Coincidences

Somewhere out there is a well-meaning friend baffled by my belief how an all powerful God, who allowed my brain tumor, can love me. They say I just look for God in life's explainable coincidences. I say He fitted me and my circumstances inside His divine plan and I'm glad. I say despite the enemy's role within the circumstances, God's always in control. He's plan is perfect.  Before it's over, I'll probably have enough explainable coincidences of how He prepared me, brought me through, and propelled me forward through this, for His glory,  to write a book.  We could debate the issue for days. From my buddies to Dawkins, the most common arguement against the existence of the God of the bible is "He must be cruel". I think nature is cruel because man was/is cruel. I think man is cruel because he chose to be. Disobedient, to God that is. Funny how a society incapable of judging anything sinful can judge God. That's not a coincidence it's irony. What a strange coincidence it would be, that the bible predicts and explains such. Apparently, to them the only way part of the bible could be true is if God is a cruel judge. Remarkably, those "without excuse",       (-P̶a̶r̶d̶o̶n̶- the biblical reference ) act unafraid of this possibility. Instead of scaring sense into them, this fuels their belief anyone who believes differently is intellectually challenged. In the case they might not be idiots, Richard Dawkins and likes of would add the adjectives insane and evil, just like their God. To them, what Christians believe to be a plan, can be explained as gigantic fluke. Circumstantial evidence (or the lack of) at best, accounts for everything and even nothing, simultaneously, for them.  Most of the time, they shake their heads as I bow mine. 

To them, there are no divine appointments like this. 

I've been praying for the surgeons to have the heart and mind of Christ. Call me crazy. I'm used to it. 

Years ago, some unknown missionary, while spreading the gospel, converted an an unknown Korean girl. Her family, who followed Confucius, converted because of her transformation. Along with the missionaries, they started a school for the poor. Or so the story goes, according to the Christian doctor drilling the hole in my head, Monday. He says he owes not only his religion but also his education to those who shared the gospel with his grandmother, who once followed Confucius. It's a lineage, though untraceable, back to the heart and mind of Christ.  So, I have my confirmation, an answer from a God they say doesn't exist. It will only be another coincidence that I'll owe my life to a man who believes. Just a random chance will have caused a missionary schools founded by believers to impact his life then save mine. They choose not to see it, as if, every beautiful discovery was made by those not searching for things they were sure didn't exist. Is that scientific? Nope, just another strange coincidence predicted in the bible. 

In the meantime, my super intellectual friends, completely fulfilled in this life and all it has to offer,  who are convinced there's nothing more, and are sure of my delusional state and strange coincidences, have something to ponder upon. Why on earth would Duke University allow such a scientificly deficit, an idiot who even believes in Christ, to preform brain surgery? I can't speak for Duke university. However, my personal reason is if you have to have a idiot get under skin to the point they get into your head, well it wouldn't be you. 

What If ...?

No two words gather more anxiety than "what if?". What if I loose my job? What if my spouse leaves? What if a meteor falls from the sky and obliterates the planet? Nothing is as frightening as the unknown but I've lived long enough to know most things we worry about never actually happen. For a long time I've known "what if? " is a monster.  A beloved pastor friend once said, "Jesus slays the "What If Monster." As much as it is humanly possible, I believe that.

Nothing awakens a sleeping "what if?" dragon like hearing "there's a tumor in your head and we aren't sure what it is." Even with the helmet of salvation, the "what ifs" will echo in your mind upon hearing such news. I promise you won't need, as I have had, well meaning friends  to tell you their near death experiences didn't produce any evidence of a hereafter. Expect, because of your faith and attitude toward life and death, for them to assume you have thrown in the towel. Rest assured, despite my eagerness to be with Christ and because of my desire to serve Him here, I would be quite content in growing old. 

If there's a "what if?" question concerning my current  condition that I haven't asked myself and God, I haven't got a clue of what it could be. If you know me, you know I've examined this thing from every angle three or four times. I analyze things backwards and forwards, It's who I am. It's why my faith is what it is. I've tested it from every angle I've doubted it from.

Through the years I've learned this truth. The greatest fiery dart to ever hit our shields of faith will be: what if the gospel isn't true? As deep as that rabbit hole goes it still has a bottom. I could write a book on that terrible scenario in which mankind can find no hope outside itself. There's lots of reasons why being a Christ follower makes sense to me. While many of those points would deliver a death blow to the "what if?", my weapon of choice is Love. I could make a biblical case for Love being the spiritual sword. Without the gospel, Love is reduced to just an evolved protein.  However, if this faith has been conjured up by my faculties through some grand cosmic accident, producing nothing more than chemical responses to stimuli, then I will have been better for it.  I will never make an apology for having faith, hope, and love or for spreading it. I would never trade a delusion of hope in something for a reality of nothing to hope in. If my only reward shall be the relationships made while worshiping in vain, then it will have been worth it. I'd rather spend whatever time I have with those delusional enough to recognize mankind has a collective problem than those who believe they are immune to it. Or those who believe there isn't a problem. Or worse, those who think they have the solution to the problem within themselves. Call me hopelessly romantic, but I rather be with those delusional enough to believe themselves to be broken and in need of a real thing called love. Love holds a mirror in front of "what if?". Like Medusa, it is defeated by its own ugly reflection. What if the gospel isn't true? Then our reality, our reflection is a cross minus a resurrection. "What if?" once made the mistake of holding a mirror on front of a cross. Had it only reflected what mankind had made the cross into, I would have ran from "what if?". Ironic as this may seem to some, the only scenario I give up in, is one where the cross only reflects a return to the pointless nothingness so many believe we came from. But the cross doesn't reflect just our ugliness. It reflects the most beautiful of all transformations of when the universe dared to ask Jesus ," what if?" Only God could have changed that ugly image of death into one of faith, hope, and Love. He can transform the darkness with the tiniest of lights. Since He first said," let there be light"the darkness has been running scared .Imagine what that power could do for your reflection.

Got Bigger Fish to Fry?

I've said it. You've probably said it. " I got bigger fish to fry.

" It's a country boy philosophy and approach to prioritizing everything from work to attitude. Do the most important thing first. Tackle the largest problem first. Don't sweat the small stuff. You got bigger fish to fry. There's nothing wrong with getting your priorities straight. Jesus even tells us to prioritize spiritual matters. 

In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus talks about getting the plank out of our eye.

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:5 ESV)

What He ain't saying is "I got bigger fish to fry." Any country boy can tell you bigger fish aren't necessarily the best fish. Bigger is a relative term. Relative to God, nothing's bigger, proving small things matter to God. It's little things that get in our way of serving God. Just like small holes can sink ships, small things can rob us of our time communing with God. Jesus tells us to be faithful with small things. He tells what we can do with the faith of a mustard seed. 

Most people read the speck and plank story only gleaming one thing from it: clean out your own closet. But wait, there's more !!! If you've ever had a tiny foreign object in your eye, you know how big it can seem. A small item can be just as damaging and painful in the eye as a large item. Nearly impossible to remove by yourself, usually, a small item requires steady gentle hand of a friend to retrieve it. You have to trust a friend enough to allow them work in your eye. You have to love someone enough to work in theirs. We should always remember it's not enough to clean out our own closets. To love like Jesus, in addition to removing our plank we are still required by Christ to remove our brother's speck.  Love never has bigger fish to fry.

Who Would You Fly With? A Different Diagnosis

What do you do when two doctors look at the same MRI and come up with two completely different diagnosis? The doctor at Duke gave us less certainty about what we are dealing with. The good news is the tumor might not be in the brain. It could be just close enough to the pituitary to appear so. It may be in the bone. So who do we believe ? Does it even matter? The bottom line is no matter whatever or wherever this is, it must come out. 

When weighing opinions, nothing trumps experience. When landing a plane in a storm, do you want the new hot shot pilot or the guy who has landed the plan for years? When the experienced pilot says he's not sure where he's gonna land the plane, it just boils down to trusting in his ability to land it. The doctor at Duke could be wrong about what this is. He even said so. But he's my doctor and I trust him. He'll take care of whatever comes along with my body. I have faith in my pilot and his ability to navigate  through storms. Only this doctor's not my pilot.

 I'm not a frequent flier to the doctor's office but I have flown in planes a number of times. Even had to make a an emergency landing once. Figuratively, my pilot has made such landings with me as well as countless others.

 My pilot never tells me what course we are on. He only says we'll eventually land safely at home. Along the way we will be landing and refueling at preselected areas. In the meantime, I'm to set back and enjoy the flight. He's assured me, he will either calm the storms or keep me calm in them. Since I'm not in the cockpit, I'm not sure if there are dark clouds or clear skies ahead. But that's ok, because I can't fly the plane anyway. Honestly, sometimes I like for him to fly through the storms. I love to see him show off those moves. Just so I can brag about how good he is. Oh look, Jesus just turned on the fasten your seatbelt sign.  

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (Nahum 1:7 ESV)

A Tell of Two Doctors

I don't usually like going to the doctor.

Now, I don't have White Coat Syndrome but I avoid the doctor like the plague. We often treat going to the doctor as if we are on death row and they are executioners. More than once, I've heard my wife say jokingly,"if people stay away from doctor, they won't get sick." What a humorous yet tragic misconception. Sure, it's laughable until you actually need a physician. 

Faced with a potentially life threatening condition, suddenly I want a doctor. Or in this case five or more.

His diagnosis: treatable not curable. The benign mass has attached itself to the carotid artery which prevents 50% to 40% from being removed. Bottom line: a dangerous surgery, (twice as dangerous as bypass surgery. so pray neither of us sneezes) a tumor that will grow back, and a lifetime commitment to manage the problem. Over all, our first encounter went well. I suspect we will become great friends and in that, my trust in him will grow. Still, I'm already comparing him to another physician.

 Jesus calls Himself a doctor. It's no wonder. His patients treat Him as we treat our earthly doctors. Some have no idea they are infected. Others hope by not showing up at the doctor 's office they won't be diagnosed or contract the disease. Some question treatment others flat out refuse it.  It's tragic, since the cure has been paid for in full.

His diagnosis: Sin addiction. Terminal if left untreated. Curable but with lifelong symptoms that must be continually managed by patient and doctor.  Surgery must be done on your heart and mind. To  treat the symptoms apply God's word daily.  It's a universal medicine. You can become addicted but you can't overdose. Additionally, the patient should make regular daily appointments with the doctor through prayer. As well as, frequent visits to the local hospital called the church, the patient will be encouraged to attend a support group of recovering addicts.

Everything will be left up to the doctor except the patient's confidence.

 As I further examine the similarity of these two doctors, I only have faith in one of them. He ultimately has the last say in all things. As far as the other guy goes, what kinda of idiot would I have to be to go through brain surgery and not follow the doctor's orders? I know, the ridiculously stupid kind with a death wish.  And He ain't even God. Ever notice it's those not following doctors who complain about their progress?  Take the doggone medicine.

Pecan Trees and Brain Tumors

It was fourteen feet in just 5 years. Pretty good for a amateur arborist. The day I planted my pecan tree my youngest daughter asked my wife ,"why is daddy planting a stick ?" I did everything right. It was regulaly pruned. The proper fertilizer was used. I watered it regularly and treated it for pest. It was beautiful right up until it died. I was perplexed and kinda ticked off. I put a good bit of time and money into that tree.  Except it wasn't dead. It isn't fourteen feet anymore but from the root a new tree is growing. I now envision a stronger more beautiful tree than before.

What in the world does that have to do with a brain tumor? Absolutely nothing. Unless, you have an epidermoid growing inside your head and the tree just happens to be planted where you see it everyday. I have known for a week today what my friends have known for years. My problems are all in my head. Since this is a congenital defect, they've been right all along. They've always said, "boy you ain't never been right in the head!" Who knew I had such prophetic friends! The tumor is large but benign and removable. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. So here's what the pecan tree reminds a man who's about to have a literal hole in his head.

I didn't expect the tree to die. I did not expect the tree to come back either.  Despite our efforts when it comes to Pecans (and everything else), crop production is not our our job. Our job is to plant, water, and harvest. I've seen those farthest from God come to know Him best. I've seen those I considered saints throw in the towel on the good fight. I've seen tragedy and miracles. So to strengthen our faith and in causing our focus of total dependency upon Him, God continually reminds us to expect the unexpected.  

The Tree's connection to life was its roots.  Likewise our foundation, our roots, must be connected to the giver of life. I don't even want to imagine facing this without a relationship with Christ. I have had a fleeting moment just long enough to convey this message to the enemy. God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

It's not my pecan tree. It's not my skin, body or even my tumor. Everything is God's. And He can and will do what He wants. My buddy Kevin Child's said it like this.  "God does what He wants. When he wants to.  To and through what and who He wants to. And He's always right." The bible teaches us all things were created for His pleasure. And it will be Good. Revelation 4:11 Romans 8:28

Jesus Has Enough Fans

Tomorrow, just in time for football season, we start a new series called GameTime. America loves football. So do a lot of God's people. There's lots of great things that surround the game. No doubt, it will be delivered excitingly since Matt Brown never lets our team down. While I have high hopes for potential new believers and seasoned Christians to easily connect through GameTime, for me it will be more difficult. 

I know as much about football as I do rocket science. Even that's more than I usually care to know. Football, metaphorically speaking, isn't always symbolic of Christ's charity. The competitive nature of the sport often ignites pride and vanity. Negative social and economic impacts as well as character flaws are overlooked for the glory of the game. Once, the events might have resembled worship but now they surpass worship in enthusiasm and participation.

Though many look fondly upon the American pastime, football is a source of a lot of unpleasant childhood memories for me. From 8 years old through high school, I was the guy no one wanted on their team. When my childhood best friend became interested in football, I ended up on the sidelines. Regardless of all the positive effects of football on our society, and no matter its ability to bring people together, I remember the alienation it brought to me. I know there are others that feel much like I do about the sport. So, I tried to draw some positive parallels for us nerds. 

What if Jesus had a football team? 

Anyone who wanted to could make the team even losers like me.

His star players would lead in fumbles.( just read His play book )

 Constant turnovers would happen because they'd drop the ball. He'd pick those with the least impressive stats to be his first string. Still they would achieve the loftiest of goals. He'd recruit His rivals.His personal trainers would treat the injuries of the challengers. Likewise, his waterboy a would refresh the opposition. Angels would be His cheerleaders. His managers wouldn't be allowed to keep negative data. He'd never review the game tape to point out what went wrong. He'd take all the blame. His team would have the best defense. He'd intercept every pass and He'd always be victorious. He'd turn to those in the stands and say to those waving His flag, " I want you on my team."

I think that was my problem all along. I was never content just watching a game. I should have been playing. Jesus has enough fans.

 

Jellyfish Teach Us to Live Forever

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/28/world/asia/can-immortal-jellyfish-unlock-everlasting-life/ 

Check out the link above.

A scientists from Japan thinks he has found the secret to immortality in the Scarlet Jellyfish. Shin Kubota has studied jellyfish for 35 years. From the artical: 

 "When an adult scarlet jellyfish -- or medusa -- is injured, it goes to the bottom of the ocean floor. From there, it morphs back into its infant state, known as a polyp. Then the polyp becomes a new medusa ..."

Immortality has long fascinated scientist and explorers. From the early efforts of alchemist to Ponce de Leon, they search for a secret we already possess. The essence of our faith is a creator's sacrifice and His divine plan to choose us through our belief in His ability to overcome death. Since our God will always remain somewhat mysterious, proof will never be obtainable for us. Our frustrain is not based on our need to be accepted by nonbelievers but in our concern for lost souls. They simply want logical reasons to believe. While we cannot provide definitive proof our God exist, our faith can be logical. The built in desire to search for a way to live forever is the homing beacon to our creator. You'd expect a mysterious creator to sign His work much like artist will camouflage signatures in their works of art. Maybe that is what the cone nebula, the legend of the sand dollar, and dogwood are. Perhaps the jellyfish that lives forever because it is "born again" isn't. It could be merely a coincidence that scarlet means " change" and is a biblical reference to Christ's blood. It could be a series of random flukes when the bible references God leaving our sin on the ocean floor in Micah 7. and if anyone in Christ is a new creature in 2 Corinthians 5:17. 

 Here's what I know. Sin will injure you. Once you're at the bottom, Christ doesn't leave you there only your sin. He will lift you up if you're born again. Christ 's blood will change you and you will live forever. Oh yeah, one more thing I know. Multiple coincidences aren't logical.

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The Big Picture

I'm not what you'd call a frequent flyer. Though I love to travel, opportunity is rare and as a justifiable necessity almost nonexistent. The infrequency makes appreciation of rare moments easy. Like the Grand Canyon from 15,000 ft. It's one of the Father's great works of art, the canyon is incomprehensible from photos. It's even hard to grasp the enormous size even in person from the ground. As I looked through the window of the plane, I thought of how much better God's point of view is than ours. He sees things completely, inside and out. Taken in by the intricate carving and painting of His grandiose design, I thought,  the hands that knitted together and continue to mold us are the hands belonging to one that considers us His masterpieces. Much like a dissatisfied artist will discard an imperfect piece in which we would find no flaw, He has decided to destroy this world.  So you know, heaven's really something since He has had eternity to perfect it. With His infinite wisdom and perfect love He guides us. That might even include a free trip to Sin City. Perhaps, to share the gospel with a bartender. I don't know what she'll do with it. I'll probably never know what God does with her but she's His one of His masterpieces. We can trust Him with the details. He sees the big picture.

A Rough Sunday at the Rock.

Sundays are great. Rock Sundays are awesome. Beach baptism Sundays are the best. Honestly today, another adjective comes to mind. Sundays are rough . There's so much we still miss about our pastor. I always read the Sunday night cranium dump (his blog). I so looked forward to it. It highlighted the day and pumped us up for the next week. It made us laugh, soberly convicted us, and encouraged a closer walk with Christ. Praised the band.  Shared his thoughts on how we could improve upon what we are already doing. It was sure to mention the number of those who gathered and those who crossed over from death into life. I missed the cranium dump so much tonight I thought of how the day went and how he would have put it down.

Today, I was so proud of our church. Over 800 gathered to hear the good news. I led a young man to Christ in the lobby. Best part of the day. 

The Rock band version of Amen was awesome. No, I haven't heard better.  Some people will get that. Missed K-lock and Mary. Hunter and Justin Lowes rocked worship at beach baptism. We need to get better sound equipment for that event. 

In spite of rough waters and a purple flag ( dangerous aquatic life ) being out, many went all in for Jesus. Matt Brown gave a great explanation of baptism. He 's come along way for a Clemson fan.  He sounded a lot like a great preacher as he joked about today being a good day to go to heaven. Actually, any day is a good day. As long as we are here, let's get more people ready for the trip. Right?

 Kelly should get an award for her efforts to capture the moments on film. Jim Brown led us in a prayer huddle, remembering our friend but propelling us forward. It was only possible to stand because we leaned on each other. Probably a metaphor there. I will always remember that prayer. It was worth the trip just for that. Have I told you I was so proud of our church today? Rough waters won't prevent our being obedient to God. He will eventually calm the seas. 

Personal thoughts: There is beauty even in the roughness. Four years ago Kevin baptized me. Today we baptized a Kevin. He's brand new adventurer on a journey with an endless destination! Our savior is alive! We are alive and we will live forever. 

 I told you it is a living legacy.