Rude Dinner Guests

I'm trying to put myself in Matthew's shoes, particularly in the scene in Matthew 9 where some people really show some incredible rudeness - and that's putting it nicely.

Matthew has just met Jesus. His life has changed more than he realizes, but he is about to get a glimpse of it based on the Pharisees' behavior.

He has Jesus over for dinner. He also invites some of his friends, people he works with (tax collectors) and so forth. In religious circles, these guys aren't considered the "proper" people to hang out with. So when they see Jesus hanging out with "the sinners," they declare their disapproval.

And we think that is something new - church people being stupid. Apparently it's been going on forever.

You gotta love how Jesus responds to their question of why he is hanging with Matthew and his friends. "The healthy don't need a doctor. The sick do. I didn't come for you. I came for them. Think on that a while." (my paraphrase)

Just this week, I've seen an example of this same mindset in a local church. I want to say, "Yo, people. When was the last time you read Matthew 9. Go do some catching up on who you think Jesus wants you to be. Think on that a while. Stop being rude and self-righteous. Get off your high horse and love others more than yourself. Learn some manners. Sit down with the sick and watch yourself really reflect the God you say you follow."

I'm glad Matthew didn't let this experience keep him from following Jesus. He seems to have learned that keeping his eyes on Jesus and not people, including the religious ones, allowed him to best reflect Jesus. Thank you, Matthew, for ignoring the rude and self-righteous and for loving those that Jesus loved.

Common Good

Many books have been written on the subject Paul covers in I Corinthians 12. This is a blog entry, so here's my brief thoughts.

As I read that chapter today, verse 7 stuck out to me. It says, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

Here are two fundamental principles that focus on the common good:

• We need to know our gifts and use them for the common good
• We need to recognize others' gifts and trumpet their value for the common good

The first principle isn't too hard to get people motivated about since it focuses on themselves. The second one needs more trumpeting - at least in my observation of the common good. How does this work? Much like relationships. We have friends, but not all of them bring the same "item to the party." I have friends that I value because of their ability to chill; some for their ability to play hard; some for their ability to listen well; others for their ability to discern truth. You get the picture?

This same focus should happen in Christian/church circles. When we all focus on the common good of the body, tremendous Spirit-moving things will happen.

Bottom Line: For the Common Good, Personally Contribute and Celebrate Your Fellow "Body Part."

Balancing Tension

Most of us, particularly those who've never been on one, marvel at girl gymnasts who take on the challenge of doing a balance beam routine. They are constantly checking their balance while attempting incredibly difficult tasks - some slow, others fast; some elegant, others athletic. All this balancing is done while simultaneously managing tension.


I believe this is a good picture for things we deal with in our spiritual walk also. For example, Paul teaches us to be content in whatever state we are in while also encouraging us to run the race to win. That creates quite a bit of tension - trying to be content while running, striving to excel while waiting for God's timing. How in the world do you balance this tension?

Our best hope is that we are not on the beam by ourself. Thankfully, we have a connection to the Master of tension. We also have fellow followers who are on their own beam and understand what this tension is all about.

Never think you have to balance the tension in your own power. You'll be sure to miss a step and have a potentially distrastrous fall. Serious injury is inevitable going it alone. It is possible to achieve the balance. Balance in the power of his might.

The Funky Thing

My work schedule has me doing some funky (unusual/not the norm) stuff. For instance,

1. getting up and going to a Bible study this morning after just a few hours of sleep
2. sleeping mostly in the day
3. running in the middle of the day
4. my main diet for spiritual discipline being prayer with very little reading - the exact opposite of my norm

There are times/seasons in life where things just aren't going to be normal. Those are times for all kinds of things to happen. They can be great; they can also be harmful. If I don't watch it, this season has the potential to be non-productive, stagnant, etc. With proper focus though, my "unnormal" season can be one of the best of my life.

That's why the funky thing doesn't bother me. Actually, I'm enjoying the different outlook it is giving me. I'm seeing things I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Or maybe I'm just getting a different perspective. Sorta like being behind the ice cream counter rather than being in front of it.

God does a lot of work in our lives during our "unnormal" seasons. There's a lot for us to gain doing the funky thing. May our prayer be, "Bring on the funk!"

20 Days Left

It's getting closer by the day. I'm talking about the Space Coast Half Marathon. This race has been a target race for months for two reasons.

The first one is I plan to improve my time for this distance - significantly. I've set goals, as I believe you should always do. Here they are:

Placement Goals:

• Finish in the top 15 of my age group
• Finish in the top 100 overall

Time Goals (any of these would be a PR):

• "I'll be happy with that" = 1:49:59
• "I'm shooting for that" = 1:45:59
• "I can't believe I did that" = 1:41:59

The second one is I'm running in honor of my friend Keith Martin, who has just wrapped up his chemo treatments for cancer. He's been battling this for 13 weeks now. He will know soon how effective those treatments have been.

To honor him, I'm hoping to raise a large sum toward a ministry Keith loves called Western Indian Ministries. I've set up a fundraising page so you can be a part of Keith's stand against this disease but also so you can be a part of Keith's stand with the Navajo nation. To learn more and to support me in this race, visit http://firstgiving.com/keithspassion

"Do I Have to Write in Cursive?"

Last night was 1st Friday on Main Street. That means lots of people, and for Big Olaf's lots of customers. For me it also meant seeing several familiar faces.
One of those faces was a daughter from a great family I used to go to church with. She came in with a friend and waved as she got in line. Somehow when she got ready to pay I ended up ringing her up.

She said, "I have a card (her mom's)," to which I replied, "No problem." She then answered "yes" to my question "did she want a receipt."

Then the funny thing happened. I returned the card with her receipt and gave her a pen to sign the store copy. She looked at me with her big brown eyes, looking all puppy doggish, and said, "Do I have to write in cursive?"

Cracked me up on the inside. But I just smiled and said, "You sign however you want."

There's 2 things I love about this girl. The first thing is so great for a girl her age (preteen). She puts on absolutely no airs. She is who she is. She shoots straight and isn't afraid to be open and transparent. She didn't embarassingly write her name. She let me know her preference and went for it.

The other thing I love about this girl is that she isn't afraid to be unique. I remember back when we were starting football and cheerleading leagues at the church. She didn't want anything to do with cheerleading. She wanted to get in there and mix it up with the boys - as a 1st grader. And, thank you very much, she stood her own doing so for several seasons.

I hope she never loses these 2 qualities. The world needs honest and bold leaders. I have a hunch she's going to be just fine. If nothing else, she'll be a model for us older folks. The next customers in line had heard her question. They jokingly also asked if they had to write in cursive. Thanks, Livy, for being who God made you to be.

Just ended my day seeing Matt Redman sing this song on TV. Thanks, Matt.