Danger in the Shadows

Well...we made it. My youngest son has come home different. He is no longer the innocent child...but now he knows a little more about the world.

One of the reasons for a trip like the one we took is to let him know about things that he cannot possibly see as a potential danger that are ahead of him. In just a couple years, my son will begin to yearn for more and more freedom...as is natural for every young adolescent. He will think that his mom and dad are holding him back.

I heard Dobson tell a story about a time when he and his daughter raised hamsters for a time. He said he could remember this one furry little fellow that spent most of its adult life trying to break free from the confines of the cage it was in.

It would use its head and shove against the door of the cage. It would pace back and forth as if looking for a weakness in the cage to attempt a break. It would gnaw and chew on the bars of the cage in hopes of getting out.

But little did that hamster know that most of the time, the family dog would sit and wait in the shadows just watching for the opportunity of that hamster escaping. If that little hamster ever did get out, the family dog would make a quick, easy meal of it.

From the vantage point of the hamster, life seems like a little cage with all kinds of impositions and rules and regulations. But from Dobson's perspective, he could see the safety of such a cage and helping that little hamster from becoming some dog's lunch.

My job as dad is to help my son be safe from a savage world that is ready and lurking in the shadows to pounce on him and devour him. I want him to be prepared for such dangers and know where to turn and how to escape.

We made a good start of it this past weekend. It certainly is not over...parenting isn't over in a weekend...but we have laid a good foundation. I have been incredibly blessed to be able to raise such good young men as my two sons!

Thrill Ride!

So here we go! We leave this weekend for the big get-away and the discussion with my son about life. I feel like this is kind of like a roller coaster. Not in how I am feeling but in what I am doing.

If I was on a roller coaster with my son and I knew what turns were ahead and where the drop-offs were but didn't share it with him...I am not really prepping him for what lies ahead. I think if I can let him know about all the twists and turns that are awaiting him as he enters puberty and adolescence then he'll have an advantage that most don't have.

And just like a roller coaster, adolescence is quick and has a predictable beginning and a very predictable ending. So he can know what to expect and what to watch out for. That way, as he begins the life navigation process, he will have a compass with him. Me, his earthly father and God, his heavenly Father. True and trusted.

My goal is to arm my son with what he needs for the tumultous times ahead of him. I'll let you know how our weekend was when we get back...in the meantime, pray for us!

What now?

What now? Do we continue to watch the news stories about the tragedy on Virginia Tech's campus so we can have ABC and CBS and NBC help us properly deal with the tragedy?

Will we feel better when we learn all about Cho Seung-Hui and can identify with his horrible childhood?

I think we need to take a moment and pray for some hurting Moms and Dads. I think we need to pray for hurting families and friends of the young people that lost their lives.

I think that we need to take pause and remember that God has numbered our days...and not one of us is priviledged to know when our time is up on planet earth.

I think that we should brace ourselves for the people that will look at the situation and ask, "How could a loving God allow such a tragedy to occur?"

I think we should be equally as ready for those who are drawn closer to Christ as a result of this evil act.

I think we should be watching to see how God fulfills Romans 8:28 in this situation. He already is.

I think we should thank God for the life He has so graciously allowed us to live.

What now? Love God, love people. In other words, keep doing what you have been doing. Focusing on the two most important things in life - love God, love people.

Hitting the Glass

There are some things you just can't do. The other day I had gotten to the church building early and went into my office. I turned on my laptop and sat down as it was loading up. All of a sudden, I heard the loudest sound. It came from the front entry way.

I had no idea what it was. It sounded kind of like a rock or large object being thrown against the front glass doors. When I got to the front doors nothing was there. No glass was broken. But just outside the door on the ground lay a Robin.

Apparently this bird thought he could fly full-speed into our entry way but was abruptly stopped by the glass wall.

This past week, there was a whole lot of hub-bub over Don Imus and his remarks about the women's basketball team at Rutgers University. All of it ultimately resulted in MSNBC dropping the broadcast of his radio show and then CBS followed suit and dropped him altogether.

Some of the loudest voices calling for his resignation were the "Reverend" Al Sharpton and the "Reverend" Jesse Jackson. Two of the most reputable and integrous men in America...NOT.

I found it kind of funny when I thought about it. Their credibility is about as abrupt as that Robin running into the glass. On the outside, it appears they can ask for Don Imus' resignation...but reality is a hard, impenetrable force. And a closer examination would show that both those "men" (Sharpton and Jackson) have no footing whatsoever.

They are as racist or even more so than the worst that Don Imus could dish out on a bad day. And you need to know, that I am no Don Imus fan. What Imus did was wrong and stupid. I just find it humorous that it drew out some of society's biggest hypocrites.

And an even closer examination would show that I really don't even have that much credibility on the issue of race. I have harbored racist thoughts in my heart many, many times. I have commented on the way someone walks and made assumptions about that person because of the color of their skin.

I have had bad things happen to me by someone of another race and felt quite justified in my superior attitudes because I am not like one of "them." I think there haven't been many races that I haven't had something against at one point or another.

I have disliked blacks and Mexicans and Jews and orientals and Europeans...and even here in Des Moines, I have had opportunities to harbor racist feelings against Bosnians (Des Moines is home to many Bosnian immigrants). So I am an equal opportunity racist, I guess.

I am no different than Don Imus. I may not have had a microphone as big as his. But I have felt and thought things about other human beings that is just as reprehensible as what he said. I guess I am just like Jackson and Sharpton too because I am a hypocrite too.

I wish that I would begin to see people like Christ does...his children in need of a lasting relationship with him.

Easter 2007

Well...I've had a couple days to reflect on it now. And I must say it was absolutely the best Easter I have ever experienced in my life. What a great service all the way around. We had a great crowd, great music, great drama (with the kids), great videos, great participation and a great message.

I was truly blessed. And we had a great opportunity that I believe was seized well to minister to people who came that day. God is good. Jesus is risen. The Gospel was preached!

Follow-Up Video

Head of the Home

I was talking with a young couple thinking about getting married the other day. We have been having these regularly scheduled "sessions" with each other. This last session I took time to focus in on the guy. I wanted him to know what leadership in the home is all about.

I started by asking her if she liked it or not that the Bible says that she needs to "submit to her husband." She didn't like that, she admitted. She said she would rather see it as a team effort that they both equally and cooperatively make all decisions together.

I told her that sounds great but it will not work. The problem is reality. Because what really happens is that a we are faced with a plethora of decisions that need one person and one person alone to make the call for the whole family. And who is that going to be?

Because the Bible would say he should. In fact it says he is the head of the home. But what exactly does that look like?

I think it looks something like this...

Think about Jesus for a moment. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Think about a foot now. An unwashed, dirty, cracked-skin foot. Think about warm water flowing over that foot. Think about the King of Kings and Lord of Lords gently caressing that unkempt foot. Think about the Mighty Arm of the Lord holding up this foot so he can wipe it down.

It is quite a picture if you think about it. But the way I see it is this. To be the head is to be the servant. It is bottom up leadership.

Most men have their wives completely obliterate them when it comes to service. Women, by nature, are more servant-hearted than men are. Men are wired to be selfish. And we have to fight those innate tendencies.

Women typically focus on others. It is just the way they are wired. I think if the husband began to attempt to out-serve his wife (which he may find a daunting task) then most marital problems would become null and void.

But here's what else I believe. I believe that the only way a woman can be expected to "submit to her husband" is when he is "loving her like Christ loved the church." When a man loves/leads like that...I don't care if it is the most militant feminist, she will have her heart melted. When a man is out-serving a woman...putting her needs always before his own...ask that woman if she would submit to a man like that and you will always receive a resounding, "YES!"

Being the head of the home means cleaning dirty feet. Being the leader means that she is always more important. And most "men" are nowhere near that kind of definition.