DoxA

Wildflower First Race of the Season

Today I have to finish message prep for Sunday as I'll be completely out of sorts for the next two days. I have camping gear to pack, my bike to prep, transition bag and various things to collect, wetsuit... shoes... helmet... rain gear... RAIN GEAR?!

Wildflower, known as the "Woodstock" of triathlon is a weekend affair hosting 3 different races in central California. The venue is a secluded lake surrounded by rolling hills, vineyards and military compounds. Most of the 5000 plus participants camp on site which creates an interesting dynamic pre and post race living up to the Woodstock reputation. The forecast has rain for Friday and Saturday... I recall many of those Woodstock videos of people rain-soaked and rolling around in the mud! Could this be us come Saturday?

The race I'll be doing on Saturday is the long course or half Ironman distance race. It's a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike over those rolling hills, then the 13.1 mile run on trails that only seem to go up and up and up! which will be interesting if they are wet... running in the mud. Hmmmm, this will be fun... er funny.

Fitness seems to be good going in. I've put the miles in, my head in the game. I'm looking forward to represent the TRIbe, the triathlon club I belong to here in San Jose and to be able to race for Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Endurance. I'll be sharing a brief devotion at the Iron Prayer service on Friday afternoon and hanging with the FCA-E team including pros Kirk Nelson and Brad Seng. So, keep us all in prayer. Especially little Anna Soares to get better so mom and dad feel secure in coming down. I put up a full race report on Sunday detailing the weekend so stay tuned... in the mean time, I've got some stuff to do which include a hair cut. Yep! time to get aero!

To Eternity and Beyond

Thanks to my friend Amy I was able to step out of the serious preparations of Wholly Holy, the Marriage series we'll conclude this weekend, and enjoy this...

Don't Ever Change

Looking through your high school yearbooks can either be a wonderful walk down memory lane or it can feel like a stroll into a dark, scary place where you know you will inevitably have to face a demon or two. Beyond the themes and mediocre photography lie dozens of handwritten sentiments of shared experiences, inside jokes and pledges of life-long friendship. Often ending with these words... "Stay the way you are... don't ever change!" Silly as it may seem, 10, 20 or 30 years later; at the time it was heartfelt and of course who ever imagined they wouldn't stay as they were?

Fast forward some time later and there is another pictorial to open and reminisce. The wedding album recalls the best of our hopes and dreams. What the photographer captured that day was a odd combination of elation, numbness, worry and innocence. Little would you imagine on that day just how much things would change. When we say "I do," an agreement to all those words the preacher says, we never intend to break them... you know, like the "until death do us part"... part. Yet, today these vows appear as nothing more than good ideas until better ones come along: Better eyes, better touch, better conversation, better sex, better intelligence, better jobs, better vacations, better... The problem with the better syndrome is there will always be something better to best the very thing you hold new. Sometimes it happens as a flash in the pan other times it's a slow burn but eventually there will be something better.

I suppose you could easily make a life out of finding the better; many do. However, when the final days of sunlight are fading on the soul, one is only left with what is. And is what is the best there ever was?

We know God hates divorce. We don't have to be told that... it just seems like God would anyway. When we speak of God, whether you see Him as a kind, gentle, just, harsh, demanding God, in any state, we can only imagine God as one who would hate to see the difficult, hurtful rending of heart and possessions.

I'm sometimes amazed how many will justify their desires to get a divorce on the basis that it's best for everyone, when they really mean it's best for them. When we believe the lie that divorce is better for everyone it's like Edmund's Turkish Delight, a trickery intended take you where you really don't want to go! When you divorce; children suffer, work suffers, friends suffer and mostly you suffer. So why do we insist on it?

When it comes to divorce in the church there are so many questions... I suppose these questions arise out of loop-hole expeditions; giving allowance for behavior and granting freedom to the troubled conscience. Yet, Jesus was pretty clear...

Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” 4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’​​ 5 And he said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’​ 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” 7 “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?”​ they asked.
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. 9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.​​” Matthew 19:3-9

Some would content the Apostle Paul was less clear giving allowances in 1 Corinthians but I say the result is the same...

Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. 1 Corinthians 7:17

As stated before and again here reiterated; Marriage is not for your happiness, it is for you holiness! I truly believe if we could get to the place where holiness was our aim, we'd see a lot less divorce and a whole lot of happiness!

Not Participating in the Recession

Tonight at 7pm, Pacific time, we'll be hosting Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope. Hope you can make it. If you're not in the San Jose area find a location near you by going HERE.

We have appreciated Dave Ramsey's straight forward approach to financial responsibility... It is our responsibility, not the governments or your parents or a credit company. As Dave Ramsey says, "we should live like no one else so we can live like no one else;" meaning if we sacrifice the easy way and live by making the hard choices, no credit cards, saving responsibly, etc. we'll later be able to live without money worries and flow with the unexpected turns in life. He calls it Financial Peace.

Three times a year, here at Twin Oaks Church, we host a thirteen week course of Financial Peace University. Already dozens of couples have worked their way out of debt and onto the road of financial recovery. If you're finding yourself in a place where you just don't know how to get out from under the financial landslide, you're personally facing, you would be better off attending FPU than waiting for a government bailout!

Simon Says - He Likes It!

While this past week one act from Britian's Got Talent made headlines you may have missed this one... For those who were in the worship service this past week at Twin Oaks you witnessed this video during our worship and saw the love of a Father for his son and the adoration of a son for his father! Oh if we could only love our Father this way... we'd all DANCE!

Due to YouTube disabling embeding for this video follow the link HERE and see if you can catch and understand the significance of this verse Mario shared with us... See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Isaiah 49:16

Guys Have it So Easy

I remember hearing this line a long time ago... "Guys have it so easy!" This in reference to how we dress, what we eat, how we lose weight, the fact we don't have monthly "issues," You get the idea. I can see how someone close to me would believe I actually think this way... I've often joked, "It's good to be King!" meaning I can do basically whatever I want. That is after I've cleared it with my wife. But the truth is, I rarely check things with my wife and I don't have it so easy because, while I may lose weight easily, I bear the weight of responsibility for my family, heavily!

Yesterday I made the bold statement that the success of a marriage is not dependent upon our wives but the strong leadership of men who are married to them. But before you go gettin all Gloria Steinem on me, let me put it in clear context. My words are only taking to heart the message of a man who lived in a dominantly dominant male society and who had the audacity to say it was the responsibility of men to follow Christ and love their wives as Christ loved the Church. (Eph.5:25) Over the years, I have had the "conversation." You know the one where a strong, independent woman pulls me aside and begins to tell me how times are different and culture has yielded to more civilized forms of rolls and respect. That women need not find themselves; their identity or worth in what a man thinks or does and she is as capable, if not MORE capable of doing what men do and we should all get over our sexist prejudices and promote equality without thought for what's inside the pants. Every time I hear this; I smile, nod my head, let her finish and say... "I completely agree." Although once I was scolded for just patronizing I mostly get a look of confusion and the question, "Why?"

A person's abilities, whether male or female, has nothing to do with authority and submission. In the military as well as other civilian occupations there are qualified, capable folks along the chain of command that could easily out perform and lead more successfully than their officers and direct reports. Yet, submission is essential for "order" and authority is crucial for health. This is very true in my marriage: Although I lead, my wife submits and together we have order and we have a complete, whole perspective of how our lives work together. It's healthy. Our bodies work the same way, the blood in the body is essential but the heart commands the blood's orders one beat at a time. One without the other can not survive... Well, you say the analogy breaks down here because men and women can survive without the other. In fact, some survive better without the other! I disagree; they do better outside a bad relationship, one out of order and counter-authority. But a true godly marriage, where respect for submission and authority exists, shows equality in position and harmony in practice... in other words; no one is sitting around going, "I can't believe I'm not allowed to..." or "When am I going to get my chance?"

If you're a guy you have it good and you need to make it better! If you're a gal you have it good and you too need to make it better! What's it going to take today for you to notice just how good you have it and just how good it can get?

BTW - the remote controls are a joke!

Your Worst Day Could be Another's Best

It's been a while since I've shared any news about my friend, former Xterra World Champion, Jamie Whitmore. It would not be an understatement to say this past year has been the most difficult of her life as it began with hearing the words, "You have cancer." After two radical surgeries removed her left sciatic nerve and left glute, damaged a kidney ureter which provided several rounds of near toxic poisoning... the recovery of all this took months of miserable solitude, lying on her side, in a hospital room and the humiliation of constantly being poke and prodded... While her one wish, to keep her ability to normally answer the "call of nature," has been honored... She even had to fight for that!

Talking with Jamie yesterday, I heard an upbeat Jamie, like the season's about to begin and I'm almost ready for my first race of domination on the circuit, Jamie... for the first time in a long time, there is good news! A team of doctors at UCSF Medical Center will soon perform a kidney transplant of her own kidney in a new location of her body and she will no longer need a drain for that kidney... meaning she'll finally be able to get back into the pool and look forward to training and racing again as a challenged athlete. She already had been talking about relays, and trail riding and just getting back into the wild outdoors which has mostly identified her life but now it's looking more and more like a sure probability!

While talking, we groused about taxes, daily necessities, people who just don't get it and how thankful we should be for every opportunity in life. It was a delightful, upbeat chat... one I believe we both enjoyed. However, later in the day, as I was reflecting on our conversation, I was humbled by my own freedom, ashamed of my ingratitude of never having to spend a single day of my life in a hospital bed and my ignorance to believe nothing short of perfection is what I deserve for the remaining days of my life. It made me think... would I have felt this way had we not talked about it?

Early in the day I watched a homeless man eat breakfast at the Jamba Juice I frequent... at the end of the day I saw this same man standing on a very cold and windy street corner clutching a sack in one hand and managing a comforter with the other.

My worst day. What is that really?

Tea Anyone?

Just as I was sitting down to write this post a friend of mine in Colorado Twittered, "Tea Anyone?" Instantly, I got it but realized few would; which is why I wanted to write this quick post.

Today, all around the country, there are small to significant rallies and protests against the bureaucracy and out of control spending our government is enjoying while the American people are enjoying little. In the past these types of gatherings would require organized leadership and methods of announcement dependent upon established authority and civic duty... but not anymore. Why? Social Networking! Look at what Glenn Harlan Reynolds wrote today in the op-ed section of the Wall Street Journal.

In the old days, organizing large groups of people required, well, an organization: a political party, a labor union, a church or some other sort of structure. Now people can coordinate themselves.

We saw a bit of this in the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns, with things like Howard Dean's use of Meetup, and Barack Obama's use of Facebook. But this was still social-networking in support of an existing organization or campaign. The tea-party protest movement is organizing itself, on its own behalf. Some existing organizations, like Newt Gingrich's American Solutions and FreedomWorks, have gotten involved. But they're involved as followers and facilitators, not leaders. The leaders are appearing on their own, and reaching out to others through blogs, Facebook, chat boards and alternative media.

It'll be interesting to see how this will matter or whether anything will come of it. But then again, while the Boston Harbor, in the still of an evening became the largest, albeit salty, pot of tea the world has known, didn't just flush out to sea... No, without a sip, it became the elixir of a revolution.

Lego of My Jesus

 A church in Sweden unveiled a life-size Jesus made out of Legos. It took a year and a half to construct and over 30,000 pieces to make it. The model was based on Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsens's 19th century work Christus, which depicts the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Ironic when you think it can be taken apart and put back together again. Yet, after Jesus claimed in John 2:20 that his body would be rebuilt in 3 days... hmmmm, somehow I don't think this is the real Jesus.

The pastor said the statue would remain permanently at the church and there were no plans to sell it to raise funds.

My guess, it's bound for Carlsbad, California... or maybe the "Holy Land Experience" in Orlando, Florida. What do you think?

Happy Dyngus Day

Huh?
 
Apparently there are Polish people all over the world today (Especially in Buffalo, NY) who will take an extra day to cast off the shackles of Lent and allow their more liberal nature to arise. With buffet breakfasts, polka dances and an odd practice of sprinkling water and tapping the opposite sex with pussywillows (I'm not making this stuff up people!) it is said that many a marital match has been made on the Dyngus!

I met my wife and was engaged in Southern California... I guess they do things differently in Buffalo.

I'm not familiar with Polish practices. Although I do recall well back in the early eighties, during my first year traveling with Jeremiah People, we would stop the bus in the middle of a K-Mart parking lot, have all eight of us rush outside in a circle; listening to a portable tape player blasting out, to the point of distortion, the "Pie In the Face Polka" the rest of us clapped while Mike and Susan danced... it kind of broke up the monotony.

I have no prejudice toward polish people but stuff like this does make you think if there is any truth to all of those jokes... after all you have to admit; this is funny! But seriously, I just think most folks are looking for an excuse to act silly, drink a little too much, flirt with boundaries and do so where they wouldn't stand out in a crowd. My guess this is what makes people happy... kind of breaking up the monotony.

I once heard someone talking about the virtues of a "monotonous" relationship in marriage. It was one of those moments I felt bad for someone speaking because he kept making the same mistake over and over, never catching he meant to say "monogamous" relationship. But after a while I began to think... Maybe he's on to something... a monotonous relationship is safe, predictable, easy and I started to wonder how good marriage could be if we just adjusted our understanding of marriage through realistic and attainable expectations. Now I don't advocate boring nor unemotional attachment, marriage is meant to be the most intimate of relationships, but I do believe we would achieve greater success in keeping marriages together if we stopped using "Happiness" as the litmus test for a good marriage and focused mostly on "Holiness."

While God remains distant from mankind we have the Bible to teach us His ways and provide for us a guide for right living. Regarding marriage that God designed marriage to be the physical analogy of a spiritual reality.

As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”​ This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. Ephesians 5:31,32

Holy... being set apart. Imagine a marriage that truly sets itself apart from temptations, lusts, greed, selfishness, comparisons, in-laws, outlaws, children, distractions... set apart for each other! For God.

What do you think? Can it be done?

Is it better to strive toward being holy than happy? Are they exclusive toward the other? What practical ways could this be accomplished in marriage? How will you know if you achieve "holiness" in a marriage? in other words, you can know when you're happy but how do you know when you're holy?

Good questions to ponder on this Dyngus Day!