In the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, there is a surly character named Limbo. He is sort of a slave trader dealing in humans. While making a sale of a human child he issues one of the most memorable lines from the film…

“The young ones make great pets. Just make sure you kill them before they mature. Believe me, the last thing you want is a human teenager running around your house.”

In earlier times, teens were really kids forced into adulthood by life. However, with prosperity came time and “disposable income” (what a ridiculous phrase). With income came stuff and well… you know, here we are. Dude! I am not one of those who is down on the youth and their culture—totally.

Teens drive the social fabric and economic engine of our country. They determine what clothes are in style. They direct the music industry, (I’m not altogether pleased about that.) They have a verbal language of their own. And now they “TEXT” in an augmented English that resembles a sort of code—(imo). [For the uninformed or un-cool “imo” means “in my opinion” – unless you’re talking about the people that are "Imo" and that is a different thing altogether.] As in every decade since any can remember, teens determine what is cool.

Well, for the third time, in a third decade we have a teenager living at our house. He is like most of them. He likes food, likes stuff, likes rock n’ roll, likes the opposite sex, likes clutter, likes video games, and I’m good with all of that. But the thing I like most about having teenagers is where mine, and many that I’ve worked with over the years, are unlike the culture.

Everyone should have teens like we have had. Our kids have been free to choose their friends and they’ve chosen wisely – usually. They’ve been free to disagree with their parents, but have done so within the bounds of respect – usually. They’ve been free to seek and find the Lord, they’ve come to Him on His terms at their own pace and time. They follow Him in faith – usually.

I love teens. I love listening to them talk, watching how they act and interact. I love their sense of justice. Their out of balance drama is the germ of reality TV. The one draw back that I see in teen-hood is when people move to adulthood and bring their teenager mentality with them. There is a time to put away the teen years, but as John said, “Hold on to 16 as long as you can; changes come around real soon—make us women and men.” Even though Caleb is a teen, we’ve decided to keep him - at least for a while.

telemicus out

I woke up early this morning. When I fell asleep a few hours earlier I was listening to my Relax playlist on my Ipod. I have liked John Denver’s music since I was a teen. As I lay there this morning, the song by John Denver called Looking for Space came on. Perhaps for the first time ever, the lyrics of this song really grabbed me. 

John Denver thought that most people have times when they were looking for space. He thought most people knew the joy of soaring like and eagle and struggling with deep despair. The end of his message is positive. Read these words a time or two (the bold is my emphasis).  

On the road of experience, I’m trying to find my own way.
Sometimes I wish that I could fly away
When I think that I’m moving, suddenly things stand still
I’m afraid ’cause I think they always will 

And I’m looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I’m looking to know and understand
It’s a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I’m almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I’m deep in despair

All alone in the universe, sometimes that’s how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
Then I look in the center, suddenly everything’s clear
I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams

Chorus

On the road of experience, join in the living day
if there’s an answer, it’s just that it’s just that way

When you’re looking for space
And to find out who you are
When you’re looking to try and reach the stars
It’s a sweet, sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I’m almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
But sometimes I’m deep in despair
Sometimes I fly like an eagle,
like an eagle I go flying - Flying 

John Denver went through some difficult days in his life. This song is an expression of how he felt in that process. So I post these words today because I’m feeling much like the words of this song. I’m not saying that I’m looking for space in my life. I don’t want space from my work or from my family… I’m looking for a space. Perhaps you are too. 

telemicus out

I haven’t thrown out a hot opinion like this in a long time. I’ve come to a conclusion, and it’s a little radical, but I think I’m right on this and feel free to throw down your own HSO (hot spiritual opinion) if you like. (I’m sure the theologians will dismantle me on this, but think it through.) 

Love is NOT the most powerful force in the world. The songwriters pour emotion into music and move the masses to believe that love can change the world. The writers pen stories of the power of love overcoming every foe on the planet. But there is one foe that love, even in its purest form cannot subdue… selfishness! 

Please understand… I think love is the best thing we experience in life. It drives us all and I believe it’s the most important thing. We all need it to grow and thrive. It is the fabric of all good relationships. It calls people to nobility and heroism. I cannot begin to give love its due in this little window, but the notion that all you need is love is inaccurate. 

How many wives deeply love husbands who cheat repeatedly? How many kids love their daddy only to see him walk away? How many men have loved faithfully for years while their wives coldly go about their lives unaffected? How many ministers have loved and served their people faithfully only to have the poison of church politics destroy it all?  

We simply can’t love deeply enough, long enough, faithfully enough to change another persons heart. Bonnie Raitt was right when she sang, “I can’t make you love me if you don’t. I can’t make your heart feel something it won’t.”  

God is the embodiment of perfect love. To be in his Presence is exist in love. Yet, in heaven, in the Presence of God’s love, Lucifer chose selfishness over Love. God’s love and the absence of sin did not prevent selfishness from giving birth to pride. Pride is a sin of self-worship and its core is self-centeredness. Does this mean that God or His love is weak? Of course not! With a thought, he could force us all to adore him. God’s design for love is that it cannot be forced on another; it can only be offered and demonstrated to others. Once in a while we choose love over self. 

Has faithful love ever overcome? Of course it has… it does every day. My point is that our love, no matter how deep, enduring or faithful cannot change the selfish heart. In the end, they have to choose love over self. In the song, Difficult Kind, Sheryl Crow says,  

If you could only see
What love has made of me
Then I’d no longer be in your mind
The difficult kind 

It’s easy to see when love takes the place of selfishness. The only way love conquers selfishness is if selfishness surrenders. Those of us who have surrendered to God know that the test of our faithfulness to Him is not our struggle to believe, it is to choose to love Him beyond our own selfish desires.  

telemicus out

This past Saturday I went with Brittany to see the new movie, Across The Universe. In a word, Genius! If you like the Beatles, you’ll love this movie. The singing is very good, the acting is crisp. As musicals go, it’s the first one I’ve seen in a long time that I really enjoyed. The story, set in the turbulence of the 1960s is interesting, fun, sometimes disturbing and romantic. The message is redemptive.  

Last night I sat and watched a little TV and stumbled across Dr. Phil. What grabbed my attention was his guest. He had on the author Mitch Albom. It’s been 10 years since Albom’s book, Tuesdays With Morrie, came out. They were talking about the importance of people in life over work and money. He wrote the book to help Morrie pay medical bills, but in the process, learned from his old teacher, how to live life.  

James Taylor says in the song Secret of Life, “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” I think you can enjoy your work, but work alone leaves us empty. We perhaps work too much and certainly don’t take enough time for people. I’ve really made an effort in recent years to re-connect with people who were my friends whom I have allowed to drift away. Friends that we lose touch with due to neglect are like preserves in a cellar. They still have goodness and value and they may be better now, but we need to retrieve them. 

In this past year, I’ve re-connected with several old friends that I really want in my life. I’ve not always been the best at staying connected. We get too busy. We forget, we move on. Just a couple of weeks ago I went to see one of my closest friends. I played football in Jr. and Sr. High with Karl Hardman. He was always a good friend to me. We lost touch for a time, but having reconnected in recent years has been great. 

The great thing about Across the Universe is that friends, separated by the course of life have the courage to find each other again. It’s easy to get so busy with life that we forget the people who gave life meaning and substance. As Karl and I strolled through old yearbooks and relived the glory days of our teen years, we found depth and joy that make our friendship richer.  

Go see Across the Universe, listen to old music that makes you feel great, and find someone that you’ve lost and reconnect. Enjoy the treasure of people who are in your life and value the ones who make your life meaningful. Don’t throw away relationships by neglecting them and enjoy the passage of time as you stroll across the universe. telemicus out

The Boss is back with another album. It’s called Magic and it is greatness. I’ve been a Bruce fan for a long time. Born to Run came out in 1975 when I was 16 years old. I developed a real appreciation for his writing and music in the 80’s. His life has had it’s ups and downs, but he continues to write from the heart and to make music that is genuine. It’s not over engineered, tricked up, or over the top. It’s just good solid old-fashioned rock and roll. 

While I don’t agree with some of Bruce’s political positions, he does have the right to speak his heart through his music. There are a couple of songs on the CD that are anti-war, but not overtly so. (For the record – EVERYONE should be anti-war. War is sometimes necessary, but it is always a bad thing for man to be at war. Pray for peace.)  

Among my favorite songs on the album are; Your Own Worst Enemy, Long Walk Home, You’ll Be Coming Down and Radio Nowhere. But far and away the song I like best is, Girls in Their Summer Clothes. It’s a completely different sound for Bruce, but I like the message. It’s nostalgic and light. It’s about a guy with a broken heart who hasn’t given up on the idea that someone might love him. 

In the song, the guy is out and noticing everything around him and also noticing that the girls don’t notice him. But toward the end of the song, when the waitress at Frankie’s Diner offers a “penny for your thoughts,” he says, “Loves a fool’s dance. I ain’t got much sense, but I still got my feet.” I think the guy is saying that he still has hope. I like that. Life has a way of beating us and staying at the task for a long time. But in an earlier line of the song he says, “Things been a little tight – But I know they’re gonna turn my way.”  

It’s hard to keep hoping for thing to get better when it’s been hard for a long long time. But the noble heart stands fast. It hopes beyond hope. It doesn’t mean you believe in something that is doomed. It means you believe that things are going to break your way in time. It trusts in the goodness of life and God’s roll in it. When we trust in God we trust in his justice. I don’t join ranks of those who believe everything is bad and getting worse. That’s a miserable way to live. Believe in good things and that God is at the core of all things good. 

Magic is not positive in all respects, but it is really good. If you have a great friend, listen the words of Terry’s Song and say a prayer for your friend and share the song. As my friend Jim McGuiggan says, “Think noble things of God.”  

telemicus out

This week I think I want to revisit the topic of love based on two things. One, a comment that my friend James left last week – and two, some study that I’m doing in John 21. The question is, “Is it alright if I can’t pull off Agape love?” It’s not that I don’t want to love on the deepest level, but some days, I’m just not there. Oh yes!! I certainly have loved that way before, and I still do at times. But I have to admit, most days that lighter love is the best I can do. 

Don’t get me wrong… it’s still love. It’s not cheap or imitation. I’m genuine in my love – even on those days when I can’t pull off Agape. On those days, I still want what is best for those I care for. I want to do the right things. I want to serve God. I want to love my neighbor. I want to cherish my kids and even want to pet my dog. Having that said, simply because you can’t see it does not mean that agape depth is not there.  

But deep in my soul, at a moments notice, I can find it. It’s like money that you’ve saved back and you don’t use for everyday, but when there is a special need or a great opportunity – it’s there. I’m not saying that agape love shouldn’t be the norm. Perhaps it is the norm more than we think it is. Those who love best often don’t feel they do it well. Those who think they are great at it, usually are not doing as well as they imagine. 

In the mid 90’s, John Mellencamp released a greatest hits album, but he didn’t call it his Greatest Hits. He called it, The Best I Could Do. He didn’t want to claim that any of his songs were great. He was simply saying, “This is the best I could do.” I don’t like it when people pass off their wrongs by saying, “I did the best I could.” But when it comes to love, no one knows the depth of affection we feel within our own souls. We display that affection through the actions and attitudes in private moments not visible to the world. 

In John chapter 21, Jesus asks Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly agape me?” Peter can’t step up and make that claim. In light of his failures the night of the crucifixion, he couldn’t justify it. But when he said the Jesus, “Yes Lord, you know that I love you” he was saying, “You know my heart and what you see in my heart is the best I can do.” And Jesus accepted it with loving grace. He didn’t question it, didn’t scold him for his weakness, didn’t point out his shortcomings but in return for Peter’s genuine offer of the best love he had to offer, Jesus gave him the care of his most cherished possessions, His little ones. 

I’m just saying that we need to love the best we can and trust that our Lord will accept it with grace and grow it into what we would all like it to be. Love is a heart thing. Don’t beat yourself up for the moments when your love is not what you feel like it should be. Say to the Lord, “You know my heart and how I want to love, today this love that I’m offering is the best I can do.” 

telemicus out

Last November, I went on a self-imposed exile from the News, Talk Radio and News television programs that involve people screaming at one another. I thought it would last for 30 days. My family said I would never make it - I was too “hooked”. It’s now been seven months. 

I’ve focused on music and good reading material. Through this, I tore down some of my own prejudice and explored new ideas. I’m more at peace, less angry and frustrated and happier. This week I realized again why this is a good thing. 

I saw clips on Letterman, Leno, Ferguson or Kimmel – (I surf!) of that Rosie person screaming at some other woman. (I know they aren’t on a news show, but it feeds off the same thing.) This is the reason for my exile. Constant conflict is not good for the soul. I love a good debate of facts and ideas. However, when the debate is not about the facts or ideas, but rather who can scream or verbally beat down the opponent, this is no longer good. 

In a song called Belief – John Mayer says,  

Is there anyone who really recalls - Ever breaking rank at all

For something someone yelled real loud one time 

Belief is a beautiful armor - But makes for the heaviest sword

Like punching under water - You never can hit who you’re trying for 

I’m not good at compromise when it comes to beliefs. But I’m trying to stop using my beliefs as a weapon against people. Don’t hear more than I’m saying – there is a time to stand and fight for what we believe in. But with people, love and share and teach with gentleness and kindness.  

Godly wisdom said, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). You may join me in the exile from toxic people and angry fights. The world could use a break from the sword of beliefs. Lennon was wrong about that “all you need is love” thing. It’s not all you need, but its certainly that right place to start.

telemicus out

Yesterday after work, I strapped on my running shoes, powered up my I-pod Shuffle, and went for a nice slow jog. I recently allowed I-tunes to fill the Shuffle with random music. So I have no idea what song will play next. The Shuffle holds over 16 hours of music (pure greatness!!)   

As I was slowly making my way down the sidewalk, I could feel that it was an exceptional day. The weather was perfect, the pace was good, and the legs were feeling light. Then a song came on that I’ve not heard since  High School. They used to play the 8-Track in the locker room before our football practices . The song is by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. They are sort of a southern-rock group that had a few hits in the 70’s.   

It wasn’t just nostalgia, but the message of the song and the reflections in my brain joined in a tag team assault on my heart. I was near tears – they were good tears though. It’s a song that proclaims the goodness of peace, contentment, life and God. I need more of all those things in my life. If it were legal to share it with you, I would. But go to I-tunes and get it if you like.   

The end of the song has these lines…   

I’ve been standin’ on a hillside in the night

And I’ve been singin’ ‘bout the good things and the light 

There’s a new star on the horizon and it nearly fills the sky

Thank you Lord – you made it right

You made it right.  

Can I encourage you to, as my friend Jim says, “Think noble things of God.” Would you look over your life and give thanks for the “good things and the light?” I know life is hard and we struggle with many difficult things, but now and then, I just really enjoy it when folks don’t hold the nature of the world against the Maker.  Yes man has fouled a lot of things up, but “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).

 He made it right!   

 telemicus out

I thought there was something about her the day she was born. (All parents say that I think, but I mean something more!) We gave her the name Aubrey Hope Misheal. Aubrey was from a song, Hope is from the biblical idea of expecting good things and Misheal (pronounced Michelle) after me. Here are a few lines from the song she is named after, Aubrey. 

And Aubrey was her name

A not so very ordinary girl or name…

And Id go million times around the world just to say

She had been mine for a day.

When she was a little girl, she wore a white lacey dress, it seemed like all the time – she wore it until the lace was ragged and the buttons would no longer reach the holes. It is to this day, the “white swing around” dress. Early in her life, we thought she might be a vet because she loved animals so much. In the 5^th grade (I think) she tried her foot at soccer, (apparently they have some rule about hands). . . did drill team in the 9^th grade. She’s been working and earning her own money for several years now. 

The teen years brought the real Hope to light. She developed a personality that is completely her own. She had that “duct tape” phase. She likes what she likes in terms of décor, music, clothes, friends etc. and if anyone feels otherwise - they can deal with it because she knows who she is. I could write about Hope for weeks and never tell all the good things about her. 

I’m proud of her for many things. I love her morality. Her over the top laughter, silliness, burping, and commitment to the black T-shirt industry is remarkable. It’s very “Jesus” that she cares for the underdog, but she is not in your face with religion. I’m impressed with her loyalty to her friends. She will work hard for what she wants. She will do what she promises. She will say she’s sorry if she screws up. She is honest with how she feels. 

Today Aubrey Hope is turning 18. She will graduate High School in a few weeks. I’ve known a lot of teenagers and the best ones are those who love God and know who they are as individuals. Many years ago, someone (RS) called her Hopalicious and that name stuck. Our Hopalicious is a great kid that we love with all the craziness she deserves.  

And Aubrey Hope is her name – a  not so very ordinary girl or name. 

telemicus out

At my weekly meeting for coffee with my dad, we were talking about freedom and bondage related to people in churches and families. In the course of our conversation I said, “I’ve learned one thing; You have to get to the place where you don’t care if they listen or not. Because if you care, it will always beat you down that they don’t listen.” There is real freedom in having wisdom and truth, or even love - and not feel that you have to force or persuade others to accept it.

Jesus said, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces”  (Matthew 7:6).  We often hear people throw out the “pearls before swine” portion of this passage, but they don’t talk much about the “tearing you to pieces” part. This is the important part. This is the part that will protect your heart and soul from the merciless attack of people who are not worthy of truth, wisdom or love.

Dogs do not recognize what is sacred and pigs don’t value anything that has true worth. Jesus wasn’t talking about dogs and pigs. He was speaking of people who are too carnal to grasp the Holy and are too self indulgent to cherish things of great worth. And if you are so foolish as to offer a portion of holy wisdom or truth of tremendous value, those who have rejected the God given ability to see the worth of those things, may hate you and may make it their objective to hurt you.

This applies to sharing spiritual truth, giving wise counsel, teaching Holy principles and even offering love. I’m not saying we shouldn’t care about the people. We can’t do that and still be godly. But we do need to stop caring that they don’t want to accept what is good, holy or wise. If they are open, then share. If you know they are not able to receive, don’t share, because they will toss aside your counsel and may attack you as well. To have the ones that you care most about tear you to pieces is the greatest pain you will ever know.

In the song, God Says Nothing Back, by the Wallflowers, Jacob Dylan says this, “To be in your heart I failed my own; God says nothing back but I told you so.” If we invest ourselves into people who we know do not value the sacred, do not cherish things of great worth and even disdain the love we have for them – and in the end they tear us to pieces . . . well, he did tell us that might happen. Be wise.

telemicus out