Loving to Hate

I have issues. I think I have made that clear. It is always fascinating to me what God uses to bring my issues up out of the recesses of my soul to the forefront. LeBron has done it this time. Well, LeBron hasn't actually done anything but the issue has come up inside of me because of what LeBron did by leaving Cleveland. It has made me examine what I love so much about hating. I could have easily used the Pittsburgh Steelers but I know some of their fans read this blog and they would just smile their smug little 5-1 smiles and be condescending the whole rest of the day so I won't use them. When LeBron made his announcement I was hurt and mad and everything everyone else was who lives in northeast Ohio. But as the months have gone on I have found that I get a strange kind of enjoyment out of being so angry. There is a lot of pride mixed in with this kind of feeling. It may be all pride. I just know it is not spiritually healthy and it shows a part of my heart that is not good. I remember reading a book by Frederick Buechner where he defines anger. This is what he says, "Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back- in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you." (Wishful Thinking- A Theological ABC) So, I've decided to let the LeBron thing go. I am tired of chewing on it and on myself. If you have been nursing a grudge against anyone then this is for you. Remember all you have been forgiven and then ask the King who forgave you so much to give you one more gift. The ability to forgive.

On Being Generous

One of the best things we ever started at our church was the You've Been Gifted initiative. We use the holidays as an excuse to move out into our community with 5000 acts of random generosity. We will be releasing the cards next month. The stories that come back are amazing. Generosity is a powerful thing. I have used giving for years as a defense against the power of money. But generosity is something different. Giving is playing defense. If you are not giving regularly you are in trouble spiritually. You may or may not know it but you are. Generosity is playing offense. Being generous is like buying joy. Random generosity is like hitting a walk off home run. It is just exhilarating. One of the most generous people I know is my friend Tom Randall. The interesting thing is he is generous not just with his money, he is generous with his compliments, with his love, with his time, and with his life. It is not a coincidence that he is also one of greatest people to hang out with in all the world. Now, that is not to say you might not get killed hanging with Tom. I was nearly kidnapped in the Philippines. But I would have had the time of my life all the way up to the moment my life ended. I have decided I want to live life to the fullest. To do that requires a generosity of spirit. I invite you to do the same. I am writing about You've Been Gifted because the season has already begun for some people. This week I received two emails. One from a person who has never attended our church but has been gifted with groceries and help this past week while going through a really tough time. She felt compelled to tell me how great my people were and tell me she was coming soon to a service. The other email was from a husband requesting prayer for his wife. They are members of our church. She recently read an article about a man who needed a kidney and could not find a match in his family. She decided to go through the testing, is a match, and will be donating a kidney to a stranger in a week. She has taken gifting to a whole new level. Stories like that give me a glimpse of what God hoped would happen when he gave us his son. The hope was for a whole new race of people who are radically generous and filled with joy. Jesus said that he came that we might have life and have it to the full. I know one lady who will have more life with one kidney than most of the world has with two. Please hold her up in prayer on October 26th. And go begin living. Look for chances to be generous with your money, with your time, with your words, with your love, with your life. I have never known a single person who has regretted being generous.

One Year

One year ago today I sat cradling my dad in my arms on the bathroom floor. I remember thinking then, "So, this is how it ends. This is how I will say goodbye to the man to whom I owe the most." Several hours later a neurosurgeon gave us unexpected hope that dad might live after all. For the next few weeks and even months we watched my dad claw and crawl his way back to health from a stroke. Today marks one year. It is one of the greatest gifts my heavenly father has given me...more time with the man who taught me everything from how to throw a baseball to how to treat a woman to how to worship the true and living God. It has been a great year. And every year from now until dad finally sets off on his final voyage will be good. I told him today that he is now on extended warranty. It is true but who knows but you are as well. Live your life as a gift. Worship fully, give more, love all and be thankful.

The Face

I found out last week I am losing a staff member. We have a wonderful staff at our church and we have been very fortunate to have a low turnover rate. This particular staff member is a tough one for me to lose. He is the one I worked most closely with so he has become a good friend as well. Dave is leaving to go and serve at a church in Austin, Texas. I think as a pastor I tend to be particularly sensitive to voluntary leaving. In our area it is not uncommon for someone to be transferred to another area. As a pastor and shepherd it always makes me grieve some when anyone leaves. But sometimes people simply leave the church. They aren't transferred, they simply decide to leave the church and go to another church or no where at all. That is a different kind of grieving because as a pastor there is a distinct feeling of rejection that comes with the grief and many times overshadows it. So in that case I grieve not for them but for myself. So, that is what I have been feeling with Dave. There is a profound self-centeredness in me and it comes out at the most inopportune times. I want God to just leave me alone in my own little pity party but he won't. It is times like these that God loves me too much to just leave me in my room. He calls me to himself and asks me what is wrong. As I tell him he looks at me until I finally look back. I think of the song that says, "His face is all I see." It is all I ever need to see. God calls to us in virtually every way. He calls to us through the laughter of life, through the beauty of his world, in the tears of grief, even in the moments of complete self-absorption. So, whatever is going on in your life right now, listen for the voice and follow that voice to the face because his face is all you need. It is all you have ever needed. And that is the gospel truth.

Love and Beauty

I am sitting in my office and looking out on a beautiful autumn day. My wife had occasion to come by the church earlier and I walked her out to her car. I told her I needed to blog and asked what I should blog about. She suggested the beauty of the trees and the changing of the leaves. It is beautiful but the thing that struck me as she said that was how beautiful she looked. I think certain seasons agree with certain people and the Fall has always agreed mightily with my wife. It also occurred to me that it was the Fall of my Junior year 31 years ago that I fell hard for a stunning young coed named Karen. Maybe that is why I like the season so much. There is much to like. One of the verses I like in the Bible is a verse that says, "God gives to His beloved in his sleep." There is not a season where God is not giving me gifts and there is not a season where the beauty of God is not shining for those who have eyes to see. Look outside today and behold the wonder of God. I could say that today but then again I could say that any day. The amazing thing is I could say that just as easily about the love of God as well. On your best or worst day I could say, "Stop and behold how great the love of God is for you." Today is the day I have noticed that the season has changed. I want to let the seasons remind me of the constant love of God for me even though I change as often as the seasons themselves.