On Webster's webpage The Word of the Day for September 21, 2009 is:
Laodicean • \lay-ah-duh-SEE-un\ • adjective
: lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics
Example Sentence:
Evan lamented the Laodicean attitude of his fellow citizens, as evidenced by the low voter turnout on Election Day.
Did you know?
English speakers owe the word "Laodicean" to Chapter 3, verses 15 and 16 of the Book of Revelation, in which the church of Laodicea is admonished for being "neither cold nor hot, . . . neither one nor the other, but just lukewarm" in its devotion. By 1633, the name of that tepid biblical church had become a general term for any half-hearted or irresolute follower of a religious faith. Since then, the word’s use has broadened to cover flimsy political devotion as well. For example, in comparing U.S. presidents, journalist Samuel Hopkins Adams compared "the fiery and aggressive [Theodore] Roosevelt" to "the timorous Laodicean [Warren] Harding."
I don't know about you, but I'm probably guilty of not being as passionate about my Lord, His church and our world, as I should be. But I don't want to be "laodicean"; I don't want to be lukewarm. The bible says God will spit you out of His mouth if you are lukewarm. In other words, laodiceans are distasteful to Him; half-hearted; have lack of devotion or are too politically correct to be of much benefit to anyone. Have you left a bad taste in God's mouth or caused Him to want to take a heavenly Tums? There have been times when I probably have.
Lord, please give me the courage to be all that you want me to be for your kingdom and your glory. Please convict me when I am becoming complacent or laodicean. Please help me to be a good and faithful servant for you and to others. Ignite my passion, Lord, so I can share the good news of a wonderful God to a world that needs to know You. I can't be lukewarm to do that effectively so help me to always be bold when led by you and to have the courage to be resolute in my devotion to You and to things and people that matter to You. AMEN!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
God's travel blessings
It’s a travel day. We’re headed out to sunny California to the Celebrate Recovery Summit at Saddleback Church. There are 17 of us from Heartland Community Church on this flight, a flight that had a slow start getting off the ground, but is now soaring freely in the air, thank God. It reminds me of so many of us and our struggles in life. Sometimes we get stalled and we can’t seem to get off the ground, but then God picks us up and allows us to soar.
It’s been a mixed bag of blessings today and I’m sitting in the middle of a 4 hour flight, so I’ll bore you with some of the details. First off, we left for the O’Hare airport in Chicago at 5:00 am for our scheduled 8:30 am flight. We get to the airport and attempted to circumvent waiting in line by checking our bags at the curb; it’s always been our preferred mode of check-in in past travels. Luckily, Bill notices that the attendant charges us for three bags, but we only have two. This is not something that can be corrected at the curb. He takes our credit card and goes inside, to the terminal, to correct the mistake. We’re still waiting for him to return 15 minutes later, so Bill goes in search of him, finds him, and all is well. Today’s check-in was not as quick as former ones had been, but maybe it was just an indication of what the day had in store. Still, no problem, we have plenty of time for our flight.
We get through security and I go the bathroom….I know…TMI…but there’s a point I want to make here about the bathrooms in O-Hare. You see, you can say whatever you want about O’Hare, good or bad, but there is one thing I absolutely LOVE about this airport…the plastic covered toilet seats that rotate to a clean “throne” when you wave your hand over the automated contraption on the wall – telling you how many rotations have been made. I have always thought this was one of the best inventions ever made and it blesses my socks off each time I go to O’Hare. It’s so cool not to worry about lining the seat with TP before you sit or having to “hover” over the seat without making contact. Oh the joy! Anyway, some people want to be a killjoy about this and insist that the plastic just keeps going around and being re-used by everyone. I choose not to believe this pessimistic view of a modern day blessing.
So, we get on the flight and end up being delayed for maintenance to look at a malfunction. They come over the speakers and tell us they can’t find the part they need to fix it, so we will have to de-board and get onto another flight. Two minutes later, they tell us, they are going to be able to fix the malfunction after all. I’m not at all comfortable with this scenario, and would much rather be on the ground than on a plane that was put together with what was probably duct tape. Regardless, they don’t ask for my opinion, so we eventually start to taxi on the runway. After coasting along for a little bit, the captain comes back over the speakers and tells us they have a completely new problem and we are going to have to go back to the gate to allow the maintenance crew to come aboard to see if they can fix it. Now its’ nearly two hours after we first boarded the plane, and we’re told that we won’t be able to fly this aircraft after all and we will need to get off the plane and wait for another plane. But I’m okay with this, you understand, because I see it as more of God’s blessings and protection.. I didn’t want to go up in a malfunctioning plane anyway and much prayer had gone into safe travel for our entire group. Praise the Lord!
Not only were we, SAFELY, still on the ground, but they ended up giving us lunch vouchers to help towards our lunch as we waited another two hours for our new plane to get in from LaGuardia. Additionally, one member of our group had an unexpected drop in his blood sugar and was near the point of fainting. We were able to get him some food and revive him for the rest of the journey….yes, God is always good!
Now we’re on the plane and I’m excited about how God has blessed us. It may be four hours later than we planned to be in route, but that’s an inconvenience I can overlook. I’m beginning to see that perspective and focus have a lot to do with the outcome of many situations. Focusing on God’s blessings in our delays, and not the tiresome inconveniences they imposed upon our trip, has helped me to CELEBRATE his goodness.
That doesn’t mean I have perfect perspective ALL the time. Right now I’m dealing with my impatience with the traveler in front of me. I have had a pet peeve, for a LONG time, with travelers who recline their seats on planes that are already much too compact. Those of us that have vertical fortitude and long legs are especially challenged with someone wanting to put their seatbacks into our knees and their heads in our laps. I’m just not ready to get that close to my fellow travelers! Yet I’m trying to understand that this man may feel he has an entitlement to use the reclining feature on his seat, even though he is in a roomy exit row and doesn’t have to worry about the person in front of him returning the favor. Oh well, there’s a blessing in there somewhere. I think I just have to look past my selfishness long enough to see it. Opening my eyes probably wouldn’t hurt either. Sometimes we shut our eyes to things because we don’t want to find the good in it. Guilty! I guess I’m headed to a good place this week. Hopefully, there’s help for me yet.
It’s been a mixed bag of blessings today and I’m sitting in the middle of a 4 hour flight, so I’ll bore you with some of the details. First off, we left for the O’Hare airport in Chicago at 5:00 am for our scheduled 8:30 am flight. We get to the airport and attempted to circumvent waiting in line by checking our bags at the curb; it’s always been our preferred mode of check-in in past travels. Luckily, Bill notices that the attendant charges us for three bags, but we only have two. This is not something that can be corrected at the curb. He takes our credit card and goes inside, to the terminal, to correct the mistake. We’re still waiting for him to return 15 minutes later, so Bill goes in search of him, finds him, and all is well. Today’s check-in was not as quick as former ones had been, but maybe it was just an indication of what the day had in store. Still, no problem, we have plenty of time for our flight.
We get through security and I go the bathroom….I know…TMI…but there’s a point I want to make here about the bathrooms in O-Hare. You see, you can say whatever you want about O’Hare, good or bad, but there is one thing I absolutely LOVE about this airport…the plastic covered toilet seats that rotate to a clean “throne” when you wave your hand over the automated contraption on the wall – telling you how many rotations have been made. I have always thought this was one of the best inventions ever made and it blesses my socks off each time I go to O’Hare. It’s so cool not to worry about lining the seat with TP before you sit or having to “hover” over the seat without making contact. Oh the joy! Anyway, some people want to be a killjoy about this and insist that the plastic just keeps going around and being re-used by everyone. I choose not to believe this pessimistic view of a modern day blessing.
So, we get on the flight and end up being delayed for maintenance to look at a malfunction. They come over the speakers and tell us they can’t find the part they need to fix it, so we will have to de-board and get onto another flight. Two minutes later, they tell us, they are going to be able to fix the malfunction after all. I’m not at all comfortable with this scenario, and would much rather be on the ground than on a plane that was put together with what was probably duct tape. Regardless, they don’t ask for my opinion, so we eventually start to taxi on the runway. After coasting along for a little bit, the captain comes back over the speakers and tells us they have a completely new problem and we are going to have to go back to the gate to allow the maintenance crew to come aboard to see if they can fix it. Now its’ nearly two hours after we first boarded the plane, and we’re told that we won’t be able to fly this aircraft after all and we will need to get off the plane and wait for another plane. But I’m okay with this, you understand, because I see it as more of God’s blessings and protection.. I didn’t want to go up in a malfunctioning plane anyway and much prayer had gone into safe travel for our entire group. Praise the Lord!
Not only were we, SAFELY, still on the ground, but they ended up giving us lunch vouchers to help towards our lunch as we waited another two hours for our new plane to get in from LaGuardia. Additionally, one member of our group had an unexpected drop in his blood sugar and was near the point of fainting. We were able to get him some food and revive him for the rest of the journey….yes, God is always good!
Now we’re on the plane and I’m excited about how God has blessed us. It may be four hours later than we planned to be in route, but that’s an inconvenience I can overlook. I’m beginning to see that perspective and focus have a lot to do with the outcome of many situations. Focusing on God’s blessings in our delays, and not the tiresome inconveniences they imposed upon our trip, has helped me to CELEBRATE his goodness.
That doesn’t mean I have perfect perspective ALL the time. Right now I’m dealing with my impatience with the traveler in front of me. I have had a pet peeve, for a LONG time, with travelers who recline their seats on planes that are already much too compact. Those of us that have vertical fortitude and long legs are especially challenged with someone wanting to put their seatbacks into our knees and their heads in our laps. I’m just not ready to get that close to my fellow travelers! Yet I’m trying to understand that this man may feel he has an entitlement to use the reclining feature on his seat, even though he is in a roomy exit row and doesn’t have to worry about the person in front of him returning the favor. Oh well, there’s a blessing in there somewhere. I think I just have to look past my selfishness long enough to see it. Opening my eyes probably wouldn’t hurt either. Sometimes we shut our eyes to things because we don’t want to find the good in it. Guilty! I guess I’m headed to a good place this week. Hopefully, there’s help for me yet.
Friday, July 3, 2009
King of Pop; King of Rock and Roll; King of Glory
I am intrigued to watch the world react when a public figure dies. With the recent unfortunate and untimely death of Michael Jackson, once again, I'm intrigued. A sadness strikes me when I think of him; of what a tragic and lonely life he seemed to live and what an early unexpected death that ceased his earthly existence.
I am not awe-struck by Michael Jackson, the person, but I do think he was a genius, musically. I readily give him credit for being a pop music icon. My sorrow is that it all went wrong somewhere and people just began to think he was strange. He lost his way somehow. Being thrust into the spotlight at a very early age couldn't have been easy and, from the reports I've seen, he wasn't nominating his father for any "father of the year" awards. Suffice it to say, I think his hurts, habits and hang-ups have been festering for a very long time. I only wish someone could have reached him and would have been there to help him; to speak some truth to him; to love him for who he was - not what he could give them or do for them.
Yes, Michael Jackson was the King of Pop....he had fame and fortune....and failure. Some of the world hailed him when he was alive...many gossiped and speculated. Yes, he had some strange behaviors and probably some very painful memories and hurts, but none of us really know what was true of him. What's hypocritical is that people distained him in life and yet praise him in death.
I'm also struck by the similarities the King of Pop had with the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Not to mention that MJ was once married to Elvis' daughter, but there are even more striking parallels to be drawn. Both were flat out entertaining; both had early and lengthy fame; both amassed large crowds of fans and finacial fortunes; both had a darkness to their lives that seemed to torture them beyond what anyone could understand; both were rumored to medicate themselves to help extinguish their pain; both had problems with their popularity, and their lifestyles and finances suffered greatly for it....Yes, two earthly legends could not support the mantle of "KING". That's because they were only human. Unfortunately, they could not hold up under the pressure, and they left this world earlier than anyone expected, or really wanted, them to. Sad.
That brings us to the King of GLORY; the one true KING, Jesus. His fame came, mostly, after his death. And many, still, cannot believe he is the KING. Maybe its because he had no earthly fortune. He taught that your fortune is in the treasures you lay up in heaven - in other words, what you really love and care about, and for, dictates how wealthy you are. Love is intangible; money is not. Yet love will last when money is long gone. And in the world's eyes, Jesus failed, was killed on a cross, and died. BUT...we know the true story...He rose again! MJ might be able to moon walk and Elvis might be able to rock and roll like no other, BUT Jesus gets the ultimate kudos for blowing my mind...He rose from the dead! That's right, shed his grave clothes, moon walked on over to the door and rolled the rock away....that's some serious "kingly" behavior! The best part is, if I believe He is the Christ, that he died for me, and I put my trust in Him, I can have front row seats to the best concert ever, as we sing everlasting praises to him in heaven. The tickets are free too...you just have to ask!
This week we'll watch the world flock to memorials for Michael Jackson. No doubt, they'll continue to worship him for years, just like people still do Elvis. I do know that neither of them are ever walking, alive, out of the doors of Neverland or Graceland. Yet people will continue hailing them as kings for generations to come. It's okay to pay respects to a person's life and acknowledge that they were probably the best at their trade. As far as worshipping a king, I'll just stick with the King of Glory. 2000 years and running is a pretty long time to reign and He's only just begun!
I am not awe-struck by Michael Jackson, the person, but I do think he was a genius, musically. I readily give him credit for being a pop music icon. My sorrow is that it all went wrong somewhere and people just began to think he was strange. He lost his way somehow. Being thrust into the spotlight at a very early age couldn't have been easy and, from the reports I've seen, he wasn't nominating his father for any "father of the year" awards. Suffice it to say, I think his hurts, habits and hang-ups have been festering for a very long time. I only wish someone could have reached him and would have been there to help him; to speak some truth to him; to love him for who he was - not what he could give them or do for them.
Yes, Michael Jackson was the King of Pop....he had fame and fortune....and failure. Some of the world hailed him when he was alive...many gossiped and speculated. Yes, he had some strange behaviors and probably some very painful memories and hurts, but none of us really know what was true of him. What's hypocritical is that people distained him in life and yet praise him in death.
I'm also struck by the similarities the King of Pop had with the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Not to mention that MJ was once married to Elvis' daughter, but there are even more striking parallels to be drawn. Both were flat out entertaining; both had early and lengthy fame; both amassed large crowds of fans and finacial fortunes; both had a darkness to their lives that seemed to torture them beyond what anyone could understand; both were rumored to medicate themselves to help extinguish their pain; both had problems with their popularity, and their lifestyles and finances suffered greatly for it....Yes, two earthly legends could not support the mantle of "KING". That's because they were only human. Unfortunately, they could not hold up under the pressure, and they left this world earlier than anyone expected, or really wanted, them to. Sad.
That brings us to the King of GLORY; the one true KING, Jesus. His fame came, mostly, after his death. And many, still, cannot believe he is the KING. Maybe its because he had no earthly fortune. He taught that your fortune is in the treasures you lay up in heaven - in other words, what you really love and care about, and for, dictates how wealthy you are. Love is intangible; money is not. Yet love will last when money is long gone. And in the world's eyes, Jesus failed, was killed on a cross, and died. BUT...we know the true story...He rose again! MJ might be able to moon walk and Elvis might be able to rock and roll like no other, BUT Jesus gets the ultimate kudos for blowing my mind...He rose from the dead! That's right, shed his grave clothes, moon walked on over to the door and rolled the rock away....that's some serious "kingly" behavior! The best part is, if I believe He is the Christ, that he died for me, and I put my trust in Him, I can have front row seats to the best concert ever, as we sing everlasting praises to him in heaven. The tickets are free too...you just have to ask!
This week we'll watch the world flock to memorials for Michael Jackson. No doubt, they'll continue to worship him for years, just like people still do Elvis. I do know that neither of them are ever walking, alive, out of the doors of Neverland or Graceland. Yet people will continue hailing them as kings for generations to come. It's okay to pay respects to a person's life and acknowledge that they were probably the best at their trade. As far as worshipping a king, I'll just stick with the King of Glory. 2000 years and running is a pretty long time to reign and He's only just begun!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Staying in the RIGHT lane
I saw in the news today where New Yorkers have the worst reputation for being impatient drivers...DUH..I think we all knew that one! I will say one thing for New Yorkers...they've learned how to get where they're going much faster than drivers I've seen in other cities. Actually, I think they get a bad rap, because I love the way they do a few things. Unlike my more southern friends, New Yorkers don't start lining up single file when they see a sign that says something like "5 miles - right lane closed". No, New Yorkers will take all available space in both lanes and allow one another to "take turns" at the merging point. But watch out if you are not quick enough to take your turn...you will get a horn or two, and maybe a few other "pleasantries" thrown your way. Please take it from someone who has lived both in NY and further south and west....sitting in traffic is no picnic but the New Yorkers are much more effective in getting through it.
Speaking of traffic and drivers, I find myself in "grace challenges" when presented with "LEFT" lane drivers. I'm sorry if you are one, but its time someone mentioned the obvious....It's annoying! See, I told you it was a grace challenge for me. I have to constantly ask God's forgiveness for my impatience in this area. I mean, what part of "stay in the right lane unless passing" did people not understand when reading their driver's learning manual? I think it's pretty much an across-the-board concept in all driver's manuals, yet many individuals just naturally gravitate to the left lane and stay there....Help me Lord! Living in NY for so many years really rubbed off on me -and I'm sure I'm a much better driver for it!
But if you think about it, staying in the RIGHT lane just makes sense. That goes for all areas of life - not just traffic. You can operate safely in the right lane and let those moving at a faster pace go around you if they need to. However, if you're poking along in the left lane, you are, no doubt, in the wrong lane and you're operating out of your sweet spot. In all humility, I say, "Get back in the right lane"!
God created us all with special gifts and purposes. We aren't operating at maximum capacity if we are not in the right lane doing the right thing. We could even be impeding others' progress. In the right lane we can operate in our giftedness until something slows us down. Then, when there is an opening, we can move into the left lane and sail smoothly past our roadblocks. That's the way it's supposed to work. We aren't always supposed to stay in the fast lane.
Case in point - I love music. I love to sing. I love to worship my Lord in song. Yet, I don't want to sit in the left lane with my singing ability and I'm certainly not passing anyone. You see, I'm not a great singer...just mediocre...so I know I need to stay in my lane. I certainly don't need to try to get in the left lane with the big dogs on that one. That's okay; I'll just stay on the right and toot my horn when I need to:-)
Speaking of traffic and drivers, I find myself in "grace challenges" when presented with "LEFT" lane drivers. I'm sorry if you are one, but its time someone mentioned the obvious....It's annoying! See, I told you it was a grace challenge for me. I have to constantly ask God's forgiveness for my impatience in this area. I mean, what part of "stay in the right lane unless passing" did people not understand when reading their driver's learning manual? I think it's pretty much an across-the-board concept in all driver's manuals, yet many individuals just naturally gravitate to the left lane and stay there....Help me Lord! Living in NY for so many years really rubbed off on me -and I'm sure I'm a much better driver for it!
But if you think about it, staying in the RIGHT lane just makes sense. That goes for all areas of life - not just traffic. You can operate safely in the right lane and let those moving at a faster pace go around you if they need to. However, if you're poking along in the left lane, you are, no doubt, in the wrong lane and you're operating out of your sweet spot. In all humility, I say, "Get back in the right lane"!
God created us all with special gifts and purposes. We aren't operating at maximum capacity if we are not in the right lane doing the right thing. We could even be impeding others' progress. In the right lane we can operate in our giftedness until something slows us down. Then, when there is an opening, we can move into the left lane and sail smoothly past our roadblocks. That's the way it's supposed to work. We aren't always supposed to stay in the fast lane.
Case in point - I love music. I love to sing. I love to worship my Lord in song. Yet, I don't want to sit in the left lane with my singing ability and I'm certainly not passing anyone. You see, I'm not a great singer...just mediocre...so I know I need to stay in my lane. I certainly don't need to try to get in the left lane with the big dogs on that one. That's okay; I'll just stay on the right and toot my horn when I need to:-)
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