Fighting Dogs and Finding Jesus

Michael Vick, the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. He was arrested for funding and participating in the brutal sport of dog fighting. It looks like he will spend some time in the "big house". During his televised apology he made mention of turning his life over to God. Michael Vick said he found Jesus. Now, I have heard several people doubt it. They say," How about that? Michael Vick is heading to jail and now he has found Jesus. Big surprise!" People, even Christian people seem very cynical about Michael Vick. I am not. I have been thinking. Jesus is into saving people. Jesus said that he came to seek and to save that which was lost. This may be the first time Michael Vick ever really felt lost. Michael Vick is an amazing athlete that earned a 4 year scholarship to college. He was drafted in the first round and has become a multi-million dollar quarterback. Michael Vick was all that and then some. Now, he stands to lose 100 million dollars. He is probably going to jail and he may never play football again. The only thing I would correct him on is that I don't think he found Jesus. I think Jesus found him. Jesus is a Savior who looks for people who know they need to be saved. Usually that is not at the top of companies, in All-Star games, or after winning the lottery. Jesus tends to find people at the end of their ropes, in a courtroom, or a hospital, or wherever they end up when the bottom falls out. That is where he found me. So, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Jesus has found Michael Vick. It is my prayer that he has.

Becca Already Knew

Tis the season for kids to return to school. My 16 year old daughter returns to school on Monday. Like most parents I feel like the primary reason for school is to learn. I am concerned with subjects and information and of course grades. I am into the head. Becca is concerned about friends and soccer and of course Homecoming. She is into the heart. I have found the heart always trumps the head. Always. That is why God didn't stop with the Ten Commandments and Moses. God sent Jesus to the cross. God needed to show people like me that the heart always trumps the head. Becca already knew. Jesus came to capture my heart because the heart is what changes me.

JoJo Becomes Catatonic

My dog JoJo has an invisible fence. She runs around our yard most of the time with absolute abandon. She is a hoot to watch. During the recent construction on our home the line was cut. JoJo is a very bright dog. It is weird that it gives me some pleasure to say that. How does the fact that my dog is bright reflect on me? I told you last Sunday that I can use anything to boost my self image. I am hopeless but then I digress. Anyway, JoJo figured out there was a break and went AWOL a couple of times. We ended up having to tie her up so she wouldn't run off. Tying her up completely freaked her out. Even when we untied her she could hardly move. She had lost her boundaries and with her boundaries she had lost her freedom. I was reminded of an experiment with children and playgrounds. Some well meaning educators removed the fences of playgrounds thinking they inhibited the children. What they found was the children huddled in the middle of the playground and did not venture to the edges since the edges were not defined. All of this to say, I am glad God gives us edges. God places parameters around me not to confine me but to give me freedom. Because I, like JoJo, will only run with abandon when I know where the yard is.

Ants Don't Sin

Not too long ago I was sitting watching a string of ants moving along the bottom of a wall. I watched them for a while. It is wierd that they all seemed to have some idea of purpose. There they were scurrying with what seemed to be great intensity. I dropped a couple of small potato chips near the line to see what would happen. A couple of ants detoured and started to carve up the chips and then hoist it on their little shoulders ( actually I am not sure if ants even have shoulders) and haul it to the ant metropolis that I assumed existed somewhere. After just a few minutes other ants joined them and the potato chip mother lode became big news to the ants. They all joined in and began working together to take it all home. I remember having a talk with a very bright man who said that man was not any different than the animal kingdom. He did not believe in morals but only in instincts. His point was that we were like ants more or less (only with easily identifiable shoulders). But as I watched the ants what I didn't see in all the time I was watching was an ant who grabbed a piece of chip and headed off to hoard it on his own. I didn't see any ants pull out little ant guns and wave off the other ants so they wouldn't have to share. I remember reading in C.S.Lewis that man is the only really wild animal. We are the only ones in rebellion and not doing what God created us to do. So, while watching the ants I bacame more convinced of the sinfulness of man. It did strike me that I probably did them no favors by dropping potato chips. Since ants only live a couple of days I am pretty sure some mom ant was going to say to her son, "you've been eating junk food your whole life". And she would be right.

LOOKING FOR WHALES IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

I am finally home after being on sabbatical most of the summer. The last trip I had was to Alaska. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Everyone we talked who had gone on a similar trip had talked about whales. Naturally, we were desperate to see some whales so we were looking for them all the time. It finally dawned on me that we were missing much of the beauty of the mountains looking for the whales. I think that can easily happen. I can miss the blessings all around me looking for a blessing I do not yet have. I can miss the sweetness of friends while looking for a spouse. I can miss the loved ones all around while grieving one who has gone home. I can miss the mountains looking for the whales. I mentioned all this to my wife and we finally quit looking for the whales and looked at the beauty of the snow capped mountains and the ice blue glaciers. About an hour later the whales came. They really were amazing but I was glad to have given up in time to soak in the wonder of the mountains. My encouragement to you is obvious isn't it? It is ok to look for the whales but don't miss all the other things. It is good to be back. I am sorry I haven't been able to write more. Hopefully I will now. God bless.

Snacking on You

I decided about 3 weeks ago I would stop talking about people. I mean mostly little things like "did you ever notice how he drives? He accelerates and then takes his foot off, then he accelerates and backs off again. My head kept hitting the head rest." I was a little like Jerry Seinfeld finding the humor in every day but it always or nearly always was in the way other people behaved every day. The thing that struck me is that almost no matter what I said or noticed I was comparing. In a maybe not so subtle way I was saying, " I don't drive like that. I am a smooth driver." I know I blogged earlier that I eat food. If I eat food then I snack on people. It is like a junk food that tastes good for a moment but never fills me up. So, I have gone on a no junk food diet. I quit talking about people. Within a couple of days I was really hungry and I all kinds of great observations about other people I could share with my wife. I found as long as I don't say anything out loud I don't really eat. So, I kept all my witty comments inside. I got hungry. The psalmist says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." In my life I almost always have to quit eating junk in order to be hungry enough to eat what is really good.

The Splinter in Me

I got a splinter in my foot about a week ago. It was tiny. I took some tweezers and went to work on it. I thought I got it. Two days later it still hurt. Every step. So, I went to work on it again. This time I used a needle along with the tweezers. I dug around until there was a little crater in the bottom of my foot. I was not as convinced that I got it and sure enough within another day or two every step reminded me that something was wrong down there. Finally, yesterday I was successful. There it was on the tip of my tweezers. It was tiny and it was almost clear. Pain had done it's work. I really wanted to ignore the splinter but the pain kept reminding me something was wrong and would continue to get wronger unless I did something. That is the way my conscience works too. My conscience reminds me something is wrong in my soul. I want to ignore it but with nearly every breath I am reminded that something is wrong in my life and it will just get wronger unless I do something. It can be a broken relationship, a desire gone awry, or any number of splinters. The good news is I can take it to a Savior who will go to work at once to dig it out and set me back walking without pain. I hope it is the same with you. So, today I am thankful for every step and want to remember the God who made my body made my soul.