Too Little to Be Knee Boarding

I am going to be a proud daddy for a minute. We took the kids out on Jason and Jamye's boat the other day for some summer fun. Our plan was to take the kids tubing and the adults knee boarding. After exhausting ourselves on the tube Caleb said, "Can I try the knee board?"

My initial thought was, "You're too little to knee board...", yet Caleb kept asking so we decided to let him give it a try. After giving him a brief explanation of knee boarding mechanics he jumped in the water and got in position. All set, Caleb gave us the "thumbs up" and Jason hit the throttle.

I wasn't sure what to expect next (maybe my oldest son being dragged behind a speed boat while gulping in Mona Lake). Needless to say I was shocked when I saw Caleb pop right up as if he had done this all his life! After getting situated on the board Caleb strapped himself in (a difficult maneuver requiring a one handed hold) and rode effortlessly in the wake. The ride ended when Caleb signaled to us that he was all done and simply let go of the rope and eased into the water.

Since when did my little boy get big enough to knee board?

I have realized that it is my role as a parent to give my kids opportunities where they can stretch, explore, and discover. This will at times mean "failure" (maybe even pain). Yet other times, giving them space to try means they not only discover the cool splash of the waves as they skim through the water, but also means that Dad discovers they are capable of more than he thinks they are.

Way to go Caleb!

Bring Your Guns To Church

In preparation for the 4th of July, New Bethel Church in Louisville, KY wanted have an outreach event for people in their community. So on June 27th the church hosted their first "Open Carry" Service in which members and non-members alike were encouraged to bring their guns to church to celebrate the 2nd Amendment.

After finally being able to find an insurance carrier that would cover the event, around 175 people turned out (pistols in tow) watched videos from gun enthusiasts, sang songs (selections: America, the Beautiful, My Country 'tis of Thee), and enjoyed a summer cookout. There were some rules for this gathering: All guns must be unloaded and holstered (however those who have "concealed-carry" permits were welcome to have their loaded gun with them). The event went off without a hitch and there are plans for the church to do this outreach event again (for a full story click this link).

This event irrupted a firestorm around the 2nd Amendment (those working hard to defend it and those who would like to see guns go by the wayside). As the firestorm ensues people get broken into 1 of two categories: a card carrying member of the NRA that likes to drink beer and carry an uzi, or the "Anti-American" who wants to burn the US constitution. Both of these categories are unhelpful.

As the Church in this world our concern should not be so much with the politics of the day, but rather what we are promoting in this world.

Jesus told his followers that he would turn their "pitch forks into plowshares"...how then does it reflect on the gospel when his followers hold tightly to their guns? The people of God should always be encouraging things that are full of creativity and life giving...what then does it communicate when we hold events that encourage people to bring weapons to public places (particularly in light of recent school and church shootings)? Further, if our trust is found in God alone what do we communicate when we worry in fear about the government taking away our "only defense"(one's firearm)?

This is not a commentary on the 2nd Amendment (for all of you who like to hunt you can let out a sigh of relief) but rather to point out that while we may be thankful for certain rights, it doesn't necessarily mean those rights need always be celebrated (would our churches hold a rally in support of the 1st Amendment where we listened to George Carlin's "7 Dirty Words You Can't Say On Television")? Is it not appropriate that certain rights we accept with great trepidation and care?

Let's remember that at whatever events the Church holds it should always communicate (and embody) the gospel of Christ: a message of hope, reconciliation, beauty, creativity, and life.

The Case for a Tragic Optimism ("Man's Search For Meaning" pt. 4)

"Live as if you were living for the second time and had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now."

-Victor Frankl "Man's Search for Meaning" (p.151)

Our Love of Fear

I remember as a kid loving to be frightened by scary movies on the TV. We would watch Chukie terrorize people in "Child's Play", Jason stalk people at camp, and of course Freddy as he haunted people in their nightmares.

As we get older our fears change from fiction to reality. We fear the big things that threaten life and security: disease outbreak, corporations going belly up, and violence from foreign military powers. Our fears run deep into our being.

In his short book "Following Jesus", N.T. Wright writes this about fear: ...we're afraid of being alone, of being unloved, of being abandoned. We mix with other children, other teenagers, other young adults, and we're afraid of looking stupid, of being left behind in some race that we all seem to be automatically entered for. We contemplate jobs, and we're afraid both that we mightn't get the one we really want and that if we get it we mightn't be able to do it properly; and that double fear lasts for many people all through their lives. We contemplate marriage, and we're afraid both that we might never find the right person and that if we do marry it may turn out to be a disaster. We consider a career move, and are afraid both of stepping off the ladder and of missing the golden opportunity. We look ahead to retirement, and are afraid both of growing older and more feeble and of dying suddenly."

At first glance fear seems to be an unwanted emotion, something that has crept into our psyche keeping us from dreaming, trying, and doing. Yet the irony is that we as people love fear. For us living a life in fear allows us to live a life "in control". Our fears (so we think) keep us safe; safe from disappointment, sickness, and hurt.

And maybe this is the point of it all as we strive to follow the God of the Scriptures who is continually telling his children to "fear not"; that our pursuit of control (through a fear designed to "keep us safe") will never bring about the fullness of love and life that God desires for us. It is only when we can let go of our fears and need for control that we can freely walk in the hope of life and possibility.

In what areas of your life do you feel you have to "control"?
What "fears" are preventing you from stepping into new possibility?

"Which Is the Greatest Law?"

I have read this passage over and over again. I am drawn to it. Not only is it beautifully simple, but it is the words of our Lord communicating the essence of following him. My familiarity with this passage makes it easy for me to miss the depth of what Jesus is communicating. Yet when I approach it in its original language it takes me outside of myself; to a place where I can't quickly read through it as if I "know it all".

Reading this passage in the original language places a distance between the Scriptures and myself. This is not a bad distance, but rather a distance that reminds me that I do not "own" the Scriptures. They are to be approached with humility and care...never for us to presuppose as if we have arrived, but to learn and remain pliable that we might be transformed through living out the greatest commandement of our Lord.

Capable of Change ("Man's Search For Meaning" pt. 2)

There is always the hope that some how we can change as human beings, that we can become better people regardless of the circumstances that seek to oppress and limit our capabilities.

The hope here is not that we may become better people for our own good or benefit, but that our change might lead to the change we hope to see in this world. In "Man's Search For Meaning" Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl writes:

"...man is ultimately self determining. Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant...one of the main features of human existence is the capacity to rise above such conditions, to grow beyond them. Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary."

More Than Busy (Brother Lawrence pt. 1)

Married life with three kids is busy. Add a full-time job and a part time student to the mix and life is in constant motion. It is the constant "doing" that gives my life definition, and the busyness of life that I find my identity. And so like some kind of drone worker ant I measure myself and success by what I produce. It is a exhausting cycle of striving, reaching, and doing.

I long for a retreat, to focus on "being". All with the hope that I might find meaning and rest.

In his classic work, "The Practice of the Presence of God", 17th Century French monk Brother Lawrence writes: