Dad Or Pop

Whether you call him Dad or Pop it is a palindrome. Palindrome is a word coined in the 1600’s by English writer Ben Jonson and is a word that is spelled the same forward and backwards. The first known palindrome was a Latin phrase discovered in 79AD: "Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas". This is known as the Sator square, since it can be written out as a five x five square and is the same whether read across the squares or down. So, whether you called him Dad or Pop at some point you probably thought he was a square! But if you are like most of us you discovered like Mark Twain did, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years.” Yes, my Dad was and is the wisdom that I return to time and time again. You see, I promised myself as a youth that I would never say to my children the things that my Dad said… like: You call that music –that’s just a bunch of noise or You’ll understand more when you get my age. But I did and I suspect that they will too. All this brings me to the forward and backward point I wanted to make about Dad.

The legacy of our fathers, the faith of our fathers, the resonate voice of our fathers is that life must be lived consistently. Oh, we will all fail and oft find ourselves exposed by our hypocrisy. But what will prove the depth of our faith and the value of our word will be our effort to be the same whether going forward or backward. Good Dads say what they mean and mean what they say. They’re not afraid to apologize when they are wrong or put their foot down when they’re right. They are known for their mercy but respected for their rules. Their bark is never worst than their bite because if you are going to get a chewing out it’s going to leave marks. But it is those very marks that have formed our honesty and shaped our compassion. Like our heavenly Father our Dads have grounded our souls.

I know some of you have not had a Father around or that the Dad that held your family hostage with his tyranny or his addiction was far from the image of our heavenly Father but I also know that you have met godly men that you wish were your Dad. God chooses to reveal himself as “Father” because consistent Dads who are the same forward and backwards are not only a blessing but vital to a fallen world that needs their strength and their wisdom. So, thanks Dad or Pop for all you do and all that you are! -DAN

I Dream In HD

From the insightful Joseph to the wistful Jacob, dreams have been a feature of God’s revelation and invasion into reality. Dreams often are mere outlets for unresolved issues, hidden fears or fantasy conduits to a nonsense world where one suddenly has talents, supernatural abilities or sudden fame. One is either a vivid dreamer or so sporadic that one claims they don’t dream. During a recent dream I had an epiphany that I voiced out loud (in my dream). Struck by the sharp details and vivid colors I exclaimed, “Hey, I’m dreaming in HD!” Yes, you are correct… that’s 10 milligrams short of a full dose of Ambien. However, I believe my dream musing might offer an important insight to the challenge of living a spiritual life in a world driven by technology and information.

The High Definition world advances so fast that a student studying a four year technical degree will find half of what they learn the first year of their studies will be outdated by the third year of their course work. We are now seeing hard drives in computers that have multiples of a terabyte (i.e. 1,000 gigabytes). What’s next? Well, there is petabyte, exabyte, zettabyte and finally yottabyte (I guess if needed they’ll add harpo or groucho bytes)! The point is that the techno world is growing exponentially so that information and possibilities seem endless. It is in this ever changing environment that one stops to take a breath and exhales the resolve, “But it doesn’t hold a candle to the God who created all things and hold all things together.” I may dream of an advanced HD dream world but the true highest definition is not in pixels or new technology but in a God who waits to share heaven with all who will call on His name!

The question is not whether because of the June 12th deadline I’ve gone digital with my dreams but rather will I find higher definition in my faith whether awake or asleep? I hope that in all that I say and in all that I do that I never forget that what centers my life is the God I worship and adore. Oh, I’m appreciative to live in a world that has such advances because I love me some man toys but I hope in this techno-flood that I never forget that the kingdom of God is not a matter of terabytes or HD, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17)! -DAN

We Didn't Say A Prayer

While in Monument Colorado this past weekend at my oldest sister’s house we were having a relaxed Saturday late-morning brunch. The night before we had celebrated my niece’s 40th birthday. Sitting on my sister’s deck drinking in the beauty of the mountainside view Pam and I were at a table with my sister, brother-in-law, one of their friends and our grandson, Payden. Payden looked up from his plate and surveyed the table then spoke up and said, “We didn’t say a prayer.” After a few hem and haws and a reference to saying a private prayer my sister suggested that Payden say the prayer. As you can guess he thanked God for mommy and daddy and list of things I’m sure must have included the food and then he sealed it with an “amen.” Then raising his bowed head he looked over to my sister’s friend and said, “Now, your turn.” I love not only what kids get away with but their unobstructed view of God!

As precious as that moment was for me and even though it warmed my heart that Bryan and Leah are doing such a fine job raising my grandson… I pray that his faith grows beyond saying “Grace.” That he cultivates a heart of prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) that lives the “amen” life where affirmation of God’s blessings is not limited to meals, church, and night time prayers. I hope his horizon is expanded to say, “We didn’t say a prayer…” when he shares a sunset, or visits an elderly friend, or starts a journey, or laughs with a friend. I would be bold enough to pray that he laments missing a prayer for his enemies or praying for present trouble. I pray he finds the most pedestrian, boring, common, unattractive things to give thanks for or to ask for God’s care and grace to wash over them and him. I pray that his prayers are as many as his steps and that the presence of God and the longing to hear His voice and His will are the driving force of Payden’s life! Yes, I pray that prayer fills his life so that when it is absent he says over and over again, “We didn’t say a prayer!”

To all of this I hope and pray that Payden will find himself drawn back to the prayers of Jesus. That a Savior who prays, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” –becomes a exemplar for his life not only so he may forgive as he has been forgiven but that Payden’s heart becomes as compassionate as it is strong. On top of all that I hope he becomes an NFL star and buys his Pappy and Mema a mansion to live in (just kidding, I think)! No, I’m sure that the only mansion I want is that place of much room where we all will share residence with the divine! Now, that’s the prayer I hope I never forget! -DAN

Hyperbole

Have you seen the commercial for Axe deodorant? Every time a young man raises his arms, sweat (supposedly) sprays out like a fireman’s hose. His only hope… Axe deodorant. Before you say, “Gross” or “How rude” –let me remind you that hyperbole, sarcasm and irony are the poster children of the postmodern age. Postmoderns respond to exaggeration because they feel they live in a sham world that has been hyped by commercialism and power hungry politics. Hyperbole exposes the shell games that were sold to them as truth. Deodorant ads that claimed all day power or multiple day longevity are deconstructed in the new and improved formula that can stop the flood of these lies. Axe (a strange name for something you put under your arm) establishes product integrity by overstating its effectiveness. Okay, but what does deodorant have to do with the gospel?

Nothing… but truth and hyperbole has everything to do with the good news. Jesus often employed hyperbole to underscore the sham world of the pretentious religious and the magnitude of the sacrificial life. The rich young man may have exited stage right but center stage spotlighted a camel trying to squeeze itself through the eye of a small needle (Matthew 19:16-30). Jesus tops it off with the ironic “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” The Pharisees and teachers of the law are exposed for hard selling the kingdom without actually using the product (Matthew 23). They eat and drink from vessels that are clean on the outside but filthy dirty on the inside. They are fancy looking boxes/caskets on the outside full of death’s reality on the inside. Jesus knew that the light of truth could be exposed when contrasted sharply with the dark lies of deception. Yes, hyperbole has everything to do with good news.

Now, I said that to say this… don’t mistake hyperbole as the champion that fells our self-righteous enemies and the poor struggling masses that are consumed by riches! Jesus’ exaggerations are aimed at the heart of both sinner and saint. We all have struggled with riches diverting our eyes from following Jesus. We all have battled being consistent with our faith and practicing what we preach. Maybe, the most important divine truth revealed in hyperbole is an invitation to laugh at ourselves as we are exposed to the magnitude of our folly! We all sweat… I doubt if any have ever sprayed like a water fountain but I’m sure some have felt like they have. Exaggeration reveals our feelings, our motives and the intensity of our struggle. Jesus smiles, invites us to laugh at ourselves and with a hyperbole nudges us back to the truth… to the good news that is found and founded in Him! And that’s no exaggeration! -DAN

Gobsmacked

Our granddaughter Lilly was in the back in her car seat carrying on a running dialogue with no one in particular. She often says things that tickle us or sometimes leave us genuinely gobsmacked. We overheard her repeating, “I’m not ‘Crazy Lilly!’ I’m not ‘Crazy Lilly!’” Where does she hear these things? I responded quickly with, “No, baby… you’re Lilly Maretha McQuiddy!” To which I added, “Be proud of that name!” And I whispered to myself, “Because I’m proud it is your name!” Art Linkletter reminded us that “Kids say the Darndest Things.” But what he really meant was Psalms 8… From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise. Kids say the most insightful and honest things. They help remind us that little goes unnoticed or without affect on others. They tell it like it is.

Okay… I’ll tell you what gobsmacked means (unless your are British or have British friends… then you may already know). Gobsmacked is my new favorite Briticisms. It means astonished… left speechless! I heard it used by Susan Boyle of Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland, UK. If you don’t know who Susan Boyle is then you’ve probably just returned from Mars. Susan won the hearts of Britain and subsequently the world (via youtube) when this Scottish matronly spinster walked out onto the “Britain’s Got Talent” stage and wowed everyone with her voice. Suddenly… talent, beauty, grace and the voice of an angel transformed Susan before the audience eyes like Cinderella under the spell of her fairy godmother. The cheers of the crowd and the accolades of the judges left Susan saying she was gobsmacked. When I first heard her I thought she said, “God Smacked.” Which is what I really wanted to talk to you about?

Whether Lilly or Susan leading the way, I find myself more and more God slapped in this life! God continues to hit me up the side of the head with reminders that “this is my Father’s world.” And because it is His world then I should make my journey one that has meaning and purpose in His kingdom. I should make sure that I know that little kids are always listening and let my speech be full of grace. I should never judge a book by its cover and always be on the alert that we entertain angels unaware. I should never forget it really is crazy to be anywhere other than in His light, blessed by His presence. And I should join the festal shout of joy (Psalm 100) proclaiming that My God reigns and His loving kindness abounds! He just leaves me gobsmacked! -DAN

How The Mighty Have Fallen

The theme for the 2010 session of Leadership Training for Christ is “The Rock.” It is a study in 2 Samuel which chronicles David’s rise to power as king of Israel. David’s up and down life finds its ballast in the God Who delivered him time and time again. The poetic soul of David captures not only his praise and gratitude for his God but his dependence when he writes, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation (2 Samuel 22:2,3).” David the victorious and David the tormented found refuge in God. Yahweh was his constant in a world mixed with valor and squalor. God has been and always will be the One Who makes sense out of the nonsense and the provider of promised justice. But God also holds all things together so we can endure present danger! It is God’s strength that sustains us, yet, what we know of ourselves is that as sure as God is rock we are ever shifting sand. Who among us is without skeletons in our closets? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You, me… David! That’s why I think the true song of 2 Samuel is David’s lament song he composed upon the death of Jonathan and Saul in the first chapter of this book. The repeated refrain of that song is, “How the mighty have fallen!” David eulogizes Jonathan and Saul’s mighty valor yet laments their ultimate fall. It is as the fallen that we discover grace and a righteousness not our own. It is as the fallen we reach for the safety of the Rock!

Could it be that when the mighty fall we are reminded once again that there is only one Who is truly mighty? It is He that exalts nations. It is He Who enables the weak to be strong, the weary to march on and the sick to be healed? It is our God who is the well of forgiveness that quenches the fallen soul! It is our God Who stabilizes the wobbly out of control spinning lives of those seeking refuge in Him.

Mankind’s greatest danger is not in the storm but in the calm when one thinks all is well. The mighty fall when their sense of might comes from themselves. This is more than “pride comes before a fall.” This is the baggage of free will… our right to choose includes the right to fail… the inevitable and inescapable fall! Our human reality is that we fail and we fall and fall and fall again. So, is all hopeless? No, because the fallen can land of the Rock! So, maybe LTC has the theme right after all… praise belongs to the Rock who lifts us higher than all! -DAN

Treasured

At the Pepperdine Lectures one gets to see friends, loved ones, brothers and sisters of faith that you haven’t seen for awhile. It is quite a treasured season of reunion and sharing. Not just reconnecting but spiritually bathed moments that buoy faith and heart. One special moment for me was standing holding my new granddaughters while friends took pictures. I’ll treasure that moment. It’s worth more than the treasures of royalty, nations and the fabulously wealthy. It’s heart gold. It’s heaven realized in the present. It is what puts us in touch with the eternity that God has set in our hearts. When Mary cradled the Christ child in her arms amazed at the witness of Shepherds divinely guided to share the good news of great joy for all people… she treasured it in her heart. When wrought with three days of worry but eased at finding Jesus at the temple grounds Mary’s heart once again treasured the divine reality of her child. Mothers are just like that. Proud Pappies are just like that. Life is full when it is treasured.

I’m not an advocate of putting people on a pedestal but you’ve heard me say before that my mother was a Saint! No, not saint, as in senior saints or even in the biblical sense of holy ones… my mother was godly, precious packed, beautiful beyond words in every sense Saint. And on this Mother’s Day I miss her greatly but God has blessed me not only with memories but a wife who is just as much of a Saint! Both are women who treasure the gifted moments of God’s greatest blessings evidenced in their families. Their children rise up and call them blessed. They need no accolades or flowery eulogies for their worth is greater than rubies! They not only treasure their families they are the treasure of their families.

What I love about this is that I know you can say the same. Oh, I know some have not had perfect moms but I’m confident that someone filled that gap. Moms really are one of God’s greatest treasures! So here is to our moms… may God bless you richly and may you know that you are treasured! -DAN