Purpose

I heard a story once about a young boy who found a moth cocoon and decided to bring it home and watch the moth emerge from the cocoon. Day after day the boy impatiently watched hoping to see a sign of the moth; but day after day he was met with disappointment. Finally, one day, the boy began to see the moth pushing through the cocoon. He watched as the moth managed to get only a tiny opening in the cocoon and through that tiny hole it pushed and fought its way out. The boy, feeling bad for the moth, couldn't stand it anymore and went over, grabbed a pair of scissors, and carefully snipped the opening so that it was bigger. As soon as he did that, out fell the moth. Finally, the moment had come when he would see the moth fly for the first time, so he waited for the moth to get its bearings...but nothing. The moth tried to flap its wings, but they didn't look right. So the boy left it alone figuring that it just needed to "grow" into its wings. But the next morning, the moth still didn't fly...and, little did the boy know, it never would. You see, the struggle of the moth to get out of the cocoon has purpose. In the course of the struggle to free itself, it forces blood to be pushed from its body and into the wings where the wings, within just a short time, will fold out and be ready for its first flight...but this moth didn't get that chance because, it the midst of his impatience to see the moth fly, he failed to see the purpose of the struggle.

Let's face it, we all long to understand purpose. Why am I here? Why is this happening? What is my life going to be about? What purpose do I have? If you're like me, you've asked this question. Sometimes it gets answered...sometimes, not so much.

I, personally, believe there is purpose to everything. Whether it be due to our actions, or lack of, there is a reason and a purpose to why things happen and why we do what we do.

Inevitably someone will ask "why do bad things happen to good people?" Two answers:
1. Either by their own doing they have gotten themselves in hot water and are paying for the consequences (haven't we all been there?) or...
2. By someone else's doing we suffer. In other words, the young teenage daughter that was killed in a drunk driving accident wasn't necessarily killed because she had done something bad...she was killed because some idiot decided to drink and then get behind the wheel of a 2 ton automobile even though it's against the law and just plain stupid. She died not because God wanted her to...she died because of the rotten behavior and (yes, let's call a spade a spade) the sin of another.

Whether by our own devices or something/someone else, things do have purpose. Life does have meaning. I believe, personally, our ultimate life's purpose is to please God. I can't imagine living life simply for myself -- there must be something or someone bigger to live for. For some, that may seem odd or ridiculous, but if that's not the case I have to ask -- is this all there is? Because life isn't just filled with the "good" of life -- we also have to deal with the "bad" of life. If I live my life with a purpose greater than myself, one day, I believe, I'll be somewhere where there will be no more bad and it will all be good! But if I live my life with a purpose that goes no further than my own nose, I'm still dealing with all the muck as much as the good -- what's the point there? I strive for something greater!

Purpose. Most will never come to terms with it. Some will believe it some of the time. No one will escape it. All of us will live with it...and have to deal with the results.

So...what's the purpose behind your life -- or more specifically your life's specific situation right now? Are you happy? Why do you think that is? Could it be so that it's not to simply relish in the greatness of life (although don't waste the opportunity to do that!) but to share your joy with others and perhaps help someone out who isn't happy right now? Are you suffering? Perhaps if you're willing to endure the pain for a short time that in the end you'll find yourself stronger in the end...and can help others who suffer in the same way? Are you in love? That, my friend, is a taste of heaven -- don't let your head get away from you and appreciate that love by nurturing it...and then pass the beauty of love along to others who simply fail to see it or know it.

We're not a bunch of pinballs randomly bouncing off one another...we're made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). We feel. We think. And, yeah, we have purpose...and so does life. I hope you find your purpose...in life...and in whatever situation you may be in right now.

Until next time, may you be lifted up!

My Dad

This past Sunday, being Father's Day, was a time to reflect on our fathers and all they mean to us. My brother, sister and I are very, very fortunate to have a mom and dad like we do. I don't know how I would have survived without my dad. He's been a friend, mentor, hero and parent. He taught me about God and living life for others and not just yourself. Over the years he's been my biggest supporter and sternest teacher. When I was kid I just never could see myself being close to my dad -- I thought he was just too corny or old-fashioned. But now, I can't imagine life without the close relationship we have.

I've had two pretty cool experiences with him in the past two weeks that shows just how close we are. First -- see the picture up top? Yep, that's me and my 59 year old father riding a roller coaster together a couple of weekend ago at Beech Bend park in Kentucky. They have this new coaster called the Kentucky Rumbler and dad wanted to ride it...well, sort of. He did, and then he didn't, and then he did, and then he didn't, and then he did and I think a picture is worth a thousand words, don't you? I'm glad I can still have tons of fun with my dad!

On another hand, he and I attended the showing in Nashville of Glenn Beck's Mid-Life Crisis Tour. Glenn is a conservative radio and tv personality that Dad turned me on to back about 4 or 5 years ago. I'm probably even more faithful a listener than he is but we both enjoy talking about Glenn's show and just laughing at Glenn's goofiness. We went to the show together for Father's Day and it was just a ball of fun. It blew my mind at the fact that I can distinctly remember when I was about 10 years old thinking that my Dad was soooo boring because he listened to talk radio...and there we were, 20 odd years later in a dark auditorium enjoying a talk radio show hosts comedy show about growing old, together. And it reminded me once again just how much my Dad means to me and has taught me about being a man, a father, a husband, and, most importantly, a Christian. Thanks Dad...I owe you (and Mom) everything!

Until next time...may you be lifted up!

Afraid

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
-- Abraham Lincoln

When I was kid, I was fearless -- well, at least to a degree. I suppose I was no more or no less than most kids. I remember vividly one summer day when some neighborhood boys, my brother and I decided that the absolute coolest thing in the world would be to build a steep bike ramp that would allow us, upon riding that ramp, to jump higher and farther than any bike ramp we had ever built or ridden! You see, a normal bike ramp would usually measure in at a 45 degree angle. This one must have easily been 65 or 70 degrees. Had we only been a few years older (and not quite so blinded by our own stupid desires to fly like Elliot did with ET in that "barely known" movie about an ExtraTerrestrial -- I mean, he flew in that bike right in front of the moon, baby!) we likely would have known that the physics involved would most assuredly show us that this was nothing more than a kamikaze mission. But we didn't (and in reality I ask -- would it have mattered to us? -- probably not!) and so we pushed forward. Oh...and what I haven't told you is that my house, which is where this death trap of a ramp was built, rested at the very bottom of the valley of the hill that my street was built on. That's right, if you started even just a few houses up that hill, by the time you reached the section of sidewalk in front of my house you were crusing at a healthy speed that any boy worth his salt wishes and prays to experience everyday.

So, ramp built, I decided to be the guinea pig. I jumped on my bike and pedaled it quickly up the hill just a couple houses up from mine. "This should be a good test run," I thought to myself. So I began to pedal as fast I as could toward that rickety old ramp made of nothing more than a single piece of plywood and about 6 bricks. I knew this would be a defining moment if we succeded. Nine and ten year old boys all over the world would hear of our great feat and would call to hire us to come and build their local ramps. We would be paid handsomely and history would remember us as pioneers who dared to laugh in the face of failure and death and do what only "needed" to be done for boys everywhere for all time.

Ever get that feeling the split second before you do a thing that maybe this was the worst mistake you ever made? That perhaps you should have left it with the experts after all? Uh-huh. Me too. Right as my front bike tire hit that ramp. I only remember two things after that: losing track of my bike mid-air and then said bike landing on top of me after I hit the lawn less than 2 feet away (to the left of it mind you) from the aforementioned ramp. I laid there for what seemed like an eternity desperately trying to catch my breath because the wind had severely been knocked from me. I managed to push my bike off of me and stagger into the house. I tried to call out to my mom, but couldn't. I couldn't even cry. So I found the sofa in our living room and sat hoping that somehow I would be able to breathe again. All I could think was that the next day's local headlines would read "Boy Fails...and Then Dies." Needless to say I was devastated that it hadn't worked. Needless to say I finally managed to catch my breath. Perhaps needless to say, my brother and I and the other boys took a few bricks off the pile, re-propped the ramp at a much safer angle, and carried on as if the failed attempt never even occurred.

As we get older, we no longer build suicide ramps. Not because things like this still don't occur to us, but because we learn to think things through before leaping into action. But sometimes it keeps from even trying a thing. That's not to say that we shouldn't listen to that voice that says, "don't even think about it...", but how often when we should try a thing do we fail to do so simply because we're afraid of the failure itself? Especially when we know it's the right thing to do. Calling the police on a abusive neighbor. Vocalizing our principles when we know they are being offended or railed against. Standing up for what we believe even when the majority doesn't. The stripped down, bare fact is that often we don't do what we ought to because we're afraid of the reprecussions. And too often, perhaps (and I speak from personal experience) we don't try because we are afraid to fail -- or of at least looking like a fool.

So next time you're tempted to stay back do yourself a favor -- go forward and do what needs to be done. What is right. What is beneficial not simply for your benefit, but especially for others. I leave you with two masters who taught us well with their words of encouragement in this area:


"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."

-- Paul the Apostle, Romans 7:14-25

"Do, or do not. There is no try."

-- Yoda, Jedi Master, The Empire Strikes Back

Until next time, may you be lifted up!

Priceless

Tickets for the amusement park -- $50
Lunch -- $35
8 bottles of water to keep cool in the 95 degree humid heat -- $1.50/ea.

Sharing my 6 year old son's first roller coaster ride -- priceless

There are some things in life money can buy...for everything else...it can't. It's just being a parent or a spouse or a good friend and being there when you're needed. Time and love is what we can offer every day to those around us. If we're willing to give that, the return will be immeasurable. Thank God everyday for your life and for those who gave to you in this way...and then give it to others too! Until next time...may you be lifted up!

Finding The Silver Lining

If you're like me, it seems so hard to often find contentedness in our times of anguish. A good friend of mine, who is dealing with one of those times, sent me the lyrics to a song by Casting Crowns from their Lifesong CD that she uses as a reminder and it just inspired me:

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen"
and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God
Who gives and takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

What a beautiful expression of faith! How often do we say something like this...and truly mean it? If you're like me when things aren't going my way or life is delivering blow after blow, it's soooo hard to smile, laugh, or find the positive -- especially enough to praise God! And yet, only God is truly faithful to see us through. And, thankfully, the suffering we endure in this world is usually only temporary and will make us stronger. It is in our weakest of moments that God's strength is so vivid and powerful that we may wonder where it is in our strongest moments. Our problem is that in our strong moments, we often dismiss God and rely on ourselves. It's the storms of life that show us just how much we need God and His help in all moments of life.

Can you find the silver lining on the dark clouds of life? If not, ask yourself -- where is your focus? Is it on the cloud...or can you see the sunshine behind it that will come out once the cloud passes -- and it will pass. Don't let the storms of life wash you away -- anchor yourself in God and He will not let you drown. Until next time...may you be lifted up!

Narnia

I begin my series of reviews with one of my newly found favorite movies -- The Chronicles of Narnia.

I read the books as a young child -- I don't remember how young because, sadly, I can't remember much about the books. And for some reason I simply never bothered to pick the books back up again as an adult to re-read and see what I had been missing all these years. But now with the release of the movie, I'm introducing it to my children, and I find myself swept away to Narnia again for the first time.

The first movie, interestingly enough, is not the first book - at least chronologically; however it was the first book published by Lewis in 1950. The Magician's Nephew chronologically comes first, although it was published several years later in 1955 and was the sixth of the seven books of the series. (For more on the books, click here.)

Back to the movie...

The movie, like the book, follows the Pevensie children -- Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy -- as they discover the magical land of Narnia. All of the actors who portray the children really do a good job, although at times their performances seem forced. Georgie Henley, who portrays Lucy, did a very good job at capturing Lucy's adventurous spirit for the sake of the adapted screenplay. Really all the children did well, considering that they had to carry the film -- which I'm sure was viewed as a bit risky by even Disney.

There are some tremendous actors who voice some of the key characters -- such as Liam Neeson who plays Aslan the Lion -- and they bring a reality to the computer animated characters that truly transports you to Narnia and provides that suspension of disbelief that we all desire in the best of movies.

What perhaps is noticeable (and yet not) is the tremendous effects done by WETA Workshop out of New Zealand. These are the same folks who brought us the amazing effects in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Finally, with perhaps an unprecedented level of reality, we get to see Faun's and Minotaur's alike in all their fantastic glory!

[Spoilers below if you haven't see the movie]
But what stands out most is the message of the film (and the book): the purity of a true sacrifice. The story shows us that as human beings, we are all fallible. We all make mistakes and commit sins -- hopefully that we'd rather forget and never do again. In fact, often things go from bad to worse to worst before it ever gets better. In Narnia, poor Edmund makes a terrible error in judgment by trying to please the White Witch causing a series of events to unfold that ultimately leads to a blood sacrifice being made on his behalf by Aslan. The most poweful moment in the movie is when we witness the death of Aslan. As he approaches the White Witch and her deviant disciples, they hurl insults, mock him, curse him, beat upon him, shave his great mane, tie him up and place him upon the sacrifical Stone Table. As the White Witch plunges the knife into Aslan, she fully believes she's won Narnia forever...of course, as she finds out, a pure sacrifice of one who has no fault can break even the bonds of death. Aslan is resurrected and ready to fight and eventually the White Witch is defeated and Narnia is returned to it's people with Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy as its Kings and Queens.

Lewis' books provide a real stage for displaying the characteristics of faith, morals, values and principles. And while, by his own admission at times, the books were not intended to be overtly Christian, they certainly had many of those principles in them. But what Lewis does best, and the movie manages to show in 3 dimensions, is that love is powerful, sacrifice is honorable, and good will overcome evil because what is "good" looks out for other's interests, not it's own. Evil is inherently self-destructive, whether people admit it or not -- and Narnia reminds us of that in the adventures of the Pevensie children.

So...if you want a good movie to watch with the whole family, Narnia is a good place to start. This film is rated PG for mild intensity and mild fantasy battle scenes.

For more on this movie, visit PluggedIn Online. Until next time...may you be lifted up!

And now...the "how"...

We, as mortal souls on this planet, are driven by two sides: reasoning and emotion. There is delicate balance that must be struck between the two if one wishes to stay sane -- I'm quite confident in this conclusion. But different things drive the different sides. An inspiring song can make you feel 10 feet tall. Learning a new fact about life can offer the same feeling -- but more importantly you've just inched that much closer to being a much more reasonable human being because (wait for it!) you now know more than you did before. Is this a serious understating of the two sides? Probably...but I think you get the point.

The problem we often run into is that these sides are warring within us quite often. "Which side do I let win the fight today? The side that wants the adrenaline rush of jumping from a plane and the majesty of that ride down to terra firma...or the side that says 'you know what, chance of death less likely if you're not hurling your body through the air at 120 miles per hour!'" So, I pledge a truce...well, no, not a truce...an equal opportunity to be enlightened by feeding both sides.

On this site, soon, you'll begin to find movie reviews, music reviews, favorite quotes, ponderances, controversial debates and mundane blah, blah, blah-ing from our world. I can't promise I'll always make sense...and I can't guarantee you'll even care...but I can assure you that I will make every effort to make your day a bit better by at least pointing you in a positive direction about this stuff we call life. And, "no", I don't profess to be a guru or an expert or anything of the sort...I'm just a guy with a family trying to make it through this life in good order -- and bring as many with me along for the ride as I can. So, let's have some fun...and maybe be illuminated along the way! Until next time...may you be lifted up!

Be Lifted Up

I started a blog about a year or so ago and I just didn't keep it up. I think the main reason was that I had no focus to the blog. I had started it with the intention of it being just someplace I could go and "rant" or "vent" or just write -- but it didn't get too far. So I began to think, what is it that I want to do with my blog? What do I like to do?

Answer: lift others up emotionally, spiritually, mentally...edify.

So, welcome to "ed·i·fi·ca·tion" where my sole purpose here is to build up, not tear down. Let's face it, we've got enough people tearing us up everyday and making things worse -- why add fuel to the fire.

In my next post, I'll flesh out how I hope to attain this goal -- and perhaps, and I'm asking nicely, how you can help me out in this endeavor! Until next time...may you be lifted up!