Years ago, a prominent rabbi wrote the bestseller, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, attempting to answer the riddle of why seemingly good people, minding their own business, suddenly face misfortune and tragedy. When such things occur, the almost universal question is, “Why me?”
Perhaps a better question should be, “Why not me?” Because if we’re honest, we’ll admit we’re no more or less worthy or deserving than other people of having good or bad happen to us.
I was reminded of this by a friend who has been struggling with cancer for several years. In an update to people praying for her, she wrote, “I have had people say to me, ‘Why you?’ And my response is, ‘Why not me?’ People all over the globe have cancer. I don’t expect God to spare me from having cancer.”
A courageous attitude? No doubt, but one all genuine followers of Christ should embrace. Being members of God’s family does not exempt us from hardships and adversity. After all, Jesus declared, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The apostle Paul, commenting on his own struggles, said God’s response was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Looking back over the course of my spiritual journey, I find many of my greatest lessons have come during times when “bad stuff” was happening. In the midst of the pain, God was teaching. Most of all, He was showing me that I can trust Him no matter what.
That’s what my friend Karen meant when she wrote, “The vital truth – the sustaining truth – is I can count on Him to love, strengthen and care for me this day and every day that follows.”
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
No Manning Up, Yet . . . No Panic-a About Danika
Because of the Indianapolis Colts’ loss to New Orleans in the Super Bowl, it appears the sporting world will have to wait at least another year before Peyton Manning is nominated to have his face chiseled atop Mount Rushmore alongside Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.
Funny how an errant, ill-timed pass can instantly reduce a fellow from status of gridiron god to gridiron goat cheese.
…The other big news of the week is that after surviving the spin cycle during last weekend’s ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway, Danica Patrick will make her debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday. No word yet on whether she will wear a traditional racing suit or a flame-retardant bikini.
It’s doubtful most of motor racing fandom is holding its collective breath to hear the words, “Gentlemen…and woman…start your engines.” To date, Danica’s on-track success has consisted of winning one Indy Car race in Japan with deft fuel mileage – and whining whenever she got wrecked. Whether she’s capable of muscling stock cars over ovals for several hundred miles remains to be seen.
For the moment, Ms. Patrick is best-known for being featured in last year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition (a feat neither Jimmy Johnson nor Jeff Gordon has yet to match), along with mildly suggestive TV commercials. Why she’s in NASCAR now can be summed up in one word: marketing. Once the fastest-growing spectator sport in America, NASCAR has stagnated in recent years (subject matter for a future blog), and the head honchos are desperate to recapture the spotlight, even if it means using a woman more suited to “The Bachelorette” than a super-charged Chevrolet. Sex does sell.
Alas, Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher – also sister drivers at Indy – never got an invite from NASCAR. Must’ve flunked the bikini test!
Funny how an errant, ill-timed pass can instantly reduce a fellow from status of gridiron god to gridiron goat cheese.
…The other big news of the week is that after surviving the spin cycle during last weekend’s ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway, Danica Patrick will make her debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Saturday. No word yet on whether she will wear a traditional racing suit or a flame-retardant bikini.
It’s doubtful most of motor racing fandom is holding its collective breath to hear the words, “Gentlemen…and woman…start your engines.” To date, Danica’s on-track success has consisted of winning one Indy Car race in Japan with deft fuel mileage – and whining whenever she got wrecked. Whether she’s capable of muscling stock cars over ovals for several hundred miles remains to be seen.
For the moment, Ms. Patrick is best-known for being featured in last year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition (a feat neither Jimmy Johnson nor Jeff Gordon has yet to match), along with mildly suggestive TV commercials. Why she’s in NASCAR now can be summed up in one word: marketing. Once the fastest-growing spectator sport in America, NASCAR has stagnated in recent years (subject matter for a future blog), and the head honchos are desperate to recapture the spotlight, even if it means using a woman more suited to “The Bachelorette” than a super-charged Chevrolet. Sex does sell.
Alas, Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher – also sister drivers at Indy – never got an invite from NASCAR. Must’ve flunked the bikini test!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Building with Boards . . . or Words
When we moved to Chattanooga in 1981, one of my career goals was to write a book. Over the years since, that dream has been realized and surpassed. It’s been my privilege to engage in writing and co-authoring about a dozen books.
Nearing completion of one book for a local company, I’m about to begin another about a family-owned company in the Midwest. I’ve learned much as a book author these three decades, but perhaps most striking is that book writing is a lot like building a house.
When people sometimes tell me they admire people who can write, I respond that I admire people with mechanical gifts. My father and grandfather were handymen; somehow the mechanic gene skipped right over me. Whenever something in our home needs to be fixed, fear fills my heart. Yet I see a correlation between working on a dwelling and dwelling on words.
Imagine all of the components of a house piled on the tract where it’s to be built. Boards and bricks, cement and steel, pipes and wires, nails, screws and plastic – all in a heap. “What a mess!” That’s until the craftsmen – the carpenters, masons, electricians, painters and plumbers – start making sense of the tangle.
Slowly, their skilled hands start forming the house: Foundation first, then frame, flooring, walls, ceilings, roof, fixtures and paint. Order built out of confusion.
Writing a book, the experience is similar. Interviews and research, “blueprints” of outlines and notes. From these emerge words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, chapters. All accumulated raw material eventually morphing into a book. It’s a daunting, sometimes intimidating process – but so fulfilling when it’s done.
So I embrace Psalm 45:1: “My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."
Nearing completion of one book for a local company, I’m about to begin another about a family-owned company in the Midwest. I’ve learned much as a book author these three decades, but perhaps most striking is that book writing is a lot like building a house.
When people sometimes tell me they admire people who can write, I respond that I admire people with mechanical gifts. My father and grandfather were handymen; somehow the mechanic gene skipped right over me. Whenever something in our home needs to be fixed, fear fills my heart. Yet I see a correlation between working on a dwelling and dwelling on words.
Imagine all of the components of a house piled on the tract where it’s to be built. Boards and bricks, cement and steel, pipes and wires, nails, screws and plastic – all in a heap. “What a mess!” That’s until the craftsmen – the carpenters, masons, electricians, painters and plumbers – start making sense of the tangle.
Slowly, their skilled hands start forming the house: Foundation first, then frame, flooring, walls, ceilings, roof, fixtures and paint. Order built out of confusion.
Writing a book, the experience is similar. Interviews and research, “blueprints” of outlines and notes. From these emerge words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, chapters. All accumulated raw material eventually morphing into a book. It’s a daunting, sometimes intimidating process – but so fulfilling when it’s done.
So I embrace Psalm 45:1: “My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."
Monday, February 1, 2010
Political Correctness and Climate Change
While shoveling about three inches of “global warming” off my driveway on
Saturday, I was thinking again about this matter of climate change. I’m a strong believer in climate change – in a couple of months, winter will change to spring, followed three months later by summer, then by autumn (or fall), and then, lo and behold, winter again.
In Sunday’s newspaper, a petroleum geologist wrote a thoughtful, factually supported column challenging the whole global warming consensus, noting that if anything, his research indicates a mini-ice age might be more likely. Wow! Of course, such reasoning isn’t politically correct for the group-think scientific community, or the political sphere for that matter. He’ll probably be defrocked, or whatever they do to dissident scientists. Maybe they’ll take away his Periodic Table of Chemical Elements.
President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address last week, affirmed his belief
in climate change, but not by my definition. This winter notwithstanding, he’s loudly pounding the global warming drum. If the President says so, it must be so, right?
Not to keep beating a dying global warming horse, but I remember a couple of years in the ‘70s when the severe winter – sub-zero temperatures and blizzards – had almost everybody worried an ice age might be in the offing. In fact, I’m convinced that’s one reason “Roots” became the highest-watched TV miniseries of all time. Its story line was compelling, and it was well-acted and produced, but besides that, it was too cold that year to do anything else.
So in the midst of the hysteria, my trust in a Creator God comforts me. Seems to me that if He was wise enough to create the vast universe, He certainly must have anticipated the combustion engine, population growth and other factors supposedly linked to “global warming."
Saturday, I was thinking again about this matter of climate change. I’m a strong believer in climate change – in a couple of months, winter will change to spring, followed three months later by summer, then by autumn (or fall), and then, lo and behold, winter again.In Sunday’s newspaper, a petroleum geologist wrote a thoughtful, factually supported column challenging the whole global warming consensus, noting that if anything, his research indicates a mini-ice age might be more likely. Wow! Of course, such reasoning isn’t politically correct for the group-think scientific community, or the political sphere for that matter. He’ll probably be defrocked, or whatever they do to dissident scientists. Maybe they’ll take away his Periodic Table of Chemical Elements.
President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address last week, affirmed his belief
in climate change, but not by my definition. This winter notwithstanding, he’s loudly pounding the global warming drum. If the President says so, it must be so, right?Not to keep beating a dying global warming horse, but I remember a couple of years in the ‘70s when the severe winter – sub-zero temperatures and blizzards – had almost everybody worried an ice age might be in the offing. In fact, I’m convinced that’s one reason “Roots” became the highest-watched TV miniseries of all time. Its story line was compelling, and it was well-acted and produced, but besides that, it was too cold that year to do anything else.
So in the midst of the hysteria, my trust in a Creator God comforts me. Seems to me that if He was wise enough to create the vast universe, He certainly must have anticipated the combustion engine, population growth and other factors supposedly linked to “global warming."
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Times Are a-Changin’
When Bob Dylan released his well-known folk song, “The Times They Are a-Changin’” in 1964, it’s unlikely he imagined how much changin’ the times would be a-doin’.
Recently a friend sent me an e-mail listing some of the major changes that have transpired since 1950. Being born in 1948, I predate them all: Television, penicillin, frozen food, Xerox copiers, contact lenses, Frisbees, birth control pills, credit cards, lasers, ballpoint pens, panty hose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, FM radios, USA Today, CDs and DVDs.
In the 1950’s, no one bought Japanese cars; the World Trade Center had yet to be built for us to marvel at (and later see destroyed); and camera film was still fairly primitive (not even science fiction novels talked about digital photography).
Everyone was mastering the fine points of Monopoly and checkers; a “PlayStation” consisted of a seesaw and swings. Business travel took place on cumbersome propeller airplanes; now video conferencing often makes jet travel unnecessary.
No one aspired to jobs like website designer, cable TV sports commentator, cardio-thoracic surgeon, FedEx delivery person or Wal-Mart greeter, because none of those existed.
If you think all of this is amazing, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Futurist Dr. Richard Swenson notes, “Progress works by differentiation and proliferation, thus giving us more and more of everything, faster and faster.” In other words, mankind witnessed more change in the past century than in all the rest of recorded history combined, and we’ll see more change in the next 20 years than in the past 100. So if you’re thinking, “stop the world I want to get off,” you’re not alone.
That’s one reason I find the Scriptures comforting. In the midst of life in constant flux, Hebrews 13:8 assures us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Recently a friend sent me an e-mail listing some of the major changes that have transpired since 1950. Being born in 1948, I predate them all: Television, penicillin, frozen food, Xerox copiers, contact lenses, Frisbees, birth control pills, credit cards, lasers, ballpoint pens, panty hose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, FM radios, USA Today, CDs and DVDs.
In the 1950’s, no one bought Japanese cars; the World Trade Center had yet to be built for us to marvel at (and later see destroyed); and camera film was still fairly primitive (not even science fiction novels talked about digital photography).
Everyone was mastering the fine points of Monopoly and checkers; a “PlayStation” consisted of a seesaw and swings. Business travel took place on cumbersome propeller airplanes; now video conferencing often makes jet travel unnecessary.
No one aspired to jobs like website designer, cable TV sports commentator, cardio-thoracic surgeon, FedEx delivery person or Wal-Mart greeter, because none of those existed.
If you think all of this is amazing, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Futurist Dr. Richard Swenson notes, “Progress works by differentiation and proliferation, thus giving us more and more of everything, faster and faster.” In other words, mankind witnessed more change in the past century than in all the rest of recorded history combined, and we’ll see more change in the next 20 years than in the past 100. So if you’re thinking, “stop the world I want to get off,” you’re not alone.
That’s one reason I find the Scriptures comforting. In the midst of life in constant flux, Hebrews 13:8 assures us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Tyranny of ‘Stuff’
Recently I talked with a young man from Louisiana who had participated in short-term missions in Belize. The trips shifted his values paradigm. “All the things I had heard growing up that are supposed to make you happy – none of those things were present, and yet the people were joyful,” he noted.
Viewing news coverage of last week’s earthquake in Haiti reminded me of his comment. Amid great pain and despair, we witnessed people rejoicing just to be alive. They weren’t fretting about “stuff” – cars, Blackberries or wide-screen TVs – partly because they didn’t have those even before the quake, but also because severe adversity reveals what really is important.
A noted financial planner observes that some of the most miserable people he knows are clients with inherited wealth. Aware they did nothing to earn their riches, heirs live in daily dread of somehow losing it – knowing they would have no idea how to regain it. Yet in much of the Western world, materialism wields enormous influence.
“How much is enough?”, we sometimes wonder. One of the Rockefellers purportedly gave this response: “Just a little bit more.” With “a little bit more” always a moving target, no wonder we feel caught in a rat race.
Bobby McFerrin achieved musical stardom with a catchy little tune with the lilting Caribbean beat, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” That message might seem a bit simplistic, but certainly beats awakening each morning to agonize over how to preserve our stuff.
Centuries ago, the apostle Paul offered an antidote to “tyranny of stuff.” He wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). In another letter he added, “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). In other words, don’t worry – be happy
Viewing news coverage of last week’s earthquake in Haiti reminded me of his comment. Amid great pain and despair, we witnessed people rejoicing just to be alive. They weren’t fretting about “stuff” – cars, Blackberries or wide-screen TVs – partly because they didn’t have those even before the quake, but also because severe adversity reveals what really is important.
A noted financial planner observes that some of the most miserable people he knows are clients with inherited wealth. Aware they did nothing to earn their riches, heirs live in daily dread of somehow losing it – knowing they would have no idea how to regain it. Yet in much of the Western world, materialism wields enormous influence.
“How much is enough?”, we sometimes wonder. One of the Rockefellers purportedly gave this response: “Just a little bit more.” With “a little bit more” always a moving target, no wonder we feel caught in a rat race.
Bobby McFerrin achieved musical stardom with a catchy little tune with the lilting Caribbean beat, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” That message might seem a bit simplistic, but certainly beats awakening each morning to agonize over how to preserve our stuff.
Centuries ago, the apostle Paul offered an antidote to “tyranny of stuff.” He wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). In another letter he added, “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). In other words, don’t worry – be happy
Thursday, January 14, 2010
An Inconvenient Cold
Have you noticed how little has been said lately about global warming? Everyone is so focused on warding off the cold, they’ve forgotten about how warm it’s getting!
In recent weeks I’ve clipped articles about record low temperatures and snows that have stricken many parts of the world: Unprecedented lows in Florida; unusually heavy snow snarling all modes of travel in Europe; the heaviest snow in 70 years in Korea and other parts of Asia. There even was measurable snow in Houston, Texas on Jan. 6, and last time I looked, that city’s not part of the Snow Belt.
At the risk of sounding reactionary, I’m having a hard time warming to this whole notion of global warming. In the ‘70s, sensationalists were warning about global cooling, and a search of the Web will direct you to some credible sources who argue that is still the case today.
When Al Gore’s documental film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was released in 2006, many began to fear the worst. The film provides ample data, but as any good debater knows, you only use facts that support your position. I’m starting to wonder whether this “Truth” fits more into the so-called “big lie theory” – the bigger the lie, and the more it’s repeated, the more likely people are to buy into it. (Remember the Y2K hysteria?)
That’s not to say we shouldn’t be concerned about the environment. In Genesis 1:28, God commanded mankind to, “fill the earth and subdue it.” He directed us to be responsible caretakers of His creation, not unappreciative guests. I endorse recycling; cleaner, more efficient use of energy; and other reasonable ways of treating “Mother Earth” kindly.
But we’re here to worship the Creator, not the creation. After all, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it…” (Psalm 24:1).
In recent weeks I’ve clipped articles about record low temperatures and snows that have stricken many parts of the world: Unprecedented lows in Florida; unusually heavy snow snarling all modes of travel in Europe; the heaviest snow in 70 years in Korea and other parts of Asia. There even was measurable snow in Houston, Texas on Jan. 6, and last time I looked, that city’s not part of the Snow Belt.
At the risk of sounding reactionary, I’m having a hard time warming to this whole notion of global warming. In the ‘70s, sensationalists were warning about global cooling, and a search of the Web will direct you to some credible sources who argue that is still the case today.
When Al Gore’s documental film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was released in 2006, many began to fear the worst. The film provides ample data, but as any good debater knows, you only use facts that support your position. I’m starting to wonder whether this “Truth” fits more into the so-called “big lie theory” – the bigger the lie, and the more it’s repeated, the more likely people are to buy into it. (Remember the Y2K hysteria?)
That’s not to say we shouldn’t be concerned about the environment. In Genesis 1:28, God commanded mankind to, “fill the earth and subdue it.” He directed us to be responsible caretakers of His creation, not unappreciative guests. I endorse recycling; cleaner, more efficient use of energy; and other reasonable ways of treating “Mother Earth” kindly.
But we’re here to worship the Creator, not the creation. After all, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it…” (Psalm 24:1).
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