Last night, watching T.V. there was a scene in which an older man pleads the case of a group of people to allow them to hold on to life and dignity. His impassioned plea persuades the authorities. Later on the man’s son says, “You did a good thing back there. You didn’t have to, and a lot of people wouldn’t have done it. I am proud of you.” At this, a mist forms in the old man’s eyes and in trembling voice he says, “I appreciate that you see me that way.”

We sometimes discount the good we do and the good that we affect because we know ‘the real’ person that we are. We know the struggles, sins, failures and even dark emotions that, though very real, never draw a breath beyond the basement of our souls. But when we choose what is good, when we stand up for the oppressed, when we speak for those who have no voice—it is good. And when we do what is good, it pleases our Master.

The Old Book tells us “… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38). When we do good in the world we are, in some small way, being like Him. And don’t tell me that doing good ‘in some small way’ isn’t enough. The story of Telemicus is about changing the world by doing good in a seemingly small way. Jesus said giving a cup of water in His name isn’t overlooked.

The point Id like to make here is this. The old man appreciated that someone saw his good act and said so. If you see someone do good, tell them. Tell your dad that you’re proud of him for being a stand up guy. Tell your mom that her patience is impressive. Tell your kids that you love their integrity. Let your friend know that you value their faithfulness. They will appreciate that you see them that way.

telemicus out

What have you seen; what have you experienced in your life that changed you? I figured out that some girls were pretty when I was in the first grade. When I was nine years old, I met the quarterback of Dallas Cowboys, Don Meredith. I saw mountains for the first time when I was twelve. I visited the Lincoln Monument when I was fourteen. I kissed a girl for the first time on July the 4th, 1975. I heard David Powers preach for the first time when I was sixteen years old. All of these experiences changed me, but none of these experiences compared to seeing my children born.

There is something about seeing a new born baby that shakes the world.

We say, “Did you hear? Mary had her baby! Yes, it was a big boy; eight pounds, ten ounces. Twenty two inches long. Has his father’s ears… poor thing.” When it’s our baby… we want to tell everyone. We pass out cigars; sometimes real, sometimes pink or blue bubble gum, but we pass them out. We show off pictures; some people show off sonograms even before the baby is born! We send out announcements—yes with pictures. And we make plans.

The wise among us start saving for college and planning for the future. The idealistic buy ball gloves, golf clubs and tennis racquets. We dream of scholarships and championships, because there is no limit to what this child might do. We see all the possibilities and promise of a clean slate and a new life.

When the shepherds who were living out in the fields and minding their own business, got the news, they went to check it out. They found the baby swaddled and lying in a manger. Dr. Luke wrote, “When they had seen him, they spread the word…” (Luke 2:17). You see when we really see Him, we also will spread the Word. The next thing he said was, “everyone was amazed.” Jesus is still amazing the world. They find it’s incredible that they can know God personally. They find it beyond belief that He will forgive their sins and give them salvation—free! They find it amazing that a baby born in a manger could change their hearts and the whole world.

This is our time. This is the season for us to spread the Word. Merry Christmas.

telemicus out

In the movie, Passion of the Christ, Jesus falls and Mary comes and kneels down beside him. Jesus looks at her and says, “See mother, I’m making everything new.” This phrase is from Revelation 21:5. This Sunday is Easter. As I was thinking about what I should speak about this week to our church the Word came to me, “Tell them I’m making everything NEW!” No, I didn’t hear a voice, but I heard it loud and clear.

The book of Hebrews is partly about the ways in which Christ is better than anything that came before him. He is better than Moses, He is a better High Priest, He is a better sacrifice, He is better than angels. He is better than the Law and provides a better covenant. He grants better access to the Father and offers a better rest. Jesus death on the cross gave all of humanity something better.

But beyond the elements of our religion, Jesus gives us the opportunity to live new lives. On that Sunday morning when the stone rolled away like the doors at the Target store and he walked out a free man, everything changed for us who belong to Him. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

When we enter into relationship with him, He forgives us, for everything, for good. We enjoy the depth of His teachings. We mature in Him. We walk in and with Him by the Spirit. We have the capacity for holiness. We are no longer slaves but free! We are not under law, but grace. We are not illegitimate, but adopted into the family of God. We are not under the curse, but the blessing. We have peace with God. We have comfort in sorrows. We have family by faith. Because of Him, we can face the horrible, forgive the unforgivable, believe the impossible, endure the unbearable and overcome the insurmountable.

The Old Book says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). Oh He truly does make everything New! The thing that is most incredible to me about all of this is when a person allows Christ to change their heart. When the heart of stone becomes soft and teachable, when bitter becomes forgiving, when closed becomes open, when wounded becomes healed, when anger becomes happy, when hateful becomes loving—this is Him making us new.

telemicus out

In the movie, Leatherheads, there is a scene where the Duluth Bulldogs are playing a “Mud Bowl” type game against Chicago. It’s the end of the game and Duluth has to have a trick play to win. So Dodge Conner (George Clooney) uses one play to take out one of Chicago’s players, and trades places with him as they carry him off the field. Because mud covered every player on both teams, no one notices. This means that Dodge is covering his own man. The perfect distraction—Duluth wins!

Distractions can be good. We all need something to take our minds off the dragons that have us in turmoil or tangled in details. But, when there is a pressing matter that needs our attention, distractions can render us ineffective and waste our opportunities.

In Mark chapter 9, Jesus spent some time on a mountain with Moses and Elijah. Peter, James and John were also at this meeting and as they returned to the town, they found the other nine Apostles engaged in an argument with the teachers of the Law. Jesus says, “What are you arguing about?” Out of the crowd a man speaks up and says, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by an evil spirit . . . I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not” (Mark 9:17-18).

There you have it. The father brings his son, tormented by an evil spirit and because the Apostles were not spiritually prepared to face this evil spirit, they could not cast it out. Instead of dealing with their own spiritual weakness, taking the boy to a private place to minister to him, taking him to Jesus so that He could cast it out, instead of any other course of action, they got into a shouting match with the teachers of the Law about the fact that they couldn’t cast out this evil spirit.

And the Enemy wins.

What frustrated Jesus here is not the evil spirit. You can see that by the way he dealt with it that is was not a giant battle for him. No, what frustrated Jesus was the unbelief and the lack of preparedness in his own followers. For while his disciples argued about their own efficacy and power, a boy still was being tortured.

We see this in politics, where those we elect go and fight with one another on Capitol Hill and the talk shows, while ignoring the real people who need help. They say their fighting for us, but it’s rarely about us. It happens in churches too. While people need to know the love and forgiveness of God, “leaders” argue about what they want or don’t want to happen. I wonder . . . if Jesus walked into our building or attended one of our meetings, would he say, “Keep up the good work?” or “What are you arguing about?”

telemicus out

I wish I were different. I’m not good at acting or sounding religious. I don’t say spiritual things and if on occasion I do, it seems about as natural as wearing scuba flippers on a bicycle. I’m certainly a believer, but I don’t think I’m good at it. I pray, but those prayers do not resonate with confidence. It seems to me I rarely know what God really wants. How should I know! He’s God and I’m as far from that as anyone should want to be.

Folks like me are honest with Him. When we mess up, we say so. We apologize, ask forgiveness and state our plan for changing. We beg when desperate. We know when things are totally in His hands. It seems like He says, “No” to me a lot. I’m not complaining. He is just and his judgments are right. I’m just explaining how I feel about all this. Those who never struggle with the “No’s” baffle people like me. Those who have a grand faith really break my heart, because I feel so weak and inadequate in their presence.

Have you ever struggled with the idea that some of God’s children that are simply not favored? (Some of my strong friends would say, “This is why you experience these tough times.) Perhaps—but I don’t resent God for being who He is or feeling the way He does. I believe He loves me, forgives me, saved me and will invite me into heaven when this deal is over. I belong to Christ. What else can I say?

I believe that God is good and capable of anything He wishes to accomplish. If He says no to any of His children, it’s because it suits His purpose and is best. The Old Book says, “Love does not seek its own.” I love Him, so I do not make demands. I pour out my prayers and trust He will do right by me. And when I beg for His help, like the dad in Mark 9, I say, “If you can, please help me.” Then He tells me, “All things are possible for the one who believes.” At that moment, I fall at His feet and proclaim, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” (vs. 24).

I don’t have great faith; but my doubts aren’t about God, His righteousness, grace or power. I struggle with my own stumbling faith; that my needs or desires matter to Him. I’m a dad. I know what it’s like when your child asks for things that are not what is best. It breaks my heart when things happen in life, that we can never understand on this side, and perhaps even the next. So, like that other dad who professed his faith in Jesus, but just as passionately begged for help to overcome his unbelief, I fall into the arms of a Father who understands me and is utterly trustable.

telemicus out

Earlier this week the family watched the show, “What would you Do?” In this edition, they had a group of college students (actors) publicly hazing fraternity pledges. In one scene, they tied a student to a light pole with plastic wrap and a passerby took out a pocketknife and cut him loose. When it appeared to be going too far, people stepped up and got involved. They repeated the bit with sorority girls and surprisingly, people did not get involved—many simply watched.

In another part of the program, they showed a young, attractive, nicely dressed woman collapse on a busy sidewalk. They ran the experiment many times and people came to her aid within five seconds every time. However, when they repeated the experiment, using what looked like a homeless man; people were far less responsive. While the actor lay on the sidewalk for almost twenty minutes, a homeless woman, powerless to do anything, asked passersby to call for help repeatedly. One man actually stopped and slipped a piece of cardboard under his head (better than walking on by I suppose.)

I heard or read a story some years ago about a child who, upon hearing the story of Mary and Joseph being turned away from the Inn in Bethlehem, said to his mother, “We would help them, wouldn’t we?” We would all like to think that, faced with situations like these; we would step up and do the right thing. A friend commented on Facebook this week that she wished John Quinones (the host of “What Would You Do?”) would come to her town and test her. In our living rooms, it’s easy to know what we would do.

We lived in some apartments many years ago and early on a Saturday morning I heard a child crying outside. I stepped out on the patio and looked down in the courtyard. Wearing only a diaper and t-shirt with no shoes, a toddler stood—lost, cold and scared. I ran down and tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t old enough to tell me anything beyond crying for his mommy.

I was afraid to pick him up. I was afraid to take him into our apartment, but I knew I had to help him. (I know it sounds like a no brainer, but we live in a time where things are complicated.) So I took him by the hand and we walked through the property. I found an apartment with the door standing open; a woman was sprawled on the couch while another baby screamed in a playpen. I knocked on the door and when she woke up, she was mad at me for having her son. I explained that I found him wondering in another section of the complex. She took the boy, scolded him and slammed the door.

We see people all the time that need our help, whether they deserve it or not. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). We would help them, wouldn’t we?

telemicus out

Two weeks ago, I took my daughter to see the movie, Australia. Despite what the critics had to say, we thought it was a great movie. I encourage you to set aside three hours and go see it. The primary characters are Lady Ashley (Sarah), an aristocratic English woman, Drover an Australian cowboy and Nullah a half white, half Aborigines boy.

The story line is that Lady Ashley’s husband has gone to Australia to work a cattle ranch he bought. After not hearing from him, she leaves England to find her husband with intentions of selling the ranch and returning home. The boy, Nullah lives on the ranch with his mother. Drover works as a cowboy on the ranch.

The boy spends time with his grandfather, a native called King George. The grandfather teaches him the customs and ways of the Aborigines. Nullah lives in two worlds. During this time, boys who were mixed breeds were gathered together and sent to Missions where they were taught Christianity and had the savage “bled” out of them. Nullah often “made himself invisible” in order to prevent capture.

Lady Ashley’s husband is killed before she arrives. She hires Drover to help her deliver the cattle. Nullah also serves as a cowboy. Eventually Nullah and Lady Ashley grow close, but in time he explains that the time is coming for his “Walkabout”. Lady Ashley forbids it, but King George beckons. Drover explains that Nullah has to go. It is the Walkabout that gives an Aborigines male his identity, his purpose. He tells her, “If he doesn’t go he will never know who he really is. He wont belong in the white mans world and he wont belong in theirs. He won’t have his dreams. He won’t know his story.”

The Walkabout is a spiritual journey to a “belonging place”. It is where the young males connect spiritually to the land, it is here that they learn the songs that lead them, and it gives him his dreams and his voice in the world. It is the path to a belonging place.

Should 2009 to be the year of your Walkabout? It seems we will invest time and money in improving our golf game, dance steps, physical fitness, nails, hair and psyche, but will we invest time and money in the spiritual journey of discovering our “belonging place?” I have a goal to take some time, perhaps several days for solitude and to walk. I need to discover my dreams again, to learn the songs of direction and to reconnect to the Earth. I want to find my voice in the world, to recapture my story. I need to find my belonging place.

The Old Book says that Jesus often stayed in lonely places and prayed. Make 2009 the year of your Walkabout. Take the Lord Jesus along because wherever the Walkabout may take us, it’s in Him that we discover our voice, learn our songs, write our stories and connect to what truly matters. He is our Belonging Place.

telemicus out

I have one of those clocks with two alarms. When the first rings, I usually shut it off, turn off the fan, turn on the radio, and climb back under the covers. Fifteen minutes later the second alarm goes off. I sometimes doze off during this intermission, but sometimes I pray. This morning I strolled into prayer for one of my kids. As I lay there thinking about the prayer I said to God, “I rarely ask you for anything, but I really am serious about this one.”

Sometimes I feel like He doesn’t hear me. Not because he is mad at me or I don’t deserve his attention, I just figure that me and my stuff are not high on his “to do” list. I don’t mean any disrespect in this comment. I believe that I am his child and he loves me just as he does all his kids. But I suppose there are times when I don’t feel particularly favored. (I hope you’re not hearing more than I mean to say here.) I honestly try to not to bother God with the mundane. Think of it this way; perhaps to be saved and to be his child ought to be enough, should I really be asking for more?

Yet, when I notice a heavy burden attached to my heart, I go to Him and tell Him what’s wearing on me. I looked at Jesus and wondered what he was thankful for in life. From what we can see, he always gave thanks for food and provision. It’s notable that he said this at the tomb when Lazarus was waiting for his wake up call, “So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me” (John 11:41).

It’s Thanksgiving Week and over the years, I’ve enjoyed a great number of blessings. I have a good close family and we love each other. We have enough of what we need and most things we want. We have friends and good health for the most part. We live in the greatest country in the world and even with its flaws and problems, its far better than whatever is in second place. Above all, we have Christ as our Savior and God as our Father and His Spirit as our Comforter. So in the big scheme of things I’m just saying that I think things are not bad and so “Thank you for hearing me.”

telemicus out

I don’t know what it is like to be the most hated man in America. It has to be heartbreaking. I know what its like to make mistakes and for those mistakes to cost people money. I know what it is to make mistakes and have people disappointed in my actions. But I don’t know what it is like to be hated. Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you…” (Luke 6:26). This is a burden George W. Bush will never have to carry.

George W. Bush is certainly the most hated man in America. This is a tragedy. While I have my issues with certain things he has done in his two terms, while I have anger at the billions of dollars wasted because he wouldn’t say “No” to spending, while I hate the needless loss of life that all war produces, while I think he was far too passive in recent months, it is wrong to hate this good man.

I hear and read people who can scarcely hold their own brains inside their heads they are so filled with hate toward him. But think about this – since 9/11 2001 there have been over 12,222 acts of terrorism by Islamic radicals and not one has been on American soil. It’s not because they didn’t want to do them here.

I am one American who believes the cause of fighting the terrorist who want to destroy this country and our way of life is a just one. I may have used a different “strategery” in the conflicts we faced, but the terrorists have not given up. They live on an ideology of hate. Those Americans who fuel their daily lives by hating George W. Bush will be consumed by it. I heard once that Hate leads to the dark side.

I want to say, Thank you Mr. President for your efforts to fight terrorism. Thank you for your example of grace to people who said the most hateful things about you without swinging back. Thanks for keeping the country free and safe. Thank you for being noble in the face of hate. May you find the respect you deserve on the other side of January 20^th.

telemicus out

I guess I’m a small man – in terms of character. I’m gracious when I lose at sports. But when I, or my side, suffer loss in the arena if ideas, I am not so gracious. Ideas and philosophies regarding politics or any other area of life that lends itself to good and bad or right and wrong these are positions we hold on principle. In matters of opinion, everyone has a right of course. However, if we hold positions based on heart-felt beliefs and principles we should not blow them off simply because our side lost.

During his concession speech, I didn’t want to hear McCain talking about how wonderful The One is. I wanted to hear him say congratulations and that’s it. Then I wanted him to say to the over fifty-six million people who supported him, “I promised to fight for you and when I get back to Washington I plan to do everything in my power to promote and defend the ideas of conservatism and the constitution we believe in.” But he didn’t side with the people – he sided with The One and promised to work with him. That takes a bigger man than me.

Tell me – should we forget the vitriolic horrible things that the left said about the current President as if they didn’t mean it? They did mean it! Every time they called him stupid, they meant it. Every time they called him a liar, they meant it. Every time they accused him of being a traitor, they meant it. And even when they made plans to accuse him of war crimes, they meant that too. The One achieved a victory on Tuesday by beating the current president without mercy on the campaign trail. He made Bush the sole scapegoat for everything that happened in the last eight years. It is an empirical fact that the democrats are responsible for the mortgage collapse. Yet The One waltzed across the country and daily hung it around the Presidents neck while Bush, and the Republicans remained silent.

The President came out yesterday with all the class in the world and expressed nothing but graciousness to The One promising to extend every courtesy and help in the transition. It takes a bigger man than me. I would probably send him a note, leave the keys to White House at the security gate, and call it good.

Jesus sent the disciples out into the world with the message of the Kingdom saying, “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them” (Mark 6:11).  Was he being a bad sport, a sore looser, a small man or was he standing on principles that are beyond compromise? You may say, “Well the principles of the Kingdom are more significant than political opinions.” This is true only to the degree that ones political beliefs are opinion based on preference rather than belief based on principle.

For many, the sacredness of the Constitution and the Sanctity of Human Life, just to name a couple, are issues of principle and not opinion. There are times when the cause is bigger than opinion polls and our own reputation with the opposition. But perhaps to understand the value appeasement and capitulation it simply takes a bigger man.

telemicus out