Alright, I admit it . . .

I don’t like flying.   I guess you could call it a fear.  It’s not enough to stop me from getting on a plane or enjoying traveling.  It’s just a low-grade unease that sets in.  A couple of years ago it was worse.  I think I believed that I could actually steer the plane by clawing the armrests as hard as I possibly could.  When we hit turbulence, it would take my prayer-life to a whole new level.  I would tell the person next to me how much I loved them and ask them to hold me.  I guess I would have gotten a better response if I knew them. 

These days, I’m more used to it since I ‘ve had to do more traveling.  I’m no longer dousing the plane with holy water and reciting the entire Book of Common Prayer.  I find that I love airports and enjoy the experience of travel.  A lot of it had to do with facing my fear rather than ignoring it or running from it.  I knew that if I was going to be able to continue with what God has called me to do, I would have to deal with it.  I remember praying one trip for a smooth ride and immediately I heard God say “Jeff, when have I ever promised you a smooth ride in anything?  I only promised that I would give you the grace for whatever you come against.”  Ouch!  Good point, God.  I should know better.  Strangely, once I accepted that fact, my fear began to diminish with each trip I took.  My faith was readjusted to be focused on the right things and as a result, my fears were in a process of being defeated. 

So the other night, I turned on the TV to find this on the screen -

 

 

I think I may have soiled myself . . .

 

 

I can only imagine what those poor people experienced during that ordeal.  Apparently, everyone remained calm and escaped without incident.  I definitely consider the crew of that flight all to be heroes and they should be commended!  As I continued to watch the news coverage and felt some old feelings begin to surface, I heard the Lord quietly remind me “I won’t always prevent you from enduring trials because that is where you are tested and grow, but I will always give you the grace for whatever comes your way.”  “You’re right, Lord.  Good reminder,”  I said.    I got my tea and sat down to listen to the accounts of heroism and rested with a fresh sense of confidence.

 

Holy Hardware!

There are many commercials on TV right now that I find annoying:  the bearded man that yells incessantly about fabric glue or bleach alternative;  the “after 10″ advertisements for singles chat lines; and let’s not forget . . . five . . . five dollar . . . five dollar foot . . FOR THE LOVE OF  – - – - !! I’m sure that these have been used as interrogation resources in terrorists training camps.  However, these pale compared to the latest commercial for a sterling silver, brilliant genuine crystal, cross necklace. This isn’t just any regular crystal cross; oh no . . . it has the Lord’s Prayer embedded in a “secret” center stone.  Once you hold it up to the light, it magically reveals the entire prayer.

Why . . . .why is this necessary in life?

Is there a possible scenario that could warrant such a ghastly trinket?

What?  Am I going to be at a prayer meeting and have someone ask me to close the meeting with the Lord’s Prayer?

“Our Father, who is in heaven” . . .  I draw a blank . . . people are staring!  I start to break into a flop-sweat . . . but wait!

I have my Genuine Brilliant Crystal Lord’s Prayer Cross ($19.95 plus shipping and handling.  Call right now and we’ll double your order!) In a quick move I clasp the cross between my hands and lift it desperately into the air just a couple of inches from my face.  I squint with strained intensity as I begin to read the microscopic print.  (Everyone thinks that I’m being moved by the Spirit a probably just a little closer to Jesus.)  Like James Earl Jones, I recite each word with an apocalyptic voice as people begin to weep.  Lives are changed . . . things will never be the same again.

Ok, a little over-the-top, I know . . . but while I certainly have no problem with the wearing of a cross as a symbol of authentic faith, I begin to draw the line when it is suffocating in the cavernous cleavage of some pop diva who, while receiving her MTV award in her studded dog collar and clear heels, blurts out, “I wanna giva holla out to Jesus fer makin’ this possible!  Aw-rite!?  Yeh.”  I’m sorry; it just lacks a little something.

But just as bad, if not worse, is the Christian sub-culture that has retail marketers and corporations foaming at the mouth in an anticipatory frenzy.  Just go to any convention, bookstore, or trade show and you can find almost anything.  From myrrh perfume (have you smelled myrrh, by the way?) to Jesus action figures.  It’s there!

But there is something about what we have done with the cross.  In the first century church, the cross was a frightening representation of execution.  In fact, the early Christians rarely used it in iconography because of its painful and gruesome method of execution.  The closest example we would have today would be the electric chair.  Now while I am not a huge fan of making this over-simplified comparison, it does make a point.  It was a method of torturous execution.  There is something dangerous about taking the cross and making it into a keepsake or trendy symbol or trinket.  It makes it too safe.  It makes it familiar and diminishes its ability to remind us of the terrible sacrifice that Christ made for us.  It makes us forget that we too must make a sacrifice to truly follow Him.  It becomes just another pop-culture icon lost in a sea of everything relevant.  Like I said, I have no problem with people wearing a cross or having it tattooed on their body, just as long as they understand what it represents and much like everything else with our faith, it has to mean something to them.  That’s where the power is.

“A Martha Stewart Thanksgiving” – The Lies and Carnage

It’s that time of year again where gluttony is considered vice chic and everyone expects the day to be reminiscent of the front cover of the 1953 Thanksgiving issue of “The Saturday Evening Post.”  Hosts and Hostess have spent days preparing the menu, decorating, and coordinating guests lists and responsibilities for this most significant of days.  We seek out the perfect recipes for the most important menu item; the turkey.  The turkey has become iconic with this festive holiday and therefore it is crucial that the host/hostess must ensure it’s perfection.  For days we have envisioned carrying this majestic bird on a elegant platter worthy enough to serve royalty.  Guests are overcome with emotion as they realize they are in a moment in time that will be captured in their hearts and likely become a keepsake in their portfolio of memories.  For that moment, the world becomes a better place.  All thanks to the expertise of world-renowned mentors of cooking that coach us, encourage us, and give us delightful visual aids, such as the one above, that serve as the finish line to an exhausting culinary journey.  With this inspired confidence, we know that we can’t fail.

However . . . .

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Indiana Wesleyan

 

Eight hours of solid talking and I am tuckered out!  I had the opportunity to train and speak with the Residential Directors and Advisors at Indiana Wesleyan today.  I gave a one hour lecture at the beginning of the day and followed up with seven hours of Q&A with individual small groups.  I always love connecting with university students and the college environment.  IWU staff has been so friendly and accommodating and it’s always encouraging to see a university willing to address the issue with students.  A couple of students even made a Starbucks run for me during the afternoon sessions!  They will have a special place in heaven sitting just a little closer to Jesus.

I am Activator! I am Command! I am . . . what?!

 

I’m usually not big on personality or assessment tests.  But I have to say I’m impressed with this one.  I love the premise of this book as it states that you can’t be whatever you want to be.  Rather, you are supposed to become the best that you were created to be.  We are always working on our weaknesses rather than capitalizing on our strengths.  While this concept is not new to me, I sure wish I had learned about it before I spent 10 years pursuing a classical music career.  I spent so many years developing and training a skill that had significant limitations.  Had I realized earlier what my true strengths were, I could have saved a whole lot of money and been a little further down the road doing what I was supposed to be doing.  But God has a way of redeeming the time and correcting our course when we take our little trips down crackpipe lane.  

The premise of the book is there are 34 themes; patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that can be usefully utilized.  Out of these themes, there are five that surface as being the strongest and most dominant.  Our pastoral team is in the process of taking the test to see how we compliment each other and better work together.  This should be interesting.  Apparently, mine turned out to be:  

1.  Responsibility

2.  Command

3.  Competition

4.  Activator

5.  Strategic

Now I must confess that I enjoy the hyper-masculine overtones of this list.  However No. 3 was a little bit of a surprise.  I never really considered myself competitive.  The only thing I’ve ever asked is for the slow and incompetent to do what I tell them and get out of my way.  The fact that this is on my list is a little concerning since I’m on pastoral team and categorically this is considered sin!  I’m sure this is just eluding to my commitment to compete against and defeat the forces of darkness.  That makes sense . . . right?

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