UFO?

I was sitting outside on the patio just before dark tonight reading Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning when I happened to look up and see this. The pictures don't reveal how huge this thing was in the evening sky. If I didn't live where I do, I might have thought I was seeing some extra-terrestrial action, but NASA has a balloon base about five miles from our house and sends these up from time to time. I'm told these weather balloons are a big as the Astrodome when they fully inflate, several miles up. They are an awesome sight.
I plan to write about Frankl's book this week, so keep watching.

Does God Love Everyone the Same?

My son asked me a really good question yesterday. He asked if God loves everyone the same. I said, “Yes, he does. But he’s not proud of everyone and I want him to be proud of me.”
That’s the short answer. Doesn’t God love everyone? Isn’t that what John 3:16 teaches? “For God so loved the world…” So God loves each of us with a sacrificial love that put Jesus on the cross on our behalf. And if Jesus died for everyone, like the verse says, that means he loves everyone equally.
But what about evil people who hurt others and show no regard for God? We have to remember that there is a difference between God’s love and fondness. God, in fact, does not even “know” everyone. Jesus said he will tell many, “Depart from me … I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23). “Knew” here means “had a relationship with”. God knows everyone and everything, but only those who accept his gift of grace have a relationship with him. When we accept his grace, we become his children, our name is in his book, and he “knows“ us. I’ve heard people say that everyone is a child of God. I disagree. Everyone is God’s creation, but only those who have accepted him are his children.
Further, the writer of Hebrews says that “God is not ashamed to be called their God”, referring to those who have faith. (Hebrews 11: 16). Earlier, in verse 6, he says it is impossible to please God without faith.
So I know God loves me. I can’t do anything to make him love me more or less. But I want him to be pleased with me, proud of me, and know me as a father knows his son. I know he loves me, but I want him to be fond of me, too.

Undone

There's something about John Elefante's music that gets to me. He is the one artist who can get under my skin and make me weep. Several years ago I was driving home, listening to his song Corridors. I was rocking along and he sang, "And when I look into the eyes of my child, so innocent, I see evidence of your love; evidence of you. Then it makes me realize that's how you see me: made within your image so pure and perfectly." I was a young father at the time and I was suddenly undone. I lost it and cried all the way home, listening to the song over and over again. The chorus says, "So take me down the corridor that leads me to the cross. Take me to where you are; Lord I want to be where you are."

Then, it happened again yesterday. I was sitting on the patio listening to my mp3. Elefante's song Talk to Me came on. I've always loved that song for the way it sounds. (It's also on the Corridor's CD), and I've always known that Jesus came and walked in our shoes. I just last month preached at church from Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin."

So this concept is certainly not new to me, but I guess yesterday God knew I needed to hear it. It crawled all over me. In the song, John and his brother, Dino, wrote the chorus from God's point of view. It says, "Talk to me, let's have a conversation; I hear more than just words, I can hear down in your soul. So talk to me, I'll do more than listen, I stood where you're standing and I know just how you feel."

Suddenly, it was God singing those words to me. I just sat and wept. It was an auditory epiphany of sorts. Our creator came to earth and felt what we feel, was tempted like we are, experienced the frustrations, anxiety, disappointments, and pain. So talk to Him. He really does understand and he can see down into our soul -- our innermost thoughts and feelings. And best of all, he loves us more than we can fathom.

46th Birthday Party

We had a birthday party for Jody Morton, Michael Bennett and me at our place last night. It was a lot of fun, spending time with our friends. We've been friends with most of these folks since childhood. The guest list: Dwayne and Angela Lightfoot, Walter and Judy Bales, Rodney and Shirley Furnish, Gregg and Janice Magee, Mark Rogers, State Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples and his wife Janet, Michael and Leslie Mynatt, Lee and Larissa Loveless, Stacey Bennett, Tina Morton, and Jodi. It was bittersweet because Dr. Michael Mynatt is leaving this month to go on staff at First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia.

Rain

It's been an unusual summer. I think it has rained nearly 20 days in a row, and it has not gone more than a day or two without it since May. Usually, we are sweltering in the 90s in early July, but it's been in the 70s and 80s every day. The forecast? More rain. In Texas, we don't complain about rain in the summer, but it is getting to the point where we're ready to see some sunshine again. When I am able mow, between the showers, the grass is almost too thick for my mower, and our dirt driveway has washed down the road. All the lakes in this part of the state are full, though, and we're catching up on the water we needed, so we're blessed.

I don't mean to be flippant, however, about the lives and homes that have been lost in this weather pattern in other parts of Texas. Our prayers go out for those families.

Go See Evan Almighty

I took the kids to see Evan Almighty this afternoon. I wasn't that excited about seeing it. After all it's not getting stellar reviews and I wanted to see Transformers. But we went because I want to support films like this one. It is family friendly, with a great message. If this is what we want Hollywood to make, we must support such movies when they do make them. In Hollywood, money is the only thing that talks. (We would have seen it when it first came out, but the kids were at camp and this was our first chance.)

So let me tell you what I thought about the movie: I LOVED it. I laughed all the way through it and had a lump in my throat at the same time. I was touched by it. I loved the wisdom "God" in the person of Morgan Freeman shared. In the opening moments, Evan gets on his knees and prays, asking God to help him. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to see that in a movie. So many people just live their lives without acknowledging their creator.

This movie is the most expensive comedy ever made and you can clearly see why. The ark is life-sized and there is a huge cast of birds and animals.

I loved how Evan had to deal with his own doubts, the ridicule of his family and friends, and the sacrifices he had to make to obey God. That's exactly what it's like to take a stand for God in a world that would rather do its own thing. The characters in the movie wouldn't even believe when all the animals showed up and that's just what it is like today. There is evidence for God all around us and most people simply choose not to see it.

Monday is my birthday and here's what I want as a gift for me from you: gather your friends and family and go see this movie. Support it so Hollywood will make more like it. Send a message that this is what we want on the big screen.

I think the critics didn't like this movie because they have never felt the doubt or ridicule of being obedient. This is one of my all-time favorite movies and I applaud its producers, cast, and director.

Remember to Show Affection

It feels so natural at first. A baby boy comes into the world and his parents hold, hug and kiss him without a second thought. Then, as he grows taller than they are, it doesn’t come so easily anymore. But that growing young man needs love, affirmation, and affection as much as he ever did.
It may be a little more awkward to grab a big kid and give him a bear hug, but he still needs it and we are wise to give it to him. If he doesn’t get the attention he needs at home, he’ll seek it somewhere else.
Many fathers feel uncomfortable lavishing love on their daughters as they bloom into young women, but a teenage girl still needs that affirmation and will seek it elsewhere if she doesn’t receive it at home. What a tremendous opportunity we have to provide the love and appropriate affection our children need.
I hug my kids, kiss them on the forehead or cheek, and tell them I love them every single day. That means a lot to any age person. Who doesn’t want to be shown love and affection? Who doesn’t want to be told he is loved? And an immediate reward is I get to hear my children tell me they love me right back. That’s what family is all about.
Our children still come jump in the bed with us during thunderstorms or on Saturday mornings. This is normal and healthy. Our daughter climbs in the bed for some reading time with her mother almost nightly. That is a special time for them that builds a bond of love and understanding. And I hug and kiss their mother in front of them every day, too. If they are nearby, they’ll join in for a group hug. We tell our children we love them when we’re saying goodbye, whether it’s for a day at school, bedtime, or they’re going off to camp for a week. Then, we grab them for a hug when we get back together. It’s all about letting them know they are loved. When families are affectionate, we can tell each other we are sorry; we can open up and discuss details of our lives; we feel connected, loved, and ready to take on the world.
Sometimes, I’ll be sitting in my chair when one of the children will come and plop down in my lap. I can choose to shoo them away or affirm their need for affection and connection. But I am aware that my choices have consequences. Letting the kids sit in my lap today may enable me to stop them from going to that dangerous party tomorrow.
If every child received the affection he craved, gangs would disappear. And so would a lot of the promiscuity, drug abuse, and other negative behavior associated with peer pressure.
We were created to connect to each other and this begins at home. Parents still must be parents and not friends, but showering affection on our children goes a long way toward earning the right to do that. If children know we love them because our actions show it and we tell them so, they will naturally be more attentive and obedient toward us.
Don’t ever stop hugging and kissing your children. Don’t ever stop telling them you love them, even when they become teenagers and begin to pull away from you. Show them appropriate affection and positive affirmation. In this way you will earn the right to pass down your values, to discipline them; and you may just prevent them from a world of hurt.