Realities of War

I posted earlier this week on facebook.

Today on board my flight to Denver there was a young man on-board dressed in the full formal marine uniform (don't know what it’s called). As we approached our landing in Denver the pilot came on the intercom and announced that we had a special passenger, a marine who was escorting the remains home for his final resting place of a fallen compatriot from his platoon in Afghanistan. The pilot asked if everyone would remain seated until the marine exited the plane. As he got up and walked through the cabin to the exit you could feel uneasiness in the air, let me say with a lot of respect though, but an uneasiness.

Sitting next to me was a young mom with her two daughters 6 and 1 who were from Charleston S.C. where her husband is based in the Air Force and recently came back from a year tour in Afghanistan, you could see the emotion in her face hearing the reality of what that marine had come to do and that was lay to rest another young life who has made the ultimate sacrifice.

I pray that this is all worth it, that somehow all these persons who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan have truly given all for the protection and security of our nation. I will have to say I have my doubts and have believed from the beginning that both engagements were not worth the cost and this becomes more real in moments like this. It will take decades to make a real difference in these places where the terrorist look at their objectives from the perspective of a hundred or even thousands of years, were not that patient.

I believe the uneasiness that a number of people feel in these moments is that we have great respect for those who serve in the military and especially those who give the greatest sacrifice, but there is almost always this unspoken but… is it all really going to be worth it we ask ourselves. I think of the mom and the look on her face and it said I don’t ever want to be the recipient of that and I pray that she never is.

I do realize the reality and necessity of military conflict and believe as a nation it’s a priority to maintain a strong military capable of responding to threats around the world, I guess the question is and has been what is a threat to our security and when is it worth the cost. It’s days like today when we experience or see the reality of this cost first hand and not just another statistic that we ask this question from a different perspective.

Survivor - Redemption Island - comes to an end..

This past Sunday was the final of Survivor season # 22 and the end of Redemption Island season #1. While the game ended with somewhat of a dud, meaning no suspense with Rob the professional survivor player taking the prize as sole survivor after his 4th time playing the game in the last 10 years. I was actually pulling for Rob to some extent because he had played the game so well with the alliances he formed and how he positioned himself to not be the target, which seemed impossible at the beginning.

Matt the young Christian whom I've posted about previously, spent most of his time on Survivor at redemption Island fell one challenge short of getting back in the game. Matt continued to the end on the recap show giving glory to God for his time on Survivor and commented that during the airing of the season many of his friends and family indicated that redemption island was the place where Matt was intended to be all along. I agree with his family and friends.

As Mike testified on the recap show that Survivor had been life changing in that he had grown closer to God by having the opportunity to spend time on redemption island with Matt.

In the end Matt did not win the millions of dollars, but he won at lot of respect which was evident by him finishing second in the fan favorite voting to Rob. But bigger than that was how he was a witness for God to Mike and others in the game. In the end it is a game and it is television, but God is present everywhere and in all situations. I have yet to see a Survivor season where matters of personal faith were so overt and codo's to CBS for not avoiding the discussion.

Life lesson is to never under estimate where God can use you. At one point Matt did not see how he could be used for God being outside the game, but he did, but not without Matt being open and intentional for being used by God and in a graceful way.

The Gospel On Survivor Continues....

Wow.. This week was another amazing one on Survivor for portraying the Gospel. This week two others joined Matt and Mike on redemption island, Steve and Ralph. The four competed in a contest to see who would spend an afternoon with their loved one, this being the one who finished first with the 2nd and 3rd place finishers staying in the game. Before coming to the competition earlier in the day both those in the game and those at redemption island got video messages from their loved ones to build up their spirit and anticipation. As the four competed Mike quickly broke all four of his tiles to finish 1st with Matt and Ralph finishing 2nd and 3rd.

After Mike had won and Steve was eliminated, before Jeff offered Mike the afternoon with his loved one, his mom, he gave Mike an option to forgo his afternoon (literally said his love) so that others might share the afternoon with their loved one. First the offer was for his partners on redemption island, but then the second offer was for the 5 remaining in the game or the larger group. Mike commented that he had been reading the Gospel of Matthew or Mark where Jesus communicated the greatest commandment which is to love your neighbor as yourself, and that Mike felt giving the afternoon with their love one to the larger group was extending the greater good, thus living out this commandment.

Jeff commented that no way would he had ever seen this happening, about a zero percent chance.

Afterwards back at the redemption island camp Ralph was upset with Mike because he did not think he would win any point by doing this favor for the larger group and that he would have never done that after how they had treated them. Mike indicated he made that decision because he had asked God to let him win and that he thought this was the response God would want him to make, he indicated that he did not do it to win votes, but it was just the right thing to do, he seemed to be genuine in his intent and purpose.

Other interesting moments a couple of weeks ago when Matt was ready to cash it in, then at the redemption island contest Jeff asked Matt about where he was mentally, also asking how many day's he had been on Redemption Island Matt commented 20 something days, Jeff asked Matt how many days was Jesus in the wilderness, Matt smiled and commented a very long time 40 days. Matt indicated that he would be fine with being eliminated, but that he just wanted to continue doing God's will and if it was staying in the game then so be it. After Matt won the competition Jeff commented that God was not done with him yet.

We can see that God is not done with Matt, it appears that Matt has been an influence on Mike as in an earlier episode Mike was reading Matt's Bible and discussed scripture within him, almost in a way as though he had never read it before.

Again I think Matt has been a powerful influence on a number of his fellow competitors on redemption island. It may be that for some this is just playing the game at times things seem almost scripted, but I can't or don't believe that it is. Jeff's interaction on these topics and reactions is quite amazing as well as he's not avoid the discussion of faith and Christianity. It will be very interesting to see how this all turns out.

Survivor Life Lesson Part II

Tonight the saga with Matt continued with another interesting twist, you can't write this... Matt who has spent 21 of the 28 days on redemption island mostly alone. This week Matt struggled with the purpose of why he's on redemption island or even in the game and that he's ready to go home unless God desires for him to continue in the game for some purpose. At the challenge on redemption to see who stays a contestant named Julie lost out. Jeff the shows host asked Julie her reason for playing the game and she responded that she basically came for the money, not to make friends or the experience, that her house was in foreclosure and she wanted a better life for her family. However, she indicated that she gained something larger that seeing and witnessing Matt and his faith she couldn't wait to get home and find a church and get active.

It seems that Matt's cry out to God about his purpose there was answered, as I said in an earlier post on this subject that Matt has desired that God use him in the game and in Matt's separation from the game he has wondered how that could happen, but it has on redemption island.

Can't wait to see what happens next, even if Matt does not make off redemption he has influenced one person to seek their own journey of faith and that's bigger than a million dollars.

Different Perspective of Palm Sunday

For years I’ve wondered about how we celebrate and worship on Palm Sunday. This typically involves a re-enactment of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the congregation being his followers in Jerusalem celebrating by waving palm's and announcing the coming of “their” king. This is where it gets interesting; the scriptures in Luke say the people shouted “Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the heights” . Key here is that the people of Jerusalem who lined the streets and laid down their robs & coats where celebrating the entry of a King who they believed had come to claim his rightful earthly place restoring Israel and expelling the Roman occupiers. This was the moment that many had been waiting for including some of his disciples. The man entering Jerusalem was whom they had always understood as the Messiah would be, that of a conquering king not the suffering Messiah, the Lamb of God for the entire world.

Remember that Jesus wept for Jerusalem before he entered the city because he knew the people had already missed the opportunity to understand and believe in what was coming before them. In other words those cheering along the path of Jesus’ entry had no clue or understanding of whom really was entering into Jerusalem and worse would reject the true offer of salvation that was to come. No one not even the Disciples up to this point understood Jesus’ true mission that he came to be the Lamb of God, the one last sacrifice for all humanity.

We must remember the people were there because of the great miracles that Jesus had performed through his ministry had validated in their minds who Jesus was, but they were going to miss the greatest miracle of all the resurrection. The point to all of this is that the people of Jerusalem missed the true Jesus and were celebrating something they desired and wanted, not what God was providing. Do we today get blinded by the miracles and see Jesus for something he’s not. Or do we see and worship him as “The Lord & Savior of the world”. To understand the magnitude of Palm Sunday we must see it from the perspective that even though Jesus’ wepted and desired different for the people who cheered him as he entered Jerusalem he went forward with what the Father had called the Son to do and save the world. So, on Palm Sunday should we celebrate the entry of Jesus as the people of Jerusalem did or as Jesus weeping for those who have missed the truth of Christ by wanting something of our own desires?

Life Lessons from Survivor

Two TV programs I'm a fan of.. Survivor and Amazing Race.. Although Survivor is not really a reality show but it is interesting to watch in terms of human interaction. This season there is this young Christian surfer dude (he just looks like a surfer dude) named Matt who seems, as best I can tell from edited TV a real genuine nice guy and humble professing Christian, but who is clueless on playing the game of Survivor. This season Survivor instituted something called Redemption Island where when contestants voted off go to stay alone and compete against the next voted off contestant to see who stays on redemption Island. Matt was voted off in week 2 and stayed there for 6 episodes beating out all others very gracefully... All while professing he's there to serve his God. This past week Matt was brought back into the game only to be voted out again and sent back to Redemption island. After Matt reentered the game he considered jumping ship and voting with the other tribe, but in the end he felt that would be unethical and decided to stay loyal and honor his God by accepting what God's will would be.. I think Matt has served his God well, even with out playing the game well, on Redemption Island greeting all of the others voted off with humility and grace, even after defeating them.. perhaps this is where Matt can server God best, but as he said in leaving tribal council after being voted off.. God's will is not his will... There is a message here and that is we don't have to play the game well for God to use us, God sometimes rearranges the game to work for us even when we don't see or like it.. It will be interesting to see how this turns out for Matt.

Man with the Golden Voice... what we can learn

I watched the interview of Ted Williams the homeless guy with the "Golden Voice" that now almost everyone knows, on the TODAY show this morning.. The two most impressive things I heard him say were first in his answer to Meridith Vieira's question about how he kicked his drug and alcohol addition and could stay away in light of what's now and potentially will happen in his life. He answered by saying that it was because of his relationship with the Lord, that for his entire life he never gave credit or praise to God for anything, but now he gives thanks to the Lord for everything in his life and has been for the last two years.. I wonder how Ted would answer the following question.. How does he see his 10 years of drug, addiction and homelessness in-light of where he is today? The second thing he said was that he pleaded and asked people watching not to reject the request from the needy and homeless we encounter and to not pass judgement or think about what they will or will not do with what we give them.

Years ago I had the privilege of hearing the pastor Brother Barrett who ran one of the homeless missions in downtown Atlanta speak and every time he would tell us materially blessed people "that all that separated us from homelessness was just a pay-check and a bar of soap".... for far too many us this is a true statement. Also in my past I've had the honor to work the overnight shift at the MUST Homeless shelter in Marietta and this point was really driven home when on occasions I got to talk with some of those staying in the shelter.. Many of those in the shelter were like Ted, recovered from or on the road to recovery from substance addition, everyone I met had a great humility about them and a appreciation for almost the most trival things like a new pair of socks or a new razor to shave with.. The biggest thing I learned though, as Brother Barrett spoke to, was how there is such a thin line between my life and the life of homelessness...

As with what Ted said I've made it a point in my life, not to perfection, that when I encounter a homeless person on the street or wherever I give them whatever I have in my pockets..

1st John 3 says..

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister[f] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

Who is your brother, well its the same answer as to who is your neighbor, everyone.. There are many more Ted's out there who have been in the pit, yes for him by his own hands, but it appears he has humbled himself before the lord and God has provided him a hand-up.. I pray that Ted is able to handle all of this and it continues to be a great story and becomes more than something to make us feel good for a few minutes or day, but something that helps us all find a deeper calling to help those in need around us in particular those whom God might place in their path to help out..