Did You Say, Call Cleo Taylor?

Today was one of those days that I found myself running from meeting to meeting.  Frantic scurrying from one building to another without even time between meetings to use the restroom.  My mind was occupied with all of the issues of the meeting I was coming from, while trying to transition to the issues of the meeting that I was heading towards.

Since it takes a bit of time to make it from one building to the other, I decided to try to make a call while I speed walked.  I popped my bluetooth headset in my ear and used the voice activation feature to tell my phone who I wanted to call.  Seeking to verify my instruction it asked, "Did you say, call Cleo Taylor?"

The question stopped me in my tracks.  I paused for a moment and sadly and slowly answered, "No."

Cleo Taylor was my grandfather.  Apparently, his contact information has been transferred from one cell phone to the other as I have upgraded to newer phones.  Unfortunately, he has been dead for a number of years.

I wanted so badly at that moment to say, "Yes!  I did say to call Cleo Taylor.  I miss him."  I wanted to tell him about what was going on and what had been happening over the passed years. How proud he would be of his great grandchildren who are now almost grown.  I wanted to ask him some questions.  Questions that I never took the time or was afraid to ask about his views, hopes, disappointments.  I wanted to spend some time with my grandpa.

I think it was a brief moment of wanting to connect with a past that seems to be slipping into history like so many of the ancestors I come across as I research our family heritage.  I think I also experienced a recognition that someday my name may be the one that is left in someone's address book and contact list.

It was a brief reminder to make the most of every day.  Not just everyday, but this one!!!    

Beauty!

Wow!

The Mountain from TSO Photography on Vimeo.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Stillness of the Evening

Last year my son and I took a trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. During that trip I wrote a journal entry that I later included in a blog entry called, "His Right Hand Shall Lead Me." In that note, I was commenting about how easy it was to feel God in the midst of the wilderness and silence. But, God promises that no matter where we find ourselves, He is there.

Even though I know that is true, I am always encouraged when He reminds me. He often does so through nature. Like a cloud formation or a sunset that is particularly striking. Like tonight.





These photos were taken tonight while on a walk with my wife in our neighborhood.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Back In The Saddle

Well, it has been awhile. To be honest, I am not sure why. As everyone else, I have been busy and there have been a lot of changes over the past year. I also have a folder full of draft blogs. Yet, I never took the time to complete them.

I think sometimes I get caught up in the pressure to say something important or full of impact. I think I just need to share what I believe God is speaking to me about. We learn from one another through our stories. I have found that men are not so good at letting other men into ours. Maybe that is what we should focus on.

In any case, I plan to jump back in the saddle. Share a few thought from my story, my journal, etc. I would love to hear about yours as well. Please feel free to do so in the comments of this blog!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Aroma of Hope

Our family just returned from a mission trip to Mexico. The theme of the trip was "The Aroma of Hope." I won't go into all of the nuances of the "aromas" to which the theme referred. Believe me, when you combine 100 degree heat with hard work and no running water, there were many, both good and bad.

But, one of the "aromas" to which the theme referred was the aroma of Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16. According to these verses, we are the aroma of Christ, the "fragrance of life."

A couple of years ago, my uncle gave me a bottle of cologne that had belonged to my grandfather, who had died over 20 years earlier. When I opened the bottle and smelled the cologne, I was immediately transported into many memories of my grandfather. I did not just recall them. I felt like I was there. The fragrance awakened many memories that had either been long forgotten or muted by time. But, one sniff of this cologne made them all real again.

As I recalled this event, I wondered if the same dynamic was at work when God calls us the aroma of Christ, the "fragrance of life." Do all men and women have a vague, long forgotten memory of the love of God written deep within their hearts? An echo of Eden. One that has been muted by time, by wounds and by sin. By serving people and showing them just a glimpse or sniff of God's love, are we awakening a longing for that love, for that life in Christ?

I believe it is possible. If so, what a powerful tool for winning the lost.

Time Stands Still

If you have attended some of our Men's Meetings or read some of my blogs or have just been around me when I have been thinking of it, you have probably heard me talk about how disappointed I am in how fast time passes.  I recognize that it is probably something all "aging" people think about.  Unfortunately, I guess I must qualify for that category. 

I am most keenly aware of the topic as my kids hit certain significant milestones.  It is disappointing to me to realize that I can only remember a very small fraction of the time that we have had together.  If someone has lived in your house for 18 years, one should be able to better account for more than the number of moments that I can specifically recall.  With only a few exceptions, it seems that the minutes, hours and years have mostly blurred into a fuzzy lump. 

I experienced something completely different on my recent trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota.  When I am here at home, I get caught up in the mundane and in all of the seemingly important activities that consume our lives and time.  In the BWCA, I was present in almost every minute.  In turn that made me very aware of every minute.  I found that that dynamic, put together with the fact that we could not see the sun most of the trip, caused us to drastically over estimate how fast time was passing.

On the first day, after many hours of paddling, canoeing, and portaging, both my son and I estimated that it was 4 or 4:30 in the afternoon.  It was 1:50.  That happened over and over on the trip.  One morning after sleeping in, fixing breakfast, eating breakfast, cleaning up after breakfast, talking and journaling, we estimated that it might be about time for lunch.  It was 9:30.  I had not experienced this phenomenon since I was a kid.  

I started to realize what really causes us to lose time.  It is busyness.  All of the stuff with which we fill our lives swallows our time or at least our awareness of it.  In addition, many of us spend our time lamenting the past or worrying about the future instead of living in the moment.  Television or surfing the web can do it too. 

I started wondering how I could bring this back to Indy.  How do I force myself to jettison the things from my life that steal my time?  How do I live more in the moment rather than in the past or worrying about the future?  I have started to ask myself, "Why am I doing what I am doing?"  Is there any value in it? 

I really would like your comments here.  What are your thoughts? 

His Right Hand Shall Lead Me!

My son and I just returned from a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in upper Minnesota, literally a few feet south of the Canadian border.  Actually, due to rookie navigation skills, we did accidentally stray into Canada on a few occasions.  The BWCA is very remote.  There are few people and motorized vehicles are not allowed in most of the area.

I intend on blogging a few times about our trip.  But, thought I would start with a journal entry from one of the afternoons in which we were camping on an island in the northernmost part of the BWCA.  Here is that entry...

This afternoon I have been sitting here on a granite outcropping a few feet north of our campsite on Camper's Island.  There is a slight breeze, but for the most part the water is calm.  The sun has been out a few times today, but it has been overcast most of it.  

I can see about eight pine covered islands from where I am sitting within 200 yards or so in the middle of the Saganaga.  The land masses further on are probably islands as well, but from here the land just runs together.  According to the map, they are most likely Horseshoe, Government and Blueberry Islands.  

The stillness is only broken by the occasional mournful cry of a loon, the slight lapping of the water on the rocks and a few motors and voices far off in the distance.  Sound travels a great distance out here.  At the moment, I can hear nearly every word said from some canoeists nearly a mile from me on Horseshoe Island.

But, most of the afternoon has been shrouded in silence.  To be honest, the silence is a very comforting but strange and unusual experience.  It is calming and exhilarating at the same time.  God is here!!  His majesty is unmistakable.  As I considered this a few minutes ago, a lone bald eagle flew directly over our camp.  I could hear, very distinctly, every flap of his wings.  It was stunning!  God truly is a God of beauty!  The cool thing is that even though I can more easily sense His presence here, I don't have to come here to find Him!  I was reading earlier today and came across Psalm 139:7-10.  "If I ascend unto heaven, you are there.  If I make my bed in hell, you are there."  

He is in the Boundary Waters AND He is in Indianapolis!  Even there, His right hand shall lead me!

More to come later! 

Mentoring - Man Style

I went to McDonald's this morning to have a sausage biscuit and a cup of coffee.  I know that it is very fashionable in some circles these days to malign McDonald's. But as I sat there listening to the conversations, I realized that the local McDonald's in our area is providing an environment for the development of relationships.

I have talked with many of you in the past years lamenting the loss of a "third place" in our culture.  A place where people in a community congregate to relate.  Think English pubs, French cafes, coffee houses, small town cafes, etc.  Someplace close to home and easy to get to.  Because of the way we have zoned our neighborhoods, put together with a variety of other reasons, we have lost those places in recent years.  It contributes to our isolation!

But, this morning, at least at our local McDonald's, I saw and heard elements of the "third place" returning.  The people sitting at multiple tables behind me apparently knew one another.   They had not come in together nor had they arranged this meeting, but were seemingly accustomed to meeting one another there as there were a few comments about "where have you been lately" and "I missed you yesterday", etc. 

They quickly launched into a fairly long conversation about recent oil changes.  Where, when, how much it cost, the virtues of paying to have it done versus doing it yourself.  To a casual listener, it would have seemed like irrelevant small talk.  However, tucked in the middle of this conversation as they talked about recent oil changes for their adult children, where a few minutes of discussion about how to relate to these grown children.  Empathy was expressed and advice was shared.  Then, they were back to discussing oil changes, then new tires.

They had not called one another together to discuss relationship issues with grown children.  They had just casually met for a cup of coffee at McDonald's.  The relationship conversation happened in the middle of that. It was mentoring, Man Style!     

"You Need an Enemy"

In this morning's message at the Blended Church, Pastor Dehner Maurer preached a message about adversity having a purpose in our lives. You can see this message here on ustream. The message starts around the 36 minute mark and I highly recommend it. In this message, Pastor Dehner said, "You need an enemy."

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog entry on "Dying to Self" which included an article by Bill Britton. This morning's message reminded me of another article by Bill Britton entitled, "My Beloved Enemy." I have included some excerpts from that article below. The theme of both of these messages is that God uses our enemies to bring about Godliness and spiritual maturity.

"My Beloved Enemy"

Bill Britton

YOU are not really my enemies at all. in reality you are some of the best friends I have. You who have lied about me, and about this ministry, who have tried to destroy people's faith and confidence in me, who have spread false and damaging rumors about my life and teachings. through your efforts there has been a work of grace wrought in this heart of mine that could never have happened without you.

My friends have been many, and loyal, and faithful to stand with me in many hours of trial and need. They have been strength to my weakness, added joy to my heart in time of sorrow, and have girded up my faith amidst raging doubts. They have brought me before the throne of grace innumerable times in their seasons of prayer. I could not have continued long in this spiritual conflict without these wonderful friends.

But, believe me, I speak in sincerity and truth, there can be no perfection in the lives of God's elect without the chastising work of a real enemy. For when a bitter vicious person begins to do all they can to destroy me and my work for God, then there is a work done that brings out all the wrong and evil attitudes and spirits that lie hidden and deeply rooted in my heart. When a friend extols all my good virtues and praises me from their heart of true friendship, I feel nothing but love for them. But, when I hear of an enemy who has unjustly brought shame upon me, there rises up a spirit of defending myself, and a spirit of "righteous indignation" to refute the enemy. It is then that the precious Holy Spirit does His office work and reveals to me the wrongness of my own spirit. I see in me then, the things I did not know were there before. With repenting and sorrow of heart I cry to God, and He delivers me from that which I have seen in my life. It was hidden, lying dormant, until you, my beloved enemy brought it to light with your crucifying process. The prophets of old would never have had the glory of being stoned for the Word of God-and no martyr's crowns could ever have been won by the early Christians without real enemies.

You see, I cannot crucify myself, and friends will not do it. So it takes you, my enemy, to bring me to the cross. And to the cross I must come, if ever I am to come to the glory of perfection. But I have much progress yet to make before coming to the image of my lovely Jesus. There is so much I must yet learn. And, my enemy, you are teaching me. I have learned that the road to glory is by way of the cross. Without you I would not have found the way. Someone had to crucify my Jesus. Not his friends, not his disciples, and He could not do it Himself. So Satan and the princes of this world stirred up hatred in the hearts of His enemies, and the work was done. Had they known that they were bringing Him into His glory, and bringing about the salvation of lost mankind, they would not have done it. And I'm sure that if you knew the good your efforts are working out in my life, you would not want to help me so much. But the work is being done, and I have learned to love you because of it. "Love thy enemies," He said, and I wondered how I could do it. But you have taught me. For because of you I have grown in God, increased in His Grace, and partaken of His divine nature.

NOW JUST A WORD TO ALL WHO HAVE READ THIS. I trust that you have understood that this word has not been applicable to me only, but should apply as well to all of God's dear children. May the Spirit speak to your heart and open your eyes to this great truth. that without chastisement and the work of enemies we can never come into full Sonship. And when we see how much our persecutions and afflictions mean to us in maturing our spirits and bringing us into His image, then we can truly "Love our enemies," and "bless them that curse us." Praise God for His marvelous plan! And remember. all the enemy can destroy in the fires of persecution is "hay, wood and stubble," and all they will melt and bring into His image is the "gold, silver and the precious stones." So let us be willing to burn that which will burn, that those things which will not burn may stand forever!

Bill Britton

Leadership Communication Mistakes

Just ran across this on a blog written by Tim Stevens. Very good counsel. I have been guilty of all of them at one time or another. Some, many times.

The Most Common Mistakes People Make When Communicating Expectations

1. Barking out “marching orders” without making your directions clear enough that people fully understand and accept them.
2. Assuming people need only one explanation in order to understand what you expect them to deliver.
3. Failing to form an expectation clearly yourself before communicating it to others.
4. Excluding any explanation about “why” you want something done within a specific time frame.
5. Asking people to do something, but not clearly explaining when you need it done.
6. Failing to describe the resources available to help people do what you want them to do.
7. Issuing such specific instructions about what to do and how to do it, that people hesitate to “own it” themselves and think out of the box to ensure the result.

From the book How Did That Happen? by Roger Connors and Tom Smith