Here's to Being Real

Those who know me well know that I love the Discovery Channel show Deadliest Catch. In case you've been hiding on the other side of a big boulder or watching some crime-flavored drama, Deadliest Catch chronicles the plight of crab fishermen in Alaska's Bering Sea, one of the most violent bodies of water on the planet. The show, which is about to start its 7th season, I believe, follows four crab boat crews through the ups and downs of crab fishing — human drama, tragedy and triumph. One such crew manned the eight-man fishing vessel Cornelia Marie, captained by the crusty, crude and some folks think cuddly (hey, I needed a third C, okay?) Captain Phil Harris. Phil doesn't spare his opinion on anything. He's not afraid to challenge his crew, to the man, and he won't take flack from nobody.

Thanks to the show, Phil became a celebrity, with his "famous status" rising with the show's ratings. Everywhere he went he was hounded for autographs. Simple fishermen, Phil and his fellow boat captains were hesitant to accept their new public status at first but they have grown to enjoy their popularity.

On February 9th, Captain Phil died, the victim of a stroke brought on by many years of hard living. His boat was off-loading crab at a port when he suffered the attack. Ten days later he died, his sons and best friends at his side.

Mike Rowe is another Discovery Channel personality and show host. For the past six seasons, Mike has also been the narrator voice on Deadliest Catch, describing to viewers the ins and outs of fishing activity and fishing drama. In looking back on the life of Phil Harris, the best he knew, Mike blogged these words:

"I guess it comes down to this. The world is desperate for authenticity. In business and in real life. In work and play. We crave it I think, because it’s in such short supply. Consequently, when we see it, we’ll wait for it. We’ll watch it on TV. We’ll stand in line for a chance to be near it. Fans, fishermen, CEO’s – we know authenticity when we see it, even if we’re not looking for it. And Phil Harris had it in spades.
"I didn’t know Phil well enough to properly eulogize him. However, I knew him enough to like him, and more than enough to miss him. He was the real deal. Flawed, human, decent, kind, and totally authentic. And one h*** of a Captain."

What Mike observed is a truth that cannot be overstated. Authenticity stands out in this world of phonies and fakes. When people see authenticity, they are drawn to it, even if it is appalling to us. The world is desperate for authenticity because it is alien — foreign — to the world's own standards of life. Society loves to celebrate fakes but it is deeply drawn to what is real. Earthquake coverage in Haiti drew monstrous ratings for cable news networks, for example.

If the world is desperately looking for authenticity, what are we waiting for, Church of the Living God? Jesus said, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matt 5:16)." People were drawn to Captain Phil because they saw authenticity in him. If we were doing our part, as true followers of the Light, to live authentic, transparent lives in front of the world, imagine how great the impact would be!

Authenticity is a powerful tool we all need in our toolboxes of everyday life. Don't try to hide who you are. Be real! Be genuine. Be authentic. I think people will notice and pay attention.

Be God's!

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The Joy of Being Chosen

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure."

My young singles small group just started a study of First Peter last night and, two verses into the letter, my heart is already overwhelmed with joy. The saint who speaks his mind, Peter addressed his letter to Jewish Christians in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) who were, by their new faith in Christ, now even bigger "aliens" to their hometowns. It was tough enough being Jews in a Gentile world, but now they were Christians, which made them aliens (lit. "strangers") to both Jew and Gentile alike. How disheartening that would've been!

But they were not worthless because of their new faith. And in the midst of whatever persecution they faced, they were not forgotten by the God who saved them. No, they were special to God. And He was actively working in their lives.

I love the fact that Peter tells these young believers that they were "chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." It was no accident or coincidence that the Gospel was preached to many of them in Jerusalem at Pentecost (see Acts 2:9-11). And it was no accident or coincidence that their hearts were receptive to the message. God looked, in His foreknowledge, upon them and chose them to become sons of God through faith in Christ. They were special to Him!

God considers you and I to be His special treasure, his beloved possession. Throughout Scripture, we see that God calls people to Himself out of His love for them with the intention of blessing them (see Deut. 7:6-9, Romans 9:17, Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12). All of this brings Him glory by displaying His mercy and love. He chose us to be special — set apart by the power of the Holy Spirit — to grow in our obedience to the commands of Jesus and be continually cleansed from all sin and guilt (Heb. 10:22).

He chose us to be free from guilt! How awesome is that! Who doesn't want to have a clean conscience?

In the midst of our times of suffering, when we tend to feel the most alone, the most rejected, the most unloved, God has not rejected you and me. He chose US to be His special treasure, His beloved possession, free from the weight of sin and guilt, and with the intention of growing into a stronger relationship with Him.

You are not rejected and alone. He is with you. He has chosen you by name. You are loved.

May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure!

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Of Mardi Gras, Lent, and Saint Athanasius

Well, today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Christian season of Lent. Have you bought your "Happy Ash Wednesday!" cards yet? Wrapped your presents and put them under the Lenten tree?

I'm just kidding about that.

Lent is one of the seasons of the traditional Church calendar that predates calendars — at least the modern Western calendar. In most denominations that observe Lent the period lasts 40 days, starting with Ash Wednesday and ending on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. The 40 days represent the time that Jesus spent in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan.

Ash Wednesday gets its name from a strange ritual performed at high churches (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, etc.) that involves the placing of ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of repentance. First, the priest will make a cross on his own forehead and then mark the congregants. Interesting, huh?

In more modern times, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday has become a wild and crazy holiday of vice called Mardi Gras. Don't be fooled. Mardi Gras is not meant to be harmless fun. It's a day to let loose and have as much uninhibited sinful fun as possible before the stroke of midnight. Why go party-wild before a holiday season? Well, here's the definition of Lent on Wikipedia:

"Lent, in Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Got it? Lent is a period of self-reflection and personal denial. It's a time to focus on the sinfulness of man (fresh in the minds of Mardi Gras revelers, no doubt) in preparation for remembering the sacrificial death of Christ and His glorious resurrection.

Historically, the origins of Lent are a mystery. We know through ancient church sources that there was some period of pre-Easter remembrance celebrated by churches as early as the AD 100's. But the length of the observance differed from group to group, as did the method of observance. It appears that some level of fasting was involved, whether complete fasting (total denial of food and water) or moderated fasting (water only or one small meal with water). The reason for fasting was purely spiritual: to deny the cravings of the body in order to focus on the sufficiency of Christ. Fasting was also sometimes accompanied by sexual abstinence, which added to the denial of bodily desire. Now can you understand the behavior of Mardi Gras celebrants? The day before they were to give up food and sex, they went hog wild to get their fill. Mardi Gras literally means "Fat Tuesday."

One such proponent of the 40-day fasting and abstinence festival was a personal hero of mine: St. Athanasius, who lived in the 300's. Athanasius was a devout man with a fire for holiness and truth. He is best known as a defender of traditional Christian doctrine in the face of the Arian heresy that resulted in the famed Council of Nicea. Well, in AD 331 Athanasius instructed his flock in Alexandria, Egypt, to observe the 40-day period of remembrance in preparation for Holy Week (Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday). At the time, it appears much of the Eastern Church was observing a form of Lent.

Still today the different denominations celebrate Lent differently. The Orthodox Church celebrates the 40 weekdays before Holy Week, leaving weekends to splurge on food as they celebrate Christ's death and resurrection. Other groups observe an 8-day Lent. And it's not just fasting and abstinence anymore. Some Protestant denominations (Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican) will allow a person to give up a specific vice of theirs, like chocolate, caffeine, or iPhones (just kidding!) in keeping with the spirit of Lent. It's kind of a cop-out, if you ask me, but better than missing meals!

So happy Lent, everyone! Or maybe I shouldn't say, "happy." May your heart be filled with thankfulness for the bountiful grace of God in Christ, who redeemed our sin-soiled lives and gave us a new and abundant life.

Be God's!

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Checking In

Figure skating came back on TV, so I "figure" I'll step away from the tube and blog about something. Something that's not figure skating.

A lot of you have been praying for my health lately and I just wanted to tell you how much that means to me. We serve an almighty God who has a reputation as the great healer. And I know that it is full well within His power to heal me, if He chooses. Even better, aside from the power and almightiness, He also arms Himself with tenderness. And He wants to hear from His children as they pour their concerns and desires as an offering before Him. So I appreciate your offering your requests for me before the Lord who hears.

On the medical front, I still don't have a diagnosis of my condition, only a narrowing of possibilities. I don't want to say what they are, specifically, but I will say that I don't like any of them. My friend Sammy pointed out today that what I really need is a data port on my side that the doctor could plug into for a readout! Well, the best I could do today was turn in my MRI film to the neurologist's office and wait for him to start looking for answers. My condition hasn't improved in recent days, though I've tried a variety of home treatments. Just today I started taking vitamin B6, which purports to help the nervous and muscular system. We'll see in a few days if it helps, I guess. I do know that my arms and legs have started to tighten up on me a little. I don't know what causes this. But it feels like I just ran a marathon and cooled down. That type of feeling, but probably not as severe. So I'd appreciate it if you keep praying for me. I'm supposed to go back to the neurologist on March 3rd but I'm hoping to move that date up.

I'm sure all things will be all right at the end of this period of trial in my life. I just need to keep the faith and seek God's glory. When St. James said, "consider it all joy, brothers, when you encounter all kinds of trials..." it wasn't laughter he envisioned or a jolly demeanor. Joy in the face of suffering is not fun and games. Suffering is suffering and trials hurt. This "joy" James talks about is a joy in something you know, not something you feel. It's joy in knowing that whatever you face will gradually build endurance in you (if you choose to endure and not to sour). It's a joy in knowing that God is god and you are not and that He has promised to NOT forsake His children. He won't turn His back on you and me (even if we turn our backs on Him). This is grace. This is love. This is our God.

Be His.

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Snow Nice To See Ya

"He sends forth His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes.
He casts forth His ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His cold?"
— Psalm 147:15-17

I'm not sure if I've ever seen such an extended snowfall here in North Texas. It's been snowing consistently since 3 a.m., yielding about five inches of snow on outside objects. My roof is buried. It has been fun to stay inside today and watch the snow come down.

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