Too much, too much, too much...

I've been away - I didn't go anywhere physically, but mentally I think I may have checked out for a while.  Actually, I might have just been overwhelmed.  Let me explain.

First, with all the "normal" issues affecting our country, there was already so much to comment on.  So much that divides our time and attention.  So much to be worried about and so many causes to champion. Then pile on Ebola scares, immigration amnesty, the Ferguson shooting and riots, and the protests trickling through the country I just got overwhelmed with conflicting thoughts and didn't know which way to turn or where to focus my attention.

I trolled Facebook for a month.  Reading everyone's thoughts and ideas on what is right and wrong.  You know what I discovered?  Hate.  A lot of hate.

People hated on those who want same sex marriage.  People hated on people who want gun control. People hated the guy who brought Ebola into the U.S. and then subsequently died from it.  People hated the hospital and those who cared for him and were unable to save him.  People hated the immigrants who just want a better life.  People hated the people who want to focus on legals.  People hated on Michael Brown.  People hated on Darren Wilson.  People hated cops. People hated the Democrats, and people hated the Republicans.  People just hated on each other.

As Taylor Swift sings, "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate."

I don't know if you were guilty of any of that hate.  I didn't keep score or write down names.  But I did note a few things.

1) People who several months ago were calling pro-choice supporters 'killers' were now calling Michael Brown a 'thug'. My own thoughts are conflicted on the whole ordeal.  I don't have an answer to balance a police officer's safety yet still ensure he is able to perform his duties.  I don't have an answer to the killing of a suspect, armed or unarmed.  For some reason, every time I tried to figure out what I thought was right in this situation, this particular Bible verse came to mind, Luke 15.  The parable of the lost sheep.

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this parable:  “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Jesus was trying to illustrate to the 'law abiders' that he came for the sinners.  That he loved them as much as he did the righteous.  He died for the sinners. And that every lost soul hurt him dearly. Oddly enough, we forget that we are the sinners he died for.  We're quick to point out other's sins - yet each one of us guilty of our own.  We should remember those nails pierced his skin for all sins, ours included.  The sin we should worry about most is our own...

2) Amnesty for immigrants, health care, giving aid to foreign countries - those are tough ones.  We have poverty and hunger already in this country.  Americans are homeless at alarming rates.  Many of the homeless are veterans who proudly served in the defense of this country.  We've got a huge problem that doesn't appear to have a solution.  Piling on millions of more people into this system of support doesn't make any sense, but every time I try to get a grasp of how I feel about it, this Bible verse comes to mind, Luke 10, the Good Samaritan.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself.”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denari and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Now, neither one of these parables solve the immediate problems we face as a nation.  Or do they? The first one shows God's love for us - deserving or not.  The second one shows we should love others - deserving or not.

Imagine you are faced with Jesus after your death and he asks you these questions.

What did you think of Michael Brown's death?  What is your solution to the immigration issues?  What is your stance on gay marriage?

Will you answer Jesus with the same tone and stance of your Facebook posts?

I came across this video the other day.  I wasn't familiar with this young man, his ministry or anything about him when I watched it.  But his words hit home with me.  He very eloquently expressed so many of the thoughts I have been having recently.

Please watch it.  Listen to the words.  See beyond the hate that society wants to promote.  See into Jesus eye's and truly ask yourself, what would Jesus want you to do?  The next time you get ready to comment on some post or share your opinion of what would 'fix' the problem - ask yourself this - is it God's solution to the problem, or my own selfish solution to the problem?

This particular video focuses on homosexuality - but the premise and message could apply to any thing we deal with.  Let this resonate with you during the Christmas season this year.  Many of you have boldly claimed you want to put CHRIST back in Christmas.  You can do that by just following what Christ declared as the Greatest Commandment.  Love God and Love your neighbor.


Clayton Jennings Video on YouTube.


Peace and Love,
Rob
www.starvt.com

We're men! We're men in tights...

We're men, we're men in tights.
We roam around the forest looking for fights.
We're men, we're men in tights.
We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right!
We may look like sissies, but watch what you say or else we'll put out your lights!
We're men, we're men in tights,
Always on guard defending the people's rights…

Hopefully you've seen the movie, “Robin Hood, Men in Tights”, with Cary Ewes. If not, then the above song lyrics will have no meaning for you at all. If you have seen it, then I apologize because now that tune is going to be stuck in your head all day.

I wanted to start with this because this scene in the movie was a humorous attempt to make Robin Hood’s band of Merry men seem tougher, since they wore tights all through the movie. It was a parody, of course, and only added jest to their already unmanly attire as they pranced around in a dance routine.

Dana Carvey as the Church Lady

But the scene does paint an interesting picture and raises a common question within the church today.  What is a manly man, specifically, a Christian manly man?

When I was probably ten years old my Grandma took me to a small Pentecostal church. That was quite an experience for a first timer at church. I realized real quick I didn't want any part of that. I didn't go back. I wasn't interested in what the “Church Lady” had to offer.

Later, during my high school years, a local church (the one right across from our high school) hired a youth pastor that was in his mid-twenties. I had never heard of anything like this. A young man of position in a church. My curiosity was piqued. I met the new pastor after one night when me and several friends were not being very good boys. We did some donuts in the front lawn of the school. The new youth pastor happened to be in his office at the time and saw it all. (We were probably in my truck).

He caught up to us a few days later and made a deal with us. Come to the “Christian Rock Band” concert next week at the auditorium and he’d keep our little secret from the authorities. We went. It was good. I began to see Christianity in a new light that contrasted the Pentecostal church by leaps and bounds.

It also just so happened that this girl I had a crush on went to his church. So I decided to go. Once there I was captivated by the ideals of this Savior they spoke about. I eventually got saved and was baptized. But, the men I saw in this church still puzzled me. None really looked like they wanted to be there. They all looked uncomfortable as if they had been dressed up by their wives and drug there against their will. That may not have been what was in their minds, but it looked it like to me. Even though I had been saved, it didn't stick very well, I didn't want to be one of those guys “drug” to church. I guess you could say I was the seed sown on rocky ground (Matthew 13:20-21). I drifted on the fringe for a time after that.

It wasn't until many years later that I experienced what I now define as real Christian men. I was in the military and one of my co-workers invited me to his church. It was the “big church” in town. I went, hesitantly I’ll admit. They actually got me there by inviting my oldest son as friend of their child’s. It was a good ploy, I’m glad they did it.

I met many men there. They were the most genuine and loving men I’d ever encountered. It was weird to me (no offense meant by this next remark, but it’s what I felt…). They were like women. Caring, understanding, and sincere-very foreign to me at the time. They really cared about me and as near as I could tell, they loved me in a brotherly way and I had just met them! Problem was, this scared me a little too. They didn't seem like manly men. I wasn't sure I wanted to be this kind of guy either.

Over time I got to know them. They hunted and fished. Rode motorcycles and worked on race cars. There were cops, football coaches and even a fighter pilot. There were military men of all sorts. Softball players and weight lifters. The leader of this group was a former Major League Baseball pitcher. These were manly men! I was dumbfounded.

That was where I learned the most important lesson of my spiritual life. Being a Christian man doesn't take away any of your manly qualities, it only adds more to them.

Manly Man

I think a lot of those stereotypes I had early on have slowly waned over the years. People like Mike Singletary, Reggie White, and this guy on the right have shown you can be both manly and Christian.  That message is getting to the youth of today much easier and clearer than it did to my generation.

But there are problems still out there. Many Christian men still struggle with this balance. Many non-Christian men still see it as losing something rather than gaining something.  The balance of being tough and no-nonsense, lean-mean-fighting-machines and displaying the love Christ commands to us to display is on an intricate scale.

But know that balance can be accomplished. Jesus was the perfect example of this. He was the most loving man ever to walk the earth, but also the mostly manly man as well.

A future post will provide more insight into this Christian manliness, but for now I leave you with this.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14:
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Do everything in love.

God Bless,
Rob
www.starvt.com

New title, new focus...

Hello loyal blog followers (yes, both of you...),

As I embarked to kindle up this little blog about life, my first posts were basically about whatever was on my mind at the time - which was fine with me, but I thought the site needed a little direction.

I didn't want to pound on political pundits.  I can barely keep myself healthy much less tell anyone else too much about it (that is what my son's blog is for, EndunamoomeChristoo).  So what should be the niche of this blog - meaning what is the area of focus?

I reviewed past posts (links to them are to your right if interested in some back stories), and I noticed somewhat of a recurring theme.  It seems little life hacks and advice for sustaining sanity in this crazy, jacked-up world which we all live was a recurring theme.

And then I thought, "Rob, wouldn't that make a good theme.  Stuff I've learned that can help people amongst all the chaos?  Life hacks of some sort?"  (I often converse with myself in third person.  It helps when you need to talk and no one is around - or no one wants to listen.  Hey, maybe I'll blog about that one day...)

Thus, I have changed the title of the blog to "I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane."  (some of you may recognize that as lyrics to a Waylon Jennings song.  Basically my theme song of life. You can check out the video on YouTube here.)

I'm going to feature various things that you may encounter and some of my own tips and tricks for not letting them make you completely bonkers.  To give you an idea, here are some areas I may focus (I may narrow this a bit as time goes on...);

Attacking daily problems from a Christian slant (seeing what the Bible says about issues we all face)

Becoming a Christian Manly Man (Loving Jesus, but remaining a lean, mean, fighting machine.)

Living in our small part of this crazy world (what to do when the headlines are so depressing)

How stupid can people be? (highlight current events with the premise of pointing out how stupid people can be.  That seems a little harsh, but I'll try to make sure there is content there to keep you and me from making the same stupid mistakes.)

Life Hacks for the common man (physical things you can do to make life easier or better.  DIY type of stuff.)

Leadership and Management tips and help for common problems at the workplace (I have over 20 years of leadership experience in the Federal Government - no jokes about that being an oxymoron please - well, I guess if you want to, go ahead I won't mind.)

The point of all this is that it doesn't matter what problems we face, the way we approach them mentally can make all the difference in the world.

I hope you find this shift in focus useful.  If you do, I'd appreciate any comments you might have in the comments section below, share the blog with your friends or anything else you can do to promote it.  Also, feel free to leave any requests, suggestions, or other comments you'd like.



Thanks,
God Bless,
Rob
www.starvt.com

Refs are people too...

"Guilty!" said the judge as he bashed his gavel from up high.  It'll make sense a few paragraphs later...

Monday morning I got up and put my clothes on.  I think I put on my shorts first, then my shirt.  Probably followed by my socks.  I'm not really sure, I hadn't had any coffee yet.  I brushed my teeth, had some breakfast.  Took the kids to school.

I went to work each day.  Put my time in like everyone else.  Solved a few problems; probably created a few of my own on the way.  The weekend came just like always.  Friday night I did the public address at the local high school football game.  Saturday I mowed the lawn.  Sunday I went to church and then watched football.

Nothing special about any of that.  Just a regular guy doing regular things.


See the guys in this picture.  The one on the right is Dave.  Dave's mom recently passed away.  He's been struggling with her loss.

The guy on the far left is Sam.  Sam's doctor told him his blood work did not look good.  He has to go back next week for more tests.

The guy with his arms folded is going through a divorce.  The other guy just lost his full time job.  He doesn't know how he's going to be able to pay the bills.

Not really.  I don't know anything about the guys in this picture.  But all that could be true, you don't from your seat in the bleachers.  One thing I do know, I'm pretty sure the referees at Friday's football game probably had a very similar week to mine.  The major difference between them and me, is that during the football game they get yelled at for their mistakes, I just get to laugh and move on from mine.

I'm sure all referees know this by now.  Don't take any of your family with you when you work a game.  I can't imagine if one of their kids was in the stands watching.  Proud of her father out there doing his best.  Doing it because he loves the game.  Because he loves the atmosphere of the Friday night lights.

Then someone behind starts calling him names.  Shouting obscenities.  Sad.  If they miss a call or don't make one they should, the fans yell at them.  If they did make a call that went against our team, the fans yell at them.

Then again, I guess its understandable, right?  I mean, we never make mistakes ourselves and we shouldn't tolerate mistakes from others.  And I'm sure the real reasons the referees are making those mistakes is some deep rooted attempt to thwart our team's chance at victory.  Right?  They deserve to be harassed and yelled at.  Its only fair.  I mean if we don't get justice in this game... well heck, that just might be the launch point to Armageddon.

Sarcasm.  Thick sarcasm. (for those of you not adept and reading between the lines.)

Here are some questions for you.  Would we yell at them if one was our next door neighbor?  Our Pastor?  Our boss?  I doubt it.  We yell at them because they are a nameless entity that is robbing our poor youth of a fair shake at winning this doggone ball game!  Right.

I'd like to describe an interesting dynamic that I witness from my place in the booth at football games.  One person can sway the mood of an entire crowd.  I've seen this multiple times play out before my eyes.  Last week I saw scientific proof of this human trait on the television show Brain Games.  The show put up some ropes and a sign at a mall.  The sign said, "Line starts here."  Many people looked at the sign, but everyone walked on by.  Then the show had one guy go stand at the front of the imaginary line. Shortly thereafter, two people joined him.  Before long the line had thirty-something people waiting in a line they had no idea the purpose of.  Then, amazingly, the guy at the front led those thirty people around the mall, conga dancing, jumping over obstacles and singing.  Why?  The show said there are natural traits in our brain that like to follow.  We cling to the "accepted" norm of society and jump right in; sometimes without rational thoughts of our own.

So at a sporting event, one person can sway the mood and actions of the crowd (or at least those within a certain proximity).  Normally calm people can suddenly become irate, yelling, belligerent fans because the person near them seems pretty irate that the referee didn't call interference on a particular play.

It's horrible.  I know.  But I'm not preaching at you.  I'm not just pointing out your horrible ways because I'm so perfect.  (reference the first line in the blog) "Guilty!" said the judge to me!  I'm pointing it out because I've been there and done that.  I myself at one time was that ignorant, belligerent fan.  Yes, I said ignorant and belligerent.  Don't try to rationalize it with words of passion, spirit, and support for your team.

But it clicked for me one day the problem I was creating for myself and others.  First, I finally realized the sheer lack of importance of the event itself.  I know you may scoff at that, but what is the real significance of a high school football or basketball game?  College or Pro for that matter as well?  Do small starving children suddenly receive food if your team wins?  Are the homeless suddenly provided shelter with a local victory on the gridiron?  Does tyranny fall apart in defeat if the if we are victorious on the gridiron (or hardwood, or diamond)?  NO.

As a matter of fact, the high school players in the game probably get more out of adversity of bad calls as life lessons than they do anything else to begin with.  "It was a bad call.  Let's overcome it."  Folks, life is tough and it gets a lot harder than high school as you grow older. You are going to get wronged in every aspect.  Your job.  Traffic on the interstate.  Dealing with your insurance agency.  How are you going to react to those things.  Hopefully not like we might do at a football game.  (Can you say road rage or violence in the workplace.)

I also realized the anguish my own actions caused me internally and the cause my actions had on those around me.  I left games angry if it went wrong, happy if it went well.  My mood was controlled by the outcome of a high school game.  When did I allow my emotional stability to be controlled by the athletic prowess of high school kids and men I didn't know wearing zebra outfits?  Was I letting that happen in other aspects of my life?  Were events totally outside my control driving the flavor of my mood?  I think they were.  I had lost control of myself - and yourself is actually the only thing in this world you can control.  Eeek!

I finally conceded that they aren't Spartans fighting for our very existence.  So I made a conscious effort to change my behavior.  It took a while.  I started wearing headphones to games and just listening to music while I watched.  I couldn't hear the other ignorance going on around me.  I just watched the plays and let what I thought were bad calls slide - gritting my teeth of course.  I even let great plays by my team go without response as well.  I tried to remove my emotions from the event.  I told myself it doesn't matter what happens during the game.  The sun will rise tomorrow.  The wind will blow in Texas.  God will still love you.

Eventually I created a calmer behavior in myself during sporting events.  I can watch without getting all emotionally wrapped up in them.  I can recognize a bad call without it ripping my guts apart as some form of global injustice.  I see it as it truly is.  Part of life.  Sure bad calls still bother me, but when I'm faced with them I try to look at the referee as a person with a family that might be in the stands, or with his/her own personal problems to deal with.

Here is a point for you to ponder...  I'm sure all of you have seen some of the videos and things pushing the anti-bullying campaigns.  Bullying sucks.  Plain and simple.  But what is the difference between yelling and harassing a referee and bullying?  (remember, don't rationalize.  Look at the core problem with both).

I hope this perspective will bleed into other parts of your life as well.  Being stuck in traffic will just be time to reflect on your thoughts.  Having to constantly battle with the insurance company will be just another task that day.  Your mood will improve.  You might even find your acid reflux subsides a bit.

Treat others as you would like to be treated.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Remember, refs are people too.

God Bless,
Rob
www.starvt.com

Planned Parenthood

Just reading the title probably got your full attention. 

Before you begin licking your chops in anticipation of either attacking my position or lauding praises upon me, throttle back. I don't want to declare who is right or who is wrong. I don't want a heated debate (unless it occurs solely within the confines of your own noggin).  I don't want to have an argument over which Bible verses condemn abortion.  I don't want to hear about a woman's right to do what she pleases with her body. I don't want to try and determine when life starts. Instead, I merely want to ask you, "what if?" and give you a multiple choice test (don't worry it will be a short one).

I've contemplated  about this post for a long while. I have often thought about what to say, whether to quote Bible verses, which political stance to take, or whether I should just leave my big trap shut.  However, I feel the time has come to share some thoughts. Just some. 

First, have you seen any of those "ice bucket" challenges for ALS awareness? I know, silly question right? They are all over the Interweb and the news.  While those viral types of promotions are good, (and I even did it myself) if all they do is raise awareness, what really has been accomplished? Not much. Sure, everyone is now more aware of ALS, but what has been done to really help the cause. The point is, there has to be donations or other tangible acts of support for real change to take effect.

I see a similarity to that ALS challenge and the abortion and Planned Parenthood debate. I hear many passionate people talking and writing about how wrong it is or how right it is.  The line seems to be drawn equally across society, just like every other major issue in this country (guns, immigration, gay marriage, take your pick).  "Spreading the word," they say.  "Letting people know what the Bible says," they say. "Protecting women's rights," they say. 

Awareness. That's all we are really doing. Trying to raise awareness.  Both sides are equally guilty.  But is awareness what Jesus wants?

I'll ask you to look up this entire verse, Luke 10:25-37. It is the Good Samaritan parable that also contains the Love Commandment (that's what I call it). 

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself."

[SIDEBAR: In Matthew 22, Jesus refers to this as the first and great commandment.  It is also in Mark and Deuteronomy.  There are several in John that are similar.  1 John has many verses around Love. Paul said "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."  (Do you see the pattern?)]

But please don't assume you know the story, go read it. In the parable Jesus leads the lawyer to answer his own question regarding what makes a 'neighbor'?  The lawyer confesses that it is the one who actually helped the person who had been mugged. Regardless of religious affiliation, ethnicity, nationality, or even political beliefs. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor. So again, I ask, is that what Jesus wants?  Awareness? 

Can you imagine if the Samaritan said, "Oh look innkeeper!  Are you aware that this poor man has been beaten and lie dying in the street?"

On your own judgement day, what will you say?  "Jesus, I tried to tell them that they were disobeying God.  They just didn't listen."  

What if he asks you, "But what did you actually do?"

You'll reply, "I tried to save the unborn children."

He may answer, "And what did you do to save my child who stood directly before you?" 

(Note that the word "save" in the previous two sentences has a different meaning in each.)

What if each side, instead of voicing their opinions and claiming the other to be wrong, did something out of pure love for the other?

What if, instead of  a person protesting Planned Parenthood by waving signs and shouting so that they could so desperately try to convince others they are wrong, that person instead volunteered to pay the hospital bills and take in the newborn baby as their own?

What if Planned Parenthood was flooded by Christian families and churches that were willing to take on the costs and responsibilities of raising the child.  Every child. 

What if the Christian community started their own organization called "Unplanned Parenthood"?  And the goal was to offer services that help these women, provided healthcare and support, and ensured that the mother felt the love of Christ. It could make sure, beyond a doubt, that the mother would have every opportunity afforded her to make a sound choice. 

There are some people and groups who try to do just that. And I wish I was more like them.  But Jesus didn't say some should. He said everyone should. He said to love your neighbor. He told the lawyer that was the path to eternal life (along with loving God). He didn't tell the lawyer the path to eternal life was making others obey His commands. I know we are to spread the Gospel and make disciples, but are we accomplishing that by banging people over the head?  Are we supposed to force our beliefs on others?  I've heard hundreds of people say "I led someone to Christ". I've never heard anyone say "I forced someone to Christ"

I modified this tweet from a friend of mine (which does not mean he endorses this blog - but I thought it fit), "Our goal is not to prove the world wrong or to prove ourselves right, but to love others and make Jesus famous. Not infamous."

A prominent DFW Baptist Pastor said, "We can not fight secular battles with Biblical principles."

Both are absolutely right. I can not take the Texas Drivers Handbook to London and prove to them they drive on the wrong side of the road. It doesn't work. And Jesus didn't tell us to do that. He told us to Love our neighbor first. Are we doing that? How many people look at the Christian side of the debate and say, "they are so chocked full of love."

Now before you start on me, I am a realist. Will we all love like that? Probably not. If we all did love like that, would it solve all the problems? No it wouldn't. But remember, Jesus didn't say to solve all the problems. He told us each to love one another.

So I promised you some "what if?" questions.  Check. 
And I promised you a multiple choice test.  Here's your test.

When faced on judgement day, and asked, "What did you do?" Will your answer be;

a) I raised awareness 
     or 
b) I took action out of love

Check.

Till next week folks! Feel free to comment, but do so out of love!

Rob
www.starvt.com