Made Fresh From Scratch

I typically prefer giving gifts of perpetuity (having a long existence) especially during the holidays.  However, this Christmas my wife and I did something unusual (at least for us) and gave a gift we knew would be gone in only a matter of days (if it even lasted that long!). We gave a delicious Rum Cake. Now...I never imagined I would spend as much on "cake" as I would on a more lasting gift. But, ahh... I'd never tasted cake like this one before, either. Mercy!

Made from the absolute finest ingredients (I imagined "spun gold" to have surely been in the mix), including superlative locally distilled rum, this cake was the BEST I'd ever tasted. At the time, I wasn't even shopping for cake. I had already purchased a distillery tour as a gift for someone else and the lady assisting me in that purchase offered a sample of the rum cake. One bite is all it took. She went on to tell me of the labor of love poured into each cake, not to mention the quality of the rum and all the other ingredients "made fresh from scratch." I was duly impressed but unmoved to bite on the price.

I'd actually made it into the car without the cake when the aftertaste really kicked into high gear. I called my wife and told her how amazing this cake was and she quickly said, "Go back and get one and we'll give it to my parents for Christmas." Both of us immediately thought but didn't confess until much later that evening, "Maybe they'll share some." And as it turned out, they generously did! Mercy!

"Made from scratch" cake is so different from boxed or even prepackaged "fresh." A discerning palate definitely tastes the difference and is willing to pay for it. Even if paying more isn't something we're accustomed to doing, we'll risk doing something different for an exceptional experience. The cake was definitely worth the investment. The perpetuity of the gift was in the lasting memory of knowing we all enjoyed the "best Rum Cake ever!"

As 2014 draws to a close, there is an opportunity to invest in something being "made fresh from scratch."  A team of people are developing a new kind of urban ministry experience targeted for downtown Plano, Texas. It is called THE POINT and we are essentially building from scratch. THE POINT is a different kind of faith experience designed to build relationship with people who are looking for God and looking for meaningful community. You can discover more about THE POINT at www.thepointmeetshere.org or you can check the FaceBook page at www.facebook.com/thepointmeetshere

This type of investment might not be something you're accustomed to doing. But in any effort, whether baking, creating or developing... building from scratch takes resources. Like an exceptional cake, the end result is worth the investment. THE POINT is looking for people willing to invest in building from scratch. No investment is too big or too small. It takes community to build community...so as this year comes to an end, please give  generously to help build an incredible experience.

The Point is a registered 501c3 organization and your donations are fully tax deductible.

Checks are made out to The Point: A Faith Community and are mailed to
P.O. Box 861635 Plano, TX 75086
Donations posted by December 31 are eligible for 2014 tax deductions.

Donations are also made through a PayPal account link on the web at
www.thepointmeetshere.org
Locate the PayPal link button at the bottom of the home page.

Your partnership is meaningful and it will make a difference. Thank you and Happy New Year!!!
Another slice of cake, anyone?

"Happy" Holidays and "Merry" Christmas

This is an emotional time of year. "Joy(s) to the World" and "Holly Jollies" are frequently met with "sorrows in the 'hood" and "holy molies" in the silence of night. Especially poignant to me are friends with seasonal memories leaving them fallow and grey. Like clockwork, like season's change...they are virtually inescapable. For many, receiving the greeting of "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" is a tough swallow, especially in light of what they've experienced near the holidays in years past.

The other day, friends lost a parent to death after a long illness. Knowing this passing was inevitable, I was praying they'd be spared this particular sadness until a while after the New Year, but unfortunately that was not to be the case. Now, their future holiday seasons will always be marked by this passing and I know it will take some work to get through it.

The day after the funeral, it was all the more striking to me when two 20-somethings walked by my table at Starbucks. The second of the two rather loudly proclaimed, "I couldn't be happier than I am right now. In fact, this has got to be the happiest day of my life." While I was immediately gladdened by the joy in his world, I was as simultaneously struck by how fleeting days like these can be. "What about tomorrow?" I thought to myself. "If this is the happiest day of your life buddy, apparently tomorrow is going to have to be pretty darn exceptional to top this one. And what about when you're my age? That day is going to have to be crazy amazing!" Or perhaps...that day really was going to be the happiest day of his life. Literally. Who knows?

Therein lies the rub, right? Do we expect every new day to be better than the one before it? When people say, "I love this time of year!" does that imply they always anticipate every holiday season is going to be filled with perfect joy? How do we navigate when we face the sobriety of harsh reality?

Jesus once said, "...don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I've always used those words to face my own concerns, fears and anxieties. And...being truly honest, those words have helped me walk through some significantly hard days. But after those two guys walked out of Starbucks...I thought about an another possible angle, and I wondered if Jesus would agree. "...be happy for the joy of today, celebrate it (for sure) but then let it rest at day's end. There are no guarantees tomorrow will be even better."

Especially in the holiday season, we spend a lot of energy reaching back to resurrect  joyful days of old. Even some of our carols proclaim it, "Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore." We seem to revere joyful memories to such an extent, I wonder if we even begin to idolize them. We set those times up so highly in our esteem that it makes everything else pale in comparison. Parents try to recreate memories of their childhood and are often frustrated when their kids "don't get it" and don't embrace the old family tradition as expected. Rather than simply being happy with new experiences and making new memories for today, we keep reaching backwards...trying to make today even better than yesterday. Consequently...some folks just give up completely and can't wait for the season to pass.

This particular holiday season (it's kind of a tough one for me) I'm simply choosing to be happy for the joy of today, celebrate it (for sure), but then let it rest at day's end. There are no guarantees tomorrow will be any better...but following Jesus, I have learned...yesterday has passed and we "don't have to worry about tomorrow."

So..."Happy" Holidays and "Merry" Christmas, everyone.

Emergence -- the wisdom of the Butterfly

 

My brother-in-law lives in south Florida and he's always had a perfect green thumb. Anything he puts in the soil of that humid climate grows like crazy. And I don't mean it just "grows," it flourishes! He's really quite amazing. He's had some of the most beautiful yards and gardens I've ever seen in my life. He can take even the smallest of spaces, even using just pots and potting soil and turn them into an oasis! Lately, his interests have expanded into growing something else... butterflies!

He built a little "caterpillar condo" on his patio. Now he gets the creatures as caterpillars, then watches them cocoon and then celebrates their emergence as beautiful creatures.  I'm telling you, this guy can grow stuff! Looking at some of these delicate creatures, it dawned on me what an amazing metamorphosis occurs in their development. From "worm," to really tight living quarters, to emergence as a fascinating, peaceful and gently beautiful butterfly.

What really struck me recently was that once they have begun the transformation, there is no turning back. What they once were, will be no more. What was in the past is...well...the past! Instead of being land locked fuzzy worms...they are free to fly about the country. But they had to go through a tight, perhaps even uncomfortable season to get to air-bound glory.

I feel like I'm going through a similar metamorphosis. Yes...I've definitely proven "worm" status on many occasions, been through some hard times...but I'm looking forward to an emergence. It is coming...I can feel things happening...and I know there is a power greater than myself that is doing His work on me. But the emergence is really what I'm longing for...anticipation takes patience.

A friend of mine recently applied for the job of his dreams...and he didn't get it. Frustrated, he got in touch with me and we shared his lament. He's a really talented guy and when he told me he applied and submitted his resume, I really anticipated he'd get the job. But he didn't.

I know how badly he wanted the gig and it just didn't happen for him. So... I shared the following thought in an IM, "...keep your eyes forward. Tomorrow...it'll be yesterday (and in the past). The past is always the past for good or for bad. In only a few hours, this will be behind you. So look forward and take that next step, even if it is a small one. It'll make sense in time."

It was wisdom from the butterfly. The past is simply the past. Today...maybe tomorrow...has the anticipation of what beautiful thing we are becoming. Hang in there friends, it is all a matter of emergence. Isn't that the point?

Waiting No More...

Tom Petty sings:
The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

While I like to think of myself as a patient individual, waiting has not often been a strong move of mine. I'm chronically "just a little bit late" everywhere I go (which  is frustrating for those who spend much time with me). After giving it considerable thought, I finally figured out why I'm "just a little late." The reason is I don't like to wait unnecessarily. That...drives me crazy! I'd rather just rush in at the last second than stand around "killing time." Waiting is really difficult for me.

I am fully aware that waiting is part of the game of life. My Dad once acquired a cool branded T-shirt from a drag-racer friend of his that he then gave to me. I was about 9 years old at the time and the shirt was a Men's XL! When my Dad threw it to me I was elated! Roaring with joy, I dropped the shirt over my head and promptly disappeared somewhere between the letters STP (a racing oil brand popular back in the day). I was so bummed! I wanted to wear the shirt SO badly right then. I think I finally wore it sometime in high school and even then it was still too big for my (then) skinny frame. However, the shirt was equally cool (and almost vintage) some 8 or 9 years later. I just needed to wait for it. I've read, "There is a time for every purpose under heaven."

Trying to become a better waiter (both the food delivering variety and the "wait for the right time" kind) is no easy matter. It is a discipline that comes only one way...by waiting. Sometimes the wait is for a very long time. But eventually, like when your beloved "cool" T-shirt almost fits and you get to wear it for the first time, the time finally arrives. Today is, again, one of those moments for me.

I am joyfully pleased to announce the emergence of something that has been in my heart and mind for over 15 years. I have been waiting a long time to welcome people to something God planted in me while sitting on the patio of a coffee shop in northern Phoenix, Arizona around the turn of the 21st century (sounds like a hundred years ago, doesn't it?) This idea has been brewing in me ever since. At times it was almost as dormant as a Crepe Myrtle in the dead of winter and at other times, I thought the idea would burn a hole in my soul. Time...waiting...more time...more waiting... there are things in life that simply can't be rushed. Peter Block once wrote, "There is simply no way to shorten the time that depth requires." I suppose that's correct.

I've shared this burning thing God planted in me on many occasions and frankly most people just didn't get where I was coming from (many still won't and I've come to accept that). Then one day God sent a few people my way who did understand where I was coming from and, not only did they understand, they were willing to partner together in growing the idea into a reality.

Following a series of challenging events, our seed idea was forced to sprout and the Creative One push it up through the heavy ground of painful circumstance. Today... the waiting is giving birth to something new...yes, a new beginning is coming upon us. With the partnership of a team of amazing and passionate people, something is emerging from the wait.

I introduce to you...THE POINT. 


 "What is THE POINT?" you may ask. And that would be an excellent question, indeed. "What is the point?" What is the point of you, me, us...at this moment...at this place...in this season, for what reason? Those are some very good questions, aren't they?

Please take a moment and visit this FaceBook link. THE POINT 

Though far from comprehensive, the words you find on the Facebook page may whet your interest (see the "About" section). You may even want to grab a cup of coffee and prayerfully dream along with us toward what on earth we might be planning. You might see it as a little bit different, yes. But the more we've worked on the concept, the more we are finding others who share similar thoughts. Some of those are farther down the road than we are (they're waiting ended sooner than ours) and we give thanks for their courageous trailblazing. There are a few of us now...and likely many more to follow (they're just waiting for their wait to come to a close).

If you are inclined to pray, please join us in praying for THE POINT and stay tuned for ways you can participate in this newly emerging urban experience.

Redefining Rain

Finally...rain is falling on the parched dry land I've called home for nearly the past decade. North Texas is experiencing a record-breaking drought and the 2+ inches of steady soaking we are receiving today is an answer to some prayers. By no means will it singularly cure the drought, refill the reservoirs or lift the land-locked boats slips in the area lakes, but...it is a start.

As the rain falls, I wonder about the implications. The disparate contrast of record dry days kicks me into a reflective state. How necessary water is for our existence. As living creatures we're good for about three days without it and then we're done! How truly dependent we are. Dependent on a Provider far greater than ourselves and when drought comes, isn't it convincing that we can't create anything to remedy the dryness ourselves? There are not enough bottles of water to heal the distress. Only One can provide what we need.

Over 1" has fallen outside my window this morning...and I find myself ironically drafted into this dry season. Life as I've known it for nearly 32 years has effectively dried up. The title, the position, the business card, the phone number, the email address,  the (office) space to call my own...evaporated. Only traces of it remain like footprints left when soil is damp. Things of that life increasingly seem like the miles of fallow shoreline around Lake Ray Hubbard. It was with the subtlety of weeks upon weeks of glorious sun-drenched days...that circumstances came in quietly, against preference, at the volition of others and a cost to many. Dry...parched...cracked...thirsty...I wait...for rain to fall.

Dry seasons are desperate. We want to continue on as we did when the reservoirs were full and there was plenty to go around. In fact, we could even waste a little here and there and nobody seemed to care. But droughts call for restrictions and we soon discover every little drop matters. So...today the rain falls but the drought isn't over. Perhaps more rain will come?

Though desperate these drought-filled days are, there is glorious anticipation that the rains will come. Boat docks will float again and lawns will grow lush and green and all those "Stage 3 Water Restriction" signs will find their way back into municipal storage once more. But when those anticipated days come, things won't be like they used to be. You can't live through a drought and ever see rain the same again.

Yes...I hear the rain falling and it causes me to dream. But not of a time before the drought for that time is all too distant and behind me now. No...I dream of a time to come. A time when the land is soaked with a new kind of goodness and every dew-filled morning is new...refreshed by the rain that has finally come and in abundance.

Today I'm redefining the rain...or is it redefining me?