Gratefully giving Thanks!

I have a few minutes to reflect with you about how grateful I am as we merge into the 2020 lane.  

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 riddled with sorrow. Yet in spite of that, as I look back I see God's fingerprints--His grace--all across my 66, closing in on 67, years.

I'm thankful for my family of origin. It was a perfectly normal not-perfect home, but we were loved with a sacrificial provision. I remember Hody's Drive-in, singing in the family station wagon, Christmas mornings, baseball card collections, my parents trusting me. Back yard barbecues. Working in the family business.  My home gave me my foundation, my work ethic, many of my core values and showed me what it means to be a responsible adult.

I'm thankful 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 intervened 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 Jesus Messiah. He then introduced me to the girl who would become the woman I've shared my life with for 47 years and challenged me to pursue a call into ministry--which extended into 26 years.

I have friends in 4 different States who have blessed us over the years; North Carolina, California, Illinois, and Indiana, over the past 47 years. People have loved us well at every stop.  They mentored us as a "just married" college couple at Duke.  They befriended us as co-sojourners with growing families in our early years when I was a young Merchandising Exec.  They allowed us to lead them as their "clergy couple" over 18 plus years as a Lead Pastor at three stops--California, Illinois, and Indiana. Many of these folks remain in close contact with us.

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. My brain finally unfolded, and study became a discipline that shaped my life and my ministry. The timing was all wrong but so right. This was such a formative time in my life. 

I'm thankful for Laura, my wife.  She is my very best friend. She has worked alongside 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. She is an immensely talented woman with extraordinary gifts as a musician, homemaker, and grandmother.

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. They became the second set of parents to me--so critical because I lost my dad at age 17 and my mom at age 31. They stood in the gaps for me.

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. Best of all, they love Jesus Messiah and endeavor to live in a manner that reflects His image to their worlds.

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. I prayed even before our children were born for that person they may eventually share their lives and dreams with. God did well. They are companions on the Way with our children and have established homes that honor Christ and serve Him.

I'm thankful for our six grandchildren; Braden, Kellen, Gabriella, Grayson, and sweet little Gwendolyn, who shares my birthday. Grandchildren are everything that's right about life. Pure joy, delight, potential. There isn't anything quite like the blessing grandkids introduce into our lives. These five, plus one we won't meet till we see her in eternity, make my heart explode with joy, pride, and thanksgiving.

Our firstborn grandson, Braden, marks his fourth New Year in the company of King Jesus. He lost his battle with cancer on June 28, 2016--passing into his Savior's loving arms. He lived it well. The legacy he left behind is a blessing; the wound is where the light shines through.

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; Alphie 12 years, Max 13 years, Barley 15 years, Kate 15 years leave us with warm memories. Lily 12 years, Chance 8 years have invested their lives faithfully as K9 buds, greeting us each new day and trekking to the office with me each morning to greet, meet and love anyone bold enough to open up and invite them to do what dogs do best.

I'm thankful for 26 years we invested in ministry, the good, the bad, and the heart-break.  Someone asked me several years ago, `...since you left the ministry, do you feel your years of preparation and service were wasted?` I confess on my worst days, it sometimes feels that way.  But I know better.  I am grateful...I get to use every gift, every skill, every mistake I made, and the lessons that followed in my interactions with people every day.  I didn't leave the ministry, not really, I simply engage in that life-time call in a different venue.

I'm thankful for my last 19 years with State Farm. A great opportunity to pursue another side of my gift-mix. It's given us the security we never anticipated we would enjoy. It has been a wonderful platform from which to make hard-lives easier--truly a market-place ministry.

I'm thankful for common grace, good healers and good health.

So much to be thankful for, so little space and a memory dimmed by 66 years. That said..."Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost."  

The joy of the Lord is our strength, the earth is filled with His Glory; breathe it in and let it out.

Hope is the anthem of my soul.

Life is fast.

Liveitwell!

Seen, not heard.

"I can...

Be there for you when it can't get much harder,
Cover your head when life starts to rain,

Hold on tight when you feel like you're falling,
Bread crumb the path when you've lost your way,

Make you laugh when the whole world is crying,
Build you up when you're broken in shame.

But if all that we do is absent of Jesus,
then this so called love, is completely in vain.*"

Absence makes the heart grow harder.
Sometimes...
God's children should be seen and not heard.   

Followers of Jesus, let's walk the Walk in 2020.
Lovewell today.

Life is fast.
Liveitwell!

*MercyMe `This So-called Love`

Refuse the Sheep.

Lots of talk about the existential threat the Republic faces as we press into 2020 and head toward the first turn of the race for POTUS 46. 

My neighbors, my friends, my community--our Nation feels profoundly divided; surly, rude, bombastic, mean-spirited because indeed, we are.  So much finger pointing.

Here is the thing, we come by this naturally.  This isn't the first time we've had to face down our darker impulses.  THIS is the real existential threat.  We must commit ourselves to growth, personally.

Refuse the sheep.   

We grow by listening to people who don't see life through the same set of lenses we use to process the world around us--we need people who don't think like us, regardless of which direction we lean from center; it's amazing how much common ground we can find when we listen.

Just imagine, people with whom we disagree strongly expanding our understanding, intellect, compassion, and yes perhaps most importantly, giving us the opportunity to excercise (and grow) the godly discipline of grace.

America, a remarkable idea.

Liveitwell!

We will RISE!

Several years ago I received a note from a good friend..." my dad's cancer is progressing. His time here is probably down to days..." When I read those words I was transported back to the last time I was with his dad. I was saddened by this news, concerned for the grief this final act of life would introduce to my friend and his family...and not.

My friend's father did lose his life, but not once was he in danger of losing his hope: the certain promise that he, as a believer in Jesus Christ, would finally be transported into the presence of His Lord and Savior, there to enjoy life as HE designed it to be.

Life is hard, then we die. Death is, of course, a very present reality for all of us--the older we get, the more acutely aware we become of our mortality. We will all lose our lives, but we need not lose our hope.

Praise God for the hope we have in Christ, and the healing death brings for those who have embraced Christ through effective saving faith.

For these, death need not be feared; it is a gracious provision that carries us back into a "face to face" real-time relationship with God. Without death, we would be eternal beings, like Lucifer and the legion of angels which were cast out of heaven because of their rebellion...eternally separated from God, without hope of redemption.

Death became the modality that God uses to foil Satan's attempt to co-opt God's crowning creative act, humankind. So then, death is the definitive "check-mate" and demonstrates God's mastery; always steps ahead of evil and the chaos of sin. Genesis 3 describes the event that initiated the rebellion of Adam and Eve to sin and it's necessary result, death; it's also here that we learn that death is part of God's bigger plan for hope and the redemption of humankind.

The rest, is history, 1 John 4.9,10...

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 

We know that love is a four letter word, spelled H-O-P-E; more importantly, we know that death simply marks the first day of the rest of our lives, 2 Corinthians 4.16-18...

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen...."

Each Sunday it's our privilege to gather with others in our community of faith and there, to go Vertical in our worship of God Almighty, the Creator, Sustainer of the universe; the Lover of humankind.

His glory fills that place we gather in and He inhabits the praise of His people. In those moments I am frequently reminded of friends and family who have preceded me in death...and are in His literal presence even as we are gathered in that crowded room; no more heart-failure, COPD, cancer, diabetes, stroke, dementia, arthritis, infirmity, organ failure--no disease, no broken hearts, no flaw, no pain, no suffering, no regret...

Joy unspeakable.

Blessed h0pe.

We will rise, thanks be to God. Stand-firm. It's a GRACE day.


Liveitwell!

What a difference a day makes.

1968: Hair!

"The years go by like stones under rushing water." 

Each year, I pause and reflect; it's easy to forget what life was like 51 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. 

He had a different plan and, as it turns out, it changed my life...forever.

But the path to that evening in 1968 started ten 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, what amazing grace!  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 Jesus in his life and embrace Him 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 (thank you Pauline Adams!) at the home of a classmate; it was the kickoff "Burger Bash" for the school year and as advertised it was 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 for a few minutes, 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 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.

Our 2nd date 1969

Three weeks later I went to the Ventura Campus Life 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 Jesus Messiah 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. Jesus 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, just months after my 17th birthday), 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.  

Thanks be to God for our Blessed hope!

Life is fast.

Liveitwell!

WE are the reason!

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..."
--Romans 5.6, 8 NLT

Christmas is joyous because God's love never fails.
Shalom L'Chaim, through Jesus Messiah; let it be.

Liveitwell!

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 2019: Work, morality, sacrifice, principles, humanity, character and conscience. 

My prayer for  2020 and beyond:

Father-in-heaven create in us a hunger for what is righteous 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 should 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 clarity to "Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God" (Micah 6.8)  through Jesus Messiah, let it be. 

Liveitwell!

Physics and Truth.

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 ignore 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

Liveitwell!

Loss and 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 weeks from Thanksgiving to the New Year. I'm reposting a blog I first wrote seven years ago about the mystery and paradox we call "loss."

Life doesn't come with any guarantee. Our family absorbed a crushing loss in 2016 when Braden, our 14-year-old grandson, died after an intense sixteen-month battle with cancer. Yes, I am dogged by grief over loss. So, for those in pain...

"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 philosophical...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.'

Loss 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. I choose hope. I thank God for my blessed hope, Jesus Messiah."

Life is fast.
Liveitwell!

Life is fast.

When the road of life is clear and smooth,
too often we miss the beauty 
within our easy grasp.

We gaze ahead with intensity 

through the portal which beckons us, 

"...move quickly along the way!" 

Life waits...just ahead. 

Indeed the journey, 

not the destination 

unravels mystery, transforms confusion; heals pain.

Life is fast; breathe it in...

Liveitwell!