The calling of a place

Maybe it's just the fact that we haven't really traveled anywhere within the last year-and-a-half, but I am feeling the urge to be somewhere else. I read a description of a little tavern that's just outside the gate of an historic medieval walled town in Croatia and was immediately enamored. Ready to get on a plane and head there right now. I think Beth nailed it when she said, "You just haven't been anywhere for more than a year. Anyplace would look good to you."

For those of you who like to travel, you understand. It gets in your blood, and after you've been idle in one location for a while it feels like being cooped up in a small cabin all winter - the proverbial "cabin fever".

Well, I've hit that point again. If given the opportunity, I'd be at the airport tonight, or loading up the car for a long road trip. Come on, twist my arm...

Just got a note from a friend who is heading to Ireland in a couple of weeks. Aah!

But aside from discovering new places while traveling (which I love to do), there is something about those places you've been - those that mean something special to you. From time-to-time they will call to you, a veritable siren to your conscience.

There are a few places like that for me, but two in particular that reign.

First there is my home, where I grew up. Kansas. A lot of people have driven through Kansas with the only lasting memory that they couldn't wait for it to end. I can understand that. For hundreds of miles there is nothing but farm crops and ripening prairie grasses.

But for me - I hear music. There is music there that is just waiting to be realized. I have come to know that there is beauty to be found anywhere you are in nature. Sometimes it assaults your senses. Sometimes it chooses to call to you in subtle urgings to look longer, deeper, closer.

Every now and then, my mind will wonder to the Great Plains and get stuck there for a bit.

For those of you who know me, this will come as no surprise, but another place that calls to me in this way is Ireland. Having been there multiple times has enabled us to become familiar with it. That, and the fact that when we are there it seems so much like home, makes it hard to ignore.

In the same way that I feel rooted to the plains, I have a similar connection to the Emerald Isle. But there is something different, as well. My roots in Kansas grew naturally through my years of growing up. They run deep and strong. The roots that have grown for me in Ireland have grown quickly and are still quite shallow, but they're tenacious, nonetheless.

I enjoyed traveling from a young age, but I never had this burning urge to "get outta Dodge" (well, Pratt, actually), as some I have known. No, instead, I simply knew when it was time to go and never regretted the leaving. I look back fondly on my youth, but have no desire to return permanently to that place. Yet it calls still. I hear it call me to never forget, to always remember. It's undemanding, yet persistent.

Ireland, on the other hand, is somewhat more forceful in her approach. Eire (her true name) will often cause me to lose myself in thoughts of being there; driving through the country, exploring ruins, walking down the street, sitting in the park, engaging with people. With Ireland, I get glimpses of what could or will be, not what once was. I think that's why there seems to be more of an urgency when my thoughts are taken there; why it demands more of my mind and heart.

Ireland will be our new home, and has already begun to be so insofar as it has captured my heart. I will always have a divided heart, though. Part will always be in Kansas. A huge, HUGE part will be wherever our daughter Molly is. Part will be where we are.

Regarding Florida -- we have a home here with the people we know and love, and it will be difficult to leave them. But as for the place -- I don't expect it to call to me once we leave. After 20 years I never have felt like a Floridian. I could probably live here the rest of my days and never experience that.

All that to say... "When do we leave?"

Well, I have taken this far beyond what I had planned, and I'm sure you have better things to do, so I believe it's time to close.

Charis and Shalom...

The 3 missing points

So this morning I gave the message at Coast. It was about David and Goliath and facing the giants in our lives.

We usually have an insert in the handout with scriptures and fill-in-the-blank bullet points and the like, where those present can take notes throughout the sermon.

Well, I got off my notes and ended up skipping three important points (although the things were covered otherwise, the three fill-in-the-blank points made them easy to remember).

So, for those who were present and wondering what the three points were, here you go:

Three things that are instrumental in our victory:

1 - God's Word 2 - God's Ability 3 - Our Faith

Thank you for your attention.

Super Bowl

Those of you that know me know that I'm not the world's biggest sports fan.

Growing up I participated in the obligatory little league baseball, Pass Punt & Kick, neighborhood football games, Kick the Can, et al. In Jr. High, I "played" basketball and ran track. By the time I got to High School, I realized that I was not an athlete. I remember vividly the call to my dad from the school the day of basketball tryouts telling him that I didn't want to play. He was disappointed, but gracious.

About the only sport I was any good at was golf. That was only because my family belonged to the Country Club. I even have a trophy. Now it would take too much of my time and money for me to get back into it.

Come to think of it, I was a pretty fair skier, too. We used to go to Colorado every winter until I was 18. I would probably kill myself if I tried it now.

So through High School and College, I tried to act like I was into watching sports on TV, but eventually concluded, "What's the point?"

Okay, I will admit that I do enjoy watching the Olympics and the X-Games. But as far as keeping up with ongoing team sports - not so much.

Now if you're ever hanging around me talking sports and I don't have a lot to contribute to the conversation, you'll understand why.

So this weekend is the Super Bowl. I know that because I happened to be talking on the phone with a friend for the first time in 20 years and he mentioned that he and his wife were hosting a party on Sunday. I should have known it was soon, because I've always known it was just after Kansas Day. I know that because we learned about it in grade school. Some things just stick, you know?

Don't ask me who is playing this weekend. Like I said, I don't follow college basketball. Just kidding. I'm sure come game time, I'll know the teams, as I know guys will be talking about it at church Sunday morning.

Part of me thinks I'm un-American for not taking a greater interest. Part of me thinks, "I'm a guy. I'm supposed to be into watching team sports." Part of me is a little embarrassed about it. But the 99% that is the rest of me thinks, "Eh - who cares?"

I must admit though - I'm a little concerned. If you think Americans are fanatic about their sports and their teams, you haven't been to Ireland. I would classify the Irish as rabid about "sport".

Who knows, maybe I'll get caught up in the fervor when we're living there. We'll just have to wait and see...

The heart of controversy

So regarding this whole uproar about President Obama asking pastor Rick Warren to do the invocation, and his "praying in Jesus' name"...

Here's the way I see it. That there was a controversy doesn't surprise me. It doesn't get me uptight or anything, because basically we know where the world is headed. It will only get worse before it gets better. We can't change that by getting all worked up about how the world perceives Christians. It is what it is.

What was interesting to me was the discussion among the members of the TV and radio press regarding the Bible that was used for the swearing in. There was long discourse about the history of that particular Bible and about the use of the Bible throughout the past two centuries. However, there was no kind of feeling expressed through these discussions regarding the significance of using the Bible at all. No complaints that a "Christian document" was the very thing that nearly every president has sworn upon.

So why the uproar about the prayer and not the Bible?

I can see several possibilities...

Perhaps that the use of the Bible is such a deep tradition it is viewed not as iconic Christiana, but perhaps simply an historic, weighty document that provides a foundation for the ceremony -- a touch point to the founding of our nation. It may be viewed as one of many such documents (including the Koran, Confucius, the Torah and others) that define the human experience as a whole. I don't know. I'm taking a stab in the dark here.

But regarding the uproar over Pastor Rick and praying in Jesus' name, it seems obvious to me that the world's perception of evangelicals is none too favorable. We evangelicals may not be quite lumped in with radical militant religious groups, but in many regards we are in the same general category. Those who are in the "fundamentalist" camp are at once expected to be dogmatic, unloving, intolerant, narrow-minded, exclusive, judgmental... I could go on. Because of such labels, there is a distrust and a perception that we have an agendum when we choose to be faithful to our beliefs.

The long and short of it is that in a pluralistic society, you can't please everybody. There will always be some who feel disenfranchised. Heavens, if you prayed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there would be a certain contingency of Christians who would object.

Just to stir the waters a little more...

Going back to the swearing in, consider the following statement from Jesus:

"But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." (Matt. 5:34-37 NKJV)

I'm thinking that this includes the Holy Scriptures. What do you think? Now I'm not a legalist. I'm not going to declare that we have had no legitimate presidents these 220 years, save those who chose not to swear on the Bible. I just find this all very interesting.

Alright, enough rambling. I know, I know - I haven't really made any strong arguments or profound statements in my little diatribe here. Just kind of random thoughts of someone trying to get a handle on how the world works.

I'll close by saying this.

I applaud President Obama for sticking so far to his promise of striving toward a more unified nation -- a more inclusive administration. No, I don't agree with many of his viewpoints and values. But I will be praying that he will turn to the One through whom all things were made for guidance and wisdom as president -- and the hope of eternal life as a fellow human being.

Oh, and one more thing...

No matter how you feel about the man, this is truly a remarkable era for our nation and world. Centuries of struggle, violence, oppression and turmoil have led us to this point and we should be proud that we have finally arrived here.

The weather ain't the reason

Rain. Sleet. Snow. Temperatures hovering around freezing. Winds up to 100 mph. Power outages. Hazardous driving. Stranded motorists. Trees and road signs blown down -- on top of cars. 30 ft. waves in a bay. Flooded roads.

This, my friends is Ireland right now.

My word, they are getting slammed with horrible weather! And the kicker is that it's supposed to continue like this for the next week or so.

Now why is it that we want to move to Ireland? Well, I could have told you from the beginning that it wasn't for the weather. Except maybe when it's 99F with 99% humidity here in Gulf Breeze, while it's in the 70s in Dublin.

This picture is us in Ireland in August...

Okay, this was a little too cool for summer in our minds.

Nonetheless - that's where we want to be. That's where we're supposed to be.

May it be sooner rather than later...