The Unwritten Page

I was out walking Bailey, our dog, this evening and noticed a little girl getting out of the car with her mother.  She was wearing what appeared to be a Halloween costume cape.  I watched as she ran to the apartment building with her arms stretched before her and shouted, “I’m here to save the world!� 

I smiled, because this really took me back, except my heroics usually occurred on a playground with one of my mom’s good bath towels pinned around my neck.  I recall climbing to the top of the monkey bars and taking leap after leap of faith, hoping to one day perfect the art of flying.  I remember trying to save whoever was playing on the playground that particular day, whether they wanted to be saved or not. 

Why is it that children, who haven’t any concept of real darkness and evil, recognize a need for a savior?  And isn’t it sad that as we grow older we fail to recognize that need in the world around us. 

Perhaps the yearning is tucked away deep inside, fed by our obsession with cinematic superheroes.  Or, perhaps we think that the darkness is too great.  Whatever it is, I believe the desire for salvation stirs within each of us, longing to be awakened.    We feel it most when we watch the news, or see one of those ‘feed the children’ commercials and we are compelled to act.  Our hearts break and we long so desperately to make a difference.  Sadly, we no longer aspire to saving the world and are not quite sure that anyone can. Enter Jesus, who according to scriptures came to “save the world� (John 3:17).  You see, that desire in our hearts is a divine imprint.  When the world is not right and we are surrounded by darkness, the divine in us cries out for Him to save us.  And if we, from the depths of our need, cry out for Him, we “will be saved� (Romans 10:9).  Not only that, but he also calls us to join with Him, and stand in the midst of His purpose to bring light to this dark world. 

(The following is a memoir of my experiences as I began to follow Christ about 12 years ago.  Previous to my salvation, I knew nothing about God, Jesus, the Bible or the church.  It is my prayer that my journey would inspire and encourage others.)

I had my first taste of alcohol when I was twelve years old.  By the time I was a freshmen in college, I kept two bottles of Captain Morgan’s in the bottom of my dorm room closet, under a pile of clothes.  Each morning I would go to that closet and I would fill a twenty ounce plastic cup half full of rum and half full of Coke.  It usually was enough to last through my 9am math class.  That was my routine. 

And here I found myself, once more sitting at a bar with my buddy.  He ordered a Miller Light and when I ordered a Coke, I felt him staring a hole in me.

“What?� I asked, rather defensively. 

He grabbed his beer as the bartender sat it down in front of him and took a big swig, “Nothing…You’re not drinking with me?� he responded.

I paused…and in that moment I felt extremely awkward.  How do I explain the transformation that was occurring in my life?  I wasn’t exactly sure I understood it all.    However, I tried to explain “I am trying to make some adjustments in my life.�

He rubbed his chin, and continued looking at me with a high degree of skepticism and after a long silence he laughed and came back with, “You know…the Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong to drink.�

I sat silenced by his comment.  Could this be?  I had only been a Christ follower for a few days and I hadn’t gotten to the entire Bible yet…Okay, okay, I didn’t even own a Bible.  What did I know?  But, everything within me was telling me that this was a part of me that I had to give up.

“Well, if you are not gonna drink, let’s get out of here,� he continued.

I sat for a minute, but he was unrelenting. 

“You know, Jesus drank wine,� he kept on. 

I’m sure that was true, but I bet Jesus never ended up naked, puking off a second floor balcony.

All of a sudden I felt our friendship slipping away.

“Just one,� he pressed, “I’ll buy.�

I thought for a moment, “Well I guess one couldn’t hurt.�  So I motioned to the bartender, “Could you make mine a rum and coke please?�

The night went on and one drink led to another.  I felt very much like I was caught in a trap.  I had screwed up again.  Was this the only way I could maintain this friendship? 

The next morning I had to get up early and go to a meeting on campus for a mission trip to Mexico. It would be my first.  We were going to be building a church and I was extremely excited about going.  However I was running very late and feeling a little hung over.  I brushed my teeth several times; because my mouth was saturated with rum (I could still taste it).  I took three Advil and put about four pieces of gum in my mouth and headed to the meeting.

I arrived at the student center and apologized for my tardiness.  I felt like everyone could see right through me.  I felt ashamed, “What if they know?�  I took my seat in the back of the room and listened as we were given last minute instructions and details.

As the leader went over the list of items we should bring, the guy sitting next to me leaned over and said rather sarcastically, “You know you can’t bring liquor, Tommy.�  He laughed and looked away.  I sank deep in my chair.  He looked like one of those guys that were probably born in Sunday school; you know the ones, like they came out of the womb in a nice pressed suit with Bible in hand.  I tried to play it off, but inside I was boiling.  I tried to suppress my desire to punch a hole in this kid.  “Don’t pretend to know me.� I thought angrily.  “Who is he to judge me?�

I didn’t want to be that guy anymore. 

After the meeting ended, I made my way back to my room.  “Can I do this?� I prayed.  “Will I always feel out of place?�  All of a sudden I felt very lonely.  I felt as though I didn’t fit anywhere, not with my old friends and certainly not with this new Christian crowd.  “Where do I go from here?� I continued, “Who is it I’m supposed to be?�  

         

 (The following is a memoir of my experiences as I began to follow Christ about 12 years ago.  Previous to my salvation, I knew nothing about God, Jesus, the Bible or the church.  It is my prayer that my journey would inspire and encourage others.)

“I should turn back,� I thought to myself, “I don’t belong here.�

 Standing in front of the huge white doors, I felt intimidated by the brick structure before me. I was a stranger in a strange land. I felt alone and scared, like a child going to school for the first time.

“What if I am not dressed properly?� I fretted, “What do I say…what do I do?� Paralyzed by my questions, I stood for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, an old couple walked up and pushed by me to go inside. I followed close behind, hoping not to be noticed.

Upon entering, I immediately felt uneasy. It was eerily quiet and everyone was dressed so formally…that was except for me, in my faded blue jeans. I felt oddly enough like I was stuck in that dream…you know… the one where you show up to class naked and spend the whole day trying to figure out how to escape without anyone noticing. I was already planning my escape, sitting near the door that I entered from.

The only light pouring into the room was coming from the sunlight breaking through the artisan’s glass. There was ambient music coming from an old organ in the far corner. It all reminded me of my Grandfather’s funeral and smelled a little bit like it too, which didn’t help one bit.

I wondered if anyone would notice if I just got up and walked back out. However, before I could act on my impulse, the organ music grew louder and everyone stood and began to sing.

As they sang, I looked around and realized that everyone, but me, knew the words to this song.

I stood very uncomfortably and waited for it to end and when it finally did, it was followed by a prayer, which was also spoken by everyone, save one, again.

I began to sweat profusely and mouth along; hoping nobody noticed that I was lip syncing a step behind, you know, like that doomed Milli Vanilli performance…I didn’t want to come off like a fraud, but I definitely did not speak their language and could not for the life of me understand their culture. To say that I felt like a fish out of water was an understatement.

Eventually, a man got up and gave a 45 minute lecture laced with lame jokes (mostly about Baptists) and I had no clue what it was that he was trying to get across, though I am sure he meant well…and at least I didn’t have to try to play along anymore.

“Just nod along,� I told myself.

When it was all over I made my escape. I got away unnoticed and unscathed.

“What am I doing here?� I questioned once more. “God, help me to belong,� I prayed, not yet quite sure of the protocol.

Thus, began my journey, the long journey of an outsider looking for acceptance into the family of God.  

    

If I were to take an honest look at my life I would have to say that I have spent a majority of my time wishing I was somewhere else. When I was a kid I couldn’t wait to be older - To go to high school, to drive, to graduate, to go to college, to graduate again, to get a job, then to get any other job than the one I had, to get married, etc. 

Often I would spend my time looking back to the past. You know, those “ahh, those were the good old days” moments - My childhood, high School, college, that job I had, that car I drove, that house we lived in - The list is endless.

However, I have become convinced that I spend so much of my time wishing I was somewhere else, that I often miss what it is that God is trying to show me in the here and now. In other words, I spend so much time complaining about the desert I’m in, that I forget that God is trying to lead me to the Promised Land. 

Conversely, there are many lessons to be learned in the wild. Moses found his purpose in the desert place (Exodus 3:10), the Israelites found survival, freedom, safety, and God’s provision in the desert (Exodus). Elijah the prophet heard God’s voice in the wild (1 Kings 19), and Jesus was led into the wild to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1) and yet by not sinning, he taught us obedience, righteousness, humility and the power of His Word. 

You see, we wander in what seems like the wilderness because God is molding us. He wants us to discover the untamed joy that can only be found in the journey. To know purpose. To taste true freedom. To rely on His provision. Or to perhaps hear His voice in the midst of the noise that is our lives. 

Maybe he simply wishes to remind us that we are merely sojourners on this earth. To find no comfort here, but long for His Kingdom. After all, “He has set eternity in the hearts of men.� (Eccl. 3:11) 

So we wander, almost instinctively. Setting our hearts on a pilgrimage. Discovering the untamed joy of the journey. A journey that carries us towards destiny. A journey that leads us home.

In the last post we discussed whether or not leaders are born or made. And the consensus seemed to be that a leader must first be a) “a good follower” and b) “summoned”. While I think both of these statements are true within the community of Christ, I wonder if we are missing something. As I think through this, the consensus does not seem to gel with original question - Are leaders born or made? What is true of the world outside of the community of Christ?

Ex. A kid on the football field, who because of his ability seems to take charge of a team.

Ex. A neighbor who organizes his community for action against violence (happening in my city)

Ex. A tyrant who rises to power in his country and rules by violence and oppression, and instilling fear in his people. (Hitler, Sadaam, etc.)

Ex. A spiritual-cult leader who leads followers to believe that he is a sort of deity incarnate and ultimately leads them to their destruction. (Jim Jones, David Koresh, etc.)

I realize these are very broad examples. However, how do such people rise to the status of leader? Is it divine purpose undiscovered or gone awry? Why do people follow them? What are the spiritual implications?

Would love to hear your commments.

Are leaders born or made? ”Certainly leadership can be taught”, says Thomas Cronin, who taught the subject for many years as a professor of political science at Colorado College.

“You’re not born to be a leader any more than you’re born to be an architect or a doctor,” says Cronin.

However, as the article (linked above) suggests, you can be taught certain leadership skills, but a leader has to “bring the spirit” or vision.

In my experinece, I have known leaders with vision but not the tools necessary to lead effectively, and I have known leaders with the necessary tools and training, who have no vision and thus, also struggle to lead effectively.  

Great leaders tend to be hard wired to bring people together for a common purpose.  However, experience and good mentors tend to shape the path and effectiveness of great leaders.   

A.W. Tozer teaches that “a true and safe leader is likely to have no desire to lead, but is forced into a position by the inward pressure of the Holy Spirit and the press of circumstances.”

I have also observed that leaders tend to emerge in times of crisis, with vision to help others find their way.

What are your thoughts?  Are certain individuals genetically predisposed to lead or is all leadership learned?  Can a person who has seemingly no ability to lead learn the skills necessary or is it a combination of both?

    

I have two superpowers.

1. I can be sitting in a crowded room and hear every conversation going on around me. You may call it eavesdropping, but I call it peripheral hearing.

2. I also, have an extraordinary heightened sense of smell. This can certainly be a curse sometimes (YOU know what I mean).

Why these superpowers and not the ability to fly or to deflect a bullet I will never know. I guess this is just my lot in life.

I am not sure how I will ever use these amazing powers to save folks from certain doom, but I am waiting for the opportunity.

Calling all Superheroes. What superpowers do you currently have? What abilities do you wish you had?

I love to sleep.  It usually takes me a long time to get there, but once I’m there I don’t want to leave.  I love to dream.  Don’t you hate it when you’re having a good dream and you wake up before it plays itself out?  I’m the kind of person that goes back to sleep to try and recapture the dream (it never ends up the same).

But, it happened again this morning.  The phone rang at about 9am, which is usually what time my alarm is set to wake me.  I was in the middle of a good dream about my friends and I, and a casino ( I don’t know why, it’s a dream).  Anyway, the phone rang and woke me and before answering, I yelled into the pillow…you know, so that when I answered it didn’t sound like I just woke up.  I do this a lot.  I don’t want people to know that I am sleeping.  I mean they know I’m not a machine and that I do sleep don’t they?  So, why then do I feel the need to hide the fact that I’m resting?  And then the question from the other end comes, “I didn’t wake you did I?”.  “They found me out”, I think to myself.  “No, no, I’ve been up for awhile.”   

Isn’t it funny how we feel guilty for things that we enjoy.  Especially when they’re things that are required to live.  It’s so silly when you think about it.  I am so with Don Miller when he writes, “I sleep until I’m done…God made the brain so that it would wake on its own, and as a follower of Jesus, I am a scrict adherent to His system.”  So, why then do we feel guilty for finding rest?  Isn’t rest required? (I am not talking about being lazy here, because I believe there is a difference)

It’s hard to dream when you don’t sleep.  I love to sleep.  I love to dream.

Have you ever tried to hide the fact that you were resting? What methods did you use?

My new resolution is to be honest.  “Yes, I WAS sleeping, and I was about to go ‘all in’ before you woke me.”

 

 

I was thinking this morning…which probably was the problem.

What if you went back in time (say, 60-70 years) and told people,

“One day, people will buy insurance based on the fact that a lizard with a British accent is telling them that a certain company has the best rates”?

How do you think people would react to such random news from the future :)?

 

Just thought I would share my beautiful journey to South Beach each day…

This is how I roll…

The journey takes about 20 minutes without traffic, which in Miami is very common…

I have to cross the causeway each day, leaving normalcy for paradise…

      

The water here is so blue…

My arrival in South Beach…You spend most of your time trying not to look like a tourist, but today I don’t mind.

         

The famous Versace house…

Not too crowded today…

         

As I said before…beautiful.

  

I’ll share more later.