My wife and I have just returned from a five day cruise. The cruise was a gift from the church in honor of our tenth anniversary at the church. It was a very relaxing time for the two of us.
We left Galveston on Saturday headed to Cozumel and Progresso. We slept until 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Needless to say we were exhausted. Of course it helped to have an interior room where we didn't know when the sun was up and when it wasn't.
We only had two sleepless nights - one on Sunday and one on Wednesday. The sleepless night on Sunday was because of the rocking of the ship due to high wind and waves. The sleepless night on Wednesday was a different story. With it being the last night of the cruise some decided to stay out later and were noisy in the hallway. Then around 2:00 a.m. I heard an announcement, but could not understand all of it. There continued to be noise coming from the hall. Finally, around 2:30 a.m. I put my clothes on the see what was causing the commotion. The lady next to our stateroom told me there was a fire in one of the staterooms on the level above us. I woke my wife and we proceeded to the muster station with our life jackets as we were instructed. After a few minutes one of the members of the crew said it was safe to go back to our room. Needless to say, there wasn't much sleep after that.
The highlight of the trip for us had to be the food. We were treated like royalty in the dining room each night, with some very good food.
We are grateful for our church's generosity in allowing us the cruise and the time to be away.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Random Quotes
I am officially coming out of the closet - I am addicted to books. If you ask my wife she would certainly agree. If we ever build a house, it will be built around bookcases for my books. Yes, I know I have a serious problem. But what can I do?
With that said, let me give you some random quotes.
"Two doctors standing together makes a paradox." (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
"Sacred cows make the best hamburger, but the meat can be hard to swallow."
"The Bible does not provide a map for life, only a compass. But through this book you will discover how the compass can guide you over the bewildering terrain."
(Dr. Haddon Robinson)
"May I suggest that what the 21st-century church needs are daring people with daring plans - people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes, more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure."
(Mark Batterson)
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."
(former missionary C.T. Studd)
"So ... when there are no answers to your questions ...
Trust Him when you don't understand
Trust Him when your heart is broken.
Trust His purpose. Trust His heart. Trust His goodness.
Trust Him beyond the grave. Trust Him to know best.
Trust His plan to be bigger than yours.
Trust Him to keep His word. Trust Him to be on time.
Trust Him to be compassionate. Trust Him to set you free.
Trust Him - and Him alone!
(Anne Graham Lotz)
With that said, let me give you some random quotes.
"Two doctors standing together makes a paradox." (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
"Sacred cows make the best hamburger, but the meat can be hard to swallow."
"The Bible does not provide a map for life, only a compass. But through this book you will discover how the compass can guide you over the bewildering terrain."
(Dr. Haddon Robinson)
"May I suggest that what the 21st-century church needs are daring people with daring plans - people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes, more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure."
(Mark Batterson)
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."
(former missionary C.T. Studd)
"So ... when there are no answers to your questions ...
Trust Him when you don't understand
Trust Him when your heart is broken.
Trust His purpose. Trust His heart. Trust His goodness.
Trust Him beyond the grave. Trust Him to know best.
Trust His plan to be bigger than yours.
Trust Him to keep His word. Trust Him to be on time.
Trust Him to be compassionate. Trust Him to set you free.
Trust Him - and Him alone!
(Anne Graham Lotz)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
A Violinist in the Metro
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Rick Warren's Prayer
Today was a historical day in the United States of America. No matter your political leanings, it is still a momentous occasion. Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, prayed in the Inauguration. I'm including a portion of his prayer from today.
"Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity."
"Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ."
"I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray:" (he then prayed what is called The Lord's Prayer, better known as The Model Prayer).
"Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity."
"Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ."
"I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray:" (he then prayed what is called The Lord's Prayer, better known as The Model Prayer).
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Beliefs of Americans
The Barna Group has completed some research that will may blow your mind, but it doesn't come as a complete surprise either. While some will debate that America was once a "Christian nation," it is becoming increasingly clear; most Americans today see the Christian faith as one of many spiritual options.
The Barna Group research says: "The study discovered that half of all adults now contend that Christianity is just one of many options that Americans choose from and that a huge majority of adults pick and choose what they believe rather than adopt a church or denomination's slate of beliefs. Still, most people say their faith is becoming increasingly important as a source of personal moral guidance."
"Overall, 50% of the adults interviewed agreed that Christianity is no longer the faith that Americans automatically accept as their personal faith, while just 44% disagreed and 6% were not sure."
"By a three to one margin (71% to 26%) adults noted that they are personally more likely to develop their own set of religious beliefs than to accept a comprehensive set of beliefs taught by a particular church."
The article concludes with some insights from Barna's founder, George Barna. He says: "Faith, of whatever variety, is increasingly viral rather than pedagogical. With people spending less time reading the Bible, and becoming less engaged in activities that deepen their biblical literacy, faith views are more often adopted on the basis of dialogue, self-reflection, and observation than teaching. Feelings and emotions now play a significant role in the development of people's faith views - in many cases, much more significant than information - based exercises such as listening to preaching and participating in Bible study."
What does this mean for the church today? How should the church respond?
Do you agree with the findings? What are your thoughts?
The Barna Group research says: "The study discovered that half of all adults now contend that Christianity is just one of many options that Americans choose from and that a huge majority of adults pick and choose what they believe rather than adopt a church or denomination's slate of beliefs. Still, most people say their faith is becoming increasingly important as a source of personal moral guidance."
"Overall, 50% of the adults interviewed agreed that Christianity is no longer the faith that Americans automatically accept as their personal faith, while just 44% disagreed and 6% were not sure."
"By a three to one margin (71% to 26%) adults noted that they are personally more likely to develop their own set of religious beliefs than to accept a comprehensive set of beliefs taught by a particular church."
The article concludes with some insights from Barna's founder, George Barna. He says: "Faith, of whatever variety, is increasingly viral rather than pedagogical. With people spending less time reading the Bible, and becoming less engaged in activities that deepen their biblical literacy, faith views are more often adopted on the basis of dialogue, self-reflection, and observation than teaching. Feelings and emotions now play a significant role in the development of people's faith views - in many cases, much more significant than information - based exercises such as listening to preaching and participating in Bible study."
What does this mean for the church today? How should the church respond?
Do you agree with the findings? What are your thoughts?
Sunday, January 4, 2009
2 Degree Difference
Dr. John Trent has written a fascinating book "The 2 Degree Difference." He is primarily known for his books on marriage (along with Gary Smalley) and his book "The Blessing." I had the opportunity to hear Trent speak this past year at a marriage conference in Austin.
The premise of the book is "how small things can change everything." The 2 degree idea comes about from driving a car. A driver makes 2 degree changes with the steering wheel. It is the 2 degree changes that keep your car between the white lines.
He relates a story about Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City. He served as mayor from 1994-2001. One of the things that faced Giuliani before he became mayor was the murder rate in the city. In 1990 the homicide rate was 2,245. In 1993, the year before Guiliani started as mayor, the murder rate was 1,946. His first year as mayor it went down to 1,561. During his last year as mayor the murder rate was 642. What brought about this change in the murder rate? Repairing broken windows.
Giuliani started making the minor changes of repairing broken windows around the city. He determined that "someone who wouldn't normally throw a rock at an intact building is less reluctant to break a second window in a building that already has one broken."
Trent's idea is we can begin to make positive changes in our lives and in our relationships by 2 degrees - in small changes. What would happen in 2009 if we made these small changes?
The premise of the book is "how small things can change everything." The 2 degree idea comes about from driving a car. A driver makes 2 degree changes with the steering wheel. It is the 2 degree changes that keep your car between the white lines.
He relates a story about Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City. He served as mayor from 1994-2001. One of the things that faced Giuliani before he became mayor was the murder rate in the city. In 1990 the homicide rate was 2,245. In 1993, the year before Guiliani started as mayor, the murder rate was 1,946. His first year as mayor it went down to 1,561. During his last year as mayor the murder rate was 642. What brought about this change in the murder rate? Repairing broken windows.
Giuliani started making the minor changes of repairing broken windows around the city. He determined that "someone who wouldn't normally throw a rock at an intact building is less reluctant to break a second window in a building that already has one broken."
Trent's idea is we can begin to make positive changes in our lives and in our relationships by 2 degrees - in small changes. What would happen in 2009 if we made these small changes?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Reflections
This Christmas I was overwhelmed by how important family is to me. A couple of days before Christmas day, my immediate family exchanged our gifts. I have said it before, but let me say it again: I am a blessed man.
God has given me much more than I deserve. He has blessed me with a extraordinary life-partner and three great children (a daughter and son-in-law, and a son).
I am grateful for the gifts that I received, but I was overwhelmed with how God has blessed me with my family. Maybe it is a sign of old age or maybe it is the first Christmas without our parents. But family is important.
At creation God established the home and the church. God knew that we needed to be surrounded by family. On the sixth day of Creation God created male and female. Then in Genesis 2, God says: "It is not good for man to be alone." God knew our need for family.
On Christmas Eve, our immediate family traveled to the Metroplex where we were able to spend time with my brother and his immediate family and my wife's sister. I am grateful that God provided me with family. We (and I include myself) take family for granted. Thank God for your family and enjoy spending quality time with them.
God has given me much more than I deserve. He has blessed me with a extraordinary life-partner and three great children (a daughter and son-in-law, and a son).
I am grateful for the gifts that I received, but I was overwhelmed with how God has blessed me with my family. Maybe it is a sign of old age or maybe it is the first Christmas without our parents. But family is important.
At creation God established the home and the church. God knew that we needed to be surrounded by family. On the sixth day of Creation God created male and female. Then in Genesis 2, God says: "It is not good for man to be alone." God knew our need for family.
On Christmas Eve, our immediate family traveled to the Metroplex where we were able to spend time with my brother and his immediate family and my wife's sister. I am grateful that God provided me with family. We (and I include myself) take family for granted. Thank God for your family and enjoy spending quality time with them.
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