Q: What about ME ?

A: What about you ?

So, last night was the season finale of "Lost". I like the show and have been watching it since the start. I do find it intriguing - and I keep coming back for more. (one more season to go). I've never read a word from the multitude of books and websites dedicated to solving all the mysteries of the show.

But last night, for the first time, we met the ultimately mysterious 'Jacob'. He's in charge of the Island, the boss. What he does and who he is - nobody really knows. But he IS in charge - make no mistake. Jacob doesn't age. Jacob is everywhere. Jacob isn't bound by time. Ben is going to kill him, and he's been put up to the job by John. But John isn't really John - someone or something has taken over John and given him powers of extreme confidence, persuasion, good looks and pride. John (this fake John) apparently can't kill Jacob himself, he needs someone else to do it - so Ben: somebody who is really mad at Jacob, because over the years Jacob didn't do everything he wanted, even though Ben did everything that Jacob wrote down for him to do (in writing, he never talked audibly to him). He, Jacob, even allowed Ben's daughter to be killed. Ben even got cancer while serving Jacob.

So Ben says, "all these years, I've done everything you've written for me to do!", "I've followed all of your instructions!" he said. (I've kept your law). Ben is mad - at everything - everyone - and particularly mad at Jacob. He can't take it any more.

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"What about me?!", he asked Jacob.

Jacob replies softly, "What about you?"

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And Ben stabs Jacob. And the island goes white in a nuclear blast.

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Not to become too philosophical here (it's just a tv series after all), but "What about you"? It's in the inflection of the word 'about'. What's this all about anyway?

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(I took this picture of an old statue on the Charles Bridge in Prague - a depiction of prisoners in purgatory, bound and praying and looking up).

Obama's 'Bay of Pigs'

Pigs are cute.

All weekend it's been bothering me why Eqypt (of all places) has decided to wipe-out its entire pig population - a genocide of pigs. They don't have one case of the 'swine flu', and all of the scientific powers out there determined that the 'swine flu' has nothing to do with pigs. And Egypt knows this.

So it bothers me, why do they have to kill all those pigs? At Starbucks I'm reading the Star Telegram and they happen to say, burried deep in the text, that the pigs owners are Christians.

That's it. The dots have been connected once again. The 90% Muslim country has found a way to cripple the small number of Christians in Egypt. Kill their livelyhood, and blame it on a the 'flu'.

Hey Obama! Heads up. Where are you when a Christian needs you? Step in, make a statement, uncover the thin veil of mystery in Eqypt why don't you. Why doesn't ANYBODY?? I checked an hour ago on google, and sure enough, it's starting to come out, in small dribbles: Muslims don't like pigs, or Christians. But the bottom line is that no one really gives a hoot.

These are real live people, losing it all, to Islam. Christians, the most persecuted people group on the planet - take another hit - and no one cares. I want to go over and just sit with some of the families, and just be with them in their trouble, let them know someone noticed here in America - and appologize that no one in authority from this powerful nation even gave them a glance.

May Day!

I'm pumped! I love May 1st. And today is even a Friday - double bonus. I start thinking about summer, and taking a vacation, sitting on a rock in the sun. Pretty self-absorbed on that one. There's Mothers Day to think about, some upcoming important birthdays (like my baby boy Dagen turning 21 - yikes), there's a Memorial Day holiday coming. My calendar even says that the 31st is "Pentacost" - hmmm - don't remember that one ...... but worth celebrating!

But today I'm thinking most about my father: 'dad' (known by others as 'papa' or 'Don'). He's a stoic person. He's not 80 yet - but getting there. Perfect health. Clear thinking. Everything works. He's also one of the 3 people who reads my pathetic blog - and cares about what I say - because that's what he does and has always done - cares. He cares about the little things in everyones life. 40 or 50 kids/grandkids/great-grandkids, and he cares about each of them equally (I have no idea how many there are, but there's a bunch).

He's worked hard all his life and doesn't want to stop now. He's a pastors pastor. Not flamboyant or anything, but he's been around the church block a few times and knows how to navigate things that I have never even thought of. He's never met a stranger - ever.

I think I'm pretty 'cool' because I like to attend 2 different churches - for the different styles of worship and teaching and people. But I only do it if 'I' have time and it works for 'me'. Yet, I know for a fact it would not be unusual for dad to attend 4-6 different churches a week. He even teaches at nursing homes - places no one else will go on a Sunday afternoon - to show the elderly that someone cares enough. He does it now, and always has. It's not about him.

I've been 'lucky'. I've had jobs that pay well - and probably wouldn't work if it didn't. I keep working hard at working hard (I'll spare you the rat race routine). He, on the other hand has been 'blessed'. He's always worked hard of course, but not for the money. His boss really is a Jewish carpenter - and the boss has always taken care of him - extraordinarily well. Dad represents probably the best example of a life lived by Faith, that I have ever seen.

He tells me he wishes he had done more for us over the years. More? No dad could have ever done more. As an example of a life lived with humility, grace, honor, dedication, pride and perseverance - he has done it better than any other - and continues to do it week after week.

So. What does May Day 2009 have to do with dad? Nothing really. It's really just another Friday, of another week, of another month, of another year, when dad has always been there for me.

The First 100 Days

It's an Obama-nation.

I'm really bummed-out. Dissapointed. Disillusioned. Sad for so many people. And surprised. Mostly surprised, by people I know who are so out of touch with reality - out of touch with life, real life, and the world we live in (as bad as it can be). I see them everywhere, talk to them, listen to them on the news and talk shows, and read them in the papers. They're even in the family, in the blood (so to speak) - which is most bewildering.

I find myself now only feeling sorry for the person speaking or writing on the success and jubilation of the first 100 days. There is true euphoria - everywhere! I'm more cynical than ever. Where others see 'success' and 'victory', I see absolute failure and defeat. How can this be? How do you tell someone they are living in a different paradigm, another un-parallel universe (slightly tilted)? There are two polar opposites working in American politics today - yet it goes far beyond politics alone - its color, faith, economics, race, liberty, motivation, moral conduct, joy, fear and hope - polar opposite views on everything.

The local paper yesterday listed the first 100 day accomplishments of Obama: Guantanamo, Torture, Stimulus, Bank Rescue, Auto Rescue, Embryonic Stem-cell research, Greenhouse gases, Iraq, Afghanistan, Budget, Health Care, Muslim Relations & The Changing Washington Culture.

So for every so called 'success' - I see complete and absolute failure. And its not just me seeing it, I'm not deluding myself. This is how bad it is: everything is upside-down, everything. Those who are to blame, are praised. Those who are to be praised, are blamed. What was right is wrong. What was wrong is now right. What was un-holy is holy.

I had grand plans of detailing line-by-line all of the atrocities of the new administration during the first 3 months of occupation. ("Atrocities" is a word I picked carefully here - make no mistake.) But I can't do it - just read the paper and listen to the media. You'll hear whatever it is that you want to hear.

But OK - take heart! And remember that as a believer, and praying that God's will would be done, Obama won. Then, if you are brave enough - read the Old Testament - and be very afraid. Then, read the New Testament - and have hope. The books of Revelation, Ezekial, Jeremiah & Danial have new meaning and insight. Watch Israel. Watch the Muslim world. Watch the Communist world.

And sit back on the porch at Starbucks, with a grande drip, and watch it all unfold right in front of you. Exciting times.

Don't Be Afraid

Who isn't afraid? We fear everything: sickness, lack of money, losing our jobs, speaking in public, getting fat, getting old, what we just said or didn't say. We fear for the people we care most about - fear that they will be hurt, in an accident, or in a bad relationship. All kinds of fear. Fear can paralyze us. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear keeps us from sleeping soundly. Fear distracts us from our jobs, our school work and our relationships.


Fear is bad. Fear is killing us. Fear takes everything good out of us - robbing us of real life.


That's why the Bible talks about it so much - maybe more than anything else, from cover to cover, we are advised: DO NOT BE AFRAID! Because He knows what it can do, how it hinders us and keeps us back from what we are intended for. The only thing we're told to fear is "the Lord" - but that's a different kind of fear, it's more like respect - like electricity, don't fear it, just respect it, honor it for what it is. If we feared electicity we'd never turn on the lights.


A couple of my favorite motivational sayings are: 1) "what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?", and 2) "do one thing every day that scares you". Easy to say, hard to do. But it's always worth trying, everyday, for the reward it gives us.


In 1 Chronicals David says "do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you". And in Mark Jesus said "Don't be afraid, take courage, I am here". And in 2 Timothy Paul reminds us "for God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline".


If nothing else, be reminded everyday that Fear can have a very negative impact on your life - so knowing that - attempt to do away with it. I'm a bad example of someone trying to avoid fear, because for one reason, I love horror movies - the scarrier the better (I always end up going alone). But actually these aren't the things that make me "fearful". We all have different fear buttons.


We could do some pretty sorry things if we had no fear - so some aspect of fear is good. BUT - what could you do, what would you do, if you weren't afraid? How much more productive and influential could you be? What ledge would you walk out on? What risk would you take? Where would you go? What mountain would you climb? Who would you talk to?


How great could you be, if you weren't afraid?

Power Washing

I have this old fence (I've mentioned it before) - maybe 10 years old, I'd guess. I got some pricing on building a new one, but wow, it's way out of line. So first I put in the new posts (with a little hired help). See, the posts were the only things needing to be replaced really. Took out the old posts, did some grinding (alot of grinding) to get all the old nails out of site - smoothed it out nice. But it still looked ugly and old.

Then, this past weekend I rented this high pressure / power wash machine from the hardware store. See, the pickets are what you see mostly, and if you really looked at them, you could tell there was enough substance down under the quarter inch of dirt and crud, that if I could just clean them off, I'd find some real fine and solid cedar down there. Pretty stuff.

I was right. It took a total of 24 hours, doing nothing but spraying high pressure water over each piece of wood, to remove the garbage that had collectted over the past 10 years. The Texas sun, wind, rain, dirt, exhaust fumes, bugs, chemicals, freezing ice, chlorine, oils, sap from trees, rusting nails, squirrel's and bugs running rampant over you for years - had all robbed the beautiful complexion from my cedar wood fence.

It hurt - it still hurts - it took a long time. It took 3 days. I was up and down ladders, in the mud, out of the mud, dirt flying everywhere, dirty water bouncing back and soaking me, the sheer power of the 2,500 psi's and 5.5 hp motor knocked me over (literally), the constant noise. I changed cloths a total of 6 times. I was doing 'circa de sole' (sp?) moves to get every angle, every inch of wood, in some tough unreachable spots. I'm bruised and I wasn't the one getting attacked - the fence was being assaulted by a high pressure gun - every square inch - a relentless, persistent "cleansing" was going on. I could almost here the fence shouting - PLEASE STOP!

OK - I've bored you to death. But here's my point: don't we get that way, over time. And we need to be cleaned up, before it's too late. Get power washed - my fence looks new - I mean NEW. It's what Jesus does for you. It may hurt a little - when you're being stripped of all your dirt, your pride may take a beating. But after it's over, and you're clean, you can breath and you're free, like new. You can stand there tall and firm, and watch the sun rise and set again.

What are your Principles?

Where do you stand? What are your 'Principles', your 'Philosophy'?. If you become engaged in a heated conversation with friends (or enemies) while sipping coffee at Starbucks - what drives you to take a stand, and not be pushed any further? Exactly which straw brakes your best camels back?

Unfortunately most of us don't give it much thought, and therefore don't take a stand. Who needs principles anyway - right? Wrong. It's what's wrong. As believers in Jesus, most of us can define quickly where we stand and how to be saved - there are absolutes, and we know what they are (well, some of us do).

But then there's this pesky problem of living in the real world. Oh, wait, believers live in the real world. So we need a Christian world view (meaning, we need to walk the talk everyday) . We have to deal with politics and 'other' world views. Most of the time, we have to take sides. And it's not a sin. Jesus took sides. Jesus demands we take sides.

So let's figure out where we stand - what our principles are. Write them down. Memorize them. I'm working on it now - for myself. For example, I'm a conservative, I know it in my heart. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We can become great if we want to. People relying on government is not healthy. America is great - not bad. Ambition is good, not bad. Don't let others talk you out of your instincts - what you know, in your heart. You have your own life experiences - your gut tells you things, your conscience tells you more.

That's what i I think. What do you think?