LifeVesting

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Our buddy Tim Hawkins is back with a new video spoof.  If you haven’t seen Cletus Take the Reel, check it out (it’s still my favorite).

This one’s of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” - only this time it’s at a kids birthday party.  Every parent who’s ever hosted one or every kid who’s ever had one can relate.  (By the way, Cletus fans - look for his cameo appearance.)  Enjoy!

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God has established an ordered world based on eternal principles found in his word.  I’m not talking about so-called “principles” that preachers invent to make people feel good, then try to attach a random Bible verse to in order to sound legit to the church crowd.  I mean truths, grounded in His character, that apply to many different situations.  That’s the difference between a rule and a principle.  “Don’t commit murder” is a rule.  “Value life” is a principle.

That said, to the degree that we align our lives with God’s principles, we experience the fullness of God’s purpose in creating us in the first place.  And the root from which every other principle springs is that everything begins with, and culminates in, the glory of God.  You and I were created for his glory – to express His image, extend His life, and execute His will.  And in order to fulfill that purpose, we were given the awesome gift of one lifetime.

That’s it.  No Plan B.  No second chances as a toad or platypus.  You get one shot, with no guarantees of how long exactly that will be. But with that one lifetime, you receive the opportunity to produce consequences affecting your future, in both time and eternity.

LifeVesting is about understanding the possibilities and taking action in the direction of the compelling future and eternal reward that can be yours.  It revolves around five biblical principles.  You can find them expressed in a variety of images – agriculture, business, family relationships, even fishing.  But the principles are consistent, regardless of the metaphor.  Today I’d like to briefly explain the first one.

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(A Turning Point Story)

“Boys, if you want a watermelon, all you have to do is come knock on my door and ask.  I’ll give you all the watermelons you want.  But please, don’t steal my watermelons.”

You know where this is going, right?

I couldn’t help but laugh. A lot.  I was on the bus with a group of men from our church coming back from a meeting, and we were discussing one of my favorite subjects: watermelon.

I suppose as long as there have been watermelon farmers, there have been watermelon thieves, and Lloyd was describing how he and his friends had done it in their younger years in Indiana. They smiled and said “yes sir” to the farmer’s request.

Later that night, they went to work.

Lloyd and his friends weren’t content just to sneak into the patch and dash away with a big, fat prize. They added insult to injury! Under the cover of darkness, they would take long, sharp knives and carefully cut a plug out of the end of the melon attached to the vine. Then they would eat the heart – the sweetest part - out of the melon and replace the plug.

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Passion is in.  I was reminded of that today as I finished the latest chapter of the book that Kaye, my sister-in-law, and I are working on together.

Passion is a cool word, and you’re cool if you use it in a sentence.  Extra points if your face is filled with passion when you use “passion” in the aforesaid sentence.

Tony Robbins ends all the sessions in his famous audio series with it.  “Live with passion!” he says.  Sure beats the alternative.  (Die with boredom?)  Anyway…

There’s a huge college and young adult ministry called Passion that has been a driving force for worship influences, discipleship and evangelism for more than a decade now.  Even the name connects with something that people sense a yearning for.

“Passions” is the name of a daytime drama, and passion.com is a sex-based dating service.  Same word; different meaning entirely.

Sports fans talk about a passion for the game, or a passion for winning.  Talk to a Cardinals, Red Sox, or Yankees fan on opening day.  Hang out in a barbecue or beer joint in Birmingham around Thanksgiving weekend.  Or watch Dale Jr. do – well, just about anything – and you’ll see passion.

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Dear Mr. Jefferson,

On behalf of the Society for Colonial Advancement in Rational Yankeeism (SCARY for short), I want to commend you on your recent effort.  Your so-called “Declaration of Independence” certainly has promise, and your draft, should you deem it wise to proceed, is a fine beginning.  However, the Society has some concerns about some of your language and felt quite certain that such a Rational man as yourself would appreciate the opportunity to make a good work even better.  To wit:

-Your reference to the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.”  While we admit that children in Sunday Schools may still believe in a Supreme Being, our society finds such a reference demeaning to the human spirit.  Moreover, a couple of our members are somewhat anxious about what you mean by “Laws of Nature.”  They find such a phrase to suggest that it might somewhat limit the “creative expression of their unique identity,” if you catch my drift.

-Again, your use of the words “created” and “Creator” leave no room for our understanding that humankind has evolved over millions of years.  While we delight in your reference to “life,” “liberty,” and “the pursuit of happiness,” we prefer to let individuals define for themselves what those constitute, free from the constraints suggested by “endowments” from an Almighty entity.

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When vision becomes a cliché (President Bush-the-first once famously referred to it in an off-the-cuff remark as “the vision thing”), it’s time for a new vision – or a new leader.

When yesterday’s vision no longer aligns with today’s brutal facts or tomorrow’s possibilities, it’s time for a new vision – or a new leader.

When vision becomes first and foremost an act of congratulating ourselves for what we or our predecessors have accomplished, it’s time for a new vision – or a new leader.

When “vision” becomes the mandates of mountaintop or ivory-tower elitists who have no clue what life in the cubicle, the pew, the kitchen or the stew is like, it’s time for a new vision – or a new leader.

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Okay, one last swipe at sentimental stuff, and I’m moving on…

The year is 1983.  President Ronald Reagan has proposed to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles called Strategic Defense Initiative — nicknamed “Star Wars.”  McDonald’s has introduced a new product called the Chicken McNugget.  “M*A*S*H” has ended after 10 years on CBS TV, the first longest running TV series ever. Over 125 million Americans tune in to watch the final episode.

Microsoft has developed a word processing software product called “Word.”  Sally Ride is flying (actually floating) high – the first woman in space, aboard the Challenger.  Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is opening in box offices across the country.  Nintendo is introducing a new video game called Super Mario Brothers.  India – that’s right, India –will shock the cricket world on this very day by winning the Prudential Cup.  I know, I know!  Can you believe it?

“I.O.U.” by Freeez is the #1 dance tune in the country.  “Flashdance:  What a Feeling” by Irene Cara is the number one pop hit.  Mickey Gilley’s “Fool for Your Love” is atop the country charts.

The New York Times Bestseller List features Return of the Jedi as the #1 fiction best-seller.  In Search of Excellence is the #1 non-fiction book.

We pay $3.15 to see Return of the Jedi.  We fill up with gas that cost an outrageous $1.16 a gallon.  We also mail a few letters for 20 cents apiece.

And in a little farm and oil town in West Texas called Brownfield, I stand with my fiancé and repeat these words:

I Andy, take you Robin, to be my wedded wife.  I promise to be honest and true to you always.  I will make whatever adjustments are necessary so that I may genuinely share my life with you.  And as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

With the exception of grandparents, the family is still all here, on both sides. That’s cool.  The friends in the wedding party have scattered across the country – to California, Arizona, Canada, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, and who-knows-where.  Three kids, twelve houses, eight churches, eight dogs, five cats, two hamsters, innumerable fish, one grandkid, and more friends than we can count later, we are greatly blessed.

So where was God when I made those vows?  Giving gifts.  Hearing every word.  Making Himself available when times got tough.  That’s why He says,

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High;
Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:14-15).

May I tell you from 25 years of experience that God’s promise and offer are true?

And so on this most unique of anniversaries so far, I offer to God thanksgiving for the gift of my wife.  I remember (again!) those vows I made, which are as relevant today as ever.  And I am reminded today that whatever trouble we may encounter is an opportunity to experience God in ways that are as new as the sunrise and fresh as the morning dew.

Happy Anniversary, Robin!  I love you more than ever.

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I have a confession to make.  It won’t come as a big surprise to those who know me best or work with me closest.

Deep breath – here goes…

I have a hard time saying, “No.”

There, I said it.  I like making people happy, and for as long as I can remember, I couldn’t stand to disappoint people or hurt their feelings.

In balance, that can be a good thing.  Helps with the whole relationships and people skills thing and all.  Out of balance, it can lead to some bad choices at work and some really unhealthy life choices as well.

In its ultimate expression, people-pleasers become codependents.  Originating from our understanding of the behavior of the spouses of addicts, we have since learned that you don’t have to be involved with an addict to manifest that type of behavior.

Like the other three LifeVesting alter-egos – consumers, hoarders, and gamblers – pleasers twist a virtue into a vice.  In the area of their life resources, they use their resources to buy love or approval.  Often cloaked in an illusion of responsibility, these people give out of an unhealthy desire to “fix” someone they love, or rescue them (often repeatedly) from a crisis.

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Randy is the president of a major water pump business located in Fort Worth, Texas.  A few months ago he was on a Southwest Airlines flight and struck up a conversation with the lady sitting next to him.  She was on her way home from a DFW visit to her daughter.  A wedding shower trip, she said.  As the conversation progressed, the lady somehow got to talking about her daughters and their love for the Atlanta Braves.  For their sixteenth birthday, the one thing the twins wanted was to fly to Atlanta for a game.  Then when the Braves were coming to Arlington a couple of years ago, it happened to be just before one of the girls’ wedding, so that didn’t work out.

And wouldn’t you know it?  Here they were, an hour flight away, and again, they were here during the week of a the second twin’s wedding and the only dates they could go were taken up with wedding stuff.

Well, let’s just see, says Randy, as he pulls out a Baseball magazine and flips to the Rangers’ schedule.  Actually, there was a way, and there was a day.  Oh, and I have six season tickets to the Rangers Ballpark at Arlington, says he.  He offered them as a wedding present.

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Not once did the thought occur to me.  Not once.

We knew at 10 weeks we were having twins, courtesy of those dandy new ultrasound machines.  And we were excited.  Fresh out of school, still using wedding dishes, living in our own home, and picking out not one, but two sets of names. 

Two boys?  Joel Andrew and Jeremy Adam. 

Boy and a girl?  Joel Andrew and Jessica Leigh.

I was pretty quiet as we headed home from that latest ultrasound.  The images were beginning to form in my mind for the first time.

Two girls?

Cosmic shifts started taking place in my little brain.  And they all culminated in a wedding.

Since I was old enough to understand what fathers were, I wanted to be one.  I was blessed to have a dad who loves being a dad, to this day.  In whatever ways I have failed to live up to his example, I caught the whole load on that one.  And in doing so, three deep convictions emerged:

• I would be the first representation of the nature and character of God to my children.
• We were called to raise adults, not children.
• Mommies build nests, but for daddies, children are arrows in their hands, and my job was to launch them.

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