The Cap

He who was seated on the throne said, " I am making everything new! "   Rev. 21: 5

It was a spur of the moment thing, a thought that seemed like a good idea at the time. You know how those go but what the heck. So I called him and and asked. He was a Viet Nam veteran and one of those traveling Viet Nam Wall memorial walls was only about twenty miles from us. "You wanna go? I'll take you." He said "Yeah." Surprised me. I picked him up.

He never talked about the war much, at least not to me. No reason he should but I don't think he talked much about it to anyone. The Viet Nam vet's weren't treated like the veterans of WWII, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. At best they were ignored, at worst they were spat upon, heckled, and ridiculed. Most just hoped when they came home to slip in, greet the family, get in the car and quietly go home. It was a war everyone just wanted to forget for a number of reasons politically, militarily, and morally. News was dominated by racial hatred and riots, dirty politics, Watergate, drug abuse putting more soldiers in hospitals than bullets and death tolls from the war that eventually topped 58,000..(not to mention 3 million Vietnamese), it was a bad time in America. A soldier home from Viet Nam wasn't honored much as honor was scare in America back then. If Korea was the "forgotten war," then Viet Nam was the lost and buried war. The young men who made it home were lost in the turmoil and their rightful place of honor beside America's fighting men was buried along with the bad memories of a bad time.

As we walked along the length of the wall he began to tell stories. Maybe he had told those stories to his wife and kids, his dad, I don't know. I heard names, episodes, Army lingo I'd never heard him use before. He was not infantry and never went out on patrol but his base was regularly rocketed and mortared. He told of how close the mortars came, picking up hot shrapnel for a souvenir, sliding into a bunker like sliding into a base to get to safety, standing on picket with an M-14 when intel told of a coming attack. He told of  sorry human beings and noble ones he met along the way. He just walked and talked and then we were at the end of the wall. We wandered over to a trailer selling memorabilia to finance the wall's travels. I was a little surprised. He studied the caps, the pins, the flags. He talked about coming home and the Army rushing them through so quickly that his group never got their campaign pins. He lingered for a good ten or fifteen minutes. I was a little surprised. He went to the attendant and ordered a cap that said Viet Nam Veteran. I was getting to be less surprised. I paid for the cap. I was shocked. Then he bought a pin. I think I finally get it.

He can wear the cap now. For all that was wrong about Viet Nam, it's finally right and good to recognized that these guys served and sacrificed like maybe no one else. Little thanks, little recognition, little honor was given after that war from nearly forty years ago. But the truth eventually comes out and no truth, nobility, sacrifice, no selflessness goes unnoticed forever. If it escapes our notice, it never escapes God's. He will make all things new; He will heal; He will remember; He will bring justice; He will bring peace.

They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.  Isaiah 2:4

Thank-you for your service. Wear the cap proudly. Be at peace.
Cos

A Prayer

                                                           A Prayer

Hear my prayer, O Lord.
We need You. If there has ever been a time when You were needed more I can't remember it, nor can I even imagine needing You more than now. We need You in our hearts, in our homes, in our financial institutions, in our industries, in our entertainment, in our nation and in Your church. As a warrior nation we remember this Memorial Day weekend our fallen soldiers.Thank-you for their sacrifice. We were born fighting and have kept fighting for nearly 240 years. We like to believe we stood for justice and right and mostly we can honesty say that. But now, we also need a different kind of warrior,God; one that wages battle for truth, Your truth. We need warriors that battle with prayer, and who's lives are marked with grace, peace and love. Where are Your warriors who engage the enemy with nobility born of courage, courage born of conviction, conviction born of character, character shaped by righteousness, and righteousness birthed by faith in Christ? Our adversary has turned our gaze to greed, our joy to seeking pleasure, our hope for help to politics and politicians. Forgive us, O God, for looking everywhere but to You in sweet surrender of our wills to Yours.

We need You, Lord. Our greatest enemies are from within now. There are fightings within and fears without because You are not within and we are without You in so many of our dealings with families, friends, issues, and nations. Help us seek a higher good than the American dream. Help us seek a Heavenly Kingdom and grant us a vision for that raises our lives and our nation to that higher plane. I pray these things happen without force or coercion but only by an outpouring of your Spirit in response to a humbled church in a stumbling nation seeking Your blessing in prayer and obedience. I would ask this awakening before we go the way of ancient Israel into captivity. Indeed, much of our nation is already in captivity to death, license, and the pursuit of self.  Grant that we might lose ourselves in the pursuit of Your glory and in that glory may we see true life, eternal and abundant.

Awaken us O Lord. Awaken each son and daughter of Yours born of Your Spirit to the joy, the hope, the freedom and justice that is ours in Your Kingdom. Awaken a longing for fellowship with You in every thought, movement and moment of our days. Pursue us with Your love and may we stop in repentance long enough to be caught by Your grace. We are in trouble and our nation, our world needs You. Thank-you for the good news that You may be found even as You have sought us; that You may be known even as You have known our sin and deceptions; that You may be trusted and obeyed even as You grant us the ability to trust and the strength to obey. Sweep away our apathy to the Person of Christ and the things of Your Spirit and fill our spirits with the riches of Your Presence and the glory of Your cause.

Thank-you for never surrendering our souls to disregard and our hearts to unfinished work. Thank-you that You will not stop until Christ is formed in the lives of Your sons and daughters. Now I ask that you raise an Army of warriors for this nation, her homes, her institutions, her future to wage war by prayer. May they see Your hand act in the salvation of the lost  and in a righteousness that exalts this nation even as she exalts Your Son, even Jesus, Our Lord and Savior....

Amen

PS: An Invitation: Please join me in prayer, wherever you do your devotions, each Wednesday, at a time between 7 and 9 AM to pray for a Spiritual Awakening in our nation. Join me from your home, car, cart, or wherever you may find yourself in this commitment of prayer. It's your choice if you tell me or not, but please pray.

Who Tells You "No?"

President Obama has announced that he is now in favor of gay marriage. His views have changed through the years as have the American public's views on the subject. More folks, according to some polls, are in favor of same sex marriage. I don't know if that is why President Obama changed his mind, evolved as he called it, or not but it is curious timing in an election year. In an interview with ABC, the president did say that his daughters, Malia and Sasha had an influence on his decision. With many of his daughter's friends having gay parents and their thinking that this was normal their acceptance influenced his acceptance.

So now the experience, understanding, and morals of teenagers are teaching and shaping the views of the American President and his nation. Does anyone see something backward here? Maybe I'm just remembering wrongly but I seem to recall a day when the parents helped shaped the view, morals, and understandings of the kids. Silly notion I guess.

When it comes to sexual issues, racial issues, financial issues, family issues and morality we find ourselves greatly divided in this nation. Even Christians have radically divergent views on the issues and interpretations of the bible to "back them up."  Who is right? I'd like to suggest a little backing up or at least some background work before you "evolve" to your own standing on this or any issue. Please consider the following:

The Right-- Who has the right to decide what is right or wrong? Who has that kind of authority? My belief, and we all start with a belief (apriori assumption),  is that God as He has revealed Himself through the bible has the authority to make those decisions and declare right from wrong, good from bad, just from evil.  On a personal basis I must ask myself who has the right to tell me "no" or tell me what I need to do, other than my wife, of course? The simple answer is God has that authority. Then one begins to grapple with what exactly has God said to do or not to do, to be or not to be. Here many interpretations are still available but God has the right to say about His creation what is right, proper, good, just, loving, and in accordance with his will and purpose.

The Reason--If  (and I mean since) God has the right, does He have, and does He reveal the reasons behind His declarations of right, wrong, good, evil, sin and righteousness along with His purpose for mankind? In most cases God does reveal the reason behind  His purposes and declarations of right and wrong. The First Reason, one definition of God, is that He is God and can say and decide what He wants to. But the Bible reveals beyond the first reason is that God's character is actually what determines what is good, right, just, merciful, kind and loving. God has total fidelity to His character. This brings constancy, not mere consistency, to questions of morality and justice and God is constantly, totally, always true to His character which is revealed most clearly in Jesus as kind, loving, merciful, forgiving, generous, sacrificial and right. Another word the Bible uses to say this is "holy." Therefore, the reason God would declare something right, wrong, false, true, hopeful, helpful, and loving is that it was true to His holy character. It therefore would mean that in questions I have about issues I should seek to know the character of God to help me determine what is right or wrong.

Reason II also falls in with the definition of God as revealed in the Bible. God is all-knowing. He knows more about sin and wrong than I do. If He says "no" I may not like it, it may feel wrong, it may oppose my will. But if He is all knowing then I must humbly admit that I am not and trust Him. Let me give you an example. If I seem my toddler who has just learned to walk reach up and start to pull a pot of boiling water off the stove and on to his head, I don't consider if the toddler has friends whose parents let them pull pots on to their heads or search the latest ABCMSNBCCNNFOX poll to see if the American public think its okay. I yell NO and scare the kid away from the stove, not because I'm mean but because I know what the effects could be. That is disciplining love. We learn to trust that since God knows and if he says "no," we need to heed.

Responsibility--- Now I am better equipped to tackle some issues. I may not have total clarity but knowing that God has the right to declare what is right and wrong, good and evil, then I can look at what He has actually said in His word. I can also see the reasons revealed that are accord with His revealed character and purposes. I then have the responsibility to make a decision based on revealed truth (reason) and humble myself, my opinions, my desires, my will, my pride to his right (authority) to tell me what is best for His kingdom and for me.

Applied to this issue of same sex marriage, the answer comes to me that it is wrong. The bible speaks to the issue for periods over 3000 years and in half a dozen cultures. In all that time and in all those cultures it is always declared wrong. The reason has to do with the purpose of mankind in creation. God made mankind both male a female after his image (Gen 1:26-28). To achieve the oneness in which the nature of God is enjoyed and displayed in the relationship,it requires male and female. To be true to the fullest revelation of God in the union both male and female are necessary. In our culture we have tended to take God out of nearly everything that didn't make us feel good or cozy or sweet or give me what I wanted when I wanted it. That goes back to the garden of Eden. In God's image, there is both male and female, and He intended marriage to reflect that. Yes, the world is mesed up, fallen, sinful but even when it goes against public opinion, personal wants or desires, we are still responsible for choosing God's revealed will over ours. It's a matter of trust and obedience but not just in homosexual issues, but in heterosexual unions, marriages, race, finance, law and justice. God has the right to tell us "no" and He always shows us His better "yes" when we have committed our lives to Him in a trusting relationship. We are called to be true to Him above all else as he is to His own character.

Mr President, your kids got this one wrong.

Cos

What Do You See Number 5?

What do you see number five? What can you see, your number is bigger than your age. Do you know what's going on with the opening ceremonies of baseball season? You heard something about pizza later and suffer through all that grown ups put you through just to play a game. So you stand in center field and take it all in. What do you see? Can you see your mom and baby sister? Have you spotted Grammy and Boppy yet? Maybe you are too far away and the scene is too chaotic and you can't single out the ones you love just yet. Not to worry, they are there. In one way or another they always will be.

What do you see number five? Could be you don't know where to look or what to look for. Could I help you a bit? Look, see all the people. There are all kinds of people out there. There is your dad behind you, there are teammates to your left and right. There are people who know you and many who don't. There are people who would have good and kind intentions toward you out there and there are some who would do you harm. You will do well if you can learn to tell the difference. Be careful 'till you know which are which. The ones you know who love you will help you here. Keep listening to them. That will be hard in about ten years. That's okay, do some hard things. Remember, most of those people in the stands are spectators. They are there to watch. They will yell "Yeah!" when you do well and groan and even boo when you get a little older when you mess up. Don't pay much attention, spectators are there to watch. Look a little closer to you. See the field? That's why you are there.You are there to engage, strive, try, fail, try again, fail again, succeed,  win, lose and enjoy participating in something that was before you, is bigger than you, and will be around after you. Keep looking for those things. Stay on the field of engagement.  Enjoy the moment, the teammates, the coaches, the game itself,  but don't worry about the spectators, they just watch.

What do you see number five? Mind if I show you something else? Beyond the field, beyond the stands of spectators, look again. Do you see them? There are mountains back there. They loom in the distance. You live with them everyday but they are there in your distance now. One day you will face them from a different perspective. They will be up close. Some of those mountains in your future you will climb. Some of them will prove too steep, too formidable to climb, so you find a way  to go around them. Some you can't climb, some you can't go around so you learn to live in their shadow. That seems sad at first glance, like you are giving up and quitting. Only your heart can tell you if that is the case. But those mountains you never quit on or never gave up on but you still couldn't put behind you needn't cause you to despair. There you can learn to live in the shadows and valleys of mountains too tall to climb or too wide to cross. In their shadows there is shelter, there is coolness when the rest of life seems too hot. In the valleys there is fertile soil to grow wonderful things to feed your soul. So don't fear those mountains, face them.  In time you will know what to do with each mountain.

So how will you know number five which spectators will encourage and which will harm you? How will you know when to strive and when to relax? How will you know which hard things to do and which mountains to climb and which live with?  I can't give a definite answer, but this I know. Keep doing what you are doing right now. And what is it you are doing right now? Why number five, you are looking toward home. Always keep looking there and learning how to get there. That's the clue, always head toward home.

Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 12:22-24
Can you see that number 5?
Cos

The Big "C"

                                                            The Big "C"


Everyone needs one. Everyone. Every neighborhood, community, garden club, woosie pastor, stuffy old church and any group for golf, pool, beer, or breakfast.

I lost mine recently and I miss him. But I'm not ready quite yet to get another. I'm speaking of curmudgeons, those crusty, irascible, cantankerous, older folks full of stubborn opinions. Yes, you need one. I'll explain why.

Curmudgeons, the good ones, anyway, come by their curmudeonriness naturally. Maybe the doctor slaps them too hard at birth or their puppy bit them. Then life takes over and turns them that way. It could be the broken hearts, the ravages of war, the inhumanity of man to man, the problem of pain and suffering, who know for sure but they become curmudgeons.

Curmudgeons, the good ones anyway, suck the pretense out of any room they enter or group they talk to. That's why curmudgeons are good for preachers. You can't blow smoke up their rears and expect praise. They don't deal in stained glass truth. Curmudgeons, the good ones are honest like that. If you have ever known or loved a curmudgeon, you know that beneath that crusty, hard-to-crack exterior lies something else: an even thicker, harder-to-crack layer. This makes it hard to whine in front of a curmudgeon and every team, group, and self-pity filled princess or prince from the boardroom, pulpit, and tv screen needs one of these.

Curmudgeons, the good ones anyway, and by good I mean those honest, gruff, crusty guys who haven't given in to bitterness and meanness. They can grouse, poke fun, set things straight but you will notice a slight twinkle in their eye, especially if it is glass, and a wry smile just after he zings you for your pitiful ways but before his beer touches his lips. To be invited back to the breakfast table, the pool table, the dinner table, or wherever he holds court is an honor. Don't miss it if invited back, its not for politeness, its for your education.

If you want a true friend who is loyal to a fault and honest to aggravation then make friends with a curmudgeon if he will let you. If you want to laugh at how backward and ridiculous life is sometimes and how you can so easily get caught up in the foam of it, then listen to your neighborhood curmudgeon.

Gary Jones was my curmudgeon. I'm not sure I want another one just yet. I'm thinking about becoming one myself but I'm not sure I qualify on several levels (see I just whined for no good reason--disqualification). Maybe in time I will learn to care enough about the right things and not just blow off the silly things but blow them away and I will make the realm of curmudgeonry. In the mean time, if you want to hear a real prayer and see real faith, then watch your curmudgeon. Gary prayed with me the last time I saw him before he died (see, no euphemisms like passed, fell asleep, went on, Cur's hate that- he died). Then he stopped me after I prayed my preachery prayer and he prayed--short, straight, genuine, and clear. I wouldn't say curmudgeons have a way with words but they do have a way with the truth and that is language of the Kingdom of God. God heard it, I felt it, and he knew it. I saw the twinkle and wry smile just before he told me get out, he was tired.

Rest well friend,
Cos

The Fountain

                                                        The Fountain


I've been going there for over thirty-five years, off and on, two or three times a year. I took my boys there when they were little. There were lots of parents doing the same thing Sunday afternoon. It is a bit of an oasis for me in a place I'd normally hate to be, but it provides a nice place to sit and observe. The large fountain at North Park Mall in Dallas is a great place to watch people and it draws kids like a magnet. I learned a lot Sunday.

More kids seem to walk around the circular wall of the fountain than when I took my little boys there. Maybe parents today don't worry about their kids falling in like I did. Maybe the kids today have better balance. Maybe parents don't stop their kids as much. Maybe all of that, maybe none of that is true but a lot of kids walked on top of the wall the fifty feet around the fountain. More kids lay on on their bellies on top of the wall and stick their hands in the water and splash now than back then. I didn't think that was allowed thirty plus years ago, I guess I was wrong. I've been going there all this time and didn't know the nozzles around the circumference of the fountain were adjustable and flexible. Sunday's kids were twisting and turning and having a ball. I let my kids sit and throw pennies in the fountain. Not many kids threw money in Sunday and none of them fell in walking around or leaning over and splashing in the fountain either.

The fountain is a great place just to people watch. You see more tats than thirty plus years ago. I wonder if you can get a tattoo at North Park now? You see more platform shoes, too. Women look so uncomfortable in those things and terribly off-balanced. I should have been worrying about the ladies in platform shoes tilting forward, losing balance and falling into the fountain instead of the kids. I observed one lady about 45 years of age trying to look 25. She was on her eight inch platforms, wearing designer jeans that were torn all over, a wrap-around puffy top with three or four large necklaces that clanked when she walked. I'd bet she had on over a thousand dollars with of clothes. It takes a lot of money to look that tacky. Lady Goo-Ga would be proud.

What really caught my eye was the ethnic diversity and the young parents and their children at the fountain. There were several languages I overheard Sunday. Kids were being told in Spainish, English, I think Ukrainian, Korean, and Texan what to do or not to do. There was a family from Guatemala there. I could tell by the accent that it was Guatemalian Spainish, that, and the tee shirts that said "Guatemala." Those kids had a great time splashing and twisting the nozzles. An Asian-American couple had two little girls walking the fountain wall. The first time around I feared they would fall in, the second time I just marveled at their balance-nary a bobble nor a slip. These kids were good and giggled a lot, their parents in typical Asian  fashion were a bit more reserved in their expressiveness, but you could tell they loved their girls. A Muslim couple, obvisously, a more moderate sect was at the fountain. She wore nice jeans, slight heels, and the traditional headdress. He was in jeans and an untucked dress shirt and a nice watch. Their little girl was about seven had the curliest, frizziest hair and loved splashing in the water. They spoke English with an accent and were playful and in a modest way affectionate. They touched arms, held hands a moment, leaned into each other. This threesome loved each other and the day. It was neat to watch them. A thoroughly modern couple brought their two little kids to the fountain. The mom's largess was obvious, she needed a bigger tank-top. Dad was in a sleeveless shirt and had tats from wrist to neck on one side. He had a head condition of some sorts I guess. Anyway, his cap wouldn't sit on his straight and angled off to the side. His three year old boy had lots of long hair and the most absolutley, wickedly cute smile I've ever seen. When he smiled his whole face and body laughed. He was all boy--splashing, jumping, running and looking to dad for approval or direction. This family was having a good day.

I really wanted to talk with these families. They dress differently than I. They let their kids do things I wouldn't let mine do (I was probably wrong). What were their hopes and dreams for these beautiful kids? What are the values they want them to possess? Are there any old, white guys they talk to in their life? There aren't any folks in my life like you but I wish there were. I want to know what you know about Jesus and I want you to know what He thinks about you. What could an old, white guy from another time and another world from theirs tell them? What do you say to tattooed people, platformed people, crooked-hat people, torn jeans people, Latin people, Asian people, Muslim people, young people and people trying to look young? I'd tell them maybe we aren't so different. We want to love and be loved. We want our kids happy and healthy and safe. We want them to do well and know how to make it this life. If we are brave or honest enough we want to know what is beyond this life.

What would I tell them about God? I'd tell them what I know about Him through Jesus--that they are loved; they are forgiven; they are accepted. These truths we all have in common and that makes us closer than the differences divide us. I'd tell them how I know these things--through the cross of Christ. And if we kept talking to and learning from and trusting each other, I'd one day tell them the words to a song, in a way recalling the fountain at which we met. The words tell of a different fountain that draws all men from all ages and all backgrounds because of our common need (forgiveness of sin) and God's uncommon love. I guess fountains do that.

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains....

It's good to fall in this fountain,
Cos
Zech 13:1

Titanoboa

What's 48' long, weighs 2500 lbs, is 4 feet tall and eats large crocodiles whole? It's the Titanoboa from a New York City subway station. Well, the full size replica is in a New York commuter hub anyway. Scientists from University of Florida, Nebraska, and Colombia discovered the constrictor while excavating an abandoned coal mine in Colombia. (Gee, I wonder why the mine was abandoned?) Actually, they discovered the bones of the reptiles and didn't realize what they had until they got the bones back to the labs. One of the researchers said it was sort of like seeing a mouse skull the size of a rhino. Turns out the Titanoboa, as it has been named, lived in the Paleocene era about 65 million years ago. The Smithsonian will have the full size replica on display to promote its television show in April. Had I been living 65 million years ago in Colombia, I would be very old now, and I guarantee you that I would never have been eaten alive by one of these things had I stumbled across one looking for my pre-Colombian golf ball in the jungle. I would not have been eaten alive because the sight of it would have caused me to die on the spot.

I'm kinda glad we don't have snakes the size of school buses anymore, although I'm sure they could keep the rat and crocodile population down around here. We face huge predators of our own making these days. Questions, doubts, addictions, fears, greed, narcissism, arrogance, materialism and a host of other sin-predators are eating us alive today. Why? Probably lots of reasons but one fundamental reason has to be that our faith has remained in the Paleocene era. We've got these present day sin-predators but our God is too small to deal with them, or so we think, or in many cases, don't think.

Rather than turning in large masses to faith in Christ and submitting to His Lordship, our society has in stead questioned God and His very existence. We question God about His nature: Is He distant or close? Is God vindictive or merciful? Does He care? Does He know my name?  Why doesn't He say something if He's there?
We question God about His motivation: Why doesn't He act? Does He want to help? Does He live to judge us or love us? What's in it for God and for me?
We question God about His timing: why did He let the light change at that moment? Why did the train come when my dad's car stalled on the track? Why did my folks find jobs after the foreclosure? Why did Alzheimer strike so soon after Mom retired? Why is He taking so long?
We question God about His methods: Why did He leave him there of all places? Why doesn't He just provide them with some money? Why do they have to go through so much pain?  Well, if God won't take care of it then I will!

The snakes feed on our fears, pride, and doubts then grow while our faith is squeezed. So what do we do?
Keep asking the questions, God can handle them. Keep traveling with God in faith remembering that travels sometimes have valleys, even valleys of doubt. Keep looking to Jesus for the very best,  most complete understanding of what God is like (nature), what inspires Him (motivation), how and when He acts (timing), and the way He works all things together for good for those who love Him (methods).

Our nation, our churches and we ourselves are in need of spiritual renewal. An awakening from God's Spirit alone can  do the things we need done in our hearts, our homes,  and our nation. People are looking to politics, Hollywood, Vegas, sports, food, booze and drugs. And that just feeds the snake.
Remember Jesus' words from Matthew 7, ''Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "

What happened to the Titanoboa 65 million years ago? One guess among many is that their food supply dried up. Sin-predators will starve when fed on a diet of God's promises. By the way, God always knocks (Rev. 3:20), He doesn't sliver.

What are you  feeding your fears and doubts today?
Cos