this is church...

Myself and my three friends were sitting in a dark room. We were unused, ignored... empty. Just six days ago hands were all over me. So I was feeling used and abused until a glimmer of light silhouetted me in the dark. In walked a stranger toward me, toward us. He carried us out of the shadow and into the light to centre stage. It seems that we are featured under the lights. As the music played and the holy words were spoken we knew our five minutes of fame were approaching. The music was rising to a crescendo as we were lifted to our place of honour. The hands held us as though we were sacred. They turned for the crowd to see as they decorated us with their riches. It had begun, as we were on parade for all to see. Immediately someone tried to upstage those who had previously decorated me. Another tried to fool me with empty offering for all to see. I found myself beside one who had little to benefit me. But she dug into her meagre means to bless me abundantly. In that moment I realized it wasn't about the spotlight on me. There was a greater power at work in this show that anyone could sense. Then there was one who dropped his head in shame as I came his way. The one who led me, passed him over  despising the man’s lack. From all appearances he was rugged and worn, it was clear he was feeling as I did previously ; used, abused, and empty. My calling was clear as I jerked from the hands that held me. I flipped myself, an offering plate, emptying all the riches bestowed upon me. They landed in those hands, rugged and worn, where it was truly needed. This is church...

 co-written by Leighton & Lance Schubert

if only we could get this...

I feel recently like I have been riding a train a bit here, but everything I read as of late confirms the same. I was considering recently again how Mother Theresa, when used shoes came to her in Calcutta, she would dig thru them first, to take the worst pair for herself. I thought maybe she did not have to always do that. Then I thought about how she would always go last in line, and how she w...ould also stay around after all to clean up when no one seen and all had left. My thoughts were maybe she went overboard with all of those actions, but then I read this, from the sacred writings, “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, (the worst shoes, the back of the line, the worst job) so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

...like a faithful dog

As I spoke this morning I said something to the fact that my wife knows the real me and that is so true. I don’t usually speak of her, especially on social media or when I speak publically, unless of course it is an audience than mainly kn...ows her, which was the case this morning. But as I thought about that, I thought about the truth that my life, which correlates with her life, has often been following every opportunity before me and sometimes that means leaving her to hold the fort and then putting up with me when I am home. This past year, in a game, I was asked if I could describe my wife as an animal, what animal would I say she is, and I said a dog. I corrected that to say a faithful dog, not meaning in appearance but rather in the fact that no matter what I am doing or what space or place where I am or am headed, she supports me no matter what, like a faithful dog. You know, always being there, no matter what, thinking of the concept that a dog is man’s best friend. It is why I post this song from country superstar Eric Church, not that all the behaviours described are me, but it describes the concept of me, but more importantly it describes my wife, who never gives up on me, and supports me no matter what. And if anything I could desire for my own sons, is that they find brides that would be the same way to them.See More