In May, 1983, I walked across a stage at the University of Alabama and received a degree & a handshake from the president of the University. In my case, it took 6 years and 3 different schools to get there, but that’s another story for another day.
A few years later, I received a M.A. degree. Then, in 1990, I received a Ph.D., which could well have been viewed as that year’s sign of the imminent return of our Lord.
Since then, I have attended numerous college graduations, and I actually love the ceremony. As a professor I get to don the robes & the hat and be part of the platform party w/ my colleagues. I dig the significance of the ceremony, the motivation of the speakers’ remarks (well, most of them…), and the general pomp & circumstance of it all.
But the coolest part to me is afterward, when I get to shake hands w/ my students who have just walked across the stage & received a degree. I *LOVE* this part of the day! “Mom, this is Dr. Madaris” etc. Utterly awesome, in the real sense of the word “awesome.”
And yet, in all of my goober-ish enjoyment of graduation, and all of the excitement of the new graduates, there’s a decided bittersweet feel. I really love my job, in large part because I really love college students. (well, most of them…) I like to think that over the course of battling with duration, net present value, market efficiency, supply & demand, futures contracts, gap, CAMEL ratings, time value of money, and other goodies one covers in econ & finance classes, at least some of those students become friends. Which means that graduation = saying goodbye to friends who are (mostly) moving away. I do NOT enjoy that part of graduation day. Even with the excitement of the day and of students/friends moving into career type jobs, I’m not very good at saying “goodbye.” I totally agree with C.S. Lewis, who said (paraphrased) “the reason saying goodbye is so hard is because we were never meant to do so.” One of my favorite descriptions of heaven is this: the land of the eternal hello. I can’t wait.
All of which makes this weekend's WCU graduation all the more bittersweet. Mostly because I won't be there to say goodbye & meet parents & such. I'll be at another graduation up in a large university in Oxford watching my favorite male 20-something on the globe hear his name called.
So, to all WCU near-grads, know that you are loved, and that you are prayed for, and that you will be missed (well, most of you...*grin*). Now go succeed wildly in whatever path your life takes! And know that as you do so, there's this elderly-but-still-hot econ & finance professor in H'burg who will always consider it a deep and humbling and profound honor to have been a small part of your education.
And as we say in Alabama, y'all come back now, ya heah? ;-{D}
Much love,
DocM
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
(Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
p.s. - Remember, with your next paycheck, however large or small,...*grin*
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
It's That Time Again...
So, it’s
that time again. Tomorrow morning, my
brother & I head out to Houston & to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Tomorrow afternoon is the bloodwork &
P.E.T. scan. Friday is the next
most-important-of-my-life Dr. appointment to get the results.
Would you please pray for us this week?
--peace for Lisa (again, it’s much easier to be the patient than the loved one of the patient!)
--peace for me, especially between the scan & getting the results
--blessing for my HS classmate Donna, who is once again graciously letting us stay in her home.
--that God would magnify Himself & the Gospel through me, whatever the outcome.
--Thurs 4/26 => Jim & I drive out to Houston; we’ll leave pretty early in the morning
Bloodwork, P.E.T. prep around 2:30, P.E.T. scan at 4:00 (lasts ~45 minutes)
Followed by very serious gluttony, since I’m not allowed to eat anything after 8:00 a.m. Not even chewing gum nor cough drops; water only.
Thank you SO very much for your prayers, my friends! They mean so much to us.
Most humbly & sincerely,
Mike
Would you please pray for us this week?
Of course,
pray as God leads, but here are some things I’m praying:
--safe
travels (my brother, Jim & I are driving out & back)--peace for Lisa (again, it’s much easier to be the patient than the loved one of the patient!)
--peace for me, especially between the scan & getting the results
--blessing for my HS classmate Donna, who is once again graciously letting us stay in her home.
--that God would magnify Himself & the Gospel through me, whatever the outcome.
Oh, yeah,
there’s also this significant prayer request:
--ANOTHER ACCURATE AND CLEAR P.E.T. SCAN!
The Detailed Schedule:
--Wed 4/25 => Jim is driving from
his home in East AL to Hattiesburg--Thurs 4/26 => Jim & I drive out to Houston; we’ll leave pretty early in the morning
Bloodwork, P.E.T. prep around 2:30, P.E.T. scan at 4:00 (lasts ~45 minutes)
Followed by very serious gluttony, since I’m not allowed to eat anything after 8:00 a.m. Not even chewing gum nor cough drops; water only.
--Fri 4/27 => 11:00 appointment w/
Dr. Bedekian to get the results.
We'll head back Friday.
--Sat 4:28 => Jim drives back to Montgomery
We'll head back Friday.
--Sat 4:28 => Jim drives back to Montgomery
Thank you SO very much for your prayers, my friends! They mean so much to us.
Most humbly & sincerely,
Mike
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
So, what are your concerns again?
Got word from a long-time friend that her beloved spouse is being sent home from the hospital.
Into Hospice Care.
They're predicting a couple of weeks until his faith becomes sight.
What are your concerns again?
This is the culmination of a 10.5-year battle with cancer.
So, what are your concerns again?
They've been married 24 years, & dated 5 years before getting married. They have children, the youngest of which is in 11th grade. He's a stud pitcher for the local high school where they live. This past Tuesday, he threw a no-hitter, which is a pretty amazing feat in baseball. His Dad watched it live.
Via Skype from his hospital bed.
So, what are your concerns again?
My friend's attitude was once again very upbeat (all things considered), as it has been throughout this hellacious journey. Ten and a half years of depths & dark nights of the soul that are beyond what most of us can imagine. Ten and a half years of re-defining good news as "this cycle of chemo/radiation is over. Rest up so you'll be ready for the next cycle."
So, what are your concerns again?
And yet, in the midst of sharing this with me about her beloved husband, get this: My friend had only two requests: (1) "Would you please pray for us & our family? This will be hard." (2) "How is YOUR health & cancer situation?"
Yeah...humbling beyond what I can describe here. (My reaction must be all that pine pollen...or something.)
So, what are your concerns again?
My friend is a woman of considerable Christian faith. A very deep & close walk with the Lord. Very faithful in her church involvement. If yours is a name-it-&-claim-it, formulaic approach to Scripture & faith, you should talk to my friend. But only if you want to see your theology exposed as very deeply flawed and terribly incomplete. Oh she wouldn't hammer your incorrect beliefs at all; I would, but she won't. She's much too gracious & kind. Just interacting with her, you would see that though she walks through the valley of the shadow of death & has done so for 10 1/2 years, she fears no evil. She & her husband know the deep comfort of God's rod & staff, even when the medical news is bad. They know that they have a placed prepared in the presence of their enemies (cancer, in this case), even when it seems the enemy is winning. They know the goodness & mercy that follow them, even through the deep darkness that is painful & terminal cancer. They have total confidence that he will soon dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and that one day, she will join him there. Your "say-these-words & read-these-verses" theology will ring deeply hollow when confronted with the totality of the truths of Christianity as lived out by my friend.
They've done a remarkable job raising children in a situation that's beyond any parenting situation I have ever faced.
So, what exactly are your concerns again?
Sorrowful, yet rejoicing; grieving but with hope,
Mike
p.s. - Would you join me in praying for my friend & her beloved hubby whose departure is at hand, and for their children? I'll not mention any names, as she is so very humble. The Lord knows who they are.
p.p.s. - Oh, for a day when a cancer diagnosis is similar to a flu diagnosis: some discomfort, some meds, & then good as new! *sigh* As you pray for my friend & her family, would you join me in praying for cancer researchers to find a cure for all forms of cancer? I join SO MANY cancer patients in thanking you for that prayers.
p.p.p.s. - Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
Into Hospice Care.
They're predicting a couple of weeks until his faith becomes sight.
What are your concerns again?
This is the culmination of a 10.5-year battle with cancer.
So, what are your concerns again?
They've been married 24 years, & dated 5 years before getting married. They have children, the youngest of which is in 11th grade. He's a stud pitcher for the local high school where they live. This past Tuesday, he threw a no-hitter, which is a pretty amazing feat in baseball. His Dad watched it live.
Via Skype from his hospital bed.
So, what are your concerns again?
My friend's attitude was once again very upbeat (all things considered), as it has been throughout this hellacious journey. Ten and a half years of depths & dark nights of the soul that are beyond what most of us can imagine. Ten and a half years of re-defining good news as "this cycle of chemo/radiation is over. Rest up so you'll be ready for the next cycle."
So, what are your concerns again?
And yet, in the midst of sharing this with me about her beloved husband, get this: My friend had only two requests: (1) "Would you please pray for us & our family? This will be hard." (2) "How is YOUR health & cancer situation?"
Yeah...humbling beyond what I can describe here. (My reaction must be all that pine pollen...or something.)
So, what are your concerns again?
My friend is a woman of considerable Christian faith. A very deep & close walk with the Lord. Very faithful in her church involvement. If yours is a name-it-&-claim-it, formulaic approach to Scripture & faith, you should talk to my friend. But only if you want to see your theology exposed as very deeply flawed and terribly incomplete. Oh she wouldn't hammer your incorrect beliefs at all; I would, but she won't. She's much too gracious & kind. Just interacting with her, you would see that though she walks through the valley of the shadow of death & has done so for 10 1/2 years, she fears no evil. She & her husband know the deep comfort of God's rod & staff, even when the medical news is bad. They know that they have a placed prepared in the presence of their enemies (cancer, in this case), even when it seems the enemy is winning. They know the goodness & mercy that follow them, even through the deep darkness that is painful & terminal cancer. They have total confidence that he will soon dwell in the house of the Lord forever, and that one day, she will join him there. Your "say-these-words & read-these-verses" theology will ring deeply hollow when confronted with the totality of the truths of Christianity as lived out by my friend.
They've done a remarkable job raising children in a situation that's beyond any parenting situation I have ever faced.
So, what exactly are your concerns again?
Sorrowful, yet rejoicing; grieving but with hope,
Mike
p.s. - Would you join me in praying for my friend & her beloved hubby whose departure is at hand, and for their children? I'll not mention any names, as she is so very humble. The Lord knows who they are.
p.p.s. - Oh, for a day when a cancer diagnosis is similar to a flu diagnosis: some discomfort, some meds, & then good as new! *sigh* As you pray for my friend & her family, would you join me in praying for cancer researchers to find a cure for all forms of cancer? I join SO MANY cancer patients in thanking you for that prayers.
p.p.p.s. - Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, April 09, 2012
The Day After Easter...So What?
A friend of mine noted that Christians who only celebrate their faith on Easter Sunday do not have a faith that's to be taken seriously. (A severe paraphrase of my friend's words, but it catches the idea.)
I agree.
I might enlarge the thought that if one's faith is only celebrated & talked about on Easter Sunday and on Christmas Day, that's not really a faith to be taken seriously.
The question to ponder is this: What difference does Easter make on the day after Easter? Does Easter make a difference at all on the day after Easter?
If the difference is "I'm rested up from the extra day off from work" or "I gotta hit the treadmill because I ate too much yesterday" or "Whew! an 8-month break until the next significant holiday..." then I think we've missed the big E on the eye chart.
But PLEASE don't take my word for it. Consider: "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)
What's the "therefore" there for? What does it reference? It references 57 verses immediately preceding that teach the foundational importance of the resurrection of Jesus to the entirety of the Christian faith.
Note what Paul does NOT say is based on the reality of the resurrection:
--"relax! It's all good."
--"You worked hard to pull off your church's Easter weekend activities; do it again next year & take it easy until then.,"
--"Knowing that in the Lord you never need to lift a finger."
Instead, "be always abounding in the work of the Lord"..."knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." In other words, always be laboring in the Lord's work. And as you work, know--be certain--that it's not in vain.
67 years ago today, in the woods of northern Europe, one of my heroes' faith became sight. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged at Flossenburg prison. Bonhoeffer was many things, but he was first & foremost a pastor. That Sunday morning, April 9, 1945, he led a worship service for some fellow prisoners. His two texts: Isaiah 53:5 ("By His stripes we are healed!") and 1 Peter 1:3 ("Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!") Other prisoners hoped he would lead a second service, but a date with the gallows prevented it.
He was summoned. He pulled aside a fellow prisoner & said this: "This is the end. For me, the beginning of life."
Years earlier, he had preached this: "No one has yet believed in God and the kingdom of God, no one has yet heard about the realm of the resurrected, and not been homesick from that hour, waiting and looking forward joyfully to being released from bodily existence...which of us knows how near he or she may already be to the goal? That life only really begins when it ends here on earth, that all that is here is only the prologue before the curtain goes up...Why are we so afraid when we think about death?...Death is not wild and terrible, if only we can be still and hold fast to God's Word...Death is grace...Death is mild, death is sweet and gentle, it beckons to us with heavenly power, if only we realize that it is the gateway to our homeland, the tabernacle of joy, the everlasting kingdom of peace...Death is hell and night and cold, if it is not transformed by our faith..."
On April 9, 1945, after years of training pastors & doing significant ministry in Hitler's Nazi regime under threat of imprisonment & death, Bonhoeffer reached the end of his earthly pilgrimage.
He knelt on the floor and prayed fervently. Outside, he prayed again & then climbed to the gallows, "brave and composed." According to the camp Doctor at the Nazi camp where Bonhoeffer was executed, "In the almost 50 years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God."
That April 9 was the day after Easter. So is this April 9.
Again the question: So What? What difference does what you celebrated yesterday make this day? And the next day? And the next?
Be steadfast...always abounding in the work of the Lord, for truly, it is not in vain!
With hope,
Mike
p.s. - I commend to you Eric Metaxas' excellent biography, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.
I agree.
I might enlarge the thought that if one's faith is only celebrated & talked about on Easter Sunday and on Christmas Day, that's not really a faith to be taken seriously.
The question to ponder is this: What difference does Easter make on the day after Easter? Does Easter make a difference at all on the day after Easter?
If the difference is "I'm rested up from the extra day off from work" or "I gotta hit the treadmill because I ate too much yesterday" or "Whew! an 8-month break until the next significant holiday..." then I think we've missed the big E on the eye chart.
But PLEASE don't take my word for it. Consider: "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)
What's the "therefore" there for? What does it reference? It references 57 verses immediately preceding that teach the foundational importance of the resurrection of Jesus to the entirety of the Christian faith.
Note what Paul does NOT say is based on the reality of the resurrection:
--"relax! It's all good."
--"You worked hard to pull off your church's Easter weekend activities; do it again next year & take it easy until then.,"
--"Knowing that in the Lord you never need to lift a finger."
Instead, "be always abounding in the work of the Lord"..."knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." In other words, always be laboring in the Lord's work. And as you work, know--be certain--that it's not in vain.
67 years ago today, in the woods of northern Europe, one of my heroes' faith became sight. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged at Flossenburg prison. Bonhoeffer was many things, but he was first & foremost a pastor. That Sunday morning, April 9, 1945, he led a worship service for some fellow prisoners. His two texts: Isaiah 53:5 ("By His stripes we are healed!") and 1 Peter 1:3 ("Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!") Other prisoners hoped he would lead a second service, but a date with the gallows prevented it.
He was summoned. He pulled aside a fellow prisoner & said this: "This is the end. For me, the beginning of life."
Years earlier, he had preached this: "No one has yet believed in God and the kingdom of God, no one has yet heard about the realm of the resurrected, and not been homesick from that hour, waiting and looking forward joyfully to being released from bodily existence...which of us knows how near he or she may already be to the goal? That life only really begins when it ends here on earth, that all that is here is only the prologue before the curtain goes up...Why are we so afraid when we think about death?...Death is not wild and terrible, if only we can be still and hold fast to God's Word...Death is grace...Death is mild, death is sweet and gentle, it beckons to us with heavenly power, if only we realize that it is the gateway to our homeland, the tabernacle of joy, the everlasting kingdom of peace...Death is hell and night and cold, if it is not transformed by our faith..."
On April 9, 1945, after years of training pastors & doing significant ministry in Hitler's Nazi regime under threat of imprisonment & death, Bonhoeffer reached the end of his earthly pilgrimage.
He knelt on the floor and prayed fervently. Outside, he prayed again & then climbed to the gallows, "brave and composed." According to the camp Doctor at the Nazi camp where Bonhoeffer was executed, "In the almost 50 years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God."
That April 9 was the day after Easter. So is this April 9.
Again the question: So What? What difference does what you celebrated yesterday make this day? And the next day? And the next?
Be steadfast...always abounding in the work of the Lord, for truly, it is not in vain!
With hope,
Mike
p.s. - I commend to you Eric Metaxas' excellent biography, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Then Came the Morning
That first Easter Sunday...a day that changed everything!
A day that is the very basis for the Christian faith. "If Christ is not raised, your faith is futile..." said the apostle Paul.
A day that proves decisively the love and power of God.
As celebrated in this 25-year-old song that still is a goose-bump inducer. It's Newsong's "Arise, My Love." Enjoy, and celebrate!
And in this allergy-attack inducer. Two of the most talented singers to ever take the stage. Sandy Patti & Larnelle Harris doing "I've Just Seen Jesus." Enjoy, and celebrate!
And in this old-school acoustic classic. Don Francisco's "He's Alive" which celebrates the resurrection of Christ through the eyes of Peter. Enjoy, and celebrate!
Finally, one by a guy whose music had a HUGE impact on my coming back to the faith 30 years ago. this is Keith Green doing "Easter Song." Enjoy, and celebrate! The particular setting is a music club in Los Angeles...NOT a church or a Christian concert. Thus his explanation @ the beginning. Enjoy, and celebrate!
Remember, if Christ is not risen, our faith is futile, and we are misrepresenting God Himself! (1 Corinthians 15:14, 15, 17). But since He is, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
He is risen!
Mike
A day that is the very basis for the Christian faith. "If Christ is not raised, your faith is futile..." said the apostle Paul.
A day that proves decisively the love and power of God.
As celebrated in this 25-year-old song that still is a goose-bump inducer. It's Newsong's "Arise, My Love." Enjoy, and celebrate!
And in this allergy-attack inducer. Two of the most talented singers to ever take the stage. Sandy Patti & Larnelle Harris doing "I've Just Seen Jesus." Enjoy, and celebrate!
And in this old-school acoustic classic. Don Francisco's "He's Alive" which celebrates the resurrection of Christ through the eyes of Peter. Enjoy, and celebrate!
Finally, one by a guy whose music had a HUGE impact on my coming back to the faith 30 years ago. this is Keith Green doing "Easter Song." Enjoy, and celebrate! The particular setting is a music club in Los Angeles...NOT a church or a Christian concert. Thus his explanation @ the beginning. Enjoy, and celebrate!
Remember, if Christ is not risen, our faith is futile, and we are misrepresenting God Himself! (1 Corinthians 15:14, 15, 17). But since He is, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
He is risen!
Mike
Saturday, April 07, 2012
He Was Crucified, Dead, & Buried...
It's Saturday. On Friday, after sham "trials," he was horribly tortured, mocked, shamed, and painfully executed. At his side was another man undergoing the same execution, although not unjustly. That guy's prayer near the end of his life is the core prayer of all believers: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Here's one of my favorite songs, "Thief" by Third Day. Every time I hear this song, I'm taken back to a lonely windswept hill outside of Jerusalem a couple thousand years ago. And I always wonder where I, Mike Madaris, would've been were I present that day. I'm pretty sure I would have been among the mockers, if not one of the thieves, or perhaps even Barabbas. This video is Third Day performing "Thief" live. Enjoy, and be humbled.
One more from the perspective of the thief. This is Steven Curtis Chapman's "This is How Love Wins" from The Story CDs. I love Steven's music & his story. And I really love this song, as it applies the thief's perspective to all of us. Haunting...and so very triumphant. "In the presence of my King, I cannot fall upon my knees; I cannot carry you to your throne...you instead will carry me back home..."
And then there's another of my favorite songs, "It is Finished" by Petra. Petra's music is significant to my own spiritual journey. Good rock music that flows from a deep faith. I saw them in concert twice, & they were just fantastic. This song is just one of my many favorite Petra songs. The link goes to the original with Greg Volz singing; when I saw Petra, John Schlitt was the singer; both are good, but they rocked a bit heavier with John. Still, I like this version because it includes the lyrics. Enjoy, and be humbled.
I'll close this one with a couple of quotes.
First, one from my former pastor, Tony Merida: "For God so loved the world that He was silent when the Son asked for another way."
Second, this chill-bump inducer from Scotty Ward Smith's Twitter feed that captures what happened on Friday & Saturday of that first Easter week. "His mother grieved, His friends scattered...but Heaven just started counting to three."
He was crucified, dead & buried. He's not dead & buried any more. He is risen! (But that's getting ahead of ourselves a bit...) Not "it is started"...but It. Is. Finished!
Humbled by Good Friday,
bb
Here's one of my favorite songs, "Thief" by Third Day. Every time I hear this song, I'm taken back to a lonely windswept hill outside of Jerusalem a couple thousand years ago. And I always wonder where I, Mike Madaris, would've been were I present that day. I'm pretty sure I would have been among the mockers, if not one of the thieves, or perhaps even Barabbas. This video is Third Day performing "Thief" live. Enjoy, and be humbled.
One more from the perspective of the thief. This is Steven Curtis Chapman's "This is How Love Wins" from The Story CDs. I love Steven's music & his story. And I really love this song, as it applies the thief's perspective to all of us. Haunting...and so very triumphant. "In the presence of my King, I cannot fall upon my knees; I cannot carry you to your throne...you instead will carry me back home..."
And then there's another of my favorite songs, "It is Finished" by Petra. Petra's music is significant to my own spiritual journey. Good rock music that flows from a deep faith. I saw them in concert twice, & they were just fantastic. This song is just one of my many favorite Petra songs. The link goes to the original with Greg Volz singing; when I saw Petra, John Schlitt was the singer; both are good, but they rocked a bit heavier with John. Still, I like this version because it includes the lyrics. Enjoy, and be humbled.
I'll close this one with a couple of quotes.
First, one from my former pastor, Tony Merida: "For God so loved the world that He was silent when the Son asked for another way."
Second, this chill-bump inducer from Scotty Ward Smith's Twitter feed that captures what happened on Friday & Saturday of that first Easter week. "His mother grieved, His friends scattered...but Heaven just started counting to three."
He was crucified, dead & buried. He's not dead & buried any more. He is risen! (But that's getting ahead of ourselves a bit...) Not "it is started"...but It. Is. Finished!
Humbled by Good Friday,
bb
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Heading into Easter...
Continuing with the week's theme of what my former pastor calls "theology you can take home," I wanted to share another couple of songs that have been on my mind this week. (And on my ipod too!)
The first is one of my favorite songs for many years. Sandy Patti is just one of those singers. Reportedly a vocal range of over four octaves, and control throughout the entire range. But as awesome as her talents are, that's not really why I'm posting this. Did you ever hear a song & wonder what the writer was experiencing when s/he wrote it? I heard a story about the great songwriter Bill Gaither being asked if he had written a particular song; Bill's great answer: "No, I wasn't listening that day." And did you ever wish you could see a writer hear his/her work performed in public? This is that video. It's a gathering of music greats of various ages, all sitting around in a room as Sandy sings. But the videographer regularly captures the writer of the song, Dottie Rambo, being overcome as she listens. You'll see a dark-haired woman shaking her head on amazement; that's her. (Dottie has now beheld him; her faith is now sight. Can't wait to thank her for listening so well as she wrote this & other songs!) You'll see others in the crowd being similarly overcome. And if you were sitting in my home office, you'd have just seen me overcome...By the way, you'll see Sandy signing the words throughout; for years she would close out her concerts with this song. And she would invite hearing-impaired people forward to the stage, where they would sign the song together. Talk about being overcome with emotion!
As we head into Good Friday & Easter weekend, I wanted to remind us that one day, We Shall Behold Him. I can't wait! Maranatha!
And then there's this one, that I've featured here before. As of this morning, I have an unblemished, perfect record. Every single time I've watched this, my allergies kick in suddenly. *blush* I can't help but note that the writer, Bill Gaither (1st guy singing) and Marshall Hall (2nd guy) have difficulty getting through their lines because of emotions. Despite having sung this many times, they're still caught up in what they're singing. As they should be. As we all should be. (I've sung this in my car, and have yet to make it all the way through.)
As we move into the end of Easter week, don't forget a couple of key things: 1) He was & is worthy of praise & adoration. 2) He was slain. Dead. Buried. But Hallelujah! He wasn't that way but for a couple of days!
Humbled by pondering His worth, & eager to join the angels & saints of all ages in worship that is not tainted by sin any more,
bb
The first is one of my favorite songs for many years. Sandy Patti is just one of those singers. Reportedly a vocal range of over four octaves, and control throughout the entire range. But as awesome as her talents are, that's not really why I'm posting this. Did you ever hear a song & wonder what the writer was experiencing when s/he wrote it? I heard a story about the great songwriter Bill Gaither being asked if he had written a particular song; Bill's great answer: "No, I wasn't listening that day." And did you ever wish you could see a writer hear his/her work performed in public? This is that video. It's a gathering of music greats of various ages, all sitting around in a room as Sandy sings. But the videographer regularly captures the writer of the song, Dottie Rambo, being overcome as she listens. You'll see a dark-haired woman shaking her head on amazement; that's her. (Dottie has now beheld him; her faith is now sight. Can't wait to thank her for listening so well as she wrote this & other songs!) You'll see others in the crowd being similarly overcome. And if you were sitting in my home office, you'd have just seen me overcome...By the way, you'll see Sandy signing the words throughout; for years she would close out her concerts with this song. And she would invite hearing-impaired people forward to the stage, where they would sign the song together. Talk about being overcome with emotion!
As we head into Good Friday & Easter weekend, I wanted to remind us that one day, We Shall Behold Him. I can't wait! Maranatha!
And then there's this one, that I've featured here before. As of this morning, I have an unblemished, perfect record. Every single time I've watched this, my allergies kick in suddenly. *blush* I can't help but note that the writer, Bill Gaither (1st guy singing) and Marshall Hall (2nd guy) have difficulty getting through their lines because of emotions. Despite having sung this many times, they're still caught up in what they're singing. As they should be. As we all should be. (I've sung this in my car, and have yet to make it all the way through.)
As we move into the end of Easter week, don't forget a couple of key things: 1) He was & is worthy of praise & adoration. 2) He was slain. Dead. Buried. But Hallelujah! He wasn't that way but for a couple of days!
Humbled by pondering His worth, & eager to join the angels & saints of all ages in worship that is not tainted by sin any more,
bb
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Good?
As noted Monday, Easter week causes me to ponder deeply my theology & faith.
As, I believe, it should for all of us, Christian or not.
I think we race past Good Friday for a couple of reasons. First, it's just plain icky & gross, especially when one understands all the incredibly-brutal physical aspects of crucifixion. We don't like to talk about it. Second, we minimize it in a nearly Gnostic way: "well yeah, but Jesus was God, so He didn't really get hurt on that first Good Friday; it was just His body." Wrong! All that He was experienced all that crucifixion was. Including agonizing suffering and death.
But there's a third reason I think we race past Good Friday. Way down deep inside of ourselves, we don't really think the crucifixion of Jesus was necessary. Even us Christians. (Stay with me!) In our heart of hearts, we don't really think we're THAT bad. Sure, we "mess up" now & then; some more often than others. But to think we're really NOT good after all? That we're NOT righteous folks who just goof a little bit? To imagine that we need more than just an attitude adjustment or a "little help here"? Those things can't possibly be true.
And yet, they are true. The problem is--to me anyway--we start from the wrong place in two directions. First, we start with a very small view of God and therefore of His righteousness & holiness. It's as if God is merely this really-cool, super-strong buddy who never goofs like we do. Now, my own favorite name of God in all of Scripture is Jehovah Shammah which basically means, "The Lord Who is Present." I love the immanence & closeness with which God draws near to us. But be not mistaken: God is so much more than just my super-cool friend & homeboy that the comparison quickly becomes ludicrous. And His righteousness & holiness are so far beyond anything we've ever seen or been that we can't even imagine. Among the many benefits of reading the Old Testament is gaining a great appreciation for God's holiness & righteousness. Moses was told that if any of the people of Israel touched the mountain where God was speaking with Moses, they would die. Later, the temple was constructed with a progressive set of barriers at least in part to protect the people from being undone by the holiness of God. "No man can see me and live..." I could go on, but you get the idea.
Second, we start with a very grand view of ourselves. We're not really that bad. We "make mistakes" and "apologize to any who were offended." (Aside: that is really not an apology at all. No remorse, no repentance; basically, "if you're so small as to have been offended, then I'll sigh at you & say you shouldn't have.) We certainly don't see ourselves as unrighteous, sinful people needing not just help but redemption. We are helpless. When Isaiah saw the glory of God, he said "woe is me! I am undone...for I am a man of unclean lips & I live among a people of unclean lips..." When Peter caught just a glimpse of Jesus' majesty, he said "Go away from me, for I am a sinful man."
Which is why I so love the lyrics of this song. It's very sad, echoing a heart cry buried deep within us all. How could I have done so much wrong? How can I have a relationship with you, Jehovah Shammah? How could an awesome, holy, righteous God like You, who knows & sees all that I am still say I'm good? As the song says, "Could there be something more?"
Yes there could. Yes there can.
Start with right thinking about God. Not as we re-make him, but as He is described in Scripture (which is FAR more awesome & wonderful than any god I could imagine!). And move from there to right thinking about you (& me!) and about our (unpopular word alert!) sinfulness.
And then try to grasp the unfathomable love that was demonstrated on a hill outside of Jerusalem on a Friday a couple of millenia ago.
This particular song is on a collection Lisa bought me for Christmas. The idea is to capture the whole of the Bible's story (It's based on an attempt to do so in literary form. I was underwhelmed by that attempt, for what it's worth.) Some of the songs on the CD are just OK, but some are just fantastic.
This one took a couple of listens for me, but I really love it. (It's Adam & Eve speaking to God after their sin.) The lyrics are haunting and simply fantastic. It's also Mike Madaris speaking to God after MY sin.
"To feel your breath when branches move...take one more sunset walk with you"..."Can't imagine how you could see all of me and say 'It's Good.'"
Don't race past Friday!
bb
p.s. - The song is 6 minutes long & is found here. Freshen up your coffee & enjoy!
As, I believe, it should for all of us, Christian or not.
I think we race past Good Friday for a couple of reasons. First, it's just plain icky & gross, especially when one understands all the incredibly-brutal physical aspects of crucifixion. We don't like to talk about it. Second, we minimize it in a nearly Gnostic way: "well yeah, but Jesus was God, so He didn't really get hurt on that first Good Friday; it was just His body." Wrong! All that He was experienced all that crucifixion was. Including agonizing suffering and death.
But there's a third reason I think we race past Good Friday. Way down deep inside of ourselves, we don't really think the crucifixion of Jesus was necessary. Even us Christians. (Stay with me!) In our heart of hearts, we don't really think we're THAT bad. Sure, we "mess up" now & then; some more often than others. But to think we're really NOT good after all? That we're NOT righteous folks who just goof a little bit? To imagine that we need more than just an attitude adjustment or a "little help here"? Those things can't possibly be true.
And yet, they are true. The problem is--to me anyway--we start from the wrong place in two directions. First, we start with a very small view of God and therefore of His righteousness & holiness. It's as if God is merely this really-cool, super-strong buddy who never goofs like we do. Now, my own favorite name of God in all of Scripture is Jehovah Shammah which basically means, "The Lord Who is Present." I love the immanence & closeness with which God draws near to us. But be not mistaken: God is so much more than just my super-cool friend & homeboy that the comparison quickly becomes ludicrous. And His righteousness & holiness are so far beyond anything we've ever seen or been that we can't even imagine. Among the many benefits of reading the Old Testament is gaining a great appreciation for God's holiness & righteousness. Moses was told that if any of the people of Israel touched the mountain where God was speaking with Moses, they would die. Later, the temple was constructed with a progressive set of barriers at least in part to protect the people from being undone by the holiness of God. "No man can see me and live..." I could go on, but you get the idea.
Second, we start with a very grand view of ourselves. We're not really that bad. We "make mistakes" and "apologize to any who were offended." (Aside: that is really not an apology at all. No remorse, no repentance; basically, "if you're so small as to have been offended, then I'll sigh at you & say you shouldn't have.) We certainly don't see ourselves as unrighteous, sinful people needing not just help but redemption. We are helpless. When Isaiah saw the glory of God, he said "woe is me! I am undone...for I am a man of unclean lips & I live among a people of unclean lips..." When Peter caught just a glimpse of Jesus' majesty, he said "Go away from me, for I am a sinful man."
Which is why I so love the lyrics of this song. It's very sad, echoing a heart cry buried deep within us all. How could I have done so much wrong? How can I have a relationship with you, Jehovah Shammah? How could an awesome, holy, righteous God like You, who knows & sees all that I am still say I'm good? As the song says, "Could there be something more?"
Yes there could. Yes there can.
Start with right thinking about God. Not as we re-make him, but as He is described in Scripture (which is FAR more awesome & wonderful than any god I could imagine!). And move from there to right thinking about you (& me!) and about our (unpopular word alert!) sinfulness.
And then try to grasp the unfathomable love that was demonstrated on a hill outside of Jerusalem on a Friday a couple of millenia ago.
This particular song is on a collection Lisa bought me for Christmas. The idea is to capture the whole of the Bible's story (It's based on an attempt to do so in literary form. I was underwhelmed by that attempt, for what it's worth.) Some of the songs on the CD are just OK, but some are just fantastic.
This one took a couple of listens for me, but I really love it. (It's Adam & Eve speaking to God after their sin.) The lyrics are haunting and simply fantastic. It's also Mike Madaris speaking to God after MY sin.
"To feel your breath when branches move...take one more sunset walk with you"..."Can't imagine how you could see all of me and say 'It's Good.'"
Don't race past Friday!
bb
p.s. - The song is 6 minutes long & is found here. Freshen up your coffee & enjoy!
Monday, April 02, 2012
Man of Sorrows, What a Name!
Been pondering some songs & hymns lately while teaching through Romans & as Easter approaches. Then we sang this yesterday a.m. @ Church; turns out, it's hard for the Powerpoint guy to keep up when the screen goes all blurry early in the song. Must have been the humidity...or something. *sheepish smile*
Don't race past the Ephesians 2:1-3 part of your spiritual journey in your hurry to get to Ephesians 2:4 & following! Don't skip the horror of the cross in your eagerness to get to the empty tomb! Don't miss the overriding purpose of Jesus' coming in your excitement about "Surely I am with you always."
Your fellow "ruined sinner,"
Mike
p.s. - 6:20 in length; words included. Freshen up your coffee & be blessed and humbled.
Don't race past the Ephesians 2:1-3 part of your spiritual journey in your hurry to get to Ephesians 2:4 & following! Don't skip the horror of the cross in your eagerness to get to the empty tomb! Don't miss the overriding purpose of Jesus' coming in your excitement about "Surely I am with you always."
Your fellow "ruined sinner,"
Mike
p.s. - 6:20 in length; words included. Freshen up your coffee & be blessed and humbled.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
She Taught Me to Sing Again
Daisy Styles' faith became sight earlier today.
She was the oldest of my Dad's siblings (8 of whom reached adulthood; now just three of them are left here). She made it into her 90s, living the last few in a facility in central Alabama. In her mind, she has been on a bit of a long vacation, and was uncertain of the details. She was always happy even though she wasn't fully aware of her situation in recent years.
She was our neighbor in the last place I lived as a single guy, which was also our first home as a married couple. She & her husband owned the trailer park where our place was located, and their place was just across the road. Thus, Lisa & I consider ourselves SO VERY blessed to have been in their orbit for the first 3 years of our married life. Many a meal there at their home. Lisa & I still remember Uncle George's "German vegetables." I still remember him "helping me with a garden," which is more accurately rendered "planting & keeping up with the garden for me & letting me take credit."
They put on a clinic about how to cherish & adore a spouse, even after long years of marriage. Perhaps by the grace of God, my marriage has faint echoes of theirs; I sure hope so! (Lisa's first reaction to Aunt Daisy's passing was "She's with her sweetie again!") They also modelled faith & faithfulness to their church and to their Lord. Uncle George sang in the choir for years & years with his beautiful tenor voice. Aunt Daisy never missed a service that I knew of. Rock solid & steady. Pretty much unflappable & even-keeled. One of our great treasures is a compilation called Love Letters During Wartime. Their youngest child edited the collection of letters they wrote to each other during his training for & deployment in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Talk about a clinic on loving a spouse! We have both shed many a tear of joy-filled memory & smiles reading the letters they wrote.
As much impact as they had on us as a married couple, Aunt Daisy (& Uncle George too, whose faith became sight some years back) had perhaps a greater impact on me as a single college student. As I've written about her before, I was not in a very good place emotionally & expecially spiritually when I moved up to Tuscaloosa in 1980. Aunt Daisy & Uncle George used to invite me over for Sunday lunch. Every male college student wants to get invited over to a good cook's home for Sunday lunch, so I took them up on it! The "price of admission" so to speak was joining them at Alberta Baptist Church first. I wasn't really interested in church at that time, but I was VERY interested in a good home-cooked meal! Also, even in the spiritual fog I was in, I still enjoyed time w/ these two joyful relatives. So I'd go.
I grieves me greatly to remember that Aunt Daisy would hold the hymnal sort of between us during the hymns so I could see too. I would read along, but wouldn't sing. A very sad testimony to my spiritual state then. A few years later, after I got my life back on course by the grace of God, Aunt Daisy told me, "I could tell you were so angry; you wouldn't even sing the hymns. But it's OK; I understood..." Such grace!
In fact, it was the grace I was shown by Aunt Daisy & Uncle George that played a large part in my getting back on course in the first place. Those Sunday dinners...helping me get the place in their trailer court...helping me perform multiple repairs on it...working with Uncle George in his garden...laughing together & having such fun with them that I began laughing & having fun on my own too...singing (Uncle George's tenor is still one of my favorite singing voices ever; I can't wait to hear them sing together again...which they've been doing now for a few hours)...just time spent in their presence.
Why am I such a very strong advocate for grace in general & the grace of God in particular? Because I have needed & also received so much grace. The definition of grace is "unmerited favor." Which is precisely what was shown to me by many, and especially by this very happy, incredibly friendly, delightful retired school teacher originally from the woods of central Alabama.who made her home in Tuscaloosa for many decades. Who reminded me what faith is and Who God is. And who taught me to sing again.
In her last days, Aunt Daisy battled several health issues. So I'll not be the slightest bit sad for her tonight. However, now that she has entered Glory, this world is that much less happy a place, and feels that much less like home.. I know of very few with her capacity to smile & laugh so easily. To chat with almost anyone who passes by. To love a spouse for long years, both before and after his passing. To be just crazy about three adult children, & several grandchildren, & a few great-grandchildren.
I'm torn. I'd give anything to hear her laugh again, and to sit there around the table & swap family stories & wisdom (well, "swapping wisdom" isn't accurate; better, "me soaking up wisdom"), and to bask in what I now recognize as the amazing grace of an amazing God Whom she loved in a wonderfully winsome way before me those years ago. But Paul wrote "to depart is far better"...which is absolutely true for followers of Christ. It pains me to think of Aunt Daisy's sharp mind dulled as it has been for a few years now, and I deeply cherish the thought of her smile as her beloved George welcomed her Home earlier today. I can almost see her humility in the presence of our Lord, as He says "Very well done, good & faithful servant...enter into the joy of Your Lord."
Would you join me in praying for their children George, Shirley, & Ben? & for their families? And would you join me in thanking God for this one special lady whose life & faith have an almost daily impact on my own?
She taught me to sing again. I'll never be the same.
See you later, Aunt Daisy. Can't wait! Next time, I promise, I'll be singing loudly right beside you. Thanks for being one of God's instruments that restored my faith & my joy & my desire to sing praise to Him. Thanks for loving an unlovely nephew, and for all the smiles and laughs and phone calls and encouragement and help and, yes, for the meals.
Rejoicing that you & Uncle George are now reunited forever, and that it is eternally well with your soul,
Mike
p.s. - Death, be not proud! "Where, O Death is your victory? Where is your sting?" Nowhere to be seen in Daisy Madaris Styles' life & passing!
She was the oldest of my Dad's siblings (8 of whom reached adulthood; now just three of them are left here). She made it into her 90s, living the last few in a facility in central Alabama. In her mind, she has been on a bit of a long vacation, and was uncertain of the details. She was always happy even though she wasn't fully aware of her situation in recent years.
She was our neighbor in the last place I lived as a single guy, which was also our first home as a married couple. She & her husband owned the trailer park where our place was located, and their place was just across the road. Thus, Lisa & I consider ourselves SO VERY blessed to have been in their orbit for the first 3 years of our married life. Many a meal there at their home. Lisa & I still remember Uncle George's "German vegetables." I still remember him "helping me with a garden," which is more accurately rendered "planting & keeping up with the garden for me & letting me take credit."
They put on a clinic about how to cherish & adore a spouse, even after long years of marriage. Perhaps by the grace of God, my marriage has faint echoes of theirs; I sure hope so! (Lisa's first reaction to Aunt Daisy's passing was "She's with her sweetie again!") They also modelled faith & faithfulness to their church and to their Lord. Uncle George sang in the choir for years & years with his beautiful tenor voice. Aunt Daisy never missed a service that I knew of. Rock solid & steady. Pretty much unflappable & even-keeled. One of our great treasures is a compilation called Love Letters During Wartime. Their youngest child edited the collection of letters they wrote to each other during his training for & deployment in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Talk about a clinic on loving a spouse! We have both shed many a tear of joy-filled memory & smiles reading the letters they wrote.
As much impact as they had on us as a married couple, Aunt Daisy (& Uncle George too, whose faith became sight some years back) had perhaps a greater impact on me as a single college student. As I've written about her before, I was not in a very good place emotionally & expecially spiritually when I moved up to Tuscaloosa in 1980. Aunt Daisy & Uncle George used to invite me over for Sunday lunch. Every male college student wants to get invited over to a good cook's home for Sunday lunch, so I took them up on it! The "price of admission" so to speak was joining them at Alberta Baptist Church first. I wasn't really interested in church at that time, but I was VERY interested in a good home-cooked meal! Also, even in the spiritual fog I was in, I still enjoyed time w/ these two joyful relatives. So I'd go.
I grieves me greatly to remember that Aunt Daisy would hold the hymnal sort of between us during the hymns so I could see too. I would read along, but wouldn't sing. A very sad testimony to my spiritual state then. A few years later, after I got my life back on course by the grace of God, Aunt Daisy told me, "I could tell you were so angry; you wouldn't even sing the hymns. But it's OK; I understood..." Such grace!
In fact, it was the grace I was shown by Aunt Daisy & Uncle George that played a large part in my getting back on course in the first place. Those Sunday dinners...helping me get the place in their trailer court...helping me perform multiple repairs on it...working with Uncle George in his garden...laughing together & having such fun with them that I began laughing & having fun on my own too...singing (Uncle George's tenor is still one of my favorite singing voices ever; I can't wait to hear them sing together again...which they've been doing now for a few hours)...just time spent in their presence.
Why am I such a very strong advocate for grace in general & the grace of God in particular? Because I have needed & also received so much grace. The definition of grace is "unmerited favor." Which is precisely what was shown to me by many, and especially by this very happy, incredibly friendly, delightful retired school teacher originally from the woods of central Alabama.who made her home in Tuscaloosa for many decades. Who reminded me what faith is and Who God is. And who taught me to sing again.
In her last days, Aunt Daisy battled several health issues. So I'll not be the slightest bit sad for her tonight. However, now that she has entered Glory, this world is that much less happy a place, and feels that much less like home.. I know of very few with her capacity to smile & laugh so easily. To chat with almost anyone who passes by. To love a spouse for long years, both before and after his passing. To be just crazy about three adult children, & several grandchildren, & a few great-grandchildren.
I'm torn. I'd give anything to hear her laugh again, and to sit there around the table & swap family stories & wisdom (well, "swapping wisdom" isn't accurate; better, "me soaking up wisdom"), and to bask in what I now recognize as the amazing grace of an amazing God Whom she loved in a wonderfully winsome way before me those years ago. But Paul wrote "to depart is far better"...which is absolutely true for followers of Christ. It pains me to think of Aunt Daisy's sharp mind dulled as it has been for a few years now, and I deeply cherish the thought of her smile as her beloved George welcomed her Home earlier today. I can almost see her humility in the presence of our Lord, as He says "Very well done, good & faithful servant...enter into the joy of Your Lord."
Would you join me in praying for their children George, Shirley, & Ben? & for their families? And would you join me in thanking God for this one special lady whose life & faith have an almost daily impact on my own?
She taught me to sing again. I'll never be the same.
See you later, Aunt Daisy. Can't wait! Next time, I promise, I'll be singing loudly right beside you. Thanks for being one of God's instruments that restored my faith & my joy & my desire to sing praise to Him. Thanks for loving an unlovely nephew, and for all the smiles and laughs and phone calls and encouragement and help and, yes, for the meals.
Rejoicing that you & Uncle George are now reunited forever, and that it is eternally well with your soul,
Mike
p.s. - Death, be not proud! "Where, O Death is your victory? Where is your sting?" Nowhere to be seen in Daisy Madaris Styles' life & passing!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
A Perfect Spiral
My cousin Bill has died.
He was a few years older than I. Like me, his Dad died young. I'll miss him. Like me, he loved family gatherings.
He made me laugh. He talked sports with me, including our beloved Crimson Tide football team. I remember watching the Sugar Bowl featuring Bama & Penn State in the late 70s at his Mother's house with him. We hooted & hollered throughout, but especially when Rich Wingo & Barry Krauss stopped Penn State's Mike Guman on a 4th & 1 at the 1 to preserve a victory and another national championship. He taught me to throw a perfect spiral (which I can still do!). He taught me the proper way to catch a football ("Look it all the way into your hands...catch it away from your body...then tuck it away." I can also still do that!) He spent time with me when I was a kid. Regrettably, I never duplicated any of his athletic skills. (Well, except for throwing & catching a football...) But we did play softball together when I was in high school. I was competent; Bill was good! I've not thought of that in years, until this afternoon. As one of our cousins' daughter wrote this afternoon, "Bill, I hope you've met all the sports greats who have gone on before..."
Bill leaves behind 3 grown children, & several grandchildren. Also, a beloved sister, and a grieving Mother. (He was crazy about both!) And a bunch of us who will miss getting picked on by him and laughing with him at the family gatherings.
Like me, Bill knew failure in his life. And like me, he knew redemptive grace and salvation that is found in Christ. I know this because he & I spoke of it.
I was exercising right after I heard of Bill's passing. . I switched the ipod over to some of my favorite worship songs. When Michael English & the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sang "I Bowed on My Knees & Cried 'Holy,'" I pictured Bill doing just that, on knees that are whole again for the first time in decades. "As I entered the gates of that city, my loved ones all knew me well..." I'm confident that's true. I'm also quite saddened that, increasingly, there's a considerable number of Madaris loved ones there waiting on the rest of us. And yet, I'm also looking forward very much to that family reunion in Glory. The one that Bill is now part of. I also remembered when he & I coincidentally had to step outside to shed a few tears at a family gathering some years ago when our Uncle led us in some hymns. It was a tender & treasured moment, as he looked at me & said "sometimes it's hard to remember those who aren't here any more, isn't it?" It is. And I felt again that stirring that Caedmon's Call sings of: "There's a stirring deep within me; could it be my time has come when I'll meet my gracious Savior face to face when all is done? I will rise up and bown down and lay my crown at His wounded feet..."
Bill, thanks, cuz. See you later. Roll Tide!
Mike
p.s. - Would you please pray for my beloved Aunt Margaret & her daughter Sandra & for Bill's children & grandchildren & nieces & nephews & cousins? Two of my favorite names of God are "Jehovah Shammah" (the God Who is present) and "El Olam" (The everlasting God.) Pray that God would manifest Himself in powerful ways these next few days, especially to Bill's immediate family, won't you?
p.p.s. - For the third time in recent weeks,
"When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'
'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?'
...thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:54-57, excerpted)
He was a few years older than I. Like me, his Dad died young. I'll miss him. Like me, he loved family gatherings.
He made me laugh. He talked sports with me, including our beloved Crimson Tide football team. I remember watching the Sugar Bowl featuring Bama & Penn State in the late 70s at his Mother's house with him. We hooted & hollered throughout, but especially when Rich Wingo & Barry Krauss stopped Penn State's Mike Guman on a 4th & 1 at the 1 to preserve a victory and another national championship. He taught me to throw a perfect spiral (which I can still do!). He taught me the proper way to catch a football ("Look it all the way into your hands...catch it away from your body...then tuck it away." I can also still do that!) He spent time with me when I was a kid. Regrettably, I never duplicated any of his athletic skills. (Well, except for throwing & catching a football...) But we did play softball together when I was in high school. I was competent; Bill was good! I've not thought of that in years, until this afternoon. As one of our cousins' daughter wrote this afternoon, "Bill, I hope you've met all the sports greats who have gone on before..."
Bill leaves behind 3 grown children, & several grandchildren. Also, a beloved sister, and a grieving Mother. (He was crazy about both!) And a bunch of us who will miss getting picked on by him and laughing with him at the family gatherings.
Like me, Bill knew failure in his life. And like me, he knew redemptive grace and salvation that is found in Christ. I know this because he & I spoke of it.
I was exercising right after I heard of Bill's passing. . I switched the ipod over to some of my favorite worship songs. When Michael English & the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir sang "I Bowed on My Knees & Cried 'Holy,'" I pictured Bill doing just that, on knees that are whole again for the first time in decades. "As I entered the gates of that city, my loved ones all knew me well..." I'm confident that's true. I'm also quite saddened that, increasingly, there's a considerable number of Madaris loved ones there waiting on the rest of us. And yet, I'm also looking forward very much to that family reunion in Glory. The one that Bill is now part of. I also remembered when he & I coincidentally had to step outside to shed a few tears at a family gathering some years ago when our Uncle led us in some hymns. It was a tender & treasured moment, as he looked at me & said "sometimes it's hard to remember those who aren't here any more, isn't it?" It is. And I felt again that stirring that Caedmon's Call sings of: "There's a stirring deep within me; could it be my time has come when I'll meet my gracious Savior face to face when all is done? I will rise up and bown down and lay my crown at His wounded feet..."
Bill, thanks, cuz. See you later. Roll Tide!
Mike
p.s. - Would you please pray for my beloved Aunt Margaret & her daughter Sandra & for Bill's children & grandchildren & nieces & nephews & cousins? Two of my favorite names of God are "Jehovah Shammah" (the God Who is present) and "El Olam" (The everlasting God.) Pray that God would manifest Himself in powerful ways these next few days, especially to Bill's immediate family, won't you?
p.p.s. - For the third time in recent weeks,
"When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'
'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?'
...thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:54-57, excerpted)
Friday, February 10, 2012
Solid
(This one's been sitting in the draft folder for a few days now, fyi.)
Jim & I met in an adult Sunday School class. Very quickly, I realized that his was an orbit worth spending time in, and I did so for the next few years. Almost everyone who passed through Jim's orbit realized this.
"Steady"..."Dependable"..."Servant-minded"..."Faithful"...These are just some of the words I've heard used by folks who passed through that orbit.
Jim showed by quiet, steady example how to be a man. How to love the Lord. How to serve. How to love a wife. How to lovingly guide & mentor sons. How to encourage fellow brothers. How to enjoy the journey. So, when I say "solid" I mean that Jim modeled what the Christian man's life should be. He set the bar very high, and invited us all to join him just by how he lived. Just now, writing that, I can see his smile that always was very close to outright laughter...I can hear his quiet voice saying "C'mon, now; I'm not all that..." Genuinely solid men in the sense I'm using the word here do not have to tell us they're solid.
Unhappily for me, Jim & his family moved up to Birmingham with his job several years ago, thereby removing one of my role models from my line of sight. But, you know how people's paths cross yours & after the paths diverge you still remember them very clearly & find yourself wondering how _______(Jim, in my case) would handle this? Jim Gibson is one of those guys, and not just for me. I still remember what an uproar it caused when he was selected to coach his son's baseball all-star team in our area, but said no. His reason? He & the family had scheduled some travelling for the summer, which he valued much more highly than a 10-year-old all-star season. He & I laughed at the idiotic amazed reaction he got when he thanked the baseball authorities & said no. I always loved his very healthy sense of perspective & priorities.
Last year, Jim was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent radiation and chemo, and experienced a lot of intense pain. And yet, there he is in a Christmas picture with the same smile/laugh combo, as if nothing was wrong. They found out last week that the treatment regimen had not helped, and that the cancer had spread. Thursday, they were told that he'd be able to go home for a few days while they sorted out what to do next.
Friday, Jim went home.
Not to a house in Birmingham with his beloved Lesa. To the Home we've all been seeking and have been promised in Scripture as followers of Christ. The Home where cancer & death & pain & goodbyes are not present & never have been. (Well, except for the one time as described in the first few verses of Philippians 2...) They think it was a blood clot.
And thus, a wife of nearly 25 years is now a widow. Three young men ages 24, 20, & 16, are suddenly missing the rock-solid presence & impact & example of an awesome Dad. A church is now missing a marvelous servant. And many of us are now missing an amazing guy who was a friend and a role model at the same time. (Something very few of us ever pull off...)
There are a lot of gutless punks calling themselves "men" and "Dads" these days. Our society needs precisely ZERO more of these. We already have far too many males masquerading as men & Dads.
On the contrary, our society needs men. Desperately needs men. Men of honor & character. Men who lead their wives while totally honoring & cherishing them, loving them as Christ loved the church & gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5). Men who coach youth sports well without losing perspective on just how important the game's outcome is(n't). Men who serve faithfully without demanding to be served and without keeping a ledger of what they are now owed in service. Men who never stop being teachable. Men who love their communities enough to actually seek to impact them for good. Men who don't sit around & whine, but instead roll up their sleeves & get busy serving. Men who, though highly competent & skilled, remain humble. Men who live lives that make others long for what they have, and then are happy to tell them where it comes from (the Gospel).
I know what such a guy looks like, because I knew Jim Gibson. A bunch of us guys know what such a guy looks like because we knew Jim.
So now, as of late Friday night, this world is that much colder & unwelcoming, and America is that much more needy of real men. One of the best went home Friday night. By the grace of God & the cross of Christ, one day I'll go home too. Perhaps I will be graciously invited forward to the V.I.P. section of Glory as a guest from my seat on the back row so that I can hear Jim's laugh & see that wonderful smile again.
And tell him thanks.
Mike
p.s. - Who marries a towering guy like Jim but an equally-towering lady? You should go here & read Lesa's blog entry titled "Healed." (You're welcome for that blessing!) Please join me in praying for Lesa, Austin, Caleb & Hunter, won't you? Thanks.
p.p.s. - Here's a pic of Jim doing the NASCAR Experience right about when he was diagnosed with cancer. See the smile? That's how Jim looked most of the time, even when just having breakfast at Shoney's with lesser men like me.
Jim & I met in an adult Sunday School class. Very quickly, I realized that his was an orbit worth spending time in, and I did so for the next few years. Almost everyone who passed through Jim's orbit realized this.
"Steady"..."Dependable"..."Servant-minded"..."Faithful"...These are just some of the words I've heard used by folks who passed through that orbit.
Jim showed by quiet, steady example how to be a man. How to love the Lord. How to serve. How to love a wife. How to lovingly guide & mentor sons. How to encourage fellow brothers. How to enjoy the journey. So, when I say "solid" I mean that Jim modeled what the Christian man's life should be. He set the bar very high, and invited us all to join him just by how he lived. Just now, writing that, I can see his smile that always was very close to outright laughter...I can hear his quiet voice saying "C'mon, now; I'm not all that..." Genuinely solid men in the sense I'm using the word here do not have to tell us they're solid.
Unhappily for me, Jim & his family moved up to Birmingham with his job several years ago, thereby removing one of my role models from my line of sight. But, you know how people's paths cross yours & after the paths diverge you still remember them very clearly & find yourself wondering how _______(Jim, in my case) would handle this? Jim Gibson is one of those guys, and not just for me. I still remember what an uproar it caused when he was selected to coach his son's baseball all-star team in our area, but said no. His reason? He & the family had scheduled some travelling for the summer, which he valued much more highly than a 10-year-old all-star season. He & I laughed at the idiotic amazed reaction he got when he thanked the baseball authorities & said no. I always loved his very healthy sense of perspective & priorities.
Last year, Jim was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent radiation and chemo, and experienced a lot of intense pain. And yet, there he is in a Christmas picture with the same smile/laugh combo, as if nothing was wrong. They found out last week that the treatment regimen had not helped, and that the cancer had spread. Thursday, they were told that he'd be able to go home for a few days while they sorted out what to do next.
Friday, Jim went home.
Not to a house in Birmingham with his beloved Lesa. To the Home we've all been seeking and have been promised in Scripture as followers of Christ. The Home where cancer & death & pain & goodbyes are not present & never have been. (Well, except for the one time as described in the first few verses of Philippians 2...) They think it was a blood clot.
And thus, a wife of nearly 25 years is now a widow. Three young men ages 24, 20, & 16, are suddenly missing the rock-solid presence & impact & example of an awesome Dad. A church is now missing a marvelous servant. And many of us are now missing an amazing guy who was a friend and a role model at the same time. (Something very few of us ever pull off...)
There are a lot of gutless punks calling themselves "men" and "Dads" these days. Our society needs precisely ZERO more of these. We already have far too many males masquerading as men & Dads.
On the contrary, our society needs men. Desperately needs men. Men of honor & character. Men who lead their wives while totally honoring & cherishing them, loving them as Christ loved the church & gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5). Men who coach youth sports well without losing perspective on just how important the game's outcome is(n't). Men who serve faithfully without demanding to be served and without keeping a ledger of what they are now owed in service. Men who never stop being teachable. Men who love their communities enough to actually seek to impact them for good. Men who don't sit around & whine, but instead roll up their sleeves & get busy serving. Men who, though highly competent & skilled, remain humble. Men who live lives that make others long for what they have, and then are happy to tell them where it comes from (the Gospel).
I know what such a guy looks like, because I knew Jim Gibson. A bunch of us guys know what such a guy looks like because we knew Jim.
So now, as of late Friday night, this world is that much colder & unwelcoming, and America is that much more needy of real men. One of the best went home Friday night. By the grace of God & the cross of Christ, one day I'll go home too. Perhaps I will be graciously invited forward to the V.I.P. section of Glory as a guest from my seat on the back row so that I can hear Jim's laugh & see that wonderful smile again.
And tell him thanks.
Mike
p.s. - Who marries a towering guy like Jim but an equally-towering lady? You should go here & read Lesa's blog entry titled "Healed." (You're welcome for that blessing!) Please join me in praying for Lesa, Austin, Caleb & Hunter, won't you? Thanks.
p.p.s. - Here's a pic of Jim doing the NASCAR Experience right about when he was diagnosed with cancer. See the smile? That's how Jim looked most of the time, even when just having breakfast at Shoney's with lesser men like me.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
The Birthday Girl
The first Bama coed I ever knew has a birthday today.
When she was at UA as an undergrad student, the football team was bad on an epic level. I quote her remembering those days: "We never really thought we'd win; we just wanted to score every now & then to keep it interesting." (This would change in a couple of years when a former player named "Bryant" was hired as HC. But that's another story for another day) She still watches & enjoys UA games to this day.
She skipped her college graduation ceremony. Because she was all busy getting married back home in Enterprise, AL to this handsome young man from the hills & woods of central Alabama. Shortly after, they moved to Anchorage, AK (taking that "leave" thing in Genesis 2 to a whole new level!). She taught school, & he worked on the local newspaper. One son later, they moved back to Alabama. Montgomery, to be precise. A couple of years & another son later, these two adventurers sacked up & moved south. Ft. Walton Beach, FL, which was then a small fishing village surrounded by swamps, snakes, & alligators. And some of the most beautiful white sand beaches anywhere on the globe. She still lives there, & still loves the area.
She was the elementary school librarian, and still loves books & reading. She reads big, long books, preferring historical fiction these days. In her 40s...in her 40s!...she spent some more time at UA pursuing & receiving a Master's degree.
She also helped the handsome husband start his new business in 1960. She spent a lot of time in the small print shop helping him get it going.
As people who took their faith seriously, they joined & became deeply involved with First Baptist Church. As givers, they served. (All of us of that faith are supposed to...but all too many of us seem to view our "ministry" as that of griping & complaining & sitting in the sanctuary daring the preacher to bless us--when we show up at all. That too is another topic for another day.) They served mostly in the preschool ministry. Behind the scenes doing stuff most don't want to do. They helped prepare Communion . Behind the scenes doing stuff most don't want to do. She still serves at that church, although age has made her ministry change a bit. Now she serves mostly by visiting shut-ins & encouraging them. Behind the scenes doing stuff most don't want to do. She is still faithful to her Lord, her faith, and her church.
The handsome husband departed this world suddenly leaving her a young single mother of two high-school age sons. And still she was faithful. She still is even now. She is a relatively new bride again by the way. She has had an enormous impact on the lives of so many. One of the great encouragers around. An incalculable impact on her sons and their children.
I cannot even begin to fathom all of the many ways her life & love & faith have impacted my own. You see, I am son #2.
Happy Birthday, Mom! "Thanks" doesn't come close...but thanks!
I love you.
Mike
When she was at UA as an undergrad student, the football team was bad on an epic level. I quote her remembering those days: "We never really thought we'd win; we just wanted to score every now & then to keep it interesting." (This would change in a couple of years when a former player named "Bryant" was hired as HC. But that's another story for another day) She still watches & enjoys UA games to this day.
She skipped her college graduation ceremony. Because she was all busy getting married back home in Enterprise, AL to this handsome young man from the hills & woods of central Alabama. Shortly after, they moved to Anchorage, AK (taking that "leave" thing in Genesis 2 to a whole new level!). She taught school, & he worked on the local newspaper. One son later, they moved back to Alabama. Montgomery, to be precise. A couple of years & another son later, these two adventurers sacked up & moved south. Ft. Walton Beach, FL, which was then a small fishing village surrounded by swamps, snakes, & alligators. And some of the most beautiful white sand beaches anywhere on the globe. She still lives there, & still loves the area.
She was the elementary school librarian, and still loves books & reading. She reads big, long books, preferring historical fiction these days. In her 40s...in her 40s!...she spent some more time at UA pursuing & receiving a Master's degree.
She also helped the handsome husband start his new business in 1960. She spent a lot of time in the small print shop helping him get it going.
As people who took their faith seriously, they joined & became deeply involved with First Baptist Church. As givers, they served. (All of us of that faith are supposed to...but all too many of us seem to view our "ministry" as that of griping & complaining & sitting in the sanctuary daring the preacher to bless us--when we show up at all. That too is another topic for another day.) They served mostly in the preschool ministry. Behind the scenes doing stuff most don't want to do. They helped prepare Communion . Behind the scenes doing stuff most don't want to do. She still serves at that church, although age has made her ministry change a bit. Now she serves mostly by visiting shut-ins & encouraging them. Behind the scenes doing stuff most don't want to do. She is still faithful to her Lord, her faith, and her church.
The handsome husband departed this world suddenly leaving her a young single mother of two high-school age sons. And still she was faithful. She still is even now. She is a relatively new bride again by the way. She has had an enormous impact on the lives of so many. One of the great encouragers around. An incalculable impact on her sons and their children.
I cannot even begin to fathom all of the many ways her life & love & faith have impacted my own. You see, I am son #2.
Happy Birthday, Mom! "Thanks" doesn't come close...but thanks!
I love you.
Mike
Sunday, January 08, 2012
The BCS System in College Football
...is flawed & imperfect. (Said the Alabama grad whose team will play for a BCS National Title tomorrow night)
(As I write, it's ~9:00 p.m. on Sunday night, the day before the BCS National Title game between LSU & Bama. Thus, this has precisely zero to do with the outcome of the game.)
The current BCS system for determining who plays in the game is imperfect & controversial. Exhibit A: tomorrow night's game, which is a rematch of an earlier regular-season game.
Here's the thing: (please read this next part slowly, especially if you're a BCS hater who's livid about a rematch) There is NO flawless system for determining who wins the national title. Not one. A system that makes everyone happy just doesn't exist. It's not there. It will never be there.
I've argued for a top 4 tourney since I was a student at Bama when we were 5-6 & had no shot at the NC (or even a bowl game, for that matter). The argument (by me & by many now who are smarter, including Ok St. HC Mike Gundy) is that while the polls might disagree over who is #1 v. #2, there's rarely disagreement over who's #1-4. Let 'em have at it in a 2-game tourney. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? It's flawed. What if your team is a microscopically-close #5 that genuinely believes it could beat #4 & deserves a title? Then you'd be howling.
OK, then what about an 8-team tourney? What if you're a close #9? (etc.) Reply: Yes, but the NCAA hoops tournament in March has 65 teams...Reply to the reply: and every single year, there are teams left out that are controversial. If we can't pick the optimal 65-team field, why think we could find the perfect 2...or 4...or 8...or (etc.)
So, can we please recognize that ANY replacement to the current system has flaws?
(I'll give you a moment to let that be processed...)
In summary, under the current system my school is one of the two teams in the national championship game. Should we win, I will proudly claim another national title for the Crimson Tide.
Should we lose, I will graciously congratulate LSU on another national title for the Tigers.
Some concluding remarks:
--I think tomorrow night's game will be a *great* game. Smash-mouth, hard-hitting football with defenses that are both just awesome to watch.
--I thought the first game was also an awesome game. Personally, I'd rather watch a defensive slobber-knocker 9-6 OT game than a whoever-has-the-ball-last-wins type game.
--I won't be watching tomorrow's game...you read that right; not watching. I have class on the coast. I'd strongly consider skipping, but I'm the teacher! *huge grin*
--VERY IMPORTANT POINT: Precisely NOTHING that matters ultimately will be determined in the Dome tomorrow night. Zero. Zip. Nada. If you're just livid about an LSU-Bama rematch & the BCS system such that you're tweeting & firing non-stop facebook statuses, may I gently suggest that you read the news? Google "Nigeria unrest"..."Religious oppression"..."North Korea"..."Africa Famine"..."Human Trafficking"..."Slavery in 2011"...and get outraged about those things. Tomorrow night is just a dang football game!
Last thought: If you're furious about LSU-Bama playing a rematch, here's some advice: Don't watch!!
Roll Tide regardless of the outcome!
bb
(As I write, it's ~9:00 p.m. on Sunday night, the day before the BCS National Title game between LSU & Bama. Thus, this has precisely zero to do with the outcome of the game.)
The current BCS system for determining who plays in the game is imperfect & controversial. Exhibit A: tomorrow night's game, which is a rematch of an earlier regular-season game.
Here's the thing: (please read this next part slowly, especially if you're a BCS hater who's livid about a rematch) There is NO flawless system for determining who wins the national title. Not one. A system that makes everyone happy just doesn't exist. It's not there. It will never be there.
I've argued for a top 4 tourney since I was a student at Bama when we were 5-6 & had no shot at the NC (or even a bowl game, for that matter). The argument (by me & by many now who are smarter, including Ok St. HC Mike Gundy) is that while the polls might disagree over who is #1 v. #2, there's rarely disagreement over who's #1-4. Let 'em have at it in a 2-game tourney. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? It's flawed. What if your team is a microscopically-close #5 that genuinely believes it could beat #4 & deserves a title? Then you'd be howling.
OK, then what about an 8-team tourney? What if you're a close #9? (etc.) Reply: Yes, but the NCAA hoops tournament in March has 65 teams...Reply to the reply: and every single year, there are teams left out that are controversial. If we can't pick the optimal 65-team field, why think we could find the perfect 2...or 4...or 8...or (etc.)
So, can we please recognize that ANY replacement to the current system has flaws?
(I'll give you a moment to let that be processed...)
In summary, under the current system my school is one of the two teams in the national championship game. Should we win, I will proudly claim another national title for the Crimson Tide.
Should we lose, I will graciously congratulate LSU on another national title for the Tigers.
Some concluding remarks:
--I think tomorrow night's game will be a *great* game. Smash-mouth, hard-hitting football with defenses that are both just awesome to watch.
--I thought the first game was also an awesome game. Personally, I'd rather watch a defensive slobber-knocker 9-6 OT game than a whoever-has-the-ball-last-wins type game.
--I won't be watching tomorrow's game...you read that right; not watching. I have class on the coast. I'd strongly consider skipping, but I'm the teacher! *huge grin*
--VERY IMPORTANT POINT: Precisely NOTHING that matters ultimately will be determined in the Dome tomorrow night. Zero. Zip. Nada. If you're just livid about an LSU-Bama rematch & the BCS system such that you're tweeting & firing non-stop facebook statuses, may I gently suggest that you read the news? Google "Nigeria unrest"..."Religious oppression"..."North Korea"..."Africa Famine"..."Human Trafficking"..."Slavery in 2011"...and get outraged about those things. Tomorrow night is just a dang football game!
Last thought: If you're furious about LSU-Bama playing a rematch, here's some advice: Don't watch!!
Roll Tide regardless of the outcome!
bb
Monday, December 26, 2011
Offended Much?
Are you offended when someone wishes you "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas"? (or vice versa?)
I'm not. I do not expect everyone to greet me in my cultural preference. It would be nice, but I don't expect it. (I sure hope they don't expect me to greet them in their cultural preference if it's foreign to me!)
Instead, I appreciate the warm wishes & return them in kind.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I fully understand what is celebrated at Christmas. I rejoice daily in the incarnation of the One Whose coming is from long ago and Whose coming provides hope where there would be none otherwise. My hope is certain because He came. My sins are forgiven, and will be forgotten.
In fact, it is because of His coming itself that I dare not be offended. I have received grace beyond measure from my Lord, as I deserve ABSOLUTELY NOTHING from him...nor from anyone else. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I will not be offended by something as silly as being wished "Happy Holidays." My Lord wasn't offended by actions of nonbelievers when He walked among us. He was, however, highly offended by by the actions of the uber-religious legalists who had missed the point entirely...*clears throat* (Note: stop & ponder just how winsome it is[n't] to pitch a hissy fit because someone doesn't say "Merry Christmas"...) I do not expect others to behave in a certain way. I especially do not expect nonbelievers to act like believers. I didn't act like one before I came to faith. (Sadly, I didn't for a number of years after too...but that is another topic that was covered in this space last December.)
If being wished "Happy Holidays" offends, then, with all the love I can muster, you should read the news more. Be offended by sectarian violence in Iraq...religious persecution of Christians in Sudan...church bombings on Christmas Day in Nigeria...child slavery & human trafficking all over the world. Please don't be offended by someone wishing you well!
Similarly, if my wishing you a "Merry Christmas" offends you, you too should read the news more, and be offended by those same things instead of by my well wishes. Please don't be offended by me wishing you well!
I conclude by wishing all of you the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years. Or if you prefer, I wish you the Happiest of Holidays. Basically, I wish you the best with this post.
bb
I'm not. I do not expect everyone to greet me in my cultural preference. It would be nice, but I don't expect it. (I sure hope they don't expect me to greet them in their cultural preference if it's foreign to me!)
Instead, I appreciate the warm wishes & return them in kind.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I fully understand what is celebrated at Christmas. I rejoice daily in the incarnation of the One Whose coming is from long ago and Whose coming provides hope where there would be none otherwise. My hope is certain because He came. My sins are forgiven, and will be forgotten.
In fact, it is because of His coming itself that I dare not be offended. I have received grace beyond measure from my Lord, as I deserve ABSOLUTELY NOTHING from him...nor from anyone else. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I will not be offended by something as silly as being wished "Happy Holidays." My Lord wasn't offended by actions of nonbelievers when He walked among us. He was, however, highly offended by by the actions of the uber-religious legalists who had missed the point entirely...*clears throat* (Note: stop & ponder just how winsome it is[n't] to pitch a hissy fit because someone doesn't say "Merry Christmas"...) I do not expect others to behave in a certain way. I especially do not expect nonbelievers to act like believers. I didn't act like one before I came to faith. (Sadly, I didn't for a number of years after too...but that is another topic that was covered in this space last December.)
If being wished "Happy Holidays" offends, then, with all the love I can muster, you should read the news more. Be offended by sectarian violence in Iraq...religious persecution of Christians in Sudan...church bombings on Christmas Day in Nigeria...child slavery & human trafficking all over the world. Please don't be offended by someone wishing you well!
Similarly, if my wishing you a "Merry Christmas" offends you, you too should read the news more, and be offended by those same things instead of by my well wishes. Please don't be offended by me wishing you well!
I conclude by wishing all of you the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years. Or if you prefer, I wish you the Happiest of Holidays. Basically, I wish you the best with this post.
bb
Saturday, December 24, 2011
The first time...and the next time.
The first time, He came in obscurity, in a small out-of-the-way part of the world.
The next time, He will come in such a way that all the tribes on earth will see him.
The first time, He came as a helpless baby.
The next time, He will come as a victorious King.
The first time, His coming was celebrated only by animals & a few shepherds here on earth.
The next time, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.
The first time had been anticipated, prayed for, and dreamed of by patriarchs & prophets for centuries.
The next time has been anticipated, prayed for, and dreamed of by peasants & pastors for centuries...(and by a rather obscure Business school professor in south Mississippi for several decades now.)
The first time ended in an amazing way when what appeared to be a total defeat was turned around by the total triumph of a resurrection.
The second time will be even more amazing, because there will be no doubt.
He came once. He's coming again. I can't wait!
Merry Christmas!
Mike
p.s. - "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you."
(Isaiah 54:10 ESV)
The next time, He will come in such a way that all the tribes on earth will see him.
The first time, He came as a helpless baby.
The next time, He will come as a victorious King.
The first time, His coming was celebrated only by animals & a few shepherds here on earth.
The next time, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.
The first time had been anticipated, prayed for, and dreamed of by patriarchs & prophets for centuries.
The next time has been anticipated, prayed for, and dreamed of by peasants & pastors for centuries...(and by a rather obscure Business school professor in south Mississippi for several decades now.)
The first time ended in an amazing way when what appeared to be a total defeat was turned around by the total triumph of a resurrection.
The second time will be even more amazing, because there will be no doubt.
He came once. He's coming again. I can't wait!
Merry Christmas!
Mike
p.s. - "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you."
(Isaiah 54:10 ESV)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Back to Houston/MDA
So, I forgot to tell y'all this: I head back to Houston Thursday, 12/15!
A different sort of trip for a couple of reasons, but first, the schedule:
Thursday, 12/15: drive out to Houston
(just me; retail isn't very conducive to having time off this time of year! Trips like this are why ipods & podcasts were invented.)
Friday, 12/16: 2 Dr. appts @ MDA - both with new Drs.!
Dr. Homsi, my melanoma oncologist since I first went out there, has recently moved to MDA-Phoenix. Thus, I'll be meeting my new (to me) melanoma oncologist Dr. Bedikian at 11:30.
Also, I'm adding a new piece to the MDA-mmbeachbum medical care team: my first appt w/ a dermatologist there, Dr. Mays. Totally at my request.
After the two appts, eat fantastic Mediterranean food @ Dimassi's while waiting for lunch traffic to clear a bit, & then drive back home.
That's it! No P.E.T. scan this time, although I do get bood drawn.
As an added bonus, I'm staying w/ some friends who used to be in our Sunday School class back in youth/college days...now married w/ 3 young kids, & he's recently accepted a ministerial position @ FBC Houston. Looking forward to that!
Expectations: I pretty much have none, since despite having been out there 25 times in 3 years, this will be a completely new type of visit. (Although still in the same department...in fact, dermatology is also in the melanoma dept.)
Prayers are *most* welcome for safe travels. (And, selfishly, for traffic- & construction-related delays to be minimal...)
Thanks much!
bb
A different sort of trip for a couple of reasons, but first, the schedule:
Thursday, 12/15: drive out to Houston
(just me; retail isn't very conducive to having time off this time of year! Trips like this are why ipods & podcasts were invented.)
Friday, 12/16: 2 Dr. appts @ MDA - both with new Drs.!
Dr. Homsi, my melanoma oncologist since I first went out there, has recently moved to MDA-Phoenix. Thus, I'll be meeting my new (to me) melanoma oncologist Dr. Bedikian at 11:30.
Also, I'm adding a new piece to the MDA-mmbeachbum medical care team: my first appt w/ a dermatologist there, Dr. Mays. Totally at my request.
After the two appts, eat fantastic Mediterranean food @ Dimassi's while waiting for lunch traffic to clear a bit, & then drive back home.
That's it! No P.E.T. scan this time, although I do get bood drawn.
As an added bonus, I'm staying w/ some friends who used to be in our Sunday School class back in youth/college days...now married w/ 3 young kids, & he's recently accepted a ministerial position @ FBC Houston. Looking forward to that!
Expectations: I pretty much have none, since despite having been out there 25 times in 3 years, this will be a completely new type of visit. (Although still in the same department...in fact, dermatology is also in the melanoma dept.)
Prayers are *most* welcome for safe travels. (And, selfishly, for traffic- & construction-related delays to be minimal...)
Thanks much!
bb
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
dad
37 years ago, and yet I remember it like it was yesterday. December 14, 1974. Heart attack. He was 5 years younger than I am now, a reality that I cannot get my mind around.
I remember the pastor coming to the house to be there when Mom told me. I remember taking it very badly. For about 10 years, actually, but that's another story that's been told here. I remember many people in our living room, though I see only a crowd & not individual faces in my memory.
I remember the pastor coming to the house to be there when Mom told me. I remember taking it very badly. For about 10 years, actually, but that's another story that's been told here. I remember many people in our living room, though I see only a crowd & not individual faces in my memory.
I remember selecting a casket. I remember an aunt explaining death to her grandson there in the funeral home. I vaguely remember that the church was packed to overflowing on Monday. I clearly remember stepping out into the back yard after the funeral, literally shaking my fist at the sky, and letting God have it. I told Him if this is what He's about, I'm finished with Him..."leave me alone!" Thankfully...graciously...He didn't. (As I wrote about in this space this time last year.)
I remember presenting his brother with the Christmas present I had purchased all by myself for Dad. I was so very proud of it: Hank Williams' Greatest Hits. His brother--a huge help to me in the years after--lost his country boy/military officer composure there for a brief moment.
I remember a group of friends awkwardly inviting me to hang out with them a few days later. I will always be grateful to them for just being present in my life, and for reminding me that life does go on, even when it seems like it shouldn't.
December 14, 1974 changed much about my life's course. But oh my...the 15 1/2 years prior really affected my life's course! Mom & I agree that I got more "daddying" in 15 years than many people get in a long lifetime. For which I am forever grateful.
Dad wasn't a perfect man. Nobody is. But he was a very, very good one. I still miss him very hard on a regular basis. But especially at Christmas time. And especially on December 14. (Which explains the occasional random tear or smile or chuckle or faraway stare tomorrow...)
I would so love to introduce him to his daughter-in-law; I know they'd love each other and enjoy each other's company. And it is with a physical ache that I long for him to know his grandchildren and more, for them to know him. This was a man who had a poem "The Little Chap Who Followed Me" printed on the back of every business card he ever gave out for Madaris Printing & Office Supplies. Who taught the 3-year-olds in Sunday School for 15 years until he left us. You know how you think some things might be a certain way? Well there are two young adults in MS who I know would be dearly loved by their grandpa and who I know would love him and enjoy his company. I'd love to talk about, well, grownup things with him. Business. Money. Politics. Church. And, of course, there's our shared love of Alabama Crimson Tide football. (Related aside: I am totally confident that he would also proudly wear Ole Miss Rebel garb since his grandson & namesake went there.)
One grandson is an engineer. Another is in the Air Force. Both of those two are newlyweds. Grandson #3 is in his last year of pharmacy school. Granddaughter #1 is training to be a cosmetologist. And #2 is about to begin high school. He would be nuts about every one of them.
Our nation faces a severe shortage of men. Oh, there are plenty of males around; that's not what I'm talking about. I mean MEN. Who take responsibility for their actions. And for the families. And for their churches. And for their communities. Who know how to love & honor & cherish a lady. (That is in desperately short supply these days.) Who are good stewards of their financial resources. Who are wise, regardless of their education level. Who are not selfish punks worrying about getting "disrespected". I knew one once, and still miss him. Perhaps one day I'll live long enough to be more like him.
Until then, I will live in the grace of God and in the hope of Heaven. And in thanksgiving for one very good man in whose orbit I once lived...and still do.
With love and hope because of Christmas,
Mike
Monday, November 14, 2011
For Every Mountain
Yesterday, the choir & orchestra at church led us to throne of Glory (as they do each week). They did one of my favorite songs...one that causes me allergy attacks and that won't let me sit still & keep my hands under control...one that I'd love to be sung at my funeral one day.
I've heard the song several times before. It rocks me every single time, for it takes me deep into the depths of my soul & my theology, while at the same time greatly magnifying God and His gracious goodness to me in so many ways.
Before sharing the lyrics with you, a simple question: what are you thankful for?
My own typical answer is "that's easy! (followed by a list of pleasant things like spouses, parents, jobs, pets, friends, Fall leaves, football,...)" You know, Fun & Pleasing things. Which I *am* OH-so thankful for!
But what about the trials? What about the mountains that stood in your path? What about the valleys that sprawled before you? What about those times your world was totally rocked & you looked up in total despair, wondering why & how?
Why are we not typically thankful for those?
(Answer: because we're human! And thus, we forget. One of my very favorite names of God in Scripture is "Jehovah Shammah"...basically, "The Lord Who is Present"; that's what I need to remember more often.)
With that said, here are the lyrics to Kurt Carr's "For Every Mountain."
I've got so much to thank God for
So many wonderful blessings
and so many open doors
A brand new mercy
along with each new day
That's why I praise You
and for this I give You praise
For waking me up this morning
(That's why I praise You)
For starting me on my way
(That's why I praise You)
For letting me see the sunshine of a brand new day(that's why I praise You)
A brand new mercy
along with each new day
That's why I praise You
and for this, I give You praise
You're Jehovah Jireh
(That's why I praise You)
You've been my Provider
(That's why I praise You)
You see so many times You´ve met my needs
So many times You rescued me
(That's why I praise You)
I want to thank You for the blessing
You give to me each day
That's why I praise You
For this I give You praise
For every mountain You brought me over
For every trial you've seen me through
For every blessing
Hallelujah, for this I give You praise.
My challenge to myself every time I hear this song is to be thankful for the mountains He's brought me over... be thankful for the trials...and, of course, for the light, pleasant blessings too. I challenge myself--and you too!--to not miss the huge blessings of God during the dark times. When things happen like cancer...loss...illness...death...struggle... For God is NO LESS GOOD in those times than in the pleasant times. Perhaps one day, I'll remember this; until then, I'm thankful to the TBC choir & orchestra for the reminder yesterday morning.
Click => here to see the always-amazing Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir perform "For Every Mountain." It's about 6:24 long. Enjoy!
bb
p.s. - as it turns out, it's rather difficult for the Powerpoint guy to click the last few slides when the choir is performing this song...seems streaming tears block out a clear view of the computer screen. Or so I hear. *blushing smile*
I've heard the song several times before. It rocks me every single time, for it takes me deep into the depths of my soul & my theology, while at the same time greatly magnifying God and His gracious goodness to me in so many ways.
Before sharing the lyrics with you, a simple question: what are you thankful for?
My own typical answer is "that's easy! (followed by a list of pleasant things like spouses, parents, jobs, pets, friends, Fall leaves, football,...)" You know, Fun & Pleasing things. Which I *am* OH-so thankful for!
But what about the trials? What about the mountains that stood in your path? What about the valleys that sprawled before you? What about those times your world was totally rocked & you looked up in total despair, wondering why & how?
Why are we not typically thankful for those?
(Answer: because we're human! And thus, we forget. One of my very favorite names of God in Scripture is "Jehovah Shammah"...basically, "The Lord Who is Present"; that's what I need to remember more often.)
With that said, here are the lyrics to Kurt Carr's "For Every Mountain."
I've got so much to thank God for
So many wonderful blessings
and so many open doors
A brand new mercy
along with each new day
That's why I praise You
and for this I give You praise
For waking me up this morning
(That's why I praise You)
For starting me on my way
(That's why I praise You)
For letting me see the sunshine of a brand new day(that's why I praise You)
A brand new mercy
along with each new day
That's why I praise You
and for this, I give You praise
You're Jehovah Jireh
(That's why I praise You)
You've been my Provider
(That's why I praise You)
You see so many times You´ve met my needs
So many times You rescued me
(That's why I praise You)
I want to thank You for the blessing
You give to me each day
That's why I praise You
For this I give You praise
For every mountain You brought me over
For every trial you've seen me through
For every blessing
Hallelujah, for this I give You praise.
My challenge to myself every time I hear this song is to be thankful for the mountains He's brought me over... be thankful for the trials...and, of course, for the light, pleasant blessings too. I challenge myself--and you too!--to not miss the huge blessings of God during the dark times. When things happen like cancer...loss...illness...death...struggle... For God is NO LESS GOOD in those times than in the pleasant times. Perhaps one day, I'll remember this; until then, I'm thankful to the TBC choir & orchestra for the reminder yesterday morning.
Click => here to see the always-amazing Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir perform "For Every Mountain." It's about 6:24 long. Enjoy!
bb
p.s. - as it turns out, it's rather difficult for the Powerpoint guy to click the last few slides when the choir is performing this song...seems streaming tears block out a clear view of the computer screen. Or so I hear. *blushing smile*
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
G
"Those who honor me, I will honor..." 1 Samuel 2:30 (excerpt)
I met him 20 years ago last week, when he moved from McComb, MS to Hattiesburg to take a staff position @ the church I attend.
Gloriously, I'll never be the same.
He has been quietly faithful these past 20 years (and, I'm quite confident, the years before too.). I have learned so very much from him, some by direct teaching & most by just living in his orbit & attending church & sitting on committees & such.
Here are just a few areas where I hope I'm better because of the influence of this remarkable guy:
--Family - one of the great husbands, sons, & fathers I've ever known! His two grown children are very thankful for him, as is his beloved bride, whom he deeply cherishes. Despite a crushing schedule, he hung out every week with his Dad until Dad entered the presence of Jesus.
--Church Membership - From him, I have learned much about what it means to be a faithful church member who supports the mission of the church--and of the Church at large. In the past, I have disagreed on some minor details; I was wrong. And I was NEVER condemned by him.
--Friendship - I think he knows everyone in the greater southeastern U.S., and yet he faithfully keeps up with most of them--us--via phone, visits, Twitter, Facebook,...
--Discipline - He honors the Lord with the totality of his life, mostly by being disciplined about the basics. Time in the Word, worship, prayer,...and amazing schedule management.
--Prayer - He's one of my "prayer Bros," the go-to guys who I turn to regularly to ask them to intercede for me before the throne of grace. And I am just one of *many* whose name & situation is mentioned in his prayers. And always with confidentiality, never engaging in what I call "Baptist gossip"...as in, "we need to pray for ______, because I've heard that s/he's really struggling with ______"
--Ministry - Despite time demands that I cannot imagine, I don't know of anyone more faithful to visit people in the hospitals in the area. Whether members of his church or not! On one occasion, he flew a long way across country to be with a church member's family while the church member had very serious & long surgery.
--Grace - This is probably where I've learned the most from observing this guy. First, there's his very good sermon "Grace Clothes" that I've heard him preach a couple of times, & been challenged mightily both times. Then, there's the reality that on three occasions in the last 20 years, our church has had a pastor leave. Twice under a very serious cloud. At no time did my buddy dishonor the departing pastor by rumor-mongering nor even by sharing the truth. Not one time. (Thankfully, the most recent pastor's "leaving" earlier this year, was NOT under a cloud. But it still imposes a large burden on the Executive Pastor.)
--Trust - in the Gospel, which enables all of the above. I've watched his family go through the death of a beloved son-in-law to leukemia when the son-in-law was all of 33 years old. I've seen my buddy re-orient his entire life in order to help his daughter raise three young children. All the while, continuing to smile & press on in faithful ministry.
Is he a perfect guy? No. Is he a perfect minister? No. Does he make mistakes? Yes. But he's much more of the first two than I, and he makes FAR fewer mistakes than I.
I thank God for leading Gary Shows to Temple Baptist Church 20 years ago. I know of very few who have consistently honored the Lord as consistently & faithfully over a very challenging 20-year period as he. I'm glad he's at my church. I'm even more glad he's my friend. His grandkids named him "G," which is, of course, the perfect name for him. A number of us who are not his grandkids call him that now with the greatest affection.
Thanks, G, for all you do. And selfishly, for all you do & have done for Mike Madaris. Keep pressing on, amigo.
With much love,
Mike
I met him 20 years ago last week, when he moved from McComb, MS to Hattiesburg to take a staff position @ the church I attend.
Gloriously, I'll never be the same.
He has been quietly faithful these past 20 years (and, I'm quite confident, the years before too.). I have learned so very much from him, some by direct teaching & most by just living in his orbit & attending church & sitting on committees & such.
Here are just a few areas where I hope I'm better because of the influence of this remarkable guy:
--Family - one of the great husbands, sons, & fathers I've ever known! His two grown children are very thankful for him, as is his beloved bride, whom he deeply cherishes. Despite a crushing schedule, he hung out every week with his Dad until Dad entered the presence of Jesus.
--Church Membership - From him, I have learned much about what it means to be a faithful church member who supports the mission of the church--and of the Church at large. In the past, I have disagreed on some minor details; I was wrong. And I was NEVER condemned by him.
--Friendship - I think he knows everyone in the greater southeastern U.S., and yet he faithfully keeps up with most of them--us--via phone, visits, Twitter, Facebook,...
--Discipline - He honors the Lord with the totality of his life, mostly by being disciplined about the basics. Time in the Word, worship, prayer,...and amazing schedule management.
--Prayer - He's one of my "prayer Bros," the go-to guys who I turn to regularly to ask them to intercede for me before the throne of grace. And I am just one of *many* whose name & situation is mentioned in his prayers. And always with confidentiality, never engaging in what I call "Baptist gossip"...as in, "we need to pray for ______, because I've heard that s/he's really struggling with ______"
--Ministry - Despite time demands that I cannot imagine, I don't know of anyone more faithful to visit people in the hospitals in the area. Whether members of his church or not! On one occasion, he flew a long way across country to be with a church member's family while the church member had very serious & long surgery.
--Grace - This is probably where I've learned the most from observing this guy. First, there's his very good sermon "Grace Clothes" that I've heard him preach a couple of times, & been challenged mightily both times. Then, there's the reality that on three occasions in the last 20 years, our church has had a pastor leave. Twice under a very serious cloud. At no time did my buddy dishonor the departing pastor by rumor-mongering nor even by sharing the truth. Not one time. (Thankfully, the most recent pastor's "leaving" earlier this year, was NOT under a cloud. But it still imposes a large burden on the Executive Pastor.)
--Trust - in the Gospel, which enables all of the above. I've watched his family go through the death of a beloved son-in-law to leukemia when the son-in-law was all of 33 years old. I've seen my buddy re-orient his entire life in order to help his daughter raise three young children. All the while, continuing to smile & press on in faithful ministry.
Is he a perfect guy? No. Is he a perfect minister? No. Does he make mistakes? Yes. But he's much more of the first two than I, and he makes FAR fewer mistakes than I.
I thank God for leading Gary Shows to Temple Baptist Church 20 years ago. I know of very few who have consistently honored the Lord as consistently & faithfully over a very challenging 20-year period as he. I'm glad he's at my church. I'm even more glad he's my friend. His grandkids named him "G," which is, of course, the perfect name for him. A number of us who are not his grandkids call him that now with the greatest affection.
Thanks, G, for all you do. And selfishly, for all you do & have done for Mike Madaris. Keep pressing on, amigo.
With much love,
Mike
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
