Today Barak Obama, the first U.S. president of African ancestry, is being sworn in as commander-in-chief. President Obama will be taking the oath of office with his right hand placed on a Bible that belonged to Abraham Lincoln. This event also takes place one day after the birthday observance of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and two days after the Obama family attended their first church service since August 31st (at the 19th Street Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1839.) Wow, ain’t that a whole heaping bunch of historically significant parallels coming together all at once?
Of course from a completely opposite spectrum, Sunday two NFL quarterbacks who led their football teams to victory and the prize of a Super Bowl match-up on February 2nd in Tampa Bay, Florida, are both outwardly vocal about a deep faith in Jesus Christ. Ah yes…herein would comprise the good stuff. One of those increasingly rare times when we sigh just before inhaling that deep breath that puffs out our chest, a moment among moments, one that tends to make we who are among the privileged feel particularly proud to be Americans.
These are instances when we have a chance to just look at the positive’s in life…forget for awhile all the bad things…and maybe even allow ourselves to think, yes…God IS in His heaven and all IS right with the world. That is if you don’t allow yourself to really look too closely at what else is going on in the world around us. Or the fact that there are plenty of people who espouse faith in Jesus Christ who don't wind up being the winners in this lifetime.
Today is also a day when many millions…perhaps billions…will not even be aware of, let alone be acknowledging anything particularly momentous about any of these solely American moments. Beyond the fact they probably couldn’t care less, they’re in the midst of their own life-and-death struggles. And you can imagine for the great majority…life (no matter how many hardships must be endured) is still preferred over the alternative.
Have you got a good answer for that one? Why, given the worst that life is capable of throwing our way would a rotten, miserable, terrible life be preferred over death? Granted, there is that whole uncertainty part about the dying thing...and then shuffling off this mortal coil does seem to have such a permanence to it too. (Did you realize we'll probably be spending a whole lot longer time dead than we ever did alive?)
Here's a twist for you then? You can read in the New Testament book of Philippians…right there in chapter one…the Apostle Paul making the statement, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! (Phil. 1:21, 22 NIV.) Later in the same letter to the Christians in Philippi Paul would pen this comment, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord. I have discounted everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” (Phil 3:8, 9 NLT.) How can he say such things? You’d really have to think that Paul must not be in his right mind…then again could it be that Paul really has gotten himself into the proper mindset?
Jesus was a great one for challenging people with hard questions. From the fifth chapter of the gospel of John there’s this situation, “Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, ‘Would you like to get well?’” That’s certainly one of those accounts worth reading in full sometime. You could also look in the gospel of Matthew and see this incident, “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
‘Well,’ they replied, ‘some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.’
Then he asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’”
Great question. Far more significant than anything anyone else had to say about Jesus…Christ asked each of the twelve men who had been with him for around three years this one crucial question. Here’s how one of those disciples responded, “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
Jesus replied, ‘You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.’” (Matt. 16:13-17 NLT.)
I'm going to use this as a place for me to stop this time…and an even better place to pick it up from during my next entry. In the meantime though, I sure hope you’ll give some thought to these questions yourself. By the way, this one comes at no extra charge. It’s another comment made by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans. He writes in chapter 13 verse 1, “Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All government has been placed in power by God” (NLT).
As Barak Obama is sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court this January 20, 2009, everyone should be able to breathe a little easier now knowing that this is God’s man for these times…and I’m also thinkin’ it’s going to be the Cardinals winning it all in the Super Bowl!
Until next time, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
What's a person to do?
The older I get the more reality infers that there are seemingly fewer things aging provides for one to get all worked up about. (The throbbing pain in my shoulder that woke me up at 4:30 this morning immediately comes to mind.) Add to that the threatening onset of imminent global recession, the ever rising instances of natural disasters pummeling our planet, increasing news coverage of man’s inhumanity toward mankind and now I’ve very recently heard of a label being attributed to our current era as the “me-first” generation. Undoubtedly these are all concepts for consternation indeed.
You might expect all this would tend to give an old codger, like me, a moment’s pause. (That is, if I hadn’t already lived through a whole bunch of stuff like it in the past.) You see, there is a particular truth in the statement made by the ancient King Solomon to the effect that “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” That’s from Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 9 of the New Living Translation of the Bible.
Essentially the question comes to mind…are any of these catastrophic life circumstances really real? That certainly depends on your perspective, doesn’t it?
Even now, with all these threatening clouds on the horizon, things don’t seem as desperate to me as they did back in the late 1970’s. (Remember, most of perceived reality is based on perspective.) Back in those days of yore the United States was facing another of our recurring economic crises. We were experiencing the first ever energy issues (were they really the first-ever? well, gasoline was being rationed and the price per gallon was going over a dollar for the first time ever), inflation was in the double digit range, home mortgages were carrying a 16% interest rate, Americans were being held hostage by an Iranian government that nobody had ever thought to pay attention to before, and a guy named Ronald Reagan was challenging the incumbent Jimmy Carter for president. I had voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 solely based on his open claim that he was a “born-again” Christian. To this day that would be reason enough for me to cast a vote for anybody. I know what a person means when they describe themselves as “born-again.” It’s essentially the only reason I voted for George W. Bush twice. But back in 1980 I voted for Ronald Reagan…because the U.S. needed change and I thought the U.S. president was a person who could bring that sort of change about…I don’t hold an opinion like that anymore.
I do remember in particular though a speech given by Ronald Reagan wherein he made the now famous statement, “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose your job. And a recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job.” – you just have to tip your hat to great speech writing.
Well, eventually change did occur. Not just in the United States but all across the world stage. The U.S. hostages were released from Iran…even as the radical government remained in power (the effectiveness of modern day terrorism had been born), indications suggested that the U.S. economy began stabilizing amid the proposed “trickle-down” economics of the Reagan era, only during his second term mind you, and the once mighty and fearsome Soviet Union came crashing down quicker than the Berlin Wall would. Yeah…those were the days back then, weren’t they? It seemingly would make what we’re hearing about today pale in comparison, wouldn’t it?
Over the past three decades now, I’ve gotten older (some might contend wiser) nevertheless my viewpoint on world affairs has matured toward a deeper understanding and embracing of the Christian worldview. I’d like to go more in depth on that topic except I’ve written way too long already this time…well, that’ll be where I’ll pick up this blog next time a nagging pain wakes me up in the wee hours of the morning.
Until then, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone
You might expect all this would tend to give an old codger, like me, a moment’s pause. (That is, if I hadn’t already lived through a whole bunch of stuff like it in the past.) You see, there is a particular truth in the statement made by the ancient King Solomon to the effect that “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.” That’s from Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 9 of the New Living Translation of the Bible.
Essentially the question comes to mind…are any of these catastrophic life circumstances really real? That certainly depends on your perspective, doesn’t it?
Even now, with all these threatening clouds on the horizon, things don’t seem as desperate to me as they did back in the late 1970’s. (Remember, most of perceived reality is based on perspective.) Back in those days of yore the United States was facing another of our recurring economic crises. We were experiencing the first ever energy issues (were they really the first-ever? well, gasoline was being rationed and the price per gallon was going over a dollar for the first time ever), inflation was in the double digit range, home mortgages were carrying a 16% interest rate, Americans were being held hostage by an Iranian government that nobody had ever thought to pay attention to before, and a guy named Ronald Reagan was challenging the incumbent Jimmy Carter for president. I had voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 solely based on his open claim that he was a “born-again” Christian. To this day that would be reason enough for me to cast a vote for anybody. I know what a person means when they describe themselves as “born-again.” It’s essentially the only reason I voted for George W. Bush twice. But back in 1980 I voted for Ronald Reagan…because the U.S. needed change and I thought the U.S. president was a person who could bring that sort of change about…I don’t hold an opinion like that anymore.
I do remember in particular though a speech given by Ronald Reagan wherein he made the now famous statement, “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose your job. And a recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job.” – you just have to tip your hat to great speech writing.
Well, eventually change did occur. Not just in the United States but all across the world stage. The U.S. hostages were released from Iran…even as the radical government remained in power (the effectiveness of modern day terrorism had been born), indications suggested that the U.S. economy began stabilizing amid the proposed “trickle-down” economics of the Reagan era, only during his second term mind you, and the once mighty and fearsome Soviet Union came crashing down quicker than the Berlin Wall would. Yeah…those were the days back then, weren’t they? It seemingly would make what we’re hearing about today pale in comparison, wouldn’t it?
Over the past three decades now, I’ve gotten older (some might contend wiser) nevertheless my viewpoint on world affairs has matured toward a deeper understanding and embracing of the Christian worldview. I’d like to go more in depth on that topic except I’ve written way too long already this time…well, that’ll be where I’ll pick up this blog next time a nagging pain wakes me up in the wee hours of the morning.
Until then, I remain ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Happy New Year, Y'all!
Getting my blogging chops back in shape was a top resolution for 2009. Well, then I had to write and mail out a newsletter on the first day…and one thing led to another (predominantly BCS football games) and before you know it, New Year’s resolution #1 is kaput. The surprising thing is that I’m only a couple of days behind at this point and that feels kind of good.
Feeling good about ourselves at the beginning of a New Year I suppose is pretty common. Traditionally we’ve been taught that the New Year is a time for new beginnings, turning over a new leaf, getting back on the right course, and optimism abounds. It has always seemed particularly odd to me, though, that these emotions coincide with the making of “New Year Resolutions.” A list of typically unattainable goals…so that from the outset of any New Year we’ve already laid a foundation for failure, haven’t we? C’mon admit it, not that long into any New Year we’ll have let lapse all of those well intended thoughts of purpose and resolve and by March could hardly tell you what any of them were.
Well since my college days I’ve always kept my New Year’s resolutions short, simple and easily attainable. I also don’t make it a habit of writing them down anywhere to remind myself exactly what they had been…nope, when you don’t write anything down verbatim then you can’t be held accountable for missing the mark, can you? And I’ve become really good at letting myself slide along the way. After all shouldn’t my good intentions count for something?
Well, I won’t spoil the plan for this blog so soon into the New Year but I will invite you to stop back on a regular basis as I’ll begin an exercise of mental musings, peeling an onion that, at some point along the way, might just end up making both of us cry…but then isn’t laughter a good thing? Okay, I will give you a little hint. Long before we ever knew what a New Year Resolution was, didn’t we dream about what we’d want to be when we grew up? I guess I’m kind of curious about exploring how that’s been working for ya?
If all goes well, I’ll back at you soon enough…ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone
Feeling good about ourselves at the beginning of a New Year I suppose is pretty common. Traditionally we’ve been taught that the New Year is a time for new beginnings, turning over a new leaf, getting back on the right course, and optimism abounds. It has always seemed particularly odd to me, though, that these emotions coincide with the making of “New Year Resolutions.” A list of typically unattainable goals…so that from the outset of any New Year we’ve already laid a foundation for failure, haven’t we? C’mon admit it, not that long into any New Year we’ll have let lapse all of those well intended thoughts of purpose and resolve and by March could hardly tell you what any of them were.
Well since my college days I’ve always kept my New Year’s resolutions short, simple and easily attainable. I also don’t make it a habit of writing them down anywhere to remind myself exactly what they had been…nope, when you don’t write anything down verbatim then you can’t be held accountable for missing the mark, can you? And I’ve become really good at letting myself slide along the way. After all shouldn’t my good intentions count for something?
Well, I won’t spoil the plan for this blog so soon into the New Year but I will invite you to stop back on a regular basis as I’ll begin an exercise of mental musings, peeling an onion that, at some point along the way, might just end up making both of us cry…but then isn’t laughter a good thing? Okay, I will give you a little hint. Long before we ever knew what a New Year Resolution was, didn’t we dream about what we’d want to be when we grew up? I guess I’m kind of curious about exploring how that’s been working for ya?
If all goes well, I’ll back at you soon enough…ever yours regardlessly,
the old-man at the mike-ro-phone
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Lots to say - I'll keep it brief (as if!)
This is an open letter to the friends of this outreach.
There’s so much on my mind lately that getting it down in a comprehensive form is more than challenging, but it should be therapeutic.
Readers of my monthly newsletter (also available at actofgraceradio.net) know that I’ve been afforded a “side-job” opportunity with the non-profit arm of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). And all I can say about it is this is one of the craziest cool experiences of my life. But there’s no way around the fact that this will invariably be a distraction from “the coolest job of all,” telling the world about Jesus Christ via the World Wide Web.
I was introduced to a “personal relationship” with Jesus back when I was a freshman in college. Ever since that moment my perspective on life has never been the same. I’ve heard people describe a similar experience as “getting new glasses” to explain how differently the world appears to them after coming to know Christ. I like that description.
The pages of the Bible, particularly Acts 9, describe in detail what a transforming effect meeting Jesus had on Saul of Tarsus, the man who would come to be known as the Apostle Paul. Beyond the accounts in Acts Paul repeatedly references this moment in other writings that comprise the majority of the New Testament. And it’s in these writings that I’ve garnered some insights that might bring some clarity to my present situation.
Most outstanding is a statement Paul makes in his first letter to the church at Corinth wherein he states, “In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge. Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!
If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust. What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.” (1 Cor. 9:15b-18).
Of course, even in Paul’s lifetime, the financial obligations one incurs on this planet required some form of monetary remuneration be sought after from time to time. In the case of this Apostle he would need to return to the trade of “tent-making” on various occasions. So, an old “show-biz” guy like me, in times of need, seeks out a suitable way to make ends meet. Fortunately this came about through the new gig at the Space Center – Houston.
Now in Paul’s case he also had some harsh admonitions directed toward the Corinthian readers in particular. Apart from what he writes in 1 Corinthians 9 there is another “literary lambasting” he gives them in the 9th chapter of 2 Corinthians as well. But it isn’t an issue that Paul seems prone to harp upon. Yes, a minister of the gospel does require some money to continue doing what he’s “compelled” to do, but it’s only the Corinthians who got scolded.
Take for instance in Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia his tone toward these believers is quite different in clarifying the purpose. Right from the onset of chapter 1 he writes, “This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group or by human authority. My call is from Jesus Christ himself and from God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.” By verse six of this first chapter Paul is heating up in his prose with, “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.
Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. I will say it again: If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God’s curse fall upon that person.
Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.”
My point, in drawing upon these writings of Paul, is that your run-of-the-mill ministers of Christ’s gospel always seem to come upon those times when they’re running a little short of cash to accomplish what they’re committed to doing. And apparently these “lean times” are no reflection on the effectiveness or the importance of their tasks. It just is what it is. The unspecified writer of the book of Hebrews cites a quotation from the 31st chapter of the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy when he penned this admonition, “Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.”
God forgive me that I should ever complain about my life. I have had many wonderful and thrilling privileges afforded me, not the least of which is having this worldwide outreach plus now I’m making some extra money working for NASA. Certainly there have been trials and struggles and what I might, in my own pity-party, consider more than a fair share of heartache along the way…but that is life as God has defined it and none of us should be resentful or surprised by any of it. “All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19).
One really neat aspect of my short time working at NASA is seeing first hand how the marvels of God’s creation are manifest everywhere we’ve looked from our manned missions into outer space to the photos returned to us by the Hubble telescope. It’s so incredibly awesome that, like King David, I want to bellow out the words of Psalm 8. (Look it up, it’s really short.)
The marvels of creation simply demonstrate the absurdity of any kind of “Big Bang Theory.” And emphasize the word THEORY here. Every single explanation for the existence of the universe, from a cosmic explosion to evolution’s primordial soup, are all exercises in human folly seeking to deny any and all subservience to God.
I’ll close with one final comment, again from the pen of the Apostle Paul, “God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who prevent the truth from being known. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and the sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:18-20).
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
There’s so much on my mind lately that getting it down in a comprehensive form is more than challenging, but it should be therapeutic.
Readers of my monthly newsletter (also available at actofgraceradio.net) know that I’ve been afforded a “side-job” opportunity with the non-profit arm of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). And all I can say about it is this is one of the craziest cool experiences of my life. But there’s no way around the fact that this will invariably be a distraction from “the coolest job of all,” telling the world about Jesus Christ via the World Wide Web.
I was introduced to a “personal relationship” with Jesus back when I was a freshman in college. Ever since that moment my perspective on life has never been the same. I’ve heard people describe a similar experience as “getting new glasses” to explain how differently the world appears to them after coming to know Christ. I like that description.
The pages of the Bible, particularly Acts 9, describe in detail what a transforming effect meeting Jesus had on Saul of Tarsus, the man who would come to be known as the Apostle Paul. Beyond the accounts in Acts Paul repeatedly references this moment in other writings that comprise the majority of the New Testament. And it’s in these writings that I’ve garnered some insights that might bring some clarity to my present situation.
Most outstanding is a statement Paul makes in his first letter to the church at Corinth wherein he states, “In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge. Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!
If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust. What then is my pay? It is the opportunity to preach the Good News without charging anyone. That’s why I never demand my rights when I preach the Good News.” (1 Cor. 9:15b-18).
Of course, even in Paul’s lifetime, the financial obligations one incurs on this planet required some form of monetary remuneration be sought after from time to time. In the case of this Apostle he would need to return to the trade of “tent-making” on various occasions. So, an old “show-biz” guy like me, in times of need, seeks out a suitable way to make ends meet. Fortunately this came about through the new gig at the Space Center – Houston.
Now in Paul’s case he also had some harsh admonitions directed toward the Corinthian readers in particular. Apart from what he writes in 1 Corinthians 9 there is another “literary lambasting” he gives them in the 9th chapter of 2 Corinthians as well. But it isn’t an issue that Paul seems prone to harp upon. Yes, a minister of the gospel does require some money to continue doing what he’s “compelled” to do, but it’s only the Corinthians who got scolded.
Take for instance in Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia his tone toward these believers is quite different in clarifying the purpose. Right from the onset of chapter 1 he writes, “This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group or by human authority. My call is from Jesus Christ himself and from God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.” By verse six of this first chapter Paul is heating up in his prose with, “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.
Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. I will say it again: If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God’s curse fall upon that person.
Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.”
My point, in drawing upon these writings of Paul, is that your run-of-the-mill ministers of Christ’s gospel always seem to come upon those times when they’re running a little short of cash to accomplish what they’re committed to doing. And apparently these “lean times” are no reflection on the effectiveness or the importance of their tasks. It just is what it is. The unspecified writer of the book of Hebrews cites a quotation from the 31st chapter of the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy when he penned this admonition, “Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.”
God forgive me that I should ever complain about my life. I have had many wonderful and thrilling privileges afforded me, not the least of which is having this worldwide outreach plus now I’m making some extra money working for NASA. Certainly there have been trials and struggles and what I might, in my own pity-party, consider more than a fair share of heartache along the way…but that is life as God has defined it and none of us should be resentful or surprised by any of it. “All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19).
One really neat aspect of my short time working at NASA is seeing first hand how the marvels of God’s creation are manifest everywhere we’ve looked from our manned missions into outer space to the photos returned to us by the Hubble telescope. It’s so incredibly awesome that, like King David, I want to bellow out the words of Psalm 8. (Look it up, it’s really short.)
The marvels of creation simply demonstrate the absurdity of any kind of “Big Bang Theory.” And emphasize the word THEORY here. Every single explanation for the existence of the universe, from a cosmic explosion to evolution’s primordial soup, are all exercises in human folly seeking to deny any and all subservience to God.
I’ll close with one final comment, again from the pen of the Apostle Paul, “God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who prevent the truth from being known. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and the sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:18-20).
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
"Houston we have a problem!"
Maybe you've heard or seen some of the rearranging aftereffects of Hurricane IKE on our hometown. And thank you for asking, we're all okay...although Penelope (the cat) is getting a little stir crazy...or is that me? Hmm.
You many not know this but my wife Gena and I are not particularly brave people, nor do we have grandchildren that'll need to be bored to tears with tales of the "big one" of double ought 8...so, to be honest, we didn't even stick around to find out how bad IKE would be. We high tailed it out of town on Friday morning, wailing and whimpering all the way, and headed to South Padre Island where Gena's parents live. (Remember they'd come to visit us in the aftermath of "Dolly" - and, well, paybacks and all that.) We're now just kicking back living the life of Riley with air conditioning, refrigeration, terra firma and all those other luxury items that seem to be so sorely missed in vast areas of Houston and Galveston currently.
Eyewitness reports from H-town indicate that our townhouse withstood the brunt of IKE's attack quite well, but there is no electricity currently available in our neighborhood - which includes Gena's place of employment. Ergo we're hanging ten on the island, working on our tans, sipping exotic cocktails (and we're building up quite the collection of cute little umbrellas and bendy straws that were provided at no extra charge). In addition we're utilizing the old WWW to communicate with the ravaged masses up north.
I had an interview and audition scheduled this week at NASA (to be a Mission Briefing Officer - that's apparently the Houston equivalent of a circus ringmaster) but this seems to have been temporarily put on a back burner as the Johnson Space Center is of the opinion they have some more pressing matters to contend with at the moment. There are still astronauts in space that, incidentally, had a bird's eye view of IKE the whole time.
Anyway, I'm naturally providing too much information. Suffice it to say we ain't going back until they've rebuilt the town to our satisfaction or until Gena's boss starts threatening our livlihood, or NASA calls and says they need me yesterday...you know that whole service to God, country and jazz like that.
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike and gena
You many not know this but my wife Gena and I are not particularly brave people, nor do we have grandchildren that'll need to be bored to tears with tales of the "big one" of double ought 8...so, to be honest, we didn't even stick around to find out how bad IKE would be. We high tailed it out of town on Friday morning, wailing and whimpering all the way, and headed to South Padre Island where Gena's parents live. (Remember they'd come to visit us in the aftermath of "Dolly" - and, well, paybacks and all that.) We're now just kicking back living the life of Riley with air conditioning, refrigeration, terra firma and all those other luxury items that seem to be so sorely missed in vast areas of Houston and Galveston currently.
Eyewitness reports from H-town indicate that our townhouse withstood the brunt of IKE's attack quite well, but there is no electricity currently available in our neighborhood - which includes Gena's place of employment. Ergo we're hanging ten on the island, working on our tans, sipping exotic cocktails (and we're building up quite the collection of cute little umbrellas and bendy straws that were provided at no extra charge). In addition we're utilizing the old WWW to communicate with the ravaged masses up north.
I had an interview and audition scheduled this week at NASA (to be a Mission Briefing Officer - that's apparently the Houston equivalent of a circus ringmaster) but this seems to have been temporarily put on a back burner as the Johnson Space Center is of the opinion they have some more pressing matters to contend with at the moment. There are still astronauts in space that, incidentally, had a bird's eye view of IKE the whole time.
Anyway, I'm naturally providing too much information. Suffice it to say we ain't going back until they've rebuilt the town to our satisfaction or until Gena's boss starts threatening our livlihood, or NASA calls and says they need me yesterday...you know that whole service to God, country and jazz like that.
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike and gena
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Going for the Gold!
Have you found yourself caught up in the Olympic frenzy? Me too. Typically I’m not all that fond of the summer version – too much blasted exertion of energy for my taste - I prefer sliding on snow. But to date in this year’s presentation there sure has been a whole heaping bunch of excitement coming to us over a 19 day time span at a world record setting pace.
I can only imagine the amount of salivation that swimming coaches, gymnastics instructors and Tae-Kwon-do senseis must have dripping from their chins as they contemplate all those new “paying customers” their classes will be packed with in the coming weeks and months. Unfortunately for the track and field aficionados, I'm afraid your season is too far off for the limited attention span of most youngsters. But after seeing all the glory bestowed upon a select handful of new heroes on Beijing’s big stage, who right now isn’t thinking they wouldn’t want to be the next Michael Phelps or Dara Torres, Nastia Luiken, Shawn Johnson, or a serious butt-kicker like one of the Lopez clan? (Obviously, I must be a U.S.Aian.)
The truth of the matter is though, there are more than 10,000 athletes participating in 38 different competition categories and…lets see, how many of those people ever actually win a medal? And what about all those qualifying heats? Wouldn’t that just be disappointment bordering on the indescribable to spend all that time, effort and energy training in an event and not even get to compete for one of the prizes? Incidentally a significant number of the more than 200 nations that have sent teams to Beijing this year, or any other Olympic venue, has ever won a single medal for their countries. But those statistics aren’t the scintillating ones are they? Nevertheless, we certainly do love our sports don’t we?
Of course competition is at the core of most everything that comprises life in these United States and I don’t think I need to spell out how early in a person’s life each of us begins to learn the significance of being a winner. I’m sure you’ve heard the adage that “second place is just the first loser.” In the runner up category though, where most of us actually find ourselves, we’re regularly placated into believing that even if you can’t be the “star,” then when the team does well we’re all winners, right? Or, even if you didn’t get picked to play on the winning team, maybe you’ve found reciting the mantra “it’s an honor just to be able to play the game” has been good enough.
This might have a lot to do with why you see so much compartmentalizing in the lives of many people. You do know what that is, don’t you? It’s one of those coping mechanisms we all employ in an effort to keep things in some semblance of order. (I guess it helps us feel like, regardless of the reality, that we still have a chance at winning.) We regularly go about opening and closing little parts of our brains over the course of a given day just because what we may truly believe seems to be in temporary conflict with what we’re presently being faced with. As such what we’ve really been doing most of our life is not competing but developing various little compartments of compromise. And I wonder just how much compromise has to take place before what we actually believe in is compromise for the sake of compromise (i.e. diplomacy)? By the way, how are you really doing in the whole politically correct arena?
In lieu of this there are really a couple of "hard-to-compromise" quotes from Jesus that every professing Christian has to contend with. This first one is actually written down in three of the gospel accounts, but for my purposes I’ve chosen the New Living Translation version of Matthew’s gospel where in chapter 16 it reads,
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.
This other challenging quote of Jesus happens only to be found in Matthew’s gospel (I think this is still pretty significant in as much as Matthew was one of Christ’s apostles.) This one in chapter 7 goes,
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
So, just how does the temporal importance of any Olympic athlete, corporate CEO, Rhodes Scholar or political candidate factor in to an equation like this? Maybe you don’t believe that Jesus Christ has earned the right to be the M.I.P. (Most Important Person), your biggest hero, and the focus of all of your attention. If so, then I’d honestly like to know who would you really want to be like?
However if you are cognizant that Jesus deserves to be at the center of your life each and every moment of every day then take a quick glance at a particularly “Olympic-esqe” reference found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. And while you have that Bible in your hands, for a little dessert, flip over to Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Begin in chapter 3 at verse 12 and just keep reading until you've had your fill. And for more information on these and other like topics, click on either version you prefer of "@ the Rock Shop" or I’d certainly invite you to visit a Bible teaching church near you. (It'll probably seem really weird to go to one of these the first time or two - but I'll double your money back if the roof actually does fall in on top of you.) And just so they'll all feel as uncomfortable as you do - be sure to wear a nice Hawaiian shirt, cut-off shorts, and no socks. Tell 'em I sent you!
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
I can only imagine the amount of salivation that swimming coaches, gymnastics instructors and Tae-Kwon-do senseis must have dripping from their chins as they contemplate all those new “paying customers” their classes will be packed with in the coming weeks and months. Unfortunately for the track and field aficionados, I'm afraid your season is too far off for the limited attention span of most youngsters. But after seeing all the glory bestowed upon a select handful of new heroes on Beijing’s big stage, who right now isn’t thinking they wouldn’t want to be the next Michael Phelps or Dara Torres, Nastia Luiken, Shawn Johnson, or a serious butt-kicker like one of the Lopez clan? (Obviously, I must be a U.S.Aian.)
The truth of the matter is though, there are more than 10,000 athletes participating in 38 different competition categories and…lets see, how many of those people ever actually win a medal? And what about all those qualifying heats? Wouldn’t that just be disappointment bordering on the indescribable to spend all that time, effort and energy training in an event and not even get to compete for one of the prizes? Incidentally a significant number of the more than 200 nations that have sent teams to Beijing this year, or any other Olympic venue, has ever won a single medal for their countries. But those statistics aren’t the scintillating ones are they? Nevertheless, we certainly do love our sports don’t we?
Of course competition is at the core of most everything that comprises life in these United States and I don’t think I need to spell out how early in a person’s life each of us begins to learn the significance of being a winner. I’m sure you’ve heard the adage that “second place is just the first loser.” In the runner up category though, where most of us actually find ourselves, we’re regularly placated into believing that even if you can’t be the “star,” then when the team does well we’re all winners, right? Or, even if you didn’t get picked to play on the winning team, maybe you’ve found reciting the mantra “it’s an honor just to be able to play the game” has been good enough.
This might have a lot to do with why you see so much compartmentalizing in the lives of many people. You do know what that is, don’t you? It’s one of those coping mechanisms we all employ in an effort to keep things in some semblance of order. (I guess it helps us feel like, regardless of the reality, that we still have a chance at winning.) We regularly go about opening and closing little parts of our brains over the course of a given day just because what we may truly believe seems to be in temporary conflict with what we’re presently being faced with. As such what we’ve really been doing most of our life is not competing but developing various little compartments of compromise. And I wonder just how much compromise has to take place before what we actually believe in is compromise for the sake of compromise (i.e. diplomacy)? By the way, how are you really doing in the whole politically correct arena?
In lieu of this there are really a couple of "hard-to-compromise" quotes from Jesus that every professing Christian has to contend with. This first one is actually written down in three of the gospel accounts, but for my purposes I’ve chosen the New Living Translation version of Matthew’s gospel where in chapter 16 it reads,
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.
This other challenging quote of Jesus happens only to be found in Matthew’s gospel (I think this is still pretty significant in as much as Matthew was one of Christ’s apostles.) This one in chapter 7 goes,
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
So, just how does the temporal importance of any Olympic athlete, corporate CEO, Rhodes Scholar or political candidate factor in to an equation like this? Maybe you don’t believe that Jesus Christ has earned the right to be the M.I.P. (Most Important Person), your biggest hero, and the focus of all of your attention. If so, then I’d honestly like to know who would you really want to be like?
However if you are cognizant that Jesus deserves to be at the center of your life each and every moment of every day then take a quick glance at a particularly “Olympic-esqe” reference found in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. And while you have that Bible in your hands, for a little dessert, flip over to Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Begin in chapter 3 at verse 12 and just keep reading until you've had your fill. And for more information on these and other like topics, click on either version you prefer of "@ the Rock Shop" or I’d certainly invite you to visit a Bible teaching church near you. (It'll probably seem really weird to go to one of these the first time or two - but I'll double your money back if the roof actually does fall in on top of you.) And just so they'll all feel as uncomfortable as you do - be sure to wear a nice Hawaiian shirt, cut-off shorts, and no socks. Tell 'em I sent you!
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Hello Dolly - Ain't it hard to be humble?
It has again come to my attention, from many of those who are inclined to view this blog, that providing another fresh entry is long overdue. What do you want from me? Didn’t I last write something right after Father’s Day?
I would remind those who visit here often enough to notice that I don’t change this text readily enough, that I do provide a downloadable “radio-style” audio program at this site as well – and that gets changed as regularly as a baby’s diaper. (Okay, not that regular…but certainly a lot more often than this does. Given that I’m apparently getting more hits here than there, I’d recommend you give that a listen during the intervening timeframe.)
Obviously the request for more writing than talking is flattering, and it indeed has been awhile since I’ve sought to coalesce a few of my more scattered thoughts into a collection of sentences but, all excuses aside, I’ve been a little preoccupied, alright?
Anyway, my in-laws are in town again from South Padre Island, Texas. Now don’t misinterpret my meaning, I certainly enjoy their company, but this visit was precipitated by an excessive amount of water, wind and varying degrees of what-not that was whipped about by a poorly predicted presence named Hurricane Dolly.
I’ve been around broadcasting long enough to remember the first radio station I worked at that installed one of the prototype models of a “Doppler” weather satellite. Back there in Lincoln, Nebraska we used the device to track tornados…and around Southeast Texas the vastly improved units are utilized in tracking hurricanes…along with providing our daily forecasts. But a really neat thing is you can look at satellite images of weather all over the internet now! And even though you can observe what’s occurring in real time…who among us can really say what will actually happen or the devastation that might ensue?
It turns out Dolly was something of an unprecedented hurricane in that it didn’t develop the way these things usually do and then it never bothered to stay on the path that the forecasters expected it would. Ergo, South Padre – more than Brownsville or northern Mexico – took a smack upside the head, a punch to the kidneys, and the ribs suffered a hook from the blind side that left it whacked, walloped and wind-blown.
Despite windows being blown out and lost roof shingles letting in more rain than your standard ceiling could be expected to withstand, among the more sustained damage to the region occurred by knowledge that the electricity couldn't be restored to the island until late in the week. Mind you, this is a place that I would consider uninhabitable were it not for the intervention of electrically operated air-conditioning. Just for grins and giggles sometime try shutting off everything you have that runs on electricity for, I don't know, maybe four or five hours. Then think what it would be like to be without any of these items for over a week. Suddenly you grasp why we have in-laws visiting. And we’re happy to be here for them, or they here with us…if you catch that drift.
So what actually inspired this new entry? For one, it occurs to me that humans are no better at predicting the weather than we were twenty-five years ago. Add to that the severest storms do give one the impression that along with becoming more frequent they are also showing increased violence. And given that in the last twenty-five years if hurricane and tornado predicting has not improved -- where in the recesses of a warped imagination do weather people get the absurd notion that they're qualified to predict elements reminiscent of a catastrophic global warming disaster three to seven decades from now? Just correctly inform me what the daytime highs and overnight lows are going to be for five straight days…then I might be a bit more inclined to listen. Eh, probably not.
Of course none of these weather practitioners, in their arrogance, probably even know that there are some really good weather predictions straight out of the Bible. A source many consider highly reliable. I don’t know if you're familiar with the forecasts Jesus made in Matthew 24? Or the multiple references to weather severity the Apostle John pens in Revelation, but clearly it seems only God the Creator has any real clue about what the weather will, or is, going to do.
This again provides evidence that arrogance remains one of the greatest follies of mankind. On the other hand, I don't think you can really even aspire to being humble – lest you’re already exceedingly arrogant. What person could say, I’m humble? Obviously doesn't a claim like that indicate this to be something their proud of and, correct me if I'm wrong, isn't that pride rooted in arrogance? Still in the prophecy of Isaiah you can read words like this in chapter 57, “The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this ‘I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts. For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always show my anger. If I did, all people would pass away – all the souls I have made.’”
Now to get the context of this passage I’d encourage you to, at the very least, read all of Isaiah chapter 57, but there are some interesting points that God is making here. In verses 1-13 much is said regarding pride and lust (and we’re all pretty familiar with what those are). Then as we read on into verses 14-21 we get a clear picture of how God relates to those who are humble, repentant, and “contrite” these are the ones residing in heaven with Him.
Christianity proclaims that the high and holy God literally came down to our human level, in the person of Jesus Christ, to provide each of us the means for being reconciled, or restored to friendship, with God Almighty (Romans 5:8-11). This was absolutely necessary because there would be no other way for us to find a means whereby we could elevate ourselves to God’s level and standard. For more information regarding this concept spend a moment looking at; 2 Chronicles 2:6, Psalm 51:1-7 (Old Testament) and Philippians chapter 2 in the New Testament.
Basically as Hurricane Dolly reminded my immediate family – any one of us is essentially seconds away from having our lives ripped apart and shattered by a “natural” disaster, news of a terminal illness, or even something less dramatic but every bit as catastrophic. Hence I’ve offered these suggestions as to what I believe is at the heart of “bad things” happening to “good people.” Certainly I’d be interested in reading your take on the topic.
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
I would remind those who visit here often enough to notice that I don’t change this text readily enough, that I do provide a downloadable “radio-style” audio program at this site as well – and that gets changed as regularly as a baby’s diaper. (Okay, not that regular…but certainly a lot more often than this does. Given that I’m apparently getting more hits here than there, I’d recommend you give that a listen during the intervening timeframe.)
Obviously the request for more writing than talking is flattering, and it indeed has been awhile since I’ve sought to coalesce a few of my more scattered thoughts into a collection of sentences but, all excuses aside, I’ve been a little preoccupied, alright?
Anyway, my in-laws are in town again from South Padre Island, Texas. Now don’t misinterpret my meaning, I certainly enjoy their company, but this visit was precipitated by an excessive amount of water, wind and varying degrees of what-not that was whipped about by a poorly predicted presence named Hurricane Dolly.
I’ve been around broadcasting long enough to remember the first radio station I worked at that installed one of the prototype models of a “Doppler” weather satellite. Back there in Lincoln, Nebraska we used the device to track tornados…and around Southeast Texas the vastly improved units are utilized in tracking hurricanes…along with providing our daily forecasts. But a really neat thing is you can look at satellite images of weather all over the internet now! And even though you can observe what’s occurring in real time…who among us can really say what will actually happen or the devastation that might ensue?
It turns out Dolly was something of an unprecedented hurricane in that it didn’t develop the way these things usually do and then it never bothered to stay on the path that the forecasters expected it would. Ergo, South Padre – more than Brownsville or northern Mexico – took a smack upside the head, a punch to the kidneys, and the ribs suffered a hook from the blind side that left it whacked, walloped and wind-blown.
Despite windows being blown out and lost roof shingles letting in more rain than your standard ceiling could be expected to withstand, among the more sustained damage to the region occurred by knowledge that the electricity couldn't be restored to the island until late in the week. Mind you, this is a place that I would consider uninhabitable were it not for the intervention of electrically operated air-conditioning. Just for grins and giggles sometime try shutting off everything you have that runs on electricity for, I don't know, maybe four or five hours. Then think what it would be like to be without any of these items for over a week. Suddenly you grasp why we have in-laws visiting. And we’re happy to be here for them, or they here with us…if you catch that drift.
So what actually inspired this new entry? For one, it occurs to me that humans are no better at predicting the weather than we were twenty-five years ago. Add to that the severest storms do give one the impression that along with becoming more frequent they are also showing increased violence. And given that in the last twenty-five years if hurricane and tornado predicting has not improved -- where in the recesses of a warped imagination do weather people get the absurd notion that they're qualified to predict elements reminiscent of a catastrophic global warming disaster three to seven decades from now? Just correctly inform me what the daytime highs and overnight lows are going to be for five straight days…then I might be a bit more inclined to listen. Eh, probably not.
Of course none of these weather practitioners, in their arrogance, probably even know that there are some really good weather predictions straight out of the Bible. A source many consider highly reliable. I don’t know if you're familiar with the forecasts Jesus made in Matthew 24? Or the multiple references to weather severity the Apostle John pens in Revelation, but clearly it seems only God the Creator has any real clue about what the weather will, or is, going to do.
This again provides evidence that arrogance remains one of the greatest follies of mankind. On the other hand, I don't think you can really even aspire to being humble – lest you’re already exceedingly arrogant. What person could say, I’m humble? Obviously doesn't a claim like that indicate this to be something their proud of and, correct me if I'm wrong, isn't that pride rooted in arrogance? Still in the prophecy of Isaiah you can read words like this in chapter 57, “The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this ‘I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts. For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always show my anger. If I did, all people would pass away – all the souls I have made.’”
Now to get the context of this passage I’d encourage you to, at the very least, read all of Isaiah chapter 57, but there are some interesting points that God is making here. In verses 1-13 much is said regarding pride and lust (and we’re all pretty familiar with what those are). Then as we read on into verses 14-21 we get a clear picture of how God relates to those who are humble, repentant, and “contrite” these are the ones residing in heaven with Him.
Christianity proclaims that the high and holy God literally came down to our human level, in the person of Jesus Christ, to provide each of us the means for being reconciled, or restored to friendship, with God Almighty (Romans 5:8-11). This was absolutely necessary because there would be no other way for us to find a means whereby we could elevate ourselves to God’s level and standard. For more information regarding this concept spend a moment looking at; 2 Chronicles 2:6, Psalm 51:1-7 (Old Testament) and Philippians chapter 2 in the New Testament.
Basically as Hurricane Dolly reminded my immediate family – any one of us is essentially seconds away from having our lives ripped apart and shattered by a “natural” disaster, news of a terminal illness, or even something less dramatic but every bit as catastrophic. Hence I’ve offered these suggestions as to what I believe is at the heart of “bad things” happening to “good people.” Certainly I’d be interested in reading your take on the topic.
Ever yours regardlessly,
mike
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