SEEING THE POTENTIAL

On Monday, my friend Chris with Heart of Africa made the trip down to Columbus from Fort Wayne (3 hours) to demonstrate a SmartBox to a group of business men and women at my BNI meeting early Tuesday morning. 

Two weeks ago when I had asked him if he was willing to make the drive, Chris didn't hesitate. But Monday afternoon I started wondering if it was really worth his time to make a trip just to sit through a 90 minute meeting where he would get to show off the SmartBox before and after for just a few minutes. 

The SmartBox is a computer lab in a box - an ingenious configuration of 20 Chromebooks linked to a 1 TB hard drive via a self-contained router. The hard drive hosts a full K through 12 curriculum, maps, Bible studies, typing programs, and even full books. 

A single SmartBox could revolutionize the education of kids in the typical wooden bench in a tin roof shack village school in the developing world. 

It certainly sounds like a good idea.

And my experience with Chris at the BNI meeting reminded me that there really is something to "seeing is believing". He and the Box were both very well received. 

To see it in person really gets people dreaming of the potential and wanting to be a part of such an inspired idea. 

Sherri and Roger (left) were the last to leave the meeting after extended conversation with Chris (right) 

The BNI group and other individuals are working to fund a SmartBox for a pioneering educator named Samuel Yeboah and his Beacon School in Ghana. (Each SmartBox costs $8,000 to produce.) God willing, we will be taking it with us two weeks from now and delivering it in person.

If you are interested in jumping on board with this project, I have set up a fundraising site at https://givebutter.com/smartbox . We would be so grateful for your support!

We are currently 67% of the way to our goal. 

NOT ENOUGH TIME

I can't even cope with November's arrival the day after tomorrow. When I get my computer back, I need to get serious about moving forward with my dissertation. 

I reserved a date for my youth retreat which is supposed to become the cornerstone of my project. And I feel pretty confident that I can get my curriculum together by the time that weekend rolls around at the end of January.

BUT - I still have not reworked my prospectus and there's no guarantee that it will be quickly or automatically accepted when I do. 

And at this point, it has been so long since I last worked on the prospectus, I am not even sure I can remember what I need to do to address my professor's original criticisms.

The time crunch makes me very anxious - especially since I leave two weeks from tomorrow for a 10 day trip to Ghana. That means these next two weeks will be extra busy. And then I will return and step right into Thanksgiving!

And after Thanksgiving? I am having trouble convincing myself that I will have time and energy to do my academic work during the lead up to Christmas! (And rightly so!)

Often, writing things out like this helps to ease my anxiety, but tonight ... not so much. 

ABSENTMINDED

I was a bonehead today and invited extra stress into my life.

And the day was going so well.

My friend Chris drove down last night from Fort Wayne - a nearly 3 hour trip. His mission was to demonstrate the SmartBox to my business networking group this morning at our 7:00 am meeting today. 

We left the house right on time, I threw my computer bag in his back seat and we drove to the Moose Lodge downtown. 

The meeting was fantastic. There was much interest in the SmartBox and we got a thousand dollar donation toward the $8,000 we are trying to raise to take one to Ghana with us in November. 

After the meeting Chris and I made a quick stop at home so I could grab my van to follow him up to another appointment in Indy. I had to drive myself since Chris would be continuing on home up north after we finished.

THAT meeting was also fantastic and raised even more funds toward our goal. 

Chris and I then had lunch and conversation before I drove the hour back home.

It wasn't until I pulled into my drive that I remembered my computer bag was still in Chris's backseat, now 2 hours north of me and speeding on to Fort Wayne! 

So I am typing this on my phone while I go through laptop withdrawal. 

This is bad. I have never been separated from my computer over night. 😉

The frustrating thing is that I didn't even need my computer today - I am just in the habit of taking it with me when I leave the house. 

COLLEGE VISIT

A little after 9:00 this morning, I picked Sarah up from her high school and drove an hour west to Bloomington for her first college visit: Indiana University. 

Currently she is thinking of following in her big sister's footsteps, pursuing a degree in interior design. She's also very interested in keeping the door open to further experience in fine arts. (She has really enjoyed working with ceramics these past few years.) 

It took me back to a visit I made to Herron School of Art in Indianapolis with my parents a few decades ago. Herron was on my list of possible schools, but it dropped quickly from my parents' list when my dad asked the admissions office what percentage of graduates went on to find employment related to their major.

The Herron representative hemmed and hawed a bit and then gave a percentage that brought a pronounced "I thought so" look to my dad's eyes. 

As I remember it, that was the end of any consideration of Herron. 

I ended up at Wabash pursuing a teaching degree - a more pragmatic choice.

I don't want this to sound like a criticism of my parents - they meant well - but today as I sat by Sarah during a presentation of IU's art school division, I thought, "If these people told me only 20% of the graduates end up in anything close to their dream jobs, it wouldn't bother me one bit - because Sarah's the type who will rise to the top."

I don't need a whole lot of faith in any particular school when I have plenty of faith in my kids. 

(Something like 91% of IU's artistic types end up employed or accepted to graduate programs, by the way. So ... All the better.)

TIME WITH THE BOYS

Caleb came home from El Paso for his mom's birthday weekend and Samuel was back from his trip out West and so we had 5 of the 6 of us together for a couple of days.

Caleb arrived in time to catch Melissa after school Thursday and before Sarah's big senior project/talent show/fundraiser at North High School.

Sarah was glad to have both brothers, Grandma Trudy, and Uncle D and Aunt Crystal in the audience, along with other friends.

She pulled together several acts with a variety of talent, fed them all pizza, introduced each act and performed in the final one herself. In the end she raised $360 for the performing arts program at her school.

On Saturday we got to spend time with Grandma and other family members at a little family reunion gathering at the Ogilville Fire Department. 

In the evening, Sarah went to work and Melissa and I drove to an apple orchard/winery in southern Indiana with the two boys. A super pleasant evening and a cherished family tradition that we rarely have everyone together for these days. Melissa and I were glad to take what we could get. 

(It's difficult to get a normal photo of Samuel sometimes.) 

Today we ended up with more time together than expected when Caleb's flight back to Texas got delayed. It caused Caleb some anxiety, but I wasn't complaining. 

Besides, it gave me one of my favorite moments from the whole weekend...

Samuel has been packing up things to to take with him to Atlanta, Georgia tomorrow - he's planning to move in with some friends down there and then look for a job somewhere in the area or with a distant company that will allow him to work remotely.

So Caleb (23) and Samuel (21) both decided that they would love to take a couple of their old Lego sets to put on the shelves of their new homes. I knew exactly where the Lego collection was and we pulled a big old suitcase out of the garage and onto the deck in the backyard.

The boys started poking through all the pieces and reminiscing and before you knew it, they were crouched down, searching for disconnected pieces and reassembling Star Wars space ships. 

And Melissa and I were transported back in time for a few precious moments:

THE MIKVEH

One of the big questions I have had since becoming an American Baptist has been this: since we don't see baptism referenced anywhere in the Old Testament, where does the ritual come from? 

I had never found the answer until researching this week's sermon. 

The only Jewish ritual which comes close to what John was practicing before the start of Jesus' earthly ministry was the mikveh, submersion in water that was used in two broad ways:

1) As a periodic cleaning from impurity. (Like after a woman gave birth.)

Or 2) The conversion of a Gentile to the Jewish religion.

The second use is the closest to what John the Baptist was doing. His was meant as a one time turning away from past sins and toward God and new life. This was exactly what the Jewish mikveh represented for the Gentile.

But if baptism was like the conversion use of mikveh, consider the ramifications!

John was saying in essence, "It's not enough to have Abraham as your father - you are still sinners. Just like the Gentile sinners, you need to turn from your sins and get right with God."

You can see why those who came to John proved to be open to Jesus while others - among the Pharisees and Sadducees - took great offense at the practice!

ENSLAVEMENT

The book of Genesis ends with Joseph's rise to power in Egypt and all of his family joining him there to enjoy the prosperity of the land.

The book of Exodus begins with an acknowledgment of how quickly things can change: 

Exodus 1:6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

Now, I know that there are a lot of parallels between the way God rescued Israel from Egyptian slavery in the Old Testament and God's overall mission of rescuing humanity from slavery to sin, but I don't think I have ever noticed some of the earlier parallels.

Isn't it interesting that when Israel started to do what God had commanded - to be fruitful and multiply and rule over the earth - it makes Pharaoh suspicious ... and jealous?

It's almost as if Pharaoh is in the role of Satan as it played out in the garden as well as Satan as he attempts to trip up each human ever since.

Apparently, his go-to tactic for keeping us tied down and unable to live up to God's call on our lives has always been to enslave us!

THE FIRST PROPHET

The first time the word "prophet" shows up in Scripture is Genesis 20:7. Fascinatingly, it is Abraham who is the first to be called a prophet by God.

The word pops up in a dialogue which the Lord has with King Abimelech after the king has taken Sarah into his household - because Abraham said she was his sister rather than his wife.

(It's surprising how quick Abraham was to throw Sarah under the bus whenever he got scared!) 

Anyway, God appears to Abimelech in a dream and says, "Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Isn't it interesting that the term "prophet" comes out of left field and isn't explained? And, as far as I know, this is the only time Abraham is referred to as a prophet of God. 

So what exactly qualifies someone as a prophet?

Whatever it means, it obviously doesn't describe a person who is perfect or lacking in sin - Abraham created a lot of trouble by lying about Sarah. 

IT MUST BE HATE

Yesterday I wrote about Tim Mackie's contention that "Existence is a gift".

It occurred to me that this is not a sentiment that a Calvinist could ever affirm. Not logically anyway.

After all, according to Calvinism, a great multitude of human beings throughout history were planned and created for the express purpose of being consigned eternally to Hell. They are there to give God a platform to demonstrate His justice in the face of sin. 

This supposedly "brings God glory", but for all those reprobates who pay the price, it is certainly a bum deal. They didn't ask to be born. They are just there to absorb God's wrath. 

The closest I ever got to convincing a Calvinist that his system was faulty was when I asked him, "Why does God hate so many people?"

He had always held the assumption that God loves all people, but the question stumped him because he was honest enough to admit that there is no logical way to hold the proposition that God loves people whom He brings into existence just so He can eternally damn them. 

I think my friend later put the question out of his mind so that he could continue to hold his Calvinistic systematic theology. Cognitive dissonance is useful for keeping us stuck in bad belief systems.

I wonder if the question ever comes back to haunt him.

Hope so!

EXISTENCE IS A GIFT

"Existence is a Gift!" 

I heard Bible teacher Tim Mackie proclaim this truth recently and everything in me shouted "Amen!"

The tragedy of human life is that for so, so many, God's good gift of existence becomes a burden instead of a blessing.

Sometimes it is by fault of circumstances beyond our control - the time and place and family of our birth. Or genes which have gone haywire.

Sometimes life becomes a burden through our own poor choices. And the consequences which result.

But even when existence becomes a burden, we do well to remember that, as Dallas Willard writes, "the path appointed for us by when and where and to whom we were born is good, and that nothing irredeemable has happened to us or can happen to us on our way to our destiny in God's full world." (The Divine Conspiracy, p. 337)

In God's economy, redemption is always a possibility and is always close at hand.

God meant existence as a gift. A very good gift. 

And He works non-stop to reinstate that goodness for each of us, come what may.

MYRTLE BEACH TRAVELOGUE: WRAP UP

I broke my daily writing habit repeatedly over this past week. My excuses include exhaustion, illness, mild depression, self-pity, and a loss for words.

Our Fall Break trip to Myrtle Beach contained plenty of misery but it wasn't evenly distributed. I shouldn't complain too much because some family members had it much worse than me. 

Sarah got one (late) afternoon on the beach finally on Friday - and then had to fly out early Saturday morning with her friend. 

(The original plan was for Sarah to fly out with Grandma Trudy, but Grandma was still in the hospital.) 

Anyway, Sarah's flight got delayed and her 45 minute layover in Newark, New Jersey was extended to about 20 hours after she missed the connecting flight to Indy. The two teen girls got to navigate rebooking, vouchers, a hotel 35 minutes from the airport, and Lyft rides to and from. 

Very relaxing for them and all the parents watching from afar! Thankfully, she DID make it back in time for her dance team event that had prompted the flight in the first place. 

Melissa got to spend a lot of time with her mom in the hospital and making food deliveries. She alternated between fear and hope all week long as the diagnoses and prognoses changed over time.

And, of course, Trudy had it worst of all. Instead of tanning in a lounger by the pool, she spent her waking hours in a hospital bed hooked up to IVs and fighting pain, while also fretting that she had "ruined" the vacation. 

Sugar and I drove the rental van back to Indiana yesterday, leaving Trudy and Melissa behind. We still weren't sure how soon the hospital would release Trudy or if they were going to need to take more drastic steps to get her heart out of Afib. 

Praise God, today the doctors said Trudy's heart was back into proper rhythm and she could travel. So Melissa and Trudy and Melissa's brother, Darin, started driving back to Indiana. They will stop tonight and finish tomorrow, God willing. 

Before leaving Myrtle Beach, Trudy made sure she did the two things she had come for: Getting her toes in the sand and climbing the steps to see Hannah's new apartment for herself. 

Here's a little Venn Diagram I created to show how this Fall Break Trip compared to other vacations:

MYRTLE BEACH TRAVELOGUE #3

Yesterday did not go according to plan. I don't want to go into details which are not my business to share, but Grandma Trudy ended up in the ER by the end of the evening yesterday after not feeling well for the last couple of days. 

Let's just say this week has not been like past trips with Trudy - she's always been the first to be ready to head outside - to the pool or the beach or a restaurant. 

But not this week.

But Melissa spent a sleepless night with her in the ER and Trudy is sounding more like her old self this evening. 

We're hoping she will be released from the hospital and able to return to the party tomorrow. 

We would appreciate your prayers!

MYRTLE BEACH TRAVELOGUE #2

I have been so tired lately and stretched so thin that this first non-driving day of vacation was kind of forfeited ... to nothingness.

I had no desire to go anywhere or do anything. 

And nothing I actually did do required any great effort and nothing was accomplished - which I think was my subconscious goal. 

I drank coffee, walked with Melissa, sat in a hot tub, took a nap, cooked a smore, walked the dogs, and made a run to Walmart.

A gloriously unproductive day. 

Sugar wondering if palm trees house squirrels. We didn't see any.

A SIXTH SOLA

I found a new anti-Calvinism YouTuber recently hailing from New Zealand. His name is Steve Copland and he delivers well-reasoned, level-headed, and concise arguments against the major tenets of "Reformed Theology". 

Occasionally, he makes a joke, but he's so deadpan that, in my mind, it's ten times funnier than it ought to be.

His most memorable line is dependent on being familiar with the "Five Solas" which became the pillars of the Reformation:

Sola Scriptura - "only Scripture" is the proper foundation for sound doctrine (not church teaching).

Soli Deo Gloria - all of redemption is accounted "to the glory of God" alone (man gets no credit).

Sola Gratia - salvation is available through "grace alone" (not earned).

Sola Fide - salvation is through "faith alone" (not works). 

And Solus Christus - salvation is found in "Christ alone" (and no other). 

So, anyway, in acknowledging the ramifications of the Calvinist's take on predestination, Steve Copland maintains that in Calvinism one is "chosen before the foundation of the world" by God for reasons known only to him - So not only is your salvation not dependent on your works, it's ultimately not dependent on grace or faith or even Jesus in the end! 

Thus, Copland calls Calvinistic salvation "Sola Lucktora"!

MYRTLE BEACH TRAVELOGUE #1

 A short synopsis of a long day:

Awake at 5:30 to drink coffee, pray and finish sermon thoughts.

Unload dishwasher, make a waffle and fry bacon for Melissa.

8:00 am - Load luggage carrier on top of rental van, stuff in three suitcases, and strap it all down.

Shower.

9:30 - Sunday School

10:15 - I am impressed: Melissa arrives with Trudy, Sarah, Rebecca (Sarah's friend who is spending the week with us in Myrtle Beach), Sarah's boyfriend, Logan, and Sugar. 

10:30  - Worship. The dog causes quite a stir. She CANNOT relax - too much to see, too many new people.

11:00 - My sermon is on the Old Testament Law, from Deuteronomy 4:1-13.

12:00 - Logan drives my van back to Columbus. The rest of us hit the road. On our way out of Westport, we stop for some tacos at Paco's. The workers go out of their way to be fast and super helpful!

1:00ish - Finally on the road. Myrtle Beach is about 11.5 hours and we hope to complete most of it today and finish tomorrow.

5:30ish - I am driving and the low fuel warning goes off. We have just passed Charlotte, West Virginia. No exits in sight. There is great fear of running out of gas in the mountains. But God is with us and we make it to a hillbilly gas station. I'm wondering how much of what I am pumping is gas and how much is "corn squeezins". 

Dinner at Cracker Barrel and by 10:00ish we have decided to call it quits in Mt. Ary, North Carolina. 

Only 4 hours to go tomorrow!

CHEAT CODE

Instead of thinking of God's Law as some odious list of dos and don'ts which must be observed to keep on the good side of an easily offended God, we'd be smart to think of the Law as a cheat code for reality.

When the Creator of the Universe lays out a book in front of you and says, "Do this", you would be wise to heed Him, right? After all, He's the One who invented the reality.

And - if you believe what He says in that book - then you have to admit that your own understanding is 1) pretty darn limited and 2) warped by sin and Satan. 

Marvin Gaye warned us long ago: "Believe half of what you see - and none of what you hear". (And Edgar Allan Poe wrote the same thing decades before Marvin sang it.)  Surely in this post-pandemic world we have learned that we can't rely on our eyes or our ears. 

And then there's confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, and a host of logical fallacies to make our brains themselves completely unreliable. 

So how do you get in touch with deep reality? Do you "do your own research"? Where? On the internet?

As Joe Biden would say ... "C'mon, man!"

But right there on your phone, your bookshelf, and even on your hotel room night stand is God's word.

It's not meant to restrict you - it's meant to expand you. 

It's the cheat code and it's going to enable you to do things beyond your hope and imagination. 

In Deuteronomy Chapter 4, Moses tells the Israelites that the other nations are going to be jealous of them having God's Law:

5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

The other nations will see how Israel lives and think, "They must have a cheat code for reality". 

LIKE THE SUNRISE

I watched a YouTube video today entitled "Atheist SURPRISED By (Christian's) View Of SALVATION". 

It was posted by the Christian and after watching it, I wondered why he didn't delete it instead.

He didn't look too great. The atheist, on the other hand, seemed emboldened by the conversation rather than surprised.

A large part of the conversation centered on the atheist asking the Christian what reason he had for believing in the Bible's description of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

The Christian didn't really have a great response. It was like he had never thought of it before.

It's a good question and I was sympathetic to this guy struggling to answer because it's tough being put on the spot in that way. 

I tried to imagine myself in his shoes and ask myself what I would say.

It IS hard to make the case for believing in presumed firsthand accounts from 2,000 years ago of a miraculous occurence like a resurrection in an age when you know you can't even trust the evening news. Even if it is accompanied by video.

So I think I would have leaned on one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes:

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

The longer I live, the more convinced I am that what I read in Scripture is the Truth. 

For all of the Bible's claims about life and human nature and God, I have yet to see even one of them shown to be false, shallow, or misleading. 

So why wouldn't I trust what it says about Jesus?

RIGHTNOW

Our Indiana/Kentucky region of the American Baptist Church recently made a deal with RightNow Media, "the world's largest library of Bible study video resources". 

It's a subscription service where the church pays a flat monthly due based on church size. The church is then able to distribute access to the media across its membership at no extra cost. 

So ABC churches are being offered a discount and all the area pastors had a Zoom call the other day with one of RightNow's sales reps. He showed us all the tens of thousands of videos in their library. 

It's impressive.

The sales rep assured us that they have the highest standards for screening the content on their platform.

But what does he mean by that? 

He said they feature only biblically sound teaching. 

BUT as the biggest names flashed by, I noticed at least half of the featured teachers are Calvinists. 

I understand the challenges involved in pulling together a diverse group of Bible teachers all under one roof - especially when one man's "biblically sound doctrine" is another man's heresy.

And I'm not saying that I could never find value in something being taught by a Calvinist teacher. 

But they do have a particular theology and anthropology which tend to color their teaching even when it's not directly touching the "5 Points".

And I think that is something worth guarding against.

Maybe it would be helpful to have descriptions on each video in the RightNow library with theological biases listed. 

NO HARM

Over the last couple of years, my appreciation for Mission Resource's approach to ministry has only deepened. We offer microloans to struggling businessmen and women - mostly in Ghana, West Africa. Many have pointed out that there is a huge difference between offering a hand UP and a hand OUT.

I saw plenty of handouts during my time in Haiti - some coming from my own pocket. And there is a time and place for straight up gifts of money and resources.

But you sure do see a lot of helplessness fostered by such handouts over time. Not to mention dependency and even entitlement.

I was thinking the other day that we often assume the cure for poverty is just an injection of money. But it's rarely that simple and straightforward. Poverty is at least as complex as any disease and every situation is different and deserving of careful diagnosis.

And the missionary/philanthropist ought to abide by the rule which governs medical doctors: First, do no harm. 

3 INGREDIENTS

Each week I get 60 seconds to promote Mission Resource’s work to businessmen and women at the local Business Network International chapter meeting. I always use this as my tagline: “Mission Resource – where we put your charitable dollars to work!”  

I figure that if anyone values hard work, it is this group of 20 entrepreneurs. I always want to assure them that donations to Mission Resource bless some of the hardest working people on this planet.

It has been two years since I first visited Ghana to see our staff and clients in action. I remember being struck by the diligence, energy, and dedication of these brothers and sisters - and feeling a growing pride in being a part of a ministry providing the raw materials necessary for their work. All in Jesus’ name. 

It is quite miraculous to witness: When Mission Resource puts a loan in their hard-working hands, they use it to create wealth. At the end of a year’s span, the money is repaid to the loan fund … but now there is a sewing machine, a boat, or a shop sitting where there was nothing before. And that miracle brings untold blessing to our clients, their families, their communities, and their churches. 

That miracle has three simple but necessary ingredients: 1) God’s blessing, 2) our staff and clients’ hard work, and 3) the generosity of believers here in the United States. 

I consider it a privilege to be involved weekly in promoting #3. 

For about 10 days come mid-November, I will once again get to witness firsthand the miracle in its fullness as all three ingredients are combined there in Ghana. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it!

BE CAREFUL WHO YOU ASK

Public Service Announcement for Believers:

Whenever you type a Biblical question into Google, one of the top returns - almost always in the first 5 - is going to be from GotQuestions.org.

According to their website, they currently average 22 million visits each month.

They operate under the pretense of objectivity in giving straightforward answers from Scripture.

But know this: the site is Calvinistic.

And worse than garden variety Calvinists - these people are stealth Calvinists.

Need proof?

Check out their page on Calvinism versus Arminianism - it has both text and a well-organized animated video which maintains the appearance of neutrality. 

However, several of the premises at work are faulty (including the starting point: the impression that Calvinism and Arminianism are the only two options). 

In the end, the video espouses "compatibilism" - saying that the way God maintains absolute sovereignty (where He predetermines EVERYTHING) while giving humans genuine choice is a "mystery". 

Of course they never use the term "compatibilism" because that would be a dead giveaway of their Calvinist leanings. 

The site ought to have a warning label.

AVOIDING NEGOTIATIONS

"90 percent of success is not getting distracted." 

"The person who carefully designs their daily routine goes further than the person who negotiates with themselves every day."

Both of these lines jumped out at me from an email newsletter called Brain Food, by Shane Parrish.

I am one who can "negotiate" with himself all morning, every day if I allow it. Some days it's not as intense as others, but I find that any amount of negotiating ends in paralysis.

I have been feeling for some time that I need a morning routine beyond drinking coffee and then making breakfast for Melissa and Sarah.

Once they head out for school is when the negotiating starts. 

I do know the centerpiece to a solid morning routine MUST be Scripture and prayer. 

When I go straight to the Bible first thing in the morning, it tends to ground me for the day in all the deeper realities of life. 

I guess it's not surprising that if I don't go there first, the doors are thrown open to negotiations and distractions.

In other words, small thinking. 

THE GOD WHO BLEEDS

Tomorrow at Sardinia Baptist, we are doing it all: singing, praying, preaching, communing, and baptizing.

We've been looking at the major themes of the Old Testament and how they deepen our understanding of the gospel and what faith and discipleship is all about. 

Last week we were looking at the Lord's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. The fascinating part of that story is the way God puts Abraham into a deep sleep before the actual ratification of the covenant. 

Only God - in the form of a smoking stove - passes between the halves of the animals which Abraham butchered. Typically in these ancient covenants, both parties walked between the halves of the animals. The agreement was in effect: "You can trust me. If I ever betray you or this promise, may what happened to these animals be done to me."

It seems that God spared Abraham from making such a promise, knowing full well that Abraham - and his descendants - would never be able to uphold their end of a proper covenant.

OR perhaps we are to understand the scene in this way: God passes through the slaughtered animals on behalf of Himself AND Abraham. 

Perhaps there is a foreshadowing here of God the Son, living the perfect and sinless human life but paying the price of all the human betrayal throughout history - His body broken and His blood poured out. 

The God who bleeds and dies on behalf of His creation. 

This is the New Covenant.

TIME TO UNWIND

In a week and two days, God willing, Melissa, Sarah, and I - and hopefully Grandma Trudy - will be heading to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to visit Hannah. We will be staying at a time share not too far from her apartment. 

Our plan is to drive part of the way after church and arrive at the beach on Monday.

Hannah will be working during the days, so we will have to find ways to occupy ourselves until evenings. Shouldn't be too hard, I imagine. 

Usually I am not too keen on spending time sitting on a beach or by a pool, but I am so desperate right now for a vacation that vegetating sounds absolutely wonderful to me.

The funny thing is that my "need" for a vacation doesn't spring from any particular job stress and it certainly isn't a result of job dissatisfaction. 

I'm just uptight. 

And as I write this tonight, it is helping me put my finger on the problem:

Because I have two main jobs and both offer largely flexible hours - and both could easily be fulltime - I never feel like my work is done. I don't get large chunks of time - like an entire weekend - to turn my attention elsewhere.

Maybe THAT is the appeal of getting out of town for a full week. 

I mean, beyond spending time with my oldest daughter and the rest of my family. ;-)

35 BUCKS?!

Is this better described as unintentional irony on the part of Hobby Lobby ...

Or intentional chutzpah on the part of the Chinese?

Can you imagine what good could be accomplished if every Christian in this country took the money they "budgeted" for Christmas presents, decorations, and food and spent it on Kingdom work instead?

I suppose there's a good chance it would crash the world economy, though.

So what can you do? 

P.S. I just realized the punctuation is off. It's missing a comma and one set of quotation marks. How could anyone buy this??? 

(And how did I not notice when I saw this on the shelf? My English teacher radar must be getting rusty.)