now that’s how you tip!

In the Dallas Mavericks’ NBA Finals after-party, team owner Mark Cuban bought a bottle of champagne for his team, and then left a 22 percent tip. We also should point out that the bottle was nearly half the size of the 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki(notes), it cost $90,000, and his tip was $20,000. The New York Post reports that this made up the entirety of his tab for the night, but we suspect Cuban bought more than that. From the Post: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban spent $110,000 in four hours celebrating at club Liv at Miami’s Fontainebleau after his Mavs beat the Heat to take the NBA Championship. Cuban spent most of it on a $90,000 bottle of Ace of Spades Champagne for teammates Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry(notes), Brian Cardinal(notes) and Shawn Marion(notes). After partying with the trophy until 5 a.m. yesterday and taking in a performance by Lil Wayne, Cuban left a $20,000 tip for the wait staff. “Worth every penny,” he cheerily told us via e-mail. You can tell the measure of a man, or woman, by how well they tip. There are ridiculous and pointless unwritten rules about tipping that make the whole exercise frustrating to some who don’t understand the practice, but at its core it shows a sincere understanding for what other people have to do at their jobs. Which is sort of the point of empathy.

 

read more at: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Mark-Cuban-will-pay-for-your-110-000-bar-tab-A?urn=nba-wp4996

 

Rapture

I’ve read various list of “you might be a…” patterned off Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a redneck” lists. A pretty entertaining is the “you might be a church of Christer if…”. I have one to add to that list: “You might be a church of Christer if you don’t know what the word Rapture means”. I literally had a 60 something year old lady ask me about “that word you said just before you talked about…”

Below you will find a link defining (Merriam-Webster) the word and a small discussion about the recent hoopla surrounding the word. I’ve heard many people over the years tell me all about the end of times and all that’s gonna happen, but it’s interesting to me that Paul says be careful of those who go into great detail and Jesus message was always strongly against known dates or times! Us church of Christers can be guilty of not worrying at all about the end of times, but the Bible does deal some with what will happen on THAT DAY. I guess what I’m reminded of are some wise words my dad once shared with me. “Son, the dates not the focus. Jesus just wants to know are ya ready?”

There’s the parable of the 10 virgins, the parable of the talents, the sheep and the goats and the list goes on. In all of those stories, EVERYONE in the story was surprised when the time came. The only difference is that some were ready and some were not.

Don’t get caught up in the rapture! Whether you think you know about the final day or not. Get caught up in Jesus! The reward will be there when he comes and the reward is HIM! That’s what is so great about heaven and so bad about hell. God WILL BE in heaven and He won’t be in hell. It’s not the heat or the “family reunion”, it’s not the “streets of gold” or the “mansion over the hilltop”! It’s GOD! He’s what it’s all about!

Are you “rapture ready”? Not sure about all that, but I’m ready for Jesus to come!!!

http://www.merriam-webster.com/trend-watch/2011/05/26/

 

Returning to “truth”

With the recent fiasco of the “rapture” and the world coming to end May 21st, many Christians are disappointed! I feel anger and disappointment toward the false prophets and the lies of Satan. I can’t imagine how Paul must have felt with the Jewish Christians when they tried to spread lies about him and the gospel in Galatia!

With this in the back of my mind, I noticed an article in the Christian Chronicle that caught my eye. They were reporting on a preaching school. Now this preaching school has a reputation of legalism and judgmentalism.

As I thought about Harold Camping (May 21 rapture guy) and this school of preaching I was reminded of the extremes we deal with in 21st century America. Those who are crazy out there and don’t seem to even read their Bible and then those who add to the Bible making up laws that God never spoke! How do you deal with this situation? Is there a seperate way to handle each? Is there a seperate message for each individual case?
It is obvious that both sides of this coin need different help, but Paul spoke about the Christian’s response. In Eph. 4, we are challenged to “make every effort” to keep the unity of the Spirit. Paul follows v. 3 by saying there are 7 things that unity us! Just a few more verses down, I feel he gives us the “secret formula” for handling these extremist and dealing with the problems that we face on a daily basis. Paul tells the church to “speak the truth in love” in v. 15! There is TRUTH. Jesus Himself said He was in fact The Truth (Jn. 14:6). We don’t compromise the truth, but through that anger and frustration with the legalist and liberals, we are called to be people of LOVE!

Jesus said they would know we are his disciples if we love one another. It’s easy to mock Mr. Camping, the Chronicle, Baxter and others, but the Godly response is loving them and return to the Word. There are things in the Bible that most will probably never agree on, but Paul finishes Eph. 4:15 by saying if we will speak the truth in love, we will all grow up into One Head, Jesus Christ!

 

Lillipup and a new day

Below is the story of “losing Rosie”. I have got to thinking about Mase and his heartache and pain. He loved that little puppy and was so excited to bring it home and yet Rosie never made it to our house! The breeder is a friend and she very graciously said, “I told Mase he could have the pick of the litter, so bring him back over here so he can pick out his dog!” I couldn’t believe it. After X-ray cost, Vet bills, etc she was still willing to give us a puppy! I took Mase over there today and he picked out Rosie’s sister “lillipup”. She’s beautiful and they hit it off as if they were always meant to be together!

I’m preaching through Ruth on Sunday nights. I’ve really enjoyed the series. I entitled the series “Redemption, a love story”.  One of my main focuses in Ruth has been the story of “tragedy to truimph”. We have noted that at Naomi’s lost moment, physically and perhaps even spiritually distant from God, God gave her victory. He gave her new life and new hope. Through all the lose, she found what she needed more than anything and it was her hope in God!

You might not see the connection between Ruth and Lillipup. Though they are both female, one’s a dog and the other a human being, but they both represent stories of hope. When things are sad and seem hopeless, God reminds us there’s something better. If not in this life, definitely the next! His hope and His way and His love is always better! Look for your “lillipup” moments in life, they are there, some times it just takes us waiting in the Lord!

 

Losing Rosie

Several weeks ago I found a friend down the road had a Dachshund that was about to have puppies. I took Mase to look at one and she offered to give him one for FREE! I’ve been told some of her puppies have gone for hundreds a piece. Mase picked out a brown one and he was hooked! He named her Rosie and would go by weekly to visit her. We noticed her back legs were outward, but thought it was just because she was still a half limp puppy! It turns out after X-rays and such that she was born with no “knee caps” (dog equivalent). It would require various surgeries and she would never be able to walk normal. The decision was made to put her to sleep. Mason’s heart was broke and he cried and cried! I cried some too, because I hate to see my boy cry. Our friend told us that she had promised a puppy, so he will pick another one of Rosie’s sisters. They are all 3 black, so he’s thinking about naming the next one “noche” (night). Thanks for your prayers on behalf of my boy! I know it sounds silly to some, but I’m reminded how Jesus understands about emotions and tears. Apparently, to God, our emotions and daily events aren’t silly! They are important to Him!

Next time you are tempted to feel insecure about your “emotional state” remember that Jesus cares!

 

Honor those worthy of honor

Every end of the school year now for years, Barb and I have made baskets, bags or boxes to take to our children’s school teacher. Yesterday was our day to drop those off. The kids love it and are learning the joy of giving. The teachers are blessed and honored. We got a couple of tears from one and several hugs from all 4. Kayson has a teacher and a teacher’s helper, so she got to give two bags. Madi gave her’s to Mrs. Ragle (teared up a little) and Mase gave his bag to Mrs. Smith. We also honored Monica (the school secretary) and Mrs. Bilbo (the principle) with some little candles. The faculty at SANDS truly is an amazing group of people! No faculty is perfect, but we are thankful to God that a vast majority o them are God fearing people. Special thanks to my sweet wife for baking and putting the bags together to make them look so good. Also, thanks to Bootsie, because she hooked us up with the bag!

This has been such a great school year for all five of us! Looking back, we weren’t sure what we were coming into when we moved to Knott, but I don’t think we could have even imagined the blessings God had for us upon arriving! The church has been wonderful and even the school has been a great blessing!

 

The Best Preaher Ever

As I was studying John 10 today a rush of memories from my Sunset days came rushing in! Looking back, I realize I didn’t take school as serious as I should have and I wasn’t a good preacher AT ALL! I remember spending little to no time on some of the lessons, because in my youthful arrogance I thought “I can do this with little to no prep!” As I sit through some of the other sermons, I was impressed. They knew God’s word well and mostly I was impressed by their ability to preach.

Let me rewind to a number of years before that. In high school I was impressed by some older guys (a couple of grades older than me) and their commitment to God. They were atheletic, handsome, confident and seemed to have everything going for them. I was so impressed that I followed in some of their foot steps. Three of those young men went to AIM. They seemed to do great, went on to their prospective fields and faded back into “normal life”. Two of them started out in ministry. One is a missionary to this day.

I have another friend. He was my age. Amazing ability to preach God’s word. He was just one of those really rare guys that could literally hold your attention for more than an HOUR! He had some challenges hit him in life (I’m well aware of and believe in the statement, “But for the grace of God…”) and now he wakes up alone. His wife and kids in another house. No time for church, busy with work stuff. Despite being a 5 talent man, he buried them and now all has been taken from him.

Another friend was a preacher prodigy! He looked pretty funny, but even the teachers in the preaching school couldn’t believe his gift to preach God’s word. This you man had an affair and now is married to that woman. He happens to “church” every now and again, but allowed his sin and choices to destroy his relationship with God.

My point in all this is that sometimes the guy that seems like he’s perfect, still has sin and even when we think we have “arrived” we need to think again. God is teaching me a lot about grace and patience with others! In my youth and arrogance I would often condemn people that didn’t act like me or think like me. Now I realize I’m so thankful they didn’t because my thoughts and actions weren’t always very Christ-like.

I want to strive for better always, but being the “best preacher ever” isn’t my ultimate goal. My greatest goal is to love my Lord, my wife, my children and shine a light to those God has put in my path! Excel in whatever you do, but seek “the most excellent way” and that’s LOVE!

 

Answer to prayers?

I’m reading through several books on prayer for our series “iPray”. One of the many talked about God’s work through prayer and how we are co-laborers with God through prayer. Along those lines, I’ve noticed heaven’s reaction to earth’s action. As you read through Luke and Acts, you will quickly note there are many occurrences when Luke will write “while they were praying…” followed by the miraculous. Jesus taught we are to pray for our enemies and when you read Acts 8, you quickly learn that Saul was in fact an enemy of the Lord’s church. Maybe, just MAYBE Saul’s conversion was an answer to the prayers of the saints. There’s no way to “prove” that for those who want the proverbial “book, chapter and verse”, but the more I think about it, the more I realize God allows His people to have a HUGE “say so” in what happens around us. There are various authors that even suggest God does NOT act w/o the prayer of  His people. I wouldn’t go that far, because I know God can accomplish His will with or without me! All the same, it’s interesting to think that those 1st century Christians very likely gained a brother and LOST an enemy through the simple act of prayer!

 

A lot on my mind…

My week started off fast and furious! Monday morning I headed to Lubbock to spend time with the Zant family and see Rex through an angiogram. That evening I sent time with Donald at the Lamesa hospital. By Tuesday, Donald was doing a lot better and Rex was up running around. That afternoon I got a call that David Zant had a heart attack. I raced to Lubbock to be with the family. Three stents later, he seemed to be better, but there were two more to go. I would ask that you keep Rex, Donald and David in your prayers as well as Richard’s treatment in Cabo. Also please keep those traveling in your prayers!

On another note, there seems to be a trend to look down on or judge others. I say a “trend”, it’s nothing new! It’s been around since Jesus day and will probably be a problem til He comes again, but things like twitter, Facebook and other sites have made the judging and Pharisaic hypocrisy much more public.

The struggle for me is the fact that I take too much of those things to heart. One thing I love about Knott is the love and encouragement that the people have showered on us. This place and these people have been such a breath of fresh air in a world that has become increasingly dark and competitive! I’m thankful for a place like Knott where my family feels loved and cared for!

 

Fasting is Feasting

There is a book called “Celebration of discipline” by Richard Foster. He has a lot of great things to say and from what I have read so far, I could recommend the book. In chapter 4 he deals with the discipline of fasting. He notes that many fast for physical purposes, while others have no interest in it at all. At the below, I have collected various scriptures dealing with fasting, but I wanted to share a few thoughts I had concerning the subject.

If you took a poll on how many people fast at your church, what would it look like? What would be their reason to fast or not to fast? One conclusion that Mr. Foster proposes in his book is that perhaps in our great wealth (as a society), we don’t mind praying a little, after all there are times we are “desperate” enough to pray! We don’t even mind giving a little, we have so much, who will miss it. But as far as the fasting goes, well, that’s just uncomfortable and if there’s one thing rich people don’t like, it’s being uncomfortable!

Jesus says:

• Matt. 6:2 “So when you give to the needy…”
• Matt. 6:5 “And when you pray…”
• Matt. 6:16 “When you fast…”

All 3 seem to be linked. The more I read the Sermon on the Mount, the more I realize, I pick and choose what I like:

• I don’t like to pray for enemies, but being a light sounds alright.
• It doesn’t make me feel good to forgive, but I’ll try to be salty.
• I don’t want to be humble, but I’ll be more careful about how I look at a  woman.
• It’s not easy turning the other cheek, but I’ll try not to hate so much.
• I can’t let go of  worry, but I will do my best to not divorce my wife.
• I will build my house on the rock, as long as I can leave a couple of these teachings  out…

You see, Jesus calls us to account for EVERY part of our lives.

• Your time, your prayers, your meals, your values, your worries, your riches, your relationships and especially your most important decision…to choose to obey His teachings!

If our desire to do less, in our corrupt motives and actions, I end up taking away the beautiful gift of fasting. You see, though I’m denying myself food, feasting on the presence of God. I learn more about myself and even about my God when I deny myself food for a time. Many would look as this as sick or twisted, but that constant time, money and effort spent on food can some times be used to leap ahead years in our faith! The fact of the matter is, it’s hard to say fasting is “commanded” Biblically, because it is not! But it is clear according to Matthew 6:16, Jesus assumes that this is going to be a part of the lifestyle of Kingdom People! My point is not to make you feel guilt. I’m benefit nothing whether you fast or don’t fast. The reality is, these are my thoughts about things going on in my life and my study. Just thought I would share them with you

Scriptures on Fasting: Leviticus 23:26-32; Acts 27:9; Zechariah 7:1-7; 8:19; Exodus 32:19; Jeremiah 52:6,7; Numbers 14:27; Jeremiah 52:12,13; 2 Kings 25; Jeremiah 41:1,2; Jeremiah 52:4; Ezek. 33:21; 2Kings 25:1; Esther 4:16; 1 Samuel 7:6; 2 Chronicles 20:3; Jeremiah 36:6-10; Nehemiah 9:1; Judges 20:26;  2 Samuel 1:12; 1 Samuel 31:13;  1 Kings 21:9-12; Ezra 8:21-23; Jonah 3:5-9; 1 Samuel 1:7; 20:34; 2Sam 3:35; 12:16; 1 Kings 21:27; Ezra 10:6; Nehemiah 1:4; Daniel 10:2,3; Exodus 24:18; 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Matthew 4:2; Isaiah 58:4; Jeremiah 14:12; Zechariah 7:5; Matthew 6:16; Acts 13:3; 14:23; 2 Cor. 6:5