Sharing the Earth With All of Our Friends

Being out in the country, away from the modern conveniences and interruptions of modern-day life can be such a refreshing experience. I am currently staying at an encampment that is at least ten miles from any city. One cannot help but see all of the insects, birds, and living creatures that surround you in a place like this. I took a short walk yesterday afternoon and saw probably three to four grasshoppers for every step I took. It's amazing how much life is here, when you stop and take a look.

Experiences like this remind us that these types of beings have been here much longer than we are . . . and they will continue to be here long after we no longer roam the earth. That should give us caution when we too carelessly bulldoze and develop this earth of ours. We need to do things like that in a way that is mindful of what is already here.

It's easy to get frustrated at animals and critters that cause us to swerve when we drive on the road. But those animals, and their ancestors, were most likely traveling along that same path for years before we ever tried to put a road there. There's nothing wrong with development and growth, in and of itself. But we would do well to remember that we share this earth . . . and that along with the right to cultivate things, we have a responsibility to do it the right way.

One-Liners

For whatever reason, I have come to appreciate people who can come up with good one-liners. Sure, I look to people who have good advice or thoughts on a varieties of subjects and issues. But of late, I am drawn towards the people who seem to not talk all the time but when they do, you listen because you know it'll be good.

I am preaching at a youth camp this week. And one of the adult leaders (a 70 year-old preacher who is an adult youth summer camp leader, nonetheless! So no one can say they are too old to work with youth!) has come up with two of the best one-liners I have heard in a while:

*You can call me what you want . . . just don't call me late for dinner.

*I'm feel as out of place as a ham steak at a Bar Mitzvah.

That's good stuff.

Trespasses, Debts, Sins . . . Which Is It???

I have recited the Lord's Prayer in a number of different places, in a number of different settings, at lots of different times. From worship services to gym locker rooms (yes, I remember saying the Lord's Prayer as a junior high basketball team before a game--strange, on a number of levels), I know me some Lord's Prayer. "Our Father, who art in heaven. . . " I could say it in my sleep.

The part that is really interesting to me is: "Lord, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespasses against us." Or is it "our debts?"

We were at a church in Georgia for four years. We said the Lord's Prayer together every Sunday morning. I got used to the way we said it. Then we moved to Huntsville. And yep, we say it together every Sunday morning. Only we have a different word for trespasses/debts than what I had gotten used to. So, yes, that has taken some getting used to.

I am preaching at a youth camp this week. We recited the Lord's Prayer tonight. Instead of trespasses . . . or debts . . . I heard many people gathered together here tonight say: "sins (and those who have sinned against us)."

Okay, let's all get on the same page. We all need to decide what we're going to use. I don't care what it is we use: whether trespasses, debts, sins, whatever. But someone just decide it and tell everyone, including me. Then we can all say the Lord's Prayer together . . . the same way . . . and it will be beautiful and sweet and all that sappy stuff.

The reality, of course, is that our different wording for what we are asking God to forgive us of shows the variety within the Christian faith. God created us that way. And it's beautiful. Unfortunately, too many within the Christian faith demand uniformity. But God has been calling us away from that from the beginning, from the creation stories, from the Tower of Babel, and on and on and on. We're created different and unique. And that's good.

So next time I recite the Lord's Prayer with others, maybe I shouldn't get frustrated when the person beside me uses a word different than me. I need to fight that temptation to stand up and declare that we all need to pick the same word and stick with it. We can all use different words. And that's okay.

Seeing Life Through Jane's Eyes

For the past couple of months, our dog, Jane, and I have made a routine out of walking early in the morning. I have come to enjoy that time. It's often before many people are up and on the road. Lots of time, it's just she and I out there walking the streets of Huntsville. There are two main routes we take, though lately we have been taking the same one everyday.

Jane doesn't care where we go. She knows the routes, the turns, the people and dogs we will see and hear. But she loves it. She is thrilled with doing the same thing over and over again. She gets such a rush out of these seemingly, small, simple things, along with the major highs of the day, like barking and whining at dogs that pass by our house.

It really is a beautiful thing and an encouragement & challenge to me. Lots of stuff happens throughout our days. But when we take the time, patience, and determination to see beauty and wonder in the seemingly small, mundane, regular things and rhythms of our day, the days and weeks and months of our lives can really be enriched. There is much beauty and much to learn from our everyday happenings and events.

I guess dogs really are human's best friends.

Everybody Hurts

Last night, we turned on the television a little after 7:00. It was on NBC from something we watched earlier in the day. The show that was currently on was "Whitney." I really don't know much about the show. I have heard of it. It may be a great show. But at that particular time, it was really annoying. Seemed like a mid-20s girl probably living in NYC, complaining about life. Had no stomach for that. So I turned it. To anything besides that show.

The TV flipped to the ESPYs. I didn't really want to watch it. But it was better than Whitney to occupy the time it took us to find something else on. I've never really understood the ESPYs. Does the sports industry really need an awards show? It has always seemed like an attempt by ESPN to Hollywood sports. Sports doesn't need that. Anyway, I digress.

The ESPYs were just coming on, so they were showing the top plays of the year. The second thing we saw was Neftali Feliz on the mound, David Freese in the batter's box, and Joe Buck declaring, "The Texas Rangers are one strike away from their first World Series Championship." We all know what happens next.

I'm still not over it. I may never be. Anytime someone mentions or shows clips from that game, I have to turn it. Immediately. By now, I have seen replays of the play: the Cruz miss, Feldman giving up the home run, all that stuff. I still don't understand how it happened. But perhaps more importantly, I'm still not okay with it.

I wonder how long it took Red Sox fans to get over the ball squirting between Buckner's legs in '86. I think that might be the only thing that compares with the feeling of the ball going right over Cruz's glove. I want to be over it. But that's going to take years. And that's okay. We, or at least I know that I do, try to rush through tramatic events, things that shake our very core, our very being.

People who have lost loved ones (which yes, I know, far eclipses a sports event) do not need to be told things like: "It's okay." "He/she is in a better place." "Time will heal." Those things may be true, to some extent. But what they really need to hear is things like: "I'm here for you." "This stinks."

We surely do need to take steps to get over things. But we can't just get over it because we want to. We have to allow things to run their course. The reality is there are some things we will never completely get over. I don't care if the Rangers win it all at some point or win 27 World Series Championships. I'll never get over that feeling of what happened last year. And there is nothing that will ever make it feel better. That simply is the way it is.
As the R.E.M. song says: "Everybody hurts sometimes."

Thoughts on the Rangers' Second Half

While the first half of the season was not exactly what we all expected for the Texas Rangers, we are still 4 games up in the West as the second half begins. For those of us who are life-long Rangers fans and have endured years of losing, we have to be content with where we are. Some thoughts on the next 76 games:

*Offense has to pick up the slack. It's no secret that we would be running away with the West right now if our offense simply played to their abilities (there's no telling where we would be if they were above their abilities). Shutouts, one-run, and two-run games simply will not get it done, regardless of how well the pitching staff does.

*Don't sell the farm this year. Two years ago, we gave up a lot to get Cliff Lee. I applauded that then. And I still applaud it today. We were at a spot where we had never been before: one pitcher away from putting us over the top. And he did put us over the top in 2010 (Even though he shook off the pitch selection from the dugout in the 8th inning of WS Game 5 to give up a 3-run game-winning home run. I'm not bitter or anything.). But I do not think we are in a spot where Hamels or Greinke will not improve our pitching staff enough to give up valuable prospects this year. We are where we want to be: contenders every year. We stay that way by continuing to do what got us here: investing heavily in the farm system. The only profitable trade I see out there is Justin Upton if, and only if, we can get him to put ink on an extension with us. That would give us insurance for when we lose Hamilton to free agency this year. An expiring contract, particularly for a pitcher, is not something that we need to take on.

*Feliz will be the difference. I truly believe that what we do with Feliz once he returns from the DL will be an X-factor of sorts for our year. I do not know where he belongs. But what we do with him, be it the rotation or the bullpen, will have great impact, not only upon him but upon the feelings of whoever he replaces in the rotation or in the bullpen. We can blame Cruz all we want for not catching the ball in Game 6 last year. But Feliz was the reason we were in that position to need a great catch from Cruz. The dude is fragile. But we need him. And we need him to be in the right place, in the right frame of mind.

*No World Series does not mean failure. Bandwagon Rangers fan know nothing but the World Series, since we have played in it for the last two years. Taking a look at perennial postseason times, like the '90s-early '00s Braves, shows us that success does not always equal a spot in the WS. So stinkin' much can happen once you reach the playoffs. I believe the Rangers will make the playoffs, be it through the West or through the wild card. But the idea that nothing short of a World Series championship is a failure this year is ludicrous.

We'll see what happens. Rangers fans, keep your head up and on straight this second half, even during losing streaks. It's a long season and 76 games still to go. Believe in Wash. Believe in Jon Daniels. And believe that ultimately, the best team wins. Let's hope we're the last team . . . and the best team standing.

Rockin' Some Bobby D

I was mowing the yard this morning, listening to my iPod. A Bob Dylan song came on; and it hit me: the craziness of being able to load any song I can get my hands on onto my music device is really, well crazy. Sure, in our day and age, being able to download songs onto iTunes is really not that big of a deal. But not that many years ago, I would have had to have gone to great lengths to be able to get my hands on a Bob Dylan album.

I can remember when Music Phone started (at least I think that's what its name was). You could call a number and preview any album, to potentially purchase it. So my friends and I would call up Music Phone and listen to random artists that we had always wondered about. I can remember listening to Peter Frampton because I had always seen him on late-night infomercials and had wondered exactly what his music sounded like. The idea of Music Phone was amazing. Today, it's ancient and, in a way, silly.

The world really is changing before our eyes. I have heard it said that the world has changed (technologically, etc.) more in the last 15-20 years than it had for hundreds of years before that, due largely to the internet. I cannot say for sure if that is entirely correct. But there's definitely something to it. One really has to stay on top of the ever-changing world of technology, computers, and social media, lest they be left behind.

For some, that is a call to be afraid, to fear what's coming around the corner and their ability to stay up with the times. But I think we would do well to look at changes for what they are: simply changes. Change is inevitable. And if viewed wholistically and with optimism, change can be positive and enriching. We can't stop change, even if we wanted to. So we might as well expect it and embrace it.

As Bob Dylan said, "The times, they are a changing."

Have it Your Way

People who demand to have it their way is what tends to make the headlines in news. That's unfortunate. Whether it's Dwight Howard demanding to be traded from his basketball team (after recently opting in to the last year of his contract) . . . or politicians refusing to go along with a law that they just can't repeal or defeat (both sides, in all forms of government) . . . the news is filled with people who just can't take "no" for an answer.

I think in this respect Burger King has it wrong. We would do well to hear more stories of people who understand they can't have everything their way. Stories like teachers who keep on giving it their all, day after day, when their benefits and compensation are continually cut. Stories like enlisted soldiers who fight in wars that they don't agree with. Stories like athletes who prepare, train, and play to the best of their ability for teams that they know most likely do not stand a chance of being successful.

I have heard a story of a seminary professor who would always end his letters/responses in a very curious, humble way. He would often receive letters from students who disagreed with him, be it over theological matters or grading issues. He always took the time to explain himself or his stance at length. But he would end his response with the phrase: "But you may be right."

He surely believed in what he was saying. But he was humble enough to realize that he didn't have it all figured out, that he couldn't always have it his way. What an encouragement and challenge. If we dealt with people and issues in our lives in the same way, it could have an incredible impact upon the way we live our lives..

Getting in Touch With Our Feelings

There are so many forces calling us away from paying attention to our feelings and our emotions. Sure, many times our emotions can cause us to get in the way of ourselves, overemphasizing what we are feeling. But for the most part, we do not do a good job of tapping into the power of the subconscious, what lies beneath.

We rob ourselves from experiencing all that life has to answer when we suppress and push our feelings down, so that we don't have to deal with them. The truth of the matter, of course, is that our feelings will always affect us. What's at play is whether we our identify them and try to get a grasp on/of them or allow them to control us without our paying heed to them. We would do well to embrace our emotions, the positive, happy ones, as well as the negative, sad ones . . . and everything in between. Only by identifying how we feel and what causes us to feel that way will we truly live.

Being the Best Me I Can Be

One thing is clear: when many of us, myself definitely included, post things to Facebook, we do it in a way that is different than how we "post" things to real life. In other words, we say and post things that we probably would not if all of our Facebook friends were all gathered together at once. Facebook, and all social media, provides us a false sense of protection and maybe even anonymity that empowers us to behave in ways that is not true to ourselves, though it may be true to our false selves that we project.

We should approach Facebook as if every single one of our Facebook friends are going to take it in. All of our Facebook friends do not respond to what we put out there . . . but most of them will see it/read it, let it soak in, are blessed by it, offended by it, challenged by it, shocked by it.

Facebook is a wonderful thing. We get to keep up with people that we otherwise probably would not. We make new friends and reunite with old ones. We get to go on people's vacations with them and experience birthday parties that we would never be able to by looking through other people's pictures. We can even be prophetic and say things that other people might not be saying that help others see things in a new way.
But as we experience all the good things about social media, we need to be sure that we are projecting our true selves and that we are saying and doing the things we do in our non-Facebook lives (and vice versa). Facebook is not a different alternate, reality. Facebook is life: our lives. It is simply a way we live out our lives by connecting with others-a wonderful tool for us to use.

Seen in this light, social media can teach us many valuable lessons. Not only in Facebook, but in everything, we need to be the best me that we can be. So many factors and forces in our daily lives tell us how to be, what to say, how to dress, etc. We are created to be us and all the greatness that implies. I truly believe that we can only experience life at its fullest when we tap into who we truly are, deep-down inside. I need to be myself and be the best me that I can be.