It's official, I am a professional

Follow the logic ... we understand in our culture that if you get paid to do a sport you are considered a pro - right? Well, then I have officially considered myself a pro bike rider. I also need to confess that I have become addicted to something bizarre.

To keep my mental sanity, I enjoy riding my bike. There are few things better (at least to me) then getting on my bike and hammering out a few miles to clear the mind.

My claim to pro and my confession to becoming addicted happened last fall. My son was collecting cans to support a student his class was sponsoring from the Philippines. When I would go for bike rides my eyes became increasingly focused on the ditch searching for the prized pop or beer cans that had been left behind.

I would come home to the celebration of Luke and Ella as they would count each can I slipped from my jersery or back pack. So far this year I have over 120 cans all from the same stretch of road. Since I have picked up at least one can every ride this year so far, I consider myself sponsored by some of the biggest names out there (Bud, Bush, Coors, Coke, Mountain Dew).

Crazy as this must seem it has made me do a lot of thinking. First, what thrill is it for the person who just randomly whips out a can as they drive. I have not done it yet, but I plan to go some night with some of the empty cans that I have collected and whip them out my window. I want to see if there is some euphoric experience that accompanies this habitual litering. I just don't get it! Now, I promise after I attempt this wild and crazy stunt, I will pick up the cans - I am too frugile to let them stay along the road.

Another observation. The same types of cans are usually found in the same locations. We are such creatures of habit. I can picture the person heading home from work; stopping to pick their favorite brew and finishing it at the same point each day (or weekend).

Third, I am addicted! I try to ride and keep my eyes off the ditch but I just can't. I don't know if it is the thrill of the hunt, the greediness of finding 10 cents or if I am losing my mind.

So, if you are one of those people who get a rush and thrill whipping out a can as you drive, I welcome you to just bring your cans to my house. I will gladly return them and continue to support charities.

God has given us a wonderful and beautiful creation. It saddens me that our road ways are litered with the remains of the vices that plague us deeply - alcohol cans and bottles and cigarettes packs. I will do my part and keep picking up the cans along my rides. I hope you will think about this to - you also can become a pro (and an addict) to doing your part to be a good steward of God's creation.

From the mouth of babes

I was putting my 4 year old daughter to bed the other night and just when I thought she was asleep she blurted out a random statement that her sins are gone just like from the fire. I was not sure what she was talking about so she continued and then I finally realized she was talking about an event we celebrated on Easter. During the 4 weeks before Easter (known as Lent) as a church we wrote out our confessions and pinned them on a cross. On Easter we took all those written confessions and went outside to burn them (see the above picture).

For believers in Christ, it was a visual that our sin had been covered by the work of Jesus Christ. My daughter who is 4 understood this. She got it.

She then asked, dad is everyone's sin covered by Jesus. I had to share that not everyone believed. This is the hard thing she had understanding...why not?

She then told me that she was going to go to her children's group on Sunday and ask each person individually if they believed.

I thank God for this gift.

1. Thanks God that I could tuck Ella in and have this discussion

2. Thanks God that Ella knows Jesus

3. Thanks God that you put a longing in her heart for others to know you

4. Thanks God for reminding me through Ella of the urgency and need to share the Good News with others.

Those who are in Christ are a new creation - the old is gone - Praise God. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

A script or scripture society?

My daughter Ella was captivated by the movie Barbie and the Three Muskateers. We had to watch it over and over. Once the movie was done - the lines from the movie continued to make their way into Ella's daily play. One hilarious line she tried to repeat was "those boots are so last season" (sorry for the cheesy line... remember it is a Barbie movie). But Ella was positive the line went, "those boots are so glass season." We tried over and over to correct her but she was set and no one was going to change her mind. Another funny line she tried to quote was the familiar - "one for all and all for one." But she could never quiet get it out - it would either be "one for all and one for all"...or... "one for all and one for two." She would say it with such passion and gusto that it brought tears to our eyes in laughter.

This has has jogged in my memory a quote I heard a few years ago. It went something like...."We no longer live in a SCRIPTURE society but a script society."

Meaning, no longer do we have God's Word memorized on our hearts to quote to each other; rather we share our thoughts and communication through the movies we watch. How often do we quote a line from a movie or a sit com? How many times do we engage each other by asking if they saw.....last night?

Deuteronomy 6 is known as the Shema (which in Hebrew means to hear, listen, obey). "Hear O Isreal the Lord is our God the Lord alone. Love the Lord our God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commmandments I give to you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road. When you lie down and when you get up."

Our call is to keep our homes a place of SCRIPTURE. A place where we talk about Jesus. In the morning, during our day, and as we prepare for bed.

How is your home? Is it a place where SCRIPTURE is lifted up,honored and read? Or is it a place where the script of movies and sit-coms rule the day?

As followers of Christ we need to wrestle with these questions. It is a struggle because there is so much that calls out and demands our time and attention.

With the return of spring our family spent a lot of time outside this past weekend. Ella was riding her bike and singing at the top of her lungs. She was about 5 houses down and we could still hear her. The song on her lips was a song Marcel (Lifequest's worship leader) pulled together titled Gloria se Dios (Spanish for Glory to God). She kept singing and singing and it brought joy to my heart. It brought the words of Deuteronomy 6 to life.

Let us encourage each other on to love and good deeds. May your home be a place where Jesus is lifted up morning, noon and night.

Lessons from a 3 year old

I was getting ready to take my daughter to 3's school last week when we stopped to pray a blessing over her. I asked God to protect her. After which she asked, "Why will God protect me if He did not protect the people of Haiti in the earthquake."

From the mouths of babes. Yikes, how do you respond to that?

We all wrestle with these deep questions of life. How do we make sense of so many who died. It is so real and so raw that even a 3 year old takes notice.

I have shared this story with others and the first thing they ask is, "What did you tell her, how did you respond?" I think all of us want a simple, nice answer to make us feel better.

I told her that it was a really good question and that I was not sure how to best answer her. I shared that we believe that God is good all the time even when bad things happen. As a 3 year old, she was good with that and asked if we could play dolls when she was done with school.

It was later that day that a friend of mine shared a painting that she had that helped describe the rawness of the week. It was a black and white painting of a person on their knees with their head leaning back with eyes toward the sky. The arms were out stretched. She shared that she was drawn to the picture because half of the time it looks as if the person is in the midst of passionate worship. However, other days she is drawn to the picture as if the person is in complete dispair and can not take another step.

The same picture brings out two very different emotions. But how true. My week last week was filled with times of all our praise - thank you Lord! And other times was at complete despair - God I can not do another day.

The beauty of this picture is that no matter if it is all out praise or all out despair - the eyes are focused on the same person - Jesus Christ. Jesus is King in our best of times and our worst of times.

So as this new week unfolds - during your best of times - keep your eyes focused on Jesus....during your hardest of times - keep your eyes focused on Jesus.

"And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."
Tyndale House Publishers: Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 2nd ed. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2004, S. Heb 12:1-2

Lessons Learned

I recently had the opportunity to visit Moscow and Perm Russia. Too much to share in a blog...

But one impression that has stuck deep within me was the urgency and focus in which our brothers and sisters in Christ had for sharing the Gospel. They lived with expectant hearts that the Lord of the Harvest was going to bring in a great harvest over ALL of Russia. By witnessing them in action and listening to their hearts, I believe it to.

I am grateful for safe travel home. Now I am left with wrestling out what I experienced. How hungry and urgent is the church for outreach and sharing the love of Christ in our community. Do we have a longing and have hearts of expectation that the Lord of the Harvest will bring bring in a great harvest. Since I have been home I have been praying for God to bring around me people who are expectant and eager to share the hope we have in Christ.

Where is your heart? Are you hungry to see God's Kingdom come and His will be done in your life? In our community?