My Memoirs

I think the best way to describe my life is to describe the soundtrack to my life. As a child of the eighties we were junkies of the muscial montages that introduced us to the wonderful world of movie soundtracks. I often pondered the philosophical issue of my own soundtrack and what would it contain. The highlights would have to be Statesboro Blues by the Allmen Brothers, I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2 and Don't Stop Believing by Journey. I'm not really into showtunes so don't expect "Oh Them Golden Slippers" or "I'm so Pretty" on my soundtrack. I don't like people mysteriously breaking out in song unless it is an authorized John Hughes musical montage. Anyhow I choose Statesboro Blues only because of the title. After being told that she was unable to have children I unexpectedly came along, unexpectedly being the operative word. My parents were the ones who originally had the Statesboro Blues since my dad was a full time student at Georgia Southern and my mom was working full time. For those of you not fimiliar with maternity leave policies in the seventies if you were pregnant you left your job once the baby was born. Needless to say when it was time for the blessed event it was my turn for the Statesboro Blues. Crazy as it may sound doctors actually gave women anesthesia back then during labor and delivery. I was not only buzzed when I was born but I was deprived of oxygen so that I was actually blue at birth. It gives my mom great pleasure to tease me that if it were not for this unfortunate incident that I might have actually had a great intellect. She wasn't hinting that I was average. She was saying it plainly. I guess I could always go back and sue the doctor for loss of mental hygiene. Has that ever crossed your mind? We have good dental hygiene and good personal hygiene but do we ever have good public hygiene? I would include mental in that...

Misunderstood lyrics

Song: Every Breath You Take~Police
Correct lyrics: Every vow you break every claim you stake I'll be watching you!
Misunderstood lyrics: Every vow you break every cling you stick I'll be watching you!
(Remember we lived in a time when bounce fabric sheet comercials were big)

Why I like Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory

My sister-in-law Cristina believes it is a test of my friendship to force people to watch the 1972 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Although this would make a tempting myth alas it is untrue. Still to annoy her and the many detractors of the movie I shall extoll its virtues. #1 I love his purple hat! Crushed purple velvet will come back in style someday. #2 Figuring out how two sets of grandparents could live in bed for twenty years. Didn't they ever go to the bathroom? #3 Veruca Salt Now there's a girl who knows where she's going #4 Who couldn't possibly live without their own eidable candy room with a chocolate river? Come on we're talking giant gummy bears people! and last but not least #5 Oompaloompas! Dr. Phil meets Broadway. Can entertainment get any better? A little bit of sugar helps the medicine go down. Yeah we know we're raising brats but the little orange people are singing!

To Disciple or Not to...

Is it possible or even logical for the clergy of today to do the job that has been assigned to them by their congregations? As Paul would say, "May it never Be!" Christ set up a system of discipleship that was meant to allow pastors to do the job God assigned them to do, shephard God's flock. They can't interact with the flock if the demand placed upon them are overwhelming. A wall eventually goes up and isolation begins. So where do these demands come from and who are supoosed to be meeting them? Here is where the story about my nieces comes into play. Christ created us to be relational beings. In Genesis 1:26 God says, "Let Us make man in Our image according to Our likeness," and then in 2:18, "it is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper corresponding to him." We forget that both Adam and Eve's first relationship experience was with God. They met God before they met each other. We were made to relate and respond and interact with God, yet because God made us in His image but also physically present, He planned Eve to correspond to Adam. She related exactly to him as Adam related to God. The difference was that Eve and Adam were equals but God was never their equal. This didn't interfere in their relationship but was at the core of it.

Greek Word of the Week

Eleos-masculine noun meaning mercy but specifically active compassion. Unlike oiktirmos (3628)pity eleos is activated wheareas oiktirmos is simply a feeling toward someone. Eleos works in conjunction with charis (5485)grace to bring about salvation. Grace though initiates eleos bringing the individual to the knowledge that they need eleos, which then activates, taking away the consequences of sin thus allowing grace to continue to proceed with its process of bringing the individual into a right relationship with God through Christ. Eleos then is the work of the cross, God's mercy to give us what we do not deseverve to elevate the suffering caused by the impact of sin. In the Old Testament sacrifices covered the sins of Israel through the blood being placed upon the Mercy Seat. Through the blood of Christ we have a permanent condition of eleos versus a temporary fix.

Quote of the Day

Never get into a land war with Asia. Only slightly less well known is never mess with a Sicilian when death is on the line!~Princess Bride

Misunderstood lyrics

Wizard of Oz: The flying monkies chant
Correct chant:Oh we love the Old One!
Incorrect chant: Oh we Oh we Oh Oh!

Misunderstood Lyrics

New York Minute
Correct:If you find somebody to love in this world you better hang on tooth and nail
Misunderstood:If you find somebody to love in this world you better hang on to their mail

Quote of the Day

I know it like the back of my head~Oscar V.

To Disciple Or Not To Disciple....

We're not sure exactly when but from the Middle Ages on what the Apostles had set up as mandated from God within the church vanished. Ritual replaced relationship, mass replaced intimacy and formality replaced fellowhip. The clergy was now isolating themselves from the congregation and the congregation was being cut off from its direct access to scripture. Very few were able to know what the Bible really said and only a handful gave permission to teach what they wanted taught. As history changed, the reformation broke down the barriers that had isolated the common man from scripture but the clergy despite the ability to marry and intermingle with his congregation still remained somewhat isolated. Catholic or Protestant the spiritual implication didn't seem to change the fundamentals of the church. The service still had its formality and ritual. The clergy still was set apart from the congregation and the vicious cycle continued. Enter the twentieth century, the church no longer was the small hundred or so congregations of most American communities but now were monstrosities with thousands coming each Sunday. The distance felt before between the congregation and the clergy was intangible but with an audience this size how could today's clergy be all things to all people? This time though we can't even have physical access to many of our pastors due to the demands that are unreasonably placed upon them. We see them on Sunday but even having a friendship casually with them is probably rare. Because the church was never able to get back to the princples set down by Peter and Paul in scripture, pastors are expected to do the job of deacon, elder and pastor. Many are overworked and underappreciated simply because their congregations do not know what scripture says about what a pastor's job is and what their responsibility as the congregation is.

Charis-a feminine noun from the noun chairo (5463)meaning to rejoice or to find joy in something. It is often translated as grace but with the idea of something given without the recipient having earned or deserved the gift. Charis during the Hellenistic period was completely by the giver's good will. In order to have a good relationship with those less fortunate many rich Greeks would give gifts to poorer Greeks. Charis in the New Testament is not just confined to forgiveness of sin which is part of its job but the replacement of sin in the believer's life. Charis now gives the believer the power over sin and the ability to choose a relationship with God over fleshly desires. The rejoicing comes in the receiving of the gift and the application of the gift.

Quote of the Day

It is better to be loving and kind than to not~Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

To Disciple or Not to Disciple That is the Question

Like most of my generation I was the product of MTV, CDs, VCRs, credit cards, video stores, the mall, the Brat Pack, Star Wars, PCs, Atari and jelly shoes. We were technological infants weaned off of LPs, eight track tapes and cassettes, remembering back when Disney used to make read along books fitted with forty-five jackets. For those of you too young to know what an LP or a forty-five is, its a round black thing that played music on a turntable. Long before Halo, there was Space Invaders and long before Switchfoot or Skillet, there was Larry Norman, Petra and my favorite Punks Into God.
My niece's generation looks upon my generation throug the nostalgia of her parents, aunts and uncles wide eyed and well versed in our music, our television shows and our games. She dreams of owning her own MP3 player and cellphone but a part of her is attracted to an era she never knew and that she has only experienced through our memories and our possessions. She reminds me how in such a simple illustration we have completely overlooked the most basic of principles that Christ left for us, that a maturing process is brought about through intentional relationships.
I have three nieces all as differnet in features as they are in personality. I determined when they were born that I was goign to be intentional in my relationship with them. I wanted to be able to love them impartially and uniquely. I wanted to shower them with time and my undivided attention and truely find out who these little creatures were. I promised that whatever they wanted to know about me I would not hold back from them and that I would always encourage them to talk to me.
They are now ten, seven and six beleiving my three bedroom home is Disney World. This isn't because I have the best toys or the latest video games but because I give them piano lessons, play a board game with them, watch a video snuggled up under a blanket, or have a pow wow with me and their Uncle Todd as they present their problems and wait to see what advise we give them. It seems for human beings that time spent together, talking and getting to really know each other is paradise.

Greek Word of the Week

agape (26)-unconditional love which is proactive and sacrificial; not about affection but about searching out needs and meeting them; it is not based upon deserving but upon the choice of the giver; a love that is only charateristic of the divine and who is not just characterisitic but who God is (1 John 4:8,16).

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