DC's Once-in-a-While

TRANSPLANT

2006-06-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Long time since my last post. It's been a rather busy time here. I went to Germany for a few weeks and as soon as I came back they announced the base closure. Since then I've been hugely busy shutting down the squadron and packing it up as well as working my assignment back to Vegas. Moving has made me think of how transient some of us are...

My dad worked at the same job in the same place for thirty years. My in-laws have lived in the same house for about that same length of time. So, my first thought was all this change is not normal. That it's only a small group of us who are so transient. However, if you look at our history, uprooting from one place and transplanting ourselves to another is a big part of the American experience. The earliest settlers were transplants from Europe who moved on to find a better life. Once here, they had a passion to expand this nation and moved west into the Ohio River Valley. I was born there.

In the 1930s farmers from middle-America got "dusted out" and left everything to pursue survival on the west coast. As farming became more and more difficult to make a living from, Americans moved to the cities for factory work by the thousands. In the 40s, a similar thing happened to coal in Kentucky and West Virginia. That's how I came to be born in the Ohio Valley.

I chose a life of constant change and upheaval. I moved from Ohio to Montana in 1992. After several more moves I ended up in Las Vegas. We went to church in a high school cafeteria one Sunday morning and the name of the pastor in the bulletin looked familiar. We sat in the back and could barely see the preacher, but I knew exactly who he was when I heard his lame joke about cars in the bible. He was also a transplant. We had met in Ohio years before. Later, I met a young lady in the church (Debbie). She was from Indiana and happened to know a friend I had met in MT. Oh, and her husband (Joe) was in the same youth group as a friend of mine from college. To top it all off, that youth group was led by the pastor with the lame car joke (Kevin). The connections continue and continue and demonstrate that transience is a large part of who we Americans are.

But it goes deeper than that. It's not just Americans who are transient. God transplanted Adam and Eve after they sinned. Abram was transplanted when he followed God's call to go. The nation of Israel which seems so tied to the land, have been transplanted again and again. Babylon, Egypt, etc. Even Jesus was transient. My lovely wife likes to say, "The joy is in the journey." and,"Life is a journey not a destination." I think she's on to something. What if the Kingdom of God is not a destination we're traveling towards, but a journey we're on together. I know a lot of you get that. Some of you may not understand life in the body that way, but I think it's just so. In fact, I think it's both. It's a journey with our brothers and sisters AND a destination that we strive towards. It's the destination part that I don't completely understand, but I think it's got gold-paved streets and such.

About Time

2006-02-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since my last blog because I've been incredibly busy. Even now, I don't have too many things to share. Just a couple of thoughts that have run through my brain lately.

Would we have a concept of time if we didn't live on the second hand of the largest clock in the universe?

Of the different theories of the beginning of the world, they all fail at a certain point. They all reach back to an unanswerable question. For the creationist, that question is, "Where did God come from?" For others, it may be, "What caused the big bang or where did that ball of matter or cloud of gasses come from?" Why do any of the so-called scientific theorists think their ideas are any more or less plausible than the creationist?

Those of us who believe God made all of this should admit that our ideas work back to an unanswerable question just like theirs. For debate, that puts us all on even ground. The difference is that they choose to put faith in the hope that there is no God and we choose to place faith in God the creator.

Faith in God requires us to choose certain things. It requires personal change. Scientists sometimes fear personal choices.

On a different less rambling topic, I heard a sermon recently that used John chapter 2 as a spring board for "encouraging" folks to get involved in support of the church's programs. He completely lost me. How do you take the story of Jesus' first miracle, a wedding feast, and wine drinking and turn it into a guilt trip trying to get people to overcommit to programs that nobody cares about (or else they wouldn't have to beg for help) and few benefit from?

Oh well, see you next time.

Espresso and Family

2005-12-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

I'm makin' espresso in my kitchen! Bought an espresso machine on ebay and really dig it. I'm making mochas and cappuccinos in my kitchen that beat Starbucks hands down! Check out this article, speakin' of the bean: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/do/2005/oct/12/519498025.html

Weird, but I feel the absence of Amy and the kids. Even when I'm at work, something feels out of place. I can't wait to see them and the rest of you in Las Vegas soon.

church thoughts

2005-12-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

George Barna, author of Revolution thinks that the number of committed Christians who do not affiliate with a local congregation in the traditional sense will grow from 30% now to 70% in the next several years.

I think that's bunk. Although I consider myself one of that current 30%, I don't think that the traditional or institutional church is on the way out. A couple of reasons define my argument. First, some people thrive on structure and organization. I am not one of those which is why I fit into the home-grown church so well. I think people who thrive on structure and live for the next project will keep the institutions in business, so to speak. Secondly, as the number of congregational drop-outs increase and the reasons for said drop-out rate becomes more widely understood, the institutional churches will adapt and re-make themselves into a more free, less guilt-driven, performance-based expression of his body. At least I hope so.

I believe the numbers may get close to 50-50 by about 2025, but I think that Christians all over the globe will realize we're on the same team. Those who enjoy big structures and programs will have their place and be able to use their gifts in a more relaxed manner than in the mega-church of today. They will understand freedom in Christ and exercise it daily. Those who like to hang out in their PJs in some one's living room and call that church will be able to do so without fear of losing their friends down at the warehouse building church. God is moving today and he's calling his children to unity. The "Revolution", as Barna puts it, is fueling a larger movement of the Father. He wants us to be one. He wants us to be free of our human systems be they mega-churches or house-churches. Some day I hope my friends can feel free to gather anywhere at anytime to enjoy the reality of being his body.

As far as Apex is concerned, I posted this on Hubbard's blog: I think one day we'll look back and see that our purpose wasn't to be but to send. My mind is full of memories of wonderful people who became part of us and moved on. The largest ministry of Apex has been what others have been able to glean from our table and take with them to wherever they settle. I have believed for a couple of years that God's purpose for us was/is to subtly take part in the change He's making to the church in North America through these people who come and go.

As far as the title of this blog goes, I need to move on. I need to have more thoughts on God and sin and redemption than on "church".

WWJD?

2005-10-30T09:13:00.000-08:00

Talk about your catchy pop Christianity, asking WWJD is seriously in some folks' habit pattern when faced with a decision. Not that it's a bad question, it's just that so many people (most of us, like me) make assumptions as to what he'd do that are just silly. Trying to guess at the mind of God is folly. We will only know what he chooses to reveal to us. He offers us examples from the scripture. Would Jesus go to or host a party with alcoholic drinks? At the wedding in Cana, he brought the booze. Would Jesus pay taxes to a government that condoned, even funded the killing of innocent babies? He said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God's." He also reveals his character to us through his holy spirit. Prayer is a two-way conversation.

WWJD? Certainly, he'd come as a conquering king and deliver them from Roman oppression. Wouldn't he? Surely he'd be a political activist to try and overrule the injustices of our land and stomp out all the immorality? Wouldn't he? I bet he'd be a Republican. Wouldn't he?

Rather than asking WWJD and "taking a stand for Christ", these days I'm more apt to ask what's more important, my agenda or the people it affects? Are people drawn to activists or neighbors? Did Jesus take issue with Roman law or did he eat dinner with the short tax-collecting guy? Did he protest houses of ill repute or did he forgive the sinful woman? Making The Almighty God fit into our political viewpoint is exactly how the Jews missed their Messiah. It's dangerous to start thinking Jesus would like our ways more than someone else's. It's risky to believe we are right. The truth is that when Jesus comes back (and even he didn't know when that would be), it may look very different than what we expect. "I can see it now--at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here." Mat 7:22,23 The Message

SHUCKS!

2005-10-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Quote of the week:

"Church ain't shucks to a circus."

-Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer

Weird to think...

2005-09-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm from Ohio.
I was baptized in a swimming pool surrounded by fifth-graders. I was in college.
I've been with the same girl since I was 15. (That's 20 years.)
We're raising five kids!
I've lived in Montana.
I live in Iceland.
I've seen smoke rising from Basra, Iraq.
I've been sailing on the Black Sea.
I've flown at 100' above the floor of the Grand Canyon.
I'm the father of a teenager.
Two teens as of Jan '06.
I'm a landlord.
I was in an "undisclosed location" on 9-11.
I'm an uncle.
Las Vegas seems normal to me. I call it home.
I have saved people's lives.
I've seen a wolf in the wild.
I've eaten whale meat.
I've been to Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, France, Germany, England, Denmark, and the Czech Republic - In the last six months!
Peace for me is chopping wood.
Peace for me is also collecting boulders with Gregg.
I miss a pick-up truck. (*sniff**)
I'm not musical but wish I was.
I feel physically older than I am.
I feel emotionally much younger.
My daily driver is 40 years old.
I baptized my oldest two kids.
My cousin calls me, "Daddy".
I landed a helicopter on a glacier.
Once, I started a forest fire.
Many years later, I put one out.
I like plaid wool shirts.

All of these things seem surreal to me.

My Church?

2005-09-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

Whenever people ask my where I went to church in Las Vegas, I start telling the whole story. I watch them as I talk and think they look like I must when I ask some one how they are and they start talking about their entire life. It kind of makes me feel bad for them but I keep talking anyway. Hey, they asked.

On the other hand, when I talk about my friends in Las Vegas and all the great things they're doing, I tend to say they're from my church. Never mind that they attend Canyon Ridge, or The Crossing, or wherever, I believe that if they are my friends and they follow the same Christ I do, then they are from my church. Lately, I find myself correcting my...self. I don't call it My church any more but I say, "Look at what The church in Las Vegas is doing."

I read something by Watchman Nee a few years ago about the New Testament example of the church being the local congregation. That is, there was no recognized body above or below the church at Corinth, or Boston, or where ever. As I look back at our time in Nevada, I see the church not as all of our little groups that meet all over town, but as The Church at Las Vegas. I like that.

Page 2.

I just got back from a whirlwind tour of Bulgaria and Romania. It was a big pain in the butt. But, I enjoyed seeing the different places and people. Bulgaria is awesome. Great food, beautiful scenery and nice people. To all you business folks out there, if you haven't invested in Eastern Europe, it's almost too late. Once these little countries get on the Euro, things won't be cheap anymore. If you ever find cheap air fare to Sophia, Prague, Budapest, or Bucharest, take it.

Please Pray

2005-08-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Please pray for us. Friday night our squadron 1st Sergeant died from cancer. He began feeling bad a couple months ago. He was 1st diagnosed with walking pneumonia, then cancer. It went quickly through his system in spite of the chemotherapy. He left behind his wife and their five children. The youngest is about 18 months old. Our squadron was just passing the word of Rod's death when more bad news struck. Sunday night a young girl who works behind our operations duty desk was found dead in the workout room of her dormitory. She wasn't sick. Just young and vibrant and sweet. It's being treated as a crime scene and NCSI is en route from the states. Please pray for the families so affected by these tragedies and for our squadron. Thanks.

KISS

2005-08-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

It stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid.
I just read Greg Hubbard's Keeping Church Simple http://www.gregshead.net/2005_06_01_archive.html for the first time (not the last). (If you follow this link, scroll way down to the 2nd post under June 23 to start at the beginning.) I must say, I loved it. It shows in a tangible way where we've been and where we're going as a community of believers. It also reveals a lot about our friend Greg. It thrills my heart to read that what's wrong with the church is "me". Praise God, it's not His bride that's a mess, it's me and my shallow understanding of the Father's love for me that's messed up! Greg, I'm going to edit your paper. I'll have it ready by Christmas. Start shopping for a publisher because other Christ-followers need to have this in-hand.

I Lost My Knife...A Camping Parable

2005-08-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

I lost my knife. One summer our family and close friends went camping on the high slopes of California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. My friend and I took all of our kids fishing at a pond only a short hike from our campsite. After no success, it started to get late and Gregg was urging me to pack up and bring the kids with me. I, however, was busy untangling miles of twisted fishing line and retying lures. As I rushed to answer Gregg’s beckoning, my 9-year-old daughter said, “Dad, don’t forget your knife.” I finished cutting, tying, packing, rounded up the children, and met Gregg on the other side of the bridge. About ten minutes later, the sun was down and we strolled along in the twilight back to camp. As my hand brushed past the pocket of my KMart Clearance shorts, something felt different. My knife! I left it sticking in the top of a stump and it was too late to go back and get it. So, I made a plan. It’s a good knife and I really like it, so I planned to get up with the sun and hurry down the trail to get it before any one might see it there and take it. The next morning, I awoke freezing cold -- my cue to get up because the sun would soon be up. I quickly dressed and started out. As I bounded over a small stream about five minutes into my twenty-minute hike, something inside my head said, “Slow down, take in the scenery.“ “I’ve seen it before and I’m in a hurry,” I retorted. Then I glanced to the left and noticed how the morning sun, now brightly gleaming, was transforming the reeds along the creek into liquid gold. “But, you haven’t seen it in this light,” came the Creator’s subtle reply. I walked the rest of the trail slowly and gasped at many a beautiful vista along the way. As the stream became a pond, my trail broke into a clearing. About a quarter mile away, I saw a silver glint in the newly risen sun. I found my prized possession.

Jesus said that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (children). Why is it that small children never tire of repetition? Could it be they understand the value in seeing something old in a new light?

Human Forms

2005-08-11T01:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago, we sat around a table talking with some terrific people about starting something here to facilitate individual relationships. The guy who called the meeting named the idea "small groups." (Is that always the first name we use?) Anyway, he passed out a two-page paper entitled: Small Group Leader Training. (Sound familiar?) On his paper were all the things that we've all tried to do in our groups at one time or another. You know: snacks/no snacks, baby sitter/no sitter, etc. I told the group I liked the paper and had had the opportunity to see each of these ideas work well and fail miserably. I got to thinking why that is and the best I can come up with is that
it's not about the form, it's about the family.
It's not about the snack, it's about His body.
It's not about our ideas, it's about intimacy: the reason He made us.
It's not about what to study, it's about listening to the Spirit.
It's not about the leadership it's about the Headship of Christ.
We believers tend to devise all sorts of plans and programs to fill in for His headship and the leading of the Spirit because our faith is weak. We need, okay I need to trust the Father to show up. To trust the words of Jesus when he promised, "I won't leave you like orphans." CEV and stop trying to fill in for my absent father, because HE is NOT absent.

Old Enemies

2005-07-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry Sherry,

I just read that you tagged me. I've been quite busy and a bit of a globe trotter. I'll have to tell you about Turkish prison some time. Believe me that's a whole nother story! Congrats to Shad on the job. Here goes:

1.How many books do you own?
Amy answered the tag with "you know I can't read!" I answer this question with, "You know I can't count!" Especially that high. In my 5-child-homeschooled-family counting books is like counting fish in a tank. And I'm not sure how many books I have loaned out.

2. What was the last book you bought?
Go figure. The last book I bought was a Chilton's Manual for my recently acquired 1966 Ford Bronco.

3. What was the last book you read?
The last book I read for real was Plymouth Pioneers. It's a kid's book I read to Jake. The last one I read to me was Wayne Jacobsen's He Loves Me. (Just had to read it again.)

4. Name five books that mean something to you.
1. The book of Hebrews and the Miles family converted me.
2. The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee opened my eyes and changed me forever.
3. Spiritual Authority also by Nee humbled me and taught me submission.
4. Shepherding A Child's Heart By Ted Tripp changed the way I parent and forever affected the lives of my children and grandchildren.
5. We Were Soldiers Once...and Young by Hal Moore. Most young American men carry with them a morbid curiosity. When I was in high school all the guys liked to rent the Faces of Death video series. I never did because I played like I was too cool to have that morbid curiosity. It was there, though I just didn't want any one to see it. Over a three-year period, several events cured me of any shred of that kind of curiosity.

I met Hal Moore in early 1999 as I was reading his book. He came to speak to my Squadron Officer School class in Montgomery, Alabama. I was struck by the pain and pride he carried with him thirty-four years after the events that comprise his story. He was over 80 years old (I think) and he could still name each of the 79 members of his unit who were killed in the battle for LZ X-Ray. He also could talk about their families and even what became of those they left behind.

Just a few months prior to reading this book I escorted the remains of a friend who died in a helicopter crash. I took him home to be buried in Ohio. The small town funeral director had known Phil as a boy. I watched as he handed the widow Kathy her husband's wedding ring. She hadn't known that it survived the fire. She broke. So did I but inside so no one could see.

A couple years later I stopped for coffee at Starbucks on my way to work and marveled at how beautiful the day was. The snow on Mt. Charleston was reflecting a pink-orange sunrise and I thanked God that I was there to see it. Later that day, I got my final dose of morbid curiosity cure. We scrambled to the helicopter after two fighter jets collided up on the range. We made great time. It took us less than 10 minutes to get to the helicopter, start it up and lift off. As we flew towards the coordinates we were given it became evident where we needed to go. We could see the huge plume of black smoke. Two other fighters were still in the air and trying to talk our eyes onto their wingman on the ground who was using his survival radio to talk to them. We found him. He was fine. The other fighter pilots were very anxious about the other half of the mid-air collision. They had only seen one parachute and had only spoken with one pilot on the ground. I was the first to spot pilot #2. My first sighting of a person violently killed was the last straw for me.

I now long for safety, security and a simple life. We all have a bus wreck mentality. We all look at the pile-up on the freeway. What do we want to see? You don't want to see what I have.

On a less depressing note, I was soaking my feet in my hotel spa in Izmir a couple weeks ago and a guy who looked like Jay Leno sat next to me to soak his feet too. Turns out he was a bomber pilot and retired from the military in the early 90s....The Russian military! So here's this guy sitting next to me who used to be a Soviet bomber pilot! We had a nice talk. He said he now imports dried fruit and nuts from the US and Turkey to Russia. Or maybe he's KGB. Who knows?

Iceland is Cool

2005-05-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

Dangerous Thinking

2005-05-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Having placed myself back into a traditional and Very institutional church setting, I'm coming to realize how dangerous our philosophy of church is.

The idea that one can experience intimacy with God and His people on a deep meaningful level unhindered by hierarchies, budgets, by-laws and programs is neat to think about and offers no barrier to fellowship with any other believers. That is until you have lived it!

Now, I find myself on the edge of a cliff. If I don't watch my step, I'll tumble into the void of haughty self-righteousness.

As I look around the meeting room I see people like me. I imagine them yearning for genuine friendship with real people who have real fears, sins, concerns, and real gifts. I think I see them hoping their God is real and almost believing that He wants to be intimate with them too.

I want to show them where I've been. I want to give them the gift of friendship with no strings; only love. I hope they're up for it. I hope I don't split at the seams waiting for them to want what I want. I pray for the humility to endure their system while I look for in-roads and I pray for the strength to love them even when they don't agree with me.

Bucharest, Romania

2005-05-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day

2005-05-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

Unless I think really hard about it, I can't remember the number of my friends who've died in service to this great nation. There are the ones I knew well; their faces are a collage in my mind. I can't forget them, even if I try, but I don't try. Tomorrow I'm taking my kids to look at a small memorial to one of my friends named Mike. He lost his life while riding to a deployed location in the Middle East when the C-130 he was in landed short of the runway. My other friend Jon held Mike's bleeding head in his lap as he said his last words. Jon wishes he could forget. Then there are those countless ones whom I don't know by name but have shared meals or drinks with or have joked with over the radio or on the TAC phone. I used to say that the desire to get out of the military was directly related to the number of memorial services one attends. Now, I use those smiling faces that float through my head as motivation to continue to serve with honor and do my level best to make sure the living warriors in my care get home safe tonight.

These things we do that others may live...

2005-05-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

Small church in Hafnir, Iceland

Romance Transcends Logic

2005-04-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was riding the shuttle bus from terminal one to terminal two for the second time. The first time around, I had missed my stop by not realizing that the bus stopped once for multiple gates. The lady sitting next to me was complaining about the hard time she and her party were having figuring out where they should get off. She leaned to me and said with her thick Italian accent, "There is no logic in France." A simple comment, but it struck me in a funny way. I began to think that here in Paris, they don't want to be known for logic. This is the city of romance. At Charles DeGaule Airport this attitude is evident. The main terminal is very stylistic. Moving walkways go up and down at odd angles through glass tubes in the center of the building. It all looks beautiful but makes no sense. Just to get from the 2nd floor to the 1st I had to ride the walkway to the 3rd floor and then take the elevator to the 1st floor. Romance over Logic, Form over Function, Frustration for weary travelers.

I thought about the lady's comment and immediately found an application for my life. When it comes to my relationship with my Lord, romance should transcend logic. I have spent too much time in my life trying to understand the technical details of the Christian faith. Trying to "get it right". Oh, if I had spent a bit more time learning how much He loves me and in turn, loving the people in my life! I'm sure there would have been less frustration and more peace.

After I found my way to the right gate and boarded the plane, I sat next to a beautiful girl who was returning home to Romania after running a marathon in France. We got to talking about life in Romania versus life in America. She had traveled the US and was very impressed with how good we have it. She said life in Romania was "...just different. You'll see." I told her that I had heard that Romanian families were very close and depend on one another. She agreed. I told her that that was one thing America lacked. She said she had noticed and asked me why that was. I told her that life was indeed good in America -- too good. Our lifestyle allows us to be individuals. We don't need each other to get by. My new friend nodded her agreement and said that now it made sense to her. She told me about living with her extended family and how they had come through hard times together. She said that the only thing keeping her in Romania was her family. She would not be willing to move away from those she loved no matter how much better life may be in another part of the world.

The way she feels about her family is the way I feel about my church. The difference is that if I move away, I can find my family wherever I go. "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother."

Just What I Needed to Hear

2005-04-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out my role here in this new and different world. So, I went back to one of my mentors and read the following:

"The trouble with many Christians today is that they have an insufficient idea of what God is asking of them. How glibly they say: "Lord, I am willing for anything." Do you know that God is asking of you your very life? There are cherished ideals, strong wills, precious relationships, much-loved work, that will have to go; so do not give yourself to God unless you mean it. God will take you seriously, even if you did not mean it seriously.

When the Galilean boy brought his bread to the Lord, what did the Lord do with it? He broke it. God will always break what is offered to Him. He breaks what He takes, but after breaking it He blesses and uses it to meet the needs of others. After you give yourself to the Lord, He begins to break what was offered to Him. Everything seems to go wrong, and you protest and find fault with the ways of God. But to stay there is to be no more than just a broken vessel--no good for the world because you have gone too far for the world to use you, and no good for God either because you have not gone far enough for Him to use you. You are out of gear with the world, and you have a controversy with God. This is the tragedy of many a Christian.

I am the Lord's and now no longer reckon myself to be my own but acknowledge in everything His ownership and authority. That is the attitude God delights in, and to maintain it is true consecration. I do not consecrate myself to be a missionary or a preacher; I consecrate myself to God to do His will where I am, be it in school, office or kitchen or wherever He may, in His wisdom, send me. Whatever He ordains for me is sure to be the very best, for nothing but good can come to those who are wholly His.

May we always be possessed by the consciousness that we are not our own."
--Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life, Angus I. Kinnear, 1961, pp. 80-81

I must bloom where I am planted.
DC