Star Trek & My Birthday

The Star Trek movie has been out for a month but Deb and I waited to go with some friends to see it for my birthday. Though I can't really call myself a Trekkie, I enjoyed the original TV series years ago. I like futuristic. I enjoy most adventure stories. When the opening line of the TV series began with, "Space, the final frontier," I would nod my head in agreement. I grew up during the space race so exploring outer space resonated with me for that reason also.

I might be odd, or maybe since it was my birthday, I drew some paralells between the movie and my life up to now. If you haven't seen the movie and plan to, you may not want to read on. In fact, this blog entry won't make much sense to you without first viewing the film.

I do recommend the movie. It's fun as well as futuristic. Seeing it makes me wish that I had done that summer series on movies I thought about doing, because to me, there were some really significant spiritual overtones in this flick.

Here's where Star Trek, the movie, and my life and spiritual journey intersect.

• I would love to have the opportunity for the older, wiser version of me to visit the younger. In the movie, a future version of Spock shares insight with himself as a young man. Wishing you could go back in time and talk to yourself to ward off some mistakes, make course corrections, etc., is not a new idea in literature and life. But the quantum physics stuff (the atomic world is nothing like the world we live in) of time travel dealt with in sci-fi means we wouldn't have to travel back in time, but forward in time to have a little chat with ourselves. What would you say to your self if you could travel forward (or backward if you just don't want to blow your mind that much)? My list is too long for here and now. But I do have a list, which I think means that the journey has been worthwhile, bad as well as good, because I've been growing.

• Watching Star Trek I also theorized that I shouldn't get so uptight over my conflicted duality of natures. Again, Spock is the character in the movie that experienced a personality crisis that mirrors this point. Half human, half Vulcan, he fights the inner battle between logic and emotion. For Christ followers the inner wrestling match is between the human nature with which we're born, and the spiritual nature received when we make a faith commitment to Christ. Put very simply, our fallen nature doesn't mind breaking the laws that God has enacted for our overall and long term well being. Our new nature on the other hand wants to cooperate with the good things God is trying to do in us and in the world around us. Throughout our lives a duel is waged between these alter egos. But instead of being threatened by this inconvenient result of the fall, we need to adapt to it. Once Spock understood both natures his life became more balanced. The Christ follower knows that his journey will be complete only in heaven, when, and where, two natures will no longer compete. Until then we need to accept the rivalry within as part of our spiritual journey.

• Friendship. Spock to Jim Kirk: "I have been, and always will be, your friend." Now it may seem hokey to you that this is one of my favorite cinematic quotes but I gladly own up to it. Having true friends is one of the greatest accomplishments of life. Having long-lasting, even lifetime friends, even more so. Star Trek, the movie, furnishes interesting and well-choreographed prequel information on Kirk, Spock, "Bones," "Scotty," and even the lesser characters that made the TV series a cult classic. To me the TV series as well as the movie is about friendship. The friendship between Kirk and Spock was born of conflict, tempered by crisis, and cemented by common goals. The lives of two tested adventurers intersect and follow a common course, which is a big part of how deep friendships are forged. Superficial frienships are a dime a dozen, or, 50 cents per dozen, accounting for inflation. But you get what you pay for.

Lookout Lodge

Last week we rented "Lookout Lodge" in the Smoky Mountains and the entire family was able to set aside several days to be together. (I'm in the back row holding our granddaugher Caroline. She is teething - that's why she has her fingers in her mouth.)

Observations:

- The peace and quiet of the mountains created a great atmosphere, not only for family time, but also for time with God. I went out on the deck and talked to my Heavenly Father morning, noon and night. It was spiritually invigorating. I also read quite a bit of Swindoll's biography of the Apostle Paul.

- Deb and I are so pleased with who our children are - and with who they married. Sometimes parents grow weary with the sacrifices they make, but I encourage any young parent to take the long view, especially when you are tired, spent and putting off personal endeavors so that your children can have the right kind of environment in which to grow and learn. When they become healthy, happy, Christ-following adults the satisfaction is unbelievable!

- As you can tell on the front row, our daughter Bethany (blonde) and her husband David are expecting a child, due in August - a boy - Isaac! Bethany will complete her work for her master's degree before Isaac gets here; David already has his master's. Our daughter-in-law Keshia (brunette) and our son Brandon are expecting their first child - also a boy - Carter - in September! Keshia just completed her MBA and Brandon is going back to work on his master's this fall. Brooke and Matthew (on the back row between Deb and I) have their master's degree in parenthood! Andrew (in Matthew's lap) is 2 & a half and the twins are 6 months. They are home from Spain on missionary furlough. When I watch them or the rest of the family with the children I know how blessed Deb and I are to have a family that cherishes life!

- I know why Jesus took vacations. It is great to refresh and replenish the supply in your spiritual well. I am now more focused and energetic than when we left on vacation. Take time off now and then to be alone with God. Take time off now and then to be alone with your family. Deb prefers the beach. So next year, as we do the every-other-year routine, we'll probably be there. But at least we'll realize that the world will go on revolving while we're not working.

Significant Events in My Life

A friend of mine, Mike Hall, did something similar to this for his blog and I enjoyed the idea and decided to "borrow" it. I have probably blogged some of this info before but it's been a few years back.

I haven't blogged for a while. My excuse is that I have been intensely preoccupied with various and sundry worthwhile activities.

But here are a few significant events in my past.

1. My mother's conversion to Christ, somewhere in late 1965 or early 1966.

Through the invitation of a co-worker mom attended a revival at the New Home Free Will Baptist Church in Piney Creek, North Carolina where we were living at the time. The evangelist was her older sister's brother-in-law, Kermit Childers. Everything changed in our home on that day. A driving force in my life has been to see everything change in other people's homes because of being introduced to Christ. When I remember that day and what it meant to my family, my two older brothers and I coming to Christ after we moved back to Maryland, I work past any hurdles of doing ministry today in order to keep making Christ known to others.

2. The day Christ saved me.

It was the summer of '66, shortly after my 12th birthday, at Mt. Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in Perryman, Maryland. I had only been in a church a few times in my life before then. God's love, as I had already seen demonstrated in my mom's life, compelled me to come to Christ. I'm not a mystic but that was a mystical (rare and mysterious) experience. I've told thousands of people through the years in sharing the good news about Jesus with them, that you don't have to have an emotional upheaval to know you're saved. But I also realize that we're all different. I can be emotional. Besides, that day I stepped into a new world. I examined Christ for myself and saw that He was more than I could have imagined! Following Christ has never grown old!

3. The day I committed to pastoral ministry - November 10, 1973.

I was 17, and had been thinking for a long time that God's call to preach had graciously been extended to me. That Sunday night I told my church. Interestingly, my wife Deb, whom I had not yet met, was born on November 10. We have two reasons to celebrate this date on the calendar.

I wasn't one of those guys who ran from the idea of being a preacher. In fact, I thought it was cool to preach ever since I came to Christ at age 12. I just take my time in thinking things through. Many nights as a teen I would dream of standing in front of a congregation, proclaiming the Word of God.

4. The day I met my wife.

I don't know the exact date, but we were on a choir bus coming back from being on tour. It was late and we ended up sitting beside one another and talking for several hours. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight but it was, "I want to get to know this girl better at first sight." That was nearly 35 years ago and I am still amazed at God's answer to my prayer for a wife that is so perfect for me.

5. The day Deb and I married - May 14, 1977.

This was about three weeks before I turned 21. Deb would turn 21 in November. We were young and full of love and life. Those were exciting and fun days.

6. The birth of our children, Brooke, Brandon, & Bethany.

Our children are the apple of my eye. They probably won't even realize until their children are grown how much they mean to me.

7. The birth of our grandchildren.

I melt like a popsicle on a July sidewalk when I see the grandchildren -three now and two to arrive this fall.

Lessons Learned from Teaching Kids

Every once in a while I like to report on my turn on the rotation of teaching kids on Wednesday night. Last week I had my wife Deb lead the adult Bible discussion while I got to learn from the children.

Since we're in 40 Days of Love at Pathway right now, I decided to teach the children on the topic of love from 1 Corinthians 13. I used the Contemporary English Version of the Bible since it is supposed to have an understanding level simple enough for 5th graders.

I had the kids read the verses one by one and we discussed whether or not we were good at showing love the way a particular verse talked about:

Do I take turns patiently without getting upset?
Do I get jealous of a friend's new clothes?
Do I show off or act as if others don't matter?
Am I polite and respectful of my parents and teachers?
Do I let someone else have the biggest piece of cake?
Do I call others names and try to get back at them?
Do I stay angry at someone for what he or she did?
Do I look for good in someone others say is bad?
Do I stand up for someone whom others pick on?
Do I believe that God can change difficult people?
Do I encourage others to do and be their best?
Do I choose to love others even when they disappoint?
Do I refuse to give up on someone, no matter what?

That's a pretty good list for adults to consider, let alone children!

If the children thought they were pretty good at showing love in a particular way, then they got to write their name beside that question. If not, they put a little star beside it to remind them what they needed to work on.

When the Bible was passed around and came to one little girl to read, she said, "I don't know how to read. I read backwards."

In a previous teaching/learning experience with the children I had noticed this same girl was able to put puzzle pieces together more quickly than anyone else in the class so I knew she was intelligent. (I had been using the puzzle as an object lesson about the story of Esther and how God put all of the pieces together in her life to bring out a beautiful result. As we put the puzzle together we talked.)

So, now trying to encourage her to read I said, "Oh, you have dyslexia. Did you know some of the smartest people who ever lived had dyslexia." (Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, etc.)

When I said this her mouth dropped open but she didn't say a word.

We went on reading a few more verses and talking about which areas of showing love that we each needed to work on.

When I asked for the next verse to be read she said, "Give me the Bible. It's my turn to read!" She sounded out the words slowly but with just a little help on a few big words, she was able to complete the reading.

After we discussed that verse the Bible was supposed to be passed on but she said, "Pastor Brian, is it okay if I read the rest of the verses?"

*******

Another humorous incident in this same teaching setting was when I asked, "If you love others, why shouldn't you brag?" One little girl piped up and said, "Because you might hurt yourself!"

Kids are so cool!

"Great" or "Good?"

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"At the turn of the 20th Century, a disillusioned man who had failed at almost everything he had attempted wrote to his sister, 'When I was young I longed to write a great novel that should win me fame. Now that I am getting old my first book is written to amuse children. For, aside from my evident inability to do anything 'great,' I have learned to regard fame as a will-o-the-wisp...but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart.'


"The man was Lyman Frank Baum, and his best-known book began to take form when a group of children, led by his own four boys, waylaid him one evening in his modest Chicago home, demanding a story. After a hard day's work, Baum often turned to fantasy as many men turned to alcohol. Sitting down with the children surrounding him, he began to talk. He gave no thought to what he was saying and later wrote in amazement, 'The characters surprised even me - it was as though they were living people.' Baum told of a little Kansas farm girl named Dorothy who was carried by a cyclone to a strange land where she met a live scarecrow, a man made of tin, and a cowardly lion. One of the children asked, 'What was the name of the land, Mr. Baum?' Stumped, Baum looked around him for inspiration. In the next room were filing cabinets, and one bore the letters O-Z. 'The land of OZ!' exclaimed the storyteller and continued with the tale, unaware that he had added a new word to the English language." (From "The Father of Oz, by Daniel P. Mannix)


It appears to me that L. Frank Baum was finally able to do something "great," but it came out of an effort to do something "good," to entertain little children.

How often, I wonder, do we aspire to greatness when God wants us to aspire to goodness? (And, in turn, greatness becomes the end result?)

Jesus taught us that goodness and faithfulness (loyalty) are the primary characteristics by which we will be evaluated when we stand before Him. (Matthew 25:21) Goodness - not greatness.

One of my favorite new TV shows is "Eleventh Hour," a CBS drama about Dr. Jacob Hood, a biophysicist and special science advisor to the U.S. government. Hood spends his life in "pursuit of those who would abuse and misuse scientific discoveries and breakthroughs for their own gain."

In one episode he hunts and eventually confronts a physician known only as Geppetto, who has cloned several children in order to use them as spare parts to replace her failing organs and save her own life. (Makes one think what dark goals may actually be reached by people of science devoid of conscience and character.)

Anyway, as Dr. Hood confronts the selfish "puppetmaster" (undoubtedly code-named Geppetto for the similarity to the toymaker who created Pinocchio) on her sick bed, an interesting exchange brings the entertainment to a denouement. Geppetto, thinking she is about to receive body parts from the cloned children that will help her regain her health, is instead met by Dr. Hood with the news that the game is up.

Geppetto: "You are good Dr. Hood...but you will never be great."

Dr. Hood: "I can live with that."

And so should every follower of Christ be able to say, "Good...I can live with that."

Church Sign Message Ideas

Sent out an email to some church family members this afternoon to request any creative ideas on what to put on the church sign message board.

I'm always looking for something catchy that might just arouse the curiosity of an unchurched person; something that would motivate them to be our guest.

Got some serious answers, some humorous. Here's a sampling:

1 - "No snake handling this Sunday." (Now that WOULD get attention!) (By the way, no snake handling ANY Sunday!)

2 - "Our pastor can do the Vulcan greeting." (This is a reference to the fact that I sometimes gesture like Mr. Spock on Star Trek when I'm speaking - the fingers of my hand become separated at the middle. No, I don't do the Vulcan mind meld or immobilize anyone by squeezing their trapezius muscle.)

3 - "Stop in and worship. You ain't doin' nothin' else on Sunday morning."

4 - "Looking for real change? Start by visiting us."

5 - "Visit Pathway Church and see what it's like."

6 - "Come to Pathway this Sunday on Jamie's birthday. Jamie goes to church here." (Or something like that. I erased the email before I thought about making this list but how funny!)

7 - "Satan made someone litter on our parking lot." (Perhaps we should offer a reward?)

8 - "No more room for visitors." (reverse psychology)

9 - "Wish you'd been here last week. It was great!" or "Last week was great. Come in and see the sequel."

10 - "Do you need a spiritual stimulus?" or "Visit Sunday to receive your spiritual stimulus."

I love the people of Pathway! Check the church sign out to see which idea is used. If you have a good suggestion please let me know by leaving a comment on this blog.

Couldn't Have Said it Better

Check out this post from my son on his blog.

http://www.brandonatwood.blogspot.com/