Labor Day thoughts

Labor Day is almost over and tomorrow starts a new work week for me and a new school year for my boys.  (YEA!) But before the day is gone I wanted to put up a couple thoughts about working or laboring.  You see I'm married to one of the hardest working people I know.  In the past couple weeks I've really gotten to see that up close, and see some of the fruit of that.  Amy's an RN... not just someone who wipes butts and takes the brunt of verbal abuse by people who feel that they need to use their colorful vocabulary, but I digress... Though that does happen in her line of work, she tries, with great patience, to keep smiling and working.  What sets Amy apart is the fact that she goes above and beyond her call of duty.  She uses humor like "Patch Adams" as an RN to help her patients relax and know that they will get her best care.  Even though she always will give you her best, there are people that she really feels a connection with. Recently that happened.  He was her patient, a guy with a larger than life personality.  He had married a gem of a gal. (so I gathered as Amy talked about them and our experience at the wake).  Amy was like an angel that God sent for them.  When something was not right they called Amy at home and she immediately called to give assistance.  One story Amy told me about them was so touching... he was 'out of it' most of the time but one day was 'with it' enough that Amy asked him, "you had enough of me yet?"  He said, "Yes"  She replied, "Oh no you didn't!" He beamed a smile back.  Then she proceeded to move him over in the bed giving his wife instructions to "get in there with him!".  She got the wife's cell phone and took pictures of the two of them smiling at each other. They didn't know how many days they had left together, but that day was going to be memorable, and it was.
At the wake we were greeted by person after person who was up there and gushed about what kind of help my wife and another nurse gave them.  We were ushered up to meet the wife, passing about 45 people in a line that never seemed to shrink.  My wife had our boys each give her a single white rose with red highlights.  We were kissed and hugged and reminded what a treasure we had in Amy.  That day we saw the effect of being excellent at our work.
Recently my wife found out that she was written up for Nurse of the Year and twice was written up for Nurse of the Month.  
If there was a holiday that exemplified her it is Labor Day.  She's the real deal.  As a Christian there is no better way to open a door than to work with excellence.  I'm very proud of her! The world would be much better filled with people who worked that hard, with that much passion!

Reflections on Kingdom Bound 2011

I was so excited to be able to go to KB 2011 with my family. I've been there before with my wife, before the kids came, but not since the boys were born, with her. My kids will not forget the water rides and kiddie rides. My oldest commented last night that his favorite part of being there (outside the rides) was "being with friends and family." We certainly loved being with our friends and having some family time. But as I look back there are a few things that were highlights. First off, it was a real honor to meet some of my twitter friends at KB. It wasn't like a marathon sit down and catch up kind of thing... it was more of, "Oh, so that's who you are!" Placing in our minds the actual people whose faces we've come to see next to their tweets. Had to laugh when Brenton Brown realized I was "life with Lonnie". (the picture at first is Brenton) I didn't think I'd meet Brenton because they tend to move everyone off the stage quickly and into the back, but when I came back by the tent I saw him talking with @Dan_Gross and then I got to shake Mr. Brown's (notice how respectful I am...) hand not once, but twice! When I told my family, who had been waiting for me at the laser light show, they were all excited too! As a worship pastor I've done a lot of Brenton's music (and Paul Baloche). I've been singing as I've worked in my basement Paul Baloche's songs and Brenton's also. "Our God is Near" and "Adoration" are on shuffle on my iTouch. Brenton's latest release had two songs that have really spoken to me." All For You " is that moment, as a worship pastor/leader, when it's just you and Jesus. It's a reminder that it isn't about us, but God, and for His glory. The other song "Our God Is Mercy" is just a great reminder that we can come to the Lord in our time of need because God desires to flood our lives with His overwhelming love. Needless to say there are a lot of songs that he's written or co-written that have, at some point, ministered to me or helped me to minister God's grace in it's various forms to others. So I was pretty pumped to meet Brenton and pray that our paths will cross another day. [and I'll have intelligible words to say. ;) ]


My last reflection is of Paul Baloche (pictured above). Paul was amazing... actually, it was amazing what God did through Paul the two days I saw him! While playing his set at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) he talked about how his dad (96) was really close to being with Jesus. (His mom and dad just celebrated 63 years of marriage!) You could see that it was tearing him up, but God was gracious and helped him lead. Afterward I tweeted to Paul "Thanks for leading out of your brokenness today." He responded with, "sometimes we have to, eh?" I tweeted back: "yes sometimes we have to... But then the Lord is most near and His strength lifts us. Amen?!" The next morning God used Paul to lead us to the very presence of God. Loved his openness and humility. Love the "Horton Hears a Who" thought of us 'little people' calling out to the Lord, "Hear our joyful sound here at Kingdom Bound" ... also the song he wrote inspired from,"Psalm 60 something"... "as morning dawns and evening fades..." I sensed God's presence so deeply that it moved me to tears more than once. (not just Paul but when Brenton played too) I took away from this that all of the practice is necessary for these times when we can barely keep it together. God takes all of the work we've put in and our times of personal worship, then in our brokenness shows up in ways that we could never hope to manufacture in our strength. Out of this I've found myself practicing and playing a bit more. I'm finding some new songs breathed into my heart that I hope I will be able to share. It was good to be with God's people at Kingdom Bound 2011!

Tangled... revisited... and more!

Shortly after I posted the last entry I seriously thought about the character of the "mother" and how she so mimicked the picture of the devil that the Bible speaks of. Jesus said in the book of John: "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy." In so many ways that's exactly what she was doing... she stole Rapunzel, attempted to kill her "boyfriend" and at every turn she tried to destroy any hope that Rapunzel had. The Bible says that the devil is the "Father of lies". This "mother" claimed to "know best" but lied about who she was and lied and deceived to manipulate the people around her. As I watched that movie it just angered me that she would do that... How could she trap the girl? How could she pretend to be something she wasn't?! How could she manipulate the people around her to help her perpetuate her facade? Then it hit me that is exactly how the devil works. He tries to paint Christians as "extremists" who are "dangerous". He wants to kill any hope that arises when one person places their faith in Jesus Christ. He wants to destroy marriages and have pastors caught in sins of all types to degrade any thought that Jesus' words are true and "work". It seems to me that the movie "Tangled" really brings out some interesting thoughts. What's your response?

Tangled, more than a review.

I'm a person who tends to see more than what's in the movie. Take the movie Tangled. As I see it it's more than another long hair story. The gospel story is woven into it. So you've seen the movie? Where is the gospel story? Movie: Girl is kidnapped from the palace and raised as a child of someone else. The gospel story: Sin entered the world and our identity as children of God was stolen. Movie: Every year on her birthday she would see lights floating in the sky and think to herself that somehow those were meant for her. Also she saw the picture of the sun flower and in her tower she saw the sun flower. The gospel story: God has placed eternity in the heart of man. God has given witness to us through nature that He is there. He calls to us by the Spirit of God. Are you keeping up? Movie: She realizes who she is and longs to return home. To get there a sacrifice is made, a man dies and is raised back to life. The gospel: In order for us to "return home" and claim our identity as children of God, Jesus dies and is raised back to life (the character is hardly Jesus, or sinless, but dies and is brought back) The movie: She returns home to a mother and father who have desperately missed her. The scene is quite moving... what was lost is found! A party ensues! The gospel: Just that, what was lost is found. Our return home is celebrated by heaven throwing a party!
For me personally, when the father and mother were reunited with the daughter, I was transported in my thoughts to the day that I see Jesus face to face. The joy that fills my heart.
I liked Tangled for the story line, humor and the fact that the bad lady loses (oh... another biblical factoid: the devil loses!)
So there you have it. Tangled, more than a review. THE Message within the media.

At the crossroads...

I'm reminded in this season of my life of the words of Jeremiah 6:16 "This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’"
What I see here is that God invites us to stand at the crossroads and look. We need to be observant. God then says, "Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is..." God calls us to pray, to seek and listen. Do you know where you are going... standing at the crossroads... wondering what's next. God wants to reveal things to us... to show us His path, but He says, "Walk in it..." We have to determine the course and then stay the course! It's easy to read the bible and then say, "Well, I don't know if I agree with that." But that is exactly what God calls us to do... agree with HIM that His path is the right one. You know when you have gotten on the wrong path? When you lack peace. God's promise is that as we pray and go that we will find rest for our souls. We will find peace in the midst of anything happening because we are where He wants us. The question is "will you"? Sadly many have said, "We will not walk in it." Choose to discover and "walk in it"!

stuff that's swimming in my head...

Tonight I went to see Ps100, a group of guys that sing some very tight Christian Rock (and praise & worship). Most of their music is original. It is definitely worth a listen! My connection with them is through their drummer. Back in the day when I was leading worship in Akron NY he was on the team. God has brought Mike so far (and through things I had no idea about before tonight... believing that God's healing his wife of that cancer!) Tonight I came with a head full and heart broken. There's just been so much going on lately that it's been overwhelming. Trying to carry the burdens of others while carrying your own is quite a task. Tonight I was reminded that "Your grace is enough". We are not guaranteed by God a life without any heartache, physical illness, relational tension, poverty (or riches) etc. But we are guaranteed that as we place our faith in Jesus Christ to cover our sins, God runs to us, picks us up and carries us. Sometimes, I believe, He just holds us like children that have had the worst nightmare and we just can't shake it. It is in our brokenness that he floods his love through the cracks of our heart. Healing us. Mending us. Giving us a hope that many, honestly, can't comprehend. That is the hope of eternal life. Not that we keep this life, or by some form of cosmic cruelty, to return again and again until we 'get it right'. No. The bible says all this 'stuff' is temporary. Eventually it will all "burn". Jesus said he was preparing a place for us to come back and take us to. This is our hope. Jesus endured the darkest hour of his life knowing the joy to come.
As Brenton Brown (singer/songwriter) wrote in the song OUR GOD IS MERCY: "The Kingdom of our God is near, lift your eyes, lift your eyes! The hope of heaven drawing near, lift your eyes! Lift your eyes!" If we first seek God's Kingdom then everything else will be taken care of (rough paraphrase!). This is just some of the stuff that's been swimming in my head recently...

DanesSong