My Uncle Sandy

This past Monday I traveled to North Carolina to be by my father's side at the loss of his brother, my uncle Sandy.  Sandy was my father's older brother, just 58 years old.  He was also my father's best friend.  My father retired a few years ago and moved back to the place of his roots.  Over the last few years he's gotten to experience life with his brother, and they loved each other deeply (even though they are two of the orneriest, macho men you could ever meet).

Sandy died Saturday while my sister-in-law's wedding was going on.  The news was sad, but Sandy's health had been failing for while, so it was a tad expected.  The viewing was Monday and the funeral was Tuesday.  

Part of being there with my dad for the funeral was being around my extended family.  Over the last several years I've spent some serious time diving into my family history, particularly extended family (grandparents and great-grandparents) and how they helped make me who I am.  Most of that time, I've spent focusing on how they gave me the problems and struggles that I carry today.  But, thats really only part of the story.

While I was there I saw family members that I haven't seen in years: Cousins, Aunts, & Uncles.  Some of them looked remarkably older, most of them have children, but they've all grown up.

In them I saw something that I really haven't given much attention to: they love each other.  You could see it in how they talked to each other, and to me (who many hadn't seen in a long time).  You could hear the love in what they remembered about each other.  

There is this beautiful section of writing in one of the Apostle Paul's letter's to the Corinthians where he talks about being someone who loves.  In only the brilliance that he could share, he reminds us that you are nothing if you are not loved and do not love.  He closes the chapter by reminding that for those who love and follow Jesus there are three postures of our heart that never change: faith, hope, and love.  He closes by reminding that love is the greatest of these.  You know, in the end, love really does win.  

When my father walked out of the room after spending a few last minutes with the body of his brother he cried, bitterly.  I was reminded then that my father has this beautiful gift of loving completely.  I've never wondered if he loved me.  I've never doubted it.  It was always there.  I admire that about him, and it's something he taught me to do.

If there was something to hang your hat on in a family, I guess thats just about as good place as any, to love each other, because, in the end, love outlasts a multitude of other pursuits and is far more valuable.

Banksy

Recently I discovered an artist that I've really fallen in love with.  His name is Banksy.  He is an obscure British graffiti artist who lives in anonymity and makes some of the sweetest art ever in the most ridiculous places.  

Here are some of the pictures I shared with our church on Sunday:

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Update on my medical condition:

Since the ultrasound came back clear, the doctor is going to continue to monitor my blood work for a while.  It is certain that I do not have cancer, hepititus, or some of the other deadly causes of the raised levels.  At this time I continuing to pray for normal results in my next blood test.  I've taken all the procautions I can ... I am eating good and I'm working out.  So, grace is still amazing and I'm looking forward to praising Jesus when this is over.

Grace. Revisited.

This past week my wife, Amanda, and I were on vacation.  It was a whirlwind tour that took us through Ohio for a wedding, a couple days with our parents in rural North Carolina, and then two stops in costal towns along the North Carolina coast.  It was romantic, refreshing, and restful.  

Vacations always provide an opportunity for me to grow, personally.  Whether it is marital conflict or dealing with financial problems or distance management of a ministry ... vacations have always seemed to have provided a significant amount of conflict, both relationally and internally. 

I suppose this year wouldn't be vacation without such tension.

Our first official day of vacation, Monday, brought a call from my doctor in response to blood work from a physical I had the week before.  The tests showed that something wasn't right inside of me, something very serious.  There was no diagnosis or even a hint of diagnosis in the phone call.  There was no doctor with a chart and a prescription.  There was just the lingering knowledge that something inside my body wasn't right.

For the first time in my life, I had to process through a scenario where my body could be failing me.  I thought about death and dying, about how I had mistreated myself through eating too much and not working out like I should, and about how irreplaceable health is.  

I wanted to relax.  I wanted to vacation.  I got that gift instead.

I also started reading a new book over vacation.  It's not a quick read by any means, which normally means its something that I'll love.  I love when people make things complicated.  I love reading books that split hairs and draw conclusions.  However, this book isn't one of this books.

This book is about grace.

I forget about grace a lot.  I forget how expensive it was.  It was so expensive it cost God his only Son, Jesus.  I forget how expensive it was and try to pay for it a lot.  I try to be good enough.  I try to work hard an earn the favor.  

I try.  But I fail.  

I fail.

Grace is simply getting something you did not earn and you do not deserve.  Life through Jesus is something I do not deserve.  It is certainly something I cannot earn.

This week was a week of grace.  Throughout the week I began to hear the voice of the Savior earnestly reminding me that it is His worth and work that makes me right.  That I am eternally bound to him as Redeemer.  

Throughout the week it felt as though the knots of selfishness, pride, and fear were loosened inside my head as I began to re-experience His grace. 

This grace really is amazing.

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A medical explanation of my report:

There are two enzymes that naturally occur in your blood from your liver.  They are called ALT and AST.  When these levels are increased it means that there has been damage to your liver.  The normal levels for these enzymes are between 10-60; mine were around 180, more than double the normal amounts.

There are several things that could cause this: gaining weight and having fat deposits in your lives, the onset of Hepatitis A or B, medications can do this as a side effect, or it could be cancer.

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An update on my medical condition:

On Monday I had an ultra-sound of my internal organs.  They were looking for everything from abnormalities to tumors, to enlargements in my lymphatic system.  It was very stressful.

On Wednesday morning I received a call from the Doctor.  Everything is clear, and my insides looked completely normal.  This is a huge answer to prayer.

I will go in a couple of weeks and have my blood checked again.  In the meantime I am recommitting myself to my health and thanking Jesus for the opportunity to do so.

The Renascent Journal

Several new journal entries have been posted at theRenascent.com ... read and enjoy.

Independence.

On July 4th 1776, a group of leaders joined together to authorize the publication of a declaration sent to the King of England.  These leaders joined together to stand against the reign of King and a political system that epitomized tyranny and exploitation.  

They banded together around ideas that had been born years earlier.  Ideas that would revolutionize our world.  Ideas that would change the way governments were ran and how the average person in our world experienced life.  

While these ideas originated in the Enlightenment with men like John Locke years before, they came to a head in this document with words like: "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

This document would declare the thirteen American colonies independent of England and free from the rule of this tyrant king.

Signing this declaration would most certainly warrant a death sentence from the King and his regime.  This group of leaders banded together and joined in with their signatures to begin this revolutionary move of independence.  

The leader of the group is credited with the first signature to be applied to the completed document.  His name is John Hancock, and if you ever get to look at photo of the Declaration of Independence (or the real document itself), you will immediately notice that his signature is five times larger than the others.  It was a bold statement of commitment, total commitment, to a cause much larger than himself.

I thought about this moment this past weekend.  And I thought about our church.  I thought about the leaders that Jesus has given me the privilege to work with and how we are all engaged in a similar fight for independence.  I thought about how bold they are in their commitment to this move of independence, and how much many of them have given to advance it.  I wanted to take a moment and publicly thank them for that:

Bob Morgan.  Bob has given up so much in life to do what he does in ministry.  He freely gives of his time, above and beyond what's expected, his energy, and his passion.  Bob has walked through some difficult places personally, and he always finds a way to try to make you smile, no matter what he's going through.  He's courageous and dedicated.  I thank Jesus for Bob's commitment and courage.

Linda Roberts.  Linda is remarkably invested in our church.  There is nothing that she does not care about in church and nothing that she thinks we cannot do.  She's one of the few leaders that whenever she's approached with a new idea for ministry, her mind starts turning on how to make it happen.  She is remarkably capable and dedicated, never looking at something as above or below her.  I'm thankful to Jesus for Linda's investment in our ministry, because she constantly lives out Jesus through her dedication.

Josh Walters.  Josh was a friend of mind before I came to our church.  He is one of the most genuine and loving guys I've ever met.  He is also a remarkable minister.  He has a gift for contextualizing Jesus into a relationship or a moment or a talk or a service.  He has a passion for his Savior, for his students, and for his Family.  He always tries.  He is also one of the most giving men I've ever met: he's helped me move, helped me build a fence, let me borrow his stuff, etc.  I've told Josh repeated that he makes me better, not just at doing what I do but being who I am.  I'm really thankful to Jesus for Josh, his friendship and who he is as a man.

Kathy Tetreault.   Kathy is one of our worship leaders.  She is gifted beyond belief.  She can literally hear a song and determine the key and chord progression simply by ear.  She's passionate about music and passionate about serving Jesus.  Kathy has chosen to stick it out during times when there was a lot of change around her.  She is constantly willing to form new friendships and help teach those around her.  She is remarkably faithful and helpful to me, personally, with our worship program.  I am thankful to Jesus for Kathy's dedication and service.

Greg Dowey.  Our Senior Pastor is one of the most passionate men I've ever worked around.  He is passionate about Jesus, because he constantly returns to Jesus' words to affirm both our practice as a church and our vision.  He is passionate about the bible; he always uses the bible as a standard for our beliefs, our practice, and our vision.  He is passionate about prayer; he gets to work early every morning and prays long before the rest of us show up.  He is passionate about giving; you could never know all the ways that our pastor gives to our church and to others ... I've seen portions and am amazed.  Our pastor is passionate about grace; he is always faithful to view a difficult moment through the lens of the cross.  I love that he quietly teaches us how to love our families and how to laugh.   I love that he never takes himself too seriously.  I thank Jesus for our Pastor's passion and ask that Jesus would share a little bit of that passion with the rest of us.  I also thank Jesus for who our pastor is as a person.

Be reminded: our community needs independence from tyrants, the tyrants of sin and self, and we are joined boldly together to spread to them the message of freedom that Jesus has offered us through his cross.

Please join with me in praying for these men and women as they lead the way.   Often leading is full of difficulty and danger.  However, I know them and they're not backing down.  So, also pray that God advances His message of freedom in our community as we boldly declare it.