Be Original, Be Yourself

I like to read Mark Batterson's blog. There are almost always things on there that interest me. He had a post recently titled "Tell Me Something I Don't Know."

Question, how intimidating is it to step up to a pulpit knowing that you have people thinking that? Is it even realistic to think I have something new to tell people?

Mark says, "The church ought to be the place where original thought is most prevalent. We have the Holy Spirit to illuminate us and lead us into all truth. But all too often I hear what I've heard a thousand times. So I tend to tune out. Challenge my assumptions. Violate my expectations. Shift my paradigms. The best speakers have a way of saying old things in new ways."

This scares me. Have you ever tried being original. I think when you try being originial you cease being yourself. You place an emphasis on manufacturing something that isn't real. Let's face it, we're all original. Not one of us human types are exactly alike. That makes me an original. That makes you an original. Should I be concerned with making people think, laugh, dream, cry, repent, change, remember and imagine? The truth is, I can't tell Mark Batterson anything he doesn't already know. Chances are, I can't tell most "church" people what they already know. But, I can tell my story and how God's truth impacted my life.

Good speakers to me are the ones who are themselves and communicate God's timeless truth with the Spirit's power.

"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." 2 Corinthians 2:1-5

Just some "I can't go to sleep" thoughts.

We Look Good

We took a few hours away from the kids to be with our students for Chi Alpha's end of the year banquet. We clean up pretty good, don't we?

Heroes not Heroes

I haven't watched a single episode of the NBC series, "Heroes." I understand it to be popular, at least among students. From my brief look at the "Heroes" official website the show is "an epic drama that chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities." From cheerleaders to strippers to cops to fugitives from the law, these people discover that they possess super powers. If it wasn't on the same time as "24" I'd probably watch it.

As I was driving in the other morning, the local morning radio show was talking about the recent congressional hearings of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman. The military and the media have portrayed them as heroes - Jessica for her GI Jane-like tenacity and Pat Tillman for courage in the face of a brazen enemy. Now that the truth has come out, especially about Tillman, the media and perhaps the general public will view them as something other than heroes. Jessica has always downplayed the title "hero" and deferred that status to the people who got her out of there and her friend, who died beside her. For whatever reason, Tillmans' CO decided to conceal the truth about what really happened. Perhaps it was for the sake of his brother. Perhaps the people needed a good story to make us feel better about the war. Who knows. I can tell you one thing, though - these people are still heroes.

But not the kind of heroes the media wants. Americans are still dying in Iraq and flags fly at full mast. Americans die on a college campus, flags fly at half-mast.

he-ro [heer-oh] a man (or woman) of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

Students living out their faith on a college campus, going against the grain, standing up for holiness and righteousness are my heroes. Soldiers patrolling an action-less base miles back from the front lines, yet separated from family and loved ones are my heroes.

Heroes not heroes. I know what a hero is. Do you?

Getting It

A Chi Alpha friend sent me this picture. This church gets what we do!

Surgery

Well, I made it through surgery ok. We got up to Pittsburgh at 11:30 - the surgery was scheduled for 2pm. I was very happy with my experience at UPMC. Everyone, including the Anesthesiologist, were cordial and friendly and highly professional. My biggest fear of the whole surgery was coming out of anesthesia. The last time I went under, I vomitted non-stop for what seemed like an eternity. That's when I learned about the miracle drug Zofran. So,I told them while in pre-op to load me up during and after surgery. I didn't have an ounce of nausea! They gave me three different kinds of nausea meds and even put a "patch" behind my ear for the almost 2 hour drive home.

So, I'm fairly comfortable. Though I can barely move my leg, I relatively free from pain. And that's a good thing!

More Questions

Questions. Heaven is being bombarded by thousands of of questions from normally distant people...why? How can a loving God allow such a horrible tragedy? There's so much politicizing that it's making my stomach churn. There always has to be some other answer. It can't be what it really is - a sinful, needy, desperate human being committing a horrible, senless act. It must be Virignia Tech's fault. It must be the state's fault. That Charlton Heston, he's to blame for his pro-gun infulence.

I had some time to reflect this morning I was laying on my back at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center having an MRI done of my cancerous leg. Life is sacred. I have to spend my time accomplishing the highest, most important priorities. I won't have another shot at this life - I must make the most of every opportunity.

Remember the families of these students and teachers. Go to the vigil tonight and ask that the God of all comfort be the strongest influence in their hearts. That's the best thing we can do. It's the most important thing we can do.