R.E.M would be proud

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." Matthew 25:13


Well, supposedly today is the last day on planet earth. It's the end of the world as we know it.  That's what the Mayans said, at least. If it is, I should really incorporate some important things into my day:

• Cheesecake
• A nap
• Lots of hugs
• Maybe a good movie
• Cheesecake (had I mentioned that already?)

Of course, Jesus told us that no one knows the hour or the day. No one. Only God knows. There will come a day that the world as we know it ends, though. There will come a day of judgment. A day when we all of humanity stands before God. It could be Saturday. It could be next August. It could be 2026. It could be 2183. It could be 14569. No one knows. But, since we don't know when it could be, Jesus encourages us to live in such a way that will keep us prepared.

• Love people as you love yourself
• Honor your father and mother
• Love your wife as Christ loves the Church
• Respect your husband
• Don't exasperate your children and train them in the way of the Lord
• Seek first the Kingdom of God

That's just a few of the things the Bible tells us to do that will leave us ready. If today really was your last day, what would you differently? Would you tell some one about Christ? Would you kiss your wife when you get home from work? Would you hug your children and play a board game with them after dinner? Would you call your grandma? Would you apologize to someone? Would you forgive someone? Why don't you do it anyway...for no one knows the hour or the day.

Perspective

I often wonder why I can't keep perspective.  Perspective is a funny and fleeting thing.  It comes from the Latin perspicere which means "to see through."  And isn't that it?  Perspective is seeing through things, seeing things the right way, seeing the bigger picture.

Last night, we had a near disaster in the house.  I've been working tirelessly on a Christmas present project for a loved one.  I mean, for like 2-3 weeks, every day.  It's something that I've had to paint several times and has taken pain-staking detail and many coats and touch-ups to get just right.  I'm almost done.  Last night, a can of paint (by my own fault) spilled on an important piece of the project.  In fact, it was the section that I'd worked the longest on.  Now, it was covered in white semi-gloss paint.  I rushed to the sink, got out all the old towels from the laundry room and started wiping it off, trying to get as little paint on my best jeans and my new sweater and the carpet and the kitchen floor.  I held back the profanity in my mind as I was trying to clean up the mess hurriedly before the paint dried.  I finally got all the paint off, then stripped down to my skivvies, scrubbed the paint spots on my jeans and sweater, rubbed a little Shout stain remover on them and threw them in the wash on stain cycle. 

After the madness, as I stood there in my boxers in the laundry room, my wife and I finally cracked up.  We had averted disaster.  That word, disaster, carries more weight these days doesn't it?  My jeans and sweater look like new.  The project looks just like it did before the spill, and no paint got on the carpet or floor.  I told Emily, "I hate I wasted a quart of good white paint, but there's a lot worse things in the world to be upset about, aren't there?"  Even a messed up project or my best jeans ruined wouldn't have really been a disaster.  Disaster has been permanently redefined for all of us (or it at least ought to be).

The people in New Jersey and New York that watched Hurricane Sandy rip through their cities...they know disaster.  The people of Newtown, Connecticut...they know disaster.  Those events give us perspective, and I hope I can keep it.  The things that my boys do that get on my nerves haven't gotten on my nerves that much this week, the things that would have made me grit my teeth haven't really upset me, and the little annoying things about life haven't been so annoying -- because I've got perspective.

And that's the problem with America.  We don't have perspective.  Tragedies enlighten us for a few weeks, then we lose perspective again.  Until we change our perspective, our families, communities, country and world will not change.  We have to choose to see the bigger picture, we have to choose to not be annoyed by trivial things, and we have to choose to see people as God sees them.

That's really it.  We need God's perspective.  Tragedy transforms us for the short-term to see people as they are -- image-bearers of Almighty God.  If we can bottle that kind of perspective up, it would change the world.  If we could decide not to get upset over spilled paint, we will transform our lives and families.  The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:12, "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us."  That's perspective.  When we are most in tune with God's Spirit, we are keenly aware of all the blessings we have and the annoying details of life don't seem to bother us as much.  And life is better...because that's how God intended us to be.  Let us keep and hold on to the perspective that we've all had the last six days.

The Only Answer

Yesterday, I did something I don't know that I've ever done in 12 years of ministry.  I preached a sermon that I finished around 1 a.m. that morning.  After the tragedy in Newtown, I struggled to find answers.  Honestly, I wanted to avoid the news.  It was too real for me.  I have two sons in elementary school.  My first grader, Tanner, is 6.  16 of the children killed were 6.  I tried not to think about it because it is too close.

I made it through the message okay because I did most of my crying while writing it.  The passage that brought me most comfort was Romans 9:38:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

If I'm honest, I believe in practical ministry.  I try to preach sermons that will help people lead better lives.  I believe God has an awesome plan for our lives.  I believe when we are obedient to Him, it opens the door to blessing upon blessing.  When I love people the way God wants me to, life is better.  When I forgive people the way God wants me to, life is better.  When I honor God with my body by how I treat it and how I eat, life is better.  When I honor God with my money, life is better.  When I love my wife like Christ loves the church, my marriage is better.  Simply, when I submit my thoughts, words and actions to the way of God, my life is better.  I preach that way.  I think Christianity has become terribly impractical for a generation that is detached from the the Church.  They don't think Jesus matters in their lives.  I've spent most of my ministry trying to convince that generation that He does matter.

However, there are moments when nothing practical makes sense.  Our faith cannot bring those children and educators back in Newton, Connecticut.  There is a huge, gaping hole in the hearts of countless people in that community (and maybe yours) that cannot be filled in the face of such tragedy.  It is in those moments that I am so grateful that, though faith in Christ does offer practical wisdom for our best life, faith in Christ is ultimately about the most impractical thing we could ever imagine:  eternal life.

No matter how bad this life gets, even when the practical stuff doesn't work, even when tragedy steals our heart, and circumstances dampen our joy, we believe in a better day.  That was the only answer I had for the people of God at Church of the Way yesterday:  there is more than this.  There is another day.  There is a better day.  There is a day when the dead in Christ will rise again.  There will be a day when there will be a new heaven and a new earth where there is no more pain, no more heartache, and no more tears.  Nothing can separate us from that day in Christ Jesus.  Nothing.  Not hurricanes.  Not a financial cliff.  Not a gunman.  Nothing. 

Now, here's my rub in this.  There's only one answer:  faith in Jesus.  Statistics show that nearly all Americans want to believe in heaven, but we don't want to believe in the claims of Jesus to be the means through which we receive the grace we need to get there.  That's the other impractical part of it.  We don't deserve it, but Jesus died for us anyway and loves us anyway.  We want to use these tragedies to faintly talk about God's comfort.  And His comfort is a reality.  I believe God is present in the messes.  However, what our world needs more than anything is the message that is unique to the Church.  We have the one Hope we all need.  We corner the market on the one answer when ever other answer fails.  We are all broken.  We are all sinners.  We are all empty without Christ.  And the only Hope we have is in Him.  Our Hope is NOT OF THIS WORLD.  Jesus' Kingdom is NOT OF THIS WORLD.  We believe in another world, a better day.  The work we do as the Church is about eternity.  It matters that much.

God never promises that we will escape the ugliness in this world.  He promises that He will sit with us and weep with us in it.  And I believe He is weeping with Newtown and the world.  He is there.  But -- He promises us that it won't last forever.  There is a better day if we will place our faith in Jesus.  Not if you're really good.  Not if you say your prayers every night.  Not if you attend church or eat all your vegetables.  God's love is made real in our lives through Jesus Christ.  He is THE Hope.  My prayer is that Christians all across our globe would spend every ounce of energy we have sharing this hope with every person we know.  It matters that much.  The world doesn't need our politics or our judgment.  The world needs our Jesus.  Times like these sure ought to remind us of that.

Before 12.12.12. made 12 big

"These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot." Matthew 10:2-4


So, I'm a day late on the whole 12 thing. Of course, people were fascinated with the whole idea of 12.12.12. We won't see a date like that until 01.01.01...and I'll be long gone by then. People were doing lists of 12 things, giving their favorite #12s. Michael Jordan wore #12 one night when his #23 was stolen before the game. Now you know something you didn't.  And a quick run down of some of my favorite 12s:

• John Lastinger -- took my Dawgs to an SEC title and 11-0 regular season in '82 and a victory over #2 Texas in the '84 Cotton Bowl.
• The 12 days of Christmas -- They're hard to beat.
• Eggs.  I like eggs and they come in 12 and they're good for you.
• Krispy Kremes when they're "Hot Now".  12 never seems like enough.
• Sidney Eugene Bream - Thanks for magical moment, Sid.
• Tom Brady -- I admit it, I'm mesmerized watching him play.  One of the best.
• Joe Namath -- Gotta love Broadway Joe, though he's gotten crazier with age.
• Tavares King -- TK gave my son a pair of gloves and they've loved him forever.

But, 12 has always been an important number in the Bible. There were 12 tribes of Israel. And, as the Scripture above points out, 12 disciples. I don't know why Jesus chose 12 instead of 10 or 15. 12 just seemed right to Him. Maybe he only found 12 that were ready. Maybe he was thinking 10 but was surprised to find a couple of brothers that fit the bill, too. Maybe it has significant meaning that we'll learn about in heaven. Who knows? Here's what I do know about the 12 disciples: they were regular folk. They weren't Bible Scholars or professors. They weren't deemed as deeply religious. They were certainly God-fearing, but they were fishermen and tax-collectors. They were misfits...and they changed the world. After Jesus' death and Judas betrayed Jesus and left the group, the 11 remaining picked another one to join them to become 12 again. Then they set off to transform planet earth. 12 regular people. People often think they aren't talented enough or good enough to be used by God. That's hogwash. The 12 disciples changed history because of what Christ did in them, not because of their talent or skill. The testimony of the disciples is that it's all about Jesus, not about our skill-set. We have no room to boast because it is about Him. You can change the world, too. You can change your family, your team, your office, your neighborhood, and your community. Jesus is not looking for the uber-talented, he's looking for people that would be willing to be his disciples and follow Him. And there's plenty of room for more than 12.

Attitude

Yesterday I shared one of my favorite quotes from Charles Swindoll.  I had this quote up in my room in college and still have it in my office.  It's called "Attitude":

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.


Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."

That's a pretty powerful sentiment.  We spend so much of our time worrying about the things we cannot control, especially the motives, words and actions of other people.  We fret about the economy and our health, and both of those things can have a big impact on our quality of life.  However, the focus of nearly every circumstance we face should be, "What is my attitude about this?" 

I find that when I'm in a bit of a funk, it's because I've had a bad attitude about something or someone.  I have to step back and ask God to speak to my heart, to soften my heart for someone or narrow my focus.  Attitude is so important because life is bound to throw you difficult situations.  What is true in sports is true in life -- you can't win 'em all.  You can't.  You won't.  You'll have some losses along the way.  And, when that happens, you and I have to decide if we are going to let those moments define us or will our attitude overcome every defeat we face.

I think the misnomer about attitude is that we think it means that we're always in a good mood or take things lightly.  That's not it at all.  Attitude is about taking the right things so seriously that the things that aren't the right things never overwhelm us.  Attitude is about seeing the bigger picture in God's Kingdom and even our own lives.  Attitude is understanding what will be important to us when we're 90.  Attitude is believing is something much bigger than circumstances.  If we are followers of Christ, we have little excuse to have a bad attitude.  We have been given much.  Our eternity secure in His grace.  Isn't everything else gravy?  Let us have the attitude of Christ, whatever may come.

Christmas Preparations

"For you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him." Luke 1:76


Many traditional churches celebrate a season of what they call "Advent" leading up to Christmas. You may hear friends and family talking about Advent. Really, Advent is a season of preparation, and that's such an important part of Christmas. What are you doing to prepare for Christmas? Oh, I know, you're doing a lot of preparing. Planning trips, planning parties, cooking food, shopping, wrapping presents, and decorating. Often, we forget to prepare for what we want Christ to do in our hearts, though. We spend all December in hustle and bustle then show up on Christmas Eve and hope Jesus will fix our frantic month (and maybe year). But, what if we prepared our hearts for Christmas as much as we prepared our Christmas cards, decorations or menus? What might happen? I know you've got a lot to do this month. I know there are plans to be made and lists to be marked off. However, don't forget to take time this month to prepare your heart for the birth of Christ. You've heard the story a million times, but God might just want to do something brand new in your life this time around.

Out of Control

I wrote a song back when I was in college called "Out of Control."  It was a little weird, as most things written by college students are, but I got to thinking about that song yesterday.  I'm sure my life is not that much different than yours.  The things I care most deeply about I have little control over.  It's a bit of a depressing thought.  I just started outlining the things in my head that I care about and have absolutely no control over:

• I have no control over whether my wife stays with me for the rest of my life.  That's her choice.
• I have no control over whether my children make wise decisions and good life choices as the grow up.  That's up to them.
• I have no control over people actually getting up on Sunday morning and attending the church I pastor.  That's up to a million different factors.
• I have no control over whether I am appointed to pastor the church I lead from year to year.  I'm a United Methodist pastor, so that's the Bishop's decision.
• I have no control over the economy.  The price of gas doesn't care that I drive a gas-guzzling truck.
• I have no control over whether my favorite teams win games.  Doesn't matter how loud I cheer or what I wear.
• I have no control over my health.  It is fleeting and is no respecter of persons.

I'll bet your life is much the same.  You can't control so much of what you care about.  And that's what is maddening about life, isn't it.  But, that's what is beautiful about it.  As I thought about those things, I begin to think about all the things I CAN control as it pertains to them because I think that's really my purpose.

• I can be the best husband I know how to be and love my wife like Christ loves the Church. 
• I can be the best father I know how to be, invest in my children, teach them the Scriptures and lead them in the path that leads to righteousness.
• I can prepare the best sermons I can, be a pastor devoted to prayer, and create worship environments that people want to get up and come to.
• I can lead with integrity no matter what ministry setting I'm in.
• I could get a smaller truck.  Nah.  But...I can be responsible with the resources God has given me so that God directs my finances and not the economy.
• I can be a great fan and choose to be a Positive Paul and not a Negative Nancy and enjoy games for what they are...games (sorry to all the Nancies out there.  I know several people named Nancy that are great positive people.)
• I can take care of myself by eating right, sleeping enough and exercising.

When you begin to look at it that way you realize that you do, indeed, control a lot.  Life is so much more about our response to all the stuff that we can't control.  You will get your heart broke by the things you can't control from time to time, but I believe we experience our greatest joys when we focus on being the best we can be and trusting the rest to God.  So what do you control?  Whatever you do control, give it your best and trust God with the rest.

This Dawg Will Have His Day

I usually reserve this spot for what I feel I know best: faith and ministry. However, I know Georgia Football pretty good, too, and as my description above says, it's one of the things I'm passionate about.  A lot of Dawgs are hurting this week after a heartbreaking loss to Alabama. So, I thought I’d offer my words.


Saturday’s SEC Championship game marked my 86th game in a row. I haven’t missed since mid-season 2006 and I’ve only missed 7 in Mark Richt’s career. I love going to see the Dawgs play.  I'm addicted to the atmosphere:  the stadiums, the noise, the bands, the colors, and the pageantry.  Something happens to you when you see all those games in person. It changes the way you view the games. You appreciate the simple victories, and you take the loses differently. You realize just how hard it is to win a game against every team, especially in their stadium, no matter who it is.  Win or lose this past Saturday, I was planning on being at game 87 in a row. Though I would have gladly spent my retirement to see us play Notre Dame in Miami, the trip to Orlando will be much cheaper -- so there's that.

Saturday was a heart breaker. I’ve been going to games for 30 years, and it was the most painful loss I’ve ever witnessed. Never before have I seen us lose one so close with so much on the line. Nevertheless, it says something that we were able to play a game with so much on the line. And that’s the point that I think so many are missing.

I have been an ardent Mark Richt supporter, but my faith was shaken after the Boise State game in the Georgia Dome to start the 2011 season. People at church on Sunday asked me if I was said after losing to Bama. I told them I was sad after driving back from Memphis having just lost to Central Florida in the Liberty Bowl and going 6-7 in 2010. That was sad. This was something different. I thought we might could pick up the pieces. I liked the idea of testing ourselves versus Boise, but we looked awful, just like in 2010. I thought we were done, Richt was done and we’d have a new coach by now. I couldn’t figure it out, but Richt and the team were missing something.

Then something happened. We played to the death against South Carolina the next week and lost, but I felt different. We played like champions and we were fun to pull for again. We lost a tough one, but we lost valiantly. I could live with that. We reeled off 10 straight wins, coming back to beat Florida after being down 17-3 and looking great for a half against an LSU team that had proved itself to be far and away the best team in the land. 2012 cemented my belief that Mark Richt has done the impossible. In this day and age of quick fix coaching hires, coaches rarely get the opportunity to right the ship once it starts sinking. Let me tell you, losing the Central Florida is called sinking. His previous success made him a victim of raised expectations, but it also gave him some slack with our administration, and I’m so thankful for that, especially seeing the train wrecks coaching changes have brought to some of our SEC rivals. I believe Mark Richt’s best days are ahead of him.

Richt is a bit of a renaissance coach, and I’m thankful for that. He’s not cut from the same cloth as some of the brightest stars of today in the coaching ranks. No one contacts Richt about jobs because he’d never consider it. He’s a Georgia man and wants to retire here. He’s building a program in which success will be built on top of success. It’s not a quick fix, and I think it’s taken us 12 years to get here for that reason. Some Dawg fans are so heart broken because we hadn’t been in this position in 30 years, and they wonder if we’ll ever get back in their lifetime. That’s really a loser mentality. I think Mark Richt is planning on being around the top 5 for a long time, and we’ve made changes to get us there in the ways we recruit, coach, and execute. We’re meaner than we’ve been in the past, and that’s a good thing. And we’re going to stay this way. Of course we’ll be back – and soon.

I’ve always said that Richt reminds me most of Tom Osborne. Osborne was a stoic figure on the Nebraska sideline for 25 years. He was a deeply devout Christian who did things the right way. He was criticized early in his career for ‘not winning the big one.’ His first 10 years saw 3 Big Eight championships and a lot of 2 and 3 loss seasons. They finished in the top 12 every year, but never higher than #7 until year 10, when the Huskers finished #3. Finally, in 1983, they went undefeated and played Miami in the Orange Bowl for a shot at the National Championship. Turner Gill’s 2-point conversion fell incomplete and, finally, when Osborne got his shot, they couldn’t do it. Maybe he would never win the big one. But that’s a stupid thing to say. Instead, Osborne had brought Nebraska football to heights it hadn’t seen in a long time.

The next 10 years Nebraska finished in the top 6 four times. They were hanging around with the elite. Sprinkled in were some more 3-loss teams. In his 21st season as coach of the Big Red, Osborne went 11-0 again, this time to face FSU in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship. A QB named Charlie Ward coached by a young QB Coach named Mark Richt stole the show and Nebraska missed a field goal at the end to win the game. FSU had finally won their national championship. Osborne still couldn’t win the big one.

But the next year they were there again, this time versus Miami (again) in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship. There would be no drama. Finally, in Osborne’s 22nd season as Nebraska’s coach, the Huskers won it all. The next year, in 1995, they utterly dismantled Florida in the Fiesta Bowl (and were the best team this guy has ever seen) to win back to back titles. In 1996, they lost their conference championship game in the final minute to Texas to halt their bid for a 3rd straight National Title. They would have played FSU in the Sugar Bowl. Then, in 1997, they went 13-0 and whipped Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, splitting the National Championship with Michigan. So, after not winning the big one, Osborne finished the last five years of his 25-year career by playing for the National Championship 4 times, winning 3 and barely missing out on playing for it all 5 years. He retired after the ’97 season.

Richt’s mentor, Bobby Bowden, started a string in his 12th year at FSU in 1987 of finishing in the top 5 for 14 straight seasons. But it took hanging around the top 5 for a while before finally breaking through in that 1993 season. From 1993-2000 (years 18-25 for Bowden), FSU would play for the National Championship 5 times. In most of those years, they went into the season finale versus Florida needing a victory to put them in the big game. They won some and lost some. Vince Dooley, UGA’s greatest coach, took 17 years and a special player wearing #34 to get to the big game. In years 17, 18, and 19, he had his team in a position for a National Title each year, playing for it twice. Dean Smith went to 6 Final Fours at UNC before finally breaking through to win a National Championship in 1982 in his 22nd season. After the game he told a reporter who had asked about finally winning the big one, “Do you really think I’m a better coach than I was 2 ½ hours ago?”

One of the problems with Georgia Football has been that we’ve been waiting on that ‘magical season’ again. I don’t think Mark Richt is working on that. I think he’s trying to string several fantastic seasons together in a row, and every once in a while you have a special player, get a break, or a ball bounces your way and you win it all. I don’t think Mark Richt is trying to win a National Championship – I think he’s trying to win several. Alabama went 12-0 in 2008 and got a date with Florida to go play Oklahoma for all the marbles. Florida was just better that day. Bama stunk it up in the Sugar Bowl versus Utah, then got back to work and started the run their on now by winning the BCS Championship in 2009.

I think Georgia’s about to go on a run, but it won’t be easy. There is more competition in our conference than there has ever been, and chances are we’ll have to win some heavyweight bouts in the Dome to get to the show. The joy of following sports is being there through the heartache to see the moment you've long waited for.  It's no fun to be a fair-weather fan or a bandwagon jumper.  As long as Mark Richt is our coach, I think we’ve got a shot, and I think he, like Smith, Osborne and Bowden is going to get better with age. Of course, having #3 and #4 on our team for the next 2-3 years won’t hurt.