Buddies

Today was a hard day for my three year old son Zac. This is the first day that he will be at pre-school without his best buddy Coop. Coop's dad is a football coach and he has taken a coaching job on the other side of the country and so, on Saturday night, we all said very tearful goodbyes and my son said farewell to his best buddy.

This morning, on the way to pre-school, Zac said to me through tears, "Daddy, I'm not going to have a best buddy anymore." I was overwhelmed by his feeling of loneliness and amazed at a three year olds capacity for such sadness. I did the best thing I knew to do and took him to get chocolate milk and a bagel (which is the closest thing to "having a beer" for a three year old) and told him that I would be his buddy today. He accepted my feeble substitution...at least for this morning.

It is remarkable to think that two three year olds could have such a strong bond. Zac and Coop were together almost everyday of every week for about the last year and a half. They are pretty much the blond-haired and black-haired version of the same kid.....inseparable. They fight from time to time and even after leaving on bad terms or in a fight, within hours, they are always ready to get together and play again. It is sad indeed to see such a great friendship seperated by such distance. They will see each other from time to time and will remain friends but the reality is that it is very hard to stay best buddies when you live in two seperate parts of the country.

Zac, I am so sorry that your best friend had to move away. I do hope, though, that you will not grow up and forget how to have a best buddy because a lot of boys grow up and become men and somehow they don't know how to have a best buddy anymore. You'll always need best friends and you'll always need to know how to be a best friend. Thanks for reminding your dad what it looks like to have a best buddy.

As a husband, which superhero are you?

After 13 years of marriage, and doing a limited amount of counseling in other marriages, I have come to realize that women are still, deep in their hearts, little girls who dream about being rescued by their knight in shining armor or their superhero...which made me start to wonder..what kind of super hero would I be? here are some possible options...

1. The Incredible Hulk - the quiet brooding type, strong and fearless in a crisis. Hulk husband makes a wife feel safe and protected in any situation. Hulks only weakness is that he is not exactly a conversationalist. When not using communication techniques such as grunts and gutteral noises, the Hulk husband will use full sentences such as "Hulk hungry" or ,when angry, "Hulk mad", and will use "Hulk fine" to describe every and all other emotions.

2. Iron Man - Iron man is the "Mr. Fix it" guy. There is no problem on the face of the earth that cannot be fixed with some form of ingenuity whether it be purchased or homemade (which is usually the preferred choice). Iron man is extremely handy and can do whatever his wife needs done around the house whether that me home repair or home re-modeling. His only downside is that he can't "fixer up" in every situation..Ex: "What? You don't feel beautiful...let me build you a treadmill."

3. Green Lantern - Ahhh. Mr. Bling. For all of you who are not familiar with Green Lantern, all of his power emanates from the ring that he wears. It is a special ring from outer space that gives him special powers. Every woman has a place in her heart for the man who understands the power of jewelry. Green Lantern is the king of special occasions and always knows how to find the perfect gift for his lady. The only downside to Green Lantern is that he relies to heavily on the bling and when it is gone, he doesn't know how to be a superhero anymore.

4. Mr. Fantastic - Mr. Fantastic is just that...fantastic. Because of his body's ability to stretch and form into anything he wants, he can be all things to all people. Mr. Fantastic is a very public superhero and he is the guy that any wife could be proud of. Because of his flexibility, he never gets bent out of shape and he is a joy to live with. He is very sensitive to his wife's needs and is very good at being who she needs at the right time. His only struggle is remembering his original form and identity and not trying to take on too many shapes at one time...

5. Superman - We all know that Superman can pretty much do it all. He flies, he's superstrong, he's got x-ray vision, and when he's not being superman, he's takes on his humble, brainy identity of Clark Kent. He can pretty much do it all...but that is also his biggest weakness (besides Kryptonite, of course). Because he can do it all, he is often blind to his need for others in his life. Superman husband doesn't have a lot of superhero friends and also has a hard time allowing himself to even need his wife. His self-sufficiency can also make it very hard for him to seek or recieve counsel from anyone...He is Superman afterall..

6. Batman - The Caped Crusader...What wife wouldn't want her husband to come with awesome sound effects everytime he does something awesome. BLAM!! POWEE!! and a dozen roses are waiting for you at the office. KABLOWEE!! SHABLAM!! and a beautiful dinner is waiting for you when you get home.... Batman is awesome cause he has a whole belt full of gadgets. In fact, Batman doesn't even have any super human powers...he's just really good with all of his cool toys. Batman's only weakness is that he's completely reliant on his toys. You can be having a romantic dinner and all of the sudden, Batman is reaching for his utility belt and begins texting on his communicator (or cell phone)...there may not even be an emergency..he just doesn't know how to function without his gadgets..

which superhero are you?

Beauty Re-defined

I am proud to be the older brother of a great photographer. He recently came up with a concept called help-portrait where he along with other photographer all over the country take their very unique gift set and use it to do something great for people who are in very difficult circumstances. These photographers go to folks who are in need (homeless shelters, children's homes, etc.) and they do photo shoots with the people there treating them like celebrities, even going so far as to bring stylists and make-up artists to give these men and women the full 'diva/divo pampering' treatment. You can see what they do in the following video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9tu1XrBn3A

What strikes me most about this whole project is how beautiful these people really are. I don't say that with any kind to patronizing undertone. I truly mean it. I see the lines and the stories in these people's faces and I am overwhelmed by the incredible beauty that is there. I also realize how so much of what society calls and celebrates as beautiful really is not. When I see women on the covers of magazines, there is nothing about their perfect faces that make me wonder what they have experienced or seen. I don't see the same knowing (whether good or bad) in their eyes that I see in the eyes of the men and women in these pictures. It struck me to the point that in one of the photos, I saw a man posing as if he were in an Old Navy add and it was so different from what I normally would see that it made me realize that my eye was drawn to this guy's countenance and I would definitely take notice if I were thumbing through a catalogue. I don't know if it was the story in his face or his body language that radiated a bit of 'swagger' while still not being unapproachable and out of reach.

Maybe the advertising world should take notice. I think people's pallets are ready for something different to catch their eye. I would love to see an Old Navy catalogue that read more like a story book than a manequinn display.

Hiro, DVR, and a different perspective on the creation narrative

Recently, during a question and answer session at a college gathering, the question of creation vs. evolution came up and I'm not really sure what triggered it, but the character Hiro Nakamura and my DVR remote came to mind when I begin to try to understand the creation narrative. I guess the reason they both came to mind is that one of the major conflicts between creation vs. evolution is the argument that all of the geographical patterns seem to indicate that the earth was formed over a much longer time than a simple 24 hour day that is referenced in the Genesis account (and even then, I'm not sure that the word for 'day' in Genesis is specifically giving a specific amount of hours but that is a different argument altogether).

First of all, let me say that I don't doubt for a minute that God could have spoken the world into existence and in the time that it takes to exhale, the world was. God is big enough to do that and that is the bottom line of all of this...He did it. But I also think that our understanding of the whole argument is laden with assumptions and this is where the randomness of Hiro and the DVR remote come into play.

If you don't watch the show, Heroes, I need to explain the character Hiro to you. Hiro is a character who has the power to teleport back and forth through time but he also has the ability to stop time and move freely while the rest of the world is frozen in suspended animation. Basically, it's like Hiro has a DVR remote for life and he can simply hit the pause button and everything that is live pauses.

When we think about time and creation, we assume that God is bound and exists within it. We assume that during the 24 hour day of creation, God was bound by that time period....but what if God was making the earth and simply said "time out"? He could have taken eternity to make the earth (because He is eternal) and when He was done, he could simply hit the 'play' button and time would resume and the earth would be formed and by all scientific specifications, created in a twenty four hour time period...or less. I can just see God walking around the earth as it is frozen and hovering in space; studying it, molding it, shaping it, becoming small enough to walk on it's mountains, and then becoming big enough to reshape the very same mountains with His fingers. I think it would be consistent with God's revealed nature to say that He savored every moment of creating everything. He pondered and poured over every bit of it. And it could have happened in a moment and in a millenium all at once because He is God.

I think it can be helpful to wrestle with the whole question of 'creation vs. evolution' but I also think it is very pointless from a human perspective. There is so much information that we don't have. We can barely grasp the things that God has revealed directly to us about who He is, how in the world could we ever comprehend the things that He doesn't deem necessary to explain(and for our own good I'm sure). He simply tells us that He created all of it in six days and my guess is that He tells us in this way with those words because it is in terms that we can understand but I also believe that those words are exactly and fully true.

The Navy Seal Trident and Phillipians 1:18-30

I like to think that if I had not gone into ministry that I might have ended up in the military. I even like to convince myself that I might have even been special forces material....yes, delusions of grandeur, I know. These delusions were quickly shattered when I recently read a book written by a former Navy Seal who was the only survivor left from his Seal Team after a battle in Afghanistan. In the book, the author talks about the training process that Navy Seals have to go through to become a Seal and I realized that....well, I'm a panzy and I wouldn't have made it. The sleep deprivation alone would have caused me to "ring the bell" and give up (not to mention, cry like a girl the entire time).
The author then went on to describe the honor and the privilege that it was for a Seal to be able to wear the Trident badge that is only awarded to those who have come through the fire of Seal Training. He explained that only those who wear the Trident could truly appreciate its meaning and worth.

After listening to a message at our church on Sunday, I realized that the truths in the Bible are very much like the Seal Trident....allow me to explain.

This past week, a church planter spoke at our church. Just after accepting the call to move from Florida to Syracuse, NY to plant a church, He and his wife received very bad news. His wife had been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer and her chances of survival were not good. They decided to follow God's call on their lives anyway and moved to Syracuse. This past summer, she passed away and He was left with four young children and a church in its infancy stage.

As He spoke this past Sunday, I very quickly understood that he knew things about suffering for the cause of Christ that very few do. He spoke from Phillipians 1:18-30 where Paul talks about his hope that God will use his sufferings for the cause of Christ. I have to think that when this church planter reads this passage, he understands the true gravity and depth of what Paul is talking about. He not only knows what it means, but he has experienced, at least in part, what it takes to be able to pen such words. This passage would be his Trident badge. He has walked and is walking through this fire and he is and will come through it victoriously.

it kinda makes me wonder...up to this point in my life, what "badges" of scripture could I wear because I have truly experienced the weight and gravity of their truth?

A Beautiful Accent

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." NIV Bible.

Yesterday, after our church service, I had the opportunity to spend some time in conversation with a man who was baptized in our service. He had moved to the United States from Scotland and he spoke with a beautiful Scottish brogue that reaked of masculinity and history. His accent made me feel as if I were talking to someone from another time and place and I secretly wished that I had an accent like his. He told me the story of how God had changed his life.....so much so, that he was now out of a job.....allow me to explain.

Before coming to know Christ, my new friend was a salesman. Apparently, he was a very good salesman and based on his own telling, had no problem decieving or shortchanging a customer in order to get the sale. After recieving Christ, he found that he could no longer ignore his conscience (apparently, the Holy Spirit speaks much louder than the unredeemed conscience) and started telling customers the truth about the product that he was selling. The company that he was working for did not like the fact that he was actually looking out for the customer and they eventually fired him.

I have to be honest, it was so refreshing to hear his story because in our American christian culture, I don't hear stories like his enough. It wasn't like he was trying to make some grandiose "stand" for Jesus. He just simply could not be deceptive any longer, even at the risk of losing his job, because he was truly a new creature acting out of a new nature.

I am so glad that my friend has come to Christ in America but I hope that he does not assimilate too deeply into the American christian culture because if he does, he may learn the fine art of compartmentalization and learn to say things like "well, that's just the business and that's how it's done" or "this is just a necessary part of sales and everyone knows that exaggerating and telling half truths is what a salesman is supposed to do".

I pray that my new friend's beautiful accent will never diminish and that it will be symbollic of a life that people envy because it reminds them of the reality that there truly is another time and another place to be lived for.

A New Currency

Matthew 25:34-36 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'" New International Version Bible



The value of the "almighty" dollar seems to be not so "almighty" these days. Because of the current state of the U.S. economy, the value of dollar fluctuates frequently and there is much conversation of moving to a new global currency. All of this serves as a sobering reminder that cash, in and of itself, is only a symbol of value. It was designed to be a representation of the assets that we actually have, not the asset itself.



Strangely enough, our current monetary system has greatly influenced the way I think about giving. Most of the time, when I think about giving, I am immediately frustrated because I can't give as much as I would like to give due to the amount of dollars that I have in the bank. Does the dollar amount in my bank account truly represent what I am able to give? I don't really have an oppinion about whether the global financial system should move away from the dollar but I may need to personally consider a new form of currency.



In Matthew 25, Jesus gives a picture of what exemplary giving looks like and it is definitely not limited to money. If you are going to feed someone or give them something to drink, it might cost you a little bit of money but it will also cost you something else. If you want to clothe someone or take them into your house, you may incur a small financial expense but it will cost you even more in another form of currency. To take care of someone who is sick and to visit someone in prison will probably not cost you a whole lot of money but will require a very costly investment of one of your most valuable resources...your time.



This thought has become very liberating for me. I don't have to limit my giving to the money that I have in my bank account (don't get me wrong, that does not get me off of the hook of constantly streamlining my finances so that I can give as much money as possible). This especially becomes applicable when I think about using the "handy man" skills that I have recently been learning. How much money could I save a family that is living below the poverty line if I am able to go in and make substantial improvements to the physical structure of their house? If I go over and take care of a bathroom plumbing problem for the widow in my neighborhood, how much money have I given her now that she will not have to pay the expense of having a plumber come to her house? When I think about giving in this light, the possibilities grow limitless. The financial equivalent of what I can potentially give becomes exponential regardless of the current state of the "sometimes mighty dollar".