Ramblings and Musings

I really enjoy going to my local "Purrrrfect Auto Service" to get my oil changed just because they have cushy leather chairs, coffee, and every issue of National Geographic dating back to 1967! I broke out the issue of November 1970 which is the time I was born, and got a real laugh out of the different headline stories presented there. One was "Behold the Computer." So I read through what was hot in computers in 1970 along with the groovy pictures that go with it. International Business Machines or IBM was of course #1, with their CEO standing in front of the computer that takes up a large room. Another of a programmer with a memory board that took up half his desk, and oh he looked so proud. Much of the NG issue was taken up with all the different areas of commerce and business was being changed by this new-fangled technology. Not much of that truth is different today and I really think that anything is possible into the future. I mused on how far I've come and all I seen with my short little 39 years on the big blueberry we call our home planet Earth. With the rapid pace of how life is now for us, its fun to find those little spots of retrospection and think of everyone we know and how they are faring in their journey through life. I love how many old friends I have reconnected with through Facebook, faces from the past and well as the present. I don't where your find moments to muse, but they can be so helpful to put life into perspective. I guess we could use all this new-fangled technology to help us stay connected better, and peek our head into each other's lives more just to see how everyone's doing. When I do that, I must admit I get many smiles and also tears, depending on where people have found themselves in life. God has given me a genuine concern for people, but it is a muscle that can easily go into atrophy if I get distracted by me, myself and I. People will always be the most fascinating preoccupation even though we wear thin so quickly with the surrounding crowd around us. I see how Jesus needed time with the Father to replenish His spirit in the midst of such need. He lived in the Father's Presence and Company and moved among the people. Such a great example....

Take a Look around...

New Year's in San Francisco... I have a new favorite vacation city with all that it has to offer. The family and I packed a ton of fun sightseeing into one day. Angie and the kids wanted to ride the trolley, so I took a little side trip up to Coit Tower (I was on car duty/Frisco parking is a real challenge). I got a 180 degree panorama of the city at night and it was breathtaking. The entire day was really satisfying, and the sourdough clam chowder bowl was to die for. The city has such a European feel to it, and enchanting in a way. I kept thinking how surprised I was that we were having such fun, since I was quite ignorant to a city that is the butt of so many people's jokes. It made me think of the gospel, of which my whole faith is centered around, and the stigma attached to it 'out there'. The good news these days sure comes under the gun of bad humor, and lots of ignorant speculation as well. What a privilege though when you're the one who gets to walk along side someone who sees the beauty of God for the first time. The gospel, unlike the intrigue of San Francisco, is an eternal journey of discovery that awaits those willing to give it a look. There must be more....

All that Jazz

As I sat inside Steamers, a local jazz club, and listened to these amazing artists play for our relaxation and enjoyment, I couldn't help but be struck by how unassuming they were. They would not stick out in a crowd, or strike you at first impression as highly gifted people. Most were homely in appearance and poorly dressed. But what came off that small stage was purely musical genius. I wonder if sometimes the unassuming ones of this world hold such hidden beauty that we become poorer for missing them. What I am thinking is that which is of value, worthwhile and gifted is not always wrapped in the package we are most comfortable with. Ben Stein, a Jewish actor set out a few years ago to take on this issue in the scientific community through a documentary. The issue was that non-religious scientists and college administrators become so over-zealous in their quest for separation of church and state, that they were eliminating opportunities and jobs of those who believed in intelligent design. They were uncomfortable with those who did not "package" scientific data the exact way they did, so they removed them from the scene. No debate, no science credibility to anything other than evolutionary explanations. The beauty of Intelligent Design discussion was lost from the platform, and the masses became poorer for it. What is so threatening about a little healthy banter and debate? Letting people reach their own conclusions on what is truth is at the very center of free will. Our role is to be firm and narrow on the non-negotiables, and gracious and wide on the things that pertain to personal perspective and opinion. I am all things to all men in order that I may win some. A ministry that has breadth along with theological depth has figured out this delicate balance. What are some non-negotiables: God is God, He created everything, He saves. What are some non-essentials: Style, taste, preferences, opinions. If true beauty and value is lost because of our constant commitment to what is comfortable to us, then we ought to spend more time with people who live outside of our compact, insulated little world. Jazz anyone?

Let it end....

I went to the U2 concert at the Rose Bowl with my wife Angie a few months ago, and sat there pondering. I am 39 years old, and 25 years after becoming a U2 fan, something of a dream come true was occurring right there in that packed out stadium. I had never seen them live, but quietly wished I would get there someday. However, the thrill was overtaken with a sense of deep satisfaction of knowing that I didn't need to do this again. I savored each moment with my best friend there, and knew in my heart it wouldn't get better than this moment. There was a sense of closure, as if I was now vindicated or freed to accomplish something else now. Certainly something far more thrilling and important than supporting a group (although the best in my opinion) of 50 year old men screaming their souls into a gigantic speaker system. What a rush, but I'm over it..... I mused on the thought of diminishing returns, and that all great things come to an end. So I raise the thought... Are we able to celebrate and savor the ends like we do the beginnings? Can a deep sense of satisfaction overcome us in times when we know that the thrill is going, going, gone? I am really not a nostalgic person, but I do see the past having rich meaning and purpose for occasional reflection. At a funeral for a friend recently I mused again on this thought. Am I sad, yet satisfied at such a perfect ending of a great life lived? Do I look for the next ending around the bend with dread or a sense of curious anticipation? Let it end...and begin again....