Musical Bike Rides

Thought I'd explain the various types of bike rides using music lyrics.  I've been on most of these, and will likely do so again.  In my own riding, there's no clear pattern as to which type of ride shows up when.  Anyway, here's a description of rides I've taken.

REO Speedwagon Rides:
“Keep Pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing on…even if your strength is gone…”

These are the rides where you just don’t feel it at all, but you keep going anyway.  Aside: REO’s “Keep Pushing” is one of those songs that’s in the soundtrack of my life; pulled me through some dark days back in the late 70s.

Foghat Rides:

“Slow Ride…Take it Easy…”

These are rides where you’re not going after any personal bests in speed or distance.  You’re just cruising.  Or recovering from surgery, whichever. 

Creed Rides:

“I’m rusted & weathered, barely holding together…”

These are similar to the REO rides, except that these are more frequently caused by getting blown off the road by someone way younger—or way older!—than you.  Sadly, I have a lot of these rides...

(And yeah, I know; it's UTTERLY uncool to have any association with Creed. One of the great things about being my age is, one's pretty much uncool by definition, regardless of what music one's listening to...thus, one can indulge whatever guilty music-listening pleasure one wishes. It's actually rather freeing, come to think of it. *grin*) 

Molly Hatchet Rides:

“I’m travellin’ down the road & I’m flirtin’ with disaster….”

I’ve seen these, but have never had a fast enough bike to do one.  (yeah, that's it...it's the bike's fault...that's the ticket...*smile*)  You’re riding so fast that the slightest “oops” would mean a colossal wipeout.

Nightwish Rides:
"They're screaming at you, 'Lock up the wolves!'"

I've had a few of these too.  The great thing about our rails-to-trails deal is that it's through the country & thus one sees wildlife--deer, squirrles, birds, even saw a large number of turkeys on a ride one time.  However, that's also the bad thing about it on occasion...wildlife--the kind one would rather not see.  Snakes & wild dogs are the biggies under the "rather not see" category.  And in a couple of spots, the domesticated dogs can be a problem.

Disturbed Rides:

“I'm indestructible...”

These are rides where you feel like you could ride all day.  A sports scientist would describe these as being “in the zone.”  This has happened to me a few times.  Simply exilharating!

(See, this is the sort of thing that runs through my mind when I'm riding. Maybe it's the oxygen deprivation...)

Let's expand the list.  Hit me up with your lyrical bike ride descriptions. 

Leave me your ideas by including the group & song line.  (Reminder: this is a family type blog; PG-rated or better on the language, please.) *smile*

bb

Celebrating a Flawed Church

23 years ago, we wound up in Mississippi; shortly after, we joined an amazing church.  And a flawed church (the same church).  To paraphrase Tony Campolo, I know it's a flawed church because it allowed me to join!

Here's the thing: your church is also a flawed church.  This is true wherever your church is located, and whatever its slice of the denominational pie.  Repeat after me: "I attend a flawed church."  Hopefully, yours--like mine!--is a good church, but it is flawed.

(If you disagree that yours is a flawed church, then either you don't know very much about it, or you don't know what the word "flawed" means, or you don't understand the concept of & need for grace very well.)

Now that we got that straight, let's proceed with talking about my flawed church for which I am so very grateful.

It was a good church long before I came.  Long before I was born, actually.

In the 22 years we've been members,  the church has had three pastors and two interim pastors.  The church has survived two of those leaving under significant clouds.  The church has survived excellent staff leaving as God led them to other avenues of service (aside: three former staff members have planted churches in different areas--Jackson, MS, New England, and South FL--that are all doing well and are all seeing adults come to Christ out of totally un-churched backgrounds.)  The church has moved locations; for a while, we were a multi-campus church.  The church has survived a former staff member's flagrant attempt to split it up and/or take it down.  That's just one of a few very nasty situations the church has survived.  (If you're wondering, there are multiple blog entries in my "draft" folder about that situation that will never see the light of day, as they are too non-edifying.  You're welcome.)

My church is flawed because--like your church--it is led by flawed staff members.
My church is flawed because--like your church--it is led by flawed lay leaders.
(For example, mine has this one deeply-flawed dude that leads an adult Bible study; elderly gent who hails from the beaches of NW FL originally and who is now a college professor.  *clears throat*)
My church is flawed because--like your church--it sometimes focuses too much on its own members.
My church is flawed because--like your church--it sometimes doesn't focus enough on its own members.
My church is flawed because--like your church--it sometimes focuses too much on facilities.
My church is flawed because--like your church--it sometimes doesn't focus enough on facilities.

Basically, my church is flawed because--like your church--it is led by and attended by flawed people.  Like me.  And like you.

And yet, by the sustaining grace of God, this flawed church is still there, proclaiming the Gospel and impacting the community and the world.

And me.

Only that same grace of God could work through such a flawed church as mine.  (And yours.)
Only that same grace of God could work through such flawed people as me.  (And you.)

My particular church has just called a new pastor; he'll start today.  We were out of town when he visited--thus I've never heard him preach & never met him.  But I'm hearing a lot of excitement about the guy.  I know I'm excited about a new pastor, & thus a new phase in the life of my church.

I'm thankful for my flawed church that proclaims a perfect Gospel of a perfect God who send a perfect Savior to live a perfect life and die a horrible death to obtain salvation for a flawed people who would attend flawed churches from the 30s A.D. until, well, at least now...I'm prayerfully optimistic that if the Lord tarries, my flawed church will still be proclaiming that perfect Gospel long after my faith becomes sight.  Mostly because that perfect God is still on his throne dispensing grace beyond measure on flawed people and their flawed churches.

Very excited about this new chapter in the life of my church,
bb

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV)

For Ron. For Marilyn.

I knew Margaret well.  She was one of my great prayer warriors these last 4 years.  Even as her own cancer & accompanying treatments grew worse & kept recurring, she would smile, hug Lisa & me, and ask how I was doing. Then she would tell me she was praying for me.

Margaret's faith became sight earlier this week.  She leaves behind her beloved Ron, in addition to a daughter & son-in-law.  Margaret & Ron were married 39 years.

To me, Margaret models Paul's last words: "the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:6-7 ESV) Well run, my friend. See you soon. You'll be missed by many of us until that day. I pray we all finish as well as you did.

I don't know that I ever met Chip.  But I've known Marilyn since high school.  She & I played saxophones in the high school band.  Marilyn is a gentle, calm, sweet woman of great faith.  Even when her beloved Chip's cancer situation kept progressing.  Chip & Marilyn were married 24 years; 10 of those years were spent battling Chip's terminal cancer (that was known to be terminal early on.)  Like Margaret, Marilyn would always quickly move past her own cancer situation (Chip's), and go to encouraging me.  "How are you, Mike?"  "I'm praying for you."

Chip's faith became sight this week too.  Left here are his beloved Marilyn, a son, and a daughter.  Marilyn even took the time to let me know of Chip's passing just a few hours after it happened.  To me, Marilyn models Job:  "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. "  (Job 1:20-21 ESV)

Chip's obituary contains these words: "Although diagnosed with a terminal disease at the young age of 49, Chip accepted his fate with grace and focused on the positive moments of each day given to him. He fought a courageous battle with cancer never giving up hope and always living a life of example for those around him. He showed his children daily how to live with adversity as he focused on the lives of others rather than himself. "

If you're waiting for the magic words, you won't find them in this space.  Cancer fatalities just suck.  (forgive me, but they do)  I don't grieve for Margaret & Chip; they're infinitely better off now than they have been in years.  My heart aches with grief for Ron & for Marilyn & for their respective families.  Profound theologizing rings hollow just now.

John Piper said something to the effect that there are some emotions so profound that they can only be captured with poetry.  Below are some words a guy wrote right after one of his close friends died of cancer, leaving behind a husband and young children.  I think he captured a couple of key themes.  First, the helpless despair that families & friends feel when their loved one departs this world.  And second, the hope that sustains even in the midst of the seemingly impenetrable darkness of death.

I love the phrase "Ultimate Healing" and adopted it into my own regular usage when I first heard this song years ago.

Chip & Margaret have both experienced the "Ultimate Healing."  Cancer no longer has any hold on them.  Margaret's obituary contained these words:  "She closed her eyes on July 17, 2012 and in the same instant opened them in heaven and saw her Lord and Savior."  Exactly.  Ron & Marilyn and their families are left behind, grieving with a grief that would crush them apart from the grace of God.  And yet, in the midst of that grief, they're modeling for the rest of us what faith looks like.

Have a read and a listen, and then pray for a grieving husband and for a grieving wife, won't you?

Maranatha!
Mike

Home Free

Wayne Watson

I'm trying hard not to think you unkind.

But Heavenly Father, if you know my heart,
Surely you can read my mind.
Good people underneath the sea of grief
Some get up and walk away; Some will find ultimate relief

(Chorus:)
Home Free eventually
At the ultimate healing we will be Home Free
Home Free Oh I gotta feeling
At the ultimate healing
We will be Home Free

Out in the corridors we prayed for life
A mother for her baby, A husband for his wife
Sometimes the good die young, it's sad but true
Though we pray for one more heartbeat
The real comfort is with you.

They say pain has little mercy

And suffering's no respector of age or religion

I know every prayer gets answered

But the hardest one to pray is slow to come

Oh Lord, not mine, but Thy will be done

Let it be...

Here's a video clip of the song.  (Don't worry about watching; nothing to see except the album cover.  Just listen.  4:30)

The Reading Mother

The Reading Mother

by Strickland Gillilan

I had a mother who read to me

Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea,

Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth,

“Blackbirds” stowed in the hold beneath.

I had a Mother who read me lays

Of ancient and gallant and golden days;

Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,

Which every boy has a right to know.

I had a Mother who read me tales

Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,

True to his trust till his tragic death,

Faithfulness blent with his final breath.

I had a Mother who read me the things

That wholesome life to the boy heart brings–

Stories that stir with an upward touch,

Oh, that each mother of boys were such!

You may have tangible wealth untold;

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be–

I had a Mother who read to me.

I have one of these Mothers too, and so do my children.  So thankful for both Moms.  As the poem says, "Richer than I you can never be--I had (have!) a Mother who read to me."

A related quote--read this one slowly:

"The person who doesn't read books has no advantage over the person who can't read books." 

(Attributed to Mark Twain) 

So thankful that my reading Mother gave me a deep & abiding love of books & of reading!

bb

An Entrance Richly Provided

One of my heroes' faith became sight last night after a long, fruitful life that had a huge impact for the Kingdom.

Ralph Davis graduated from the college that is now known as William Carey University (where I am a professor) in 1949.  His beloved bride Cora Joyce is also an alumna of our school.  They answered an ancient call, and moved away from south MS.  FAR away.  Nigeria & Ghana as missionaries with the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.  (Now the International Mission Board)  They stayed there for 35 years before retiring back in Hattiesburg a couple of years before we moved here.

Mr. Ralph taught Sunday School, served as a deacon, and was a great encourager of many--including this new young college professor who joined their church.  He & Ms. Cora Joyce were so very friendly & warm & encouraging.  They never lost their passion for the Gospel nor for mission work nor for the Church.

One of the great experiences of my life was taking a group of college students over to their home one Sunday night when Lisa & I served in college Sunday School.  The Davises broke out the slides & pictures & artifacts from their time in Africa & started talking.  I watched some 20-year-old college students be totally captivated by some 60-something-year-old missionaries telling stories.  Of course, I was captivated too.

Peter wrote of the qualities the Christian life should entail.  (Peter didn't know Mr. Ralph, though he does now.)
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)

I can't think of a better summary of Ralph Davis as I knew him. 

Peter goes on to say this:
...if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:10-11 ESV)

I am absolutely confident that this is what happened Monday night.  Lisa said that if we'd been paying attention, we might have heard the heavenly rejoicing.  It's going to be so very much fun to meet people from Nigeria & Ghana in glory whose story starts "This couple from Mississippi came to our village..."

Please join me in praying for Cora Joyce, and their children & grandchildren as they say "see you later" to their husband, father, & grandfather.  And rejoice with me and with them that because of the truth of the Gospel Ralph & Cora Joyce lived & proclaimed that it really is "see you later" instead of "goodbye."

slightly paraphrased from A Parable of Immortaliy, by Henry Van Dyke 1852-1933

And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
'There he goes! ' ,
there are other eyes watching his coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout :
'Here he comes!'

Outlive Your Life!

I’ve lived 50% longer AS a father than I lived WITH my Father.

That, my friends, is an absolutely mind-blowing realization!

My little shorties are 23 & 21 now.  I’d love to think I did a decent job these last 23 & 21 years; however, my shortcomings as a Dad are many and manifest, and haunt me regularly.

Thus, my Daddying is yet another area of my life that drives me toward the Gospel.  Grace & forgiveness beyond measure!  As the song says, “Mercy there was great and grace was free…”  I’m so thankful; both of my children are far ahead of where I was at age 23 & 21.  (For that matter, they’re likely ahead of where I am now!)  That is amazing grace indeed, that God would raise up my children to be who they are, magnifying the crumbs of good that I scattered here & there as a Dad, while shattering the boulders of bad that I spread so freely.  I’m grateful that God raises our children so far beyond us!

My Dad left us 37 ½ years ago.  And there is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss him in so many ways that I can’t count them.  Throughout the day, these thoughts occur: “I wonder how Dad would handle this situation” and “I sure wish Dad were here; he’d LOVE hearing about this!” and “That’s a joke Dad would love!” (etc.)  Sometimes these thoughts make me smile & even laugh; sometimes they make me shed a tear for the 87-millionth time in 37.5 years; sometimes there’s just a longing so intense that it brings a physical ache.  A longing for one more hug…to feel the 5:00 shadow in that hug…to see that smile again…most of all, to hear him say “I’m proud of who you are as a man.”  Yeah, that’s a wound that won’t heal in this life.  I’m OK with it most of the time.  But then a birthday comes along…or an anniversary…an accomplishment…even a failure…December 14…a Madaris family reunion…Father's Day...and I’m reminded again of the wound.  And am driven again toward God's matchless, amazing, sustaining grace.

It’s been said many times by me, including in this space, but here it goes again: I got more “Daddying” in 15 ½ years I had with James E. Madaris, Sr. than many get in a lifetime.  I am SO grateful for Dad & for how he fathered Jim and me & for how he loved our Mother & for how he conducted his business & for how he lived his life.  There are very few situations that come along where the life & Daddying of James E. Madaris, Sr. does not affect me, his younger son.  Even today, 37 ½ years after his faith became sight.

Which means I am all too often reminded that I am but a pale shadow of the faith & wisdom that was Dad.  I’m taller, but I do not measure up.  I’m far more educated, but am nowhere close in wisdom.  I’ve been married 8 more years than he ever will be, but am still striving to become the husband he was.  I’ve been a Dad 6 years longer than he ever was, but am not in the same universe as he in nurturing a child & being an awesome Dad.  I have a better job by most measures and have done it longer, but am still struggling to be as good at mine as he was at his.  I don’t know the date of his conversion, but I’ve likely been a Christian approximately as long as he was while here on earth; and yet I’m striving to become the Christian man & contributing church member that he was.

You may know such a man.  Perhaps, like me, you were blessed to grow up in the home of such a man.  Be thankful that God raises up such men, who outlive their earthly lives by decades.  And—I beg you!—strive to be such a man (if you’re male) and to surround yourself with such men.  They’re fewer & farther between, but they’re around.  Don’t settle for “I’m not nearly as bad a Dad & man as _____, so I’m OK.”  Keep pressing on!  And as you do, know that the grace of God will enable you to be far more than you could ever ask or imagine…for which I am most grateful myself!

If you’re an unmarried lady—don’t settle for some gutless punk who views you as his servant, a concubine, and a life support system for some particular body parts he enjoys.  There are men worthy of honor and worthy of YOU out there!  Increasingly few, but they’re there.  Wait for one of those guys; tell the tough-guy-wanna-be pansies who think procreating = fathering to hit the road.

My prayer is that we as a society—and we as people—and especially those of us who ought to know better!—will stop conflating procreating with parenting.  There is a HUGE, incalculable difference.

Happy Father’s Day to all!  If your Dad is one worth celebrating, do so!  I sure will be.  If yours is not, be thankful that there are still those who are, and if you’re male strive to become one of those, and if you’re female, wait for one of those.

 So even to old age and gray hairs,
  O God, do not forsake me,
 until I proclaim your might to another generation,
  your power to all those to come.(Psalm 71:18 ESV) 

DDay

68 years ago last night, a guy I know parachuted into northern France as part of what Gen. Eisenhower called "The Great Crusade."  He survived, fought, was captured, and released.  Nice guy; calm, pleasant,...One wouldn't know that he was among the toughest of the tough back in the day.

I've tried for many years, but simply cannot fathom the level of guts it took to step out of one of these 68 years ago and move ashore up onto & across that beach.

Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower sent all the men a message as they headed across the Channel toward Hitler's "Fortress Europe."

See all the signatures on this copy? This is Sgt. Bob Slaughter's copy.  Sgt. Slaughter--age 19--was a squad leader in Company D of the 116th Infantry of the 29th Division on 6/6/44.  Thus, he was one of the first men ashore that day.  (I didn't have sense enough to come in out of the rain when I was 19, let alone lead mean ashore under heavy fire.)  On the boat the night before the attack, he passed his copy of Gen. Eisenhower's telegram around and got the guys in his unit to sign it.  One day later, by dusk on 6/6/44, half these men were no longer alive.  You should read this article about Sgt. Slaughter, written by his granddaughter.  Sgt. Slaughter recently passed away at 87 years old.

War is always hell.  And sometimes it is absolutely necessary.  When such times arise, I thank God for me like Bob Slaughter who have the guts & the will needed to put on a uniform & bear arms.

He shall judge between the nations,

and shall decide disputes for many peoples;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war anymore.

Isaiah 2:4

Maranatha!  Come, Lord Jesus!  But until that grand & glorious Day, THANK YOU for those who put on uniforms, take up weapons, and go to war.  Especially today for those who did so on June 6, 1944.

Echoes in the Mountains

There were quite a few echoes in the east Tennessee mountains this past weekend. 

Around 40 Madarises gathered there at my cousin Ben's place in the mountaints near the NC border, overlooking the famous "Dragon's Tail" road so popular with bikers. (Real bikers riding Harleys & Ninjas & such; not people like me who ride bicycles...)  To clarify, this was but a subset of my extended family.  "Extended" here means everyone from my Dad's siblings down. There were 4 generations represented there.  For many, the phrase "family reunion" evokes groans & sighs & fears & dread; this is NOT the case for Madaris family reunions!  They are some of my most treasured times on earth.  Lisa, who married into the family, would agree, as would our children.

There were echoes of laughter.
Pretty much any gathering of Madarises brings with it a lot of laughter, which is one of the many reasons I so enjoy family reunions.  If one's basic outlook on life is sour & borderline-angry, then one must be part of a different family!  We're going to have fun and enjoy the time & the journey together, as we did this past weekend.



Launching water balloons off the mountain.

There were echoes caused by various forms of outdoor activity.
Also de rigeur for a gathering of my family.  This gathering included cornhole, s'mores around the fire, tubing a nearby creek, hiking the mountains, swimming/jumping off the nearby bridge, tossing a football around, even water baloon launching (which is pretty cool off the side of a mountain!).

There were echoes of music.


The Sunday afternoon sing-along

Though our musical talents vary from superb to...less superb let's just say, we enjoy music.  Sunday afternoon, we made it specific by gathering around the piano as Jeanne (our hostess for the weekend), played various hymns accompanied by her hubby on bass and their two sons on trombone & guitar.  We chimed in with favorites from the hymnal, and sang along.  "Amazing Grace"..."In the Garden"..."My Jesus, I Love Thee"..."It Is Well With My Soul"...and other classics that mean much to our family heritage.  Some in the room had allergy attacks that we they tried to hide during this singalong.  *sheepish grin*

There were echoes of conversation.
Another thing that is an integral part of our family gatherings is conversation.  Lots of conversation.  And Ben & Jeanne's place had multiple settings that were oh-so-conducive to chatting; decks, porches, mountain trails, lounge chairs, meal places,...The topics vary widely from very serious to very frivolous, and one can jump into or out of most any conversation at leisure without offending the others.

There were echoes of games.


A serious game of "Garbage."

Of course, the required card game called "Garbage" which is a game I've never figured out.  It involves several people, multiple decks of cards, and a dizzying array of rules.  One cousin accused another cousin & 2 aunts of changing the rules as the game went on; "Garbage" is serious business at Madaris reunions!

There were echoes of others.
As a now-gone cousin told me once, one of the unique and greatly-strengthening aspects of the Madaris family is that we have quite a bit of experience with death.  Early death...death at an old age...death of very young children...And thus, we share a rather profound appreciation of life and of its brevity.  We cherish the memories of those now gone, including, most recently, the senior member of the family, my Aunt Daisy. (written about here some weeks ago).  Her name came up several times last weekend, almost always with a smile and/or a laugh.  This is how we tend to focus our memories of those now departed. 

I also think this is how we keep this particular batch of echoes around family gatherings.  "I remember one time when your Dad said/did _______"..."I know Aunt _________ would be right here digging into this blackberry cobbler"..."Remember _______'s car?"..."Hey, I have some of Granddaddy's garlic plants still cultivated; you want one?" (etc.)

So we heard again the echoes of some of my cousins: Glenn, Bill (also recently departed & written about here), Joe Lel, Joe Henry,...And of some of my cousins' children who left this world VERY early...And of some of our aunts & Uncles: Daisy, Ruth, Jr., James (my Dad), and Evelyn...And, of course, of Charlie & Mattie--my grandparents, who started this whole thing.  A deeply treasured time for was sitting on the deck listening to a few cousins who are not quite as young as I share memories of Granddaddy.  I treasure this, because Charlie died when I was not quite one year old.  Naturally, during all card & domino games, Mattie's echoes were loud, as she loved thrashing us all in card games.  I have 21 years of memories of her, and I could nearly hear that great laugh & see that wonderful smile that I've missed so hard for over 30 years now.


Ben's parents, George & Daisy, who had a HUGE
impact on my faith & my marriage.

There were echoes of sadness.
Again, we have considerable experience with death, both the sudden, unexpected kind and the long, slow kind.  We also have experience with things like heart trouble...cancer...marriage challenges...parenting challenges...Such things are never far from our awareness when we get together.

There were echoes of remembering times gone by.
Other family gatherings, whether at the cabin on Lake Martin or at Grandma's small house in Selma, or at cousin Chuck's cattle farm in central Alabama, or Aunt Evelyn's place just outside of Selma...My cousin Wanda compiled a video of some 4.5 hours of video footage from some of those gatherings.  I plan on blocking out 4.5 hours & watching the entire thing soon.  We swapped pictures.  "I was cleaning out Mama's file cabinet, & found this great picture of you/your Dad/your kids...Thought you might want it."

Over all of these others, there were very strong echoes of grace and of faith.


A few of us attended the church my cousin Ben
(on the left) pastors

Charlie came a rough family background, with a VERY difficult father who--according to lore--turned all of the kids out of the house when they turned 16 to fend for themselves.  Mattie's Mother had a mental breakdown when Mattie was only ~12; Mattie's Mother spent the rest of her days in an institution.  Neither of these sound like ideal family settings to train a couple!  And yet, I nearly guarantee you that all of us who were there--and most of us still living who were NOT there!--are already eagerly anticipating our next family gathering.  The Madaris family is loving & gracious & close, despite being just a couple of generations removed from very tough family backgrounds.  That's just one example of what theologians mean by the big word "grace."  We don't deserve it--especially some of us in my generation...like me--but we get to experience it anyway.

My Grandma Mattie remains one of the more godly, Christ-like women of faith that I've ever run across.  Most of us share her faith, to greater or lesser degree.  All of us respect & recognize that her faith mattered greatly to her, and thus that it has helped shaped all the rest of us.  (A newly-treasured photo that was given to me: me when I graduated from high school, standing between both of my grandmothers, both of whom would be gone just a few years after the picture was taken).  One of Mattie's ancestors was an integral part of founding the Alabama Bible Society back in the 1800s; perhaps Mattie's faith--and ours--is traceable back to Abner.  Regardless, Christianity & Scripture have shaped our family.  Shaped us such that we are able to welcome & love those who might have a different worldview (very rapidly become a lost art, that).  I am so very thankful for the Gospel's impact on my family.  Eternally thankful.

There are many of us here...and many of us no longer here.  I can't wait to be reunited in Glory with those now departed.  And to meet those I never met, and let them teach me more about our Savior, and about their own faith journeys from before their faith became sight.

And tell them all THANKS.

Memorial Day

If you are able, save for them a place inside of you

And save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go

Be not ashamed to say you loved them,

Though you may or may not have always.

Take what they have left and taught you with their dying,

And keep it with your own.

And in time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane,

Take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes

You left behind...

Major Michael O'Donnell

1 January 1970

Dak To, Vietnam

 Major O’Donnell was shot down over Cambodia on March 24, 1970 while attempting to recover some soldiers in a firefight.  He was declared MIA for 20+ years.  His remains were found & recovered April 12, 1995.

An Alma Mater...That Isn't Mine

"alma mater" => "Nourishing Mother" Widely used to describe schools where one obtained a degree.  Also refers to the official song of that school where one obtained that degree.

"Ole Miss" = common term for the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, MS.

Way down south in Mississippi,

Once upon a time, Ole Miss was a combo of (1) where the great Archie Manning played football, and (2) the team that defeated my Crimson Tide at our homecoming on a Saturday afternoon while I was taking Masters comprehensive exams a couple of blocks away from our stadium.  Then when we moved to Hattiesburg, Ole Miss became the object of venomous hatred by, well, a large number of locals.  I started to buy into that myself--recalling that Homecoming debacle--but then I had widespread exposure for a long time (22 years now!) to a considerable number of Ole Miss fans & grads.  Some of them are great friends who have gone far beyond the extra mile for us.  Very kind & gracious folks, even when my team of choice beats theirs.

Then, six years ago, Ole Miss became the school my beloved son attended...and received a degree from in 2010...and will receive another degree from this Saturday.  (In MS, it's very simple: if one wants to be a Pharmacist, one is either going to Ole Miss or going out of state.)

There's a spot that ever calls...

It will surprised no one that James was raised a Bama fan.  While he can still cheer for Bama at times, his colors are clear, and they are Red & Blue.  Not Crimson & White.  "Hotty Toddy" is his cheer of choice; not "Roll Tide."  "Forward Rebels" is his fight song; not "Yea, Alabama."

I'm OK with that. 

Where amongst the hills enfolded,...

Oxford is where his heart is; not Tuscaloosa.  Vaught-Hemingway is his home stadium in the Fall, and Swayze Field in the Spring; not Bryant-Denny & Sewell-Thomas Field.

I'm OK with that too.

Stand old Alma Mater's Halls...

In fact, I'm beyond OK with it.  I'm very excited for him, and very grateful for Ole Miss!  Just a couple of weeks ago, there I was at Swayze Field, wearing my Ole Miss hat & my "Ole Miss Pharmacy" t-shirt, cheering on the Rebs as they beat Auburn in baseball.  The gorgeous Bama coed with the beautiful blue eyes was there beside me, as was my favorite Ole Miss student in all of the history of the planet.  The next afternoon, there I was w/ the Ole Miss student & 2 of his Pharmacy School buddies.  I was the old dude wearing my "Ole Miss Dad" t-shirt.  This weekend, Lord willing, I'll be there @ Swayze again wearing some Ole Miss gear & cheering on the Rebs.

Where the trees lift high their branches to the whispering Southern breeze,...

Every parent dreams of & prays for his child to have a fantastic, challenging, transforming college experience.  Like James has had at Ole Miss.  In our case, those prayers have been answered in spectacular keeping with Paul's "beyond what we can ask or think" description:

Academic challenges faced & overcome.
I'm not smart enough to get into Pharmacy School, let alone out of it.  James got accepted into their early-entry program, which means he had to maintain a GPA higher than pretty much all of my undergrad semesters' GPAs.  And he did it.  For 6 years (2 of undergrad, & 4 of Pharmacy School).
Professional development
Wow!  James arrived in Oxford six years ago much like most freshmen arrive on their campuses; a bit nervous about it all.  He's leaving having held multiple positions of leadership in various Pharmacy School organizations.  Some of these were elected positions, some were appointed by faculty(!).  He has made presentations to faculty in Oxford, at University Med. School in Jackson, to Doctors at Pine Grove Mental Health facilities nearby here, to Doctors at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.  He has engaged in statistical research with another pharmacist about the efficacy of some heart drug.  So, yeah, Ole Miss has added just a smidge of professional development.
Spiritual Growth
The freshman Bible study group he participated in met weekly in the Grove.  (Yeah...that Grove...the one that's famous on football game days).  He was a faithful church attender in Oxford whose theological convictions led him thoughtfully to move his attendance to another church in Oxford. He was part of a multi-ethnic biblically-solid church during his time in Jackson last year during the dreaded 3rd year Pharmacy School.
Good Times
We parents should hope that our children have such a great time in college that they stay there, rather than heading home the moment their last class of the week lets out.  (Aside: Parents, if you DON'T hope that, and if you insist that your child be home every free moment, I URGE you to think through the impact you're having on your child's personal development!) James has done that, even as one who loves home and loves his family & friends down here (Oxford's just over 4 hours away from here for those who don't know).  He LOVES Ole Miss Sports, and is a faithful attender, even if that means driving up from Jackson for a game.  And he has learned to enjoy a game whether the Rebs win--which they did a lot of during his time in Oxford--or whether they lose--which they've done a lot of these last two seasons.  That ability is sadly lacking today in so many sports fans of various allegiances.  On top of that, he has made deep, abiding friendships  up there that will remain for life.  On top of that, these are the types of friends every parent desires for their children; folks who either are or will soon be contributing to society in meaningful ways.
Love for the Town
Oxford is one of Lisa's & my very favorite places in the country to visit.  Fantastic small town, picturesque, lots of history (the church James attended up there was founded in 1831, & moved to its present location in 1844), a considerable amount of arts & culture (On our most recent trip there, we visited Faulkner's home), and of course, a number of just great eateries.  James can easily imagine himself living there in retirement, attending every Ole Miss sporting event, every play, speakers on campus, concerts,...I can imagine myself doing that too, actually.
Career Path that will allow making a difference
Simply huge.  James has accepted a job as a pharmacist at University Medical Center in Jackson, which is a very solid medical facility where the University's medical school is located.  Early on in Pharmacy School, James decided his passion lay in clinical pharmacy, dealing with patients.  Several years later, he's launching a career oriented exactly in that direction.

There Ole Miss is calling, calling,...

It's not my alma mater.  Mine will always be located in west Alabama.

But I am VERY fond of the place nonetheless.  I sent my treasured son up there 6 years ago as a nervous & excited high school grad.  Ole Miss has made him a man who has already accomplished much, and whose career path & trajectory are so great in terms of helping people and contributing to society.

To our hearts fond memories

Ole Miss grabbed hold of my son's heart six years ago.  I predict Ole Miss will not let up its grasp on my son's heart for the rest of his days.  Which is, of course, exactly what we all should want for our children.  A place that is theirs by their own choice.

To the University of Mississippi: THANK YOU for the HUGE and lasting impact you have had on my son.
To the School of Pharmacy: I'm in awe.  Thanks!
To the Rebels Sports teams: Thanks for the many fun memories for my son.  And for me.  I hope the football Rebels win almost all their games next Fall & every Fall.  (*smile*)  Seriously, I hope you guys win often & big for years to come.

Hotty Toddy!
Signed,
bb--not an alum, but a grateful parent of one!

I love graduations...and hate them too.

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*

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?

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

Thank you SO very much for your prayers, my friends!  They mean so much to us.

Most humbly & sincerely,
Mike

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!

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.

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

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

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

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! 

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.

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!