Check Please

  I'm a decent tipper.  I always have been.  When I was a salesman it was a way to assure that subsequent visits to the server's table would be a positive experience for my customer and me.  So, in essence, I was paying for future service rather than thanking for the present.  Over time I got to know some of the servers.  I learned that many were single mothers and struggling.  Some were in school and this was one of a couple of jobs that kept them in school.  They don't have benefits and their income is usually below minimum wage as employers assume tips will make up the difference.  (I don't even know if that's legal but I do know it happens.)  Tammy worked for me as a youth director and she was a server for many years.  She assured me that tipping meant the world to the servers.

  I tend to tip 20%, but not always.  If I go out to lunch with a group and we pay our own way, I most always tip 20%.  Afterall, if the bill is about $12 what's another $2.40?  But when the bill get's larger I begin to cringe. Sunday Nancy and I, the girls and two guests went to The Branding Iron after church.  The bill was $69.  20% would be $13.80.  Ouch... now my bill is over $82 and that seems like so much.  Why is it that my generosity wains when the amount grows?  It was my choice to buy.  The guests would have covered their own fare had I not picked it up.  If we all had paid our own way I would have encouraged anyone who asked to consider a 20% tip.  Did the waitress work any less because the table bill was consolidated?  Did she have to bring less drinks or plates of food?  Of course not.  So why my hesitation?

  It could be that I'm just stingy when the numbers get high.  I'm just not as generous as I'd like to think.  Perhaps it's a gender thing. Would I have gone 20% with a male server instead?  I hope that wouldn't enter into it.  The server was a person of color.  Did that matter?  I'd like to think I've curbed any bigotry and even tend to be more generous knowing the injustice that she faced day in and day out.  I also know that I tip less at a buffet than I do at a full service restaurant.  Is that because the buffets I visit tend to be Chinese?  Again, I believe it has more to do with service than bigotry.

  So why share this personal reflection?  Two reasons:

(1) This is a blog and people tend to do that in blogs.

(2) I think self-examination and self-awareness is what truly separates us from the animal kingdom.  Taking time to ask, "why do I do the things that I do?"(cross reference Romans 7:15) help you to become a better person.  In this blog alone I reflected on my own generosity, the justice issues centered on those who serve us, and the danger of allowing passive bigotry to rule my life (a habit I seek to eliminate from my life.)

   I encourage you to go through these acts of mental gymnastics.  Self-reflection, especially among those seeking to be disciples of Christ, is the root to moving closer to the image of Christ that will transform the world.  

   (By the way, I tipped 20% Sunday.)

That Yellow Car

  "Sacrifice means to give up something you love for something you love even more." (Rev. Craig Groeschel)
I used that quote in my sermon today and it resonated with a lot of people.  Sacrifice is a part of the Christian faith and it runs so counter to our culture.  We all seem to be tuned into the radio station WIFM (What's In it For Me?)  Included in that attitude is our desire to get ahead. (This post is related to my rant on competition from a few weeks ago.)  If you don't believe that we have a natural, or even unnatural, drive to get ahead go to Wal-mart early in the morning on Black Friday or really any other day.  We fight for parking, fight for product and fight for our place in line to check out.
  It's not only at Wal-Mart.  At my last church you didn't want to be in the parking lot during the week when the pre-school parents were picking up and dropping off their kids.  It was simply a dangerous place to be.  My office is now about a block and a half from the High School.  Don't try to leave the office at 3:05 pm, it's just not wise.  We drive like it's a race for first every day.
  Jesus told us that the first would be last and the last, first.  He also said, Whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all.  Paul encourages us to honor one another above self, to serve one another humbly in love, and to encourage one another as we humbly build each other up.  This runs so contrary to what we've been taught through our culture.
  As I arrived at High Street for worship today I watched as an elderly member of our congregation searched for a close parking spot.  I know her well enough to know that she would have difficulty walking a long way.  Most of the close up spots were taken by those who had arrived earlier.  South Campus was similar except for a yellow car.
   I am proud of the fact that I'm relatively healthy.  I recognize that I can walk along way without growing weary.  It's a small thing, but I seek the farthest parking spot from the doors of the church. (On Easter I parked across the street at South Elementary School.) I do that to allow those who are visiting and those who are less healthy to park closer.  For the last couple of weeks I haven't been able to take the far spot from the door in the gravel lot at South because someone in a little yellow car beat me to it.  Thanks to the owner for being last on purpose.

Faith and Politics

Just a quick thought, there are so many people who are freaked out about faith in politics. All politicians act upon some set of beliefs.  Many worship at the throne of re-election. Some are focused upon the success of their political party. Still others are single issue ideologues. So why is it that the idea that someone would act on a belief system that is theo-centric difficult for some to swallow?
   A humanist acts upon belief in the human race. An atheist acts on the belief that there is no tomorrow. Animal rights activists believe that animals deserve the same rights as humans and act upon that belief. So to say that a Christian shouldn't let their beliefs influence their politics is simply prejudicial.
  Voting would be a lot easier if we knew what someone believed and could trust they would live that in office.

It's What You Do!

   I walked into Casey's this morning to get a cup of coffee.  It was free and it only cost me $13.31.  You're thinking, I hope that was a delicious cup... it was.  Best cup I've ever had.
   As I entered I heard the cashier saying to a guy "There must be someone in town who can lend you a hand."  There was a guy standing there looking int an empty wallet.  I got my coffee and walked up to a register.  The girl there said, "I can't ring you up until he's done."  (Now let me make a side note.  I never have cash on me.  This week when I deposited my paycheck I went ahead an got $100.  I don't know why.  I just knew we had some things going on this weekend and cash is so much more convenient sometimes.  So I got the cash.)  At that point I think I understood why I had the urge to get that cash at the bank.  I started to have the same feeling, but even stronger, that said, "Here is why you got the cash, Dave."  I said to the cashier, add my coffee on top of his bill and I'll cover it.  She said, "His bill is $23.31. $20 for gas and $1.31 for the Coke."  I told her I'd cover it for him, just add my coffee.  Now here's the cool part, the guy at the register next to me said, "I'll cover half."  Together we bucked up and the cashier gave me the cup of coffee.
  The other benefactor and I were on our way out the door before the guy knew his bill was paid.  He caught me getting into the car and said, "Can I get your number so I can pay you back."  I told him he couldn't pay me back.  I asked him to find a church that suits him (suggested New McKendree) and when he had $20 in his pocket put it in the offering plate.  He didn't owe me, he owed God.
   Here's my take aways from today:
1) Listen to the promptings of God.  He's always preparing you to make a difference in the lives of others.
2) Kindness is contagious.  I don't know if the guy next to me in line would have bucked up for half if I hadn't got it started.  Be the example for others to follow.
3) Always be prepared to share with others why you share with others.  The invitation to Church was my way of inviting the guy to meet Christ.
4) You can't out give God, but you are intended to try.

That was a good cup of coffee.

Competitive Advantage

   "It's not a competition!" That was a regular rebuke I used as a parent.  Being a sibling is not a competition.  Being a child in our family was not a competition.  It's not possible for you to win the Nancy or My love.  You already have it, and just because you have it doesn't mean that your siblings have less of it.  It's not a competition.
   I always find competition frustrating.  The issue for me is not that we shouldn't compete, we should.  However, competition should be reserved for those moments and situations where it's intended and appropriate.  Otherwise it should be avoided for good reason.  Of course sporting events should be competitive.  I'm a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan.  I hope they win every game this year (even though they've already lost one.)  However, I think the competition for the best parking spot and quickest exit is a bit over the top for most people.
   I think there should be competition in business and industry.  They should have to earn my dollar by giving me the best product at the right price.  However, I think that there are some large retailers that have driven mom and pop stores out of business and that has hurt our economy in the long run.  Sometimes the consumer listens far too much to the advertisers and ends up with a below average product at a below average price and believes they got a deal.  What they got was a product that won't last as long as mom's would have or be serviced in the way dad would have.
   I think there should be competition in politics.  I want to be served by the politician who has earned my vote by putting the best policy platform out there.  However, I don't think a politician has presented a platform when they have degraded the character of their opponent.  I see that as the behavior we were supposed to outgrow in third grade.  It doesn't endear me to anyone.
   I enjoy reality TV for the competition.  Top Chef America, The Biggest Loser, Top Gun, and others are good shows with competition based upon skills learned, and advantages earned.  However, any show where the competition is about love (The Bachelor and The Bachelorette) is an embarrassment to those who watch.  Love is not a competition.... most of the time.
   When it comes to church, love is a competition.  Churches are not in competition.  We're all on the same side.  If a church is seeking to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, we're on the same side.  If a church is seeking to save souls, get people to confess Christ, preaching they should be born again, we're on the same side.  On the other side is evil, the devil, satan, injustice, oppression, loneliness, hurt, bigotry, prejudice and so forth.  That's the real competition.
   This coming Sunday my sermon will be on 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.  Paul realizes that, in order to win people to Christ, he needed to adjust the method of delivery.  The message never changes, but the method does.  New McKendree has 3 worship services to offer 3 different methods of worship.  What would a fourth look like?  I'm still working on the message for Sunday but I'm excited about where this is headed.  We're going to seek a competitive advantage against the enemy of the church. 

Guest Post

I received this email from my 19 year old son, JD, today. I'm reposting with his permission (and a great sense of pride in the man he's becoming)...

Hey,

I had something really cool happen to me this morning and I really wanted to share it with you. Figured gmail would be the best platform for it.

I was in St. Charles this weekend visiting the Mabry's when Zach Hyde calls me and asks for me to do him a huge favor. He told me that he was taking a bus up to St. Louis so he can come back to Macon and he needed a ride. So I told him that oddly enough I was already in town and as long as he got in early enough for me to go get him and get back to work then that works out great. His bus was set to arrive at the station around 7:30 this morning so I would just have to wake up early enough to go down there and get him. Simple enough right?

Well I woke up today at about 8:00 and tried giving him a call to let him know that I was coming. His phone was off, and I had no way of getting ahold of him. I guess it was just dead so I figured that nothing changed and I needed to pick him up anyways. I head downtown to the Amtrak/Greyhound station to get him. Walked in to see an almost empty station. I asked the Greyhound lady if a bus had stopped by from Texas and she said no. Asked the Amtrak lady about a train, still a no. Tried calling him again and after about 20 minutes or so he called me back. Said it'd be around 11:30 until he got there.

I had about two and a half hours to kill and walked outside to head to my car, get some food and read a little. As I walked out I had a guy shout out to me and asked if I had a cigarette. I told him that I didn't, but I do happen to have some gum in my car.

We walked over to my car and he thanked me for it. Started talking to him found out his name was James and that he is 42 years old. He asked about my stethescpe I had and asked if I worked in the health field. Told him about my trainig and asked what he did and if he was fom around the area. He looked back, smiled, and said, "You could say that. I'm currently unemployed though. I guess some would say that I'm homeless."

So I told him about being from out of town and that I was waiting for a friend to get off the bus, but that it would be a couple hours before that, so why not hang out until then? I asked him if he had gotten anything to eat this morning, in which he hadn't, and we started to walk towards Union Station where there's some fast food joints and we were gonna share breakfast together.

We talked about everything. He was actually a pretty intelegant man, well informed in politics and current events, along with educated and religious. He said something along the lines of, "Time is funny. The past is called the past, 'cause it's past. The not sure why the future is called the way it is but it is, but the present is special. The present is today, and I like that. Cause each day is a gift."

He told me about how he was a chef at a nice restaurant downtown and he had a wife and daughter. A few years ago they were in a car accident where a drunk driver had hit them and both had died. After that he just hit a real low stage and lost everyting.

I had no idea what to say back to that. So I went with the only thing I knew and started off on how sometimes the church is so worried about the hell in the after life, that we sometimes miss bringing heaven to earth to counter the hell here. He smiled and said, "Like in the Lord's Prayer. 'Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven." I laughed back in agreeance.

After seeing nothing we wanted at Union Station we decided we'd find a White Castle to get some grub there. On the way we talked more about life and God and how the world/America has seemed to forget some of the teachings of their savior. Like in Matthew 5 how we're supposed to care for the weak and the hungry, and in just the next chapter how we aren't supposed to store up treasures on earth but in heaven.

We saw some pigeons flying around and we shared stories about him sharing bread with the birds, and me having fun with them over in Vienna. He then continued into Matthew 6:25-26 even further with how God takes care of them, and of course he'll do the same for us. We talked about his hopes for his portable grill stand he wanted to set up in downtown and how I, with my EMT work, was hoping for the job that I'd soon be looking for.

We get to White Castle where he saw someone he recognized and she smiled when she saw him. They talked a little and she blessed us in our day and went on her way. There were others he knew there too, apparently this man knew his area, and had been sharing with the people the lord and his light.

We orderd 2 #1's with 4 sliders, fries, and a drink. Sat and ate and talked even further. He shared about the homelessness problem from a first person point view and we talked of "inner city life" (we both thought it was funny they called it that cause how do you have a city in a city?) I shared about growing up in faith, and then straying away with and my run in with drugs and alcohol.

That's when we talked about Matthew 16:24-27 with how to gain a new life, we must lose oursleves and forget the world. We talked about how he's lost his worries in the world and is carrying his cross, and he even challenged me to do the same. He said that he can't wait to see the treasures the lord has for him, and he joked about how he'll be one of the first since he's in last now. Ha!

We finished our meal and I noticed he still had two more burgers in his bag. I asked him about it and he said, "You know how we were talking about the Lord's Prayer? Well the next part of it is daily bread. And I'm saving these for two kids I met yesterday" That hit me hard. Not only have I been struggling with the ideas of losing this life and gaining new, or bringing the kingdom here, or what that would even look like. I also had been worrying about my future and daily bread. All of these things we talked about were so parrallel to things I've been thinking lately that it was almost frightening.

He then continued with this story of his experience with daily bread, that had just happened in the last 24 hrs. Yesterday he had asked a nice dressed man if he could spare any bit of money so that he could eat. The man then reached into his pocket, grabbed his money, and started counting. James said he must have counted through about thirty $100 bills before the man looked back and him and said, "Sorry, if I had any smaller bills I'd give you them."

I was heart broken to hear that, classic story of the rich missing the point and not helping the poor. I mean what's the difference between $2900 and $3000 to you if you just carry it in your wallet like it was nothing? I expressed my anger about that and he just kinda laughed.

"I was mad at first of course", he said, "I mean I just watched him count this abundance of money that most people don't make in a month only to hear that he didn't have any smaller ones to give. As if I wasn't worth just one of the large ones. But instead of getting mad I looked and him and said, 'That's fine, sir. Thank you for your time. I know the lord will provide me somehow. God bless.' And I walked away.

I couldn't believe he just said that.....

Another guy on the street had saw that happen and he rushed up to James and said to him, "Hey... I only have $7, but I'll give it to you so you can eat." He thanked and blessed him and started walking down the street to the store to get some grub, but God wasn't done yet.

On his walk it started to rain, and he had an umbrella someone had given him the other day during the real bad storm (yeah... the tornado one.) and he kept treking on. That's when he happened to pass a family of four, two of which were younger kids, that were huddled under a single blanket trying to stay dry and keep warm. He stopped to talk to them, gave them the umbrella, even went to the alley he kept his stuff at and got another blanket for them too. After all that he reached into his pocket and gave them the $7. They tried to deny the money to which he said again, "It'll be fine, my God will provide for me."

He went back "home", soaking wet, and cuddled up in his last blanket and fell asleep...

He was saving those burgers to give to the kids that he provided for the day before...

He knew God was gonna provide for him back...

Of course the next day when he woke up, he went to the bus station, as I did, looking for something, and like I had found nothing that we were looking for. But the beauty of it is we happened to cross paths.

By that time Zach's bus arrived and he helped us carry his luggage to the car. I asked him if he knew how to get back to the highway and he said that if I gave him a ride he'd show me. (he was headed that way anyways). He bragged to Zach about the awesome morning we had, the laughs we shared, the things we talked about, the food we ate, and the wonderful gift God had given us both that morning. He said that Zach should be thankful for a great guy like me picking him up, and he also mentioned that he knew I'd g on to be a great EMT and man of God (I can only pray and hope he's right, and accept that complement wih humble gradification).

We pulled up to a corner and he said, "That's my stop, thanks for the ride. Oh and I'll be seeing you later, someday." I told him I'd be praying for him and he said likewise. And that was it...

So please... pray for James. Pray that in the life he's lost, and the place of last he's in, that God will continue to provide his daily bread. Pray that he continues to be a light for the people he touches in the downtown area. Pray that eventually his life will have abundance, so he can be generous for the glory of God. And if not, pray that his light never goes out, so that when he goes to be with God, and we meet again, that his treasures will be great.

Amen

Crosses and Ashes

The church year is a cycle of events that are meant to keep us constantly focused upon what God is doing in the world and within each of us. At Good Shepherd we are more subtle about expressing the church year, but we do have practices that relate directly to it.

The church year begins at Advent. That's the four Sunday

prior to Christmas (usually beginning with the Sunday following Thanksgiving.) During Advent we celebrate the expectation of the coming of the birth of Christ. We know it has already happened, but remembering an event allows us to relive the important themes that led up to it.

We celebrate Christmas eve instead of Christmas day at Good Shepherd because we are more likely to see people in worship on the 24th rather than the 25th. It's tradition, and it's the tradition of most Christians.

The season of Epiphany is one that is much more subtle. Epiphany means "To be seen in the flesh." During this season the church celebrates the recognition that Christ is God in the flesh. At Good Shepherd we tend to do worship series that relate to how we as the body of Christ can interact with the world... to be God in the flesh to the world around us.

Lent comes next. It begins on Ash Wednesday which is the day we remember that if

not for the forgiveness won by Christ on the cross, we are nothing but dust and ashes. It is meant to be a time of humble reflection on the power of God and His gracious action of forgiveness through the cross. Some traditions have church members make crosses out of the palm branches that they get on Palm Sunday (near the end of Lent and one week before Easter.) On Ash Wednesday 325 (+/-) days later those crosses are burned and the ashes are used in worship. During worship the ashes are put on the forehead of each worshipper as an anointing to remind us that we are but dust and yet God lifts up the dust in honor through Christ.

This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. We'll have a service of communion and ashes at 6:30 pm. Hope you'll join us.

At another time I'll share the rest of the description of the church year with you. I

know you're on the edge of your seats waiting for that post.

The Mentor and the Student

Several people have asked me for the story I shared last week about the student and the mentor so I'm posting it here:

Two pilgrims are on a journey to obtain knowledge from the wisest people in the land. One pilgrim is the teacher and one the apprentice. On this journey they are intentional about stopping at the homes of the wisest person of each village. When they arrive at a village they inquire of many people as to who in their town is considered the wisest. They will then seek an audience with this possessor of wisdom in order to gain a greater insight into the things of this world.

They came upon one town, larger than most they had encountered, which claimed to have the wisest of all persons. Everyone they inquired had a similar response, "I hear that the hermit on the hill over looking the town is wise beyond any one's understanding." Intrigued by this response the teacher began to ask, "Have you made the journey in search of the hermit's wisdom." With each inquiry came a simple "No."

Early the next morning the teacher and the apprentice started out for the hilltop to visit the wise hermit. When they reached the top they found the hermit and introduced themselves. Honorable Hermit, we are simply wanderers in search of wisdom. We come to you seeking to deepen our knowledge of the world. Would you please share with us some of the wisdom you have gained.

The hermit simply looked at them and grunted. Then, offering them a place to sit and a cup of tea responded. My wisdom is simply too much for you to understand. Your minds will not be able to comprehend the depth of my knowledge nor the width of it's application. I regret that you made this trip because it has been a journey of folly for you.

The apprentice began to argue about the amount they had learned thus far. He proceeded to defend his credentials and those of his teacher. The teacher simply rose, bowed to the hermit and left; the apprentice hustling to catch up.

As with all their encounters, when leaving a village, the teacher asked the student what he had learned. As they traveled the student shared his indignance at their dismissal by the hermit. How could he be so arrogant as to believe they could not comprehend what he might share. Quite honestly he had learned nothing. “Quite to the contrary” said the teacher, “I have learned the wisest lesson of my life and I ask that you help me to live out this lesson. If there is anything I have failed to teach you, please ask me. What I have learned is “Wisdom unshared is equal in ignorance to knowledge unsought.”

(Note: this story is of my own making as is the "moral" to the story. Feel free to use it, change it, improve upon it.)

Stickers, Gold Stars, and Merit Badges

Recently a church member posted this on facebook:

Erin is a big girl! Has gotten five potty stickers already today and four of them came from her saying she needed to go!

Another friend commented in response that it was the best thing her mother ever taught her. (Potty Training). She uses it daily. I laughed out loud on that one. I remember getting gold stars for things I did well, though I honestly can't remember potty training. But there were papers at school and chores at home that won me a gold star or two.

As I grew older I found that my achievements had a more formal approach. In school there were grades and in the Boy Scouts there were merit badges. In my work life there have been promotions and merit pay increases that have acted as incentives.

What about everyday life? Wouldn't it be great if you got a gold star for the things you did in everyday life? What would you reward others for? Showing up to work.... Gold Star. Fixing breakfast, lunch or supper.... Gold Star. Completing assignments on time.... Gold Star. What are the other Gold Stars you would award?

Perhaps we should look to the Beatitudes for a hint of the Gold Stars Jesus hands out. (Matthew 5) If you're poor in spirit.... Gold Star. If you mourn.... Gold Star. If you are meek.... Gold Star. If you hunger and thirst for righteousness.... Gold Star. If you're merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, or persecuted for righteousness sake.... Gold Star.

Earned any Gold Stars lately?

At Your Service

Occasionally I blog about customer service, usually from the perspective of the experience of a lack of it. However, I want to share my experience this morning. UPS stopped in bringing a couple of packages. One of them had a "thank you" gift for the work we did getting the Numana project worked out. Frankly, we're all so jazzed about the success of the project that we should be thanking Numana. But they sent three of us these nice jars of peanuts. Honestly, I did very little beyond blessing this project, but as you can see I've managed to put a dent in the peanuts anyway.

Later this morning I had a voicemail. Let me set this up a bit. We have a website service we pay each month for hosting our site. From the day we made our down payment we've been dissatisfied with them. Customer service is handled only through email. If you want to redesign anything it's a $500 commitment before someone will call you at a predetermined time to talk to you about what they are willing to do. I've regretted doing business with them, literally from the first day we paid the first payment. (As you might expect, their sales force is very good at closing the deal by promising much that they don't ever deliver on.)

Recently one of our members took the time to do the leg work to find a new company to deal with. Cloversites.com quickly surfaced as a very strong candidate. This member believed so much in what they had to offer that he and his wife popped for the $1000 initial investment. We won't be ready to go live with the site for another couple of months. Suffice to say, however, we are very pleased with what we've purchased. If you have a question, just call the number, they actually answer. The one time I called and left a message I got a return call while I was out for lunch. They persisted though and called back again until they got hold of me.

Today I get this phone message. "Hi David, this is Jen with Clover Sites. I know that you recently purchased a site with us and I see that you are well underway editing our template. I was just calling to see if you have any questions or how I might be of assistance. If you would like to chat with me my directly line is....." What customer service company do you know of that will do that for you? They called me. I didn't prompt it at all.

Recently, Guy Kawasaki wrote a book entitled "Enchantment: The art of changing hearts, minds and actions." Here's a description of Guy's book from his own website:

Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions is Guy’s tenth book. In it, he explains how to influence what people will do while maintaining the highest standards of ethics.

The book explains when and why enchantment is necessary and then the pillars of enchantment: likability, trustworthiness, and a great cause.

The next topics are launching, overcoming resistance, making enchantment endure, and using technology. There are even special chapters dedicated to enchanting your employees and your boss.

Finally, because there are times you may want to resist enchantment, there’s even a chapter about how to do this too.

If you want to change the world — or even part of the world, this book is for you

I haven't read the book, but I think I've been enchanted by Numana and Cloversites. I'll probably get the book too.

OK, you knew I was going to get to scripture, right? Well I don't think that Jesus was talking customer service in Matthew 5 when he said these things, but I think he's teaching us something about enchanting others in a way that shares our desire to love them on behalf of God.

Questions:

1) How would you apply this passage from Matthew 5 to our everyday life?

⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

2) How do you see your church applying this passage? How can we do a better job of it?

Dale, Job, Jesus, and Others

One more picture from my trip to North Carolina. This is the 10 year anniversary of the death of Dale Earnhart. He died in a crash during the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. Dale's son, Dale Jr., has become something of the controversial fan favorite of the racing world. This despite his less than impressive record.

It reminds me that all of us are, in some way, shape or form, standing on the shoulders of giants. There have been people that have come before us who have made it possible to grow in our understanding of the things of this world because of the thoughts they've left us with. There are others who have approached the world with such grace and goodness that they have left us with a view of the world that colors ours with such grace. There are those who have accomplished much by the standards of others and they have inspired us to seek those higher standards.

Like Dale, Jr. they have been parents or grandparents we've known. Sometimes we haven't known them personally but only known of them. Still others have been of such renown that everyone knows at least something about them. In the case of Dale, Sr. I'm not much of a NASCAR fan but I know the name. I also know that if I want to know something about the sport, I ought to learn something about the ones whose names have made an impact upon the sport.

In the book of Job we find a man who is seeking to know God. His teachers and friends have failed in providing a understanding of God that makes sense. So Job seeks to go to the source. Eventually he finds himself in the presence of God. After God has addressed Job he responds by saying "I've known about you. Now I know you. And I am humbled by the One I have met." (My own translation of the story.)

As I write this I am preparing a sermon on the virtues of Learning. It is so important in learning that we not only learn about, but that we come to a knowledge of. This means that we meet the teacher and the message. In Jesus Christ I have met the teacher and that has had a profound impact of the way I read the message.

Lost and Found

This is a picture of the lost and found at Good Shepherd. Any thing look vaguely familiar? There's lots of good stuff. If you're fond of coffee, there are mugs aplenty. There are a couple of Bibles. I'm guessing the owners, upon noticing they were missing their Bible immediately went to the church bookstore and bought one of those nice leather bound ones we've had in the store for the last year (hint.) Or possibly they just started using www.youversion.com app on their smart phone. There are pacifiers, blankets and children's clothing. There's a camera tripod, an Easter basket, and a Gus's Pretzels stocking cap (Kim?). There's a Cabellas XL winter jacket that I'm eyeing and I've grown rather fond of that lizard.

I really don't like the feeling I get when I've lost something. The other day I was walking back to church from Subway when I found $40 on the sidewalk. I walked into all the adjacent stores to ask if anyone had lost any cash. No one reported anything missing, so I kept it. I can only imagine the feeling the person had when they went into their pocket and it was gone. Actually, I know that feeling because when I was in an airport in Asheville, NC I went into my pocket for the $11 I knew was there and it was gone. (On the lost and found cash register of life I'm only up $29 now.)

When you've lost something of value you take time to diligently search for it, right? Here's something that should never pass us by... That feeling you get when you've lost something is the feeling God gets when you and I have gotten lost from the path of life which leads us back to Him. God is searching for you. Sending out search parties. And once found, God invites you to join in searching for others who have lost their way. When you count up the pluses and minuses of friends who are lost and found on God's path, are you up... or down? Help a friend find their way back onto the path.

Mountain Tops and Valleys

Lots of great things happen on the mountain top. Christ rejects Satan's offer of power and is transfigured in the presence of friends, Moses receives the Ten Commandments, Elijah hears the voice of God. In a more modern day context, Martin Luther King, Jr. travels to a visionary mountain top and has a dream about what could be possible in race relations. Mountain tops hold the power of providing a place where some pretty amazing things happen.

"Mountain top" experiences are those times and places where we have found a deep and profound connection with the divine that moves us to the next level in our spiritual lives. I've been fortunate enough to experience many of those in my life. One such experience was years ago when I took a youth group on a mission trip to a camp known as Mountain Top. We ate and slept at the camp, but during the day we were at the homes of the poorest people in the smoky mountains doing repairs and helping them have a more comfortable life. It was truly a mountain top experience.

This camp had a song that we sung about the mountain top experience and the fact that we would eventually have to return to the valley below. The valley is where we live, not just physically, but spiritually as well. Most of us don't experience the sustained spiritual high that we find on the mountain top. Up there God is so clear and obvious and we find a certain kinship with the people who join us on the mountain. Down below our vision of God becomes a bit clouded by the regular comings and goings of life.

I think the key is the difference between going up the mountain to get to the other side, or going up the mountain only to return to whence you have come. If I have a mountain top experience and I don't take steps to allow it to propel me forward, I might as well return to the place I started. The journey up the mountain becomes more of a sight seeing tour than an odyssey that is life-transforming.

In your journey of life, have you scheduled some mountain top visits? Maybe Sundays at worship can become a short hike up a hilltop. One or two hours devoted to worship won't make a mountain top, but it can be a series of small peaks that help you move forward in your faith. What about days of service like our recent 100,000 meals project? Spiritual retreats like Walk to Emmaus, the Good Shepherd Womens' retreat, or other such weekends can be journeys up the mountain. Or maybe you can serve in a week of camp or a weeklong mission trip. Whatever it is, head for the mountain top as often as you can schedule it.

Take a Break

I recently read this line... "Sometimes the speed bumps in the road of life are God's way of saying 'Remember the Sabbath.'" This picture was taken at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center outside of Ashville, NC where I just spent a week at a conference on Camping and Retreat Ministries. The house behind it is a rental cottage where people can spend time looking out onto Lake Junaluska as they take a Sabbath rest.

While I did manage to avoid the Missouri blizzard of 2011, this trip was not a time of rest. We pretty much had meetings from 7 am to 10 pm. (I'm not asking for sympathy, I'd rather work hard in 40 degree weather than hunker down in -10 degrees. My prayers have been with you all along.)

I'm not very good at Sabbath taking. I find it easier to be productive by studying, writing, and working in the various tasks that make up pastoral ministry. I like to have an answer when someone asks, "What did you do today." However, I am also aware that the most commonly ignored of the Ten Commandments is to "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." Holy means "set apart." The Sabbath (day of rest) is to be set apart from the 6 days of work to allow your body to recover, to allow your mind to process the week, and to allow your spirit to rest in the Spirit of the one who created the Sabbath for your own rest. Jesus reminds us in Mark 2:27 that the Sabbath was made to serve our needs.

I have Saturday off and I'm looking forward to some rest. You need a rest, too. Take a break.

Book It

Every year I teach a Leadership Forum class that is designed to help people who are now, or one day will be, leaders of the church to understand what church leadership is all about and how it is different from leadership in other venues. What happens in a business setting, institution, or non-profit differs from what happens at the church. We can't run the church like a business, though we must understand sound business practices. We can't run the church like a non-profit, though we must understand non-profit management. We must run the church realizing that it isn't ours. The church belongs to Christ and we're simply the care-takers of this ministry. We are called to be bold, ambitious, but also pastoral and caring. We are called to be all things that Christ was in His earthly ministry and to understand that this all belongs to Him.

With that in mind, I've been working this week on book selection for the class. We'll read 8 books in 10 months and gather monthly to learn together. When I started this course one of the books I used was Leadership on the Line. It's written by two Harvard professors, one in the business school and one that teaches psychology. (It's an excellent book on organizational psychology and still worth the read.) However, I've decided that there are enough books on church leadership that a business book just didn't make sense.

Actually, I've come to wonder what it might be like if businesses started asking their managers and manager trainees to start reading books on church leadership? What would happen if businesses began their managers with a course in grace, compassion, and caring. What would it be like if every business leader was asking "what can our organization do to enhance the lives of our customers as well as our employees?" What if the single motivating factor wasn't the bottom line? What if instead of increasing corporate profits the goal was to decrease the level of suffering in the world? I know that there are a few companies that actually operate out of such a mindset, what if there were more?