Take back Education.

We are 15 hours and 52 minutes from 2016.

Will this be the year we finally take back the education of our kids from the mindless sycophants seeking to advance their careers as politicians, Administrators and Labor activists or their fortunes, in the case of the Testing Companies, now driving the process? 

While I don't believe the answer to our education challenge in America is to turn the keys back over to the unions, this is a clarion call to citizens; it's time we take the education of our Kids back from private enterprise and public politicians--regardless of who they might be, who they work for, or their party affiliation.  Educators, working in partnership with their communities must be restored to their mission as educators.

Education has been hijacked and demagogued by Politicians, Private Enterprise, Management AND Labor; they have all forgotten who matters--KIDS, and what's at stake--THE FUTURE OF THE NATION.

Follow this link to a blog, "How Democracy Ends" that passionately, eloquently calls us back from the edge.  

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2013/01/this-is-how-democracy-ends-apology-from.html


bN tGit

A Beautiful Mind.

Just over a year ago we said our farewells to Laura's dad as he passed into the presence of God, whom he loved and served since embracing Christ as a boy in Washington, Illinois. Gene was such a giant of a man.  Perhaps the most difficult sojourn Laura and I have made over our 43 year marriage was watching Gene "lose himself" to dementia over the last 5 years of his life. 
 
This "passage" moved me to learn more about the brain, how it functions, and why; more about the relationship of the material, the organ we call our brain, and the immaterial--our minds.  I offer this comment with great conviction: the cause/effect relationship between the way we think and the outcomes we achieve is immutable, can be scientifically documented and is the result of loving-intelliegent design. 
 
A "mind," even a poorly developed one, is a powerful force. God blessed us all with beautiful minds; having been fashioned in His image gives us access to resources beyond the natural, built right into our DNA. 

Our minds are, of course, the most unique aspect of our beings. So, what are you doing with yours? It's the first day of the rest of our lives, December 29, 2015, a wonderful portal from which to look back at what was, then gaze into the new year at what might be.
 
Here's a perpetual list I believe can keep our "life-compass" oriented, True North.  Quite frankly, much of the time this is a three-steps-forward-two-steps-back process; carry on--ONE step at a time IS progress!

For a better 2016 (and long-term, a more productive life)... 

• Go to and get out of bed earlier. Be active, body and mind, with the extra morning time.

• Give up painful thinking. Don't throw others "under the bus." Refuse to think like a victim. Seek balance in your life.
• Look for the best in people. Find ways to add value to other peoples lives.
• Give generously to a cause you feel great passion for. Volunteer and serve in some fashion, some place.
• Don't be a cynic. Refuse to associate with negative people.
• Spend time in dialogue with people who don't think like you. Make the effort to grow your intellect and expand your perspective.
• Transform obstacles into opportunities. Begin something that makes you feel challenged.
• Mentor someone younger and/or less experienced. Find someone to mentor you, then be accountable to that person.
• Read, or listen to, good books that make you feel enriched. Journal: keep it simple and short; then watch that discipline begin to expand.

Finally, and most significantly... 

"Love justice, do mercy and walk humbly with your God." Micah 6.8

For me, it starts by asking God (again) to empower me to resolve and retool the way I think and as result, the way I experience life...

"Father in heaven give me clarity to know myself... give me desire to reflect Christ... give me discipline to lean into You... give me focus to remain on task... give me wisdom to make 'best decisions' and think like You. Through Christ, let it be."
 
May this be your most beautiful year yet.



bN tGit

What's in a day?

Each year, on December 28, I pause and reflect.

The years go by like stones under rushing water and it's easy to forget what life was like 47 years ago; what life could have been like, had God not intervened that evening in 1968. It was the last Saturday night of the year; I had a plan, and it certainly did not include an up close conversation with God. But, He had a different plan...and, as it turns out, it changed my life--forever.

But the path to that evening in 1968 started many years before, when my Grandmother, who lived with us at the time, would gather me up and carry me off to Church and Sunday School--I still have my first Bible, the one mom gave me to take to church with Grandma. I didn't know, until I was a young adult, that my grandmother faithfully prayed for me each day--that "BJ would experience the power of Christ in his life and embrace Jesus as his Lord and Savior." She eventually moved back to her roots in Fort Scott Kansas. But I continued to get myself to church until 8th grade.

I don't recall why I decided to "drop out" but I'm sure it just didn't feel very "cool" to attend church and Sunday School any longer--and since I went by myself, it was my decision to make. Fast forward to the fall of my Junior year in High School. One evening I landed at a "Campus Life" meeting at the home of a classmate (Jim Rehnberg); it was the kickoff for the school year and as advertised, it was a "Burger Bash," all you could eat--and attracted a huge crowd of students. I got more that evening than a big meal. The Campus Life leader, Mark Zier, gave a short talk to close the event and he asked the crowd..."If you died tonight, do you know where you're going?" I didn't; it bothered me, then I moved on.

On the evening of December 28, 1968 I was set to attend an "After Christmas" party with some buddies (Jerry McClain was driving). Our "wires got crossed" (coincidence?) and they never showed up; stuck, I recalled something was happening at the Rec-center with Campus Life that night--they called it a "Campus Life Rally." There was a girl I had some interest in (Colleen Rehnberg) and I knew she would probably be there (I was right); I managed to catch Mark (Zier) before he'd left his house. He was delighted when I called, and he swung by and picked me up. An evening of activities, music and then a guy, Roger Cross, got up and challenged me again about my life and death. This time I was ready and wanted to get this question resolved; Mark talked with me and then invited me to pray a short, simple prayer to embrace Jesus as Messiah, and the rest...is history.

Three weeks later I went to the Ventura "Rally." Mark asked me to share about my recent conversion experience with that half of the county I grew up in. Mark mentioned a girl he thought I'd really like, a cute Sophomore at Buena High School named Laura--he wanted to introduce us; he was right. In that span of three weeks I'd had two introductions that literally changed the direction and the outcome of my life: I'd trusted Christ and met my future wife--we married 3 years, 48 weeks and 6 days later.

My home was a rather complicated place (aren't most). Lot's of love and pain. I was carrying some emotional baggage by that time and was making some bad choices. Christ changed all that in an instant. The baggage was there--in fact it didn't get fully "unpacked" for years. But His presence in my life set me in a "best direction" that just never wavered. Laura's family embraced me as a "son" as our relationship grew; they, especially her dad (my dad died suddenly in 1970), filled a great need in my life.

In the 80's there was a popular gospel song written by Bill Gaither that describes my story, I get choked up every time I sing it; the chorus declares..."Something beautiful, something good; all my confusion He understood, all I had to offer him was brokenness and strife, but He made something, beautiful, out of my life."

December, 28, 1968. What a difference a day makes.

bN tGit

Yes. Black lives matter.

As the year comes to a conclusion, I am reminded of Lincoln's words, from his 2nd Inaugural Address, spoken to a nation torn apart, divided and at war with itself.  Those were difficult days.

Distress continues to divide us. As we wage an un-civil war of words--and worse--over civil rights, let us never forget that because this Nation lacked the moral courage, the humanity, to end slavery--we paid with the blood of 620,000 lives lost, an economy that took two generations to rebuild and a Nation adrift.  Make no mistake: Black lives matter. 

On that day as the Civil War raged Lincoln said...

"... Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.'

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

With malice toward none; with charity for all...let us strive to finish the work...A lasting peace, among ourselves and with all Nations.  God bless America. 

 

bN tGit

Simple.

God's love is simple.  The Word became flesh.

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners...God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us..."  Romans 5.6,8

Christmas is joyous because God's love never fails.  He rescued humankind.  WE are the reason for the season.  Thanks be to God!


To all our friends, family and those who stumble into this blog posting, Merry Xristos and best wishes for a prosperous New Year.  

bN tGit

Goof Proof.

The Incarnation of Christ serves as a glorious reminder that God’s willingness to clean things up is infinitely bigger than our ability to mess things up.

"God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.²¹So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  Romans 5.20-23 NLT

Right standing.  Eternal life.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Emanuel.   Let it be.  

bN tGit

Metrics Matter.

This from the closing "reveal" scene in The Delivery Man... 

"I'm a meat truck driver.  I'm an incompetent meat truck driver."  To which his father replies "You ARE an incompetent delivery man.  It takes you four times longer to deliver the meat than any other driver.  But, every where you go, they love you."

So how do you measure success?  Metrics matter.



bN tGit

Bill of Rights: A good call.

During the battle to ratify the US Constitution, many Americans worried that the founding document failed to list specific rights to be protected against government's tendency to abuse power. Thomas Jefferson gave voice to their concerns in a letter to James Madison: "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth...and what no just government should refuse."  

Reluctant at first, Federalists agreed to add amendments protecting personal liberties. Madison along with several others, crafted a set of 10 Amendments, a "Bill of Rights," which were ratified December 15, 1781--114 years ago, today.  These of course, constitute the first 10 Amendments to our Constitution.

These are historic days. Regardless of what the future holds, the strength of our Nation is demonstrated by the civility of our process.  I pray the extremists on both sides of the isle, and their Citizen Groups, will take a breath and stop talking.

I am proud to be a citizen. God bless America.  

Merry Xristos.  

bN tGit

Truth is.

Truth is to living what physics is to life.

We can't "see, smell or hear" the laws of physics, but without them, nothing works; that which we do see, smell and hear is the result of these laws being applied with purpose or spontaneously.

In the same way truth is the rail living rides on. Ethics, the rule of law, cultural norms, relationships, parenting, good government, freedom--to name but a few aspects of living--all work based on a set of core values, derived from the common grace of God, who wired humankind with an intrinsic sense of what truth is and an understanding of what's "right."

Truth, like physics, does not function in a deterministic way. I can ingore Newton's Law of Gravity and embrace a belief that I can float, then step of top of a tall building. Newton's Law does not override my choice. But my choice to embrace and believe I can float will not prevent a very bad outcome.

One can choose to believe that truth is relative, subject to change, given to multiple definitions or simply an outdated cultural moray. People, and cultures, can choose to ignore the truth, or worse, be deceived and believe a lie--at great peril. The result/reality of these choices is sobering. Living spirals out of control. Chaos trumps the rule of law, justice becomes a myth, bondage becomes the norm and brokeness the face of a nation.

Life does not work without physics.  Living does not work without truth. 

"...And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8.32

bN tGit

Run hard. Finish well.

Several years ago I decided it was time to fix my shoulder--torn rotator cuff, labrum and a large calcium deposit on my bursa.  I'd postponed the inevitable surgery for 42 years. Two months after the repair I began my rehab process.  I am intrigued by how fast our joints "freeze up" and muscles atrophe when we don't use them. As I strained to lift my arm above my shoulder, I could only move it half that distance; no matter how hard I tried--I could not "will" it up. Getting my "shoulder back" took discipline and hard work.

Life is like that too. When we live careless, reckless, aimless lives, we miss the best life has to offer. People are filled with potential; we are "wired" for growth, relationships, productivity and yes, achievement. Realizing these possibilities brings shape to life, purpose for living; talent and apptitude must be transformed into ability by disciplined effort. "Willing" it won't make it happen. Success and failure are two sides of the same coin and people tend to get what they expect. Our expectations tend to dictate our effort; dicipline tends to dictate our success. Successful people do the things unsuccessful people aren't willing to do; the door to success isn't hard to see, but it demands much of those who choose to pass through it.
But, what about "life" after death?  People of faith believe that we've been created with eternity in our hearts. The Scriptures tell us that...

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners...God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us."  Rom 5.6,8 NLT

We embrace this gracious provision by trusting Christ as our Lord and Savior. But this kind of effective faith doesn't just kick back and "let it happen." Saving faith points us to "a long obedience in the same direction." Life becomes the canvas where we see worked out, what God has worked in.  Embracing Christ opens a door to a whole new perception of who and Whose we are.

Spiritual strength and godly character are the by-products of disciplined effort and purposeful living. The apostle Paul understood this...

"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified." 1 Cor 9.24-27 NLT

Good outcomes don't just happen.  Life and eternity demand our very best and our very best, once we have embraced Christ and His work through effective faith, is always more than enough.


bN tGit

My Cyber Paper-trail.

Someone asked me recently "why do you blog? Nobody reads it, what's the  point?"  It's not the reading that's the magic. It's the writing. 

For now...back in 2000 I took an extended leave of absence from teaching, from writing and I missed it.  I felt myself begin to shrivel up inside until one day in February 2010, sitting at home, nursing Laura back to health after a surgical procedure, I decided to explore "a blog." 

 I discovered it's great therapy, keeps me engaged, demands rigorous thought and teaches me a great deal as I work through the process.  It's the creative process that keeps me on the edge.  It's like cardio for my brain and makes me a stronger thinker.  It's the creative process that God uses to move me closer to the person He has created, called and gifted me to be as I run toward the prize waiting at the end of my life.

For later...I'm leaving a cyber "paper-trail" that my friends, family...especially my kids and grandkids...can log onto and "hear" me, remember me; who I was, what my passions in life were, how I thought and what I valued--glimpse a snapshot of my enthusiasm for my opinions, my love for God, my compassion for people, my desire to make a difference.   I'm hoping they will glean wisdom about what's important, and why.   I pray my words about substantive issues, my poems about the way I see life,  my anguish over loss, errors, regrets--my hope and certitude about my future in Christ, will make a difference in their lives someday and play a role in making the hard places in life, easier...can you spell l-e-g-a-c-y?

Grateful to live in an era that has empowered me "go on the record" and leave something of what makes me, unique, behind.  Father in heaven, may the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be pleasing in Your sight--my God and my Redeemer.  Through Christ, let it be.

bN tGit

Science AND Art.

The election of 1800 required 32 elector ballots before Jefferson prevailed to become the nation's 3rd President.  Talk about controversy.

In his first inaugural address, March 4, 1801, President Thomas Jefferson made this remark.

"All will bear in mind the sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful, must be reasonable.  That the minority posses their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.  Let us then, fellow citizens, unite in one heart and one mind."  

There is Political Science, then there is the Art of Power.  Today we have leaders, in both parties, who are not schooled in exercising the art of power.  Then there are the citizen groups, the "red meat freaks," on both the left and right who can't/won't tolerate the Art of Power.  The result is what we see in DC today.

In less than a year we will go to our polling-places to elect the 45th President of the United States (along with a new Congress)--and of course the primaries begin next month. So much hangs in the balance.  I hope that we will be blessed with leaders, on both sides of the isle, committed to making the American "idea" (NOT the Dream) a reality again.

May God bless America's leaders in 2016 with "art" (statesmanship) to empower our process to work justly, compassionately and humbly and...with integrity to act in the best interest of the people, rather than their parties or own self-interest. 

May He also deliver us from ALL those bad actors in Citizen groups, without regard for their orientation,  seeking to force the country on a path that suits only their vision of what America was, is and must become.

Let freedom ring. 

 bN tGit

Saying Good-bye.

I have loved dogs since I was very young boy and a little poodle mix followed by brother home.  We named him "Yogi" (the dog not my brother)  and he filled our home with love for just about 11 years.  One evening we found him lifeless, out in the yard.  We speculated he'd had a stroke.  I was crushed.  

I've reprised that loss four more times--Alphie age 8, Max age 13,  Barely age 14 and Kate age 15.  Each time they pass into my memory--I'm crushed, again.  Yet once I move through my grief, I can't resist the compulsion to find our next dog companion and start the cycle again.  My lovely Lab Lily sits with her chin wresting on the top of my feet as I type these words.  Chance, our dashing Dachshund, is rattling (his tags drag on the laminate floors) round the kitchen.

So somewhere down the line I have a least two more gut-wrenching "letting-go" passages to make.  I have a friend who just today put her lovely dog, Karma, down.  Karma was loosing her battle with cancer and it was time for my friend to let her best K9 friend go.  Why do we do it?  My friend posted a quote this evening on her Face Book feed.  It explains why pet owners put ourselves in the way of certain heartbreak.

"There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals. It is a cycle unlike any other. To those who have never lived through its turnings or walked its rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with full knowledge that they will be broken seems incomprehensible. Only we know how small a price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given."

Suzanne Clothier

That's it!  Look at that, "...our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given."  My life has been better because of my love for my dogs, and most especially, FROM  my dogs.   

So, tonight I celebrate a lovely dog named Karma, her big empathic eyes and lovely brindle coat are a magnificent memory now.  She "got" my friend, she loved my friend; she trusted my friend.  A wonderful tribute to the connection they shared for 8 years.  Yes, dogs make life better...and parting? Parting is surely sweet-sorrow.

Grief, Remembered. Reminded.

December 7, 1941. 

   2400 dead. 1200 wounded.
   18 US Ships and 300 planes destoryed or damaged.

"A date that will live in infamy"   President Roosevelt

"I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and instilled in him a terrible resolve."  Admiral Yamamoto

Both men were right; the world was rescued from an "Axis of evil," but not before millions lost their lives and the planet was gashed by nuclear weapons. 

America, an idea that produces passion to sacrifice.
Freedom isn't free.

bN tGit

Lost & Found.

Christmas is, for many, a difficult passage at the end of each year. Because our memories are so strong, and so many memories are surfaced by this blessed time of year, those who have experienced loss, feel it most acutely over the six weeks from Thanksgiving to the New Year. I'm reposting a blog I first wrote four years ago about the mystery and paradox we call "loss."  Laura and I, our family,  find ourselves again at this intersection called "loss."  Our 14 year old grandson battles for his life, fighting Cancer, as I repost these words. He and his family have suffered so much, lost so much.  For those in pain today...

Loss. I've had my share over the years.

Two weeks after I graduated from High School, my father died, I was 17. In 1984, just after my 31st birthday, my mother died . I was 38 when I learned I had diabetes. I began a 'rest of my life' battle with skin cancer in 1996, at age 43. Disappointment...oh my, where do I start. Failure--several crushing instances. Unrealized dreams, of course.

My story isn't unique. It's called, 'being human.' Loss is just a part of the 'living experience.' Life is hard, and, can be very harsh. Loss, though we all face it, is not simply a one size fits all process. For some, loss means never experiencing 'what could have been.' For others it's remembering 'what was.' For all of us it's losing people we love, to death. Life's 'Harsh passages' include broken relationships, disease, tragic accidents, children 'lost' in adolescence and never able to move on to productive adult lives, addiction, betrayal, unfaithful spouses and/or friends, failure...have I described your 'loss-story' yet?

Recently, an extended family member, and friend, facing a number of very difficult circumstances posted a comment about loss, she concluded, 'Easy to be philiosophical...easy to be grateful too.' As I paused to reflect on her words, I was struck by this profound insight.

'Easy to be grateful too...' Really? We can't, generally, control loss. Bad things happen to good (and bad) people. We can, however, control our attitude and our response to loss. We can ask 'why me?' or we can declare'"why NOT me!' That's the 'philosophical' part.

The 'grateful' part comes when, our pain notwithstanding, we aren't swallowed by bitterness; through the darkness of the moment, we still see the sunshine we've experienced over the years--as well as the expectation that the sun will shine again. Loss frames our perspective. It reminds us of the providence of God and the blessings we enjoy and have enjoyed through the ebb and flow of life. It's ironic, loss and gratitude are two sides of the same coin. Tennyson understood this when he penned 'It's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.'

The sentiment that struck me as so profound was 'easy.' It just never occurred to my friend to not be grateful. The emotional and spiritual place that she 'lives' made gratitude a logical extension, not of her pain, but of His promise. The Psalmist (42.5) said it this way...

'Why am I discouraged?

Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again—

my Savior and my God.'

Loss isn't abandonment. It isn't the death of hope. It's an intersection of life where one can step back and see life not just for what it isn't, but for what it is; it's at that place, in that moment, we see the goodness of God, and it's 'easy to be grateful.'

Lost and found. A fitting description.

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

His mercies never cease.

23 Great is His faithfulness;

His mercies begin afresh each morning. 

24 I say to myself, 'The Lord is my inheritance; 

therefore, I will hope in Him!'” 

Lamentations 3.22,23 NLT

I will Hope.

bN tGit

Art & Power

Jon Meacham's book Thomas Jefferson: the Art of Power is a GREAT read.   The election of 1800 required 32 elector ballots before Jefferson prevailed to become the nations 3rd President.

In his first inaugural address, March 4, 1801, President Thomas Jefferson made this remark.  

"All will bear in mind the sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable.  That the minority posses their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.  Let us then, fellow citizens, unite in one heart and one mind."  

These words, as with so many preserved and passed down from the Founders, have particular application as we move into 2016 with our current administration of shared power in WDC  and a Presidential election less than a year on the horizon.

May God bless America with leadership who shall embrace this counsel from ages past, so relevant, yet still so elusive.

bN tGit

Best hope.

December 1, 1862 Abraham Linclon reminded the nation: 

"America is the last best hope of the earth."   

Though often reviled around the world, I believe that President Lincoln's premise has been demonstrated time after time over the past 153 years.

May God contine to bless America; may He empower us to be people of character and good will; with generous hearts, brilliant minds and dynamic vision...for making tHis world a better place.  Through Christ, let it be. 

A city set on a hill, cannot be hidden.

bN tGit

WE are the reason for the season!!

WE are the reason for the season.  It was rescue mission.

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners...God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us..." Rom 5.6, 8 NLT

Christmas is joyous because God's love never fails.  

Shalom L'Chaim, through Christ.   Let it be.

bN tGit 

Can I get a witness?

"Reason and morality cannot show us a good and gracious God.  For that, we need the incarnation...The God revealed in Christ does what reason and morality cannot do....Many people today act like someone has created a peace treaty between reason and faith, after reason won the war...Special revelation, especially the incarnation, is precisely where the Christian faith breaks down the wall our culture has erected between faith and reason...The gospel creates not speculative pundits, spiritual gurus, or moralists but witnesses."

Excerpts from "The God Who Came Down" 

by Michael Horton

Christianity  Today December 2011

Can I get a witness?

bN tGit

My Christmas Wish List.

You may be familiar with the list of 7 modern sins--or not; the conditions it describes are infamously familiar to us all: 

• Wealth without work
• Industry without morality
• Worship without sacrifice
• Politics without principles
• Science without humanity
• Knowledge without character
• Pleasure without conscience...

This, then, is my Christmas wish list for America in 2015: Work, morality, sacrifice, principles, humanity, character and conscience. 

My prayer for  2016 and beyond:

"Father create in us a hunger for what is right and just. Help us to understand that...

• ...Wealth driven by lust for money is evil and work is an honorable endeavor that gives us meaning and purpose. 
• ...Industry must produce access to opportunity for all.
• ...Worship demands a values-centered life and requires sacrifice.
• ...Politics is the business of the people and is a noble and self-sacrificing life-call.
• ...Science can create in us a deeper spiritual hunger. 
• ...Knowledge is a path to humility. 
• ...Pleasure is the by-product of good character.

 May we be given the clarity to "Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God."

bN tGit

The Fingerprints of God

In my time zone, the clock says we're 3 minutes away from Thanksgiving Day 2015.  I am blessed.  Not because life hasn't taken anything away from me, or disappointed me.  Not because every dream I ever had for my life has played out in spades.  I'm blessed because the older I get, the more acutely aware I am that life is hard, harsh--unfair and random.  Yet in spite of that, as I look back I see the fingerprints of God all over my life.

I'm thankful for my family of origin.  It was a perfectly normal not-perfect home; but we were loved, and the provision was so sacrificial.  I remember Hody's Drive-in, singing the the family station wagon, Christmas mornings, baseball card collections, my parents trusting me.  Back yard bar-b-q's.  Working in the family business.  They gave me my foundational values and showed me what it means to be a responsible adult.

I'm grateful for my brother and sister, Brad and Tamara.  I was the proud younger brother to Brad and the protective older brother to Tamara.  I love them both and appreciate all we share and their part in making me, me.

I'm thankful for my Grandma Blankenship and my Aunt Carolyn who stood in the gap for me, prayed for me and lovingly intervined on my behalf when I desperately needed an advocate...for my cousin Patty who was like a big sister to me.

I'm thankful for friends made a life-time ago that have come back into my life through social-media.  The memories we share form a strong bond and a rich tapestry woven from the community we shared together growing up in a little town North-West of LA called Thousand Oaks.  These people helped give me a good start.

I'm thankful for Mark who showed me what effective faith consisted of and then mentored me in the early years of my walk with Messiah Jesus.

I'm thankful for the years I spent a Duke University--an opportunity that wasn't even on the radar when I finally sat down to consider where I might pursue my college ambitions--yet when the time was right, God delivered me to that place--and a paid-in-full promise.

I'm thankful for my Talbot Seminary experience.  The timing was all wrong, but so right.  This was such a formative time in my life.  

I'm thankful for Laura, my wife.  We will celebrate 43 years of marriage on January 5, 2016.  She is my very best friend.  She has worked along side me, loved me, made our home a place of nurture for our children, supported us all in the pursuit of our dreams.  She has stood by me through some very deep water, I'm so grateful.

I'm thankful for Laura's parents, Gene and Janice.  They loved us well and were generous with their love, wisdom and support.  They left such a legacy of Godliness and service.

I'm thankful for my kids, Erin and Joseph.  They have become such good citizens, parents and are raising their kids with love, grace and sacrifice.  They are my friends; intelligent and stimulating, opinionated and articulate.  They have such passion for the ideas they believe in.

I'm thankful for Matthew and Miranda, my son and daughter-in law.  They are talented, compassionate people, love my kids well and are wonderful parents.  You pray from even before your children are born for that person they may eventually share their lives and dreams with.  God did good.

I'm thankful for our four gandchildren, Braden, Kellen, Gabriella and Grayson.  Grandchildren are everything that's right about life.  Pure joy, delight, potential.

I'm thankful our youngest, Grayson Joseph, arrived safely November 2, 2015 and is thriving in this first month of life.

I'm thankful for our faithful family pets who have shared life with us and made our lives better in ways we could not have expected...Max 13 years, Barley 15 years, Kate 15 years, Lily  7 years in progress and Chance 3 years in progress.

I'm thankful for 26 years we invested in ministry, the good, the bad and the heart-break.

I'm thankful for my last 15 years with State Farm.  A great opportunity to pursue another side of my gift-mix.  It's given us security we never anticipated we would enjoy.  It has been a wonderful platform from which to make hard-lives easier--a market-place ministry.

I'm thankful for physicians who have done an amazing job over the last 24 years in controlling my diabetes--all my organs are healthy and I still have all my fingers and toes; and most recently in giving me a shot at putting the disease into remission by making it possible for me to lose 118 pounds since last Thanksgiving.  Doctors Knight and Knapp are great healers.

I'm thankful that our oldest grandson Braden, is alive and beating Cancer.  He was diagnosed in February and it has been such a difficult journey--a journey God has made with us.  We have seen such goodness and generosity from people, many who were strangers before this disease brought is together--many remain strangers today, but generous benefactors none-the-less.  It's humbling.  It's transformative.

So much to be thankful for, so little space and a memory dimmed by 62 years.  That said..."Praise God from how all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above  ye heavenly hosts, praise Father Son and Holy Ghost."

bN tGit

The MAIN Thing.

On December 28, 1968 (age 15) I said "yes" to Jesus, and in that moment my life was transformed. Forty-seven years since then is...a few.  My life has a not always been a clear reflection of His presence, but it has for the most part been, by His grace, a slow and steady "long obedience in the same direction."

The dynamics of our culture, over my lifetime, could be described as a devolution from "conscience" and evolution to "relevance" as our moral compass.  It's ironic that the most extreme expression of the conservative mind, libertarianism, is in many ways the penultimate form of liberalism.  My point is that "systems of thought," even theological systems of thought, can't change the trajectory of the human spirit. God does that one person, one decision, at a time. We just don't have the temperament to pull that off.  History is filled with movements which morphed into extremism that marginalized human beings, in the name of a "greater-good," producing tyranny and crimes against humankind.

It's not my job to save my culture from itself.  The part I have been given, as a Christ-follower, is to point the people in my sphere of influence to God, who can. This is "the main thing" for me.  I'm not called to point them to "systems" or movements that will save the day, but to the God of eternity who loves human beings with an everlasting and long suffering love, a transformative love.  He does the formative work in transforming people that can change culture.

So then, how can I "keep the main thing," the main thing?

• Be humble. 
• Love my spouse. 
• Act as an agent of peace. 
• Trust in the power of God. 
• See people the way God sees them. 
• Focus on walking close to God on a daily basis. 
• Empower my kids and grandkids with a legacy of godliness. 
• Declare the principles and precepts of God in a loving, inclusive way. 
• Love unconditionally my enemies and those who might seek to hurt me. 
• Pray for those raised up as leaders in my church, community and nation.

All this said... "12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (me)."   Philippians 3.12-14 NLT

Systems and movements, by their very nature, devolve.  God, "is the same yesterday, today and forever."  

I choose God.  He produces change which gives me, gives us all...HOPE.

Press on...


bN tGit