The Climb

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the Climb

Recorded by Miley Cyrus

Written by J. Alexander, J. Mabe

Memorial Day 2009

I never thought that this is where I'd settle down,

I thought I'd die an old man back in my hometown,

They gave me this plot of land,

me and some other men,for a job well done.

There's a big white house sits on a hill just up the road,

The man inside he cried the day they brought me home,

They folded up a flag, and told my mom and dad,

'We're proud of your son'.

And I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property,

I'm on sacred ground and I'm in the best of company,

I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I've done,

I can rest in peace,

I'm one of the chosen ones,

I made it to Arlington.

I remember daddy brought me here when I was eight,

We searched all day to find out where my granddad lay,

And when we finally found that cross,

He said, 'Son this is what it cost, to keep us free'.

Now here I am a thousand stones away from him,

He recognized me on the first day I came in,

And it gave me a chill, when he clicked his heels, and saluted me.

And I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property,

I'm on sacred ground and I'm in the best of company,

And I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I've done,

I can rest in peace,

I'm one of the chosen ones,

I made it to Arlington.

And every time I hear, twenty-one guns,

I know they brought another hero home, to us.

We're thankful for those thankful for the things we've done,

We can rest in peace, 'cause we were the chosen ones,

We made it to Arlington, yea, dust to dust

Don't cry for us, we made it to Arlington.

Sung by Trace Adkins

Written by:

Dave Turnbull & Jeremy N. Spillman

Several years ago, I decided something that I thought was completely original. I decided that our souls need feeding. We feed the physical body (some of us more than others) and we feed the spiritual body (some of us not as much as we should). But what about the soul? How do we feed the soul? My brilliant deduction was through fueling our passions and taking time out for ourselves.

A little while later, my pastor preached a sermon on the different types of gas tanks that we have. Of course, he used my own analogy, but I don't think he plagiarized it from me. No, I think I wasn't the original one. He basically said that we spend so much time filling one or two tanks and ignore the other(s). And that puts us out of balance. While spending all our time with Christian tasks, we may feel fulfilled spiritually but we are missing something. If we (as I tend to do) run to the pantry or refrigerator for every emotion, we loose our physical health. In the past, I thought those were the only things that I had to fill.

I was in the North Carolina mountains with friends when I realized that I was filling up something that was neither of the two tanks. I could almost feel my soul taking deep breaths of the mountain air. I feel it every time I escape from the monotony of life. I feel it now that I am on vacation in Orange Beach, AL with very special friends. It's here that I tend to fill all three tanks. We do eat well, possibly too well. I feel His presence so clearly watching the beauty of His creation. It's easier to speak with Him here. And, like I wrote before, I feel my soul take deep breaths.

Life has not changed. Work is still waiting. Bills are still coming in the mail. But I'm on a retreat and feeling Him close to me. You don't have to drive to a beach or the mountains to feed your soul. Sometimes it's as easy as sitting with a good book. Or walking through a garden. Or a drive down a road you've never been just to see where it goes. Take a moment. Breathe deeply. Close your eyes and think about Him. Think about Him in a place you love. He's there waiting to just be with you. To just help you feed your soul.

With love, from the Gulf Coast.

Once Upon A Time...

I love stories. It's the primary way in which I communicate. It's how I view the world. I like to use that as an excuse as to why I love movies & TV so much. Lisa & I have books hidden, tucked and on display all through our house. I carry a book with me just about everywhere I go. When there are free moments throughout my day, I reach for it. There's a joke in my family that Lara can never tell a short story. It's true. I just feel that you need to know the back story to understand the 'now' story. Hard to follow isn't it? You should try being the one saying it :D

A young man visited our home group tonight. A few years ago, we supported him as he followed the Call to an especially difficult mission field. I can't tell you his name or where he went, but I can tell you that the Lord sent him there. He and his team witnessed the Hand of the Lord over and over. The coolest way that they shared the Gospel was through story telling. Story telling is a universal language. Most of us respond to it. In various cultures, their heritage is passed down from generation to generation through story telling. In a world that normally takes three + years to see lives changed by the gospel, this team saw eighteen people choose to follow Christ. And all through story telling.

Once these people heard the story of Jesus, they became passionate about it. They did so because the story tellers were (and are) passionate about it. Here, in the States, we have an abundance of stories. And so many of them are captivating. Which ones are you passionate about? The 'boldly go where no one has gone before...'; the 'don't go near the basement...'; the 'boy meets girl'? How many of them captivate you? What about the one where God came to earth just to die for you? Does it captivate you? Are you passionate about it? Why aren't we? Why do those others push it (the most important of all stories) to the back of our minds? When will we realize that the stories written in between those pieces of leather are the only ones that can truly change us? That those are the only eternal stories and all the others will fade?

The 'Perfect' & the 'Dream'

Don't you HATE work? Or am I the only one? I really believe that I was made to be independently wealthy. There must have been some mistake along the way. Kindergarten teachers & music ministers don't make the kind of money that can make their kids wealthy. But it's a dream of mine, none the less. In earlier posts, I've mentioned that I struggle with finding the 'perfect'. You know, the perfect job. The perfect church. The perfect friends. Why is there a word like perfect when it's unattainable in this life? Oh, yeah. He's perfect. He even walked this same earth that you & I do. Maybe it's because we need Him in our lives so much, that we all search for this 'perfect'.

Today was one of those days. Sure it's Monday, which is bad enough on its own, but it went beyond that. The people I encountered were no more irritating than usual. The phone rang no more often than it does any other Monday. So what was different? Me & my attitude. They, to put it bluntly, sucked. I didn't want to be at work today. My doctor's inability to make a decision has not changed, but today it infuriated me. The talkativeness of co-workers made me want to scream. Patients and pharmaceutical reps asking the same question that I've heard & tried to answer for almost a year now were like fingernails on a chalkboard.

And I wanted my 'dream job'. Want to know what that job is? Well, so do I!!! Down deep, I realize that there is no 'dream job'. Every job has its irritants. Every job has its own politics. I hate politics! Sure I could find another job that might make me happy for a year or two. Ok, maybe not in this economy, but that's not the point. The point is my job made me unhappy today. But it's not my job's responsibility to make me happy in the first place. Lisa offered sound advise tonight. Pray. Not for a new job. But pray and give the day and this job to Him. Think it will work? Me, too.

And if you hear some screams from the North Birmingham area, just ignore them. I'll be ok :D

Encounters with the Lion

I have made no secret of my love for movies and stories. Nor of some of my favorites, The Chronicles of Narnia. Sunday night, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe was on. I laughed. I cried. I made a spectacle of myself. It was a good thing I was alone. Think the scene in the movie Elf when the announcement is made that Santa is coming. Remember Buddy’s reaction? Well, that’s what I looked & sounded like.

Anyway, the reason for this post is a particular scene. Peter, Susan & Lucy look up and see that their brother Edmund has been rescued from his disastrous collaboration with the White Witch. Edmund is standing on top of a hill having a serious conversation with Aslan (I know Him. I know Him.). As a writer & drama director it is a beautiful and emotional scene. C.S. Lewis never tells us what was said between Edmund & Aslan. Only that the past is in the past. When I watched that scene, one word came to me, “Encounters.” Encounters with the Lion.

No one who had an encounter with the Lion came away unchanged. The mere mention of His name was enough to evoke strong emotions. Coming face to face with Him changed each one who stood next to Him. Lucy found courage in Prince Caspian. DLF found truth. Eustace found character in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Jill found purpose in The Silver Chair. Digory, or the Professor, found healing in The Magician’s Nephew. Shasta found peace as well as his heritage in The Horse and his Boy. Puzzle found truth in The Last Battle. And Edmund? What did he find in his encounter with the Lion? Edmund found forgiveness and restoration. The Lion, Himself, was sacrificed just for Edmund. What greater gift could he have received? After Lucy, Edmund must be my next favorite character. He became a mighty and just King. He understood grace and mercy in a way that one who has not received them cannot understand. Edmund’s story tells us that there is no deception too great, no desertion too immoral that grace and mercy cannot cover.

Am I talking about a children’s storybook? No. Aslan is Narnia’s version of Jesus. Just as Aslan took Edmund’s death upon Himself, so did Jesus take our death upon Himself. There is nothing you have done that His death and resurrection cannot cover! His mercy and grace can cover you if you just allow them. Just as Edmund was changed by that encounter with the Lion, so you can be changed by an encounter with Jesus Christ.

Things you can do while drinking your orange juice...

In Sunday School this morning, Cindy Harless, brought up a valid question. Can you glorify God while drinking your orange juice? And if you can, how? So when we are running on auto-pilot and just following our routine, can we glorify God? 'Talk amongst yourselves' That only works if you imagine a strong Bronx accent when you read that quote :D In a related story, Lisa & I went to Stadium Fest yesterday & heard Chris Tomlin & Louie Giglio. Louie spoke about the one question we can ask God that He never (& can never) says no to.

In the course of my life, I've asked many things of God. I begged Him to heal me so that I wouldn't have to have a hysterectomy. I've begged Him to restore ones I've loved to health. I've asked Him to move my New York family back down South. His answer to these questions were all the same. No. That doesn't sound like a happy ending does it? And all He asks of me is that I continue to trust Him through His no's. Easier said than done, but where else would I turn? And like me, I'm sure you've tried to find other ways to turn. But a difficult life with Him is far better than an easy life without Him. I say this because I know it to be true. I've lived it.

Back to that question that He can't say no to. That question is this, "Will you be glorified in all that I do?" His answer is an unequivocal and resounding yes! Now how do we make this happen? What can drinking OJ do to glorify God? It may be just a simple as declaring Him Lord of our lives. If we aren't willing to make Him Lord while doing something as simple as drinking a glass of juice, are we really willing to have Him Lord over our relationships? Over our jobs? Over our major decisions? So that's how it happens. Give Him your orange juice, and He'll give you a future.