Rockfest Day 31 - Solid as a Rock

Gibraltar. It is known the world over. Gibraltar has been important to world history for centuries. Gibraltar occupies a strategic piece of land at the Southwest tip of Spain just across the rightfully named Strait of Gibraltar from Africa. Oddly, it is not under Spanish rule. They lost in it 1713 to the British. The Spanish are still pretty hot over it and as recently as 2006 they were still trying to find ways to exert some control over it.

But have you ever looked at it on a map? It is a tiny little place. Looks like you could flick Gibraltar away with your little finger. The whole land area is just 2.6 square miles. It seems more like an afterthought than an important piece of real estate.

What is it about this tiny spit of land that has had the world’s attention since it was first settled in 711 AD? It is geographically located in prime shipping routes. It is strategically located for travel to the Southern continent. But there is more to Gibraltar than being geographically blessed.

It’s that rock. If Gibraltar is known for anything it is known for its rock. You may know nothing about Gibraltar itself but surely you have seen that rock; rising majestically and massively above the sea.

The Rock of Gibraltar is intimidating. It has been the site of many battles through the ages. The rock itself has been the targeted prize at times and at other times it has been the strategic outpost helping the win the battle. The composition of the rock itself makes it a fitting adversary in any competition.

It rises over 1,300 feet above the sea on its western side giving forces a great vantage point from which to see the enemy approach. It is partly made of limestone which allows for tunnels to be easily carved for attack routes and cunning, quick movements of forces. The rock has over 100 naturally occurring caves, in which to hide and protect an army.

When an army took up positions on the rock, they were protected. The rock acted as a natural fortress. The natural stone was impossible to defeat. Because of its impenetrability The Rock of Gibraltar inspired a motto by the British Royal forces stationed there – Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti – No Enemy Shall Expel Us.

Companies have co-opted that rock for advertising campaigns. People have used it for wrestling monikers. People reference that rock when talking about perseverance and trying to inspire victory. It just might be the most famous rock in history.

Or not.

I wrote at the outset of this month long Rockfest, during the Month of Rocktober, that God is my RockStar and that I was doing this as a way to spend time rocking with Him. I realize all those “rock” references are a bit silly, but if truth be known, I did not come up with the nickname of the Rock for God – He did.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in Him I will trust, My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” (2 Sam. 22:2-4).

“He is the rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are just.” (Duet. 32:4).

“There is no rock like our God.” (1 Sam. 2:2).

“For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” (Ps. 18:31).

“He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.” (Ps.41:2).

“and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (Matt. 7:25).

“and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.” (1 Cor. 10:4).

It really isn’t any wonder why the Rock of Gibraltar inspires us so much and is so famous. That rock is more than a land mass. It is a fortress. It is a tower. It is a stronghold and a refuge. That rock sends a message just by its presence. That rock is a visible and tangible reminder of the Rock who protects us all.

The Rock of Gibraltar inspires us because it reminds us of the One True Rock who protects us, shelters us, offers us refuge in difficult times.  Reminds us of the Original Rock who gives us our solid foundation upon which to build our lives.  Our Rock is the force that stregthens us in times of trouble and defeats our enemies.  Our Rock will not erode away.  Our Rock is forever and ever. 

Gibraltar would just be another strip of coastline without it's rock.  Vulnerable and weak.  We too would be nothing special without our Rock. Vulnerable and weak.  But as long as we are standing on our Solid Foundation, nulli expugnabilis hosti – no enemy shall expel us.  That's a motto I'd bet my life on. 
~

Rockfest Day 30 - Lord of The Jungle

Tarzan is an amazing man.  Raised in Africa by apes after his parents were killed when he was a baby, Tarzan learned the ways of the jungle early.  He can communicate with the animals.  He is strong and tall. He can hunt with skill. And survive in conditions most men would find extreme.  Tarzan is at home in the jungle. Tarzan’s days are wild and free.

Tarzan has captivated our minds and imaginations for almost a century.  He is the perfect hero. In the books, television shows and movies about Tarzan we find a man who is full of integrity, always rushing to help the weak, is strong and trustworthy.

Tarzan, though raised by animals, quickly learns languages.  He can communicate with man or beast. Moves easily within society once he returns to it but is more comfortable in the jungle.  He is a skilled runner and swimmer.  He has great hearing and tracking abilities.  He wrestles animals and men. He is skilled with a knife.  And skilled with a vine.

His use of the vine comes in almost as handy as his knife most days.  He has learned from his ape family to adeptly travel quickly around the jungle. Tree vines are a useful tool for that endeavor.  Tarzan climbs high into the trees, grabs hold of a vine and swings it exactly to the spot where he wants to go.  Without the vine Tarzan would have found himself in many a tight spot.  We can hardly think of Tarzan and not think of the vines.

It is easy to see why Tarzan has become such a hero and captured our hearts and imaginations since his creation by his author.  There is nothing he seemingly cannot do.  Wouldn’t it be great if we had a real hero who could do what Tarzan does?  Wouldn’t it be great if we had a real hero who could win all our battles like Tarzan does?  Wouldn’t it be great if we had a real hero from whose vine we could swing?

You won’t be surprised to learn that I think we already do.

We have a Hero that can communicate with us in any language – spoken or unspoken.  We have a Hero that is at home in any kind of society – rich or poor, urban or rural, literate or illiterate.  We have a Hero that is a skilled athlete that can keep up with us no matter where we go or what we try to put Him through.

Our Hero wrestles and defeats each and every adversary we face. Our Hero hears us no matter how faint our whisper or how muddled our cry.   Our Hero is the vine from which we swing.

We are told our Hero – the Original Hero, is “the true vine.”  We are told that as long as remain attached to (abide in) our vine we will bear fruit, but without our vine we can do nothing. (John 15:5).  Like Tarzan, without our Vine we are in trouble.   We can't freely live and grow.  Without our Vine our lives would be a great struggle. 

We don't have to live a life of struggle.  We don’t have to dream of a life of freedom. That life is already ours. We can spend our lives bearing fruit and swinging freely.  All we have to do is grab hold of our Vine and hang on for the ride that lasts a lifetime.  Its a jungle out there so hold on tight. 

Feel free to give a little Tarzan yell while you’re at it.
~

Rockfest Day 29 - Whistle Stop

People don’t take long trips by train much anymore.  In parts of the country many people commute by train every day to and from work.  But here in the United States if we are interested in long distance travel we typically do it by air or auto.

Back at the turn of the last century train travel was still the way to get around.  Travel by train looks to be so much more civilized and genteel than the way we herd ourselves into airplanes today.  Trains had sleeper cars, dining cars, bar cars, Pullman cars and the ever popular caboose.  Journeying in a train was a great way to relax and see the country at the same time.

The stations built to accommodate the trains have histories unto themselves.  Take Grand Central Station in New York City.  It is beautiful.  It has been designated a historic landmark.  Tourists take guided tours of the place.  The station has a life and personality all its own.  Even if the trains were to stop coming into Grand Central, the station would still be a draw.

But some stops along the way are smaller and not so grand.  They are little whistle stops where the train only stops if someone needs to get on or off.  These little depots along the sides of the tracks barely get noticed.  The trains not needing to stop just flash right by on the way to its final, bigger, grander destination.  If the trains were to stop coming by, the depot and perhaps the town itself would just fade away.

Whistle stops are important.  They are important to the communities they serve and they are important to the passengers on the train.  Whistle stops allow a traveling passenger to stretch his legs and catch his breath for a brief second before moving on down the line.  While important, a whistle stop is rarely a final destination.

We might not be travelling by train but we are all at a whistle stop.  No one is yet at their final destination.  I don’t care if you are just starting out or the CEO of a large corporation you are not yet at your Grand Central.  Our journey is long and it is good to stretch our legs and catch our breath along the way, but we must not take our eyes off the tracks that lie before us; off the journey that is to come.  We must remember to get back on the Train.

We are called to press on for that which Jesus has already laid a hold of us; we are called to forget those things that lie behind and reach for those things that lie ahead; and called to press toward the goal for the prize of the call of God. (Phil. 2:12-14). We are called to enjoy the journey but to get ready for more.

Look around, this station is really just a little whistle stop.  When the Train rolls by don’t forget to flag it down, hop on and take the ride of your life.  Next stop – the Original Grand Central Station.  I hear its Heavenly. 
~

Rockfest Day 28 - Think Pink

Pink Cadillacs. If you lived in Texas for any length of time in the 1970s and 1980s you saw these obsequious Cadillacs everywhere. And you see them today in all 50 states, these pale pink trophies announcing that the driver is held in high regard by her company and peers.

Mary Kay Ash was known as one of the greatest woman entrepreneurs in American history. The company she founded, almost by accident after getting passed over for a promotion for someone she trained, is today a global organization. Mary Kay products sell by the billions in revenue by independent beauty consultants. But what really sells more than the beauty creams and the bronzers is the Mary Kay philosophy.

In her three books, one used by Harvard Business School, Ms. Ash maintained that the way to be successful in business was not through competition but through the Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto to you. That is a radical departure for a business model. But it blew the doors off her competitors and her company has been growing since the day she founded it in 1963 with $5,000 seed money.

Ms. Ash's legacy and her philosophies infuse the company. She is beloved and respected by her beauty consultants. They hold her and the company she built in very high regard. They take its messages to heart and try to spread her priorities of God first, family second, career third in all they do. I attended a consultants’ meeting once years ago. They were some of the nicest, most cheerful, smart and genuine people I’ve ever run across. And they love their Cadillacs.

The pink Cadillacs are awarded as a beauty consultant earns profits and hits her goals. Today the company awards more than just Cadillacs and the consultant can pick her prize from jewelry to exotic trips, but the Cadillacs are legendary. And the most visible.

Whenever you see one on the road you know instantaneously who the driver works for. You know without a thought what the driver’s priorities are and what her philosophy is. Chances are good that you won’t see that pink Cadillac used as a get-away car or involved in a high speed chase on the six o’clock news. The woman driving that car stops traffic but for all the right reasons.

But what if you did? What if you did see one run a red light or driving 60 in a 35? Your first thought would be to say mean things under your breath about the driver. But your second thought might be to say something about the company the driver represented. Something about how she was not living up to its philosophies. You might go so far as to think that perhaps the company’s philosophies were somehow flawed because of what this one representative did.

That is not likely to happen to someone who has worked so hard and achieved a beloved pink icon of the American roadway. She will treat the car with dignity and respect. Knowing that wherever the car goes, her company and its founder go with her. But it is likely to happen to you and me.

We are representatives of the One whose philosophies and teachings we follow. Wherever we go, we are visible expressions of the One we work for. What we say about Who we believe in, must match our actions about What we believe in.

As a follower of Jesus, I am not called to merely believe in Him. I am not called to merely have faith in Him. I am called to be a living, breathing outward expression of Him.  If my words say I am but my actions don’t bear that out, that is not only a poor reflection on me – it’s a poor reflection on Jesus.

Jesus doesn’t tell the lie, but He will take a hit for it.  Jesus doesn’t run the red light, but He will pay a price for it.  Jesus doesn’t gossip about others, but He will be cut down by it.  If I take shortcuts to get through life, I am not diminished, Jesus is.  We can hurt the One we love by what we do, or we can put love into action and build God up in the world.

It is true that our actions speak louder than our words. I don’t drive a Mary Kay Cadillac but I can still think pink.
~

Rockfest Day 27 - The Old "It's a Squirrel Fake-Out"

One of the things that I look forward to at the end of a long day is to sit and relax on my front deck and watch the evening roll over my neighborhood. I enjoy greeting my neighbors as they pass by. My dog Gracie loves to sit and do this with me. She enjoys greeting the neighborhood dogs and cats as they pass by.

Unfortunately Gracie does not always come out with me when I first go to the deck. She sits inside and watches me. She wants to come out but fear stops her. I have a bird, Captain Morgan, a small little Sun Conure whose cage is right next to the door. And he guards that door like he was a hawk.

When Captain’s cage door is open, Gracie is afraid to pass in front of the cage for fear that she will get dive bombed. Nothing happens to her, she’s much bigger, but she doesn’t realize that. It’s the thought of the possible attack that keeps her at bay. So, I have to help Gracie get to where she wants to go – namely past the Captain and out on to the patio.

Gracie loves squirrels – or rather loves to bark at squirrels. She’d have no idea what to think or do if she ever actually caught one. So to coax her outside I whisper in a loud and excited voice, “Gracie! It’s a squirrel!” She comes running and growling out the door and onto the deck every time. She is so happy and excited and looking for the squirrel she forgot all about Captain Morgan. By the time she realizes where she is, the thing she was most afraid of is in her rear view.

It's a geat trick for helping Gracie past her fear.  I wonder if God has ever pulled the old It’s-a-squirrel fake-out on me? And as I reflect back I think yes, indeed He has. I can see times in my life when fear or worry or in ability was stopping me from reaching a goal. So to get me to the place that God wanted me to be and a place that I wanted to be he had to use a little head fake on me to get me past my fear.

For example, I really have a hard time talking to strangers. I love talking to people and learning about them but I just have never felt comfortable doing that with people I don’t know. I will talk you up a blue streak if I know you but in a group of new people I’ll just sit there quietly next to the queso dip, thank you very much.

Funny then I would find myself in the retail job of shoe sales at one of the premier department stores known for its shoe department. In that job if I don’t strike up conversations with strangers all day every day I don’t sell shoes and I go hungry. After more than a year of that I can make conversation with anybody.

Before I know what has been happening my fear of talking to people that I don’t know is in my rear view.  Before I realize the bait - great job, good money - for what it is (bait); the switch - getting over my fear of strangers - has already taken place.  Now, it’s still not something I love to do but I don’t hate it or fear it. Without just telling me to get over it, God gave me a little misdirection and lead me straight past it until I was comfortable with it.

Like Gracie getting past Captain, my fear was never something that was going to hurt me and certainly I was much bigger than it but I just needed a little coaxing to get me to where I wanted to go. And speaking of Gracie, wouldn’t you know it, by the time she reached the patio there was no bait and switch, there really was a squirrel down below.

Not sure who got more faked out on that one, Gracie or me.
~

Rockfest Day 26 - So, I was Thinking

I like to think. I think a lot.

I mull. I dwell. I contemplate.
I worry. I fret. I vex.
I analyze. I strategize. I plan.

I like to think. I think a lot.

I consider. I postulate. I project.
I imagine. I question. I presume.
I deliberate. I speculate. I ruminate.

I like to think. I think a lot.

I wrestle. I debate. I cogitate.
I reason. I obsess. I fixate.
I review. I explore. I brood.

I like to think. I think a lot.

Then I had a thought,
I am never going to out-think,
The One who invented thinking.
~



"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." (Isaiah 64:4)
~

Rockfest Day 25 - Choices

The world waited and watched. With great anticipation people the world over sat riveted by TV screens and live steaming computers watching as the impossible became reality. 33 men pulled up one by one from deep within the earth in a capsule – Phoenix 2 – built in a Chilean Navy workshop just for this rescue. But while the men reached the surface beginning on October 12, 2010, their rescue began more than 69 days earlier, on the day of the mine collapse August 5.

The San Jose copper mine near Copiapo, Chile trapped 33 of its miners inside when a huge wall of rock collapsed sealing off the only exit. For 17 days no one in the world knew if the miners were dead or alive. Know one except the “Los 33.”

When the rocks came crashing down and cut the men off from the rest of the world there would be no quick fix, no easy way out. The men had some choices to make and they didn’t have long to make them. We know they had some equipment still at there disposal, some rudimentary medical supplies and a few meager food stuffs. To survive 69 days more than 2,300 feet below ground first the 33 had to survive long enough to be found alive.

As I watched that tiny capsule pull these men from what easily could have be their grave it was remarkable what was already known about them. Because the men had been found on August 22 and several shafts drilled to send in food, water, fiber optic camera cables, etc we had been able to see the men and what their existence looked like. It was easy to forget that for 17 days – 2 and a half weeks – the men lived completely cutoff from the world. Not knowing if people were ever going to find them or even be able to reach them in time.

Was it really true they resorted to drinking water from the trucks’ radiators? How did 33 fully grown miners survive on a teaspoon of tuna every other day? How did they handle the constant 90 degree heat and humidity? How did they handle the thought of never seeing family and loved ones again? How did they maintain hope? Did they ever give up? How did they keep going in the face of such impossibility?

Very little is known at this point about what those men endured during their days trapped underground. The men have entered into a pact not to speak about their ordeal until the time is right and then do so as a group. They want their story told the right way. But we do know one thing – their choices kept the men alive.

The 33 men faced choices, daily choices and their decisions made the difference in life or death. The decision to ration food, the decision to gather up the equipment and supplies at the beginning to see what was usable and how much battery power and light they had, the decision to allow one of the men to be their leader and follow his instructions, and a thousand other big and small decisions they made individually and as a group kept them all alive.

The 33 all made it out alive because they made the decision to stick together. No doubt there were times when some gave up hope but that is when others would encourage them, play jokes on them, console them or just sit with them and pass the hope along. The choice that lay before them – to live or die – was never really a choice at all. It was a challenge that these men would fight tooth and nail to make sure ended in life.

It is a choice we are all given. Everyday choices are laid before us – to choose between helping others or being selfish, to take action or to be lazy, to gossip or to speak kindly of others, to worry or to trust, love or hate, between indifference and compassion, and the list goes on and on. We are given the choice a thousand times a day between life and death and God calls us to “choose life.” (Deut. 30:19).

I am convinced the reason Los 33 survived 69 days is because of the choices they made those first 17 days. 17 days in which no one in the world could see them, hear them, help them or even knew if they were alive or dead. But their Father knew and He saw the choices they were making. When we make the right choices in secret our Father rewards us in the open. (Matt. 6:4)

Have you ever seen anything greater than what the whole world witnessed in the Chilean desert earlier this month? One by one the 33 were brought free from their entrapment, out into the open and back to their life. Can there be a greater reward?
~

Rockfest Day 24 - Sunday Contemplation

This is the day which the Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
(Psalm 118:24)

Today is not a mistake. Today is not an accident or a coincidence. You are alive today on purpose. Rejoice in that!
~

Rockfest Day 23 - Second Chances

This is not the post I planned to write today. But the events of yesterday intervened and really I had no choice. Last night’s Playoff baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees mandates today’s writing. After yesterdays’ post you’re probably rolling your eyes thinking I’m becoming a sport’s writer but I’m not that lucky and this post is not about sports, it’s about second chances. About resurrecting what was thought to be lost and forever gone. It’s about a pitcher named Colby Lewis.

Between 2002 and 2007 Colby Lewis had a total of 12 victories. And last night he was about to start the most important game in Texas Rangers history, to date – the game that could send them to the World Series.

I had never heard of Colby Lewis before yesterday. Now, I will never forget him. He was first drafted by the Rangers in 1999. He made his big league debut in 2002. Subsequently, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers, signed as a free agent with the Washington Nationals, released and signed by the Oakland Athletics, waived and signed by the Kansas City Royals and finally released from the big leagues for good that same year, 2007. He also underwent rotator cuff surgery. He became what people in the game call a journeyman.

After all the bouncing around and surgery Colby thought his career in the major leagues was over. But at 28 he still had the desire to pitch. He was given the opportunity to pitch for the Hiroshima Carp in Japan. It was a huge risk. Taking his family to a foreign country where they didn’t know anyone or speak the language. But he wanted to pitch and he thought he’d finish his career out in Japan.

Things didn’t work out quite that way. A major league baseball scout took notice of Colby over there. Noticed that Colby had changed his pitching style. He was more effective, had more control, had matured. Three years after he thought his career in the majors was over, Colby was offered the chance of a lifetime – a second chance to pitch for the Texas Rangers.

Colby won as many games in 2010 (12) as he had won in all of his previous six years in the big leagues combined. And last night he pitched the game of his life. I won’t go into the details of the game because the baseball details are not what are important here. What is important is that a man who was by all accounts mediocre at the beginning of his career and experienced a dream ending flame out, never gave up. He kept the door open.

By going to Japan and working on his game he kept the door open. By keeping the door open, by taking some action, any action, towards his goal of pitching, he was giving God room to work. He may have thought it impossible to get back to the big leagues from Japan but God didn’t. He may have thought no one will ever notice him in a foreign land but God sees us wherever we are.

Scripture is replete with Colby Lewis stories.  Take the Israelites after Moses has died.  They reach the Jordan river and have no way to cross.  They think its all over for them.  The last time they faced a river with no way to cross their leader Moses raised his staff and parted the sea for them.  Without Moses this time they think they cannot cross.  But God says He will help them.  To be strong and of good courage. (Joshua 1:9).  He will make a way for them, but first they must take a first step. 

God tells the Israelites that when the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of the Lord touch the waters of the river, the river will stop flowing.  This takes faith and action.  If the priests had believed but stayed on the banks the river would never have dried up.  But they trusted and took a small step of action and walked into the water and crossed on dry ground.  (Joshua).  The Israelites gave God room to work. 

If Colby had given up, if he had stayed at home in the US and laid on his couch and waited for the phone to ring, chances are great that he would still be waiting. But he gave God room to work and he was rewarded last night by being handed the ball as starting pitcher and the chance to pitch his team to their first World Series.

It is a second chance Colby did not squander. He pitched 8 amazing innings. I bet the people in Japan could hear his shouts of joy after the final out, Rangers 6 – Yankees 1.

~

Rockfest Day 22 - Mr. October

The Boys of October – that’s what they are called. The baseball players who are still playing baseball because their teams are in the Playoffs. I love baseball and I love October so this time of year I am pretty much in hog heaven.

I think my love of Playoff baseball started around the time I was in the 7th grade. The Dodgers were playing the Yankees in the World Series. My Grandmother was a huge baseball fan. She had gotten me hooked on following the game that summer. She was a betting woman – friendly bets nothing serious – and her “money” was on the Yankees and Reggie Jackson, Mr. October.

Likewise, I made a friendly bet with my boyfriend on the Series. I am named after my Grandmother so naturally I too picked the Yanks and Reggie. It was a tremendous series. If you follow baseball at all there were stars on both teams – The Dodgers, managed by the brilliant Tommy Lasorda, had Don Sutton, Burt Hooton, and Tommy John (for whom a pitcher’s reconstructive elbow surgery is named), Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Dusty Baker just to name a few. The Yankees, managed by the colorful Billy Martin, had Catfish Hunter, Sparky Lyle, Ron Guidry, Thurman Munson, Lou Piniella, Bucky Dent and Mr. October.

1977 was Reggie’s first season with the Yankees and it is true that that season did not go all that smoothly. In the clubhouse personalities and egos clashed. That is likely to happen when so many talented people are put together. Everyone wants to be the leader. But out on the field was a different story. This team was special. The Series was special.

The whole Series was a fist fight. There were pitchers duels with games ending 4-3. There were games when batters took charge and the score getting blown out 6-1. The first game, at Yankee Stadium, went 12 innings. It seemed like for both teams there was always a different player each night stepping up and meeting the challenge for their team. Game 1 – Yankees, Game 2 – Dodgers, Games 3 & 4 - Yankees, Game 5 – Dodgers. Then came Game 6.

October 18, 1977 belonged to Mr. October. The Dodgers never really even stood a chance, although they gave it their all. Reggie Jackson was sent to the plate 4 times. The first time he was walked on 4 straight pitches. His next 3 at bats – he hit a homerun on the first pitch he saw. 3 at bats; 3 homeruns. He was responsible for 5 of the Yankees 8 runs that night. Howard Cosell could hardly contain his glee when calling the game and the third of Jackson’s home runs. Game 6 and the Series – Yankees. Win of friendly bet vs. boyfriend – me.

Reggie Jackson was given the nickname Mr. October when a reporter was talking to a teammate who gruffly told the reporter to go talk to “Mr. October.” But the name stuck and became synonymous with clutch performance. Reggie hit homeruns in games 4 and 5 for a total of 5 homeruns in the Series and was responsible for 8 total runs during the Series with the Dodgers. That is clutch performance. When hitting 3 out of 10 times is considered a good average, Reggie was hitting 4.5 times out of 10. That is clutch. Three consecutive first-pitch homeruns in one game. That is clutch.

Clutch performance is what we all need from our teammates. We need a teammate that is our go to guy. That will hit the ball 10 out of 10 times. That will dig our team out of a hole, be there for us when we falter, get behind or are facing a more powerful opponent.  That we know will hit a home run for us each and every time we send him up to bat.

Luckily, we have our own Mr. October on our team. He is right here with us, all day, all game, every game, just waiting for us to ask Him to step up for us. But like Billy Martin had to put Reggie Jackson into the official line up every night to make him eligible to play, our Mr. October cannot step up to the plate for us if we don’t ask Him to join our line up and hand Him the bat. He is waiting to step up and meet our challenges for us.

Let’s not leave our Teammate on the bench. Invite Him into the game. It’s going to be a beautiful night for a homerun.
~

Rockfest Day 21 - Some Assembly Required

“Some assembly required” are three of the most terrifying words. Every parent has at one time or another been confronted with these words, usually on Christmas eve. Left over parts, lost instructions, part A definitely does not fit into part B and so on goes the many disasters awaiting ahead.

I had the pleasure of doing a bit of assembly myself recently most unexpectedly. All I wanted was a new outdoor loveseat for my patio. Loveseats and most furniture do not require assembly. I thought the task of going to the discount retailer to buy it where they were on sale would be a snap errand. Not so snap.

I invited a friend to join me, a friend with an SUV, so I could transport my loveseat home. The loveseats and other furniture looked great on display and my friend agreed with my decorating choices. When I remarked that I thought I’d have to get a sales person to get one from the back room my friend remarked that it appeared all the loveseats were out on the floor. To my horror she was simultaneously pointing at a very large box with the loveseat pictured on it.

The box was much smaller than the loveseat itself. There was no way the box contained a fully formed and finished piece of furniture. I stood in awe and wonder – I wondered how the heck did they get that in there? Disassembly, of course. Which meant its first cousin self-assembly and her sisters fear and frustration awaited before me.

The box was surprisingly light and we were able to get it into the cart, into the SUV and ultimately into my living room. Where as they say, hilarity ensued. My friend who thought she was just driving me on a quick errand found her day enveloped by a loveseat. I don’t know how many grown adults it was supposed to take to put that thing together, but two was not enough, we could have used more, many more.

With instructions in hand we set about our task. We were so proud when we got those first two pieces A and B together. We quickly learned while trying to attach piece C that we had assembled either A or B or both upside down and backwards. Round two didn’t go much better. The pieces had pre-drilled holes for quick and easy assembly. And it would have been quick and easy had the holes lined up properly.

We wrestled with that thing for what seemed like hours. We took turns – sort of tag teaming the thing – screwing in the bolts only to find out we’d left out the washer. We tried to manipulate and conjole that thing together. Crawled on the floor under it, raised it on end for more leverage. Anything we could think of to get those four – only four! – pieces together.

I am happy to report that we were successful. Man did conquer machine, as it were. The loveseat looks great. And so far it is still holding together – a minor miracle if I do say so. And the process was actually bearable with much laughter along the way.

The finished product turned out to be just what I had in mind for my patio. However, the process getting there was way more grueling than I had planned. I thought it’d be easy, just go to the store and get what I wanted fully formed and ready to go. But that was not to be. But just because the loveseat was more difficult to bring into my life than first thought did not mean the loveseat was not attainable. It just took some effort to assemble.

Life doesn’t give us a fully formed version of ourselves. We too require assembly. We have dreams, goals and desires and we hope that we will achieve them with ease and little effort. That is not in God’s plan. We, like the loveseat, come with all the parts we will ever need to realize our goals and dreams. We do, however, require assembly to make our parts – our talents, skills, gifts, desires – fully formed.

Every one has a purpose. There is a plan and a blueprint for all of us. There are no spare parts or left over people. What we have to do is look within ourselves and see what parts God put in our box. I do not have the same parts as you. You have different skills, gifts and talents than the next person.

Discovering our parts and allowing God to develop and assemble them is His plan. It’s how He shares us with the world and how He draws us closer to Himself.  We can be assured we discovered one of our parts when pursuing it or doing it brings us joy.  Our parts ignite passion within us and spur us on to do more.  Our skills and gifts may draw us to difficult circumstances and challenges but they don't bring us discontentment.  If we find ourselves dreading what we do then we know that we are trying to use a talent or skill that did not come in our box.  Realizing what is not in our box is just as important as discovering what is.

The process won’t be pretty. Our assembly will entail some degree fear and frustration. But there is no doubt it will also entail lots of hilarity and laughter.

Don’t let the parts remain disassembled, why not open your box and discover what God put inside? You might find some delightful surprises.  The finished product promises to be amazing.
~

Rockfest Day 20 - Ring Around the Collar

I have a little black and tan dog named Gracie. I adopted her from the city pound a few years ago when she was a puppy. I don’t know what breed she is specifically but she has lots of Border Collie in her genes. She’s great at herding me down stairs and staring at me for hours. The staring part can get a little disconcerting after a while. It’s like living with a stalker.

Gracie loves toys. She loves to play tug of war with them, pull out the squeaker and pull out all the stuffing (she calls it “brains”). She is very happy when my freshly cleaned living room is full of brains and toy debris. But what she loves more than her toys is her collar. She is crazy for her collar.

Every once in a while I will take off her collar to give her a chance to be free. To give her neck a chance to rest from the constant rubbing and her ears a rest from the constant clink-clink of the tags. She has great, crazy hair and I love to run my fingers through her scruffy coat when she is collar-free. She looks like a small wolf and I want her to have the chance to roam around looking like one for a little bit.

She hates it. She hates to have her collar taken off. She will mope around, hide under the bed and generally act as if she has done something wrong. I don’t really understand this reaction. I would think Gracie would love her freedom, but she hates it.

She gets so excited when she sees the collar in my hand. She will sit very still and stare at me with those wonderful light brown eyes and give her tail just a tiny wag imploring me to put her necklace back on. And she is so joyous after I do. She struts and prances around, runs crazy all over the house as though I have showered her with love and put a diamond necklace around her neck. And perhaps I have.

Without the collar Gracie cannot tell the world who she is. She cannot tell the world that she belongs to someone and someone loves her. Her collar gives her an identity. When people see her with her collar they can call her by name. Her collar says to the world that she is mine and I am hers.

What Gracie does not know is that she does not need the collar to do those things. Her collar does not make me love her more. Her collar is not what makes her mine. She has belonged to me and me to her since the day I adopted her. Nothing will ever change that. She is free to roam wildly about collar and tag free and she would still be mine. I don’t need the collar to know who she is and what her name is. I have known her from the beginning.

We don’t need collars or name tags ourselves for that same reason. Our Heavenly Father loves us and adopted us from the beginning. We belong to Him and He belongs to us, and nothing will ever change that. We can destroy all our toys and throw all the brains and debris around the room and our Father will still love us.

When we roam about in the world we don’t need a collar or necklace to identify who we belong to, our actions will tell the world who we love and in whose house we live. We will be “known by our fruits.” (Luke 6:44). We don’t need fancy jewelry to indentify who we are; our Father knows each of us “by name.” (Ex. 33:17).

I understand Gracie’s hesitancy to be without her collar. It’s a scary world out there and I am not always within barking distance to hear her when she’s lost. If she gets separated from me the collar is reassurance to her that she will get home. When we find ourselves lost and separated from our Heavenly Father we must remember that He is always within barking distance of our voice. In fact, we are never truly lost, it just feels that way; He is right beside us wherever we go, always was and always will be. (Gen. 28:15, Matt. 28:20).  We are free to roam this world and be who we were created to be and our Father will always be there for us. 

With his love and the freedom that brings, our Heavenly Father has given us something much more valuable than any diamond necklace. Gracie’s right, that does make me feel like strutting and prancing.

~

Rockfest Day 19 - No Truer Words

I don’t know if Rod and Van set out to create a beautiful psalm/hymn, but the words speak for themselves.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

For the morning sun in all it's glory,
Greets the day with hope and comfort too,
You fill my heart with laughter,
Take away and make it better,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

There's a love that's divine,
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the sun,
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To the one, to the one.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

There's a love that's divine,
And it's yours and it's mine,
Like the sun,
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To the one, to the one.

Have I told you lately that I love you,
Have I told you there's no one else above you,
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

Fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that's what you do.

"Have I Told You Lately", as sung by Rod Stewart, lyrics by Van Morrison.

So, have you?
~

Rockfest Day 18 - Masterpiece

Michelangelo Buonarroti is considered by many to be the greatest artist that ever lived. His works encompass all art forms including frescos, paintings, and sculptures. One of his most famous of course is the fresco he created on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome.

The work is a masterpiece. It took Michelangelo more than 4 years to complete the Sistine Chapel ceiling. During that time he was very jealous of its privacy – only allowing Pope Julius II to climb the scaffold to see it. The work includes images from the Book of Genesis – from the creation of light, the creation of Adam and Eve, their fall from grace, and the flood, David and Goliath, Christ’s ancestors and so much more. The world knows of Michelangelo from his Chapel ceiling but it is not what brought him his early fame.

It is two of his earlier works for which the art world of his day really began to sit up and take notice. From 1498-1500, before he was even 25, Michelangelo created what some still consider one of his greatest works. And it still sits in the same spot today in Saint Peter’s Basilica as it did 500 years ago following its completion. The Pieta`.

The sculpture is of Mary holding a dead Christ across her lap. It is a stunning masterpiece. From the folds in the clothes Mary is wearing to the muscles and flesh in the nude body of the Christ it is almost impossible to imagine the work is made from marble. It is the only work Michelangelo ever signed.

Georgio Vestri, an Italian artist and biographer of Michelangelo’s day, wrote at the time “It is certainly a miracle that a formless block of stone could ever have been reduced to a perfection that nature is scarcely able to create in the flesh.” Following the Pieta`, Michelangelo was commissioned to create perfection once again; this time with the statue of David.

Michelangelo was given a massive block of stone – 19 feet high – from which he was to bring David to life. And that is precisely what he did. Michelangelo did not so much carve David out of the giant stone block as set him free him. It took 3 years for David to be fully realized.

David was and still is one of the most important works he ever created. No one would think it anything other than a true masterpiece. It stood in a Florence square for ages, until it was brought indoors to protect it, as a symbol of strength, duty and faith – and human form. David’s only indentifying features are the sling over his shoulder and the small stone in his right hand.

Michelangelo had an interesting approach to sculpting. He once wrote in a letter that sculpting was “taking away” from that which was already there. It might take him years to choose just the right piece of marble for a particular sculpture. Where some saw only a giant chunk of white rock, Michelangelo saw a shepherd boy facing down a giant. Where others saw only cold, hard marble Michelangelo saw a mother grieving over her son’s broken body. Great artists have great vision.

The Artist that created you and me, and Michelangelo, has that vision. When I look in the mirror I see nothing but a giant hunk of marble, hard, full of flaws and not what I want it to be. But when my Artist looks at me He sees something completely different.  He sees perfection.  He sees the heart, the love and the beauty that He created in me and that only He can release. He sees a masterpiece.

Just as the patrons viewing Michelangelo’s masterpieces do not dwell on his many stops, starts and re-dos during a project. Just as they do not see the rubble that he had to chisel away to release his figures from their stone prisons, God does not see our flaws and faults. “As far as the East is from the West” God casts our transgressions from us. (Ps. 103:12).

Where we see only a blank slate God sees all our potential and what we can become. He is waiting to create His work in us and all we have to do is ask. He is the original Artist and we are His masterpiece. There is nothing more stunning than that.
~

Rockfest Day 17 - Sunday Contemplation

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
(Mark 11:25-26)

Never underestimate the power of the words “I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

~

Rockfest Day 16 - A Little Texas Howdy

It is said that life is a journey. Well, if that’s true then it is one big car trip because there is just no way to fly to our destination. If we want to get where we are going we are going to have to drive. The road is long and the miles add up. There are certainly lots of days when the drive is hard and lonely. It sure would be nice to get a little Howdy from time to time to encourage us along the way.

Texas knows something about long journeys. We are a big state and have lots of long runs of road where you are likely to pass nothing more than a tumble weed for hours. As you travel the Texas highways one thing will come into sharp focus as you drive along. The cars and trucks that you pass engage in a little ritual, a little greeting. Drivers in Texas greet the people they meet along the way. Its a little ritual called the Texas two-finger wave. It’s a little Texas Howdy. Two fingers raised above the steering wheel just as you pass each other.

I love this ritual. I feel a kinship with my fellow road warriors. We may never meet but for a brief second we have made a connection, we are not alone. The two-finger wave says a lot for a little gesture. It says “Hi, nice to see you. Glad you’re here.” One little Howdy from a passerby and I don’t feel so on my own out there. I don’t know who started it or how it began, but Texans have been welcoming each other this way for as long as I’ve been alive.

The Texas two-finger wave doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter what you drive, what state your license plate announces you hail from or which direction you are headed. If you are on Texas highways and byways you will be welcomed with a little Texas Howdy.

The Texas two-finger wave is a strong comfort as we travel on our journey. “Hi, nice to see you, I’m glad you’re here.” – its unspoken greeting looks simple and unassuming but it packs a mighty big message.

On second thought, I think I do know Who started it.

~

Rockfest Day 15 - Unfinished Business

A coach once said “winners never quit and quitters never win.” That is as wise a statement as you’re likely to find. I am here to report I have been a non-winner many times in my life.

I have quit on things more than I like to admit. I’ve gotten so well practiced and good at quitting that sometimes I quit before I ever start. I always have good reasons though - I don’t have enough time, it’s taking too long, I don’t want to, I don’t know how, I’ll do it when ... [fill in the blank with a million excuses] - which is really a way of quitting without admitting it. And my favorite: I’m too tired.

Do you see a recurring theme in my very real but very weak reasons for quitting? Its there, right behind the tiredness – fear. Fear is the reason I most often quit. I can wrap it up in any number of ways I want to but when I rinse all the posturing away, fear is what is propping me up. And stopping me from finishing what I started.

You can call it a fear of success, I’ve heard that term used, although I don’t actually know what it means. I’ve heard it called a fear of failure. That term I understand; who wants to fail? Nobody looks or feels good when they fail.

There are days when the pull to quit are so strong it has thrown me into a panic. I have had physical reactions due to my desire to quit something. Now there are times when quitting is a must and that anxiety I feel is a signal to get out while I can. But most often it’s just me not wanting to live up to my commitments.

Right now I want to quit on something so badly I can feel it. I strongly dislike what I do for a living. I am good and effective at what I do. The people I work with are great. I love having a job and a paycheck. I have done what I do for a long time and I used to love it – now I don't find it fulfilling. So why don’t I quit? Good question.

Jesus wanted to quit – big time. When I think of Jesus I don’t think of a quitter, and he wasn’t, but He sure gave it some strong consideration. And being in His shoes who wouldn’t?

Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane the night the soldiers came to arrest Him. He went there because he was “deeply troubled and distressed” and wanted to pray. Jesus knew His fate and the cross that was in His future. We are told that three times He asked God to “take this cup away from me.” (Matt. 26:36-44, Mark 14:32-39). His desire to quit was so strong He sweated “great drops of blood.” (Luke 22:44). I don’t know if fear is what Jesus was feeling but whatever He was going through He really really wanted to quit at that moment.

Jesus wasn’t a quitter. Jesus was a finisher. In the same breath that Jesus asked His Father to stop what was about to happen, He also said “nevertheless, let Your will be done.” (Matt. 26:39, Mark 14:36). We know the rest of the story, Jesus did see His task to its completion and He said those glorious words – It is finished. (John 19:30).

I want to finish my business. I want to see this task to its completion. I won’t be at this job forever; I know it’s just a stop along the way. I will move on when the time is right and I want to hold on until then. And when the time is right I can say those glorious words, It is finished.

Whatever it is I am facing, it will never be as bad or as scary as what Jesus faced - and finished.  If I give into the fear that stands in my path I will never finish anything. Whatever label I put on my fear - weariness, I don’t want to, lack of know-how, lack of time - it’s still the same old quit at the end. I want to turn my quitting into non-quitting and my non-winning into winning.

I think that might make that old coach proud.

~

Rockfest Day 14 - The 11th Commandment

Ever have one of those days? One of those days when everything and everyone around you is going haywire? When everyone has lost their mind and they are making you lose yours? Days when, quite frankly, everyone you encounter is playing the part of the fool?

It begins by retrieving your newspaper out from under the bushes because the paperboy missed the driveway, again. Then the guy at the coffee shop didn’t put the lid on the coffee tightly and it spilled on you during your drive to work. Speaking of the drive, is it you or is everyone driving like a crazy person today cutting you off and stopping suddenly?

Work offers no safe haven, your computer keeps crashing. Despite what he says are his best efforts the IT guy can’t figure out the problem. Your lunch order is completely wrong and now you’re late for your meeting. Given the morning you’ve had, you have no optimism for this meeting going well, and it doesn’t. No one is prepared and no one agrees on anything; a second meeting will be now required.

You leave work early to meet the A/C repairman, who promises to be there between 2 and 5. At 7 you’ve given up all hope. The day has just about worn you completely down and all you want is a little peace when your teenage neighbor suddenly fires up his garage band for a little practice. As you sink lower into your couch turning up the TV volume with the remote control, one recurring thought keeps running through your mind – Where did all these fools come from and why am I a magnet for them??

Its days like this when you look Heavenward for a little guidance. So you do a mental check of God's handy dandy List of helpful tips to live by and realize you’re not even safe there. #3 was violated early on in the process (thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain), while you didn’t technically break #6, you really really wanted to several times (thou shalt not commit murder) and #10 is in serious trouble (thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house) because while you don’t covet at this moment you do want to take control of it and shut off the racket emitting from its garage, which also may lead to breaking #6.

The 10 commandments really are of no use to you here. There is not a one of them that you could have said to one of the people during your day to help them, and you, out. What you need is an 11th commandment. Something easy to understand. Something that can be easily taught to others when they need a quick education. Something short, simple and to the point. One you could use all day long to espouse wisdom and at the same time vent your frustration. Sort of a dual purpose commandment.

Scripture tells you that God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and He uses things that are weak to confound the mighty. (1 Cor. 1:27) This is good news – you’re completely confounded so you must be wise and mighty. You’re getting close to #11 but it still does not stop the fools from fouling up your day. Then you realize that perhaps #11 already exists.

The Ephesians were having trouble with fools themselves. They didn’t know what to do. Paul wrote to them and told them not to take up with them, don’t get sucked with the fools. He told them to make sure they “walk carefully in all situations not as fools but as wise.” (Eph. 5:15).

So there it is in black and white - #11 – Thou shalt not be a fool.

You feel so much better. This is going to come in very handy. You’re thinking about printing it on easy to hand out business cards and bumper stickers. You get up to go to bed, so pleased with your new found weapon against the fools of the world, and you put your foot into your half-eaten bowl of ice cream you placed on the floor next to the couch.  You can only smile and shake your head.  Yes, #11 is going to come in very handy indeed.

Let the confounding begin.

~

Rockfest Day 13 - The Shape of Things

Life is full of extraordinary circumstances. As we move through it we encounter chance happenings and unexpected moments that forever change our lives. We try to control the outrageous unknowns we experience by choosing the people in our lives. Its one of the few things we truly have control over.

But the people we choose can be a grab-bag of sorts. Some will fit and some will not. Some will become influential and some will have no effect whatsoever, passing through our lives like mist in the wind. It is probably the people we cannot choose that matter most. It is the people that were chosen for us that have the biggest effect.  It is the people chosen for us, the ones who start early in our lives who shape us most. It is these people we call family.

There are days when family is great and there are days when family is the worst thing that has ever happened. But there is something about this hand-picked group of people that draws us in and motivates us to keep us going.

Even when they’re dysfunctional they are the best thing going. My family can be infuriating. My family can be generous. My family can be unapproving. My family can be forgiving. My family can be indifferent. My family can be deeply loving. My family has made me laugh, made me cry, made me storm out in anger, made me jump for joy.  I am who I am because of my family. I am a part of my family and they are a part of me.

I had no choice about the matter. God put me into the family He did for the reasons He did - and one day He will explain those reasons to me. And I will thank Him profoundly.

I am a firm believer that there are no coincidences in this world. God has a plan. And part of His plan for me was to put me into a family full of wonderful women. Wonderfully diverse women. I have put a picture of some of these women below (there are wonderful men in the family too – they were just too busy watching football). It is a picture taken some time ago. I know it was taken ages ago because I’m still a small girl being held in her mother’s arms.

This is some of the family who shapes my life. Four of the women are no longer here. One of them, my aunt in the white dress, died prematurely just yesterday. She was a vibrant and gregarious woman. She had a wonderful laugh. She was my mother’s older sister; they were close and got into lots of trouble together. She will be deeply missed. But she will remain on in those she touched and who love her. And that’s a wonderful thing about family – once you are part of it, you never really leave it.

I am not discounting the fact that there are people we choose who become our family too. God had a hand in selecting those people for us also. They are a vitally and richly important part of our lives.  But it is those in whose histories we share for generations that help steer the course and color the world in which we grow up and live.

One thing about family is we completely take it for granted most of the time. But when “the chips are down” its family who sustains us. Its family who shapes us with its collective wisdom. Its family who protects us with its strength in numbers. Its family who loves us with its heart so big God could not fit it into just one person.

The women in this picture are my part of my foundation and my future. They are my family and the well from which I draw strength. I don’t know why God chose me for their tribe, I’m just thankful He did.

Family. God’s extraordinary way of showing he loves you.

~

Rockfest Day 12 - The Long and Winding Road

The beginning of the journey is generally an exuberant time. There is the anticipation of what lies ahead, the expectation that goals will be met and dreams will come true. We are full of energy and determination. Nothing can stop us now.

Then reality sets in. The road along the journey is longer than anticipated. It is steeper and harder than it first appeared from the safety of our living room. We find ourselves lost in a detour we didn’t expect and come upon hostile situations. It is enough to make us want to quit and give up mid-trip.

Journeys are long and tiring. That’s why its good to take a few friends along for company.

Dorothy learned this early in her journey. At the outset there was high anticipation and excitement for her journey ahead. There was singing and dancing. Heck, the whole town showed up to wave goodbye and wish her luck. But not too far down the road she encountered her first problem – a fork in the road.

Her instructions were simple enough – follow the yellow brick road. But now the yellow brick road split in to two parts. Which way was she to choose? That’s when her first friend joined her on her journey. Scarecrow wasn’t much help, he didn’t know which way was the right way but he would do his best. So after collecting themselves, they were off singing and skipping.

The journey was interrupted again, this time by a grove of hooligan apple trees. Hungry, and what journey doesn’t make us hungry, Dorothy and Scarecrow just wanted an apple or two to eat. But the local trees didn’t take too kindly to that and threw the apples at them. That’s when companion two joined the team – Tin Man. He wasn’t afraid of the trees, he chopped them down.

Tin Man wasn’t much help, being rusted and everything, but his heart was in the right place. So off they all went, still skipping and singing with great anticipation. Until the road got dangerous again.

Our friends encountered near death at the hands of a dangerous beast – at least that’s the way Cowardly Lion tells it. Dorothy and company were walking through his territory and he was going to protect it. He wasn’t much of a protector as it turns out. But he was good at joining the journey.

Our friends had had quite a time along the road. They were really beginning to wonder whether they’d ever reach their destination. And just at that moment when each wanted to turn back their destination was in sight. Only problem was by this point in the trip Dorothy didn’t have enough energy to get there. She wanted to lie down in the beautiful flowers and nap first.

Laying down on the journey, it’s a strong temptation – it’s a bad idea. If she kept laying there she would never each her destination. Luckily for Dorothy she had another companion on her journey watching over her and she made it snow, waking Dorothy up and setting her back on the right path.

Dorothy encountered several more terrifying twists and turns along her journey but she ultimately did reach her final destination. She did not do it, however, without her traveling companions. Each time there was a new set back Dorothy was not alone. One of her companions would step up and help her through.

The end of a journey isn’t always the great fanfare we experience at the beginning. Most of the time we arrive at our destination, if we arrive at all, tried, worn out and bedraggled. There is not much skipping and singing at that point. We are just happy to have survived.

But we can have the singing and fanfare. Dorothy did. There was just as much celebration at the end of her journey as there was at the beginning. She didn’t look like someone who had battled a long winding road, angry trees, flying monkeys and been held captive by an evil sorceress. She looked like someone who conquered her journey instead of the other way around.

I want to travel like Dorothy. The road to anything worthwhile is never straight and smooth. We were never meant to walk that road alone.

I’m going to encounter my own long road, angry trees and flying monkeys. I hope to avoid capture by the evil sorceress as much as possible. The temptation to give up will be strong at times. But in the event that happens I know my Traveling Companion is right there with me protecting me, guiding me with knowledge and giving me his heart to see my journey to its end.

You’ll recognize me on the journey – I’m the one singing and skipping.
~

Rockfest Day 11 - Blind Man's Bluff

“Tag, you’re it!” That is the point of Blind Man’s Bluff, a children’s game I spent hours playing with the kids in the neighborhood growing up. One of us was wearing a blindfold chasing the others in a game of tag while the others shouted things bluffing about their location. A sort of Marco-Polo on dry land.

Being “it” was terrible. You had to wear the blindfold and fumble around with arms outstretched groping for people. You felt completely foolish. People could sneak up on you and poke you or say “not it” right in your ear and run away before you had time to whirl around and tag them. Unless you had goods ears, quick hands and the tracking abilities of an Indian, you could be “it” for a long time. Being the “it-girl” in Hollywood is good, being the “it-girl” in tag is bad.

I am so glad I no longer have to play that stupid game. Which is why I do not understand why I continue to play it.

It seems as if I find myself wearing that darn blindfold every few days or so. I try not to play but I get lured into a game. It usually starts with the bluffs. I hear whispered in my ear things like – you’re not good enough, you’re not smart enough, it will never work, your dreams will never come true, you’ll be alone forever, it’s all your fault, things will never change. As soon as I hear those whispers that blindfold is on and I am playing the game.

A game I do not want to and should not be playing.

The enemy loves it when I listen to his bluffs and accept his invitation to play. He knows that as long as I chase him with my blindfold on he can shout lies in my ear all day long and I will never catch him and I will remain “it.”

The thing about the bluffs the enemy whispers in my ear is that is exactly what they are – bluffs. Not a thing I hear in my head is true. I am good enough, I am smart enough, it is working, my dreams are coming true, I am not alone, it is not my fault, things are changing. What I have to do is call the enemy on his bluffs.

When you call someone on their bluffs they generally fold like a house of cards. He tried to bluff Jesus. Three times the enemy tried to convince Jesus He was not the Son of God and three times Jesus refused to take the bait and put on the blindfold. Jesus called him on his bluffs. Each time Jesus referred to His Father, to the truth, and each time the enemy backed down and eventually gave up altogether. (Matt. 4:1-11).

When I hear that old familiar whisper begin in my ear instead of reaching for my blindfold I need to do the same thing and call the thief on his lies. This game of blind man’s bluff isn’t just a game of tag, this game has me as its prize. At stake are my peace and joy and future. And I don’t put those at risk for anybody, I don’t care how sweet your lies are.

So I am retiring from blind man’s bluff. Next time I find myself being the “it-girl” it will be without the blindfold. Hollywood may never be the same.

~

Rockfest Day 10 - Sunday Contemplation

“For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all you ways.
They shall bear you up in their hands,
Lest you dash your foot upon a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.”
Psalm 91:11-13

As we think about the new week ahead, with all its opportunities and challenges, let’s remember we will not walk the road alone.

~

Rockfest Day 9 - The Cavalry is Coming

The other evening I was out with a friend of mine having a very pleasant time. We were sitting outside at a little bistro during what was one of the few wonderful Autumn days in Houston. Our pleasant time was interrupted when we heard the distinct sound of a rock being thrown against a car window.

Immediately the entire group of patio patrons stood, looked over the hedge toward the direction of the noise and from the safety of the patio began to yell at the would-be thieves. Just then two waiters came running out of the restaurant and started off down the street. By the time they got to the scene of the crime the perpetrators had driven off. Luckily, without any loot or finishing what they had started – although the front windshield was now a mess.

What impressed me about the action by the waiters was that they darted off without knowing anything about what they were getting into. They both had total disregard for the possibilities for danger. They did not know if the car-jackers had weapons, how many there may be or even whose car it was – it was on a public street, not in the parking lot. None of that seemed to matter, there was trouble and they were going to stop it.

There is an expression that people use when help is on the way “the cavalry is coming.” I like that expression. When it is used you just know everything is going to be alright. That’s what I thought when I saw those waiters run off, hang on, the cavalry is coming!

Cavalries have been used for protection and combat for centuries. A cavalry is defined primarily as a force that fights from horseback. Cavalries have always been the superior fighting force of any army. The position of fighting from horseback has many advantages; it helps multiply even the smallest fighting unit, it allows armies to outflank their enemy, it makes them faster and more mobile, they can surprise, avoid and outmaneuver, or retreat quickly. Fighting on horseback is also said to have a psychological advantage over a man fighting on foot. Bigger, stronger, faster – the cavalry is who I want in my corner whenever I get into trouble.

Today, army cavalries are largely ceremonial. Fighting on an actual horseback doesn’t have the advantage it once did when armies are up against a tank or IED. We don’t find ourselves in too much hand to hand combat anymore and that is where a cavalry’s true advantage comes in.

While armies don’t fight hand to hand much anymore I do. I seem to find myself in some sort of hand to hand combat almost daily. Yesterday I was in a big hand to hand battle with frustration. After a long day I got totally lost driving through an unfamiliar city. Even my GPS system told me it didn’t have enough data to figure out where I was and “re-calculate” my route. When you get so lost, your GPS is lost – you’re lost. Very frustrating and really easy to lose my cool and temper. I could have used a cavalryman to rescue me – literally and figuratively.

If I rode with a cavalryman everyday then I would be fighting my daily hand to hand combat from a position of greater strength. I would be taller than my enemy. I would be faster, more easily able to maneuver and outflank, surprise and overpower. And I would have a psychological advantage over my enemy as well. I would feel so safe and secure.

With a cavalryman at my side everyday my battles would be won before they ever began.

I was talking to God about this, as I was trying to find my way out of the piney woods town I was lost in, and asked Him if He might know of a good cavalryman for me. He said He did. He said I did too. He is the Cavalryman who already rescued me when He died for me on Mount Calvary.

Turns out the cavalry isn’t coming, it’s already here. I’ve just been spelling it wrong.

~

Rockfest Day 8 - From Me to You

Dear God,

I accept this day just as it is. You are the Lord over my life. I rejoice in this day that you have made, trusting that You are present with me. I will not regret or resent the way things are. I thank You for all things, the good, the bad, the great. I trust You and will not let fear be my guide.

I love you,
Me

~

Rockfest Day 7 - Early Adopter

“Early adopters.” It’s a phrase I hear thrown around quite a bit these days. It refers to people who adopt or buy-in to new ideas or technology early. Early adopters are first generation people. They accept things before all the bugs get worked out and before the general population accepts it. They get on board early with a new idea and help spread the word.

All sorts of people are early adopters. They are not all nerdy, geeky types. Not all rich and can afford the new stuff types. They come from all walks of life. But early adopters tend to have one thing in common. Early adopters are considered by some to be risk takers.

I heard it used most recently in connection with the people who purchased the first version of the iPad when introduced. I am one such early adopter of the iPad. Buying technology doesn’t take great risk – risk doesn’t have to be great to still be risk – but it is risky because the technology could be riddled with flaws and fail and the early adopter is stuck with a useless, fancy paper weight.

We have had early adopters throughout our history. Think of the people who drove the first cars made by Henry Ford. They were early adopters taking risks because there were no gas stations on every corner to easily refill the fuel tank and not too many people could repair them when they broke down. And everyone was taking a risk because no one knew how to drive.

Early adopters like to be on the cutting edge. Like to be on the frontier, where things are happening and unfolding. If they encounter a few hiccups along the way that’s okay, that is part of the experience and they can help make the later versions better for having adopted early.

Today we tend to find early adopters in the world of technology but they are found elsewhere. I am reminded of twelve early adopters, the Really Early Adopters. These twelve men probably didn’t consider themselves to be big risk takers but they turned out to be ultimate risk takers. Most all paid for their early adoption with their lives or livelihoods.

These twelve Early Adopters came from all different walks of life – fishermen, a doctor, a tax collector, to name a few – and they didn’t really have anything in common, in the beginning. But they all believed in the same thing - Jesus. They adopted early, got on board and helped spread the word.

The cool thing about the twelve Early Adopters is that the Jesus they got on board with is the same Jesus you and I can get on board with today. He is still version Jesus 1.0. There is no version 2.0 and there never will be. The risk of adopting Jesus into our life doesn’t come from Him, it comes from us, from letting go of all the other stuff that holds us back.

It is risky to do something our friends aren’t doing. It is risky to try a new way of living by love. It is risky to ask for help from someone we cannot see. It is risky to live by forgiveness. It is risky to live by faith. But those are risks that we feel and we must let go of.

There is one more Early Adopter – the Original Early Adopter. God adopted us as his sons and daughters through Jesus before we were ever created. (Eph. 1:4-5). We have already been adopted by our Heavenly Father. He does not mind getting our version 2.0 or 6.0. He will get on board with whatever version we are.

It is not risky to let go and be loved by God. Why not adopt the One who already adopted you?

~

Rockfest Day 6 - Waterproof

Golf is an interesting sport. It is known as a gentleman’s game. Invented in Scotland, it is to be played in all kinds of weather. All kinds of bad weather. If you ever watch it on TV – or nap in front of it on TV – then you know the only time the golfers stop playing is because of lightening, flooding or darkness. But mere rain, golfers laugh at mere rain.

This past weekend a big international tournament was held in Wales, England between the United States and Europe – The Ryder Cup. Being it was October in Wales it rained a lot. Not to worry. The players donned their rain-suits and off down the course they went. Problem for the US players was that their official team rain-suits – complete with their names on the back – let the rain in. The suits did not keep the rain out. The players got soaked until new rain gear from the fan souvenir shop was purchased for them. While wearing their new gear the players were kept warm and dry, and now they blended in with the crowd.

All of this was really quite the news story. The official rain-suit provider was embarrassed and made to defend their non-waterproof waterproof clothes. Reporters asked questions about whether or not the players could concentrate properly while wet. Whose silly idea was it to put names on the jackets? Would this hurt the US’ chances of retaining the Ryder Cup? It seems a little bit of rain was having a really big effect on golf for a moment. The tournament was in a fluster.

Ever watch a bird in the rain? During a recent big rain storm I had a chance to watch a bunch of birds outside my office window. Some birds were sitting peacefully on the wire. Some birds were on the ground eating and searching for food. Some birds were in the trees preening and grooming their feathers. Some birds were flying around. All of them were getting soaked. None of them seemed to care.

In other words, the birds were being birds. No fluster. No furry. No scrambling for cover. What is it the birds know that we humans don’t seem to about rain?

Perhaps birds understand that rain is a fact of life. In life we are all going to get wet from time to time. The trick is to deal with the rain like the birds and let the water just roll off our backs as we go about our day. We can’t let the rain get us all flustered and get us off our game.

Birds of course have a built in resource that we humans do not – they are waterproof. Birds have an oil gland at the base of their tails from which they spread the waterproof oil protecting them. It is helpful during times of rain be waterproof. Like the birds, we have a waterproof Resource we can reach for to protect us during our storms.

Our Resource is right there with us sitting on the wire, with us at the feeder, with us in the tree and with us as we fly around. He shelters us from the storms in our lives and strengthens us in our distress and provides shade from the heat. (Is. 25:4). We will get wet when it rains but our Rain Gear will never fail and never let us get so soaked we are taken out of the game.

With God by our side and by trusting in Him we are just as waterproof as the birds that fill the sky. There is no storm life can dish out that we will not get through. Our job is to make sure we’re using the right rain gear.

Just ask the Ryder Cup team.

~

Rockfest Day 5 - Origami

Origami – the Japanese tradition of taking a plain piece of paper and within a few simple folds creating a beautiful work of art.

God’s Origami – God’s tradition of taking a plain human heart and unfolding it with His love and creating a beautiful work of art.

Let’s let God play origami with our hearts today. Never know what may unfold.

~

Rockfest Day 4 - If You're Not Five Minutes Early, You're Late

I have a dear friend who, Lord love her, I think will be late to her own funeral. She is late for most everything. Parties, meetings, airline flights, movies, hair appointments, dinners. If it has a start time requirement she will, try as she might to make it on time, be late. And I’m not talking about a mere five or ten minutes late. I talking the twenty to thirty minute variety. That kind of waiting is frustrating. Being her friend requires patience. (Being my friend requires patience too but for wholly different frustrating reasons.)

Promptness. In theory it is easy. In reality it is much harder to achieve. For all the frustrating minutes that I have waited for my friend I realize there are things that get in the way of being on time. Life happens. Things slow us down, put us behind schedule. Promptness is hard to achieve because it’s so hard to define.

We live in a world that seems to have sped up overnight. Everything happens in seconds or milliseconds and if we don’t respond in like time we are slowing things down and gumming up the works. Mail used to take weeks or months to get to a person when sent via pony express. Now we call regular mail “snail mail” because 24 to 48 hours for a letter is a lifetime. And we are even watching the demise of email. It is too slow and plodding, replaced by instant messages and the ever horrifying “status updates” which are instant communications to no one in particular but to all my “friends” at the same time.

Patience has gone the way of the pony express it seems. We demand the same type of behavior and instant gratification from each other as we do from our smart phone. I want what I want and I want it – now.

And we demand the same type of instant behavior from God. We demand that God keep pace with our time table. We demand that God fix our problems when we want them fixed. God promised to help, so where’s the help? And when God does not bend to our will? Then God either doesn’t really exist or He no longer cares about us.

Back in the day, Moses day, people understood things didn’t always happen overnight. Circumstances of life impressed that upon them. To get anywhere Moses and his people wanted to go they had to walk. No cars or trains or planes to get them there in a hurry. It may take them months to get all those thousands of people from one place to the other.

So when Moses and his people asked God for something if it took a while they had the built in patience to handle the waiting. I’m not saying Moses liked waiting any more than you or I do. He probably didn’t but his patience muscle was better exercised for the inevitable waiting.

God will make us wait. We will wait for our breakthrough, for our healing, for whatever it is we are praying and believing God for. And He will deliver our answer. God has perfect timing. He will never be early, but God will never be late.

Think of all the times God has come through for you. Right on time, right on schedule – His schedule. Perhaps you think He could have done things differently or earlier to save you the wear and tear of stress? Perhaps the wear and tear of the stress was meant to bring you closer to Him and to bring Him honor and glory.

Jesus was once asked to come save His dear friend Lazarus who was dying. He told Mary and Martha that He would heal Lazarus but that He’d be there in a few days. A few days? Lazarus will be dead by then. Sure enough, two days later when Jesus finally arrived Lazarus was good and dead. With Lazarus’ family mourning Jesus went into the tomb where Lazarus was laid, prayed over him and Lazarus was brought back from death. (John 11: 1-44).

Lazarus did indeed get healed but Jesus timing was so that God could be glorified. (John 11:4). Jesus could have healed Lazarus days before, while he was still alive but it would not have had the same effect on others. It would not have brought such glory to the Lord. Jesus promptly healed Lazarus right on time.

Promptness – there is no one more prompt than God – we just have to adjust our definition and exercise that patience muscle.

~

Rockfest Day 3 - Sunday Contemplation

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever belives in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). That sentence is perhaps one of the most well known and often repeated scriptures in the bible. The scripture is so well known that the text is no longer necessary, just the citation will do. “John 3:16” can be seen on posters at sporting events and sprayed on road signs.

The trouble with such familiarity is that we tend to take the familiar for granted. I do.

John 3:16 is a short passage but it throws out a mighty big message. God so loved everyone in the world – those present and those to come – that He sacrificed His Son’s life to save ours’.

Would you do that? Would I do that? I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it. During Lent each Spring I give up doing something I enjoy as a way to honor God, but let’s face it giving up wine or chocolate for 40 days is not really in the same category.

I don’t think God is asking me to sacrifice my live or the lives of my loved ones for Him (although there are one or two loved ones I wouldn’t mind sacrificing). But perhaps the thought here is to try and not take His sacrifice for granted. To recognize that what He did was big, so big and loving, I cannot in my finite imagination imagine doing it.

Because remember, God knew before He did it what Jesus was going to be put through, how Jesus would be treated and how Jesus would die. That was the point of His coming. It wasn’t just that God gave us His Son, it was that He loved us enough to sacrifice Jesus for us.

When I think about those I love and think about me doing something like that, I know it would crush me and I could not do it. And that’s when it hits me just how much God loves me because it did crush Him and He did it anyway.

That kind of love I never want to take for granted.
~

Rockfest Day 2 - RockStar

Have you been to a rock concert lately? They are loud, raucous, vibrant, and exuberant affairs. The crazy costumes, make-up, and hairstyles – and I’m just talking about the audience. Gone are they days of the lighter raised in tribute; replaced by the cell phone screen-light raised in tribute. It looks a bit odd but at least it reduces the chances of a fire hazard.

The shows themselves put on by today’s performers are true productions. Clouds of smoke, lasers, risers and platforms, fly systems for flying performers in and out. It’s enough to get you out of your chair and on to your feet. Which is precisely where the band wants you.

I went to a concert recently. When my friend and I got to the show I was so excited because our seats were on the fourth row. I thought “awesome!” we’re going to really be able to see and hear everything from these great seats.

Well, I was sort of right. We did see and hear everything but not while sitting in our seats. The only time we sat down was before the concert began and then three hours later after the show was over – to catch our breath before walking out.

The show itself was terrific. I danced, I sang, I swayed, I raised my arms in praise to the singer and her songs. I high-fived strangers when she began the first chords of her popular tunes. I lost all track of time. I was truly in the moment, or moments, during that show.

I felt free and completely uninhibited there in the dark surrounded by strangers who while dancing and singing with me became friends during our communal reverie. I loved all of it.

And I imagine the singer loved all of it too. Watching her fans from the stage dance and sing her words back to her in loving tribute and adoration.

Which got me to thinking, why is it so easy to dance and sing back in praise to a celebrity but so hard for me to dance and sing back in praise to the One who truly is the Rockstar in my life? I don’t dance and sing that way for God. I don’t shout His name. I don’t hug strangers when the topic of God comes up. But I bet He’d love it if I would.

I can imagine nothing God loving more than to hear my loud, clear voice lifted in praise to Him. To see my arms raised, uninhibited, in the air waving to Him in tribute and love. To see me high-fiving strangers at the mention of His name. To be with me as I lose all track of time because of Him. To watch as I stand on my feet for hours on end due to the sheer joy He is bringing me.

God is my RockStar. He the Rock that shelters me from the storms and protects me from my enemies. He is the Star that guides me through the darkness and that lights my life with joy. And He is the RockStar that brings the beauty and blessings and love into my life.

He is the music that sets my soul to dancing.

Not one thing on this earth sets my heart on fire like God does. There is no singer past or present that sings a song that makes me feel alive like God does. And there is no one in this world that loves me – or you – like God does.

God is giving a concert – whose going to stay in their seat?
~

Rockfest Day 1 - Come As You Are

When I was about thirteen, for my birthday my parents threw me a surprise birthday party. I typically don’t care for surprises too much especially the type where people jump out of hiding and shout “Surprise!" It tends to unsettle me and throw me off my game.

But this surprise party had a twist – the surprise wasn’t on me – it was on my guests. I woke up early and while still wearing my nightgown my parents drove me to my friends’ houses and I surprised them while they were still sleeping – typically by jumping on their beds in the dark and shouting “Surprise!” Each girl got startled awake to within a second of having a heart attack and then I took her to the next house and we would “invite” my next guest to the party.

It was rather hilarious with all my friends grabbed out of their beds still wearing their pajamas or whatever it was they wore to bed. Sleepily trudging off in the early morning to celebrate my birthday. No one was allowed to change clothes or even brush their hair or teeth – this was a “come-as-you-are-party.”

One of the fun things about come-as-you-are parties is that generally everyone is in the same state of disrepair that you are. No one likes going to a party being under dressed. Most people I know, including myself, like to be appropriately dressed and presentable. But if everyone looks terrible then that’s okay.

Generally speaking, no self-respecting 13-year old girl is going to go anywhere in the light of day outside her house in her nightgown, without brushing her hair and teeth and concealing her pimples. But if all her best friends are with her and they too are not at their peak of present-able-ness then its okay. The 13-year old girl doesn’t feel so self conscious because she in fact fits right in with the theme of the party.

The other thing I like about come-as-you-are parties is that there is not all the preparation or planning involved on the part of the guest. For most parties there is the planning of the outfit, the bathing and fixing of the hair and make-up and concealer. The trying on of several outfits to see which one looks like she’s not wearing an “outfit” before the guest decides she has “nothing” to wear in her packed closet and decides to just “throw this old thing on.” Come-as-you-are-not parties can be exhausting before you ever get there.

Jesus has invited us to a party and I am so glad His is the ultimate come-as-you-are. Jesus is asking us daily to join Him and discover a deep and profound relationship with Him. And He wants us just the way we are. He wants us with all our flaws and failings. He wants us to come and get to know Him while we are still angry, mad, jealous, gossiping, worried, sad, scared, have screwed up, are about to screw up and are carrying around every other burden known to man. No planning, no preparation, no getting our act together first. He wants us just as we are this very minute – and trust me, if your life is anything like mine, this very minute things ain’t too pretty.

Jesus wants us in our pajamas, with messy hair and un-brushed teeth. Why? Because He wants to redress us in His robe of splendor (Ezek. 16:10). He wants to brush our hair and teeth and make us beautiful the way He sees us. (Song 4:1-9). The fact of the matter is, Jesus doesn’t see us as we see us, He sees us as we were created - “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Ps. 139:14).

When we think that we cannot approach God because we have let Him down or are just too broken and sinful for God to want to have anything to do with us – we are flat out wrong. That is the moment when God wants us most. To take our burdens from us and replace it with rest. (Matt. 11:28-30). To wrap His love around us and cleanse us and beautify us – body, soul and spirit.

Come as you are – it’s the theme of God’s party. Feel free to leave the hair brush and concealer at home.

~