Thank You For Your Service

Today is Memorial Day.  We gloss over the meaning of today.  It is a day off, a chance to get outside and enjoy.  But it is a day of remembering those who gave their lives in service for our country.  Whenever Debsue comes across a serviceman whether it is in the airport or on the street somewhere, she always thanks them for their service.  Sometimes she gets odd looks because it is so rare for someone to come up to them and actually thank them for their sacrifice for our country.  We take it for granted.  Most times once they get past the shock of her stating that, they are appreciative of her comment.  It used to make me uncomfortable, but now I am very glad she does it.  We all take for granted the freedoms we have in this country and what it took for us to have those freedoms. 

Thank you for your service!

A Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3 says our hope is a living hope.  My hope is alive and I base my life on it.  What is interesting is that the living hope is based on the resurrection.  That means it required death to be made alive.  That is why Paul says in 1st Corinthians 15 that without the resurrection, we have no hope.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead gave us our living hope.  This verse goes on to say that the hope is tied up in an inheritance which cannot perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for us.  As I have gotten older, the concept of perishing, spoiling, or fading is much more real.  But what is happening in heaven is a reservation at the Ritz (John 14:1-3).  It is totally and completely pure and unstained.  And it is in the perfect tense so it continues to be made unspoiled.  Now there is work on our part - the faith part.  Verse 5 says it is through faith that I come into this living hope and the inheritance will be revealed "in the last time".  Peter was addressing this to Christians who had suffered lots of trials.  Some of us are experiencing trials, but there is much more than we see.  We see Jesus, a living hope. 

Lebron Hype

We here in the city of Cleveland are overwhelmed by the Lebron soap opera.  Will he sign?  In the sports page, they are publishing every day the latest rumors.  It is really picking up as the Cavs now have fired their coach Mike Brown.  I am as big a fan as any out there, but really so what?  If we gave as much attention to the other problems in our city as we do the Lebron saga, maybe we could accomplish a lot more.  I recognize the importance of having a superstar in your city, especially one that is home grown - I get that.  But for crying out loud - let's put it in its perspective.   Will life go on if Lebron leaves?  If he leaves, he will follow a well established pattern of players leaving for the mega cities such as LA, Chicago, and New York.  After all, Cleveland is not the big stage.  Pro sports is big business, not true sport.  Lebron says he has to council with his "team" before signing.  He wasn't referring to his sports team, but his agent, his marketing firm, etc.  Kevin Garnett supposedly told him "do what is best for your family".  Sounds rather silly - do I stay and make 30 million in Cleveland or go and make 30 million in New York?  I am sure his family will make do either way.  

Lebron, I have followed you since you were 14 here in Akron.  You have showed some decent maturity for one so young who was anointed a superstar at such a young age (although please marry the woman that you have two children with).  I hope you factor in what it really means to be a hometown guy.  If you don't, well then good for you and your family and we wish you well.  And life in Cleveland will go on.

A Hope that is Certain

I have started a little mini-study on hope as revealed in the Bible.  Hope is one of those words that sounds really wishy washy.  When we hope for something, there is no real assurance that it will happen.  It is kind of a wing and a prayer.  A while back a guy published a sales book called "Hope is not a Strategy".  Great book.  I tell our co-workers all the time that hope is not a strategy.  We can't hope for something without fixing the conditions that make it happen.

In the bible, however, hope is a much more active term.  When we put our hope in what God says, it is as good as done.  I never really thought about that difference.  Yes, our hope is certain.  Read through the references of hope in Christ.  For example, Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".  I don't usually think of hope and sure or certain in the same sentence.  Romans 5:5 says that hope does not disappoint us.  I know many times in my daily life, I hope for something and that hope disappoints.  I really hoped for the Cavs to win an NBA championship this year and I was severely disappointed.  But my hope was not grounded in something that is certain.   My hope in God is absolutely grounded in what is certain.  It is as good as done.  It does test our faith however because we don't see it and it is yet to come.  So while it is certain, we still must have faith to believe it.

In future posts, we will unpack this truth.  At least, I sure hope so. 

Sorry I Misspoke

Attorney General and Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal conceded last week that he had "misspoken" about having fought in the Vietnam War.  Blumenthal, the state's top law enforcement officer since 1991, was captured on video in 2008 saying in a speech, "when I served in Vietnam."  Blumenthal, 64, enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1970 after receiving deferments from the military draft, he said at a news conference. He spent six years in the Reserve, none of it overseas. 

"On a few occasions I have misspoken about my service and I regret that and I take full responsibility," said Blumenthal, surrounded by veterans. "But I will not allow anyone to take a few misplaced words and impugn my record of service to our country."

The definition of misspoke is to speak mistakenly, inappropriately, or rashly.  Was he mistaken?   I doubt that?  He knew what he was saying - this wasn't an exaggeration.  He stated he served in Vietnam.  It certainly is inappropriate because he flat out lied.   This is yet another example of double-speak we see from politicians, particularly lawyer politicians.  Have you ever been caught in a lie?  Sounds bad to say, "Yes, I lied!"  Sounds better to say, "I misspoke".  No sir, you lied.  Admit it.

Introducing Meghan Cutherell

Yesterday, I gave away a daughter and gained a son-in-law.  Today as Debbie describes is a celebration hangover.  It has nothing to do with alcohol (which was very minimal).  As the father and participant in this wonderful wedding and evening celebration, it is just a natural letdown to come to today.  Meghan and Josh hopefully are finally off on their honeymoon after I know some flight difficulties today.

It seems like just yesterday this little girl was born.  And now, she is married.  That is bitter-sweet.  But what is really sweet however is that we gained just a great son-in-law, Josh.  We also gained some wonderful new relatives who we have gotten to know in the past few weeks.  Josh compliments Meghan well and more importantly, I know both are committed to a holy marriage - a marriage centered in Jesus Christ.  Both are servants who love to help and serve people in the name of Jesus.  Josh comes from a multi-generational family of medical missionaries.  We know God has great plans for them.

I am sure Debsue will give a much more detailed update on her blog complete with pictures.  I will be posting videos onto Facebook as I go through them.  In the meantime, following is the tribute video I played at the reception.

What God Wants is to be Believed

Then they despised the pleasant land

they did not believe his promise

Psalm 106:24

Covenant occurs three times within this psalm.  A covenant is a promise.  For most of us, a promise is a better word than covenant for covenant suggests a bargain and God's covenants are established apart from anything we have brought to the table.  A promise on the other hand is a unilateral covenant God has made.  On the other hand, we tend to treat promises lightly and God does not treat his promises lightly.  So maybe the better word is oath or solemn commitment.  God makes a solemn commitment to Abraham that is extended to us through faith.  

So the only thing we do is to believe or not believe.  Do we believe God?  Boice says what God wants most from us to be believed.  That really struck me and something I have really meditated on and the Holy Spirit is really convicting me on.  Do I really believe God?  Do I really trust God?  It is a real stretch when things are going bad to really trust God.  I have a relationship with the living God who really does care for me.  There is nothing going on in my life that God does not know about it.  I have an advocate, Jesus who is constantly interceding for me.  That same advocate has experienced all the same trials and temptations I have had.  

This is a really stressful time in our life but I know in the midst of it, there is joy that is so unspeakable.  Through brokenness comes beauty. 

P.S. - I will be taking a break from the study of the Psalms for a little while.  Will be coming back to it shortly.

Remembering 25 Years

Today marks the 25th anniversary of my marriage to Debbie Sue.  Her blog probably summarizes it a whole lot better than I possibly could.  I fall more in love with this woman every day.  She is so unique and special.  It could only be a God thing.  The human body atrophies and clearly you can look at our pictures and see that yes 25 years takes its toll (although I think we have preserved well and try to take care of ourselves).  However, relationships grow and deepen and ours clearly has.  You learn to appreciate so much about the other person and think less about their faults.  I think I would be so incomplete without her and she has been used by God to complete me.  Without her, I would have no appreciation for so many things.  Hanging out with her is a blast.  We have so much fun together.  Even though we have had many stresses, we have grown through them in our love for each other.  God is such a great God.  His way is for ourselves to be changed from the inside out so we can enjoy the covenant relationship we signed up for.  In so doing, God doubly blesses a marriage because He changes you for the better and deepens your marriage to honor Him.  Thank you Lord for Debbie and our marriage! 

Biking is a Blast

I have been cycling now for a number of years.  Last year I put nearly 1000 miles on my bike.  Now I run/walk to stay in shape, but I bike because I love it.  Especially in the last few years where it feels like I am not fighting the bike.  It is kind of like the runners high (or so they tell me, I never had a runners high) where you literally are working along with the bike and your body and the bike feel like a single machine.  Hard to say in words but I think cyclists probably know what I am talking about.  Biking is a blast because you actually can go somewhere.  I have a number of rides - my typical short ride is 15 miles and my typical longer ride is 20-30 miles.  I have gone as much as 50 in a single day, but that is unusual.  I typically go about 15-16 MPH on average.  Some people are much more advanced than I am and go much further and much faster.  Our pastor, Joe Coffey is an absolute machine on the bike and I could never keep up with him and probably would have trouble even drafting him.  Part of the joy in biking is seeing the scenery.  We live in a beautiful area and my typical ride takes me through farmlands.  I really enjoy the sounds and the smells of the area.  I typically stop at Sunnywood Lake in Aurora on my way back and just listen, meditate, and pray.  I am learning to really appreciate sounds - normally I am brain dead when it comes to sounds.  But that is another post. The pinnacle of biking is the long downhill slope where you just feel the exhilaration as you edge your bike up in speed.  I like it better than the sharp downhill because you really contribute to the speed you get.  The opposite is the long slow uphill.  I have learned to enjoy this more - used to dread it.  

As High as the Heavens

He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve

nor rewarded us according to our iniquities

For as high as the heavens are above the earth

so great is his lovingkindness towards those who fear him

As far as the east is from the west

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:10-12

We have an expression we use often - it is deep and wide.  It is meant to express cross-sectional boundless limits.  We often associate it with God's forgiveness.  One side is that we are completely, unequivocally forgiven if we accept God's grace gift through Jesus sacrifice.  Sins are literally taken separate from us like from one end of the horizon to the other.  Past, present, and future sins are dealt with.  They are all treated the same - they are removed from us.  God's lovingkindness is boundless, it is limitless.  But only to those who fear him.  That is tied to the forgiveness issue.  You can't experience God's love without experiencing his forgiveness.  The two are mutually intertwined.  Similarly, you can't put love limits on a God who went to unimaginable limits to forgive us.  The two are a package deal.  With forgiveness, you get love.  Without forgiveness, there can't be love because we have rejected forgiveness.  Take advantage of the this packaged deal today.  It is for a limited time only!

My Shriveled Cleveland Sports Heart (Again!)

How many times must Cleveland sports fans be kicked in the teeth.  As my bride indicated in her blog today , I am finally weaning myself of Cleveland sports.  You follow a team like the Cavs all year long thinking is this the year?  Then disappointment.  I am not swearing off sports on the tube entirely, just a fanatical interest in the local teams.  I really loved watching the Cavs the last couple of seasons and truly Lebron is a great player.  But there is something in the Cleveland water that makes these teams falter when it really counts.  Why play 82 games a year if all it means is you get home court advantage which the Cavs clearly didn't benefit from? 

I walked into Panera this morning and I said how are you doing to the store manager.  She said not so good in light of the Cavs.  I asked her if she considered closing the store in mourning.  She laughed. 

I think there are things I can do better with my wasted time watching my local sports teams.  Like ride a bike, read a book, watch a movie, socialize with friends, etc.  Life goes on.  I feel better already.

Political Correctness

I am really tired of political correctness.  You see it every day where we constantly have to watch over our shoulders for what we say.  I stand the risk of irritating the few people who actually read my blog so I am even going to be politically correct now. 

One of the latest rounds of political correctness is Gordon Brown apparently called a woman who questioned him on immigration and he called her a bigot to someone privately and the microphones picked it up.  See below.



Give me a break!  You can't call someone a name in a private conversation?  He felt he needed to apologize for this?   When will it stop.  We see this all the time.  We are not robots.  It is part of being human.  I am not saying be insensitive intentionally, but I for one am tired of the stupid standards that someone else sets.  Does Gordon Brown really feel bad for what he said?  As much as I think he is a total goofball, I admire Joe Biden.  He says what is on his mind no matter how off the wall it is.  I would much rather have that than the double-speak that comes out of most of these politicians on both sides of the aisle. 

The 52 Week Vacation Job

When a person looks for a job, one of the first things they are drawn to is the benefits package.  What are the benefits of joining your organization?  That is the question we might ask before we would ever consider joining a company.  Once we join, we would constantly ask ourselves are the benefits worth the cost and toil of belonging to that organization.  Is it worth it?  Do we identify with its purpose and calling?  Imagine if someone asked you to join an organization and gave you the best benefits package you could ever imagine and the only thing the owner asks of you is that you rest in the work that the owners son has already done and continues to do.  It is the job that requires a 52 week vacation.  

You see where I am going with this.  Psalm 103:1-5 is the job description, but it only lists the benefits section.  Some of us would have a hard time with that - and feel we must work for the benefits.  Others of us would think it just is too good a deal to be true.  A 52 week vacation for the rest of my life?  Nahh, I'll pass.

The primary benefit - the base salary so to speak is forgiveness.  My iniquities are forgiven - I am made whole spiritually.  Verse 4 says I am redeemed from the pit.  Imagine if you applied for a job and you had up to your eyeballs in debt.  The owner not only offers to you the job, but he says that he will wipe out the debt you had accumulated.  We would know that is over the top.  No one in their right mind would expect that.  Maybe he offers me a salary package and I have to work out my own debt, but for him to pay off my existing debt that I screwed up generating would be way off the charts.  Verse 4 says I am lifted from a pit.  No one every climbs out of a pit.  A pit implies no way of getting out unless someone lifts us out.  God takes us out of the pit and puts us back on solid ground. 

The rest of verse 4 and all of verse 5 are the fringe benefits of accepting the position with no responsibilities and all benefits.  I receive lovingkindness and compassion.  The owner not only pays my debts, gives me my base salary, but he gives me the kind of fringe package that I could never possibly imagine.  There is a software company in Northeast Ohio that everyone wants to work for.  It has a barber shop, a masseuse, a pool table, a gourmet cafeteria, and numerous other benefits.  The fringes almost outweigh the base package.  God's fringe benefits are his unlimited love and compassion.  He adopts us into his family - think prodigal son who not only accepts his wayward son but gives him the best robe and kills the fatted calf.  Verse 5 may be the best fringe of all.  It is an intangible benefit.  God satisfies your years with good things so that you are renewed!  I have a daughter getting married in a few weeks and it has just renewed me.  I get a new son-in-law!  It is reflection - it is renewal.  Maybe it is a beautiful sunset or hearing the birds singing in the morning.  So many little intangibles God blesses us with. 


I was wrong earlier.  The owner does want us to do something.  His sole requirement of you is that you let others know of the same deal.   Would you hoard the 52 week vacation deal to yourself or would you want to tell others about it?  Wouldn't you do it? 

It Only Takes A Moment...

... to ruin a reputation. Lawrence Taylor is the latest athlete (or former athlete) to commit an immoral act that sullies his reputation. Before that we had just in the last six months Tiger Woods and Ben Roethlisberger. These were men that had worked so hard to be good in their craft, to build an image only to see it crashing down. Let's not forget about the families or the wives of these men who suffered public embarrassment and ruined the trust they had. Now, it can be done that an image can be restored. Remember Marv Albert, one of my favorite announcers (having grown up in NJ - we heard him do the Knicks, Jets, etc.) and his indescretions a few years back. He has regained his reputation, but it took years.

What causes men to do to have a catastrophic moral meltdown? What causes a Tiger Woods to have so many affairs? Is it a feeling of invincibility? Is it a feeling of entitlement? Is it the lack of a personal guilt (except when caught)? Is it a lack of accountability? It is all of the above. Each of us should know that we are just a moment away from catastrophic moral meltdown. I am keenly aware of my flesh patterns that could lead me away. I can think of many moments where a next step here, a next step there could lead to the meltdown. In fact, I am most scared when I am most judgmental of others. 1 Corinthians 10:12 serves as a warning - "Whoever thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall". If I had the same power and fame, would I fall into the same moral pit? This warning also implies what I would do to others if I fall morally. I would undo years and years of trust, reliability, and integrity both in those I love and in those that trust me. Is it worth it?

Holiness of God

God cannot be like you or me.  He is holy.  Getting your mind around that is difficult.

According to Boice, God's holiness involves at least the following four attributes:

1. Majesty - dignity, sovereign power, grandeur
2. Will - a personal and active personality rather than abstract and passive.
3. Wrath - is part of holiness because it is natural and proper stance of the holy God and all that opposes him.
4. Righteousness - the perfect moral character and will of God.

When confronted with the holiness of God, Isaiah had his encounter with the holy God, he said "Woe to me, I am ruined".  Peter's encounter with the holiness of Christ is to say "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man".   Psalm 99:1 says the nations tremble.  

Sometimes I think we flippantly think of God as this heavenly Grandpa that totally lacks understanding of his perfect holiness.  The reactions in Psalm 100 are interesting:

v. 3 - Let them praise your great and awesome name - he is holy!
v. 5 - Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool - he is holy!
v.9 - Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

Boice makes the point that the last verse says our God is holy.  God needs to be our God.  But how does a holy God become our God since we cannot be holy?  How do we connect with him?  Only one way - through forgiveness.  I can approach a holy and righteous God solely through atonement and forgiveness.  Only the forgiven can worship at the holy mountain!

Max and the Blue Toy

Here is blog number 3 on our dog Max, the wonder-dog.  Max loves to play.  But Max is not like one of those slobbering dogs that thinks every time is play time.  No, no Max actually is very observant and careful not to disrupt our evening meal.  He kind of hangs around observing us as to when we actually finish the meal.  He will even give us time for conversation.  Then he looks for some kind of signal - maybe a pause in the conversation, maybe a glance in his direction - maybe a verbal acknowledgment.  Then he gets it - the blue toy.  It is his play time.  Not during dinner - after dinner.

Dogs are color blind so I'm told, but we have tried to help Max through identifying this particular toy.  The other ones make too much noise or he has a hard time gripping them.  The blue toy is that perfect blend of quiet and functionality.  Max is like the Cleveland Indians.  He makes spectacular over the shoulder catches, but muffs the easy ones.  When he was younger, you could never fake him out.  The border collie in him was riveted to your hand.  But like a lot of us, when he got older, concentration was an issue.  Now you can easily fake him out.  Not as bad as our previous lab who was a sucker for the fake out.  Max usually isn't faked out twice.  Anyway here is a snippet of the blue toy.

The Lord Reigns

Psalm 97 leads off with those words.  Reign refers to God's sovereignty.  God is all-knowing and all-powerful.  Can you imagine if he weren't?  He wouldn't be God then.  There is no other greater attribute of God than this.

The world is not spiraling into oblivion.  God is in charge.  There is nothing he does not know about.  Yes, this world is spoiled by sin, but it is not apart from his knowledge.  God does not cause catastrophe but he uses it for his purposes.  Can good come from the Haiti and Chile earthquakes?  Yes.  Can good come out of West Virginia coal mining disaster?  Yes.  Can good come out of wars and strife?  Yes.

If we do not believe that, then this world comes down to a series of random events.  We have a God who reigns.  Aren't you glad?

I Was Late Due To Global Warming

Global Warming is one of those things that evokes a strong reaction from a lot of people.  Personally, I believe it is junk science, but what do I know?  It got on a roll and was hard to stop a few years back.  Anyway, someone took the time (lots of time) to find out all of the bad things attributed to global warming.  Some of the things on cursory read are:

• acne
• tigers eat people
• UFO sightings
• sexual promiscuity
• short-nosed dogs
• frog with extra heads
• killer cornflakes
• rape wave
• shrimp sex problems

 Click here for a complete list.