Alamore … April 24, 2013

(1,861)

Travis, Bowie and Crockett–three men who found themselves arriving at an old mission in San Antonio in late February, 1836. They had one thing in common. Each one of them had experienced illustrious careers which had now ebbed, leaving them in a bit of disarray and even some disgrace.

All three had gone off looking for adventure, to reestablish some sense of purpose in their lives. Simultaneously, a large army from Mexico, led by Santa Ana, was invading Texas to conquer the state once again for the empire. The three men, along with about two hundred other individuals, made a decision to take a stand at the Alamo, to ward off the attackers.

No one can question their bravery. No one would ever cast aspersions on their decisions and motives. But truthfully, it was not necessary.

Sam Houston had a plan to lure Santa Ana deeper and deeper into Texas while he continued to train an army and avoid conflict by strategically retreating. The Alamo was a symbol of courage–but in a strange sense, also a surrender by three men who yearned for one last patch of glory.

It’s a lesson for all of us.

As I head off tonight to Alamo United Methodist Church, I arrive as one human being who wants to see things improve but am in no hurry to terminate my own existence to achieve those results. I am not so sure that we do a great work for God when we try to make our lives seem meaningless, as if we’re only here to prepare for heaven. I am not positive that teaching people to be vulnerable to despair and leery of conflict with the intent of surviving, is the best profile to share a gospel that was birthed to bring newness of life.

Even though I greatly admire the courage and bravery of Travis, Bowie and Crockett, I would prefer to stay alive to fight yet another day, when circumstances are favorable to victory. Here’s what I’ll tell them tonight at the Alamo:

1. Don’t die if you can live.
2. Don’t give up if you know you still have more.
3. Don’t believe it’s over just because you can’t envision tomorrow.

I have coined a new word today–Alamore: reaching the point when you think it’s time to go to heaven, but instead, you bring your life back down to earth.

The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity

Resurrectional Vehicle … April 17, 2013

(1,854)

Delighted man I was when I awoke this morning, looked at my calendar and realized I was going to be traveling to the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in San Antonio tonight to meet some inspiring folks.

It thrilled my soul because I love the word “resurrection”–and not simply because I am a believer in the emergence of Jesus of Nazareth from a tomb. It is also because resurrection sets in motion a manner of thinking that is necessary to maintain human health and well-being.

Candidly, to be successful on this planet we call “earth,” one must be able to distinguish between what is dead and what is living. It also helps if you don’t despair over the demise of certain things to the point of becoming immoveable. And it is beneficial as well if you don’t bury good things alive, suffocating them under your fear, tradition and culture.

So as I go tonight to experience the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, I will certainly and willingly impart to them my teaspoon of understanding about life and the power of coming back from the dead.

It is a four-step process–because sometimes you come across things in your life that are ailing and failing, and with a quick step and some good cheer, you:

1. Let it die. Here’s a little saying you might want to adopt for yourself: if it ain’t growin’, it’s dyin’. When I owned a house in Hendersonville, I had two projects I took on to train myself to be a domesticated land owner. First, I filled my walk-in closet with clothing so I would have choices on what to wear from day to day. Secondly, I went out into my front yard and decided to try out my green thumb by planting flowers and such.

First the closet. In no time at all, through the generosity of gifts from others and my own purchases, I had garments aplenty. One day I noticed that I was only wearing about five different outfits each week. The rest of my clothes hung in the closet, gathering dust and occasionally growling at me when I passed them by for my more preferred choices.

Now to the flower bed. I think it could be stated that my flower bed was dead. I don’t know what goes into pursuing botanical projects, but that gift seems to have eluded me. Soon I had quite an array of brown flowers.

So I went out, dug up my flowers and planted bushes (more durable) and I took all the clothes from my closet that I was not wearing and gave them to someone who might put them to work. It wasn’t growing; it was dying. So I let it die.

2. Bury it deep. We forget to make our changes obvious. For instance, I let everybody KNOW that I was abandoning becoming a clothes horse, and that I was no longer pursuing gardening. It’s important. Otherwise for the next several months, people will continue to give you seeds for your garden and clothes for your closet. Make it obvious by burying it deep.

3. Wait a spell. Jesus was in the grave for three days. Why? Because sometimes the trauma of letting something die and burying it needs to be separated from the exaltation of starting over again. I did not immediately leap into a new project to replace my closet and my flowers. I simply began to enjoy my life. Folks spend too much time on the clock and not enough time enjoying themselves, giving air to their lives to prepare for the next task.

4. And finally, roll the stone. That’s right. When it’s time to reappear with a new project after having waited a spell to recover from your last “killer event,” come out victorious. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every Sunday morning, the doors of the church burst open and people emerged with smiles on their faces, clapping their hands and hugging one another? A resurrection SHOULD look like we enjoyed it. Coming back from the “grave” circumstances we are in should put a smile on our faces.

So–being a great lover of resurrection and understanding the four steps of the “resurrectional vehicle,” I go to visit these dear hearts tonight. I will tell them not to be afraid to let some things die, bury them deep, wait a spell and then … roll the stone.

The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity