A Christmas present from Mrs. Yarina

I was sent the following email about a couple of our students, and it reminded me just how much I love working with young people. This email was an early present, and Mrs. Yarina was fine with me sharing this.

Hi Brent & Ty,

Tuesday afternoon, I got to observe 2 of our students from the Stand in an amazing, unexpected way.

Tuesday was John's Christmas program at Jardon Vocational School. Jardon is a school for special ed students ages 18 -26. Students range from mildly impaired like John to wheelchair users who use grunts and groans or assistive technology to speak as well as cognitively impaired (mentally retarded). John was in the choir. The program was something our Kids Kingdom would have performed easily. The focus was on the various December holidays: Christmas, Kwanza, a Muslim holiday that celebrates Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac and Hanukah. John had a small speaking part about what Christmas means to Christians.

We've known about this program for 2 months as we've helped John practice his lines. Unknown to us, John invited Brad McCarthy and Michael Solt from HPBC and the Stand. I didn't know they were there until after the program when John walked them over to me. These guys are probably in the middle of their final exams this week or could have spent their time doing much more entertaining things. Yet, they took time out to support John and other students that John has brought to the Crash or Stand. Society has put those young disabled adults on the edge to borrow a term from last Sunday's message.

As we were walking out, Brad and Michael ran into Hannah, Gail, and Tony, all young adults that John has brought to either the Stand or Crash. Brad and Michael stopped and talked with each one of them encouraging them to come to the Stand this coming Sunday. Brad and Michael could have just brushed them off in a hurry to leave a place where they were clearly out of their element, BUT they didn't.

It turned out that I had parked next to Brad and Michael so we walked to our cars together. I shared with the guys that Jardon always reminds me that John could be a lot worse off physically and cognitively and that as his muscle disease progresses, we will be dealing with issues like they saw with the more severely impaired students. I told both the boys how much I appreciated their ministry to John by coming to the program as well as their continued watchful care for him at church and on outings. Brad said: Mrs. Yarina, "we've got John covered. We all watch out for him". I know they do.

In case you never noticed, John usually sits between the 2 guys during worship. As the service progresses, John leans to the left as his muscles are weaker on that side. Usually he ends up touching or leaning against the person on his left. I have never noticed either young man to scoot away when John is touching them.

Those two guys gave me a wonderful Christmas gift: watching them minister to young adults with disabilites who live on the edge.

Barb Yarina

Matt Chandler

Matt Chandler's pathology report is not good, and my heart is torn for his family. The surgery only mostly removed the tumor, and what was removed was found to be malignant.

I encourage you to pray for him, his family and the Village church as they go through this trial. I loved his tweet from yesterday prior to his getting the pathology report.

Path report is 2ndary at best...good report doesn't mean much, bad report doesn't mean anything...my days r numbered and nt by ths report.

Santa

I dislike Santa for many reasons. The following are just a few issues I have.

#1. He consistently gives the rich kids more than the poor.

#2. His love/gift giving is so conditional.

#3. He shows no care for Rudolph until he realizes he can use him.

#4. Forced elf labor anyone?

I am sure Mrs. Claus is lovely; she will certainly have her crown in heaven for dealing with that heel.

Elizabeth Elliot strikes again

The following legend (not a Biblical story) is from Elizabeth Elliot's gatewaytojoy.org website in a section of "missionary musings".

Jesus was walking one day with His disciples and asked each one to pick up a stone to carry for Him. They all picked up a stone. Peter, rather a small one; John, a bigger one. Jesus led them to the top of a mountain and then He commanded the stones to be made bread. The disciples were by this time hungry, and so they were given permission to eat the bread in their hands. Of course, Peter didn’t have very much. John shared with him some of the bread that had been made from the stone he had carried.

On another occasion, the same Jesus took the same disciples for a walk and again asked them to pick up a stone to carry for Him. This time you can imagine that Peter picked up a bigger stone. But Jesus did not take them this time to the top of the mountain. He took them to the river. As they stood on the bank looking with questions in their minds to Him, He said, "Throw the stones into the river," which they did at once in obedience to His command. Then they looked at Him, expectantly waiting for the miracle that would happen this time.

Nothing happened. They waited. They watched. Nothing happened. Jesus, with great compassion, looked on these disciples whom He loved and He said, "For whom did you carry the stone?"

For whom do you carry the stone today? For yourself? For success? For notoriety? For the accomplishment of some great dream that you have held always in your heart? Or is it for Jesus?

Submission and stuff

Submission is a spiritual discipline as much as prayer, meditation and scripture study, but it seems to work in the opposite direction of the other disciplines. As I mature in my faith, I feel that there is a natural progression toward more prayer, more study, more meditation etc............ but less and less submission. As my maturity increases, my maturity decreases.

The problem is that everything in my life is moving in the direction of more independence, more freedom and fewer bosses. I am a husband and father who works as a leader in a local church and lives in the USA. I am less and less in a place where I regularly must submit. More often than not, I am the decision maker not the follower. And that can be a problem.

This past weekend was a reminder, to me, of the need for submission in the church body. Our church was voting on an issue. The end result was that 1/3 of the people did not back the proposed leaders' initiative and were unwilling to submit to the presented direction of the church even when they were asked to do so directly by the senior pastor. This reaction/vote of 36% of the people frustrated me to no end. How could they not get in line with what the leadership was asking? It wasn't a moral issue at stake or a question of doctrine. How could they not... submit?

As I pondered this, I was struck by a poignant contradiction in my own soul. The very thing, I was internally demanding of others is so often absent in my own life. In this case, I wanted submission from everyone to the leadership because the leadership AGREED with ME. But what happens when I don't agree with the leadership? How submissive am I? How many times have I complained about the leadership or wished I had a vote? How many times have I lamented that I should be the one making all the decisions (yikes)? When don't I submit? Answer: when the leaders don't agree with me. And that is the problem. We as a people, I, chief among sinners, don't understand submission. We are a nation of independents founded on rebellion living in a culture of self.

Submission is not going along with leadership when they agree with me.

Submission is not being coerced to go along with leadership when they don't agree with me, but complaining to my wife and anyone else who will listen about it.

Submission is being a leader and still being last. Submission is a posture of the soul. Submission is a discipline, one that I pray increases in my life as I age.

Thomas a'Kempis roulette

Cracking the book to page 92 of my edition of the Imitation of Christ, this is what assaulted me this morning.

"Jesus has many lovers of His kingdom of heaven, but He has few bearers of His Cross. Many desire His consolation, but few desire His tribulation. He finds many comrades in eating and drinking, but He finds few who will be with Him in His abstinence and fasting. All men would joy with Christ, but few will suffer anything for Christ. Many follow Him to the breaking of the His bread, for their bodily refreshment, but few will follow Him to drink of the chalice of His passion."

I daily wrestle with my heart for Christ. Does He alone satisfy? Or do I merely enjoy the blessings of being around other believers, and do I simply desire to appease my guilt through my ritual. Is my fascination ultimately with Christ or myself?

A typical car ride when you have 3 sons

"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...7...3...8...9...10 Hey Griffin did you hear me count my burps? I did ten of them" Nolan

The "beautiful" side of Hell?

"Hell is God's great compliment to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human personality." G.K. Chesterton

Lost and Found

Do these stats surprise you? I know- I know- the church is supposed to be in full fledge decline and the next generation is sprinting headlong into destruction... or maybe not. These stats are from Ed Stetzer's book Lost and Found.

(those who somewhat or strongly agree)

God, a higher or supreme being, actually exists.

• 20-29: 81%
• 30+: 73%

There exists only one God, the God described in the Bible.

• 20-29: 57%
• 30+: 48%

Jesus died and came back to life.

• 20-29: 66%
• 30+: 54%

I do not think my lifestyle would be accepted at most Christian churches.

• 20-29: 39%
• 30+: 30%

I consider myself to be spiritual because I am interested in knowing more about God, or a higher supreme being.

• 20-29: 73%
• 30+: 62%

When a person dies, his or her spirit continues to exist in an afterlife.

• 20-29: 82%
• 30+: 69%

There exists a place of reward in the afterlife, sometimes called heaven.

• 20-29: 77%
• 30+: 58%

There exists a place of punishment in the afterlife, sometimes called hell.

• 20-29: 60%
• 30+: 44%

If someone wanted to tell me what she or he believed about Christianity, I would be willing to listen.

• 20-29: 89%
• 30+: 75%

I would be willing to study the Bible if a friend asked me to.

• 20-29: 61%
• 30+: 42%

If a church presented truth to me in an understandable way that relates to my life now, I would attend.

• 20-29: 63%
• 30+: 47%

If people at church cared about me as a person, I would be more likely to attend.

• 20-29: 58%
• 30+: 38%

I would be willing to join a small group of people to learn more about the Bible and Jesus.

• 20-29: 46%
• 30+: 27%

Theological training

Sunday morning cuddling on the couch with Caleb, we had this brilliant conversation. We were watching a cooking show on TV when someone cooked something that looked like fish to Caleb. That was the thing that prompted this exchange.

Caleb: I wish my my Oscar grew really big and strong. I really wanted him to.

Me: but he didn't huh?

Caleb: No the Cichlid ate him; the Oscar's big and strong now, though, stronger than the Cichlid... even stronger than me.

Me: Because he is in Heaven?

Caleb: Yeah

Me: Well, what about the Cichlid? Is he is heaven? Was he a good fish?

Caleb: Only animals that believe in Jesus go to heaven.

You have to love when your five year old corrects your obvious error in doctrine.

Why I don't own an iPhone

Recently an article in Relevant Magazine captured my attention. I think the primary reason this article enthralled me so, was that it gave me ammo to battle some of my boys... read here adult male friends- not my children. For whatever reason, we fight constantly, and every time a trump card like this appears, I must slam it on the table.

The article was titled "Just a Phone?", and was about the author's internal struggle over whether to buy the iPhone. Here is why the author of the article is wary of the iPhone with my comments in parentheses.

1. He can't afford it (I could technically afford an iPhone, but it is expensive. I have been accused of being cheap, but the reality is I don't mind splurging on a present or something. I just vehemently dislike adding any monthly committed payments to my budget; that is a commitment I don't need.)

2. The attraction to the iPhone seems to suggest that one's primary problem is a lack of information and entertainment. The problems of the world are peace, economic justice ecological health, political honesty, family and community stability. (sin)

3. We purchase for fairly high prices the lie that we are happier and more time available when the background costs are often the earth and our sanity. (Um... not feeling the whole earth thing, but I am down with more sanity. I have a stinking blackberry and it buzzes continually never allowing me three coherent thoughts. I don't need more info or entertainment. I could use much maturity, discipline, compassion and Godliness however, and I don't think the iPhone has those apps yet)

4. Does owning another toy make me any more likely to give? (no)

Truth is, the iPhone is super cool. I often look on other's phones with desire. I love toys and the iPhone is the ultimate toy right now, but I want to refuse to give in to an attraction which will ultimately cost me more money, drain more time away from my family and feed a lie.

Boom Simplified

Ty

What is hope?

I have been confronted again with my thin understanding of hope. So often we use the word hope when we are merely saying wish. "I hope it doesn't rain. I hope she likes me. I hope everything turns out ok." All those phrases are mere well wishes- not hope. I couldn't define hope better than Reuben Alves who said, "Hope is hearing the music of the future; faith is to dance to it."

Other's thoughts

I love Frederich Beuchner’s words regarding anger.

“Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back -- in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you."

Things that make me wince

Walking toward Comerica Park with my children and father-in-law, we witnessed a not uncommon sight.  Two cops had a pan handler against their car and were giving the "handler" a verbal lashing as they checked his pockets.  The tone and the words exchanged were not pleasant but not vulgar either.  I tried to engage both of my sons in conversation quickly as I shielded them from the scene that was no more than 5 feet from us as we passed.  Neither boy reacted and frankly the scene quickly slipped my mind.  After we entered the park, climbed up to the nose-bleeds and watched an inning or so, I noticed that Caleb seemed melancholy.  I couldn't get him to talk about what he was feeling, but he climbed up in my lap.  20 minutes, a carousel ride and some foam paws later, Caleb's normal spunk returned.  Driving home in the car, he piped up.  "Daddy, do you know why I was sad in the game?  It is because I don't want to go to jail like that man we saw as we were walking".

I tried to explain that good men who make good choices need not fear jail or the police. I am not sure what he understood of what I said, but within seconds, Caleb responded by saying he would like to be a police officer, and Nolan said "me too".

It is always interesting watching little boys trying to process man size information.

Song of Solomon

Here is my thought of the day... imagine for a second, a Christian band writing songs that were sexually explicit- on the scale of say ... Song of Solomon. Even if those songs were written for the band member's wives, I don't see any way that the Christian community wouldn't be outraged. The objections that the songs discuss private matters would probably be the loudest. And yet I can't help but think, couldn't the same objections be leveled against Song of Solomon? So, what is the lesson in all of this?

thinking... thinking...

Got it. Obviously we should reject Song of Solomon from the canon.

new old thoughts

Mysterium Tremendum... a term with which everyone should be acquainted. Check it.

New office

I am getting settled into the new office although it is a little unsettling to not have the constant stream of visitors in and out of my office. Plus I can't crank music over here. I have been moved to the "big boy" hall, but I still don't feel quite grown up. I am not sure when that is going to happen. Old? Yes, I feel old often, but not "grown up". Maybe I need to be crankier.

Who is crazier?

This is the question raised by Mitch Albom in his recent column about Michael Jackson.  Was Michael Jackson crazier for all of his reconstructions/ accusations etc., or are we for pretending he was some kind of "king"?  I agree with Mitch.  Why must death make us gloss over the realities of a person's life?