"Out of every 100 men, 10 should not even be here, 80 are nothing but targets, 9 are real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they the battle make." "Ah, but the ONE, ONE of them is a WARRIOR, and he will bring the others back." Heraclitus 500 BC
Wow!
I saw my brother yesterday and will not see him again until he returns from Afghanistan in about a year. I have an abundance of emotions. My heart aches because I will miss him. I am also afraid of what may happen to him. I don’t want him to go through what he is about to go through. I am sad for his wife, our Mom and Dad, and our siblings as well as the rest of the family because of the emotional turmoil of the coming months. My heart hurts and my eyes well up when I think of how much my brother loves my children and how they will go from being a two year-old and a newborn to a three year-old and a one year-old while he is gone. He fears that my little boy will forget him, he won’t.
I embraced my brother and told him the things every man needs to hear. I love him. I am so very proud of him. I have been blessed by three great siblings that I am so very proud of. I will miss my brother. He is a good man. He will do good and take care of his men. These are the things I told him.
I want to tell everyone the following. My brother is a warrior. Everyone who sends a loved one to some place like Afghanistan for some time such as this would probably say the same of their loved one but I’m not saying it because it makes me feel good or it makes him look good. I am saying it because it is true. My brother is the one in a hundred that is truly a warrior that will bring the others back. He is stronger than most men. He is smarter than most men. He is tougher than most men. He is the type of man that other men want to be. He will be a tremendous asset to the cause of freedom that is being fought in the small towns of Afghanistan. People like him have been the difference makers in fights such as these for centuries.
Please pray for my brother’s, and all our soldier’s, physical safety and emotional well-being. Pray that he will draw close to his savior during this time. Pray that his family, especially his wife and mother, will be comforted in his absence over the next 11-12 months as they will be most anxious. Pray also that our entire family and the family of each service man and woman putting their life at risk will find peace and rest in a living God.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
I am always right
It drove my sister crazy when we were teenagers and I acted like a know-it-all. She couldn't stand her little brother being so cocky and thinking he was always right. Now she realizes that I am always right so we get along really well. Please do not tell her about this as it is still difficult for her to admit just how wise I am.
When we argued about this as teenagers I did not have the wisdom to communicate a very important truth about me. I do not hold an opinion or belief without reason. This is true for most people. It is not arrogant to hold a belief for which you are willing to argue. It is arrogant to hold a belief for which you cannot make an argument.
Sometimes we find ourselves in “discussions” about controversial social, political, and religious issues. These “discussions” can be very difficult because often times the people involved in the discussion are emotionally involved in the issue being discussed. They also are unlikely to hold their belief unless they think they are right. There are three ways in which these types of “discussions” seem to end. Screaming, crying, cussing fits are not uncommon coming from one or both parties involved. Simply agreeing to disagree is also a common resolution. Third, occasionally one side convinces the other to change.
To avoid the cussing fits we should take care to keep our discussion focused on the issues, making real arguments for our beliefs. Agreeing to disagree is sometimes perfectly acceptable. It also should be acceptable for an agreeable disagreement to impact the relationship of the parties involved. We can still be friends but if you don’t play ball by the same rules as I do then we will not be able to play together very well. When a disagreement is resolved by the changing of minds then we see the best of what holding beliefs has to offer. People are able to examine the issue and arguments and come to a consensus. This gives us hope that it is still possible to reason with people.
That is what I am thinking about.
When we argued about this as teenagers I did not have the wisdom to communicate a very important truth about me. I do not hold an opinion or belief without reason. This is true for most people. It is not arrogant to hold a belief for which you are willing to argue. It is arrogant to hold a belief for which you cannot make an argument.
Sometimes we find ourselves in “discussions” about controversial social, political, and religious issues. These “discussions” can be very difficult because often times the people involved in the discussion are emotionally involved in the issue being discussed. They also are unlikely to hold their belief unless they think they are right. There are three ways in which these types of “discussions” seem to end. Screaming, crying, cussing fits are not uncommon coming from one or both parties involved. Simply agreeing to disagree is also a common resolution. Third, occasionally one side convinces the other to change.
To avoid the cussing fits we should take care to keep our discussion focused on the issues, making real arguments for our beliefs. Agreeing to disagree is sometimes perfectly acceptable. It also should be acceptable for an agreeable disagreement to impact the relationship of the parties involved. We can still be friends but if you don’t play ball by the same rules as I do then we will not be able to play together very well. When a disagreement is resolved by the changing of minds then we see the best of what holding beliefs has to offer. People are able to examine the issue and arguments and come to a consensus. This gives us hope that it is still possible to reason with people.
That is what I am thinking about.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Maybe John Piper Was Right
About 5 years ago as a young, idealistic seminary student I read John Piper's book "Brothers, We Are Not Professionals." The book was good, well-written like most of his stuff, but it did not really catch my attention on a deep level. I agreed with what he was saying but I did not see the behaviors he was warning against as all that prevalent. I now see exactly what he was concerned about. The ministry has been professionalized. Ministers have traded the servants towel for the masters table. They are primarily concerned with being polished and dignified, never showing the weakness of a man in need of God's grace.
Now I see a new problem. Brothers, we are not rockstars! I am very frustrated by the number of pastors, music ministers, and youth ministers that seem to have put aside the dim light of the study for the limelight. It’s narcissism at its best, or worst. The fact is that this is not a new challenge for ministers. Pastors are the face of a ministry. That cannot be avoided. You have to go on stage sometime in order to preach or teach. The problem comes when you let it be about you not God. Let me remind you, God does not need you! You are not that pretty. Before being clothed in the righteousness of Christ you were downright repulsive. Some of that repulsiveness bleeds through those white clothes occasionally like when we begin to think we deserve recognition, acclaim, or a following.
I heard on the radio the other day that Shaq twitters. That sounds strange but it is true. Apparently he recently took a picture of himself getting a shave and sent it to millions of his closest friends via twitter. This is funny to me. However, it is troubling to me that pastors are doing the same thing, telling people where they are eating supper, or playing golf as if their followers care.
Maybe they do care, and that is the other side of the problem. People, do not treat your pastor like a celebrity and pastors, do not act like you are a celebrity.
That is what I am thinking about.
Now I see a new problem. Brothers, we are not rockstars! I am very frustrated by the number of pastors, music ministers, and youth ministers that seem to have put aside the dim light of the study for the limelight. It’s narcissism at its best, or worst. The fact is that this is not a new challenge for ministers. Pastors are the face of a ministry. That cannot be avoided. You have to go on stage sometime in order to preach or teach. The problem comes when you let it be about you not God. Let me remind you, God does not need you! You are not that pretty. Before being clothed in the righteousness of Christ you were downright repulsive. Some of that repulsiveness bleeds through those white clothes occasionally like when we begin to think we deserve recognition, acclaim, or a following.
I heard on the radio the other day that Shaq twitters. That sounds strange but it is true. Apparently he recently took a picture of himself getting a shave and sent it to millions of his closest friends via twitter. This is funny to me. However, it is troubling to me that pastors are doing the same thing, telling people where they are eating supper, or playing golf as if their followers care.
Maybe they do care, and that is the other side of the problem. People, do not treat your pastor like a celebrity and pastors, do not act like you are a celebrity.
That is what I am thinking about.
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