Survival

Like many of you, my family has gotten interested in a couple of those survivor type shows that come on TV. I think it started with "Man v. Wild." It was fascinating watching Bear Grylls as he ran from glacier to desert, jungle to deserted island. Honestly though, I had little concern for Bear and the situations he faced. No...I was more worried about the poor camera guy who was facing all the same challenges with a camera saddled on his shoulder.

Next came the two guys who face challenges on "Dual Survival." Same challenges only with the added dimension of two very different personalities facing them side-by-side. I couldn't decide on that show if I was more fascinated by the challenges or the fights between the two guys with their differing survival philosophies.

Our new favorite is "Man, Woman, Wild"--partially because of the added twist of a husband/wife team, partially because the title reminded me of life with our kids at the Barron household. Just kidding.

I got to thinking about the different scenarios on the shows. Stranded on an island. Lost in the Amazon. Facing the wilderness of Russia. There are some really cool tips and tricks that you learn through these shows. Realistically, though, how many of us are going to become stranded on a desert island with a hunting knife, waterproof clothes and a backpack. Not likely.

What I'd really like to see is a real-world survivor show. Maybe a title like "Man, Woman, Wild Suburbia." Rather than looking for food in the desert it would teach you how to shop at Publix with two preschoolers in the cart and the cell phone ringing constantly. Instead of rationing your water, the hosts could teach you how to ration the paycheck that runs out too soon.

Seriously, what most of us need is not a rescue from a Latin American jungle. What we need is a rescue from real life America. We need help on how to save our marriage, raise our kids, survive a dead end relationship or make it through a downsizing at our company.

The rescue manual is here...found in God's word. It is truly a place for answers to the stuff of real life. If you don't know that--don't believe that--it's because you haven't looked closely enough at what it contains. It is the stuff of real life. Although it was completed 2000 years ago, it's never been more relevant than now. It's script is fascinating. It's content riveting. It's wisdom is ageless. And it's Author is unparalleled. No one could touch it. Sink your teeth and your time into God's Word to find the answers that will radically change who you are. You'll be amazed!!

Sushi

For those of you who know me well, you know that I like to eat. For the most part, I'm not a picky eater. I've tried a lot of different dishes over the years. Between my staff and Lisa, I'm always being pushed to try something new (Indian food with my staff) or healthier (chicken tofu with Lisa). I have to admit that, in most cases, I've walked away saying, "That wasn't too bad. I could probably eat that again."

I said in most cases. The exception is sushi.

I just can't get a grasp on sushi. For one thing, a lot of it is raw. I don't do much of anything raw (except for chocolate chip cookie dough). If I'm going to pay to eat your food, can you at least introduce it to something resembling a flame? I'd feel much better about it.

Then there is the problem of seaweed--another staple in most sushi. There's a problem for me in eating something I pull out of my bathing suit at the beach. I can hear the conversation now, "Lisa, there's a hint of flavor on this sushi. Is that oil from the last Gulf Oil leak or Coppertone I'm tasting?"

So, the last time my staff said let's go get sushi, I declined. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. One of the guys said, "You know, you'd learn to like this stuff if you ate it more. You're just not hungry enough." Hungry enough? How hungry do I have to get? Why wait till I'm that hungry when I have to pass a perfectly good restaurant every 100 yards on the way to the raw fish place?

So...the key is being hungry enough. Maybe that's true with our spiritual growth. In ministry, I see many people who talk a wonderful religious talk. They know the things to say, the references to make and the books to list on their reading list. I know some who are fervent readers of all the latest Christian fare. My question...why aren't we reading the Bible more? I've heard lots of answers. Some are good; most are not. But maybe the reason we can't bring ourselves back to reading God's Word is because we just aren't hungry enough. We've filled our hearts and our heads with the latest good book. We know everything that Swindoll or Warren or Stanley or Hybels might have to say...but what is God trying to tell us?

Don't miss my point. I love reading books by these guys. They are strong. They are insightful. They are wise. They are Godly. But...

...they aren't God. My prayer is that we become hungry enough to go back to the one true source of all we need. Rather than listening to a man's opinion on what God said, pray that God will give you a hunger for nothing short of His words. Got to run. It's lunch time.

Jesus in Seattle

Lisa and I had a wonderful trip to speak to the people of Swedish Health Systems. What a great group of people! We really enjoyed it and agreed that our time to depart came far too soon. Thanks to all our new friends there in Seattle. Hope we'll get to join you again soon.

As we traveled the last two days, I watched an interesting phenomenon--actually two. The first came as Lisa and I took our "Southern ways" with us to Seattle. We greeted many of the people we met and tried to engage as many as we could in conversation. Lisa is especially good at this. It's fun watching her as she makes people feel so comfortable in conversation. We met gate agents from California, an elk-hunting grandmother from Washington, a taxi-driver from Northern India and a hotel clerk from Oregon. There were doctors from Brooklyn, nurses from Texas and a CFO from Dickson, TN. As we carried on these conversations, I learned two things. People are genuinely surprised when someone really engages them in conversation and...despite what we are told...most people like it. None of the people ran from us. None of them told us to bug off or to stop our chatter. They simply responded with sincere conversation and "friendship."

We've been taught "down here" that Southerners are friendly and the rest of the world isn't necessarily so. That may be a cultural reality for a lot of places but people--the real flesh-and-blood individuals--like to know that someone cares.

Here's the second phenomenon. After I spoke, I had numerous Christ followers who came up to me afterwards to thank me for coming, for sharing Josh's story and for talking about faith. There were comments like "thanks for talking about your faith" and "thanks for bringing God inside our organization." The funny thing is...He was already there. He was sprinkled all over that organization in salt and light. He was the face of a young man, an older administrator and a broken-hearted daughter who had watched her father die recently. He was there in the numerous individuals who pulled me aside and looked with hunger in their eyes as if to say, "Help me show God to my work place."

He's there. All over Seattle. He's in the Presbyterian Church that was doing street missions at Pike Street Market. He is there in the mother of four who wants her daughters to grow up making wise choices for their future. He is there in the Mars Hill school that occupies a downtown building. He's there in the senior adult who said, "Thanks for doing what no one else has done thus far...bring Jesus to our workplace." Oh, He is there, my friend. Long before I got up to speak yesterday morning, Jesus was walking the halls of those hospitals. He just needs to be sprinkled a little more generously and shone a little brighter by the ones who already occupy those spaces.

The Tree

I was about 11 or 12 years old when I was first "introduced" to the Tree. He was one of my heroes. The "Tree" was Wayne "The Tree" Rollins and he was a basketball player from Clemson University who had moved on to the NBA. I first found out about him when he joined the Atlanta Hawks and became a shot-blocking center piece for their team.

Though I was three feet shorter, 200 pounds lighter and noticeably less tan than Tree, I went to bed many nights with dreams of being just like him. I was going to work my way through school, stretch myself every day and defeat my DNA of average height to be just like him. That was...until the Spring came. Then, the Tree faded into the background as I geared up to be Dale Murphy. Yep, that was it. Dale Murphy. All-star center fielder for the completely inept Atlanta Braves of the mid-70's. No matter what happened, I was going to do everything I could to be the next amazing center fielder for the home team...till the Fall...and football.

You get the point. Like most kids, I spent most of my life dreaming about who I could emulate and who I most wanted to replace as the next great __________. It didn't make any difference that the chances were slim (or that I was genetically challenged to be as tall or fast or strong as most of them). I simply wanted to be like them.

So, I spent countless hours running and throwing and shooting and catching. I bought jerseys and hats. I put their trading cards on my mirror in my room and had their names imprinted on my shirts. It was going to happen...no matter what the obstacle.

And here I sit. No shot-blocking. No home runs. No game changing, break away runs. Just me...exactly where God wants me. Well...almost.

You see, there is one more imitation to pull off. No, I'm not genetically inclined to do this one either. While I spend hours practicing and going over the game book, I'm very slow in learning what this one looks like. I'm convinced this is the one that matters more than all the rest though. This is the journey that will make all the others pale in comparison. God's got just one more. It's found right there in Ephesians 5:1:

Be imitators of God....

Hello? Imitators of God? The God? The One who spoke creation into being? The One who defeated giants, parted waters and caused large fish to swallow prophets? He wants me to imitate Him? Absolutely, but not like you think. Paul goes on to explain that our lives should be defined by love, just as God is love. It may not be as glamorous as world championships or Super Bowl rings but love is monumental in the difference it can make in people. For the young mom who is all alone with no support, the troubled teen looking for a role model or the couple who thinks that all hope is gone for their marriage, "lovers" may be just the heroes they have been waiting on. God is love. No doubt about it. Now He asks that you and I follow suit by loving the world around us and bringing Him glory in the process.

Relax

"Relax." You've heard that word used many times before. My wife and I use this great dentist here in Tennessee where we live. He's a wonderful guy with a great personality. But he has two of the biggest hands I've ever seen. They are like something you'd expect to see on a big offensive lineman. So, when he lays me back in the chair to look at my teeth, relaxation is not what's on my mind. I know this guy. I know he's good and he cares about my "oral health." But relaxing is not what I think when he's about to put one drill, two pieces of cotton, a mirror and parts of both of those hands in my mouth.

The same is true with the chiropractor I go to. I've seen this guy for years with all the accidents and sports injuries I've had. I love the guy. He's wonderful. But there's something disconcerting about a guy who says to you "relax" just before he takes your head into his hands and jerks your neck around violently. It's easier said than done.

The same is true with Jesus. Yeah, I know what some of you are thinking. How in the world could I ever question Jesus? It's not Jesus I'm questioning. It's our human nature. When we look at the world around us and the size of our problems, relaxing is not what we think about. And when we see that our lives are about to be jerked about violently, even if we know the end result is for our good, we don't naturally choose to relax.

But that's exactly what Jesus said in Matthew. It was during the message he gave to the people while standing on the mountain top--we call it the Sermon on the Mount and it's found in Matthew 6. (This is just a part of what he said. You can read the whole thing in Matthew 6:25-34)

Therefore, I tell you, do not worry (relax), about your life, what you will eat or drink....For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Fathers knows that you need them.

You know what Jesus was saying there? Relax. God's got your back. He loves you and cares for you far greater than you know. I don't know about you but I get tired of doing the "pagan run"--chasing after things that God says he will take care of. I'm ready to rest on most days, knowing that "tomorrow will worry about itself." Thank God, He's already there.