No, I am not into Eastern Philosophies (well, except for my religion happened to begin as an eastern one with...., that is perhaps for another post), but here is some info from some zen site. Disregard that and look at some ways to simplify, focusing less on being busy and more on priorities. Why? Most people I know do not really focus on the things they say are important, i.e. Faith, Family, Friends, etc. Most people I know clutter up their lives with many other things that detract from the things they say are truly valuable. So, in order to live a life that reflects what we say are values are, we need to simplify.
I helped officiate at the funeral service for my Dad last month. My Brother gave a great sermon about how God spoke through my Dad and what God's message is for us at a time like this. Here are some more of my brother's thoughts about my Dad. I, for lack of a better term at the moment, "emceed" the service.
I started off with the Shema, which is Duet. 6:4, in Hebrew. My Dad recently discovered that his Mother was Jewish and this is the prayer that a Jewish man will say at the beginning of each day.
I also shared three things that my Dad would want us all to know. The first thing was that God is very real and we can really know him. My Dad has been through some tough times and has discovered that God really does come through for you. Not always on our time or in a way we would want, but he always comes through and is always there for us.
The second thing was that the greatest treasures we have are the treasures that we already have around us. Our family and friends. As such, we should treasure these things above whatever else we strive for. My Dad believed this and would really want everyone else to understand this too.
The third thing, I saved for the end of the service, right before closing I chanted the Aaronic Benediction (Numbers 6:22-27) in Hebrew. It is the prayer that says, "May the lord bless you and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."
One of the local Churches I was talking about before got some national publicity. First it was three local Churches getting citywide publicity and now it is one of the three getting national publicity, as I discovered on AOL this morning.
You can read the article here. You will also see a photo gallery of ten "Hot Chicks Dressed as Wonder Woman". No relation to the Church. I guess they just thought it was in the same vein. "Sex Sells", as the advertisers say.
Another adage of the media is "If it bleeds it leads". What will Churches do to capitalize on this? Maybe remind people of someone who has already bled for them.
Bedlam is the slangization of the word Bethlehem. It was how the Bethlehem Royal Hospital of London was referred to, a well know sanitorium during it's time. It came to be a word that is synonymous with chaotic insanity.
In the 1700's, you could go and visit the freaks of bedlam. For a penny ( or free on the first Tuesday of each month) you could peer into their cells and walk the walkways, peering down on all manner of craziness.
You might see people performing strange rituals claiming that this was the way to see God. Perhaps you would see someone hoarding some ridiculous items...a handful of marbles, a few bent twigs...claiming this was what was worth working your whole life for. Maybe you'd see Caesar or Jesus or a half dozen others trying to convince themselves and everyone else that they were someone they are not. You could laugh at the inmates as they violently brawled over nothing or tried to find sexual gratification through wild and weird ways. You could even bring along a stick and poke people, just for the fun of it. Sort of like tapping the side of a fish tank, I guess.
Sometimes I think we live in a Bedlam where we can see people working all their lives for ridiculous things, engaging in strange rituals, trying to convince everyone they are someone they are not and so forth.
Emily, Abigail and I went to see Walter tonight in Chandler. He is there training for a new job.
We know Walter from our time at Bible College. He and his wife and their new baby had an apartment in the family housing right next door to our brand new family.
At the time we were struggling and working through job issues, ministry issues, money issues, new marriage and family issues and school issues as were they and we shared these struggles together and became the best of friends.
Walter is an exhorter. Here is the dictionary definition:
ex·hort(g-zôrt)
v.ex·hort·ed, ex·hort·ing, ex·horts
v.tr.
To urge by strong, often stirring argument, admonition, advice, or appeal: exhorted the troops to hold the line.
v.intr.
To make urgent appeal.
In Biblical terms, an exhorter is someone that has a gift of encouraging and lifting someone up in the Lord.
It is always good to spend time with Walter and I always come away from spending time with him encouraged in my walk with the Lord and glad to have him as a friend.
We, as well as they, are still struggling and working through job issues, ministry issues, money issues, marriage and family issues and school issues. The only differences are that the school issues are mostly for our kids and now Walter and his family live nearly one thousand miles from us.
have you ever remembered the idea of a song, or phrase or some such thing, but couldn't quite recall what the words you wanted to remember happened to be? Just had that happen. As usual, I had to completely forget that I was thinking about it before I remembered what it was.
But, now I remember. That is a load off of my mind.
No, it doesn't matter what it was I remembered. You probably wouldn't know it anyway.
O, if you must know, it is called "What a day that will be..."
I don't watch much television these days. We don't have a box (which is an outdated term in these days of plasma and flat screen tvs) that does anything but act as a view screen for our DVD player. I do catch a couple of shows on Hulu , but not regularly.
When I was a kid, it was a different story. I used to love to watch the tube. All three channels. Four when we added HBO through the cable company.
Do you know how it is difficult to go back and watch shows that you just loved when you were a kid? You look at them and you think to yourself, "This would never make it as a show today.". The effects, dialogue, acting, story lines and pretty much everything about them just seem horrible. You wonder what it was that you liked so much about them
I recently viewed several episodes of Magnum P.I. season 1. Magnum P.I. used to be my all time favorite program. It was on the air from 1980 - 1988. And, it still, in spite of a bad mustache that Tom Selleck kept way to long and some silly scenes and stories, seemed like fun.
Now there are rumors of a Magnum P.I. movie being made starring Matthew McConaughey. Will he have to sport the 'stache?
Tom Selleck is, of course, still around and doing the Jessie Stone role, an adaptaption of the Robert Parker novels about an L.A. homicide detective that moves to Maine to rebuild his life as the Chief of Police in a small coastal town.
After spending Ten years as a Pastor and Church Planter, James became involved in Law Enforcement and currently serves as a detective and a Chaplain for First Responders in Tucson, Arizona. He is also a board member with the Tucson Refugee Ministry.
Known for connecting with all ages using humor, engaging stories and personal examples, James will inspire you to grow your faith and your family while connecting with your culture and community.
When he is not working, you can find him hanging out with family and friends and hiking some of the local trails.
Since a few have asked, "Why the name, 'Front Porch Fighter' ?", I will take a stab at answering it.
In times past, the predominant feature of most houses was the front porch. It was right out there in front and it used to be a gathering place for people from the neighborhood. Friends could come over and hang out, lovers could swing on the porch swing and moms would entertain with lemonade. The front porch was a place to get to know others and it signified a willingness and a desire to be in community.
The predominant feature on many homes built today is the garage. The garage is a place where you can pull your car in without anyone else having to talk to you or interrupt your schedule as you retreat into your private sanctuary. To me, the garage in front signifies a desire to live my own life and a kind of disconnect from the rest of the world.
While I appreciate some privacy and sanctuary, I feel that all too often, we are disconnected from the rest of the world and have lost a sense of community, which the home styles reflect. So, I am an advocate of the front porch....at least metaphorically speaking.
g-zôrt
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