I must admit I love the NBA or any basketball for that matter. I have been a supporter of the Lakers since 1979. I enjoy all the skill, the courage and the personalities and yes, I do enjoy it when my team wins. But this just wasn't their year. They did extremely well but they came in second. In the minds of many second is just not very good at all. But, think about it. To come in second in the most elite basketball competition in the world is pretty extraordinary.
I'm just sad it is over. At least this year we have the Olympic competition. And there is always next year. The cry of the basketball-a-holic.
Father's Day in America
It's not on the same date as in Australia but it did remind me of this article I wrote a while back. Then I heard of Tim Russert's sudden death today and I thought I would publish the article again. Tim loved his father, Big Rus. In fact he wrote a best selling book about him. His reminisces about his father motivated me to write this article.
I was just listening to the radio in my car and Tim Russert, the host of Meet the Press, was on talking about his new book which is an account of his relationship with his father.
It struck me in two ways. It made me think of my own father and the things we did together and how he affected me. It also made me think of my heavenly father and how He has affected me.
Fishing. That’s what I think of when I think of my dad. Nothing fancy. Not even fishing poles. He would take my brother and I down to the Mary River near Gympie in Queensland, Australia. It was invariably on a Saturday morning. We had spent Friday evening digging up earthworms from dad’s garden to use as bait. Often this was more fun than the fishing. If the fishing lines weren’t up to scratch we would wind new line on to them. They consisted of an 8 inch piece of 2 x 1 wood with a notch in each end. We would wind fishing line on to them and tie on a sinker and a hook. For boys who spent very little time with their father it was such a great time.
In the shade of some gum trees we would throw our lines in and tie them to stakes and wait for them to go loose, a sure sign that a catfish had taken the bait. They were ugly fish and boy did they taste terrible unless you soaked them in marinade for days but that didn’t matter. We would sit there quietly (we didn’t want to scare the fish) and watch the water. Dad didn’t say much to us at the best of times unless he’d one too many at the pub. While we were fishing he said even less.
It didn’t matter. Dad was doing something with us and that made us happy. We didn’t analyse it. We just enjoyed it. Every few weeks we would beg dad to take us fishing. More often than not, he wouldn’t. He’d be too busy with work or golf. That didn’t bother us. He did love us and we felt it. After all he had taken us fishing.
When I was baptized into Christ the first thing I said to my father when I saw him was, “I have another father now.” I don’t know why I said that. I hadn’t planned to. It just came out. I think it hurt him though he didn’t show any signs of such pain.
My dad had always taught me that the only reasonable position an educated person could take was that there is a God who created and designed this world. He wasn’t a religious man. In fact he ridiculed organized religion. However he couldn’t reasonably let go of a belief in the creator God. His logic reminded me later in my walk with Christ of Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20).
When you look at this world you learn something about your heavenly father. The Roman letter doesn’t speak of us learning about His existence although that can be easily learned from the creation. It says that it teaches us of the Father’s eternal power and divine nature. In considering that power and that nature I learn something of my relationship to Him.
He made me. Yes, I know He made all people but He did make me to. He made a world just right for me. He cares for me. Otherwise He wouldn’t have made me and provided for me.
Often I sit by the bank of the river of my life and God sits there with me. He doesn’t say much. I think that He thinks it would scare me. It probably would. In the silence I feel loved. He can’t explain too much to me but just His presence in my life makes me feel happy. I am one of three sons and I have three sons but this is not a male thing. God, the Father, walks very closely with us (Acts 17:27) and wants us to be utterly convinced of at least one thing. He loves us as no earthly father can love. He is never too busy with work or golf. He is totally and utterly devoted to me.
When you next look at the creation, whether it be a grand vista or the eyes of your children, see this message. He loves you. He cares. He has no vested interest in caring. You have nothing to offer Him that would benefit Him and yet He loves you passionately. He cares because that is who he is. He is love.
When this realization hits you, there is only one thing you can do. Worship Him. Bow down. You are in the presence of God, the Father. This is holy ground. Bow down and worship your Father. He loves it when you do that. He doesn’t need it but He loves it.
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Does this make sense to you? I don’t know about you. All I know is that it came to me as I was thinking about my Father.
I was just listening to the radio in my car and Tim Russert, the host of Meet the Press, was on talking about his new book which is an account of his relationship with his father.
It struck me in two ways. It made me think of my own father and the things we did together and how he affected me. It also made me think of my heavenly father and how He has affected me.
Fishing. That’s what I think of when I think of my dad. Nothing fancy. Not even fishing poles. He would take my brother and I down to the Mary River near Gympie in Queensland, Australia. It was invariably on a Saturday morning. We had spent Friday evening digging up earthworms from dad’s garden to use as bait. Often this was more fun than the fishing. If the fishing lines weren’t up to scratch we would wind new line on to them. They consisted of an 8 inch piece of 2 x 1 wood with a notch in each end. We would wind fishing line on to them and tie on a sinker and a hook. For boys who spent very little time with their father it was such a great time.
In the shade of some gum trees we would throw our lines in and tie them to stakes and wait for them to go loose, a sure sign that a catfish had taken the bait. They were ugly fish and boy did they taste terrible unless you soaked them in marinade for days but that didn’t matter. We would sit there quietly (we didn’t want to scare the fish) and watch the water. Dad didn’t say much to us at the best of times unless he’d one too many at the pub. While we were fishing he said even less.
It didn’t matter. Dad was doing something with us and that made us happy. We didn’t analyse it. We just enjoyed it. Every few weeks we would beg dad to take us fishing. More often than not, he wouldn’t. He’d be too busy with work or golf. That didn’t bother us. He did love us and we felt it. After all he had taken us fishing.
When I was baptized into Christ the first thing I said to my father when I saw him was, “I have another father now.” I don’t know why I said that. I hadn’t planned to. It just came out. I think it hurt him though he didn’t show any signs of such pain.
My dad had always taught me that the only reasonable position an educated person could take was that there is a God who created and designed this world. He wasn’t a religious man. In fact he ridiculed organized religion. However he couldn’t reasonably let go of a belief in the creator God. His logic reminded me later in my walk with Christ of Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20).
When you look at this world you learn something about your heavenly father. The Roman letter doesn’t speak of us learning about His existence although that can be easily learned from the creation. It says that it teaches us of the Father’s eternal power and divine nature. In considering that power and that nature I learn something of my relationship to Him.
He made me. Yes, I know He made all people but He did make me to. He made a world just right for me. He cares for me. Otherwise He wouldn’t have made me and provided for me.
Often I sit by the bank of the river of my life and God sits there with me. He doesn’t say much. I think that He thinks it would scare me. It probably would. In the silence I feel loved. He can’t explain too much to me but just His presence in my life makes me feel happy. I am one of three sons and I have three sons but this is not a male thing. God, the Father, walks very closely with us (Acts 17:27) and wants us to be utterly convinced of at least one thing. He loves us as no earthly father can love. He is never too busy with work or golf. He is totally and utterly devoted to me.
When you next look at the creation, whether it be a grand vista or the eyes of your children, see this message. He loves you. He cares. He has no vested interest in caring. You have nothing to offer Him that would benefit Him and yet He loves you passionately. He cares because that is who he is. He is love.
When this realization hits you, there is only one thing you can do. Worship Him. Bow down. You are in the presence of God, the Father. This is holy ground. Bow down and worship your Father. He loves it when you do that. He doesn’t need it but He loves it.
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Does this make sense to you? I don’t know about you. All I know is that it came to me as I was thinking about my Father.
LA, Lakers and Life
I am sitting in a MacDonalds as I wait to pick up my brother and sister in law from LAX. I am trying not to listen to the guy nearby who is talking to his aged mother (I assume). He sounds just like Wood Allen. Sometimes I like to people watch and every time I do I am blown away by all the different kinds of humans there are. The diversity is absolutely amazing.
And every single one of them God loves. Jesus died for every one of them. And yet so few know of G0d's love. But that won't stop God trying to get through to them. I have just got to learn to recognize their likeness to God rather than the external appearance.
Game 2, Western Conference Final tonight! An where will I be? At a Dodger Game. Don't know how I worked that out. Go Lakers!
LA is usually sunny, warm and very pleasant this time of year. Today it is overcast, rainy and very unpleasant. I'm not complaining. Well, maybe a little. If I wanted weather like this I would live in New York. OK, got that out of my system. I just love the way God, every so often, says to us that He is God and He gets to say what happens. There is nothing like a tornado, a storm and thunder to remind you of His power and our dependence on Him.
A Light In Livermore
It made me think. We Christians are to be light to this dark world (Matthew 5:14). Yes, we are. But can we learn a lesson from the “long-lived light bulb of Livermore”? Oh, yes we can.
God puts us in the places where He wants us (Acts 17:26). That refers to where we live, where we build our church buildings and lot more that we probably don’t give Him credit. Whether I understand this or not, I do know why He has put us here to shine the light. We are the light of the world and we must shine.
One of the reasons put forward as to why the Livermore light bulb keeps on shining is that it never gets turned off. It does nothing but shine 24 hours a day. Now that’s another lesson for us, isn’t it. We have got to stop turning the light of God on and off. We aren’t just lights to the world on Sunday morning. We aren’t just lights when we are around Christians who know us. We are to be lights in the dark places. We are to be lights even when no one knows us.
As a church we must be light to the world. We must stop going through spasms of evangelism during which we turn the light of God on and then after some growth turn it off again. We are to be the witnesses of Christ every single day of every single year that God gives us.
The Livermore light bulb does what it can. It can only shine incandescently. No neon. No fluorescence. We are different. We can shine so many different ways. God puts it this way. “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22). We must shine however we can. It may be in a meal served to the needy . It may be in a good word for Jesus when someone asks what you did on the weekend. It may be in going the extra mile for a neighbor who really irritates you. It may be in an illuminated sign in front of the church building. It may be in an uplifting time of worship. It may be in teaching a Bible class. We aren’t like the Livermore light bulb. We don’t just shine in our fire house. We shine in the whole world that God has given us.
Where do you shine your light? I know we shine everywhere but are there times or places when you consciously to try and make sure you shine your light? Don’t know? That’s okay. Just shine. Shine. Shine.
The Forgotten Ways
I have been reading Alan Hirsch's book, The Forgotten Ways, this week. It is a great read. He does get behind the jargon and uses his personal experience to take you through the journey of how to reach the huge majority of people in our society who have no interest in the Constantine form of church. He doesn't get caught up in that whole theoretical, academic and overly jargonized presentation of ideas.
He refers to the period from 4th century Constantine's legalization (it was more than that) of Christianity as Christendom and it is typified by the church building based, priest based, "come to us model" that both Roman Catholic and Protestant churches have followed. He advocates a return to pre-Christendom forms and functions, even first century ones. He makes a very good argument. I do like the fact that in doing this he doesn't completely discount the existing forms and functions that lead him (and most of us) to Christ like so many authors about the emergent church seem to do today.
The other thing I like about this book is that it has a very strong evangelistic focus. While observing that most of our "church growth" methods are only mildly effective on small fraction of the world that is the evangelical world. He speaks to those who are drawn by God to reach the other 90% of our society.
He makes some really great points. And he is Australian. What's that got to do with anything? Nothing, except that we Australians are quite insecure and must always brag about our accomplishments. Did you know that it was an Australian who invented the motor mower, the rotary clothes line and put the bubbles in bear. OK, the last one was a bit of a lie but it was a good movie plot in Young Einstein.
Pray for Myanmar
What a mess? Over 100,000 people dead (more if you believe the reports of the anti government rebels), 5 million without homes. Add to that mess a military government that seems to be more concerned with itself than its people and this is going to be an even bigger mess. We need to be in urgent prayer for the survivors.
Healing Hands International is a great aid agency run by members of Churches of Christ who are able to get funds into Myanmar to people they have on the ground. I highly recommend them.
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