Monthly Archives: August 2011

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 4

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Child walking alone
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But even there, if you seek God, your God, you’ll be able to find him if you’re serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul. Deuteronomy 4:29 (MSG)

When my nephew, Sam, was just a little guy about three years old his male spirit kicked in. Curious and wild at heart, the little man set out on an adventure from Grandma and Grandpa’s house wandering down the street in search of a buried treasure, a damsel in distress, or who knows what. With a house full of family young and old, it was several minutes before any one realized that Sam was missing.

I will never forget the desperate search of Sam’s mom, my sister, for her son. The entire family fanned out into the neighborhood, but a bloodhound on a scent has far less passion and intensity than my sister did that day as she searched for her boy. It did not take long before the little wayfarer was found a block or two down the street. Mother and son came walking back to the house together. The three year old Sam was smiling as if he’d had a fine time on his grand adventure. His mother was a basket case of emotions with tears streaking down her cheeks.

When I read today that those who want to find God should seek after him with their heart and soul, I thought of my sister’s desperate search for little Sam. The Kingdom of God is not something stumbled upon. It is not found by random happenstance. God is found by those who actively seek after Him.

Today I am reminded that while I may be a wayfarer on this journey through life, my road is not aimless.

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Random Thoughts, Wayfarer's Journal

Day 12: A Date You Would Like to Go On

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Des Moines Art Center
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30 Day Blogging Challenge Day 12: A date you would like to go on.

I’ve been on some amazing dates with my wife. One of my all time favorites was her birthday date last Spring when we went with our friends Chad and Shay to the opera in Chicago. Awesome.

Wendy and I have actually been planning the date we’d like to go on. We talked about it again on Sunday while we were driving. We’re calling it our “Date with Art.” Here’s the set up: Three to four couples go to the Des Moines Art Center together. We enjoy the galleries, but as we go through each person is to pick out one piece of artwork that, for some reason, stands out to them in some way. Each person is to spend some time really looking at that piece of artwork and will have specific questions we’ll give them that they need to contemplate.

Afterward, we’ll go out for a nice meal and each person will share which piece of artwork they spent time with, why it stood out to them, and what they learned or experienced through it.

What a great evening!

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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 3

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Harry Belafonte 1954
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At that same time, I begged God: “God, my Master, you let me in on the beginnings, you let me see your greatness, you let me see your might—what god in Heaven or Earth can do anything like what you’ve done! Please, let me in also on the endings, let me cross the river and see the good land over the Jordan, the lush hills, the Lebanon mountains.”  Deuteronomy 3:23-25 (MSG)

When I was young I was called to preach. I’ll spare you the details of how it happened. It’s a story for another day. Preaching and teaching was not an ability I developed or worked at. It was something that I just did and I was good at it. At the same time, I had several friends who were gifted singers and musicians. I loved the way music was so easy for them and I envied the way they could stand up and sing or play and move the audience with their music in powerful ways.

And so, because I envied my friends musical ability I would try hard to sing well and to play music. It was agonizing at first. With practice I became decent at singing and playing. I became competent at it, but I will never be a gifted vocalist or musician. I watched as some of my gifted musical friends tried desperately to communicate through the spoken word. In concerts they insisted on sharing long winded stories and talks between songs. It was agonizing. They weren’t gifted communicators. People wanted them to stop talking and play their music.

Along the journey I’ve noticed this pattern in people. We envy the gifts and abilities of others while failing to appreciate out own. God gives each of us our own gifts and abilities and calls us to serve in a unique way based on those gifts and abilities. We do the same thing with our callings. Moses wanted desperately to cross the Jordan and lead the people into the Promised Land, but that was Joshua’s job; It was what Joshua was called to do. Moses’ calling was to get the people out of Egypt, give them the law, and lead them to the river.

We too often treat our gifts and callings like we do our material possessions. We get bored with what we have and are enamored with what others have. Today I’m reminded that I’ve got to do what I’m gifted and called to do while celebrating what others are gifted and called to do.

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Random Thoughts, Wayfarer's Journal

Day 12: Things You Want to Say to an Ex

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30 Day Blogging Challenge Day 12: Things you want to say to an ex.

To all who can call me an “ex”:

Yes, I do realize what a blind, self-centered, insensitive ass I was.

I am so, so sorry.

Please forgive me.

I hope life is well.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 2

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Long Road in Montana
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 God, your God, has blessed you in everything you have done. He has guarded you in your travels through this immense wilderness. For forty years now, God, your God, has been right here with you. You haven’t lacked one thing. Deuteronomy 2:7 (MSG)

A week or so ago our family was gathered for dinner and somewhere in the middle of the conversation my parents began to reminisce about some specific ways God had been good to our family, recalling particular instances when God worked in mysterious, even miraculous ways.

I was glad for the conversation and glad for my daughters there, hearing the stories. I have my own stories to share as I look back over 45 years. Some of them I’ve told and some they likely have yet to hear. It’s good to know how God’s faithfulness extends through generations. Today’s chapter is one of a regular stream of instances in which God tells the people to remember all that He’s done for them.

As my mind wanders back to being a child spending Sundays at the dinner table with my parents and grandparents, I remember sitting in church singing a sweet little hymn:

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Count your blessings name them one by one.
Count your blessings see what God has done.

And so, like Moses and his followers, I let my mind wander back over 40+ years and remember all the ways I’m incredibly blessed. Counting blessings is a great attitude adjuster.

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Random Thoughts, Wayfarer's Journal

Day 11: Your Current Relationship

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30 Day Blogging Challenge Day 11: Your Current Relationship

I get the feeling that this set of blogging questions was written by a young person. There’s sort of a preconceived notion that significant relationships are a busy, revolving door.  But, I guess they do call it a blogging “challenge.”

I’ve already shared much in this 30 day challenge about my wife, and so with today’s question I’m focused more on our relationship and our marriage. I believe that in many ways we are a lot like every other married couple. Wendy gets cranky with my “dude-ness” as I leave messes behind, leave dishes on the counter, and get myopically focused on what I’m thinking about to the exclusion of anything and anyone else in the room. I am often frustrated with a dizzying plethora of female preferences and expectations regarding every facet of life in the house. Then there’s the personality differences with which every couple must struggle.

Anyone who knows us will testify that Wendy is demonstrative with her emotions. She is never one to avoid a conflict when there’s something irritating her. I, on the other hand, am easy going and never one to jump into conflict when there’s a way I can avoid it to see if it will just go away. You get the picture. And despite the differences in our personalities there is a reciprocal positive effect that we have on one another. Wendy teaches me how to be more honest and forthright with my feelings as I help her understand that the first emotionally explosive reaction to something is not always the most accurate nor helpful to the situation.

Those are the daily realities of living together with our flawed and self-centered humanity. Nevertheless, those irritations pale in comparison to the love we share and the joy of walking the journey together. As I mentioned the other day, we are together all the time. We work together out of our home offices and we enjoy the same activities. We are together more than almost any couple our age that I know, and I can’t imagine living life any other way. It feels strange when I’m away from the home office for a day of client meetings. I can’t imagine of better, more complimentary companion. Theatre, movies, books, art, conversation, music, company, dance, wine, Cubs and Vikings. We share and enjoy so many things in life together.

Blessed.

Wayfarer's Journal

Not a Bad Looking Bunch

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I mentioned the other day that Madison’s Father’s Day gift was a family portrait session with Rebecca Bender Photography. Yesterday we got a first peek at the results and I have to say that the results exceeded my expectations. Thanks to Madison and thanks to Rebecca.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Deuteronomy 1

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“But how can I carry, all by myself, your troubles and burdens and quarrels? So select some wise, understanding, and seasoned men from your tribes, and I will commission them as your leaders.”  Deuteronomy 1:12-13 (MSG)

Throughout the journey I’ve been in various positions of leadership. It started when I was elected Captain of the Woodlawn Elementary School Safety Patrol. I still remember getting the little Captain’s badge to put on my bright orange safety patrol belt as I went out to the corner of Madison and Lower Beaver to hold up my arms and direct students safely across the street.

With all of the leadership opportunities I’ve had since then, I can still scarcely imagine the task Moses faced. Some 600,000 men, their families and herds all wandering from campsite to campsite and Moses was the lone voice of leadership. I can’t imagine the daily burden that he faced. It is no wonder that circumstance drove Moses and the people to develop a structure of governance.

Today I’m reminded that even in the beginning of the story God said it was not good to be alone. It still holds true, even in daily life, corporate life, spiritual life, and family life. We need companions for the journey to share in the burden and ease the load. We need others to provide both encouragement and accountability. Going it alone is risky business.

Random Thoughts, Wayfarer's Journal

Day 10: Your Views on Drugs and Alcohol

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30 Day Blogging Challenge Day 10: Your views on Drugs and Alcohol.

I find that people’s views on drugs and alcohol are largely shaped by their early experiences in their family of origin. In my family, adult beverages were consumed regularly but never to excess. My Grandpa Spec always enjoyed a “beer and a belt” at the end of the day referring to a glass of cold beer and a shot of Old Crow or whatever cheap whiskey he had in his shelf above the refrigerator. My Grandpa V enjoyed a tall little cordial of his favorite Cream Sherry before bed, and was known to make a Christmas fruit cake each year that was so doused in different liquors that it weighed about fifteen pounds and was inedible to everyone but the most adventurous souls. My folks would drink beer with certain meals and wine on special occasions. Moderation, responsibility and self-control with alcohol were modeled for me as a child and I have tried to model the same for my children.

I’ve never really been tempted by illegal substances. Drugs were never my deal. But I think that “drugs” has a much broader interpretation than we typically apply to it. I wonder at the hypocrisy I occasionally encounter with those who would zealously prohibit certain substances while refusing to acknowledge our addiction to others.

Sugar is a drug. It is a chemical to which our society is addicted. It creates a chemical reaction within our body leaving us with a false sense of pleasure and well being and it easily leaves us craving more and more until we are overweight, unhealthy diabetics. We scoff and criticize those who drink alcohol or those who would legalize pot while we snarf down another chocolate frosted sugar bomb at the church potluck. I don’t hear a lot of outcry about that.

Caffeine is also a drug. It is a stimulant that has a chemical effect on our body. It easily lures us into an unhealthy, even addictive cycle of being so stimulated we don’t rest well. We’re tired and strung out from not sleeping well so we return to our sugary caffeinated coffee or “energy” drinks . Not only do we refuse to acknowledge this, but we culturally promote it and celebrate it.

I’m reminded of the words of St. Paul when he said all things are permissable, but not all things are beneficial. All things are permissable, but we should not be mastered by any of them. Responsibility, moderation, self-control.

Would you like cream and sugar with that?

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Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Numbers 36

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Deed 1661 signed at Rehoboth Massachusetts Ind...
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“No inheritance-land may be passed from tribe to tribe; each tribe of the People of Israel must hold tight to its own land.” Numbers 36:9 (MSG)

Land is a funny thing. We like to think we own it, and in doing so we attach all sorts of value to it and allow it to have a strange sense of power over us. The land I own here at home was first owned by the founder of the town, H.P. Scholte. All of the Dutch settlers gave Scholte their life savings and he pooled the money to buy all of the land around here, then parceled it out once the U.S. Government gave him the deeds. The problem was that it took a while for the Government to process the paperwork (some things never change, I guess). The delay created all sorts of conflict and scandal in the fledgling community. People became obsessed with claiming and owning their land. I can still see some of those obsessive attitudes in the descendents who inherited it.

The land that I “own” in Missouri was first developed in a time of blatant racism. The paperwork to my land includes handwritten instructions by the racist landowners that the land may never be owned by anyone other than a pure blooded caucasian. How very sad.

I’ve been reading through The Lord of the Rings again. I lost count how many times I’ve read the epic tale. In The Two Towers, two Hobbits are sunning themselves on the peak of a tall hill and they run into an ancient Ent – a giant tree-like creature who shepherds the trees. He asks the Hobbits what they call the thing they are standing on:

“Hill?” suggested Pippin. “Shelf? Step?” suggested Merry.

Treebeard repeated the words thoughtfully. “Hill. Yes, that was it. But it is a hasty word for a thing that has stood here ever since this part of the world was shaped.”

Indeed. Today I am reminded that I may own land, but if I’m not careful it can end up owning me. The truth of the matter is that in the end we all die and, as God’s Message reminds us, return to the ground from which we were made. I may hold claim to a piece of land for a short time, but the land will ultimately claim me.

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