Gone In Search

I like a good treasure hunt. I’ve spent way too many hours on the internet looking for a bargain on some new man toy I don’t really need but would be O, so happy to have if I could buy it for a steal. I must admit however, that it is the search… the primordial hunt that fills some deep-seated genetic coding to scour the information jungle to capture my unsuspecting prey as I pounce upon it in a flurry of credit card numbers, codes and secret passwords. This is a bit of an exaggeration but some of you know the raw coursing adrenaline rush of bargain hunting and bargain bragging that I’m describing. You’ve spent the hours at the flea market, the garage sales, the closeout stores and maybe have even rescued a tattered bookshelf from a garbage pile in front of a stranger’s house. I believe that in all of us is some basal need to hunt… to search for the ultimate bargain or at least the one of a kind treasure that is not only rare but verifies our persistence and shrewd wrangling skills. But why is it that once the hunt is over and the prize claimed that one feels an emotional let down?

Maybe, part of the answer is learning a little about ourselves from the wisest man to ever live. Solomon, in Ecclesiastes states that he had found, “God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes (Ecclesiastes 7:29).” Ecclesiastes is Solomon (or some unknown author posing as Solomon) offering a running dialogue (a.k.a. soliloquy) about their search for meaning. Man is truly restless about existence and often gets lost in the search. Unfortunately, the search has often led man to be entangled in the manifold schemes of the devil and his own fallen nature. Man has tarnished his original naiveté and God given uprightness all because of his foolish search for something better.

I long to be upright! I want to sing perfect harmony with that garden hymn of the Savior whose refrain is, “Not my will but His will be done!” But I can’t deny that I’m a wanderer… a searcher… a restless soul that loves the hunt. So pray with me and for me that I will hunger and thirst for righteousness… that I will search the Word daily for spiritual constancy and rest my treasures in heaven! And I will pray for you my fellow searchers. -DAN

Vote For A Redhead

In my memorabilia of my father which includes pictures, sermons, bibles and sundries –one sundry is an ad from the Florida Christian College school paper touting my father’s candidacy for school president with the by-line: Don’t be a deadhead… vote for a redhead. Okay, it’s not Shakespeare… well, okay it’s not even period acceptable but it IS nostalgic fun to remember redheaded days! Someone recently asked me if it was true that I was a redhead (Now, I’m not sure this reflects hue evaluation or the lack of cranial evidence) but I assured them that once my countenance was glowingly framed with red locks of Samson-like hair. I come from a long line of redheaded Scotch-Irishmen with fair skin, thick trunks and hearty appetites. And yes, we are no deadheads but proud redheads! There have been many notable and honorable men and women that have sported freckles and the red with pride (and by the way… Adam’s name possibly means “ruddy one,” i.e. redheaded one –ipso facto, God’s favorite or original color –RED).

My favorite redhead is indeed my father. It sometimes was referenced to explain his temper and as well as his humor and hearty enjoyment of life. But the greatest memory is that it bonded us together… fellow redheads braving “Let me rub that for good luck” to overly perfumed and exceedingly wrinkled elderly ladies squealing in high pitched voices, “Look at those beautiful red curls!” We redheads don’t have a club but there is a commiserate brotherhood that nods in understanding about what it means to wear the red… to bear the burden of answering to “Hey, Red.”

Let me tell you what I learned from my favorite redhead: 1)The greatest red was the blood shed on a cross to redeem sinful man; 2)Operate in the red because it means your life is more about giving than receiving; 3)Never forget the power of red roses for beauty deserves beauty and flowers say it all; 4)Give everybody the red carpet treatment and serve with a smile; 5)On a street light red means stop but in the shape of a heart it means I love you… and love is the best road to travel!

My favorite redhead died all too young but he lives on in my heart and the legacy of faith that he shared glows bright… a bright red! -DAN

church Of Christ

An elderly gentleman dropped into the office this past week with the question: “Is this the church of Christ associated with Joyce Meyers?” He wanted to give some money to Joyce Meyers who he thought said she was a part of the church of Christ. If you are not familiar with Joyce Meyers, she is a televangelist known for her raspy voice, witty insights and much like her contemporary electronic pulpit spewsters proclaims a gospel for every need from wealth to health. I tried to identify via the internet who Meyers was associated with but failed. Now I think that’s a good thing… let me explain. First it let me speak to this searcher of the simple, universal sense of the church and then to make the restoration plea for us all to be the church of Christ. It also let the door open to suggest what we believe and practice is what identifies us. You see… you can’t go wrong when the discussion starts with the search for Christ’s church!

You’ve heard me say from time to time that one must be a member of the church of Christ to go to heaven. I believe that to be true… not in the sense of a sign in front of the building or in some postmodern eclectic Rodney King can’t we just all get along way. I mean it in its most simple pure form. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6). The early church was called “The Way” not because they did it their way but emphatically strove to do it no other way than His! It is HIS church that the gates of Hades cannot overcome and He is the head of HIS body… you can label the church with various tags that range from descriptive to functional but under the verbiage deep in the sinew of faith must prevail an unmovable belief in Jesus. He is Lord and King. Not by rhetoric or liturgy but by surrendered hearts that have become fiercely loyal to their sovereign. When allegiance is to any one, thing or idea other than the Christ it cannot be HIS church.

O yes, I forgot… the church even at best is spotted, blemished and wrinkled (Ephesians 5:25-27). Don’t shake your head at me –you know the rabble rousers, hypocrites and apathetic spiritual weaklings I’m talking about. At least I’m sure that if I’m in the fold there’s some major wrinkleage. But none-the-less Jesus washes us with water and word to make us not only holy and blameless but radiant! Why? –because we are HIS bride… HIS church… The church of Christ! -DAN

Laminin Spaminin

I get them, you get them, all God’s children get them… email links to “you don’t want to miss this” or “really cute” and the ever popular “I don’t usually forward things but this one really hit home with me.” I recently got a link to a youtube clip with Louie Giglio, Christian inspirational speaker and founder of Choice Ministries, entitled, “Laminin.” Giglio recounts how a micro-biologist approached him after a concert and told him about laminin. No, no this is not some new dietary supplement or pyramid scheme product… it’s a glycoprotein that connects cells in our bodies. The scientific explanation is a swirl of buzz words and Sci-fi incantations –well, you be the judge…

Laminin, gamma 1 (formerly LAMB2), also known as LAMC1, is a human gene. Laminins, a family of extracellular matrix glycoproteins, are the major noncollagenous constituent of basement membranes. They have been implicated in a wide variety of biological processes including cell adhesion, differentiation, migration, signaling, neurite outgrowth and metastasis. Laminins are composed of 3 non identical chains: laminin alpha, beta and gamma (formerly A, B1, and B2, respectively) and they form a cruciform structure consisting of 3 short arms, each formed by a different chain, and a long arm composed of all 3 chains.

If you took the time to read the fine print you noticed that this cell linker is cruciform shaped which was the point of the youtube link. Giglio suggest that when we peek into the micro-biology and building blocks of life we find that we are held together by a cross shape glycoprotein matrix. He quickly jumps to Colossians 1:15-20 where Paul in discussing the supremacy of Christ says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together… making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” This anthem hails that all things were created…visible and invisible… by Him and for Him! These crosses invisible to the naked eye remind us that Jesus holds all things together –He’s the molecular glue secured in a cross!

This is where the sound effect of majestic music is abruptly halted as it is overpowered by the scratching of the phonographic needle as it is pulled across the record. And I reluctantly say, “Hey, wait a minute!” (Reluctant because boy, does that laminin stuff preach). None-the-less, in the small print scientific explanation is also the information that much of the research on laminins has been in regards to its connection to metastasis… that is, its role in cancer and specifically colon cancer. This really is a cross to bear… and a reminder that Jesus does hold all things together but not by secret crosses but by unexpected love that redeemed us on an all too visible cross! -DAN

Thanks For The Memories

As a youth I remember being captivated by the Bob Hope specials where along with a group of celebrities he would travel to our troops and put on a variety show. It was more than the exuberant response of lonely troops enamored by pretty girls or biting remarks about commanding officers… it was for them a reminder of home and for a moment they were transported out of the chaos and peril of war. Bob Hope would close by singing his signature song, “Thanks for the Memories.” This coming Monday many graves will be decorated in honor of the memory of those who sacrificed greatly for our country. In many towns veterans will march down Main Streets Proudly wearing medals of Honor and being cheered by grateful citizens. Great sacrifice demands nothing less than great honor. Originally, Memorial Day was called Decoration Day because they decorated the graves of Civil War casualties. Today for all too many it’s just another federal holiday facilitating a long weekend. May God grant us all hearts of remembrance that not only honors those who sacrificed their lives for our safety and freedom but honor those who now stand in harms way for our country!

May we also as we gather around the Lord’s Table this Sunday recall to heart and mind the great sacrifice that secured our salvation and the life that modeled the faithful path to our God. Jesus truly paid it all… thanks for the memories that bring us each time we gather in His name back to the cross. For in its shadow we not only stand redeemed but are humbly bowed in grateful service ever indebted to His love. May that memory span from manger to Calvary. May we recall the awe struck disciples gazing into the empty sky that once was filled with the risen Savior as they heard the angelic proclamation, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:11).” Now, that’s a memory to be thankful for!

Something else that I remember about those Bob Hope days… those starlets and Miss America girls were Ooh-la-la pretty! But what made their beauty was not so much their skimpy costumes or even their beauty contestant looks –it was their willingness to travel so far under such difficult circumstances to say thank you to our troops! My memories are in black and white not just because many of the shows I watched were on a black and white TV but because it reflects simpler times when honor was in uniform and country. I’m thankful for the memories and I’m thankful that God reigns over all and through Jesus will lead us (the troops) home. -DAN

One In A Million

What planet did Superman originate from? Why Krypton of course you placate my inquiry, while rolling your eyes. Yes, but which came first: the element (an inert gas that exist as one part in a million in our atmosphere) or the planet that existed in the imaginations of Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster, the creators of the Superman Comic? Answer: Who cares? As that may be… I still love that from imagination can come new reality. That is, most people know krypton not as an element but as the planet that Superman came from! A one in a million particle has been displaced by a comic book hero’s home. People are more aware of the comics than they are of number 36 on the atomic chart of the elements.

However, what I find more interesting is that the word krypton comes from a Greek word that means “hidden.” A crypt is where a deceased body is hidden, i.e., kept from sight. Cryptology, cryptogram, cryptic and cryptonym are all about what is hidden or mysterious. This is more than Superman coming from a mysterious planet… this is about the witness of mystery to the presence of God eternal. The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:26,27).

Where kryptonite makes Superman weak our cryptic source empowers us to glory! Christ living within and the Holy Spirit guiding the way is God’s eternal plan to provide redemption from our sins and also reveal a way, a truth and a life! The mystery of godliness is truly great… it is more than one in a million; it is the story of the one who left heaven to live and die for all so that He may rescue in true hero fashion those who would follow Him! It is a path He pioneered not with superman powers but sacrificial faithfulness. And He stands in advocacy this very day to all who will surrender their own selfish path and proudly wear His name… Yes, yes, for the millions is the eternal hope of Christ in you, the hope of glory! -DAN

Calling Mom

In a recent Comcast commercial we are exposed to an array of international moms receiving phone calls from their grown children. Mom receives a call, says grown child’s name and then passes out flat on the floor with the phone still pressed to her ear. Surprise mom with a call this Mother’s Day is the voice over. Every time I see the commercial it tugs at my heart and I softly moan, I sure wish that I could and then I whisper a little prayer of thanks for heaven holding my mom secure in its arms of love and joy until we are reunited! Like many of you who have moms who have gone on… I miss my mom.

Now, I’m all about the enthralling expectation of heaven’s pearly gates open wide to usher in even the likes of me into eternal bliss… but I’m worried about how mom is going to greet me! Let me explain to those of you who don’t know about my musical graveside gaffe. When mom passed away at my sister’s in the Los Angeles area we had a funeral service there but brought her body up to Modesto to be buried beside my father. Consequently it was just my siblings and a few close friends that gathered at her graveside. We had nothing planned… just to be together and to say goodbye to the greatest mom that ever filled a frayed housecoat while spending mornings reading her bible. My oldest sister looked at me with that you’re the clergy amongst us look and said, “We should sing something.” Now, I don’t know if you have ever had brain lock before where you’re not even sure what your own name is but for the life of me I couldn’t remember one church song (Yes, not even Amazing Grace)! The only song that I could think of because my daughter had given me an Oscar Meyer Wiener mobile for Christmas was “I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener” song. So, we sang a rousing heartfelt, tear filled, wishing we were wieners song before tossing yellow roses into mom’s grave. Boy am I going to get it when I get to heaven!

With that said… I still wish that I could call my mom on mother’s day! So, instead I’ll say a silent prayer of thanksgiving for being blessed with such a loving spiritual mentor and gentle spirit who filled my life with the love of God. Children rise up and call mom blessed (Proverbs 31:28)!