Christ Animated

Be prepared. That's the motto of the Boy Scouts of America. I used to be in the scouts, a long time ago. Preparation. Of vegetables - rinsing, scrubbing, cutting off stems and bad spots, removing seeds and membranes, chopping for use. The bell peppers we love to use in cooking are not usually the star of the dish. They are a small part of it. But they are important. Just ask anyone who hates bell pepper. If they get a bite of one, it's like me finding that someone snuck sour cream or mayo in something I was looking forward to eating. I want to be prepared. I want God to shape me in preparation for whatever He has yet in store for me. But I don't want to be "prepared" - the shearing, pruning, cleansing process hurts. And I don't get to be the star of the final offering - that's not my place. I'm just a part of what He's doing. And that's a pretty good place to be.

He took your innocence Traded for shame Stole your childhood Fed your hope to the dark Self-condemned, he tried to add you To the trophies on his desk Your mind escaped, only God knows where And only God can save you Jesus died for everyone But only some receive it Jesus lives and soon will come This is why you must believe it Never escaped that empty cell Though you were rescued long ago Never forgot his lingering smell You still equate love lies and anger Though dead you see him everywhere It's hard to stand and hard to breathe Could this Jesus be a real help and hope You reach out trembling upturned hands Jesus died for everyone But only some receive it Jesus lives and soon will come Child you must believe it I don't know what you're going through And I don't understand Can't comprehend what you've suffered My heart breaks for you Just because this evil happened Doesn't mean God doesn't care He's not weak but He weeps...

My sin. It's very personal, because it is mine. It's usually private, because I know that it is sin. It's the one sin I try to justify in my mind and spirit, so I won't hurt so much. It's the one sin I try to expose and rail against so maybe I can be free from it. It's the one whose temptations never seem to leave me. It's the sin I fear the most. Your sin. Yours should be exposed and dealt with. Your sin will find you out! But my sin ... I hope it never catches up to me. I hope I don't hurt others with it. Again. My nasty pet in the corner. Sometimes I play with it. Sometimes it disgusts me. So I throw it out. Then realize later I've let it back in. Oh, God, help me, forgive me, free me. I need You. Because of this sin. Because it is mine. Because it is sin.

I'm not certain what that color is, but it's some kind of brown with a slight reddish tint. Interspersed throughout are dots of varied sizes and red or brown hues. Then, of course, there are blond, brown, gray and white hairs. But this description of my forearms would not be accurate if applied to my upper arms. Much less color and much less hair reside there - a stark contrast. To say I have a farmer's tan would be insulting to farmers. One day last week, I traveled back to Louisiana in my car that has no working air conditioner. So I rode with windows down, as usual. By the time I started my return three-hour drive, my shirt was soaked with sweat from the work I'd been doing outside on that very hot and humid day. My remedy? Iced sweet tea and a sleeveless shirt for the drive. Now my left upper arm is red, and sore. The sun burned my lily white skin. I'm not a redneck. I'm a redarm. 

I have been guilty. Guilty of allowing my defensiveness and indignation to keep me from making a full effort to understand the pain of others. And I was blind to my guilt. For these things, I am truly sorrowful and repentant. I feel so frustrated that my friends and neighbors don't understand one another, and I don't do a great job understanding or explaining, myself. I feel frustrated between a white cop friend and a black friend whose comments show they each don't understand where the other is coming from. I feel the same with friends on opposing sides of the issue of gay marriage, or who they hate more in the presidential race. And I don't always keep my mouth shut, unfortunately. But Jesus said His followers would be distinctly identified by their love for one another. And it's a love that is born of God's love for us, and spills out of loving Him first and others second. May God, the Author of life and love and peace, mercifully pour out all thes...

How many times have I moved in my life? I'm not sure about birth to about age 3, but I know that it involved at least a couple of moves. I've lived in the following places, though, I know. Booneville, MS Burnsville, MS Corinth, MS Chunky, MS Hattiesburg, MS (2 locations) Petal, MS (2 locations) New Orleans, LA Summit, MS Many, LA (2 locations) Chunky, MS (2 locations) Decatur, MS Hickory, MS Boyce, LA Brookhaven, MS So. I've lived in at least 14 towns/cities. In four of those, I lived at least one month in one location before moving to another in the same town/city. Our most recent move took place in Stage 1 this past weekend. Stage 2 is coming up tomorrow and the next day. In Stage 1, my wife Donna, daughters Britain and Jessica, and son Tobie, with help from a friend named James, moved several items into storage in Alexandria, LA, before Donna and I packed up our car (which we got fixed just hours before leaving!) and headed to Mississippi. Jess stayed ...

As a youth minister in a church where we were searching for candidates for the role of deacon, I was surprised one Saturday to receive an anonymous letter in the mail describing in five typewritten pages why a particular candidate should no longer be considered.  The hateful comments, wrapped in religiosity, boiled down to the fact that John* had been divorced and remarried.  Current deacons and staff met with the pastor the following day, each bearing a copy of the letter. With very little hesitation, we decided to ignore the letter, since the individual had not signed it, nor did they seem to have the best interest of John in mind. With no names mentioned, we all also had no doubt which church member had sent the letter.  Lisa* was well known for her harsh attitudes and unforgiving outlook toward virtually every person outside of her own children. He husband Robert* would either laugh and say Lisa didn't mean what she said "that way", or just shrug his shoulders, sh...