Oh...To Be Thankful!

It's Thanksgiving morning, about 5:20 and I'm hanging out with my father in the living room of their home in Temecula.  Its about 30 degrees outside, slight breeze and the coffee is brewing (The heater is on...though the window in the study is open - my dad just told me its my mother's prerogative?  Okay...).  Today, I'm encouraged by tradition, by the media and the many decorations posted all over to be Thankful - great advice!

You know, I've always loved this time of year, especially watching and listening to our soldiers overseas saying they love and miss their family - really grabs my heart!  Just watched a young man in Afghanistan tell his mother to have a nice day - so cool!

Thanksgiving is a day set apart to be...thankful!  Thankfulness, defined, means to be grateful, appreciative and indebted to something or someone.  The other day I read an article entitled, "Be Thankful!"  Here's an excerpt:

"If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world. If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthy."

Talk about perspective!  I know of a scripture that says we are to be thankful in all things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  As I enter yet another great day, I propose to be thankful, to be full of gratitude, and to be appreciative for all that I've been blessed with.  From a great family to my health, from my Eternal Security to the Comforter that resides within me - today, my choice and privilege is to be Thankful!  And you know, I'd highly encourage you to do the same...we are truly blessed!

A Miracle Underway - Part 1

I love stories that grab my heart.  I thrive on hearing of God's grace working in His creation.  I so enjoy God's miraculous hand at work in the midst of difficult situations.  It's like a Master Poet, or a Master Artist crafting, painting, writing a script that is, well...just precious!  Granted, life doesn't always turn out the way we thought; in fact, many times we simply don't understand the whys of His sovereignty (...a prophet of old said one day, "His ways aren't our ways; His thoughts aren't our thoughts!"  In other words, He's so above us we really can't being to comprehend what He's up too...)!  Well, the brief story I'm about to jot down is one of those tissue moments...so, go grab your favorite hankie and get ready for a good cry!

Let me introduce you: this is Sophie Rose!

Are you ready?  Last Friday morning at 3:45, California time, I received a call.  I answered the phone, sensing it must be an emergency - who in the world would call my cell phone at that hour?  Sure enough, I received a call asking for prayer for little Sophie Rose!  You see, my good friend and boss, Steve, is Sophie's grandfather and his daughter had just given birth to grand daughter number two!  Well, Sophie's heart had stopped beating (for 8 minutes) and she wasn't able to breathe on her own.  She was given a 50-50 chance of living; expect major complications and challenges in the seconds, minutes and hours ahead...the family was informed.  To make matters more interesting, the pregnancy went perfect, without a hitch.  This was TOTALLY unexpected.  I can only imagine the trauma and anxiety at the little hospital north of Seattle, Washington.  Emergency C-Section, emergency Air-lift of Sophie to Children's Hospital, emergency...well, you get the picture!

You know, in difficult times, we as Christians go to the only place we know of for help; namely, we hit our knees & head to the Throne of God to ask, plead, and beg for mercy, for intervention, for healing, for His favor in our time of need.  And, that's exactly what we did...we prayed.  We went to Psalm 121 and prayed, prayed and prayed.  In fact, prayers have invaded the throne of God from Seattle, from San Luis Obispo, from Morro Bay, from Temecula, from New Zealand, from Ethiopia, from Fiji, from the Philippines, from - well..all over. 

And guess what - God heard our prayers and sought fit to do what He was going to do all along: use this precious little bundle of joy to make His name famous - from Seattle to Morro Bay, from Temecula to the Philippines, from San Luis Obispo to Ethiopia, from who knows where: God listened and acted! 

Wow...tears are welling in my eyes as I type and witness this miracle unfold...from last Friday morning to today, Tuesday - Sophie, though told she would be on a ventilator for 5-7 days, is now breathing on her own, a brain wave test was conducted and Sophie has normal brain wave patterns; and, as the picture below proclaims, Sophie is eating! 

Can you believe it?

I talked with Steve late afternoon yesterday, and the prayer is that Sophie will come home on the 30th of November.  Sophie still needs your prayers, as there is some congestion in her lungs and she's utilizing oxygen to augment her breathing...her mommy needs prayer for a quick recovery from the surgery, both mommy and daddy need prayer for the emotional ups and downs of these past four days, as do both sets of grandparents and extended family members...

Matthew 19:14, "Let the little children come unto Me, for such is the Kingdom of God!"

Would you take a moment right now and say, "Thanks God - You are so Good!"  And, say a prayer for a new Worshipper named Sophie - brought into this world for the sole purpose of Blessing the heart of God in ways that you and I simply won't begin to understand! 

Have a great day...

Judge Not - Man!

A really funny & convicting thing happened to my buddy and I the other day...

Let me set the stage -- have you ever heard someone say to you: "Judge Not?" Or, how about this one: "Who do you think you are judging me?" Or, from time to time: "What makes you so righteous to...critique me?"  Well, I've heard these indictments from time to time; and, if truth be told, I've uttered them once or twice in my day.  Well, to be fair, my favorite Jewish Rabbi actually said this some 2,000 years ago on a hill called Mt. Beatitudes overlooking the scenic Sea of Galilee.  It was on that infamous day that Jesus said, "Judge not lest you be judged..."  Now contextually, He was calling out those who judged, critiqued and looked down upon another; in fact, Jesus employed the Greek word Krino that carries with it the idea of condemning, damning, calling into question and casting a negative sentence upon another. 

Okay -- here's the funny and convicting incident: on Friday of last week, I was traveling with my Friend/Police Officer Richard from the Morro Bay Police Department.  Our day started with a Code 3 call to north Morro Bay to assist the Fire Department on a structural fire.  We then drove around, and performed the normal police duties (...well, Richard did - I'm simply the Chaplain guy that just takes it all in...quite fun by the way!).  After lunch, Richard received a Medical Aid call from our great dispatchers at the local Albertsons.  We were within 100 yards of the store and drove quickly, parked in the Red Zone and were directed to Aisle 11 to help this sweet lady who was having seizures.  I was able to help prop her up, pray silently while Richard calmed her spirit before our Paramedics came.  We stayed a few more minutes and then were dismissed as the professionals offered their expertise.

When we returned to the squad car -- now remember, this was an emergency and it was raining pretty steadily -- we found this note on the windshield:

Needless to say, we were a tad perturbed, dismayed and well, sort of judgmental (at least I was...).  I think my comment was, "...are you kidding me?  Seriously, we were helping a lady and someone had the gall to put this on the squad car?  What kind of person would be so arrogant?"  Well, Richard and I went into a brief discussion on judgment and dismissed this mystery person as less than acceptable. 

Within 5 minutes, we received a newsflash on the computer in the car from dispatch that said, "Happy wants to know if you removed your Parking Violation?"  This brought laughter and joy to both of us.  You see, Happy is a friend of Richard and is a wonderful citizen of Morro Bay who is really trying to win at this journey called life.  A few weeks back, Richard and I were privileged to encourage Happy with words of affirmation and support as he was working through some challenges.  So, this revelation that the note came from our pal was both refreshing and yes, convicting.

Refreshing: because it brought fun and entertainment to a difficult moment on Aisle 11.  Convicting: because I was found guilty of the very thing I was accusing the mystery note writer of...judging.  Hum? 

Conclusion: Judge Not, Man! 

Oh by the way, we ran into Happy and his girlfriend an hour or so later and the joy on his face because he was able to tease his hero Richard will be implanted on my mind for days to come!  Last, I just love being taught my inefficiencies through these life experiences - thanks Happy for teaching me yet another lesson on how much I have to learn...

Diamonds...On The Inside!

I went to the gym after meeting with my buddy Dan at Morro Bay's Top Dog Coffee Shop.  When I arrived at the gym -- Tami's rule around the home: I can be bald or fat, but not both -- to work off a bulging mid section, I plugged in the head set to my Black Berry and opened a new application that allows me to listen to whatever my mood dictates...yesterday, I was in a Reggae type of way!



As I began my 40 minute stair-step Cardio Trek, Ben Harper was singing one of his famous songs, "Diamonds on the Inside!"   Love that guy's style...actually, some twelve years ago I was sitting in the airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and this guy was across from me with at least 6 guitars.  I thought to myself at the time: "...hum, this guy must be a famous type Reggae singer..."  Well, when I returned to LAX some 20 hours later, this must be a famous type Reggae singer walked a few feet behind me and yes, my three boys, whom I hadn't seen for three weeks, ran right past me to say hey to Ben Harper - go figure!  My wife's response, "...that's Ben Harper!"  Anyhow (true story...BTW), enough of my grudge holding...



Now, I can't begin give Harper's song the justice it deserves, however, hear me out on how the lyrics and the heart behind the song grabbed my spirit.  You see, when I think of Diamonds, I think of elegance, vibrancy, sparkle, class, rarity, beauty, illumination...you know, the good stuff. 


As I was arduously working out, I began to reflect on the radical message the song was stating: be elegant at all times, be vibrant for people who need you, be the sparkle that the down and out need on a tough day, live class and be that rare person that cares, be beautiful from the inside out as you broadcast the illumination called Life you've been privy too. 

Truly, if we can take the great things we've been blessed with and get them out of us, say good bye to self-absorption and hello to others, the Diamonds Ben Harper was singing about will begin to come from inside out and impact our friends, our acquaintances, our neighbors, and yes, even our enemies in unprecedented and eternal ways! 

Good lesson Mr. Harper - thanks!  Even if my kids wanted to meet you over hugging me...ha!