Elephants - Another Lesson in Love

Did you know that it has been documented that elephants grieve the loss of others in their herd? Did you know that they are among nature's smartest creatures? (Check out more on "elephant cognition" here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_cognition )

What fascinates me is how they take care of others in the herd. Here is a video of several elephants "rescuing" a baby elephant in danger of drowning. If you're too busy to see a minute of gentle "trunk-assisted" attempts to bring the toddler to shore, skip to the halfway point.



I continue to be amazed at the beautiful complexity of nature our Father has engineered. I'm a big fan of "benevolent" species, with dogs, dolphins, and now, elephants topping my list of favorites. I'm equally amazed, however, at how quickly (and frequently) humans can forget basic levels of kindness and compassion. We may be on the "endangered list" of benevolent species.

Such a loss of basic human concern has been evident in so much of the media's treatment of the death of Whitney Houston. I understand the public's fascination with celebrities, but I also know at the heart of this media frenzy, is a grieving family who does NOT need to be the opening segment of "Entertainment Tonight."

Her death was tragic, but she was still a human being deserving of some kind of dignity immediately after her passing. Instead, she becomes the subject of scores of entertainment, news, and news magazine programs, not to mention the rest of the media world (i.e. internet!). That would be fine if the focus was on her contributions to the entertainment industry (which are mentioned, of course), but the media goes far beyond that. Even before her body can moved to her hometown, headlines talk of "a life of squandered opportunities," "Whitney's appearance at a club the night of her death," "exclusive photos of the bathtub where she died," etc.

I realize there are lessons to be learned from Whitney's life and death, but is it too much to ask that people wait until after the funeral to begin that process? I know it's too much to ask of the media to "behave" appropriately so soon after a celebrity's death, but it does remind me how Christ-followers can be "media outlets" of their own, with lives publicizing compassion, understanding, caring, and above all else...LOVE. How desperately the world needs the good news of Christ's love, and most won't go to the Bible on their own to find out. First they must "see" there's love to be found, and they are looking at the qualities of our lives as a reason to investigate a different path than the one they're on.

So don't let elephants show us up as a species! Find some way today to be genuinely compassionate and helpful to someone in need! You may be just the stimulus someone needs to find out Jesus really does love them, too!

You can be loving right now, by pausing to pray for Whitney Houston's daughter and the rest of her family who are trying to grieve with 100's of photographers and media vans sitting outside their house.

Love Like Jesus Loved

Just saw this video at Hyper Pixels Media. Pretty important reminder of how important it is to respond to Christ's love by loving Him and others! (Go here for more videos: http://www.hyperpixelsmedia.com)

Are Humans Earth's Best Species? - Sometimes I Wonder!

I'm a fan of dolphins (especially the bottlenosed variety!). I saw Dolphin Tale recently and enjoyed it much more than I had anticipated. It's been a long, long, LONG time since I've seen an episode of FLIPPER so it was a reminder of just how remarkable these mammals are. During the opening titles of the movie, there were shots of dolphins in the wild blowing air rings and playing with them. I thought, "hmmm, nice CGI special effect, but not very realistic. Why did they show something like that anyway?" Well, I found out that they put those shots in there, because they really can blow those rings and play with them. See for yourself...



Few animals in the wild have as powerful a reputation of being "playful and benevolent" as these noble creatures.

They are smart. They are highly social, living in family units called "pods." They can fish together. They care for one another, staying with an injured or ill individual, helping them to breathe by bringing them to the surface. Dolphin attacks on humans are extremely rare, but there have been documented cases of dolphins circling swimmers to protect them from nearby sharks, and of dolphins chasing sharks away. They can teach each other behaviors, as in the case of female Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins who teach their offspring how to cover their snouts with sponges to protect them while foraging for food.

All in all, as a species, they seem to get along better than we do. We know they communicate with each other. I wonder if they lie to each other? I wonder if they tear each other down with their clicks and whistles? I wonder if they worry? Maybe they do, but if they do, I don't want to find out. I like having a species sharing our planet that inspires me to act like a better human being.

Paul reminds us of the life Christ came to manifest in each us in Romans 12:9-18,21: 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.... 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If dolphins can get along so well with each other, and us, then shouldn't we be able to? Our Father hasn't only made it plain in the scriptures as to the best life possible, but He's given us all we need in Christ to make that life possible...TODAY! So go and have a "dolphin-like" day...TODAY!

Oh, here's a trailer for the film (From the folks who made "The Blind Side!")

What Should We Fear - Death or Distractions?

It's hard to argue with a kid like Clayton McDonald concerning his observations on life and death and distractions. Click on the video link to hear his word of warning for us all to beware the power of distractions!

Clayton's Story from Jacob Lewis on Vimeo.

Clayton reminds us all not to waste life; not to waste opportunities to be grateful for those you love (and to tell them so!); and to love and talk about our Savior to those in danger of be distracted to death.

The parable of the rich fool in Luke 12 could have been called, the parable of the distracted fool! Jesus was clear to his listeners then and now when He responded to someone in the crowd who said to him “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Luke records in verses 14-21: Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'"

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Beware the power of distractions. Unless Christ comes back while you are alive, you will die. Now is the time to think about it; to look at the power of distractions in your own life, and to make the most of the opportunities you have to love God and others. Now is the time to spend your life on what matters....Jesus Christ...including worshiping Him, obeying Him, and sharing Him!

For more about the extraordinary story of Clayton McDonald go to: http://www.abcchurch.org/clayton/

IMPORTANT MESSAGE IN A BEAUTIFUL WAY

This has got to be one of the more classy yet effective public safety commercials I've ever seen. It's from the U.K.

Now you could do a commercial that just yells at the guy, "HEY, WEAR YOUR SEATBELT, STUPID!" I like this way better. It reminds me that we can still communicate the wonder of Jesus Christ to others in beautiful ways, kind ways, and even, loving ways. It's hard for folks to hear us when we're yelling at them.

Paul reminds us of the power of gentle love when he wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:6-8: We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

Like the mom and daughter in this ad, may the lost know we really care about them and their destinies far beyond merely trying to convince them that we're right! If we don't care and love them with sincerity, they'll know it. We want them, as the ad says, "to embrace life" through Christ, but they probably won't do that if we are unwilling to "embrace" them!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Here is a picture of Ian and his mom. Ian goes to my church. Ian is a bright kid. How do I know? Well...

This past Sunday morning during our worship service, Ian quietly asked his mom, "Is Mr. Andy a grown-up?" His mom's answer, "sometimes." (Okay, that might not have been her answer, but it would have been justified.) A friend said it was a compliment so I'm going with that!

I must admit it does remind me of Christ reminding His followers in Matthew 18:3: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Bonus remembrance: Years ago another astute young man, Thompson, asked his mother while riding in the car, "Does Mr. Andy have a job?" I'm so glad my Father has given me such wise children and young people to keep me humble!

Another Christmas Gone - Now What?

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas with family and friends. Christmas 2011 is over so the question comes to mind, "now what?" Click on the video for a reminder of the importance of what comes "after" Christmas!


What comes after Christmas? I hope that what characterizes 2012 for us all is simple, daily, joyful obedience to the truth our Father gives us in Ephesians 5:15-20: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• May we all "make the most of every opportunity" to be "intentional" about making 2012 a fantastic year, not merely for ourselves, but for every human being we interact with over the next 366 days! That's right....we get an extra day in 2012 to combat the evil of the world by being an outlet of God's goodness!
• May we all "make the most of every opportunity" to know and worship our amazing God, Who, through His Son has given us the gift of calling Him, "Abba Father"as His adopted children!
  
• May we all "make the most of every opportunity" to understand His will for us (Hint: if whatever you're focused on, whatever you spend your time and resources doing do not involve loving God and others, you are most definitely not understanding God's will!).
• May we "make the most of every opportunity" to encourage each other with "music from a Spirit-filled heart!"
• May we "make the most of every opportunity" to display to the world our thanksgiving to our Father for adopting us, for giving us others to love, and for walking with us through whatever circumstances await us, promising to bring good out of whatever the world throws at us!

New Year Resolutions? Alternate Strategy: Try Daily "Small Steps" Instead

So often we suffer from the "all or nothing" phenomenon when it comes to personal growth. If, however, we are to experience sustained growth over a lifetime, we need to learn the value of taking small steps in what might otherwise seem an overwhelming journey! The good news is, that our Father is with us every step of the way! Check this video reminder out...

How to Best Get Through 2012 - Follow the One Who Knows the Way!

What's the best way to say "thank you" to our Father Who has given us so much in Christ? This video gives us a clue...wait...no...it gives us the answer! If you love our Father, then you will follow His Son!



Jesus said in John 10:27: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I hope we're all listening to that voice that still calls us daily..."follow me!" There is NO better way to navigate life in 2012!

Strategy for 2012 - BE A THANKFUL PERSON

If I had to come up with a bumper sticker for this video it would be: THANKSGIVING: NOT A HOLIDAY - IT'S A LIFESTYLE!


What makes for a great life strategy in 2012? ! Thessalonians 5:16-18 is a pretty simple, yet profound way to start... 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Make no mistake, however. These are not mere "tips" for better living; it's a description of the kind of life our Father wants to give us...a life surrounded by joy, communion with the Father, and gratitude which gives others a reason to investigate the good news of Christ for themselves. What characteristics does your life display to others that would make them curious to find out more about this God we get to call "Abba Father?"