We Were So Close

For those who know me well, my love for music can not be hidden. If I don't think anyone is around (and sometimes even when I don't care if someone is around) , you'll catch me singing some lyric from somewhere because I seem to "always" have a song playing in my head. I have a love for everything from Classical to (even) HipHop. Jazz, country, opera can all move me in deeply meaningful ways. I simply love music. Period.

One of the things that always fascinates me about music and its creation are the titles of the songs. Last night on American Idol, one contestant sang a song known as "Geek In Pink." As I listened to the lyric, it was obvious to me where the name for the song originated. But what about those Jazz, Classical and "inbetweeners" that have really cool names like "Take 5" or "Birdland" or "Catharsis," where do those titles originate. There are no lyrics to give us clues!

Today, I came across a CD that I have always loved but had not listened to in years. David Foster's "The Symphony Sessions" is a wonderful collection of acoustic piano pieces with an accompanying symphony orchestra. Each cut on the CD is rich in musical quality. The writing, the orchestration, the performances and production are all of superb quality.

There is one song on this 1988 release (the tenth and final track) that always holds me in check. A lilting melody with a simple piano lead line, it is entitled "We Were So Close." I have no idea why it is called such, but even after hearing it countless times for nearly 20 years now, it still moves me to the depths of my musical soul. Surely something or someone quite powerful inspired its writing. It would be great if you could hear it, but then again, it might not move you as it does me. If you want to try click here.

There have been many occasions (and I'm not exaggerating) when I've literally been moved to tears by this simple 4 minute 12 second piano solo. There are no background instruments, no vocals, just David Foster and one beautiful piano.

I'm listening now, even as I write these lines, and the song just simply takes me to a beautiful place. A place where God and those I love are so incredibly "close" and it makes me wonder if it isn't something I have experienced in the past, but perhaps is something for which I have to look forward to happening.

I have known the Lord as what I would describe as "close." I feel as though I'm close now. But I do long, one day, to be "so close." I have loved people in ways that I would call "close," but I long to love them "so close" so that one day they will be able to say, "We were so close."

"Dear friends, now we are children of God,
and what we will be has not yet been made known.
But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is."
(1 John 3:2)

Is there a song that moves you so deeply that you can hardly describe how you feel when you hear it?

If so, I'd like to know.

Old Legs

The 2007 church softball league opened last night with every HOCC team winning except one. That team likely would have won, but they were playing an HOCC team! So, there you go!

With four full teams being fielded this year, there are scores of opportunity for the men of the church to fellowship and get hurt together (I've been injured more playing softball than any other athletic venture I've participated in - why they call that thing a "soft" ball, I'll never know)!

Last night, one HOCC team was a little short on their roster so another brother and I willingly "volunteered" to play on that team immediately following our victory in the 7:00 game. Running breathlessly off the first field (we ran a little over time), we hurriedly changed jerseys and ran out just as the second inning was starting.

Feeling well warmed up and (finally) "in the groove" (I was only 1 for 4 in the first game) I was ready to play and had a fairly good outing hitting 3 for 4 and contributing some defensively. It was fun to be on the field again. The last game I played was back in June of 2006, when I completely dislocated my right thumb sliding into third and had to have our shortstop "relocate" it in the dugout (I highly recommend always having a trained chiropractor on your team -- the benefits are priceless!!!). Needless to say, the rust was thick on me (especially with the bat), but I'm anticipating the timing to improve.

Next to playing in a band, their may not be any more fun a bunch of guys can have together than playing as a team on the ball field. Though we are all clearly a step (or two or three) slower than we were "back in the day," we still have a great time. And winning is always a lot better than losing! We won the second game 19 - 15.

The "fun" took on a slightly different tone this morning as I attempted to get out of bed. My old legs barely wanted to work and throughout the day today, my upper thighs and hamstrings have been singing a song much different than the rest of my physical being. Even considering myself in relatively good shape, last night was an extension of what my muscles are used to doing.

All this reminds me of something Jesus once told His disciples. Jesus had been praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and He had asked His followers to stay awake with Him. Though they were willing to do so, their bodies wouldn't cooperate. Jesus said, "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Mark 14:38). The spirit of the apostles wanted to go the distance with Jesus, but their bodies had not been trained for that level of experience. They kept falling asleep on the Savior of the world!

If my old legs are any indication of where my spiritual body is, I'd say I have some catching up to do with regard to what I really want to achieve in Christ. While it may not hurt while on the field, the next morning is tough and will require a whole new level of training. I suppose the same can be said of our spiritual selves as well!

Lord, please help these "old legs."

The Time Has Come

Jesus makes a powerful announcement in Mark 1:15 when He declares, "The time has come." Those words changed everything. Nothing that was the same would ever be the same again. Four little words and all of history would become "his story" as prophecy fulfilled, Savior of the world.

Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John were simple fishermen. They were not the elite of the intellectual community. They weren't upper-crust social climbers either. They were just simple, ordinary, unschooled men (Acts 4:13). Rough handed, big armed net-haulers who worked a hard long day for a good day's wage. Likely honest, but rough around the edges, Jesus would call these four guys to the forefront of His scene because the time had come.

I often wonder if they really had any clue as to what they were getting into. "Fishers of men?" What was that supposed to mean, anyway? And would they be able to earn a living fishing for men? They had to be wondering to themselves... how did they know this Jesus could feed five thousand with five loaves and two fish? Who could know something like that?

Do you ever wonder if they even knew each other prior to being called? Both parties, the "Simon and Andrew Fishing Company" and the "Zebedee and Sons Fishing Company" must have had some awareness of each other as they worked the waters of the Sea of Galilee. But what might make it even more amazing that they would team up in this new fishing expedition (for men) is that they were likely competitors! Could they have even initially handled such a thing? Arch-rivals don't always make the best teammates! Jesus calls together the most unlikely of guys because "the time had come."

But this is what makes Jesus' proclamation so real, so authentic. "The time has come" for a lot of amazing things to happen. Not the least of which is people whom you would least likely expect to see together, teaming up and doing amazing things because "the kingdom of heaven is near. Repent and believe the good news."

God has an amazing way of bringing really unlikely combinations of people together to do amazing things. The time has come for those of us who follow Jesus to put away our comforts and participate in the authentic community Jesus has awaiting for us. Sometimes the people Jesus leads us to may not be anything like us, or they may even be our competitor, but Jesus has away of making that all come out for the good. It must be true, because "the time has come."

Life Exposed

As if the tragic life (and subsequently tragic death) of Anna Nicole Smith has not been enough fodder for the media circus so far this year, we are now made to wade through the locks of Britney Spears' latest exploits. Another apparently tragic life in the making is being media-exposed and thrust into our awareness through virtually all forms of human communication. TV, radio, internet, phone, text messaging, even around the water-cooler, one can hardly get away from it even with considerable effort to do so. Can you imagine living your life in such a way that even when you cut your hair, it makes worldwide headlines? That is a level of exposure I'm fairly certain no clear-thinking human being would want to have to endure.

On occasion, the media can be so incredibly invasive into the lives of real-live human beings. Eager to get the scoop and beat the ratings over the next channel or magizine, the media Piranha will devour without hesitancy and frequently without just cause. Surely you've noticed that retractions take up little column space and are often hidden behind the next day's headline.

This is not to say that Ms. Smith and Ms. Spears (both surnames I share in my family background by the way) are not somewhat responsible for the "circus" that is their story. There are many celebrities that never "enjoy" these levels of exposure and will continuously put forth considerable effort to keep it that way.

What is interestingly contrasting to me is how all human beings on earth are equally known and equally live exposed lives. Our exposure is not to the media however, but to the Creator. Things both Smith and Spears have done that the press may never discover or disclose are known by the One who created them both. He knows the hearts of all men and women and what mankind will value as "newsworthy" and celebrities will use as means for self-promotion, God likely sees as shameful and sad.

Isn't it interesting to consider God knows every "scoop" on us, but He will never use it to exploit, demean or malign us? Instead, God uses the "dirt on us" to call us back to Himself and to encourage us to live a life of holiness by His grace through Jesus Christ.

I celebrate that my entire life is exposed to God and I am happy I can trust His use of the information. I know my "secret sins" will not make the primetime airwaves and that makes me quite thankful and moved to pray for those who's lives are so portrayed.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

O Love That Would Not Let Me Go

Truth is I've never been the kind who likes being pinned down. I didn't care much for wrestling in Jr. High (it was a mandatory physical discipline in P.E. back in my day). While I really didn't much like the thought of a guy in tights being that close to me, I really didn't like the thought of somebody laying on top of me and pinning me to the floor against my will. I remember my matches didn't last too long because I just didn't like being all tied down. I'd rather lose the match than get all tangled up for a couple minutes that felt like an eternity!

I guess some might suggest I'm a bit of a "free spirit." I've always gravitated to less structured things. Growing up I was encouraged to play "legitimate" music in bands and orchestra (clarinet mostly), but I really loved the guitar and gravitated toward blues and jazz music because of the freedom of improvisation and the woeful expressions of those genres.

Solitary sports (other than wrestling, no doubt) have tended to draw my interest. Surfing I've enjoyed since I was a little buddy. I loved just being in a "soul session" dropping into wave after wave alone, even in a line-up with a hundred other people, just being in the water on the back of a board is an amazing experience. The solitude of the mighty ocean, the power of a wave and the rush of motion is an incredible joy that is difficult to fashion into words.

Now living so far from the ocean, I find my "soul sessions" out on the back of a motorcycle or on the driving range hitting golf balls. Just me alone... and the rush of instant speed gratification awaiting each twist of the throttle or the contrasting quiet click of a well hit (and sometimes not-so-well-hit) ball. There is a serenity to both of these contexts, decibels notwithstanding.

Given a wardrobe of choice... I'm less comfortable in the constriction of a necktie and will choose a T-shirt and jeans on most occasions. One of my most favorite combinations is a sweatshirt, shorts and flipflops... ahh, the perfect uniform for a "sixty-something" degree day!

So as I see it, life is best lived untied, untucked and unconstricted. But as comfortable as that may be for me in many circumstances in my life, it isn't the way I've come to know the love of God. There is something about God's love that is inescapable but is not threatening to freedom.

Recently I reacquainted myself with an old hymn from the mid-19th century that speaks of a "love that would not let me go." It is a poetic lyric speaking of the everlasting quality of God's infinite love.

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths
its flow may richer, fuller be.

To be in the "ocean's depth" of God's love is to surrender completely to it. Not to wrestle away from it, but to "rest my weary soul" in God's love. God's love is a profoundly captivating place of spiritual and emotional residence. To return the very life God has given as a "re-gifting" of what He has already freely given to me seems scarcely proportionate, yet completely appropriate an expression of thanks for a love that graciously "pins me to the floor."

There have been occaisions in my life when I've tried to wiggle out from under "a love that would not let me go" and I've found that is not a blessed place at all. Realizing I can never get out from under His mighty love, I choose now merely to surrender, to quit resisting it, and to find comfort in its Divine constriction so as to find His love in me "richer and fuller be."

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge --
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Eph. 3:17b-19

How do you feel about God's love that will never let you go?

Face

Have you ever been given a word of advice but you've never really received it? It may have come through a trusted friend who ventured into the realm of "danger" with you by offering some unsolicited admonishment or suggestion or perhaps it came more innocuously by way of something you read. But either way, you heard a "message in it for me" but perhaps chose to not act on the word.

There have been a few occasions in my spiritual walk where I have found myself being "prompted" by something, or more appropriately Someone, but I've not moved on it as quickly as I likely should have. It is something akin to what Jack Deere writes in his book "Surprised By The Voice of God" as the "internal voice." An inaudible, but yet fully clarified "voice" of something (again more appropriately Someone), calls to the listener and awaits a response.

Camping out in Psalm 27 this week, I've wondered if David had a similar experience.

"Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior."
Ps. 27:7-9

There are times I know, beyond any reasonable doubt, that God is calling me "closer." My heart has said, "seek His face" and I know cognitively I have been invited, but I hesitate and resist the movement closer to His face. Most often, the hesitancy rests in me and my laziness or perhaps my fear of what I will see of myself in His awesome reflective countenance.

As for David though, I love His pursuit of the "face of God." He pleads that God not "hide his face from him." What an incredible testimony to the depths of their mutual relationship. His face I will seek!

I long to be more like David and act on the "invitation" of the Lord, don't you? My heart says, "Seek His face" and that is precisely what I long to do.

How about you? How many invitations from God to "seek His face" have you let pass? What do you do to follow through on those incredible invitations? What amazing experiences await those who do, indeed, "seek His face?"

If you don't mind sharing, I'd like to know what you think...

The Fear of Listening

Among the greatest fears in the human experience is (apparently) the fear of standing before other human beings and publically speaking. For some, even the thought of standing before a group and opening one's mouth to speak is incomprehensible. There seems to be a magic number of persons in an audience that moves a speaker from functional to mute. For some that number is as few as only a "few," and a paralysis so severe overwhelmingly grips them that nothing more than muted groans emerge. I (perhaps unfortunately at times) have never been one of those people fearful to speak in public.

My first "stage oration" came at the tender age of five. At the Kindergarten fall performance for Lockhaven Christian School, I announced to a crowd of what might as well have been 10,000 people (it was likely less than 300), "Meow, I'm in the Kindergarten class!" (Yes, I was dressed as a kitty cat and had a stunning terrycloth covered, tail, a furry wig and mascaraed whiskers to help sell the line). Likely incriminating pictures exist somewhere in this world.

I've never feared the stage before (how much stage presentation is offered a four-year-old anyway) or since. Public speaking has come as naturally to me as breath, and sometimes even more naturally, as I've literally at times found my words outlasting my physical breath (a frustration that occasionally strikes public speakers).

Many are the opportunities for those who are comfortable with public speech (or find themselves wanting to be more comfortable) to increase their skills and expertise. High school and college courses, business courses, Toastmasters, speaking clubs, etc. offer countless opportunities to become a better orator. While there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to develop one's speaking abilities, it is a curious thought that our culture may excel more at speaking than we do listening. Have you ever heard of a "listening" course? Perhaps buried deep within the course catalogue for a degree in counseling, but listening is not typically highly valued in this culture.

While researchers have identified people's fear of speaking, I've not seen much study on people's fear of listening. There certainly is a fear in listening and it may be the very reason so few of us are any good at it. It takes certain levels of talent to be a good speaker, but equally is this true of being a good listener. But more than talent, being a good listener requires dedication and attention to humility and self-denial and this is where fear enters the picture.

Living within a culture emphasizing autonomy and self-interest, it is difficult to find good listeners because there is little apparent reason to be a good listener. Most people would rather talk than listen, even when they are deathly afraid of speaking in public. In crowds of less than a "few," most would rather be heard than to hear from someone else. So we reject our fears and "rattle off" because the fear of speaking is perceived as being less than the fear of listening.

painful life situation, because that might mean their situation is more difficult than ours and then to whom would we complain? We don't want to hear of And why should we listen to one another? Do we really want to hear about someone else'sanothers problems because, frankly, we have problems of our own we are trying to figure out. Finally, we don't really want to listen to a rebuke or exhortation because that would require that we possibly change something about ourselves. Change hurts and we don't want to hurt because we already have "problems" of our own. So we remain in a self-induced fear cycle and speaking wins over hearing virtually every time.

Take a close listen to your next conversation or to the conversation of others and observe if you can find a good listener in the group. If so, stay near that person for the one who can listen will prove to be a good servant to all. Not only will you likely need their ear at some time, but you may learn something from them as well.

The reality is that if we are ever going to live in the authentic spiritual communities for which we were created, we are going to have to learn how be better listeners. We're going to have to get over our fear of the implications of listening and open our ears to the world we see around us.

Once we are given ears to hear the needs of others around us, we will not hear another's words as threat or problem, but we will embrace them as opportunities to live in authentic community with one another and be the blessing we are intended to be.

"Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips."
Prov. 22:17-18

Artist in Finding

One of the most wonderful things about the kingdom of God is the occasional encounter with new people. Not new people to the world, though greeting newly arrived children in this world is a blessed event, but "finding" new people who have been on this earth as long (or longer) than you have but your paths just haven't previously crossed. Today I had one of those encounters.

A local Dallas artist was recommended to me for some work I am currently involved with and today I had the honor of meeting him for the first time. Being complete and total strangers, we had the typical "unknowns" to deal with prior to our meeting. I can't speak for him, but when I have a "scheduled meeting" with a complete stranger, my pulse always quickens and my blood pressure rises just a little before meeting them. From the moment I met David, I felt at ease and had that "sense" we'd known each other a long time.

The ease was not in previously knowing each other, but was in being previously "known" by the One who has saved us. There is such an incredible commonality for those who are devoted followers of Christ Jesus. It doesn't matter whether we've known each other before, the fact that we are "known" by Christ makes us brothers. Those bonds can form quickly if Jesus precedes the relationship. Today it felt He certainly did precede the introduction.

With the security of another of my friends joining us, we immediately began talking about our individual faith journeys and how God is currently moving in our lives. The conversation was filled with much energy and excitement for what God has done for each of us. I sat in wonder as each of us shared a little of how God has rescued us from our past and is being faithful in delivering our future.

A fellow musician (he plays bass), we hit it off quickly and felt comfortable enough to share lunch at a local cafe. It was a really cool day and maybe the beginning of a mutually blessed friendship. Only God knows what is around the next corner (if there even is a next corner), but as for today, I'm thankful for my new friend, a true artist in finding.

If you are interested in David's work, check it out here.

"By this all men will know you are my disciples,
if you love one another."
John 13:35

Belly Laughs

The old cliche goes, "Laughter is the best medicine" and to a large extend I believe it. Next to prayer, meditation on God's word and the counsel and comfort of good friends, there can be little better comfort.

God certainly has a well developed sense of humor (where else would our humor come from were it not from the Creator?). Issac (his name means "he laughs") brought great joy to his parents Sarah and Abraham in that he was born to them well past their child-bearing years and for the rest of his life, his name carried the laughter of that blessing from the Lord.

Recently, a friend sent me a video of a child laughing that was just priceless. The "trigger" for the child is a simple sound an adult male (I assume to be his Daddy) makes out of the view of the camera. The child's anticipation of the impending noise and his subsequent laugh is part of the fun. He knows it is coming and only the slightest noise will set him off (I'm smiling just writing about it). Click here if you want to see it and laugh with us.

I truly want to be the kind of spirit that even in the midst of trouble or pain can anticipate laughter will come. A Psalm of Moses includes this line: "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days" (Ps. 90:14). Only God's unfailing love can be a sure provider for genuine joy.

Thoughts of raising our daughters came back to me seeing this video. I recalled my wife and I playing this same game with them, provoking them to deep belly laughs. The belly laugh is "one of a kind" and yet shared by children all over the world. It comes from way down deep in the gut and then bursts out of faces filled with glee. There are few better sights in the world!

Today, I'm thankful God has given us the gift of laughter. As with many things in this world, children seem to do some things better than we adults do. Laughter may be one of those things. Perhaps this is another indicator of something Jesus said about being like children...

"And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like
little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:3

Outgrown Expectation?

At $2.5 million per 30 second spot, I wonder what the Monday morning after the Super Bowl is like for all the companies and organizations who choose to place advertising on what is arguably the largest viewed sporting event in the world. Let that number sink in on you... $2.5 million per 30 second spot (that's roughly $83,333. per second). That is a bunch of money spent in an amazingly short amount of time!

The general feedback I've heard regarding the commercials this year was that they were "not so good" or even "boring." I recall a few years ago, there was nearly as much hype for the commercials as there was for the game itself. In looking for entertainment "value" in this year's commercials, I'd have to agree with the general consensus, the commercials simply weren't that good. Was the money well spent?

With technology being what it is today, I'm sure there are electronic reports on the desks of many business executives this morning providing statistics on how many TV's stayed tuned into the commercial breaks or how many broke away. In a matter of weeks these companies and organizations will realize the true "value" in advertising and will be able to measure increases in participation or sales. Then, I suppose, the whole truth will be told.

"Was $83,333. per second worth the expense? Has the national audience outgrown the expectations for Super Bowl commercials? That would be fascinating to know.

Any time I even begin wondering if following Christ is "worth" the effort it takes to continue advancing in one's faith walk toward the image of the Savior, I remember the price that was paid for my redemption. Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians of the same thing when he was instructing them about morality. He said, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

The divine "price" of our redemption far exceeds $83,333. per second. To honor God is the only appropriate response I can give to the amazing grace we have received through an amazing price and that, for followers of Christ, is the truth.

That being said, "Did your favored team win?"

Mine did.

Checking Our Balance

Some people I know never balance their checkbooks. They run financially off monthly statements or view their accounts on line, but never run a full balance sheet of their accounts. I on the other hand, want to know. In years past I would obsess over even a few cents if the account didn't balance. Today (my wife now balances our account a discipline which she took over years ago likely because she got tired of my stress), I can tolerate being even a few dollars off, but I still want to know "how much" is in there, even when we're not living with a specific budget concern.

What it is about the "balance" of my checking account that provokes me to want to know what it is with pinpoint accuracy, I don't know. With the advent of on-line banking, it is certainly easier to attain necessary information, but the ready availability of that information could drive me to nearly obsessive tendency if I allowed it.

A close friend of mine often chides me for necessarily having to balance my checkbook before writing my weekly tithe check. We laugh about it, but for some reason it makes things "right" in my little world to know how much is in there before I contribute. (Yeah, I know... If I was really "with it" I'd utilize online giving - but I appreciate the "worship" of writing a check. Call it habit, call if old fashioned I guess -- maybe it is one of the virtues of being "half-way-to-ninety."

If we consider our lives as living "checking accounts," I wonder would we be aware of our balance? What if we considered the number of our God-given days (Ps. 139) as a balance sheet and then spent the minutes, hours, days and years as we would write checks or swipe debit cards. How generous would I be?

By this point in my life, would I have more money than I know what to do with? In a spiritual sense, by having too much money in my account, I would actually be "in debt" -- guilty of taking much grace, mercy and love but not being willing to spend it on others. Spiritually in debt.

While we may be concerned about the "bottom line" of our financial accounts, perhaps we would do well to give the same level of concern to our spiritual accounts as well. Instead of going online, I'm going to spend more time with the Lord and see if I can find the "bottom line" on my life account.