The Phone Call

I'm probably getting too personal here for a 'blog'.

I've been thinking about something I heard this week, the subject of: the unexpected phone call, or a knock on the door, and how our paths can become unbearable, intolerable, grim and hopeless. We're all just one phone call away from disaster, when the sudden heaviness in the air begins to suffocate you, and your path grows dark and blurred. Like my picture here, a beautiful walk in the woods in Plano, Texas, can turn fuzzy and dark and evil - quick.

Life is short, really short. These past 2 weeks were tough for me. Much tougher for others. "I" don't matter in this story, but I have concerns about myself, and where I stand on one particular issue: getting the phone call.

On Thursday a boy died - 8yrs old - of cancer. On Sunday afternoon, a boy died - 25yrs old - a motorcycle accident. Both families known to us. Not close friends of mine - just acquaintances - but the events of both mushroomed through my friends and family. Everyone close to me, knew one or the other and some were very close. Connor and Tripp. These tragic stories keep popping up - everyday. It's the world we live in. It's always been this way. Only to some, these 'tragic' stories are true "victories" - because of attitudes.

Here's my dilemma: I don't have that attitude - the attitude that wins during tragedy. I had just finished reading a book called "The Shack" - before either of these boys died a cruel and unjust death. The book is about life & death - tragic death, but more about God, and our insatiable questions of "WHY ME?"

Amazingly, the parents and the siblings of these two boys, are ok. Better than ok. They are at peace beyond anything you can describe. It's because of their relationship with Christ. They're not 'religious' people - their grounded in truth, in Christ. But I'm grounded in Christ too - and I know I would not survive like they are.

So here's the other tough part: It makes me mad, angry, furious. Because I'm so weak.

I wouldn't fare as well - or at all, if this happened to one of mine. I keep asking, "what if I got that phone call? What if I got that knock on the door?" I don't want others to take it in stride - I wouldn't. (I'm not saying it seems easy for anyone - it's not - I know that.) But there's a part of me that wants to lash out, hard and fast and repeatedly. I would go crazy with hate - hatred of everything - and I would go through days, weeks, months, years, asking the age old question: "Why, God? Just give me one good reason why"? I'm afraid I would literally wreak havoc around me, to everything and everyone. Nothing would be safe because of my torment. I would curse God for what he had 'allowed'. I would question his existence, his love, his purpose. I would not appreciate the kind words of others - I would reject them. I would die inside and I would want everyone to know my grief. I wouldn't want compassion, I would want vengeance. Whatever you do, don't bring me a casserole the night of my tragedy, or the next day, or anytime. Don't give me a sympathetic smile, and above all, don't you dare say the words that go something like: 'don't forget, all things work for good .....' - that would be a very dangerous thing to say to me.

And that, is my nature. And that, is my weakness. I'm not proud of it. It's been the weakness of most people since the beginning of time. It is THE reason people give up on God. It needs more attention than we give it.

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The book of Job is said to be the oldest book in the Bible, and this is the very theme of the book. It's 42 chapters long. Chapters 1-37 we're told of all these terrible things that happened to Job (satan went after him, and God let him). Jobs friends are, well, pissed, at Job, for laying down and taking it. Just like me - they're mad - at him!. Then, starting in chapter 38 God talks (finally) - and in verse 2 says "who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words."

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Who do you think you are? He says "Brace yourself like a man"! (We got biznis to talk about)

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So I'm learning, that it wasn't me who 'laid the foundations of the earth', or tells the sea 'how far it can come to shore', or 'commands the sun to appear in the east', or 'directs the movement of the stars'. Nope, it ain't me.

Hotel California

One of my favorite tunes of all time: Hotel California, by the Eagles.

As legend has it, the actual 'Hotel California' is in a small village called Todos Santos, in the California Baja, north of Los Cabos, Mexico. So, as legend has it, I went there last week to verify the legend. I really did. And it's true.

You gotta understand, I grew up listening to the Eagles (the Don Henley). This album came out during my senior year of high school in Southern California. An epic record, and epic song, an epic time in our history. The theories are many about the lyrics and the meaning of the song. (i.e. there isn't an actual hotel you see, it's a frame of mind ...... yada, yada, yada ......). Some things take on a life of their own and people get all wrapped-around-the-axle trying to figure out what the writer meant by this, and that, and all of that other stuff. And when asked, the writers themselves don't even know what happened - it just sounded good at the time. And it did. And it still does - which makes it a classic. But is it true?

So my story, and I'm sticking with it, is that the hotel I was at last week is THE Hotel California. It was a 'dark desert highway' that we traveled to get there, and the 'cool wind in my hair' felt pretty good, I have to admit. (ok,ok, it was a white-hot desert highway and it was 105 degrees in the shade, but let's not get lost in the details - it was the Baja in July).

So I was thinking: What can you believe in these days? What is "truth" - really? What's real? What did he mean when he said that? No kiddng you say - I'm not the first to ask those questions ..... ?

Well, I do like the old adage I remember my dad saying in church one day: "real truth was true yesterday, it's true today, and will be true tomorrow - it doesn't change with public opinion". And I'll add my own adage: "What you think, or choose to believe, or want to believe, doesn't really matter a whole lot when it comes to truth. Get over it. It either is, or it isn't". (but I'm a little cold hearted that way, sorry).

Check out I John 4:4-6. Ouch, that one will rattle your cage, talking about the world and truth and how to recognize it. I saw that this morning and thought about the "Hotel California" - weird huh? It's the first time I've seen that, and I've seen it a thousand times (if you know what I mean).

Is your mind 'tiffany twisted'? Mine gets that way sometimes (often), and I have to get straightened out - I've got to get back to what's real and true. How about you?

"Indications" and the Golden Gate

The Golden Gate Bridge (from somewhere in the bushes below, at 9:15 pm)

This may sound a little dis-jointed and weird - I'm just thinking out loud.

A couple of years ago we went to Italy with some friends. (i know, sorry, saying stuff like that isn't attractive really - it's boring and braggadocios to the reader - so don't ever do it to me :).

But I need to tell you about Italy to explain the term: "Indications". See, we were driving through Tuscany (there, I did it again, sorry) and we needed directions, and this skinny little Italian guy with poor english skills told us that when we got to the end of the road we would see "indications". Hmmmm, we thought.

OK - everyone be on the lookout for "INDICATIONS", and we smiled, and waited for the much anticipated "indications". And there they were: big signs. Signs 'indicating' which way we should go. Classic.

The skinny little Italian guy was right. And so were the indications.

This week I was in San Francisco. After my meeting last night the team was trying to put together dinner plans and I said, "I'm out - I've doing The Bridge tonight". Wondering what I meant, I told them I was going to walk the Golden Gate, both ways, so go ahead without me. I've never done it - so let's knock this one off the list. At 7 pm I asked the concierge at the Marriott how I could get to the bridge for my walk and he gave me explicit directions: Cross the street, catch the #30 bus. Take the #30 to "Beach and Laguna". He reiterated: "Mr. Kanaley - trust me, you'll think you've gone too far, but don't get off until you get to Beach and Laguna". Then he said, when you get off, switch to the #28, you'll need to walk a couple blocks north on Laguna to get to the bus stop to get the 28 - that will take you to "the point" at the base of the bridge - have fun!". I even gave him $5 bucks for the advice, feeling generous and anxious to walk off some excess calories and I wasn't eating dinner.

Cool - I'm ready for some adventure. I get the #30 with just a couple of snags. "Across the street" in the Californian language doesn't necessarily mean immediately across the street, or even on the same block or within a 3 block radius. But I get over that, and I make it on the #30. Then I'm looking, watching intently, and listening for any 'indication' that Beach and Laguna is coming up. I even have a map, so I'm tracking ok - kind of. We're on Chestnut, then we turn north and swing around another block, and finally, the bus stops and I'm the only one on board. The driver says he's taking a break and will head back toward downtown in 10 minutes.

What? I need to get off at Beach and Laguna! He says there is no "Beach and Laguna" - I should have gotten off at Chestnut and Laguna. Beach is a couple blocks up from there. Another $5 down the tubes. But he tells me it's no big deal, walk "that way" then "that way" and then "that way" and I'll catch the #28. I don't have the time or space to bore you with the rest. But let me tell you, that for one thing, although it's like 128 degrees back home in Texas on this June 30th, it's about 45 degrees NEAR the Golden Gate Bridge at night, in the dark, at 9:15 pm. And, contrary to the popular belief that you can walk the bridge "anytime" you want - it closes to pedestrians at 9:00 pm. So, I got near the bridge - and that was it.

2 Cabs, 5 buses, a new sweatshirt that says "I Love San Francisco" later - I was back at the Marriott at 10 pm, and had not walked the bridge. I met some nice people, saw some neat residential neighborhood's in the Bay area, and took a few pictures of the Golden Gate - from a distance.

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So what, you ask? It's about good directions and bad directions. A good life is about following good "indications".

Throughout the Bible, OT and NT, we're reminded to watch for the "Signs" of Jesus' return. The 'Indications' will tell us when the time of the second coming of Jesus is near. Now that's advice worth paying for - and based on the accuracy of prior "indications", it's advice you can believe in. And get excited about!

This may be a stretch, but, to me, the real Golden Gate is the one I'll be walking through, arm-in-arm, with JC himself. And I think that day is coming soon.

Don't get the indications wrong. Don't trust just anybody's advice. Map it out yourself - and with God. It's tough enough trying to survive in this jungle - you don't need bad directions. Read the Word, and read it again, and read it again tomorrow, and keep reading. And Listen, and verify. Following bad advice can be painful - or worse. Zachariah 14:1 says: Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming! (which means Jesus is coming back).

Before Jesus comes back, I WILL walk that bridge in San Fran.

Do you Twitter, Tweet, Twang ?

Twitter, Tweet or Twang? What do you do? I made up the 'Twang' thing - but it's next, if I have my way.

Me? I've never done it, any of it. I do text the kids now and then - but I only know how to reply to an existing text. I've never actually created a new text.

I'm so low tech. I can email myself into oblivion, but that doesn't matter anymore. Hey, I even have a blog, but to be living in the real world, you have to 'twitter to your blog', and I don't know what that means ..... I'm a realist: it's hard enough to get people to read a blog, why would they care to read a twitter or tweet from me that I'm eating lunch at QT - 2 for $2 hot dogs and a coke zero? I don't think so. I don't even care enough about myself to know that I'm doing that - why would I even suspect that someone else would care?

It's crazy. But it's happening now. "Embrace it" I tell myself. Don't get left behind. Communicate.

I had breakfast yesterday with an old colleague and friend who is pretty high-tech. For instance, he doesn't read print papers, magazines or books anymore, he has a 'Kindle'. Downloads everything onto the coolest gadget I've ever seen - the 'Kindle'. Gotta get me one of those one day. There is some really good stuff out there. But who has the time (or money?).

Back to Twitter and stuff. The point is this, I think: when you hear something profound, or actually know something profound, you should tell it to others - communicate it, to the world. It should be really, and actually, profound (in my opinion). Of course, profound is in the eye of the profounder (not sure of the grammar there - don't snopes me on that).

Do you ever twitter or text God? I think we all do that - you know: "God, I need help here", or "Hey God, I'm in a bind - respond quickly"..... In a way it's bad - we shouldn't treat God as a recipient of a text, yet in a way its good, we should be in constant contact with God. He cares about the smallest of things if we're in His family. From the moment we wake in the morning to the moment we turn in at night, we should be twittering our Father. Constant communication.

He twitters us through His Word (the Bible), through nature, through other believers, through prayer.

His deepest desire is to communicate with you, and you with Him. He wants a twitter from us - every minute or two.

Let me know when you twang.

57 Years

This past week, my parents celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary. Wow. I only know it was number 57 because in 2002, we all went to Dublin, Ireland to celebrate their 50th. So 7 years later, is #57. We have big plans for their 60th.

This is a picture of them the day they were engaged (no, i didn't take it). Fulton, NY is a long way from Dallas, Texas. The story goes (as with all Texans): they got here as soon as they could.

I saw them today at lunch, after church. They look the same - they really do. They're just teenagers - 57 years later! It's amazing. Their life is complicated, yet very simple. They stay stressed, yet seemingly always calm. They have everything, yet, they have very little. They're highly educated, yet common. They've travelled the world, yet 'downhome'. They know everyone, but you're the only one in the room.

Do you think you know someone after 57 years? I would think so. But life is never dull for these guys - everyday is a new day and exciting. There's so much family, I guess there's not much time to think about yourselves. Time flies when you're having fun - right? No, time just flies - so you might as well just have fun.

And they are!

The Great American Comedy

So I said to him, "Barak, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't Abe Lincoln."

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

-Abraham Lincoln

I love this picture, and the quotes that go with it. So shoot me (if you're a liberal). I beg you please not to 'snope' me on this - it doesn't matter.

Does anyone know what's happening to America right now? If all you listen to is the evening news and all you read is the local paper and listen to NPR and read Newsweek or Time - you don't have an honest clue- you can't - because the media is invested in Obama so heavily - and is officially his advertising agency in America, that the truth is now only heard on conservative talk radio. It's the last bastion of truth - period. All else is a joke - it's like we live in Iran or Venezuela or New York.

Or, maybe you DO know what's going on and like it. There's the most strange thing of all.

What is it that God has up his sleeve? What is going on up there? This is all part of His plan, so what's going to happen next? Does it do any good to complain? Should we be looking for Real change sometime soon? Maybe some of us are blowing this out of proportion - but then again, the west (us) is never mentioned in Revelation ......

From Cairo (the only 'American' to ever speak to Islam - while degrading the USA), to Tehran (a president who admires Obama and denies the holocaust and wants Israel obliterated), to Pyongyang (a country currently testing nukes), to Caracas (a regime who jokes with Obama and calls him even 'left' of himself). And the list goes on, and on, and on. Like the admiration of terrorists and the love of US bashing racist 'preachers'.

Industry is owned by the US government now - all in 2-3 months. The financial markets are owned by government. Housing is owned by government. We're dealing with monopoly money. Taxes are going up - everyday, another new tax is imposed somewhere.

Maybe it'll all blow over in 4 years, and we'll have something else to complain about. If we're still around.

Route 66

I've never been on Route 66. It would be an awesome road trip one day, and I plan to do it soon - real soon.

Recently I saw one of those famous road signs - very recognizable to all of us. And I got to thinking, you know there are 66 books in the Bible. Maybe I can make a connection here.

Thinking that I had an original idea (which is rare) I wanted to correlate the idea of Route 66 with something to do with the Bible. So I quickly googled it, and discovered that, of course, I still haven't had many original ideas. There are lots of Route 66 Bible studies out there, names of Bible study classes and Route 66 youth groups: my original idea is everywhere. Bummer.

What I didn't see was this: A memory verse system, called "Route 66", whereby you memorize 1 verse from each book of the Bible. Something I actually need to do.

It's down right embarrassing for me to have not memorized more versus, this late in my life. It's time that a lot of us just got over our weakness for memory verses and buckled down - bowed our shoulders back - put our hearts and minds into something important - and do it now.

I'm admittedly not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, so if I am going to memorize 66 versus, I need a system. So over the course of about a week I poured through each book of the Bible and picked a verse from each. I tried to keep it to a short verse, but a verse that says something
to me about that particular book - that could jar my memory, and help me remember not only the verse but the context of the book. And, I didn't want the usual suspect versus like John 3:16 (good, but not challenging, if you know what I mean).

It could take me months, even years. But I have my 66 versus and I'm going for it. First, I'm just trying to get the verse that ties to the book. Later on (maybe way later) I'll add the actual reference number if I can't remember it now. My goal is to be able to quote, on the spot, one verse from each of the 66 books.

I'm not telling you this to edify or somehow glorify myself and my great future accomplishment (well, maybe a little bit :)). No, maybe you could try it too?

You could pick your own, or try mine. For instance, my Genesis verse is 3:9 - 'Then the Lord called out to the man, "where are you?"'. This verse tells me what the book is all about: God is there, you left Him, He knows where you are, but He wants you to acknowledge Him and find Him again.

Or, take my verse for Acts, 28:1 - 'Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta.' This verse tells me that Paul and others were missionaries; Paul was also a prisoner; a leader; and he was one tough dude.

Or, take my verse for Ruth, 2:1 - 'Now, there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz.' This verse tells me that this city was important in history even before Jesus' birth, and that the book has a lot of corollaries to our kinsman redeemer - Jesus (wealthy and influential).

So, if you want to take a cool road trip - check out my Route 66 sometime. I keep it neatly tucked in my wallet to look at anytime (Starbucks, the gym, etc.) , a 1-page list of 66 versus.