In the Zone

I feel truly fortunate this Christmas. Last night, as my family returned home to my mother-in-law's house, we noticed the distinct smell of natural gas.  It was strong, and not the first time we had noticed it that day.  Still, trying to get in from the cold, we hurried to the house. Later, while taking out the garbage, I noticed the smell again, this time even stronger.  I also heard a loud hissing noise coming from the neighbor's home.  Not wanting to take any chances, I asked my wife to call the gas company.  Even on Christmas, I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'm so glad we did.  As it turns out, my mother-in-law's neighbor had a broken furnace which was leaking raw natural gas into his home.  When the gas company arrived, it was already at 3 percent.  The gas man informed us that 4 percent was an explosive level of gas.  In his opinion, by morning, the house would have exploded and probably taken ...

A few years ago, someone came to me for advice about her job. Karen, a long-time employee of the company, was having personality and philosophy conflicts with her new boss.  He'd been there less than a  year and within six months, the relationship soured. Personality-wise, they clashed.  His leadership style did not fit Karen's personality.  As a business philosophy, they were on two different pages.  From the way she described things, it became obvious that Karen, and her years of experience at the company and her relationship with her co-workers, intimidated the new boss. Two things quickly became apparent:  First of all, this arranged business relationship wasn't working.  Stress-levels kept increasing, productivity decreased and morale, at least for Karen, spiraled downward.  Each conflict grew more severe than the last.  Karen was at her wit's end. The second thing that became apparent - at least to me - was that this was ...

Why do we use a Christmas tree? I mean, a nativity makes sense, even if some of the items and people in the displays are inaccurate.  But where does a tree come in to the equation? According to legend and tradition, the Christmas tree tradition started with Martin Luther (the Reformation theologian, not the civil rights leader).  He felt the nativity was too Catholic and wanted something protestants could use for Christmas.  He settled on a Christmas tree, which for him, represented the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. He related that to Christ.  The Tree of Life allowed humanity to live in the presence of God.  Similarly, Jesus allows us to restore that relationship and live in God's presence once more.  Having a tree, Martin believed, showed others that Christ was the center of the home and the Christmas celebration. In fact, early tree were decorated with fruits (representing the fruit of the tree of life) and candles (signifying the worship o...

A few years ago on Thanksgiving week, I started a new tradition on my blog.  With no Wednesday night youth activities, I wrote a blog profiling the books I've read over the past year.  I like to show you books I've read to show you a peak into my reading list, but also to give you Christmas gift recommendations for the reader in your life. This year, though, I began reading so many books, I broke it into two different blogs.  My May blog featuring books I read can be found here .  The rest can be found below. As always, I'm not chronicling everything I've read, but I'm just giving you the highlights.  I'll also include Amazon links to each book, so it will be easy to order, especially for e-readers. Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God  by John Piper.  I've got to admit, this book is pretty heady.  Then again, what do you expect from a book by John Piper about thinking on God.  Piper digs deep into our thought processes and w...

Many years ago, when my wife and I were dating, we drove down to her family on Christmas Day. Because she knew the way, my wife-to-be insisted on driving her car for the trip.  All seemed fine until we reached the half-way point of our four-hour drive.  The heater wasn't producing any heat.  When we pulled over at the gas station, we quickly learned why.  Green anti-freeze was leaking out of the radiator.  Now mind you, it's Christmas Day.  This gas station was likely to be the only business open for the duration of the trip. We're exactly two-hours from my family and two hours from hers.  Our chances didn't look great. With very few options, we made a decision.  We bought two containers of pre-mixed anti-freeze.  We poured one into the car and put the other in the back seat for reserve.  Then, as quickly as we could, we pointed the car towards our original destination, hoping we had two hours worth of anti-freeze before it all lea...

I have had some bad experiences with auto mechanics. Time and again I've had parts replaced only for them to break or not be the root cause of the problem.  Not long ago, one auto shop quoted me a huge price for a repair, then lowered the price when I said "No."  I went to a place across town and got in done for a fraction of their "lowered" price. Now, when I have a car issue, I text or call a guy I trust.  He can't always do the work, but he always steers me toward someone he trusts who can.  When it comes to my car, I only want trustworthy, honest people working on it.  I want good quality work without a jacked up price. I want someone I can count on, without question. In 2 Kings 18, the Israelites faced a challenge.  The Assyrian army had surrounded Jerusalem.  The Assyrian king demanded their unconditional surrender.  He told them not to trust their leaders or even God to save them from the mighty Assyrian army.  No one could sta...

Seven years ago, my wife and I faced a crucial decision. We knew God was calling me into full-time ministry.  He had put that desire in my heart for over two years.  However, after two years of searching, no doors opened. At the same time, my secular job began to complicate my ministry job.  As a reporter, I tried to get people to open up in order to expose the truth.  As a minister, I talked with students and adults, assuring them of confidentiality.  As a sports writer covering high school sports, the line often blurred, especially as I interviewed athletes in my ministry.  I often wondered:  does this student understand that I'm a reporter right now and not his youth minister?  Does this parent know they are telling a reporter intimate details while I'm on the clock?  Can I continue to live this double-life? After a meeting with my editor, it became clear:  I had to make a decision.  I would either have to rededicate my l...

Prior the 1960s, when a death row inmate entered a prison, guards often shouted "Dead Man Walking" as they paraded him toward his cell. There are various reasons why this might have been done, but the point it communicated was clear.  In the eyes of the law, the death row inmate was dead already.  Barring a pardon, the only way he or she was leaving the prison was in a coffin. In Ephesians 2, Paul writes that at one time, we were all dead men and women wa lking.  At one time, in the eyes of the law, we were doomed to death and an eternity apart from God.  Our sinful nature dictated our punishment.  We were dead already. Yet, because God loved us, he gave us a pardon.  It came in the form of his son, Jesus, who took our punishment.  We were pardoned at the cost of his life.  Our freedom came with a very heavy price for God.  It was the only way justice could be served. As such, we are resurrected beings.  We were spiritually dead...

The dirtiest job I ever had was when I worked at Jiffy Lube. Don't get me wrong.  It was a good job.  I got paid decent enough and it worked great with my college class schedule.  I even learned a few things about cars, which says quite a lot about someone who knows almost nothing about auto repair. However, truth be told, I wasn't very good at it.  I could change oil just fine, but beyond that, I was downright dangerous to cars.  I once fried my wife's (then girlfriend) electrical system in her car when I tried to install headlights.  Another time, I lowered the lift onto the catch pan, which put the lift out of commission and seriously hampered business for a week.  When I talked to customers, I didn't know enough about cars to give them any confidence in buying our "extra" services.  Amazingly, they kept me on despite my ineptitude at the job.  I think the managers trusted me to be honest and it was good having a "college boy" ar...

As a society, we don't like to wait. We have fast food restaurants, quick service coffee bistros and even drive-thru wedding chapels.  Billboards for hospitals advertise short emergency room waiting and some even have digital timers to tell you how quick to expect service. People began e-mailing because regular mail took to long.  Cell phone conversations gave way to instantaneous text messages.  Disney invented the Fast Pass program so you could avoid waiting in long lines for rides. We hate to wait. So when God asks us to wait, it's difficult. That's where Mary and Martha found themselves facing the imminent death of their brother, Lazarus.  As he grew sicker and sicker, they sent a messenger to get Jesus.  "Come quickly.  Lazarus is dying." Mary and Martha were sure Jesus would rush over and heal him. Except Jesus didn't. Lazarus died without Jesus ever walking into town.  Jesus didn't come while Lazarus was dying.  He wasn't ...

When I was a kid, we had a dog chained up in the backyard. Now, like most dogs, he loved to chase after cars.  Since he was on a chain, he never got too close, but that didn't stop him from running back and forth after each car that drove past our house.  And trust me, we lived on a very busy road. One day while I was in the backyard petting him, a flow of traffic zoomed by.  He ran off barking and his chain caught my leg, tripping me to my knees.  Another car roared by going the opposite way, and he followed suit.  Then another car zipped by going the other way.  Similar pattern.  In the process, the chain wrapped around my throat.  When the next car whizzed by, I began to be strangled. So far, that is the scariest moment of my life.  My life literally passed before my eyes (as brief as it was) while I used my remaining breath to beg my little brother for help.  Assistance did arrive (otherwise I wouldn't be typing this po...

My freshman year of college looked bright. As the second semester drew to a close, I started to feel pretty comfortable with myself.  I had a steady girlfriend, a solid car, good grades and a decent job.  I was also far from where God wanted me to be.  I became protective of my possessions.  I took security in my relationships.  I enjoyed the money of my job.  I felt arrogance at my good grades.  Despite being active in campus ministry, I was far from the path God wanted me on.  I acknowledged him, but I certainly wasn't obeying him. God needed to get my attention, and he did. In the span of a few months, I flunked my Calculus class.  It was the first (and only) time I had ever failed.  Then, someone rear-ended my car on the interstate.  It was totaled.  That job I loved?  Yeah, I got fired at the start of the summer.  By the end of summer, I broke it off with my girlfriend. As I started my sophomo...

President Harry Truman faced a daunting decision. In August 1945, the U. S. government had developed the atomic bomb.  This new weapon of mass destruction could bring a swift end to the Second World War, but at the cost of utter devastation.  On the other hand, U. S. forces could begin a land invasion of the Japanese mainland.  Only three beaches were optimal for landing, which the Japanese knew and fortified.  The kamikaze tactics of Japanese pilots would surely translate to ground soldiers defending their homeland.  Projected American casualties numbered 1 million.  Japanese casualties projected at 2 million.  The U. S. could take the mainland, but at great cost. Truman didn't know if the American public could stomach such losses after just recently defeating Germany.  The European victory took four years and millions of lives.  Japan sensed this hesitancy and prepared to make any invasion as bloody as possible. With that infor...

A few years ago, I came upon this picture: It's from a children's devotional we read each night as a family.  The picture is an artist's illustration of the disciples.  As soon as I saw it, I chuckled immediately. Look closely, all the disciples look like great guys.  They have bright faces, big smiles and clear complexions.  They look like your friends and buddies and just all around great guys. Well, all except one.  Look at the photo closely.  All the disciples look like fun-loving guys except for Judas.  (I circled him so you could see it clearly.)  He looks like a shady character, with a sinister smile, an angular beard, shifty eyes and a dangerous-look about him.  In the illustration, he is clearly the odd-man-out. I laugh because this illustration must be grossly exaggerated. If Judas really looked sinister compared to the fun-loving disciples, he would have stuck out.  Someone would have taken notice a...

You see that picture over there? I despise that machine. While on a family vacation before my senior year of high school, I walked into an arcade in Panama City Beach, Fl.  The quarter machine sat front and center, baiting me to try for a small fortune in quarters. The object of the game is to plop in your quarter and watch it land.  When enough quarters pile up, the conveyor belt, which constantly moves back and forth, will overload, sending quarters into the prize bin.  It's a fortune to be had for just 25 cents. I stopped and pondered.  The quarters sat perched on the edge of the ledge.  Just a quarter or two would turn the tide.  I could drop in 50 cents and leave with several dollars.  I reached into my pocket, found a quarter, shoved it into the slot, and the quarter machine won. You see, one quarter didn't do it.  Neither did two.  I tried three.   Then four.  I found the coin exchange and submitted dollar afte...

A few years ago when I wrote for the newspaper, I covered the story of a recount in an election. Two candidates for a local office had finished within three votes of each other, prompting an automatic recount of the votes.  As I sat there in the tiny office surrounded by the candidates and their supporters, I watched as the election officials pulled each ballot by hand and counted the votes again. The tedious process produced fruit.  Some votes were miscounted, but not enough to change the result.  The winning candidate claimed victory by a single vote.  As I witnessed disappointment and elation amongst the two contenders, I could only think one thing:  I single-handedly elected this guy to office. You see, I voted for the winning candidate. Going into the ballot box, I had no clue to vote for in the race.  So I picked him.  And he won.  By one vote.  By my vote. I made a difference.  I changed the election.  I helped...

I'll never forget the scene. I was strolling past the Old State Capital building in Frankfort, Ky.  My wife, a teacher, led a field trip to the state capital.  Short on chaperones, she asked me to come along.  It was just after lunch.  Many of the students were taking photos or cleaning up lunch or talking.  I was strolling the outer edge of the fence, taking in the scene.  In my peripheral vision, I notice a boy - about 2 or 3 years old - running full steam in my direction.  Behind him is a dad rushing to catch up. That's when I did something unusual.  I stopped. I don't know why, but for some reason, I stopped walking and just watched this scene unfold.  I watched as the boy, his face lit up in glee, ran past me toward the busy street beyond.  I watched as a father - worry etched on his face - ran hard to intercept his son before he made it to the road. I'm happy to report the father reached his son just before he barreled ...

When I was in elementary school, we took one day at the end of the year for an egg contest. Each student built a contraption they thought would keep an egg from being broken.  Then teachers and principals would drop those inventions, all containing eggs, from ever increasing heights.  If the egg broke, you didn't win the prize. I'm sad to say my device didn't win.  It made it though a couple of rounds, but a drop from a second story window did it in.  I unraveled the tape to see gushy, yellow yoke all over the cotton balls inside.  The winner survived a drop from the roof. I may not have won the egg dropping contest, but I did learn something that fateful day.  When objects are dropped, no matter how big or small or light or heavy, they all fall to the ground.  Every time.  No exceptions. Gravity pulls on the earth.  It grounds me on soil, keeping me from floating away into the atmosphere.  It brings me back down when I jump in t...

Recently, as I've been studying other faiths for our weekly youth Bible study, I've spoken with people about their beliefs in God and scripture.  I've gotten some interesting responses. One person said they believed in the truths the Bible taught, but simply could not accept the wilder accounts, such as Jonah.  Another said the Bible was a book of truths, but so are other religious books.  Another disputed various accounts of scripture. As I read those responses, I understand how people can fall for the fallacy of cults.  They twist scripture and add enough "Christian-speak" to sound authentic.  If you don't know your Bible or have just rudimentary knowledge, you can be easily confused about what is true and what is false. Jehovah's Witnesses are one of those types of organizations.  Many of their teachings directly contradict scripture.  They teach that Jesus is an angel created by God who died on a stake instead of a cross.  They teach tha...

I sat there mesmerized. It was nothing more than a cluster of grapes, a large vine and a Bible verse, but I could not step away.  The verse, from John 15, reminded me that apart from Jesus I can not bear fruit.  It's a verse I've read and quoted countless times.  Yet, for this moment, I felt the weight of that passage. We were smack dab in the middle of a mission trip to St. Louis.  This particular day found me at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens--an excursion our sight liaison arranged during our visit.  Amidst all the various plants and trees, the Botanical Gardens houses a small Biblical garden, featuring plants mentioned and used in the Bible.  The grapes were front and center.  The clusters of grapes were enormous, overloading the vines which were literally hanging over the patio.  I stopped and marveled at the amount of fruit and at the words of Jesus. In the middle of St. Louis, the world disappeared as I experienced the prese...

A few years ago I read the story about a Dairy Queen in Danville, Ky. Apparently, someone came in and ordered $2 worth of ice cream and paid for the order with a fake $200 bill.  The fake currency had a picture of President George W. Bush on the front and an photo of the White House filled with lawn signs on the back.  The cashier accepted the bill and gave the person $198 in change. Obviously, $200 bills do not exist.  President Bush is not on any form of currency.  However, the bill was green and the numbers looked like monetary numbers on U.S. currency.  The cashier got hoodwinked and Dairy Queen was robbed of $198. Sometimes it's hard spotting a fake.  Forgeries have gotten better and better that untrained eyes might be fooled.  It's not just money either.  Knock-off toys, purses and clothes sell for much higher than they are actually worth.  Counterfeit items imitate the real thing, but are not. U. S. Treasury agents memorize the...

In my job, I see lots of pain. I see children hurt by the pain of divorce.  I witness students struggling with parental relationships.  I comfort students who have broken up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend.  I console someone in the death of a loved one. Pain and suffering are very real.  Even believers in Jesus feel pain and suffering, often in great amounts.  However, as believers in Jesus, we rely upon the strength of Christ to get us through the dark, lonely and tough times.  I don't understand how people deal with pain without the presence of Jesus. Buddhists are very different.  Buddhism believes pain and suffering come from desires.  In order to end suffering, a Buddhist seeks to find an existence without desire.  When they finally find this peace, they no longer reincarnate but cease to exist.  Jesus teaches a very different solution.  He tells his followers pain won't decrease.  In fact, he tells them to expec...

"There are many paths to God, choose one." That's the slogan on a barn in Walton, Ky. near where I grew up.  It's written with reflectors so when the headlights hit the barn, the message lights up for all to see.  Every time I passed that barn, I grew angry.  How many souls believe that and end up in Hell? That idea is false.  It started primarily through the Hindu religion.  Hindus worship more than 330 million gods.  They believe people die and are born again in a cycle that only ends once your karma--or bad things you've done--balances out.  In Hinduism, you pick a few gods to worship and through good deeds and suffering, you will eventually find god after enough lifetimes. Scripture, though, teaches a different story. Hebrews tells us we are appointed once to live and then to die and face judgment. Deuteronomy tells us there is only one God. Jesus, in John 14, assures us there is only one way to heaven--through a relationship with him...

I'm preparing for hostilities I'm not talking about open war or riots or murder.  In fact, I won't be the hostile one.  Instead, I believe it now my mission to prepare my students for the hostile world that awaits them. What do I mean? Well, with the Supreme Court decisions on marriage this week, coupled with the Texas filibuster that kept an abortion bill from passing (and the praise that senator received), it is inevitable that Christian teenagers will grow up in a world where their beliefs in scripture will make them outcasts. I've seen it already.  I read several blogs praising the decision and labeling Christians who believe homosexuality is a sin as backwards, outdated, wrong and hatemongers.  Popular opinion is not on our side. Then again, it never was. In Jesus' day, he attacked popular opinion.  Time and again he called out the religious leaders for teaching a secularized version of scripture.  In Jewish culture, during the exile, the r...

As I type this, my desk is literally covered with piles of permission and medical forms. In less than a week, we leave for youth camp.  In less than a month, we depart for our mission trip to St. Louis.  In six weeks, we take our children to kids camp. All of those trips include lengthy medical forms that must be filled out.  On the forms, allergies, medicines and health conditions have to be listed.  Insurance cards and numbers must be included.  Signatures from parents are required.  In the past, some of those forms even needed to be notarized. To take students to camp or mission trip requires a fairly detailed, finely-worded process that must be signed off by parents or the student cannot attend or participate.  (I once misplaced a form and was told that student could only sit in the dorm room until the form was found and faxed.) Yet, thanks to recent court rulings and now the Obama administration backing off of their appeal of tho...

Last week, at Disney World, I went to retrieve our stroller from the stroller parking section.  As I searched among the hundred or so strollers, I finally found mine and started to move it.  As I pulled, it snagged on a woman's garment.  Panicked, I looked up and saw it was a Muslim women in full Muslin dress.  Her body was completely covered.  Only a slit for her eyes was visible.  I was careful not to yank, and I tried to apologize as the hook of the handle caught part of her garment.  She didn't say a word and we both quietly went on our ways. As I walked away, I felt pity on her.  For one, it's Disney World in June in Florida.  I strode along in shorts and a very thin T-shirt.  Both were soaked in sweat.  I had already consumed two bottles of water and still felt weary.  She was dressed head to toe in heavy garments.  I can't imagine how hot she was pushing a stroller with two kids through a mass of people in hum...

Today is almost like a holiday for me.  It's vacation-eve.  To celebrate, I wanted to give you a sampling of what I've read the past six months. In the past, I've done this list just prior to Christmas.  However, between seminary and my own personal reading, my book reading has grown exponentially.  So, with no lesson on the schedule for this week and my mind halfway on vacation already, I decided to put this list for your perusal. My goal in doing this annually is two-fold.  1.  I want you to see what I'm reading.  2.  I want to give you some ideas for either personal reading or as gifts for Father's Day, Anniversaries, or even for vacation.  As always, this will not be a comprehensive list.  It's just some books I want to highlight that I hope you are interested in as well. Just a note, for the first time I can remember, I'm now reading most of my books in the Kindle format.  Of the books I list below, only two w...

The worst natural disaster damage I ever witnessed came from flooding in Eastern Kentucky a few years back. One day, consecutive thunderstorms unleashed 4 inches of water in a short period of time over the same exact areas.  The results were catastrophic.  Creeks burst out of their beds, creating a massive, flowing wall of water that simply erased the landscape.  I remember driving down the road in the aftermath.  On the right hand side, piled up against a grove of trees, mobile homes sat stacked on each other, as if a giant hand swept them all into the woods.  Those living structures were no longer inhabitable.  Eventually, they were removed and sold for scrap. Those mobile homes had no solid foundation.  They sat on concrete slabs, but had nothing anchoring them to the ground.  When the water came, they becamse easy targets to be swept away in the roaring flood waters.  Nothing held them in place, so they became a huge pile next to ...

The soccer season is over...for me anyway. Yesterday, I coached the last game of the season for our U4 soccer team.  I'd love to tell you we scored the winning goal in the last few seconds and parents carried me off the field on their shoulders.  I'd love to, but I can't.  It didn't happen. In fact, it, like almost all of our games this season, didn't go well at all.  They don't keep score in our league (thank goodness), but if they did, it would have been a lot to a little.  We didn't have the lot.  Our kids tried hard, but we just didn't have the confidence to strike the ball and take on defenders.  We were often short-handed.  Short attention spans ruled the day. To be honest, I spent most of the season frustrated.  I talked and coached and demonstrated and talked some more.  In practice the kids would do fine.  In games, not so much.  I spent more time yelling for kids to stop picking grass and stay out of the goal th...