Another Lap

Since childhood I've been attracted to all things mechanical, especially automobiles (or "motorcars" as our British friends call them). My first car was a used 1962 Corvair. I got mine before Ralph Nader decided he needed to protect us from them. It was light green with tan vinyl upholstery. The Corvair provided me with my first opportunity to tune and care for an automobile. It had fancy wheel covers, a tachometer on the dashboard, and a green 6 ball for a gearshift knob. Of course it had dual glasspack mufflers so it sounded pretty bad, but with only 102 horsepower its bark was much worse than its bite. In 1967, with my Corvair as a trade-in and with money saved from working every summer and Christmas break, I was able to buy my first new car - an Oldsmobile 442. With over 360 hp, its bite was substantially larger.


I've often dreamed of driving a Formula 1 race car. How cool would it be to fly through the streets of Monaco in a McLaren-Mercedes revving at 18,000 rpm? I've always thought that the life of an F1 driver like Juan Fangio, Graham Hill, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher would be glamorous and exciting.


With the arrival of a new year and a new decade, God has reminded me that my life is a bit like a Formula 1 road race. The faster I drive, the faster each lap (and each year) goes by. I sometimes seem to be going so fast that the scenery along the course is just a blur. The faces of those standing alongside the track are all but indistinguishable. My grandmother knew what she was talking about when she told me that the older you get, the faster each year goes by.


This month I have felt God asking me to trade my McLaren-Mercedes for something much slower, maybe even a bus so others can go with me. I think He wants me to look into the faces along the course and to even take some of the side roads off the track. He has shown me that the faster I go, the more difficult it is to follow the last half of Jesus' commandment - to love our neighbors as ourselves. I think He's trying to tell me that this "love" of which Jesus speaks is much more than just the passive opposite of "dislike." I need to do a better job of actively sharing His love with those in my community. My prayer for 2010 is to have a lighter accelerator foot and better vision so that I can recognize those daily opportunities to share the love of Jesus, and the courage from the Holy Spirit to stop and share rather than just race on by. Any riders?


An ex-Michael Schumacher wannabe

Two Shepherds’ First Christmas

Overheard on a hill overlooking Bethlehem, 0 BC


"Woof! Woof!"

"What is it Lassie girl?  Another wolf, or has one of those not-ready-for-Mensa sheep wandered off again?  Whoa!!  Wake up Sam! Look at the size of that star!  It seems to be lighting up the whole city, but especially that old stable.  What are all those lights flying toward us?  Goodness gracious!  It's a herd of angels!  Sam, did you forget to take that wandering sheep back to Mr. Schmidt's flock?"


"Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people."


"Fear not, my foot!  I may have to change my undies."


"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."


"A Savior, which is Christ the Lord?  Whatta ya think that means, Sam?  Maybe a leader like David who can smack down all the lions and gladiators in the coliseum and help us send these Romans packing?  Or could He truly be the Anointed One, the Messiah, sent by God to rule the whole world?"


"And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."


"Well, I guess that explains the big star."


"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."


"Sam, I'm still not sure what to make of all this, but I think we should check it out.  Get your staff and let's go pay our respect to this little "Soul Man".  Lassie, you watch the sheep. Hurry Sam!"


"Hold on Dave, I'm coming."

The Gift

As I was considering a new post for this Advent season, I began to think about Lon's Advent sermon series on "The Wonder of a New Baby."  I also sought some guidance from my best friend (my wife, of course).  She suggested a blurb about "The Gift."  We have three wonderful children who have three wonderful spouses.  They have now gifted us with eight wonderful grandchildren.  As I think back on the births of our children and grandchildren I can still recall the wonder and awe as I held those little bundles of cells who, in only nine months or so, had become perfect little beings.


I suspect that Mary and Joseph must have had those same feelings, but maybe a bit more "wonder" (if that's possible) about what Jesus' life would be like.  Gabriel told Mary that her son was to be named Jesus and that He would be great and called the Son of the Most High.  She was told that Jesus would be given the throne of his father David and that He would reign over the house of Jacob forever and ever.  Gabriel didn't mention anything about a cross.  As I consider Mary's thoughts, I think about the haunting lyrics of the Christmas song, "Mary, Did You Know?" by Mark Lowry.  I expect that Mary was told only what God wanted her to know in order for her to lovingly raise Jesus as her own.

While in residency here in the late 1980's, we had the pleasure of meeting Greg and Diana Botkin.  Greg was also in the residency program and they had children as well.  As busy as they were, they took the time to home-school their children.  Diana is an accomplished artist and provided much of the family's income with her paintings.  While they were here, she won several awards and was commissioned by Mead Johnson to do some Enfamil art work.  Both Greg and Diana are devout Christians and much of her work has Christian themes.  As I considered the idea of "The Gift" associated with "The Wonder of a New Baby," I remembered a piece that Diana had done in charcoal some 20 years ago.  To me, it speaks volumes about a God who loves us so much, and wants so much for us to love Him, that He came into the world He created, and in the only fashion possible reconciled our debt for sin and justified us once again into a right relationship with Him.  She called it "Behold the Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sin of the World".  To me it is "The Gift."