For One Brief Moment At The Taco Bell

Rachel and I were sitting and eating as we enjoyed the ambience that can only be experienced in the cozy loveliness of Taco Bell.  The typical sounds of a busy restaurant could be heard as customers chatted, workers bustled and crispy taco shells crunched.

(Okay, I’m not sure I actually heard tacos crunching but, come on, use your imagination.  It helps the story.)

Suddenly the voice of a little boy could be heard.  It seemed to cut right through the clutter of noise…

“God is great

God is good

Let us thank him

For our lunch.

Amen!”

It wasn’t so much that he was really loud, part of what drew everyone’s attention is that the place grew surprisingly quiet when this happened.  A few folks looked at each other as if to say, “Is he allowed to do this?”

We all heard his little prayer.

I smiled.

For a few seconds all of us folks at the Taco Bell were reminded that a person can talk to God anytime and anywhere.  It was sort of cute and amusing.  But it also felt, very briefly, like a fleeting moment of worship at the Bell.

Then, quickly, the noise resumed.

What I Realized When I Attempted To Let My Faith Go

As a young man in college, it began to occur to me that I may have simply embraced the Christian faith because it was handed down to me by my parents.  I wondered, “Is it possible I think of myself as a Christian because I have been raised in a social context in which there is an expectation that I will accept this belief system?”

“Is it possible I have been brainwashed by sincere, kind, well-meaning people, but what has occurred is, nevertheless, a form of brainwashing?”

                                                                                              

I seriously wrestled with the possibility that I may have been attempting to live something which I did not actually own for myself.

So this may sound like a strange way to describe it, but it’s the best way I can put it into words: I gave myself permission to let it go.  In my mind, I gave myself permission to walk away from the faith if it was not what I really believed.

What I discovered in that time of searching, wondering, stretching and questioning is that I am unable to NOT believe in God. The conviction that God exists is undeniable to me.

The Christian faith involves the grace of God in a way that is beyond just an intellectual pursuit.  However, since those college years I have done a considerable amount of reading and study regarding God and the Christian faith and I remain sincerely convinced of its truth. 

Offering And Accepting Correction -- Audio Podcast

Proverbs 9:7-9

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"Hey, Pal! Wake Up!!!"

This morning as I was waking up, music was playing in my ears and I had the sensation of poking on my shoulder.  When I gradually came to consciousness I realized the music I was hearing could be attributed to the headphones I was wearing as my iPod was playing.

Increased consciousness also helped me realize it was not morning and I was not waking up in my bed.  Rather, it was afternoon and I was in the waiting area of an automotive oil change garage.

The poking sensation, however, turned out to be actual poking.  The customer in the chair next to mine was trying to let me know that the cashier was indicating my car was ready to go.

Technically speaking it is not wrong to fall asleep in a waiting area, but it’s still embarrassing if there is any drool involved or if your snoring is louder than the pneumatic tools in the work area.

Rachel Catches The Bouquet

Nadia and I were standing by the photo booth at Ben and Sam’s wedding reception when I heard cheers, laughter and applause coming from the dance floor.

I turned around in time to see a group of young women surrounding Rachel.

Someone said to me, “Rachel caught the bouquet!”

Rachel had a huge smile on her face.  She was overjoyed.

For the rest of the evening wherever Rachel went, the bouquet went with her.  She never let it out of her grip.

On the drive home I said to her, “You know, Rachel, the tradition is that whoever catches the bride’s bouquet is the next person to get married.”

She said, “Are you kidding, dad?”

I said, “No, that’s the tradition.  Are you going to be getting married soon?”

She said, “Gross!”

Rachel slept with the bouquet right by her bed.

Our Souls Need Silence and Solitude

The relentless stimulation to which we are exposed along with our exhaustive busyness have an effect on the condition of our souls.  I know this is true for me.  On more than a few occasions, I have found that when I do have time to simply relax it is hard for me to do so.  My mind won’t turn off and I crave the stimulation and busyness from which I say I desire escape.  When I actually do have some free time my soul can feel uneasy and fragmented.

We can grow distant from God in the course of our relentless hurry because He does not force Himself on us.

In his insightful way, Dallas Willard writes, “God will, generally speaking, not compete for our attention.  If we will not withdraw from the things that obsess and exhaust us into solitude and silence, He will usually leave us to our own devices.  He calls us to ‘be still and know.’”

Silence, solitude and even rest are spiritual disciplines.  It’s helpful for us to gradually learn to practice these disciplines because the soul transformation we desire does not adequately happen in the midst of endless rushing.

(Please know that I’m admonishing myself with this post.)

What's Coming Sunday 6/8/14 with Dan and Vic? -- Audio Podcast

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God's Boundaries Are For Our Own Good

Some people assume that God creates boundaries and calls us to live holy lives because He hates to see anyone experience pleasure.  

“God just wants to ruin all of my fun!” is how this thinking goes.  

But the truth is that God has established boundaries for our own good.  He does this because He loves us and does not want us to get hurt.  The fact that we may not see it this way does not change the truth of the matter.

The Wisdom of Hard Work -- Audio Podcast

Proverbs 6:6-11

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Fine-Tuning Indicates Something Important About Human Life

The vast size and intricacy of the universe does not diminish the importance of life here on earth.  Actually, the fact that our incredible universe is precisely fine-tuned in such a way as to permit life here on earth indicates something quite meaningful and important about life on earth. 

“That the entire universe should thus be so designed as to culminate in man as its most marvelous creation is highly suggestive of some special care of the Creator for human creatures in particular.” William Lane Craig

Real Love Humbly Speaks The Truth

When you love someone it does not mean that you approve of everything they do. In fact, it is unloving to assure people that they are doing something right when, actually, they are doing something wrong. Doing wrong hurts the person who is doing wrong, even if he/she doesn’t acknowledge it. One of the ways that we attempt to protect those that we love is to humbly speak the truth.

Lucy Is Being Sneaky

Lucy jumped onto the bed in a sneaky way with something in her mouth.  At first, I could not tell what she was holding. 

She very quickly scratched and dug and hid her contraband under a pillow.  Then she gave me an innocent look as if to suggest everything was normal.

“What are you doing?” I asked her.

She cocked her head and the look on her face said, “Nothing.  What are you talking about?”

So, I pulled back the covers to find a pair of Rachel’s socks that Lucy had taken out of the dirty clothes hamper and hidden under my pillow.

“What’s this?” I asked, holding up the socks.

No response.

You see what’s happening, don’t you?  Sure.  Now we enter the phase where Lucy masters the art of looking perfectly innocent while she has illegal stashes secretly hidden all throughout the house.

#NeverADullMoment