The LIGHTHOUSE

In your mind – picture the following: A mother’s womb.  Military escort.  Bubble wrap.  Bodyguard.  Padded envelope.   NASCAR race car driver’s seat.  Bomb shelter.  Styrofoam packing pellets.  Sealed and laminated envelope.  Child’s car seat.

•  What do they seem to have in common?  Does the idea of being secure and safe come into mind?  How about the thought of protection?

When I first saw this picture it made me say, “Oh wow!”  I exhaled my breath slightly and sat up in my seat and took notice.  I studied the picture, narrowing my vision to focus on the man who is almost center stage in the photo.  Then I looked at the waves and was awe-stricken by their color, the power they conveyed, and could almost hear their crashing upon the lighthouse surrounding the man.  My mind was filled with images I’ve seen in the past --- tsunamis, floods, and tidal waves --- and thought of the damage and destruction they can cause.

Only after getting caught up by the person in the picture --- and then on the problem that surrounded him; did I really focus on the source of his protection. 

The lighthouse stood there in the midst of the problem providing security, safety, and protection.  Its look led me to believe that it had been there for a long time and obviously had weathered these types of situations many times in the past. 

If I were the man in the photo … I would be making all sorts of guttural sounds as I starred at the crashing waves.  My mind would be consumed with thoughts for my safety, and I would be throwing all of my energy and resources into holding on for dear life.  I don’t know if at that moment I would be saying thank you to the lighthouse or thinking of the person who had constructed it.  You see, I’m very human and would be thinking of worst case scenarios --- that is what we do.

Such is life in the midst of the fierce waves and storms that we face.  We generally focus on ourselves and the magnitude of the problem we face, instead of the majesty of the spiritual lighthouse that we have surrounding us.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Psalm 46:1-3:

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

The Lord is my lighthouse because of my faith in His Son, Jesus.  He has stood the test of time and will always be there for me; although the winds of life howl and the waves of life crash around me. 

Let’s keep that thought in our thinking this week and be a bit more grateful for the presence of our lighthouse and the protection that He provides for us.

POOL TIME

It was hot and stuffy in the conference room, so I decided to step outside onto the balcony overlooking the Shaw Pool at Barker Road Angelo-Chinese School in Singapore. It is a wonderful secondary school that has a pretty incredible Olympic size swimming pool and an equally incredible swimming program.


I stood there and watched scores of children (of every size and shape imaginable) taking lessons, practicing form starts into the water, running laps, using paddle boards to develop their leg kicks and strength, and swimming lap after lap with various strokes.


What really got my attention was the number of coaches that were present ... and I mean very present in the lives of these children.  Some were shouting instructions, others were modeling the strokes they wanted the children to perform, many were encouraging, laughing, talking privately with various kids, and off to the side a few were gently rebuking some behavior, attitude, or performance issue.

The coaching is what had led to the legacy of the swim program and in large part was responsible for countless children becoming accomplished swimmers.

 In a similar way, parents are called to be the spiritual coaches of their children; and fathers are to be the head coach of the family program. We read Paul's words in …

Ephesians 6:4 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

I don't know if many of those Singaporean children that I was watching, would learn to swim without those caring and committed coaches. And it’s doubtful that any of those children would become accomplished swimmers, if their coaches approached their role half-hearted or if they were non-existent in the lives of those kids, whether physically or emotionally.  And without the effort and focus of those swim coaches, the kids would not reach their potential and at worst they would be in danger of physical harm or even drowning.

It always amazes me when I see a man who is sold out emotionally, physically, and financially to some sport, personal hobby, bunch of buddies, a political or social agenda, or fixing up some mechanical vehicle --- and at the same time is half-hearted or neglectful of the spiritual upbringing of his children. Children are entrusted to us by the Lord. They are His kids and He has allowed us the privilege of coaching them toward their fullest God-given potential --- for His glory; not their own or even ours. 

• To let them swim alone or leave them ill-prepared is to demonstrate a real lack of concern for their future and to open them up to the potential of life disaster down the road.

It’s time that men .... the men of Grace Church became focused in this important area of teaching children about the Lord.  That they jump into the pool with their kids. Learning to swim in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and then whole-heartedly coaching their kids … and all kids, to be champions for Christ.

Our wives … and all of the women of the church would love nothing more than to cheer both the men and children on.

Pool time men!!!! Jump in.

Happy Ground Hog Day!

Today is the one day a year that a ground hog named Phil becomes a star.  In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvannia he will take a peek outside of his hole and let us know whether spring is around the corner.  My friend Randy Gravitt, whose blog I follow, has written a nice piece about this (it is linked to my blog).

I wanted to bond with good ole Phil and get an idea of what he was experiencing, so I walked out on my porch this morning and looked around.  No shadow.  No news media.  No crowd.  No movie made about my experience.  No big deal.  I let out a sigh, turned around and headed back into the house. 

Today was a day like so many others in my life and yours.  A day of routine, getting stuff done around the house, going to work, seeing friends, running errands, working out, paying bills, and countless other tasks.  It wasn’t a holiday …. not even a mid-level one.  Just another regular day. 

But I made a decision to make the day a holiday anyway.  I’m calling it “Get It Done Day” (Larry the Cable Guy might smile at that).  I want to get my “stuff done” but I also want to start making progress on the goals that I’ve set for myself --- goals to accomplish something significant for God before the New Year comes to an end; evaporating like the smoke from a candle.    

What do you want to get done for God this year?  Anything that you’ve been thinking about?  Putting off?  Wanting to do but just didn’t have the time, energy, or resources in 2011?  I’d love to know so that I can pray for you and have my heart encouraged by your dreams. 

I figure that if Phil can make the effort to poke his head outside of the door of his den, then I --- and you can start making some strides in accomplishing goals that will bring glory to God and benefit humanity.  It’s time we started to GROW & GO in 2012. 

• The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots.  And please remember that Phil is just a ground hog ... nothing more!