Adventures of a Bone Head

For anyone who really knows me you understand that I am not kidding when I say that I am a bone head. Here is an example...

I was in a wedding in Atlanta last weekend. I have an old fraternity brother who lives outside of Atlanta so I was staying at his house. When I got finished with all of the wedding stuff on Friday night it was a little after midnight. I called my friend and he said he was up watching TV - so when I got there I should just come on in. My friend lives in Cumming, Georgia - The Gateway to Leisure Living, which is a little over an hour from downtown Atlanta. So my estimated arrival is after 1 am. I have never been to his house before, but fortunately I have Bianca in my car. Bianca (penned by Leif & Margaret) is the name of the Hertz Never Lost Navigation System that came with my rental car. I love Bianca. She is really good at what she does. So Bianca is giving me turn by turn directions as I make my drive to The Gateway to Leisure Living. I have to tell you that I am really glad that Bianca is with me, because it is really dark in Cumming. I don't think the town has any street lights. This is beginning to concern me because when I told some of the groomsmen at the wedding that I was staying in Cumming, I got some odd facial expressions back at me. One of them even said, “I hope you brought a shot gun.” I have no idea what that meant, and I didn’t explore the comment any further. Now I wish I had.

But Bianca is on her game as she weaves me through about 8 turns in less than a mile and finally declares, “you have arrived at your final destination.” As I approach the door I am glad to see the TV on and an undistinguishable figure watching it. I definitely don't want to find my room in a house I have never been to all by myself at 1 am. So I pull the door handle, as instructed, but the door is locked. Almost simultaneous to my attempt to open the door, I see the undistinguishable figure distinguish herself. And she doesn't look happy. And she doesn't look like my friend. Or his wife. Or his four year old daughter. I don't know who this women is? She scurries frantically at the door with a sense of purpose. Why is she coming to the door? She doesn’t know me - shouldn't she be scared of me? I am quite an imposing figure to those who don’t know what a friendly person I am. But she is coming quick. She opens the door and says, “You are at the wrong house aren’t you?” I stammered through some words and eventually asked her if she knew my friend. She did – he lived two doors down. I guess it would have been a good idea for me to look at the address, clearly labeled on the mailbox, before entering an unknown home at 1 am – even in the Gateway to Leisure Living.

I am a bone head.

Who Am I?

Can you guess who that studly looking guy in the top left corner is? Yeah - the one sporting the mullet? I'll give you a clue - He has been at every Fusion event we have ever held...

I Remember it Well

I was at Chiloso yesterday and encountered a sight that warmed my heart. In front of me in line was a group of five who had never been to Chiloso before. Listening to their conversation brought back a rush of memories. My first time was just as exhilarating. They talked about the number of choices, the jalapeño ranch, the fresh made tortillas. I heard one of them say, "how can one place have so much stuff that I love?" Their faces were giddy as they declared their individual orders. Mine was as well.

I think I will go get some breakfast tacos now...

Gratitude

Luke 17:11-19
It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"
Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."
They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."

How did only one of the ten come back to thank Jesus? What were the others thinking? Because the one was called an outsider, most theologians believe that the other nine would have been Jews – on the inside. Maybe they had a sense of entitlement where they kind of expected healing. As if it were owed to them.

I wonder how many followers of Christ today have a sense of entitlement. We serve God, as long as it benefits us. We cry out to God, when we see things that are not right in our lives…

All ten in this story received the blessing of a physical healing. But what Almighty God wants us to see is that the physical healing is only a small portion of the blessing He has for us. There is so much more that he wants to lavish on us. The one got more. He received the physical blessing, but he kept going after God. His gratitude gave him entry to the greater blessing. He wasn’t only healed, but he was saved.

What kind of gratitude do you have for Christ? How have you showed it? I can speak for myself here – I need to get over me. Get over my issues. Get over my entitlement. I need a grateful heart. Are you one of the nine? Or the one?

What God has joined, people must not divide!

I was in a wedding from one of my high school buddies this weekend. He is Catholic and the wedding service included a mass. I was so impressed with how Christ centered and Christ honoring the service was. The Pastor (he called himself a Pastor and the church members called him Father) was very intriguing. He was a tall and skinny man with a deep and booming voice. He had a way of saying things with eloquence and beauty that really captured my attention. Walking into the service, I thought it would feel route and rehearsed, but instead it felt authentic and alive. My favorite part was when he was talking to the church about our role in supporting our friends who were getting married. He took some steps forward, out of the pulpit, and got really close to us. Then he charged us with the words, “What God has joined, people must not divide!” He said it with such conviction and power. I felt a responsibility in that moment, as a brother in Christ; to do whatever I can to make sure my friend’s marriage stands the test of time.

What if we lived as if we believed that statement: What God has joined, people must not divide. How different would our lives be? How different would our friendships be? How different would our parenting be?

Bears Win :: Bears Win :: Bears Win!!!

The Baylor Bears Football Team just picked up a hard earned forfeit victory over Oklahoma for the 2005 season! That means the 2005 Bears finished 6-6. The first non-losing record since the internet was invented! Go Bears!

I Can't Believe it Either...

Anyone who really knows me understands that I go on about 8 diets per year. Once every four or five years - one of them works for me. Well... after the 4th of July is a natural time for me to be dieting. I am trying the magical eat healthy and eat less tactic. Just so you know - I am absolutely money on the first 7-10 days of a diet. I have no problems sticking with it. And I always lose 5-10 pounds in that time. It really is truly remarkable. But then I decide, I really could care less if I weigh 5-10 pounds more or less, but I do like Pumpkin Pie. So I usually end up eating like a true McCartney again within two weeks of beginning a new diet. But today something happened that I think is telling me that I am on the verge of some serious weight loss. I had a breakfast meeting with Bobcat Bill at Chiloso this morning. I would normally get three breakfast tacos with three extra tortillas, have them load up the eggs, bacon, sausage, potato, beans and jalapeño ranch and then create six tacos out of the three. A mighty fine and hearty breakfast. But today, as I stood in line I found myself not hungering for three. I actually ordered one. One breakfast taco! Do you realize how ridiculous that is - my five year old daughter eats at least two. An 88 pound girl at my office always orders three. "One" - I said. David - the owner of Chiloso (the finest eating establishment know to humankind) looked up at me in complete bewilderment. All I could say was, "I can't believe it either."