazed at all of those that are part of the CATG community.  I told Nathan that he was on his own for the second service…he didn’t even blink…he just said “sure, we got it handled.”  Two of our local firemen carried my mother in law outside while I ran to get our van.  Two of our best friends in the world said they would take care of our kids.  And, on the way out the door, I told about 4 other people that I was leaving and that they just needed to do the “best they could to get everything handled.”  When I left, I was fully confident that things would be handled well.

My mother in law recovered partially in the ambulance and spent several hours in the ER getting feeling and control back in her body.  While we were waiting for the doctors to run several tests, I headed back to the church to be helpful.  When I showed up, I was amazed at all that people had accomplished in thirty minutes.  The second Gathering was just as good as the first (thanks again, Nathan, Josh, Rebekah, Ric, and everyone else) and much of the clean-up work had already been done.

Basically, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone.  Thanks for your prayers.  Thanks for your hard work.  Thanks for your follow-up phone calls.  Thanks for everything.  You took a Sunday that could have “fallen apart” in many different ways and made sure that the message of Jesus went out clearly (as it should).  You’re awesome.

Alright…So 12 (not 11) Years Ago, I Got Arrested… *part 2*

………….and that’s when it happened.  I hadn’t even actually touched his money, but he and I were both surrounded by the 5 officers instantly.  Within seconds, they were holding his $20 bill, my 4 tickets, and my hands behind my back.  Talk about “shock”.  I had never been arrested before…and I can tell you that I am not planning on being arrested in the future.  Eventhough, I was not handcuffed, I was quickly told that I was being arrested for scalping, read my rights, and whisked off to the police station in the belly of the Omni.

To put it mildly, I was scared…but I was also still so surprised at the incident that I was able to laugh a little during the process.  When I arrived in the Omni Police Station, I was seated next to a guy that was nearly passed out from being so drunk.  Next to him was a guy that was clearly stoned.  Beside him were two guys that I saw earlier that evening trying to sell the “good seats” for a hefty little profit.  And the booking process began.

They handed me the initial paperwork to fill out and explained to me that by signing the paperwork I was agreeing to be arrested, fined $1000, and immediately put in jail for three days if I ever came on Omni property again.  That’s a pretty crazy statement to sign, but I didn’t really know if I had a choice or say in the matter.  Fortunately, when I had my turn with the sargeant to look over the paperwork, be fingerprinted, and sign the statement, I thought to ask a question: “Sir, before we do anything else, can I send someone to tell my group what has happened to me?…I’m sure somebody will be a little worried by now.”  As luck would have it, the sargeant was a UGA fan and listened to my story long enough to see that I was not a dangerous criminal or a repeat scalper…nothing more, in fact, than a poor and “scalping-law-ignorant” college student trying to recoup a few bucks from an out-of-control credit card charge.  So, he let me go…but he didn’t give me my tickets back…and I missed the first period and a half of the game.

By the way, I also found out that if I had just sold the tickets in the parking deck instead of the box office line, none of this would have happened.

Well, that’s my story.  Basically, I learned four things:

1. When it comes to college students, the phrase, “I’ll pay you in a couple days,” doesn’t mean anything.
2. If you’ve got extra tickets that you’re trying to sell, don’t stand in front of a group of police officers and tell the world what you’re doing.  Even if you’re there for 10 minutes, they won’t bother telling you that your plan is illegal.  But, when you actually sell the tickets, they’ll arrest your backside and haul you off faster than you can possibly imagine.
3. “Scalping” does not mean selling tickets higher than face value.
4. You can get anyone to read your blog twice if you are a pastor and you say you got arrested.

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy the cold weather.  We’ll see you on Sunday.

Alright…So 12 (not 11) Years Ago, I Got Arrested…

At the time it was actually a little nervewracking…but at least it makes for a good blog post (unfortunately, the story may not actually be as interesting as the title).  Anyway, here goes:

I have always been paranoid of police officers.  I’ve always liked them as people, but for some reason, I get nervous around them when they’re in uniform.  I don’t really know why.  I have never had any real run-ins with an officer.  I never really got in trouble for anything growing up.  And, I know that they are constantly putting their lives on the line to keep me safe.  How cool (and unbelievable) is that?!?  Still, I’m paranoid.

In February 1996, I was a junior at the University of Georgia.  One Saturday night I had planned to organize a group of my friends to the Atlanta Knights hockey game at the Omni.  If I had more than 15 people, we would get $10 seats for only $7…as a college student that sounded pretty appealing.  Well, as we spread the word through the college ministry at the church I attended, I had a few more people than I expected show interest.  In fact, I wound up charging more than $450 of tickets to my credit card for the group of almost 70.  I was fortunate to collect money from all but 4 people for the night, but when they backed out at the last minute, I was stuck with $28 of unused tickets.  Oh well…maybe I’d figure something out.

The Saturday of the game arrived and we piled into the 15 or so vehicles we took and headed down to Atlanta.  It was going to be a great night…but what was I going to do with the four extra tickets?  We parked in the Omni parking deck and headed over to the entrance when I noticed the Ticket Office line…6 booths open…and about 15 or 20 people in each line.  An injustice was happening…people standing around in the COLD Georgia Winter (actually, it was probably about 50 degrees)…waiting to pay full price for tickets that would not be as good as my four extra ones.  So, I thought of an idea…a way to recoup a little of the money I spent…actually a way to get enough cash to buy some popcorn and a couple drinks.

I sent the group on into the game and I headed right to the middle of the six ticket lines…got out my four extra tickets…and begin to offer people a deal they couldn’t refuse.  “I’ve got 4 – $10 tickets leftover.  I’ll sell them for $5 each.  $20 for 4 great tickets.  Anyone interested?”  Strangely, nobody jumped at my offer.  Apparently, it was an offer they could refuse.

I figured they just didn’t hear me, so I yelled louder for a little more than 5 minutes.  I stood there (yes, like an idiot) in front of the Box Office and tried to get somebody to pay $5 for tickets, that I paid $7 for, that were actually worth $10.  The entire time I was walking through the lines, there were 5 police officers watching over the area…their presence gave me a feeling of safety…it was nice…looking back, though, that would have been a good time for the “paranoid” feeling.  Finally after nearly 10 minutes, one guy figured out that I really was offering a great deal.  And it just so happened that he needed 4 tickets.  Out came his $20 bill……………

**I just realized how long this post was getting (582 words so far – 585).  So, let me end this part here and go to bed.  I’ll write more later.  Good night.

Great Conversations We’ve Had Recently

This morning, I had the privilege of hanging out at Youth Middle School for about 3 hours while they did their school-wide writing tests.  It was a pretty stressful time for the faculty and the students (especially the 8th graders), but I’m sure they all did great.  While I was there, I had the opportunity to talk with a semi-friend of mine for over an hour straight (I say, “semi-friend” only because it is a pretty new friendship).  I had a blast hearing a little about his life over the last 20 years and some of the things that are going on right now.  What a great way to spend the morning.

Yesterday morning, Amy and I got to sit down with two incredible friends for breakfast and talk about kids, school, life, and work.  It’s always great to hang out with them.  We laugh a lot and just enjoy each other’s company.  And, though we don’t have the same beliefs about life and God and Christ, I love the fact that they make time to spend with us anyway.  It’s cool that they accept us as friends and are okay with our differences.

Over the weekend, we had some people over to our house.  During the course of their time with us, conversations turned to spiritual things and application of truth in our daily lives.  Amy handled the conversations so well…a perfect blend of listening, asking questions, sharing personal experiences, and thinking through easy approaches to biblical truth.  I think it’s awesome how God works in people’s lives and cares about them so much, no matter what stage they are at in their spiritual journey.

Those are some of the conversations we’ve had over the last five days…what have some of yours been like?

12 days…No heat

The office is cold again this morning.  The heat broke on New Year’s Day or Jan 2nd (we don’t know exactly)…but we’ve been trying to get the HVAC Company to fix it since we noticed it on the 2nd.  Hopefully, they will come today and finally get this thing working.  Until then, we wait and we huddle around propane heaters during the cold morning hours.

It’s funny how a little thing like no heat in an office can affect us so drastically.  It’s not like we don’t have heat in our homes…or food…or clean water…or electricity.  The REAL basics in life are already taken care of.  Everything else is just icing on the cake.  May we never lose sight of the fact that we are incredibly blessed (office heat or not) to be living when we are and where we are.  May we never lose heart for the people that have so much less than we do.

“God, use me and those around me, to somehow be a blessing to the world.”

I’m a Screw Up . . . Aren’t We All?

So, yesterday evening was not the most incredible evening of my life.  First of all, I wasn’t feeling that great.  It’s not that I was feeling sick or anything…just uneasy…unsettled…and full of ”angst” (how about that for using a 90’s word).  Amy and I ran a “quick” errand that turned into a bit of a nightmare mainly because I dropped a measuring tape onto somebody’s hardwood floors and took a chunk out of them (who knows what that will cost to repair?).  That, combined with my previous mental state sent me into a little bit of a break down where I openly wondered if I am pretty much just a “screw up” in some areas of life.  My conclusion – yes, I am a screw up.  And, probably not just in one area of life.  There are so many things I don’t do well.  There are even more things that I can’t do at all.  But, last night as I settled down for the night, I realized something…I’m in pretty good company.

As I look around me, I see a lot of people that have areas of life that they can’t handle very well.  I can deal with this realization three different ways:  pride (at least I’m not like them), pity (the world is all doomed because everyone is messed up), or reality (if we’re all pretty much the same…maybe we can understand one another a little better and work through our junk together).  Often, I struggle with the pride issue as I set myself up as better than others.  Sometimes, I break down into the pity issue and whine or fuss or cry.  But, this morning I am ready to look at the world through reality…and I’m thankful that God sees it that way too.  Yes, we all mess up (“all have sinned, and we fall short of [God's standard]“).  But, the fact is that God loves us anyway (“while we were still [messed up] Christ died for us”).  Have a great day, and I’ll see you tomorrow.

It’s been almost eleven years since I was arrested.

I am packing up and heading home for the day, but before I left I wanted to post a quick blog entry.  The only problem:  I didn’t have time to write about the things that are really on my heart.  So, I asked myself the question: ”what could I write that would cause people to come back to my blog again…on another day when I had a little more time to write something worthwhile?”

Then, the answer hit me…it’s been almost eleven years since I was arrested.  I’ll tell you the story later…it’s a funny one.  Have a great night.

A Life That Is Truly Life

Last night, Amy and I had four friends over for dinner and had a great time.  Amy fixed an incredible chicken parmasean meal…another couple brought their famous salad (no…it’s REALLY good)…and we sat around and talked and laughed and nearly even cried a few times.  The conversation centered mostly around what “true life” is and how we can let others know about it.  Before we get too deep into 2008, I thought it would be worth boiling it down to a couple statements:

1.  True life is knowing that there is a God that is completely holy, while still being able to fully love us even with all of our junk.

2.  True life is relating to people and to God on a daily basis in a way that is fluid and natural.  Relationships cannot be forced, controlled, or organized.  They can only be developed and enjoyed.

3.  True life is living daily with the understanding that our faith in God changes how we respond to Him and to those around us.

Solomon summed it up this way:  “Now, everything has been heard, so I give my final advice:  Honor God and obey his commands, because this is all people must do.  God will judge everything, even what is done in secret, the good and the evil.”  Ecclesiates 12:13-14

So, it comes down to this:  ever since the first act of disobedience, man has lived separated from God.  When Jesus (God’s son) died on a cross, God gave us the opportunity to connect with Him again by letting Jesus’ death “pay” for our disobedience.  When we begin that relationship with Him, He asks us to honor Him, obey His commands, and love those around us as scripture teaches.  And that, my friends, is life that is truly life.  Have a great day!

“Executive Chef” look…concession stand food

I understand that “image” is important in the business world, but sometimes I think we go a little too far as a society to appear upscale.  Friday afternoon, Amy and I headed down to Fayetteville for a friend’s wedding (an amazing one…close to 1,000 people…4+ hours of ceremony, reception, etc….tons of friends and fun).  On our way, we stopped by a couple stores in Duluth to get some bargains on Christmas stuff.  Our favorite place for deals?  Target.  I love Target…it has everything you need, at reasonable prices, and it seems like you get a little better quality than the other two “big” names.  When you walk into a Target that’s being well-managed, you just feel like you’ve stepped up your shopping experience a notch or two from a quick run to the local Wally-World.  As we were leaving, though I saw something that looked extremely out of place.  They have a concession stand near the entrance that has hot dogs, pizza, cookies, etc (by the way, if you get the $1 popcorn combo on the way into the store, you can fill up your drink as many times as you want while you shop…just a cheapskate trick).  Behind the counter at the concession stand was the employee in charge of the little cafe.  She was wearing her Target-supplied uniform, complete with a real, genuine, executive chef’s jacket.  It looked like she could have been serving Filet Mignon for $60/plate…not $2 pretzels and $1 slushies.

Here’s the point…I’m all for putting “your best foot forward” when it comes to first impressions in life…but if your actions, your lifestyle, or your outfit don’t match who you really are…you’re not fooling anybody.  Here’s looking forward to an incredibly authentic 2008…and a “life that is truly life” (I got that from the wedding we went to – thanks Matt).