Some "Feel Good" (Make that "Great") Talent!

Anyone who watches "American Idol" knows about Simon Cowell, the nasty, cold-hearted, British music critic who thinks nothing of destroying a person's hopes in front of millions of people. Granted, sometimes...okay, often, the talent is just not there, and Simon's cold, no-nonsense critiques are part of his image. This year he served as a judge on England's version of "America's Got Talent," and these three contestants actually brought a smile to his face, and they probably will to you, too!

This clip is of 6 year old Connie Talbot singing, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En0A8KGMgq8

This one is of 13 year old George Sampson doing street dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa-6QAvosb4&mode=related&search=

This one is of a cell phone store manager singing opera...the best clip in my opinion...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

For other clips go to www.youtube.com and search for "Britain's Got Talent." ENJOY!

Does Your Anger Make the World a Better Place?

I showed my Sunday night group Rob Bell's latest Nooma video entitled "Store." It was excellent, reminding us that anger is an emotional that always leads somewhere, often to a petty, destructive place, but in Christ's case, His anger always led to healing and restoration. See Mark 3:1-6 for an example as the religious leader cared more for their traditions than for the welfare of a person in need. How it must break God's heart even today when we get angry by putting our traditions, or worship preferences (traditional vs. contemporary), or prejudices ahead of the welfare of people in need.

Bell points out that the choice is in our reaction to our anger. Do we give in to our selfishness and complain, get bitter, or try to get even (Who ever gets "even" anyway?)? Or do we allow God's Spirit and word to transform us into people who get angry at what Jesus got angry at.... injustice, poverty, etc.

It is quite sobering to ask ourselves, "where is my anger leading me?" Or "is my anger making the world a better place?" It can you know.

Take the case of Arissa Gonzalez of Las Vegas, NM. Around Thanksgiving of 2006, a drunk driver slammed into her family's van killing her THREE sisters and both parents! Goto: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3338511&page=1
for the complete story. Out of that tragedy, Arissa and her extended family have become crusaders against drunk driving in New Mexico. They could have all become bitter, giving up on life extending the damage this one careless person caused, but they didn't. Their heartache, depression, and anger are leading them to make the world better, so it can be done.

Goto http://www.nooma.com/Shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=322&Mode=WMV&PMID=237
to see a preview of Rob Bell's Nooma video about this! NOTE: you can see other previews and full versions of other Nooma's (the 17th one comes out at the end of July) at http://www.youtube.com/

Now, go and get angry about something that matters...something that will make the world a better place!

An Amazing Weekend

For all my friends who still think Denmark is boring. It's not. Never has been. Never will be!

Friday: Made my last two visits to the two World Changers teams which were working on homes in our area. We adopted them for the week, feeding them, etc. Both groups, for those who are not acquainted with WC, were made up of about 10 teen-agers and a couple of adults from churches around the southeast (some from Texas and Virginia, too). The groups only have two teen-agers from the same church so the kids will form a unique group where they are all newcomers. It does work well.

My favorite quote was from one of the kids on one of my member's crew. He's the kid on the ladder. Billy (also in the picture) was the crew chief, directing these ten kids in putting a roof on a house. Billy is unique, sort of like a tamed grizzly bear. He enjoys being gruffer than he really is, and he does have a heart for missions and young people and does very well with them. His wife Cathy was the crew encourager on the same crew.

As the group was dispersing to return to work after their lunch time devotion, I asked some of the kids how they had enjoyed Billy. One of the guys said something to the effect that he was great, cool, or something like that. I made the comment that Billy was sort of like the peanuts in crunchy peanut butter...you know...some might not like the feel of them, but they add flavor. This kid, Bradley, responded without missing a beat, "Yeah, he's EXTRA CRUNCHY."

During the last World Changers worship service, I got a call that one of my youth leaders who had gone with the group to Columbia had fallen out of the church bus while it was moving. She was sitting on a stool talking to the driver ( a good friend), when they took a sharp turn, throwing Beth out the door into a four lane highway. She was okay! The ambulance came with various firemen and troopers, too. She hurt her lip, scraped her arm, and had some bruises, but that was it. Yep, a miracle...a big one, and we're thankful....very thankful. They all went on to play putt-putt and skate, and returned to the church for the rest of the evening and Saturday morning as it was a lock-in.

The group returned at 2:00 am, and I went over to the church (nope...I didn't sleep before they got back from Columbia)...and drove the bus for my photo scavenger hunt team. There was lots of screaming when one of the other teams were spotted...we visited two cemeteries (at 2:30 am no less), local businesses and locations taking assigned pictures. Can you see me up in the corner of this picture? I think we came in second place, but it was fun for the kids. I finally gave out at 5:30 and slept till 12:45 Saturday afternoon.

I found out late Saturday afternoon that my chairman of deacons' house was struck by lightning... didn't burn down, but it ruined a good bit of their electronics (you know how painful that is for me!) He and his wife and I went out to eat Saturday night. Normally I would have been freaking out about my sermon, but I didn't prepare one!

Today we had the Lord's Supper, and though it was difficult, I decided NOT TO prepare a sermon. I had told a couple of my deacons that I was toying with the idea of having an open mike for spontaneous testimonies focused on what difference Jesus Christ is making in their lives right now (i.e. in addition to heaven). One of my deacons dared me, and was the first one to jump to the mike!

To make a long story short, our service went to 12:45 pm and there were NO lags; people just kept coming up to speak wonderful words of gratitude for Christ's gift....even a visitor shared! Several of those who shared were unexpected, and very powerful in their words of affirmation, referring to the table with the elements, expressing gratitude to Christ for what He means to them. Several people commented that they hadn't even noticed the time. I was humbled in the people's responses. It was one of the best Lord's Supper we've ever had.

So that's what my typical weekend in Denmark was like! Hope you had a great weekend, too! If nothing noteworthy happened...well, make something noteworthy happen this week!

Unconditional Love - Amazing!

Here is the winner of the annual ugly dog contest at the Marin-Sonoma County Fair. Elwood placed second last year. Way to go Elwood! Read the complete story here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286382,00.html

It reminds me of how God loves us no matter what!

Good Intentions and Funerals!

I had SUCH good intentions about posting more regularly, but since my last post I have done another two funerals, with another pending tomorrow! That will be 12 since the first of February. Throw in Vacation Bible School and other miscellaneous happenings and there you have my excuses for being such a sorry blogger!

Back to the funerals....they are a part of a minister's turf, I guess. Sometimes you have warning, sometimes you do not. Still, I have found these unexpected times of ministry to be one of my more significant ministries...not that I'm that great a judge of what is "significant" ministries these days. Still, it is an honor to be the one to celebrate a person's life (which is "usually" possible...there have been rare exceptions.) and to remind folks of how powerful gratitude for a person's life can be to help make the pain of loss more bearable. I remind folks that everyone in your life who is precious to you was God's idea, and we should not let the pain of their passing eclipse that basic fact or our gratitude. Enjoy the people in your life while you have them, and find ways to express your gratitude to them NOW!

And for some fun, go to: http://www.jjchandler.com/tombstone/ to generate your own tombstone! Here's mine:

I am NOT Smarter than An Eighth Grader Named Evan

Core: It's not nice to make fun of one's mother!

I am writing from my mom's home. We watched "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader" tonight. At one point, I made fun (ever so slightly) of my mother's missing what I thought was an obvious answer. Well, then we watched the end of the national spelling bee.

The winner was a home-schooled 8th grader named Evan. Here are the last seven words he spelled: rascacio, schuhplattler, laquear, Zoilus, pappardelle, yosenabe, and serrefine. Wow! Even my computer's spell check couldn't find the right spellings! As we watched this kid spell words that still don't sound like words to me, and trying to make amends for laughing at my mother earlier, I turned to her and said, "Ma, I AM NOT smarter than that eight grader!"

For All You Cynics Out There...

Core: Just some evidence that not everyone in the world is a selfish jerk!

Remember Mr. Rogers? Well, I found this article today and it reminded me that no matter how much the media focuses on ax murderers, rotten politicions, wars and rumors of war that there are still individuals among us who God uses in special ways to bring blessings to a world so immersed in curses.

The link: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/5943

If you want to know more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers#Mister_Rogers_and_the_VCR

The Light of Love and Gratitude Even in the Valley!

Core Thought: Love is a light that darkness can not extinguish!

This week I have had some encounters with the power of love even in the valley of the shadow of death.

First, one of my church members lost her adult son in a tragic airplane accident last week. He was an experienced pilot, and it is believed that a freak "micro burst" caused the vintage biplane to crash. Yet, even in the shadow of such a tragic loss, God reminded this exceptional Christ follower's family and friends that in spite of grief and pain and loss, that his life was (and is) worth celebrating. There were so many, what I call "substantial" expressions of gratitude for his life and love and generosity and faith. A young man sang an original song at the graveside, and the line that caught my attention was simply, "thank you for living this way." I hope we all can have someone say on the day of our funeral, that they were grateful to God for whatever gifts we will leave behind in terms of our love and witness!

Just this evening I had yet another expression of love and gratitude in the deep, deep valley of grief. On Palm Sunday, the husband of one of my church's day care workers (and friend0 passed away after a tragic series of strokes that had left him almost completely unresponsive, and in a nursing home. He, too, was a remarkable Christ follower who loved his Lord and his family immensely. His family is very, very close, and they genuinely enjoyed their time together. He was in his late 50's and left way too soon for his family. Well, tonight I read his 17 year old son's and his wife's testimonies as to what they have experienced in this long journey through the valley. His son (one of three completely devoted children) talked about his father as his hero, and how painful it was to finally let him go, and how important it is to love the people in our lives while we have them.

I have been around this family for 20 years, and I knew that this youngest son is devastated in his loss, but very, VERY grateful that he had such a great father. The same is true of his wife's (and best friend) testimony...that of grief, yes, but also in gratitude for having been given such a wonderful friend in her husband of 30 years. It never ceases to amaze me at how powerful gratitude and love can be, even in the midst of such grief. Paul was SO right (and I'm sure the Holy Spirit will agree since He did the inspiring of these words!) when he proclaimed in 1 Cor. 13:7, 8 "It [love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." I believe these words...and this week, I've seen this truth in these two families. May we each give people a reason to thank and praise God because of the way we live!

By the way, have you thanked someone in your life for "living this way" lately? Maybe it's time!

In Case You Forgot: God is Brilliant!!!!!

Did you know that the tallest living thing on earth is a coast redwood tree? (By the way, the largest living thing on earth is its cousin the Sequoia tree (some weighing more than 10 blue whales!?)?

The tallest tree found to date is 379 ft. About six to seven stories higher than the Statue of Liberty! I think it's really great that God can cram all the genetic information needed to grow such a magnificent tree in such a tiny little seed. My pianist ordered some seeds for me as a gift, and I am experimenting with laminating them on a special "Hey God is Smarter Than You Think" business card. If God can does such an amazing job with a tree, don't you think He's smart enough to trust?

If you want to know more about these amazing trees, here is the youtube link about when they found the tallest tree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3j8q6x-gE0 and part 02 (which has more of the guy climbing this thing!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zWbjqAON34&mode=related&search=

For more info on Redwoods go here: http://sempervirens.org/sequoiasemp.htm

Memorial Day Should Not Be Mall Day!

Timothy Dexter (eccentric but successful businessman of the 1700's) once said, "An ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from." This week I have felt like our media is being like that hog in its treatment of Memorial Day. Last night I was visiting someone in the Bamberg Hospital and saw a hand-drawn reminder on a small white board in the hall remind people to remember our war dead on Memorial Day. Oh, I have seen the holiday referred to many, many times this week on the television, but always in conjunction with a sale, or what you need for a picnic at the beach. Not once (of course, I have two days left before Monday) have I seen a reference to what this holiday is supposed to be about. So I'm doing my part to remind whoever stumbles on this blog before midnight Monday, that the only reason you are given the great privilege of being a freedom endowed American is that people (the vast majority whom you never knew) willingly gave their lives fighting to obtain and maintain our freedom. I took this picture last year in Marietta, GA, of the military cemetery there. Just a reminder that freedom is never free! Also, if you want to know more about the REAL vs. the RETAIL VERSION of Memorial Day, go here: http://www.usmemorialday.org/