pastorrudytlc

People of the Word of God should especially be people who keep their word. Those who refer to themselves as truth seekers should at the very least be truth speakers! Christians should be those who when they pass out sentences, one does not have to worry if they have been laced with lies. Our speech should always be honest. We should ooze integrity and credibility. What we say should be what we intend to do.

But unfortunately that is not always the case. We live amidst a culture where lying has become an acceptable pastime. Advertising itself is built upon the very foundation of false statements. And in a self centered society, it has been deemed a good use of logic to say whatever one must to get ahead. Of course that all comes down to what you define by getting ahead! Must you sell your heart and soul to do it?

Think back to your childhood. Our parents did not have to sit us down and say, “Today we are going to learn how to fib!” We all pretty much picked that one up on our own quite naturally. Statements fly out of our mouth like, “Who, me?” “What did I do?” “Not I!” “It must have been my twin clone who inhabits my shoes when I least expect it!” Actually, I can bet that most of us have said something like, “Cross my heart and hope to die and stick a needle in my eye,” to beef up our claims. Promising things and wanting people to believe us sometimes demands that we resort to “swearing,” because the crowds are not used to people telling the whole truth and nothing but the simple truth!

The Bible challenges us to, “Let our Yes be Yes and our no be No!” It should be enough for us to just say Yes or No and not have to become overly dramatic to prove that we mean what we say! Straightforward honest speech though has become an endangered practice. Politicians rarely spout out the real facts. Our role models exaggerate to the point that most of us become exasperated! Athletes look right into the camera and with pointed finger demand that we believe them when they say they never cheated. But Houston, we have a problem and that is we already know that they did. Somebody want to tell the liar that he or she is beginning to buy into their own lies? Many think that if they repeat the same untruth long enough- that sooner or later it will just be accepted. But just because the crowds buy into it, doesn’t make it right!

Everything you say should be honest and authentic. Are you known for telling the truth? Just because the world system is built on lies doesn’t mean that the church should be buying into that real estate! God’s kids should be holding out for a more solid foundation! We must stay anchored to truth no matter how much hot air is blowing in the wind! Look at your life! If your life is characterized by a pattern of lying and if you are constantly invoking God’s name directly or indirectly through crazy oaths to try to convince others that you are telling the truth- especially if you are not- then your behavior is giving no clear evidence that you really believe in the One who claimed to be the Truth!

God will always give you the chance to tell the truth. He did so with Adam, Cain, Jonah and Peter just to name a few. By the way- He already knows what really happened so why not ditch the tale that is fiction and will just give you unnecessary friction? And while human beings have a history of making empty vows- isn’t it awesome that we serve a Lord who is a promise keeper?

Bottom line is that you will either be judged by your own word or by God’s! My first step to turning it all around is admitting the lie that I don’t need God! I do and so do you! We all do and the good news is that whosoever will may come and everyone who does- gets a clean slate because of what our Savior has done in spite of us! This doesn’t mean that in our entire life we will never say another thing again that isn’t absolutely true. As long as you have a tongue that works- it will be tied up from time to time! But the times we goof should be the exception and not the rule! Believes need to tell the truth. No more half lies. No more pretending! No more just saying what you think the other person just wants to hear! God is truth and God cannot lie. We who are his children should reflect his nature! If we live truth, we will love truth and speak truth and trust instead of disgust will follow. How about you?

Coaches, Teachers and Preachers are getting a bad rap this season. Coaches are getting fired for not leading their teams to championships. Teachers go down for not getting their students to pass the final exams. Preachers are ridiculed and judged upon how well they feed their flock. What about the teams and the classes and the congregations? Don’t they have to bear some of the blame for not achieving the goal? Where does the brunt of responsibility fall? Who is blaming who?

I have coached for well over 30 years now some form of youth sports. It takes me no time to tell you the biggest difference between attempting to teach young people then and now. It is easily the short attention span that most children have and their inability to listen. I will spend hours with kids, showing them where to stand in the batter box, how to place their feet, what to do with their hands and hips only to discover that when they get the chance to do it themselves, so few of them do any of the things that I have taught them. The majority of them do just what they want to do. When I was a kid and an adult Coach would come along and try to show me the way to play the game properly, you can be sure that I adhered to his words about as tightly as I could. I knew that ignoring him would not only keep me at a loss, but it would also find me a place on the bench. Well, you can kiss those days goodbye. Attempting to administer consequences for today’s generation of Mommy and Daddy’s little angels is a mission impossible.

Why can’t we teach our children that it is not a crime to be corrected? Why can’t adults trust other well respected adults to be able to speak hard truth into the lives of their offspring? How can one really learn if they will not allow themselves to be taught? I am sorry, but there is a right way to throw and hit a curve ball and a wrong way and many a grown man never made it to the major leagues because he didn’t know how to do either. We need to teach our children the need to be taught. Listening is just as important as doing for you can’t do what you need to do until you know properly how you need to do it! It starts with we adults lightening up a bit and realizing that none of us are raising the perfect child and God has provided wonderful experts along the way to come alongside of us so that we can mentor our little ones to maturity!

I know Teachers who go way beyond the call of duty to work with students. These men and women understand that they are not just imparting facts and figures but passing on care and compassion and life lessons that teach us how to be good citizens of planet earth! What do you do when you not only can’t get the student to listen but also will receive no reinforcement from home to help the leader lead? I am not advocating a return to the day of unjust corporeal punishment but must we put down stakes down deep on the side of the extreme? I just wish our culture would work better with one another instead of being so overly sensitive and competitive, especially in areas where this is obviously not a game to win!

This thin skinned attitude has even crept into the church. I take my responsibility as the Pastor of The Lighthouse Church about as serious as any human being can do so. It usually takes me about 8 hours on a Monday to prepare for the 30 minute messages that I share on any given weekend. I know the amount of content in those sermons because I live with the convicting words doing a number upon my heart almost every day. God’s truth is alive and active and never returns void. So I am not totally to blame when I hear the common used catch phrase, “Oh Pastor, I am not being fed.” Especially when there are notes and application steps provided for any man or woman to take the next practical steps into deepening their faith. I can prepare the message and serve the message but somewhere along the line a listener must choose to be wholly engaged. I know that at my age I am not into consuming pre-chewed food and I am sure that most of my readers aren’t craving it either. I don’t know of another Minister alive who wouldn’t take all the time necessary when one of his parishioners comes to him with the hunger and thirst to grow in their faith! But Christianity isn’t a fast food faith and you can’t get your doctrine to go with a side of theology thrown in! Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength! If you aren’t all in, then don’t expect to go all out!

This isn’t personal. This is about society as a whole and even I fall into its trap at times. This is an observation that if I could change anything about our current culture, I would pray for it to be teachable, available and faithful once again! You can’t excel in any one area in a hurry. When I was a kid, I didn’t just play baseball when our Little League Coach called for a practice. I was out in the sandlots with my friends every single day until the very last ray of light could be seen! We ate, drank and slept baseball. When I got an A in History, it was because I picked my Teacher’s brain until he was sick of hearing me ask questions. And I fell head over heels in love with Jesus because of the amount of time I spent with my Lord. I guarantee that if you seek the Lord with all of your heart, you will never be satisfied with him occupying only a small portion of your inner engine room again!

Listen! Take notes! Ask questions. Don’t react, but respond. Practice and give yourself permission to fail. Do it again and again. Don’t ignore the homework. Don’t think the Coach’s correction means that he doesn’t like you. Go and take a walk with your Pastor! There is a time to learn and even improve and today could be the day!

We used to sing a little song that maybe you did too. It went something like this, “This Little Light Of Mine- I’m Going To Let It Shine!” It reminded us to remember the words of Jesus when he told us that we would be the light of this world. Our blessed beacon should be blasting so bright that whenever anybody gets a glance of the glory pumping through us they would be ale to give praise to the Father in Heaven who has made this divine electricity possible!

God’s not too crazy about darkness. He pronounced quite demonstratively, “Let there be Light” and with just the power of his word- all of creation became quite pronounced- boldly bounding into view. We are told that men still love darkness rather than God’s beam of brightness mostly because sin gets to hide in the back corners of dusk. But if we walk in the splendor of the Son- we see what we could never conceive when the power is out! How is your holy wattage today? Could we be experiencing volts of victory venturing via your veins today?

God gave you talents and abilities, a personality and a unique persona not just to hide under a bushel! You are at your best when you are operating on all cylinders! There is nothing worse than wasted potential and unused and never opened gifts! Count how many times during a twenty four hour period that you could be amazing but you settle for a dimming mediocrity? God wants to ignite inside of you a passion that sets your path ablaze! We don’t have an indefinite amount of days to dazzle and that is why we need to determine to do it up now!

There is a cave in New Zealand. They have Glowworms. The inside of the cave is lit up and it’s an amazing and extraordinary sight. The lucidity is being launched by thousands of these phosphorescent little creatures. They spend most of their lives as larvae. When they finally do hatch and get their wings, believe it or not, they have no mouths. They have no way to feed. They only live for one single day. They get one day to fly. They get one day to attract a mate, get married, have children, and then they die. One day. I guess they have no time to waste huh? They can’t take a day off to not shine! What about you?

God has given you a lifetime to be illuminated! When you ignite your light- the world becomes a witness to the radiance that is creation’s truest reality! God has plans for you to be His eternal flame! Will you allow him to flip the switch? You may have the capacity and potential to be as bright as thousands of twinkling lights but if you don’t get plugged in to the power source-and if you choose to whine instead of shine- it is a pity and a pure waste of time and talent! And I believe the Father weeps because we have dimmed the devotion that could have been ours if only we were committed to the Creator!

God wants to light up your life! Will you allow him to flip the switch? Can you imagine sleeping in on a day where you got that kind of invitation? Can you imagine the magic of this very day if you would just be open to learn and see things that you would never know if the Master-Creator and Designer wasn’t there to point it all out to you? Jesus is giving you the same invitation today! It is time to open up the shades and let the sunshine in and wake up and walk this wonderland with God! He wants to illumine you to all the truth that you would miss- if you choose to stay in the darkness! We were made to live for so much more!

And with Jesus inside us and beside us- there is a whole new world to see-so don’t you dare close your eyes! Jesus rose from the dead- and not just so you could sleep in and throw the covers over your head! Jesus rose from the dead to show us what we would miss if he wasn’t here to show us! So as another chorus that we used to sing goes, “Carry The Torch And Lift High The Flame and March Through The Darkness In The Light of His Name Until The Glory Of God Is seen By The World!” Take that shade off your head and reflect fully the wonder of the Lord as seen through you and me!

This time in April is what is referred to in Christianity as “Passion Week.” Our reflecting upon the sacred happenings of this seven day period helps us to appreciate why Jesus came from heaven to earth in the first place. It definitely was not for our hospitable company as mankind proved to be lousy hosts for the God of all creation! We took the holiest man who ever graced our planet and nailed him to a cross! So don’t be surprised when the crowd collectively stabs you in the back for much less! But Jesus never prevented his crucifixion from happening. Jesus could have said the word, “Enough,” at any time. Angels would have fought for him. Creation would have defended him. The Father would have rescued and evacuated him. Jesus willingly chose to walk a road that he knew would lead through hell. Jesus literally laid his life down as the ultimate sacrifice of love for our sin.

As Jesus headed into Jerusalem to begin the road to the resurrection, it began with a 4000 foot climb. That fact alone might have disqualified most of us! But Jesus climbed a mountain not to get a breathtaking view from the peak but to literally have the oxygen beaten out of him. He knew it was going to happen and he still persevered. What fueled his expedition? It was an incredible selfless love that refused to fail.

The view from Calvary for the local home audience had them believing what even the disciples thought was the death of a dream. It would have been a defeat in the valley moment for almost all of us. But looks are deceiving with God. You can’t and should never judge an eternal book by a finite cover. Jesus’ mountaintop experience on the cross was where God won his greatest victory. The Father would be able to welcome his children home. There would be a banquet someday in the Son’s honor and because of his faithful obedience; every seat around the dinner table would be filled! What a paradox from what the people believed to be the coronation on Palm Sunday really occurred on that dark and dismal Good Friday! When you finally have the guts to look death in the eyes, life finally changes!

I have just finished the book entitled, “I am Malala.” On the morning of Tuesday October 9, 2012, Malala, a 15 year old girl, boarded her school bus in the northwest Pakistani district of Swat. A gunman from the Taliban asked for Malala by name and then proceeded to point a Colt 45 at her and fired off 3 shots! One bullet hit the left side of her forehead, traveled under her skin the length of her face and then into her shoulder. But this act of violence didn’t rob this incredible young lady of her victory. Listen to what Malala says, “The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.” It was Malala’s dance with death that rather than put the fire of passion out in her heart and make her a bitter wallflower has only set this young lady even more ablaze. When you finally grasp the truth that each hour of every day is a gift- you understand that you can climb with no fear of losing!

When people ask me what has made the greatest impact upon my life, I quickly answer with conviction that it was the death of my 5 children who presently reside in Heaven. When your own children have been ripped from your arms, what else is too great to lose?

This Easter you can play the victim or you can realize that your adventure isn’t completed yet. Jesus was smacked around and even knocked out but you can’t keep a good man down! He knew that an earthly coronation was not the real celebration. A ride upon a donkey to the cheers of adoring but fickle fans upon the streets of earth was not to be compared to the coming parade leading to paradise! Some 2000 plus years ago around this time of the year, Jesus climbed a steep hill to Jerusalem only to discover that it led to an even bigger hill upon Golgotha- but oh what view he has now! Because he went through hell for us, he would not have to be in heaven without us and if you trust him to be your tour guide of life- he will take you somewhere worth going too!

Easter is a microcosm of the few degrees of separation in every heart between what people expect to get out of life and what it is they truly receive. Your decision to follow the lead of Jesus is the difference between jubilation and judgment- between horror and hosanna! Be careful the next time you are duped by a counterfeit hero. Only a true savior will bust through a grave so that none of us will ever have to call it our final destination again! This Easter, take the time and make the effort to follow Jesus to life! It is worth the trip!

One of my favorite things to do is to take a popular song from the radio and tweak the lyrics just a bit here and there and then do it in church! I believe God gave us music to speak a message to our hearts and souls that would never get across with just the spoken word. Music has been Heaven’s gift to get me through many a tragic season or a dark day. It has also been the vehicle that I have turned to first when I wanted to celebrate and shout to the entire world to express the joy I feel inside! Music and passion are always in fashion in Pastor Rudy’s world!

So if I may today, I would like to share with you two samples of the ways that I have rewrote the song! Recently I was preaching from the book of James and the subject of humility was jumping off the pages. As I studied to prepare for my message- I kept hearing “Everybody Needs a Humble Heart” over again in my head. Anybody remember a Bruce Springsteen song named “Hungry Heart?” Bingo! Here is my version where my words can be sung to his music! I even included my personal testimony in the second verse!

EVERYBODY NEEDS A HUMBLE HEART… Rewritten words by Pastor Rudy
Had a life I lived still wanting more, Jack- I got down on my knees and I never looked back…
The Holy Spirit came and just went flowing- I let the Lord in and I just kept going…
Everybody needs a humble heart! Everybody needs a humble heart!
Lay down your pride and make a brand new start!
Everybody needs a humble-humble- heart!
I met the Lord out in a parking lot- Looked up to Heaven said my soul was shot!
He took what I was and He made a new man- Bought me a ticket for the Promise Land…
Everybody needs a humble heart! Everybody needs a humble heart!
Lay down your pride and make a brand new start!
Everybody needs a humble-humble- heart!
Everybody wants a love that’s sure- Everybody needs a soul that’s pure…
Don’t make no difference whether big or small- We need the love of God above it all!
Everybody needs a humble heart! Everybody needs a humble heart!
Lay down your pride and make a brand new start!
Everybody needs a humble-humble- heart!

So what did you think? It just all came together and we had some fun singing it in church. And now I am getting ready for Easter Sunday where I always like to throw in a surprise or two! If Jesus rose from the dead- why shouldn’t we be radically excited? So this year I took the Sara Bareilles “Brave” and with some Pastor Rudy magic-it is now called- “Jesus Rose from the Grave!”

JESUS ROSE FROM THE GRAVE… Rewritten words by Pastor Rudy
Jesus is amazing- He can change a life with just one touch from above…
He can take the outcast- Hit em with a big splash-with some everlasting love…
And real life starts showing up…
All the things that hurt you- All the things you’ve been thru- When they settle ‘neath your heart…
Locked up on the inside- no sunlight- You might think the shadow wins…
But I wonder what would happen if you-
Hey- open up your soul- And let new life come out-
Honestly- Jesus rose from the grave…
He has so much to give- So that new life comes out- Honestly- Jesus rose from the grave!
He wants to love you- He just wants to love you- Why not let him love you-
Jesus rose from the grave!
He wants to love you- He just wants to love you- Why not let him love you-
Jesus rose from the grave!
Everybody’s been there- Everybody’s been stared down by the enemy- Fallen for the fear…
And done some disappearing- Give in to anxiety- Don’t run! Just stop hiding your heart!
Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live-
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your God is
Hey- open up your soul- And let new life come out-
Honestly- Jesus rose from the grave…
He has so much to give- So that new life comes out- Honestly- Jesus rose from the grave!
And since your history of heartbreak- Won’t do you any good- Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty- Why won’t you let in the Truth?

I have always been a fan of Barry Manilow, so it only makes sense that I write the songs- or at the very least- rewrite them! My prayer is that you all would add some music to your day and if you don’t like the lyrics- make them your own! God Bless and keep on singing!

I finally saw the Movie, “Saving Mr. Banks” tonight. It is a riveting film about the back story of how the great Walt Disney tried to win over the heart of the author P.L. Travers so that she would consent to give up her beloved Mary Poppins so that the classic musical would be made. Travers is cantankerous, pompous and to say difficult to work with would be putting it mildly. Walt Disney is well, Walt Disney. A man who did believe that a day in the magic kingdom could cure whatever ails you. Pamela Travers who demands that everyone call her Mrs. Travers proceeds to drive Mr. Disney who insists that everyone call him Walt nuts, fighting him and his outstandingly talented creative team that includes the legendary songwriting Sherman Brothers on almost every issue. She doesn’t want Mary Poppins- never refer to her as just Mary- portrayed as a silly cartoon. She loathes the casting of Dick Van Dyke as opposed to a “serious” actor like Sir Laurence Olivier to play Bert. She is convinced that Mary Poppins does not sing and so the idea of the movie as a musical abhors her. And in her silliest request, she bans the color red from the movie just because she can.

But when you wish upon a star your dreams do come true! And we all know that Mary Poppins went on to be made and it became the greatest live action success of Walt Disney’s career, winning five Oscars, including Best Actress for Julie Andrews and Best Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and Best Score for such songs that became part of the soundtrack our lives like “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “Just a Spoon Full of Sugar.”

Personally, I cried my eyes out when the song “Feed The Birds” was played. An actual favorite of Walt Disney himself, he many time would leave his office and come and look for the Sherman Brothers after a hard day and just say to the boys, “Play It”- and that was the song that would soothe Walt’s soul. For me, the haunting melody brings back the grandest memories of my Nana, Frances Tedesco. Mary Poppins was the last Movie that I ever saw with my little Italian Grandmother. She would pass away from breast cancer in 1965. But for one glorious Saturday in 1964, back in the day when you could actually stay and see a movie more than once and see it portrayed on one giant screen- Nana and I stayed and sang and laughed and I have only ever felt that safe and loved by one other person on this planet. And when I see in the film that little old woman sitting on the bench, feeding the pigeons- something Nana and I did on the Green in Morristown- well it removes the dam and Niagara Falls burst from my tear ducts and my heart yearns to someday see Nana again!

Relationships! It is all about relationships. Walt Disney knew that. He knew he could not bully Mrs. Travers with brute business and force her into doing something with characters that she considered family. Even Disney himself related to that sentiment because he felt that way about his mouse named Mickey! And the film educates us through flashbacks that Mrs. Travers did not live the life of ease growing up. There was lots of disappointment through her years. While she adored her father, there was still much heartache and loss and intense and internal pain. But Walt Disney does eventually win Helen Goff over. You see Helen Goff was the name that Travers was really born with but she took on her Dad’s first name as her last- as a tribute to him. Walt understood there was an inside reason for this woman’s irrational outside rants. And by being vulnerable and sharing his own brokenness and revealing confessions of his own personal childhood hardships- Walt becomes more than just an icon but a person Mrs. Travers concedes Mary Poppins to.

“Saving Mr. Banks” is focused on just that- saving Mr. Banks! Travers Robert Goff, on whom the character of Mr. Banks in the Mary Poppins books was based, was in real life a loving, even whimsical man, although his alcoholism and irresponsibility doomed him and eventually got the best of him. Travers is appalled when in the original script and scope of the movie- the Disney’s version of Mr. Banks is just plain ugly and cruel. Yes, the real Mary Poppins was based on Travers’ stern and unloving aunt who cared for the family during its darkest hours. This Aunt was there not for the children- but to try to literally save Mr. Banks physically. The Aunt failed and Travers became a child who ultimately grew up to become an adult who would forever blame herself for not having been able to save her father from himself. The last thing she would want to see portrayed on the giant screen was her father as eternally lost and unredeemed. The light bulb went on and Disney and the Sherman Brothers got it and the ending of the film was changed! Mr. George Banks and all he represented did end up being freed from the prison that the bank and the business alone had become. The classic song, “Let’s Go Fly A Kite” was the new ending and it taught us all that even if in life we don’t ways experience happy endings- we can always restore order with love and laughter and imagination. Through story and relationship, we instill hope again and again and again. To this day when life gets so overwhelming, I’ll just shout out for all to hear, “Let’s go Fly A Kite!”

We all need to be saved from ourselves. We all need to be rescued from the pain and the hurts and the shots taken at us all along the way. Life can be so unfair and there are those who it seems that their only goal is to try to wipe any hint of a smile off our faces forever! But what would life be if it was only about good banking and proper etiquette! Jesus came when the winds in the east were about to destroy my soul and the mist was coming in with the hope to blind me from ever seeing a sunrise again. Sin and storms were brewing in my soul and Jesus didn’t do what he did the way that he did it, I would be lost forever. I would live a life with no color and no music and no laughter! That just couldn’t be!

Here are the words that the Poppa of P.L. Travers shared with her when she was just a little girl. He said, “Don’t you ever stop dreaming. You can be anyone you want to be.” Funny, but I believe those are the very words Walt Disney used to remind the adult edition of Mrs. P.L. Travers of the very same truth! Now let’s go fly a kite!

This week I challenge my Facebook and Twitter and Blogging Family to be brave enough to be willing to GIVE AWAY something of value to you-
Something that really means something to you!
Something that includes sacrifice because you love what you’re giving!
But don’t just give it away randomly!
Ask God to show you WHO needs what you have to offer…
Watch how God is moving around you and follow His lead!
Look to be an answer to somebody’s prayer this week!
And your gift may be your time or your talent…
It may be an act of service or being there or a needed tender touch!
God gives to us not so that we can hoard away what we have received-
but He fills us to spill us again and again and again and again!
Stop using God to simply meet your own self-centered desires-
Ask Him to use you to love others through you and
I guarantee you will feel like a million bucks!!!
Let me know how it goes! I’m in! How about you???

Have you seen the Movie, “The Son Of God” yet? We at The Lighthouse Church bought out every seat and hosted two sold out showings of the film at Frank’s Theaters in Rio Grande last week. I have to tell you that there is something very emotionally moving about seeing what Jesus and his earthly life and ministry could have been like in a visual manner. At the end of the presentation, nobody in the house moved for a while and normally people are rushing to the exits as the credits roll. Not this time. Not after seeing what we all saw on the big screen. Nobody was going anywhere in a hurry because you just had to have an extra moment or two to properly process what we all had just been through. It makes it even more meaningful especially when you know that Jesus chose to go through all of what he did for us human beings. Greater love has no man or woman ever bestowed upon us!

The danger is that we have all heard the story of Jesus so many times that we become to anesthetized the potent power of this extraordinary person. Also, way too often, we fall into the trap of ignoring or even totally removing the everyday humanity of our Lord when we only encounter him in church settings. For example, after viewing The Son Of God, someone mentioned that they were disappointed that Jesus cried out in pain when the nails were driven into his hands and feet. Are you kidding me? What did they think? Did Jesus have a specially branded body that never got hurt? Did he not cry as a baby? Did he not groan and moan when his body betrayed him as we do in our own packaging? I just shook my head wondering what kind of response that they would have made if they had experienced the same thing Jesus did. And if we all had the “Get Me Out of Here” clause that was available to our Lord although he never used it- how many of us would have persevered and endured the cross, facing the pain and the shame only for the joy of bringing people like us into an eternal relationship with the Father? It sure makes you think, doesn’t it?

The other comment I kept hearing over and over again was that Jesus looked too pretty. I am not really sure what that means. What did they want- an ugly standoffish Savior? Did they want somebody more cold and calculated like the Chief Priest and the Pharisees? I love the fact that Jesus will reach out to us nobodies! This is what made him so unlike any other religious leader of that day or any other mind you. I do know that whoever encountered the compassionate Lord in the Scriptures always felt loved and cared for in a way that they had never known before. Too much holier than thou and not enough we are all in the same boat scenarios happening in our churches today! Maybe that is why the same Jesus who didn’t fit in then, might find the same cold shoulder offered him if he came back to our congregations today!

One of the best ways to determine the strength of a man is to watch how he treats women and children! Jesus was the strongest man who ever walked this planet and yet he always exhibited his power under incredible control. I can almost picture this biblical scene. It’s the middle of a normal day in Galilee. The men are all at work as the women go about their daily jobs of washing, mending, cooking, getting water and watching their children and grandchildren. Suddenly everything stops. The announcement is being passed through the village that Jesus is down by the sea. They have all heard of this man and of the miraculous things he has done. There is only one thought now and that is, “We have got to get to Jesus.”

Now, under normal circumstances, only the men would be allowed an audience with the Teacher. Women and children were only background players and circumstantial noise. But the children sense that this man is kind and loving. They beg to go and see the Rabbi who some call a prophet and even some, the Messiah. The mothers eagerly gather their little ones in their arms as the older brood run ahead. All of a sudden, parents begin to blush in embarrassment as some of the disciples give the young people a tongue lashing. “Don’t bother Jesus!” they warn and they even add a “Why don’t you control your kids?” for good measure. Jesus’ apostles attempted to shoo the children away.

But Jesus hears the squeals of laughter, and doesn’t miss a beat. Calling out clearly Jesus says, “Let the children alone and don’t you dare prevent them from coming to me.” And then He makes a lesson out of it for those who so often push the children away, “God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.” Then He gathers the children around Him, and one by one he touches each little head, even holding some of the babies who are fussing because they’re hungry or need a nap. And then He prays over them, pronouncing God’s blessing on the children.
It makes me wonder that if you were one of the mothers or fathers in the crowd that day, what would you have wanted Jesus to say as He touched your child? What words of blessing would you have wanted our Lord to give?

Would it have been a prayer for a healthy long life or for happiness and comfort or for good friends and a close family or for a noble character and reputation or for wisdom or to be cherished and loved or for an eternal close relationship with God? What blessing would you have wanted Jesus to pronounce upon your child if He would have put his hand on them that day? The key ingredient here being that Jesus would have given your child the undivided attention that too many times we are too distracted to offer! Jesus always cuts us right to the heart of the matter.

I challenge you to look at Jesus through eyes other than those that have been prejudiced by stain glass. Look honestly at Jesus. Look openly as a seeker would. Come to him and let him be as he is and not as culture has molded him to become. See if Jesus doesn’t rock your world and set your heart to experience what nobody else could ever evoke from within you. I just fear that too many people are walking away from the imposter Jesus and not seeing the Son Of God that the writers of the gospel like John and the others wanted us to know. Taste and see that the Lord is good. You might just discover that one helping of God is never enough!

Have you ever been to Muir Woods? There is much for us to learn about meeting the deepest needs of human beings amongst the inhabitants of that geographical location that lies just north of San Francisco. It is there you can enter into a breathtaking experience of God’s creative nature. The subject of our lesson is the sequoia tree. They are some of the grandest living things on this planet. The timber can reach the heights of almost 250 feet into the sky and they survive as many as 1500 birthdays! Like we at the Jersey Shore who can’t help but sense power and grandeur when we stand at the edge of the sands and hear the ocean roar, you too feel teeny tiny when you walk through the giants born in northern California. But the reason that these saplings survive the seasons for centuries is because they have been wired to depend upon one another!

The Sequoia tree’s roots only go about 4 feet deep into the ground. On its own, it wouldn’t have a chance to thrive and grow as it does in the conditions it has been placed within. The Sequoia really have learned to become interdependent with one another. They only flourish in groves. Their roots actually intermingle with one another and rather than steal and compete with the plant next to them- they complete and strengthen their neighbor in the process! No Sequoia stands solo! And what an awesome sight it is to witness the fruit of their teamwork. And what a true rush of adrenaline it is to us Christians when we practice the model left for us by these Sequoias!

This past week, I had the privilege to eat with, sleep with, walk with, talk with and work with 11 members of The Lighthouse Church as we ministered together in San Marcos of the Dominican Republic. These are people that I see every week on a regular basis. These are people that I know by name and would classify easily as my family and friends. But something magical happened these last 7 days when we all got together and via a God initiated mission mutually melted together as a single movement.

Meals shared at a joint table can work wonders in opening the door to relational connection. Our present generation has missed out on what used to be a family staple. But for one week we ate breakfast, lunch and supper together with no television, radio or Wi-Fi to steal our attention. Cooked by a talented woman named Norma, we lingered and laughed and made eye contact without distraction as we tasted Dominican delicacies such as yucca, avocado salad, taquitos, papa fritas and pescado. We even did the dishes in teams with no griping and complaining. My expertise was the wonders I could perform with glass cleaner and paper towels!

One of our tasks this time was to tile the showers and kitchen in a neighborhood center that we constructed over the last few years. I admit that I am not naturally gifted in the area of building and remodeling and construction projects. But I love coming alongside of someone to assist. One of the highlights of my week was being able to help and learn from talented men such as Dave Sonntag and Dave Anthony, Bob Standeven and Tony Gallo. These men were all very patient with me as they instructed me along the way. Before you know it I was grouting and cutting tile and really feeling like I belonged. I loved it and it was only possible because the guys who could have done it by themselves didn’t do it by themselves! I know we church people could come together if we would just be willing to humbly check our egos at the door! Christianity was designed to operate as a team rather than serve as a spotlight for spoiled divas! There was some sweet harmony being heard in heaven because we just said no to solos!

Community literally means “common unity.” I believe that most churches are not celebrating the family aspect of what God provides because we are too much about ourselves and not enough about God and one another. How many times do we come to church without being the church? If you can’t wait to leave then you will never arrive! You can’t do unity in a hurry! You can’t grow in love unless you are willing to have your roots interchanged and messed with! The dominant theme of this journey to Puerto Plata was “Self-Forgetfulness.” It was not thinking less about you but truly thinking of yourself less. We are so consumed in this culture with how everything affects us. We even go to worship only thinking of will this sermon affect me and whether we will sing the songs that I like or hoping that so and so will reach out to me. God said life is found when we give it all away. Love is all about putting God first and others second. I have to honestly say the love was moving and grooving as we partnered rather than postured this past week!

I thank God I went with the adults to San Marcos. I at one time pronounced that I would never do that again because I get so weary of the whining that older people do that the younger people don’t! But while I can connect with the youth as a mentor- this time I connected with my brothers as a man! I am more determined than ever to not miss the intense wealth that God has planted all around me. I have learned that I grow better not only when my roots go deep but when I allow them to become interdependent with those who are also soaring to the skies! Thank you Lord for making discipleship something that can only happen in a group setting! I am thankful to Jesus for giving me the privilege of becoming a stronger disciple on this trip to San Marcos. Let us pray to become Sequoias and not squatters who are here today and gone tomorrow because we have never owned the ground that we were placed within.

On another quick note, each year we have a baseball day with the men in the San Marcos neighborhood and even though I just recently celebrated another birthday that puts me in my mid 50’s- I had a blast from my past when I smacked the baseball way over the left fielder’s head! Had there been a fence, it would have been a home run! But because there wasn’t one and because I can’t run these days to save my life- I was thrown out at second base- Are you kidding me!!! And a good laugh was had by the rest of my Sequoia teammates!

I was listening today to a replay of the old American Top 40 Broadcasts from the 70’s on Sirius/XM satellite radio with the beloved Casey Kasem who hosted the show every weekend. Those of us who remember that era also recognize Casey’s familiar voice as that of Shaggy on the Scooby-Doo cartoons. I loved these countdown shows and listened to them faithfully because I wanted to know exactly where my favorite artists and records were landing in popularity!

Today Casey reminded me of a classic country song that was super hit record number 15 on this February day back in 1974. I was in 8th Grade at the time and a regular listener to 1050 Country WHN out of New York City because that was the station that was broadcasting the New York Mets games at the time. So when the Mets weren’t on, I got hooked on the likes of Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Charlie Rich, and a man named Tom T Hall. It was Hall’s record “I Love,” that had crossed over to the Pop Charts and was enjoying national success because of it. The lyrics were beautiful in their simplicity and when I heard it today, I began to tear up. Many times life’s greatest treasures come in the plainest packages.

The lyrics go something like this, “I love honest open smiles, kisses from a child, tomatoes on a vine and onions. I love winners when they cry, losers when they try, music when it’s good and life. And I love you too.” It got me thinking of all the many beautiful blessings that God has showered into my life through the years. And one of the easiest for me to name is the gift God gave me in my wife Terri who just happens to be celebrating her birthday as I write this. She is still as lovely today and I cherish her more even now than I did the first time ever I saw her face!

As a matter of fact, yesterday at a wedding that I officiated and Terri and I attended together- it turned out that the DJ brought all the married couples on to the dance floor. I am not the easiest individual in the world to get to dance. If I have an area of my life where I am overwhelmingly self-conscious- it is when I am dancing. So I don’t do it! I did not dance at the record hops growing up. I did not dance at my Senior Prom. I did not even dance at my own wedding! And now- here I was gliding with my bride in front of everybody. Before I could run for the exit, I was now involved in a contest to see what couple out there was married the longest! One by one the other participant’s slowly disappeared and believe it or not, Terri and I were left in the spotlight having won the game with 32 years together and counting. I wouldn’t have been out there with anybody else! I was glad that I did not have to be.

Happy Birthday Terri! You are the beauty that keeps this beast going! I could not imagine finding my way in this world without my wife. God said that it was not good for me to be alone because He knew what kind of mess I would make so the Lord gave me His absolute best to walk this adventure together with! Terri is an amazing woman with more God given talent than I know that she will ever take the credit for. She is truly humble and a real servant. She looks to stay behind the scenes to do her thing but I know that there would be no scenes at all to enjoy if she was not working so diligently to make everything a huge success! I want to make sure that everybody knows that The Lighthouse Church is the success it is because God put Terri on the team. She keeps the ball rolling and things moving in the right direction and neither one of us could do it without her! And I love her too! And even though love couldn’t quite keep the Captain and Tennille together- so far so good with the two of us!

So maybe today is a good day to remind the someone that you love that you still love them! Love should never be what is going without saying. Love should be shouted- celebrated- marinated and activated early and often! Love should not be taken for granted. Love should not be hidden in the bottom drawer. Love should not be saved for a rainy day. Love is what we need more of every day. So who can you tell and who can you share a random act of unconditional kindness with today? Don’t wait until it is too late and don’t let your pride stubbornly stand in the way. Take down the barriers and be a bridge to positive relational connections that will honor God’s never failing convictions! And I love you too.

So who do you love? What do you love? Thanks Tom T Hall for making me reflect today. And here’s a list before I go just to prime the pump of gratitude in your own world. And I pray love will fill your heart so that discontent and a bitter spirit can’t suffocate your soul?
“I love snowy winter days, baseball games to play, singing songs at night and flight! I love pizza when it’s hot, Pepsi when it’s not, laughing with my son and fun! And I love you too…”