journal

Flung

2012-05-21T20:44:26Z

"But they were disobedient and rebelled against You. They flung Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who warned them in order to turn them back to You. They committed terrible blasphemies." Nehemiah 9:26 HCSB

I grew up in Texas. Not the South. Texas. There is a difference. If you have to ask, then you’ve never been to Texas. Or met a true Texan.

As a Texan, and particularly as a man Texan, I like the idea of flingin’ things. Like, “That fella flung the ball downfield for a touchdown on the very next play.” Or, “During the county fair cow chip toss, one gal flung a fresh one right into one of the judges.” Flung sorta sounds like fun.

That's why “flung” caught my attention in the verse above. Not your average Bible word. Here is a test: Worshiped; Sanctified; Flung. Which one of these three does not belong here? Which one of these three is not the same?

It is translated as the not so colorful “cast... behind” in the ESV and NASB and the really looses it’s umph, “turned their backs on” in the NIV. This Hebrew word, transliterated shalak, is most often translated as “throw” or “hurl” or “scatter.” The word implies intensity or violence. In the phrase of Nehemiah 9:26, it literally means “to thrust behind one’s back” or formally reject someone or something. Ouch. Like the New Testament, “Get behind me Satan,” flipped to become, “Get behind me God.” Sounds like trouble.

Not a fun flung that one.

Toward a God who chose them, loved them, and provided for them, rebellious and disobedient is what they had been. They had fling off God’s Word. They had turned their backs on God. But here in this one chapter that captures their history, Nehemiah 9, they are turning back. Humbled and repentant.

Led by the Levites, priests chosen by God to intercede for the people, the Israelites confessed their sins. Confession leads to blessing.

Thank God for his magnificent mercy.

Thank God for His longsuffering lovingkindness.

Try Psalm 16:8 instead, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Footballs and cowchips can be flung. Not God’s Word or His love for you.

(In case you are wondering, shalak is pronounced SHAY-lak in Texas or shaw-lawk for the rest of us. And, in case you wanna share this or comment, use the tools below. Thanks, Dear Readers.)

Mowing Lessons

2012-05-14T02:56:38Z

My oldest. A son. Near 11 years old. Motivated by money. With dreams of countless Lego sets. That change every day. Wanted to earn more money.

Mow the lawn. His Mama says. But you gotta get Daddy to teach you.

So. We’ve had mowing lessons. While mowing. He’s learning lawn mowing. I’m learning patience. There is so much more to learn.

Four weeks now. And at least four lessons.

First week, he missed a spot. He quit. Discouraged. As if he’d failed. It’s not the end of the world. Definitely not the end of mowing. Go back. Do it again.

Next week, he couldn’t go around a tree. Again he quit. It’s just a tree. Go around. You can’t let an obstacle overcome you. You overcome the obstacle. Find a way. Go around.

Third week, he didn’t feel like mowing. He wouldn’t even come outside. The grass doesn’t care if you feel like it. Or not. It just grows. You cut it. Feeling it or not. Cut it.

Fourth week, he did good. No complaints. Listening to instruction. Then with just a small patch left. He quit. He was tired. But you gotta job to do. Tired is not done. Done is done.

Mow on, My Friends.

Live on.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

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How You Run the Race

2012-05-01T16:36:56Z

Had my fifth kidney stone recently. Painful may be too merciful a description. I've written about the nasty little boogers previously.

This one hung on longer than any predecessors. Five days. It was either delusions from pain or delusions from pain meds. At least I had an excuse for my delusions. Those five days.

It took five days for that stone to move one inch. I'm no longer using, "Slower than molasses in January." My now ultimate slowness quip is, "Slower than a kidney stone in a preacher."

With the dawning of day five, however, I was just tired of it. Nasty little booger wouldn't move an inch. So I made a decision that morning. No matter the pain. No matter the drag of the pain meds. I was going to choose to have a good attitude that day. I was going to be an overcomer even as I was feeling beaten. I was going to be focused even though I was wrung out tired.

Not being able to run while on the ropes with a stone, my thoughts turned to running. Running marathons. Brutal self-torture as my wife sees it. And then a thought came to this mid-pack marathoner, kidney stone sufferer, everyday philosopher's mind: It's not where you finish; it's how you run the race.

What about you, Dear Reader?

What are you dealing with right now that you wish was just flat done over?

What are your greatest challenges? To your strength? Your perseverance? Your grace? Your faith?

An illness. A person. Your past. Your future. You name it.

And then you choose. Choose to run the race differently.

You still may finish mid-pack or back. Your finish may even come before the finish line.

It's not where you finish. It's how you run the race.

My five day stone got the message. Within hours of that decision. It passed. The pain was gone. And this stone prone preacher boy had learned a lesson.

It's how you run the race.

I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. My friends, I don't feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. I run toward the goal, so I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. Philippians 3:12-14, CEV

And all God's people - with all our struggles - said, "Amen."

Run on, Dear Reader.

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Weight Limit

2012-04-23T15:44:20Z

"It doesn't take a theological degree to win someone for Christ. It takes love willing to build a bridge sufficient to bear the weight of the Gospel." - Clarence Gillett

A retired missionary and current friendship partner sharing the love of Jesus Christ with international students, Clarence knows what he is talking about. If you took a snapshot of Clarence, he'd look like your average American fella. But to meet him, observe him, and hear him speak you'd perceive much more.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience," states Colossians 3:12.

Had Clarence memorized that verse? Had he decided to make it the hallmark of his life? Or had he walked so closely with Jesus that the character of our Lord just shown through?

Clarence lives his words. Walks the talk. Living as a loving Christ follower. Sharing that love by his actions from his character.

Colossians 3 continues its challenge in verses 13-14, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Clarence made me think.

He should make you think, Christ follower.

Am I sharing the good news of new life in Jesus?

Am I loving others like Jesus as I share?

Are compassion and kindness traits I am known for?

Would my friends call me humble and gentle?

Am I patient?

Does my family know me as forbearing and forgiving?

And what about love.

Do I love like Jesus?

Freely. Passionately. Winsomely.

It takes God-powered, other-centered love to build a bridge that will bear the weight of the Gospel.

The bridges I build will be limited by love I give.

Sharing is a great affirmation - share a comment or share this article - using the tools below.

Contains: Peanuts.

2012-04-16T13:39:59Z

If you were to open the middle, right drawer of my office desk you would find among other items a 16.3 ounce jar of Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter. For emergency purposes.

When my I get the shakes because my blood sugar drops, when I forget my lunch, or when I just need a little more fuel to make it through the race, I grab my trusty peanut butter.

Call me weird. Be a PB hater. Won't bother me, because it works for me. Protein & carbs with a bit of fat. Peanut butter is cheap fuel to run on.

Interestingly enough, under the ingredients on the right side of the label, just above the ConAgra Foods logo you'll notice the bold print phrase, "CONTAINS: PEANUTS."

It's an anomaly of our country's food safety labeling. If you have a nut allergy - those can be scary & severe - then you want to know about even a trace of nuts in any food. You, the mindfully allergic consumer, would skip the peanut butter altogether. But not the FDA. Or deep pocket liable ConAgra. If any product has got peanuts in it, "CONTAINS: PEANUTS," goes on the label. Even in peanut butter.

So, yes, thank you, for labeling for safety's sake that peanut butter CONTAINS: PEANUTS.

The Bible, when it comes its doctrines, contains teachings that seem to cause allergies.

Like stewardship.

If the FDA regulated Bibles, I'm sure each copy would come with a warning label - maybe even embossed nicely into the back cover of leather-bound copies - of all the potentially allergic teachings.

Stewardship - the concept of giving back to God a portion of what He has given us since He is the Owner & Provider & we are only stewards or caretakers of all He has entrusted - is in the Bible.

So, yes, thank you, for Christ-follower's giving sake that the Bible CONTAINS: STEWARDSHIP.

But just as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness & in your love for us - see that you also excel in the grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV

Aaron's Rules - Marathon Edition

2012-04-12T03:36:47Z

With my family after crossing the Memorial Stadium 50 yard line finish line of the 2011 Lincoln Marathon.

A few years back I wrote Aaron's Rules. Eleven rules for running. Eleven rules for life.

This year I have a number of friends training for their first marathon. All 26.2 miles. Marathons are hard. They hurt. For weeks afterward. But they are worth it. In honor of these friends & marathoner's everywhere, I write today.

No offense to the half-marathon folks. It is a great distance. Attainable for most people. Even those with just six months running. The desire to get fit, lose weight, or simply compete are great reasons to get out there & do a half. You can ramp up training in 4-6 months. You can run a maximum of 20-25 miles per week. And most can finish a half marathon in 1.5-3.0 hours.

The marathon, however, is another animal altogether. A beast. Doubling the mileage feels exponential. It's real too. Having to do with physiology & time in motion. Once the body is in motion beyond two hours, physiological changes occur that make continued motion at the same intensity much more difficult. Those changes begin to hammer you after three hours. Into four hours & beyond one struggles to continue.

I know folks do ultra marathons of 50 or even 100 miles lasting up to 24 hours. I know folks compete in full Ironman events that last more than 12 hours. These folks are amazing. And crazy. I am awed. They are physiologically gifted, highly trained, & incredibly driven. Me? I'm an Average Joe who has run - and completed (non runners always ask that) - four marathons in the middle of the pack.

So, for the mid pack & back, here are Aaron's Rules - Marathon Edition.

The Half-Mil Rule. "You wanna run a marathon?," folks will ask you. With emphasis on the "Yoooou" or the "MAAARathon." Fact is: There were 503,000 marathon finishers in the USA in 2010. Some folks ran one. Some ran many. So it's hard to say how many folks total. The fact remains that marathoning has grown exponentially from 299,000 just ten years ago in 2000. You may be many things - and weird may be one of them - but running a marathon is too commonplace to be labeled weird anymore. Run on. With half a million friends in your club.

The Heart Rule. Marathons are just about the safest place in the world to have a heart attack. You are less likely to die of a heart-attack running a marathon than the average citizen is. And, having completed just one marathon at any time during your lifetime significantly reduces your chances of dying of a heart attack at any later time. So tell your worried friends & family not to worry about your heart. Also tell them not be jealous of your superior heart health.

The Fuel Rule. This one is the least flashy, but most catchy. You gotta get your fuel right. I'd recommend reading up & getting great stuff at Hammer Nutrition. Heed or Perpetuem will help you - if your an average runner like me - make the distance into the third & fourth hours. And be sure to practice your fueling strategies in your long runs. You need to know it works. Almost equally important, you need to know it won't upset your tummy & ruin your day.

The Crown Rule. I'm not talking about releasing your inner Kenyan & dusting the field in order to receive a winner's crown. That dream is longer than 26.2 miles from reality for us. I'm talking about the crown of the road or the trail. You know how it's higher in the middle? If you spend all your training on one sloped side or the other, you will end up injured. You can't run 30+ miles per week with one leg reaching lower than the other. So, get to the crown. Run on the level spot in the middle of the road or trail. Not in traffic, of course, then we'd need to add the "Squished Like a Grape" Rule. Be smart. But in training. And in the race. Be mindful the surface level beneath you.

The Longer Half Rule. It's been said there are two halves to a marathon. The first 20. And the last 6.2. The shorter half - only the last 6.2 miles, right? - seems so much longer. Yes, 13.1 miles is the halfway point in distance, but its not near the halfway point of endurance. That happens around mile 20 or just past 3 hours running depending on your speed. That's when the physiology of glycogen depletion jumps on your back like a mean, stinking gorilla for the rest of the race.

The Tin Man Rule. In training & in the race. No matter how well you trained. No matter if you got weekly massages. No matter if you tapered your training to perfection. You will feel like the Tin Man who needs oil desperately but with no hope in sight this last 3-4 miles. Prepare for it mentally. Your long runs can prepare you for it physically & mentally to a certain amount, but never fully. Be ready to ache. Be ready to feel stiff. Be ready to push through.

The Don't Worry Rule. Don't worry about your time. At least your first time out at the marathon distance. Just run your race, Finish. And be happy. Finishing is huge. Be happy along the route. Say thank you to volunteers & law enforcement. Thank the crowd. If you really want to have fun, cheer for the crowd. Call out a cute kid, the best sign, the most enthusiastic crowd member. And, of course, share it all with your fellow runners. Those passing you. Those you pass. Everyone. Enjoy the your humanness. Exult in your ability. No matter your speed. Don't worry. Run happy.

Much more can be said. But seven seems plenty. For marathons or for life: be yourself; be healthy; be strong; be careful; be persistent; be courageous; be happy.

Rules to run by. Rules to live by.

I Know

2012-04-04T03:43:22Z

A Daddy directs his son, "Be careful on your bike ride."

The son responds, "I know."

Or a Daddy tells his son, "Put your backpack away."

And the son answers, "Yes, Sir."

Is the difference just manners?

More than manners, it is pride versus humility.

I know. Prideful. Aloof to snotty. Insolent to supercilious. And all the ugliness in between.

I know. Not good.

Yes, Sir. Humble. Courteous to submissive. Polite to self-effacing. And all the kindness in between.

Yes, Sir. Good.

I'll remind myself this difference the next time the Lord Jesus speaks to me & I say, "I know."

"I know, Jesus. You are God's son. You are the Creator. You are Savior. But, me, I go this. No need for any help from you. And, although your ideas are nice, I prefer to do this my way. I got it figured out. Really."

I'll remind myself to say, "Yes, Lord."

So much better.

Who Is This Jesus?

2012-03-30T21:22:16Z

“Who is this Jesus?,” asks one line of dialogue in our Easter drama, This Day of Resurrection. That single question is a life-changing question that every one of us must consider.

Jesus asked his disciples in Matthew 16:13, speaking of himself, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They answered that others though he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then Jesus made the question personal in Matthew 16:15, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

That was Peter’s belief. A man who lived with Jesus, following him as his disciple for three years - day in, day out, observing his every action & hearing his every word - Peter believed Jesus was God’s One & Only Son, the one way Savior of Humanity from our sins.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one & only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And if you believe in Jesus as the Son of God & Savior of your sins you are not condemned. John 3:18 goes on, “but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one & only son.”

So, even today, each & every person who lives has a decision to make. A personal decision. A life-changing decision. Who is this Jesus? Do you believe He is God’s Son or not? Do you believe you have sinned, falling short of God’s plan & need the free gift of salvation God offers?

The question is not, who do other people think Jesus is, but who do I believe he is?

He is either Liar, Lunatic, or Lord. If Jesus is not Lord, then there are only two alternatives.

If he were a liar, then he’d be a hypocrite for teaching truthfulness while deliberately deceiving his followers. Furthermore, being a liar doesn’t coincide with the results of his life & teachings. Someone who lived as Jesus lived, taught as Jesus taught, & died as Jesus died can’t be a liar.

If Jesus is not a liar, could he have thought himself to be God by mistake? Was he crazy, a lunatic? He could be both sincere & wrong. He’d be deluded & self-deceived, but someone with such abnormalities and imbalance could not teach & live so genuinely before so many people.

If he is not a liar or a lunatic, then he must be Lord. This is not a passing, philosophical argument for your consideration, but a question of eternal life & death. John 20:31 says, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in his name.” Eternal life or death hangs in the balance with this question.

The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life,” (Romans 6:23). All you have to do is confess your sins - all the wrong you have ever done, violations of God’s law - and receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” promises John 1:12.

Years later, when writing the book we know as 1 Peter, Peter recorded in 1:18-21, "It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you beleive in God, who raised him from the dead & glorified him, and so your faith & hope are in God."

God gave you Jesus in order that you might have a personal, saving relationship with Him. God loves you & wants you to settle the question, Who is this Jesus?, with the answer, "He is my Lord & Savior."

To make that decision you can pray a simple prayer like this: God, I know I have sinned, but I know you will forgive me. I believe Jesus is Lord as he said. I want to make him Lord of my life. Thank you for forgiving me & making me your child forever. Amen.

Share a comment of who Jesus is to you. Or, if you offered the prayer above, please let me know.

Better Than Botox

2012-03-19T22:19:42Z

Botox. It's pop culture. You know its used cosmetically. You know or know of someone - or many someones - who have had it.

For those concerned with wrinkled foreheads, laugh lines, or crow's feet it provides a minimally invasive, highly effective treatment. Its a bit spendy. But in our no matter the cost for whatever makes me feel good and look good culture... Well, folks pay.

Botox works by relaxing muscle contractions. Its a powerful neurotoxin. Injected with a fine needle for precision and minimal discomfort, the cosmetic effects take place in a few days and last for four to six months.

But did you know that Jesus is better than Botox?

Ephesians 5:25-27 uses marriage as an example of how Jesus purifies and perfects his bride, the church. That's you and me, Christ Follower.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

There you have it. No stains. No wrinkles. No blemishes. No needles. No neurotoxins. Just Jesus.

Guaranteed to improve your appearance. And your life.

Better than Botox.

If you got a chuckle or encouraged by this post, then please subscribe or comment. Thanks to my wife for this idea!

Come, Thou Fount

2012-03-12T16:00:53Z

My spirit was stirred as when an angel touches a pool in singing “Come,Thou Fount of Evening Blessing” with those gathered in revival meeting last night.

A London hoodlum, 17 years old and full of self, went to hear Evangelist George Whitefield preach in 1752. He later recorded that he went with the purpose “of scoffing at those poor, deluded” Christians. Yet, in the power of the Holy Spirit, drawn by the irresistible grace of a loving, heavenly Father the hood was converted instead.

Robert Robinson, who had led a life of debauchery and crime, came to eternal, saving faith in Christ. His life was never the same. Soon he was called to preach and eventually to pastor. He penned what would become his most famous work, Come, Thou Fount, at 22 in 1757.

As you read his five, original verses that follow, will you let the cleansing, powerful fountain of God wash you anew. Or wash you for the first time.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I'll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

There is power in the imagery of a fountain, pure and clean, springing from rock and giving life to it's surroundings as with Refugio dos Falcoes, Brazil above.

There is greater power in God as the Holy Spirit can change any live. Confess your sins, friends, as He is faithful and just to forgive all sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What you’ve done. What’s been done to you.

All the wickedness. All the guilt. All the pain. Can be washed away. In the fount of every blessing.