I like to drive fast. Not crazy fast...I just don't see the need to spend any more time in my car than is absolutely necessary. I'm not a big fan of road signs or traffic laws, either. If you can't figure out that you should stop before trying to turn left across the highway into oncoming traffic without a sign to tell you to do so, then your state's DMV probably needs to be audited for giving you a license in the first place. Look, I'm not trying to be rebellious or anti-authoritarian. I just have a sort of natural disdain for somebody trying to force me to employ the common sense that I am already using.
OK, I'm dramatising it a bit. For the record, I do follow traffic laws; most of the time I even do so quite happily. I realize that due to the astounding lack of common sense that seems to run rampant in our society, without those laws, limits and signs it would probably be mayhem out there on the roads. I do, however, believe that common sense should always trump a sign or limit.
For instance...strictly hypothetically speaking...take the stop sign at the end of the road that leads to the airport where I work. The road ends onto another rural road with not a lot of traffic. You have to make a couple of more turns before you are out on the highway in the main part of town where you will actually see other cars. When I am leaving work, I have to make a right-hand turn at this stop sign. Rarely do you see another car on the road that I turn on to. In the middle of the night, make that never. So, 'common sense' would tell you that if you are the only car within a mile of that stop sign in the middle of the night with no one but the elk around, you save gas and actually help the environment by not coming to a complete stop. Right? I mean, hypothetically speaking, of course.
I know you're on board with me here. The problem is...Officer Friendly wasn't. OK, so this isn't exactly 'hypothetical'. Truth be told, that stop sign and I have a long-standing rivalry. It glares at me every time I leave work with that cynical smirk that says, "We both know that there is really no reason for my presence here, but you still have to do what I say. Jerk.". And I routinely look back into its haughty face and yell, "Watch me!" as I step on the accelerator and zip around the corner. 99 times out of 100 there is absolutely no one around to witness our little power struggle. 99 times out of 100 I have the satisfaction of knowing that I have defeated my rival. In sports franchise terms, that's a dynasty, baby! I'm more dominating than Kelly Slater or Michael Jordan or Michael Shumacher or Tiger Woods!
The problem is that other 1 time out of 100. Officer Friendly isn't privy to the angst that exists between myself and the stop sign. He doesn't see how the stop sign baits me, how it begs me to show it who is boss. He can't possibly know that the stop sign was asking for what I just did to it. So, when I pass him going WAY faster than I would be if I had actually stopped at the stop sign, he naturally assumes that I am the guilty party and promptly flips around and pulls me over.
Now, I gotta give Officer Friendly some credit here. Right off the bat, it is clear that while he may not condone my actions, he at least sympathizes with my plight. I don't know, maybe that stop sign has a reputation for being arrogant. Maybe Officer Friendly has his own private war with his own traffic sign. Whatever...when he comes to my window with his 15 gazillion candle-power flashlight aimed in my eyes, I realize from the tone of his voice (I couldn't actually see anything for about another 20 minutes after the flashlight burned a hole in my retinas) that he is a reluctant, secret supporter of my crusade to overthrow the stop sign.
After the standard introduction, you know the one (heck, maybe you don't...maybe you are putting my good-citizenship to shame by never getting pulled-over), he told me with a grin (I could vaguely make out the change in facial expression through the scar tissue on my eyeballs) that the next time I decide not to stop at that sign, just to make sure that there are no cops around beforehand. He took a look at my driver's license, told me to have a safe night and sent me on my way. How I made it home with no sense of vision whatsoever is another story.
As I drove home squinting and trying to see the fog line on the side of the road, part of me was embarrassed and part of me was trying to think of how I could apply this little lesson to my life. Other than the obvious issues I have with inanimate objects and the lesson about what bright light does to your night vision, I think that there are a few gems to be taken away from this experience. I'm gonna pick one for now and go with it.
How many times are we presented with a choice that no one except for ourselves will ever see? How many times do we think, "It doesn't really matter what I do here, because no one else will ever know one way or the other"? Even with the 'small stuff', how many times do we have an opportunity to do the right thing or to 'blow it' and we choose to let our guard down? Just like Jeremy and that stop sign...chances are, no one will ever know. That's great, except for one thing. God is the ultimate Officer Friendly. Our odds stink when it comes to eluding Him. He's sitting by that stop sign 100 times out of 100. He's gonna see us every time. And you know what? It's not so much the act of running the stop sign that He cares about. He doesn't like 'Mr. Big Shot, I'm Cool, You Have To Stop For Me' stop sign either. What He's really watching for is to see if we make the choice to honor Him when no one's looking. It's not really you and the stop sign. It's you and God. I know it's a silly analogy, but isn't it just like our Father to use silly things to drive home spiritual Truth? He's always speaking to us. Even in the silly, the mundane or the downright weird. We just have to be willing to listen. He wants to know that we love him so much that we will honor him even when no one else will ever know.
Matthew 6:6 says, "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who [is] in the secret [place]; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
I know Jesus said this in the context of not being proud and doing things to look cool in front of others. But it proves that God cares more about what goes on inside of us, in our secret lives, than He does about the things that everyone sees. He wants us to put him first all of the time. He wants to know that we will even let the stupid stop sign win if it shows commitment to Him.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Ummm...Sorry, Mr. Darwin
Many of those who know me will vouch for the fact that I am an admitted science nerd. I am especially fascinated by astrophysics, astronomy and physics in general. Basically, the stuff that makes up the Universe and that makes the Universe tick intrigues me. Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.". I have always felt that studying the makeup of the Universe increases my faith in my Creator. The raw science behind why the way everything is the way that is overwhelmingly supports the fact that all of 'this' didn't just happen by chance...in fact couldn't have happened by chance.
I've been noticing something sort of funny lately. Well, it would be funny if it weren't so sad. There is a tremendous amount of hostility and anger being spewed forth by an increasingly smaller fringe of 'intellectuals' who still insist on clinging to the archaic and flawed theory of evolution. The bumper-sticker slogans are getting nastier and the 'expert panelists' are getting weirder. I saw a sticker on someones car yesterday as I was heading out to surf. You know, one of those chrome ones like the 'Jesus Fish' is made out of? It actually had a 'Darwin Fish' (complete with little legs) mounting the rear of a 'Jesus Fish', making it look like like they were in the act of procreation! I'm no icthyologist (yeah, I had to look it up, too - it means someone who studies fish), but I'm pretty sure that fish actually lay eggs and the male fertilizes them in a manner that in no way resembles two dogs in heat. Not only was that offensive and mean-spirited, but it was 'evolutionarily inaccurate'. (I think I may have just invented a word there.)
OK, just to be clear - I do understand the joke they were trying to make. But it really got me thinking about what kind of a person would be so angry at everything that they would put such a weird statement on the back of their car. The more I thought the more sorry I felt for them and for everyone who has to make the gigantic leap of faith that it takes to believe in evolution contrary to all of the evidence. You see scientists everywhere...not just scientists, but leaders, giants in their respective fields...are publicly coming to the overwhelming conclusion that not only Life in the Universe, but the Universe itself simply could not exist without someone way bigger and smarter than us 'fine tuning' the physics according to a precise plan to make things turn out the way that they have. Evolution is being exposed as a fraud, and the poor souls who staked their careers on it and based their morals and belief systems around it don't quite know what to do.
Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. There are many constants in the laws of physics. One is the ratio of electrons to protons. (Trust me, I won't get too geeky.) This ratio is just one of many absolute constants in physics. Scientists agree that if this ratio were off even one part in ten the the 37th power, the Universe would either not exist at all, not have any matter, or not be suitable for life in any form. Let me give you an idea of just how finely tuned that number is. I am quoting Dr. Hugh Ross directly here:
"One part in ten to the 37th power is such an incredibly sensitive balance that it is hard to visualize. The following analogy might help: Cover the entire North American continent in dimes all the way up to the moon, a height of about 239,000 miles (In comparison, the money to pay for the U.S. federal government debt would cover one square mile less than two feet deep with dimes.). Next, pile dimes from here to the moon on a billion other continents the same size as North America. Paint one dime red and mix it into the billions of piles of dimes. Blindfold a friend and ask him to pick out one dime. The odds that he will pick the red dime are one in ten to the 37th power."
Whoah. And we're only talking about one single constant: the ratio of electrons to protons in the Universe. There are many more constants that are way more finely tuned than this, each of which are just as important to ensuring that the Universe is the way that it is. Mess up any one of them even by one part in ten to the 37th (or more) power, and Wham! We don't exist. Nothing does. Scientists, we're talking the kind that put 'Darwin Fish' on the back of their cars, are analyzing all of this new data that our nifty modern technology is providing us with and are overwhelmingly coming to a single conclusion. The Universe was created. By Someone. Someone really smart. And big. And powerful. Someone with a purpose. Someone who really knows His physics. Someone who is, for lack of a better word, creative.
But don't just take my word for it. Here's what just a few major players are saying:
Alan Sandage (winner of the Crawford prize in astronomy): "I find it quite improbable that such order came out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle. God to me is a mystery but is the explanation for the miracle of existence, why there is something instead of nothing."
Vera Kistiakowsky (MIT physicist): "The exquisite order displayed by our scientific understanding of the physical world calls for the divine."
Arno Penzias (Nobel prize in physics): "Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say 'supernatural') plan."
George Greenstein (astronomer): "As we survey all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural agency - or, rather, Agency - must be involved."
Barry Parker (cosmologist): "Who created these laws? There is no question but that a God will always be needed."
Folks, the list goes on. I could bore you for hours with famous quotes from famous scientists. It seems that the intellectual elite is beginning to grasp what I see every time I catch a wave or look into the eyes of my beautiful wife (especially that!): All of this...this big, beautiful, chaotic, colorful, mysterious, awe-inspiring Universe that we inhabit...all of it was created. By God. For a reason.
And do you know what is the most mind-blowing reality of all? It's that this all-powerful, all-creative, uber-smart God loves (insert your name here) so much, that He sent His only Son - think about that for a second - he sat and watched His only child be tortured and crucified...on a cross...so that you could have peace with Him and get to spend Eternity in His presence exploring the wonders of this incredible Universe He's created! He made all of this, and He loves you that much. He even loves the guy with the bumper-sticker of the 'Darwin Fish' violating the 'Jesus Fish' that much. Pretty mind blowing. So I guess we can cut the angry evolutionists a little slack. Their belief system is crumbling before their eyes. If the God in whom they don't believe loves them anyway, I better love them as well.
Note: Credit for the quotes and facts in this blog goes to Rich Deem and godandscience.org. Check out the site if you haven't already. Great stuff!
I've been noticing something sort of funny lately. Well, it would be funny if it weren't so sad. There is a tremendous amount of hostility and anger being spewed forth by an increasingly smaller fringe of 'intellectuals' who still insist on clinging to the archaic and flawed theory of evolution. The bumper-sticker slogans are getting nastier and the 'expert panelists' are getting weirder. I saw a sticker on someones car yesterday as I was heading out to surf. You know, one of those chrome ones like the 'Jesus Fish' is made out of? It actually had a 'Darwin Fish' (complete with little legs) mounting the rear of a 'Jesus Fish', making it look like like they were in the act of procreation! I'm no icthyologist (yeah, I had to look it up, too - it means someone who studies fish), but I'm pretty sure that fish actually lay eggs and the male fertilizes them in a manner that in no way resembles two dogs in heat. Not only was that offensive and mean-spirited, but it was 'evolutionarily inaccurate'. (I think I may have just invented a word there.)
OK, just to be clear - I do understand the joke they were trying to make. But it really got me thinking about what kind of a person would be so angry at everything that they would put such a weird statement on the back of their car. The more I thought the more sorry I felt for them and for everyone who has to make the gigantic leap of faith that it takes to believe in evolution contrary to all of the evidence. You see scientists everywhere...not just scientists, but leaders, giants in their respective fields...are publicly coming to the overwhelming conclusion that not only Life in the Universe, but the Universe itself simply could not exist without someone way bigger and smarter than us 'fine tuning' the physics according to a precise plan to make things turn out the way that they have. Evolution is being exposed as a fraud, and the poor souls who staked their careers on it and based their morals and belief systems around it don't quite know what to do.
Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. There are many constants in the laws of physics. One is the ratio of electrons to protons. (Trust me, I won't get too geeky.) This ratio is just one of many absolute constants in physics. Scientists agree that if this ratio were off even one part in ten the the 37th power, the Universe would either not exist at all, not have any matter, or not be suitable for life in any form. Let me give you an idea of just how finely tuned that number is. I am quoting Dr. Hugh Ross directly here:
"One part in ten to the 37th power is such an incredibly sensitive balance that it is hard to visualize. The following analogy might help: Cover the entire North American continent in dimes all the way up to the moon, a height of about 239,000 miles (In comparison, the money to pay for the U.S. federal government debt would cover one square mile less than two feet deep with dimes.). Next, pile dimes from here to the moon on a billion other continents the same size as North America. Paint one dime red and mix it into the billions of piles of dimes. Blindfold a friend and ask him to pick out one dime. The odds that he will pick the red dime are one in ten to the 37th power."
Whoah. And we're only talking about one single constant: the ratio of electrons to protons in the Universe. There are many more constants that are way more finely tuned than this, each of which are just as important to ensuring that the Universe is the way that it is. Mess up any one of them even by one part in ten to the 37th (or more) power, and Wham! We don't exist. Nothing does. Scientists, we're talking the kind that put 'Darwin Fish' on the back of their cars, are analyzing all of this new data that our nifty modern technology is providing us with and are overwhelmingly coming to a single conclusion. The Universe was created. By Someone. Someone really smart. And big. And powerful. Someone with a purpose. Someone who really knows His physics. Someone who is, for lack of a better word, creative.
But don't just take my word for it. Here's what just a few major players are saying:
Alan Sandage (winner of the Crawford prize in astronomy): "I find it quite improbable that such order came out of chaos. There has to be some organizing principle. God to me is a mystery but is the explanation for the miracle of existence, why there is something instead of nothing."
Vera Kistiakowsky (MIT physicist): "The exquisite order displayed by our scientific understanding of the physical world calls for the divine."
Arno Penzias (Nobel prize in physics): "Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with the very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life, and one which has an underlying (one might say 'supernatural') plan."
George Greenstein (astronomer): "As we survey all the evidence, the thought insistently arises that some supernatural agency - or, rather, Agency - must be involved."
Barry Parker (cosmologist): "Who created these laws? There is no question but that a God will always be needed."
Folks, the list goes on. I could bore you for hours with famous quotes from famous scientists. It seems that the intellectual elite is beginning to grasp what I see every time I catch a wave or look into the eyes of my beautiful wife (especially that!): All of this...this big, beautiful, chaotic, colorful, mysterious, awe-inspiring Universe that we inhabit...all of it was created. By God. For a reason.
And do you know what is the most mind-blowing reality of all? It's that this all-powerful, all-creative, uber-smart God loves (insert your name here) so much, that He sent His only Son - think about that for a second - he sat and watched His only child be tortured and crucified...on a cross...so that you could have peace with Him and get to spend Eternity in His presence exploring the wonders of this incredible Universe He's created! He made all of this, and He loves you that much. He even loves the guy with the bumper-sticker of the 'Darwin Fish' violating the 'Jesus Fish' that much. Pretty mind blowing. So I guess we can cut the angry evolutionists a little slack. Their belief system is crumbling before their eyes. If the God in whom they don't believe loves them anyway, I better love them as well.
Note: Credit for the quotes and facts in this blog goes to Rich Deem and godandscience.org. Check out the site if you haven't already. Great stuff!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Surfing Lessons - #3
Camille and I caught some fun waves today. Well, Camille caught most of the waves. I snapped my leash on my third wave after I dove through the face of a huge left that was about to close out and crush me. I felt a little 'pop' as I went through the back of the wave and knew that I would be swimming for my surfboard! I managed to get my board before the next set came through and paddled back out to the lineup to tell Camille that I would have to catch a wave in and go to the car and get another leash. I caught one in and paddled for the beach.
As I was walking to the car, I noticed that the waves were getting better and was stoked to head back out. I was about ten feet from the car when it donned on me - I forgot to put out the spare key! I haven't mentioned how cold it was today. Now I was standing in a soaking wet wetsuit, the air temp was in the 40's, and I was locked out of the car. To make matters worse, the only person in the entire world whose phone number I have memorized is my wife Camille's. She was out catching waves in the surf in front of me. I knew that if I hadn't gotten us out of this predicament by the time she got out of the water, I was gonna be in trouble!
To make a long story short, it took me over an hour to get to a buddie's house, bum a ride (in my wetsuit) back to my house, grab my spare keys and get back to the beach. By the time we arrived at my SUV, Camille was out of the water and starting to get very cold! (Thank God for the warm shower at the beach bathrooms!) So, Camille had a real surf session - Jeremy completely dorked out!
What lesson could I possibly glean from this (other than the fact that it's a good thing that I don't use drugs - I'd be really stupid)? Well, check it out. I want to make it clear here that what I am about to share, I haven't asked the other person for permission to do so yet. I will keep this completely anonymous and try to respect their privacy. I'm pretty sure they will be OK with this.
Yesterday I received a message from a friend whom I hadn't spoken to in many years. To say that they are going through a tough time right now is the understatement of the year. Like I said, I'm not going to share any details save that it was clear that God was behind the fact that they contacted me in the first place. I have had the opportunity in the past couple of days now to encourage them and bless them and show them God's love in a way that has blessed Camille and I just as much as it has them. Today, as my surf session was crumbling before my eyes, all I could think about was how stoked I was to be able to be used by God to help someone who is hurting. Normally, I would have been pretty ticked. At myself. At my broken leash. At my stupid car keys that were locked safely inside my car. At the waves that looked fun on which I would not be surfing. You get the picture. But today...today I could actually feel the smile on my face starting from deep inside my soul. It was as if I had this nuclear reactor of joy going on inside of me and no amount of 'bummers' could kill my stoke.
It got me thinking about just how much lower on the 'important scale' self-indulgent things like...well like my favorite pass-time...are than loving each other. I missed some waves today. Ten years from now, will I care? Not a chance. Ten years from now, will I still have a friend who knows that they can lean on me when times are hard? Absolutely! Would I miss more good waves to let someone else know that they are loved? Every single time. There is stoke and then there is STOKE. The kind of stoke that comes from being Christ's arms of love for someone else simply cannot be duplicated. No wave in the world can compare to the joy that is found in sharing God's love.
I will always be a surf bum. But I have a feeling that as I grow in Christ, I will start to love surfing more for what it is teaching me about God, astrophysics and the Universe in General than for the simple act of riding waves. There's a reason that Love is the key ingredient in what Jesus calls the two greatest commandments. Love God. Love your neighbor. Everything else hinges on these. I am stoked right now. And not because of surfing, for once. Because of Love.
As I was walking to the car, I noticed that the waves were getting better and was stoked to head back out. I was about ten feet from the car when it donned on me - I forgot to put out the spare key! I haven't mentioned how cold it was today. Now I was standing in a soaking wet wetsuit, the air temp was in the 40's, and I was locked out of the car. To make matters worse, the only person in the entire world whose phone number I have memorized is my wife Camille's. She was out catching waves in the surf in front of me. I knew that if I hadn't gotten us out of this predicament by the time she got out of the water, I was gonna be in trouble!
To make a long story short, it took me over an hour to get to a buddie's house, bum a ride (in my wetsuit) back to my house, grab my spare keys and get back to the beach. By the time we arrived at my SUV, Camille was out of the water and starting to get very cold! (Thank God for the warm shower at the beach bathrooms!) So, Camille had a real surf session - Jeremy completely dorked out!
What lesson could I possibly glean from this (other than the fact that it's a good thing that I don't use drugs - I'd be really stupid)? Well, check it out. I want to make it clear here that what I am about to share, I haven't asked the other person for permission to do so yet. I will keep this completely anonymous and try to respect their privacy. I'm pretty sure they will be OK with this.
Yesterday I received a message from a friend whom I hadn't spoken to in many years. To say that they are going through a tough time right now is the understatement of the year. Like I said, I'm not going to share any details save that it was clear that God was behind the fact that they contacted me in the first place. I have had the opportunity in the past couple of days now to encourage them and bless them and show them God's love in a way that has blessed Camille and I just as much as it has them. Today, as my surf session was crumbling before my eyes, all I could think about was how stoked I was to be able to be used by God to help someone who is hurting. Normally, I would have been pretty ticked. At myself. At my broken leash. At my stupid car keys that were locked safely inside my car. At the waves that looked fun on which I would not be surfing. You get the picture. But today...today I could actually feel the smile on my face starting from deep inside my soul. It was as if I had this nuclear reactor of joy going on inside of me and no amount of 'bummers' could kill my stoke.
It got me thinking about just how much lower on the 'important scale' self-indulgent things like...well like my favorite pass-time...are than loving each other. I missed some waves today. Ten years from now, will I care? Not a chance. Ten years from now, will I still have a friend who knows that they can lean on me when times are hard? Absolutely! Would I miss more good waves to let someone else know that they are loved? Every single time. There is stoke and then there is STOKE. The kind of stoke that comes from being Christ's arms of love for someone else simply cannot be duplicated. No wave in the world can compare to the joy that is found in sharing God's love.
I will always be a surf bum. But I have a feeling that as I grow in Christ, I will start to love surfing more for what it is teaching me about God, astrophysics and the Universe in General than for the simple act of riding waves. There's a reason that Love is the key ingredient in what Jesus calls the two greatest commandments. Love God. Love your neighbor. Everything else hinges on these. I am stoked right now. And not because of surfing, for once. Because of Love.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Good ole' Grandpa Speer
As I was thinking about yesterday's post, still feeling the same sense of urgency but wanting to lighten things up a bit, my thoughts, and ultimately my smiles, fell on one of my heroes. Man, this guy was...well, at one point in my life, besides my parents, he was just about everything to me. What a man. I can't even think about him without laughing - his zest for life was so contagious that it still motivates me 23 1/2 years after his death. He was the most excited, busy, passionate, hectic, compassionate, whirlwind of a man that anyone who knew him had ever seen. Sometimes it made your head spin (in a good way) just to be around him. The only thing he loved more than his family and friends was his God. He had a burden for those who didn't know Jesus that ran deeper than anyone I've ever seen, heard of, or even read about. His name was Donald Speer and he was my grandpa.
Don Speer loved to ski. That's pretty much the understatement of the century. He felt the same way about skiing that I do about surfing. He was a hardcore addict. I really think he believed that next to Salvation and family, skiing was the greatest gift that God ever blessed us with. And he wanted to make everyone a skier! As each new grandchild was added to his ever-growing family, he would take an old pair of skis, cut the tails off of them so that they were only about a foot-and-a-half long, mount tiny little bindings on them and then wait for the new baby to learn to walk so that he could strap those puppies on their feet and get them out on the slopes! I'm not kidding - I think most of the kids in my extended family learned to ski before they could even carry on an intelligent conversation!
Whether or not we actually wanted to ski didn't really make a difference to Grandpa Speer. Skiing was just one of those facts of life, like food or sleep, of which the human body simply could not be deprived. Luckily for him, we all turned into ski bums! But it wasn't just us. Grandpa actually sold skis in his free time and it was his mission to turn everyone around him into a skier and then sell them a pair of skis! And what a salesman he was. He had never heard of the term 'soft sell'. Only communists, satanists and criminals didn't want to ski, according to Don Speer. If you didn't want to be a skier, you were basically creating a rift in the time-space continuum and the Universe would disown you. I don't think I ever witnessed him not making a sale!
The great thing was that the passion that he had for skiing extended to every other facet of his life. He loved like no one I've ever known. Just as every single day on the slopes was "The best it's ever been!" (one of his trademark sayings), so was each one of his grandchildren his 'favorite', and each one of his friends his 'closest'. He had a heart so big that it literally had room for everyone to be #1. None of us ever doubted that we were his favorite. We knew that all of the rest of us were his favorite as well, and because of the miracle that was Don Speer, we were all OK with that. He worked hard, he played hard and he loved hardest of all.
Why did my Grandpa Speer come to mind as my thoughts drifted toward yesterday's post? Well, Don Speer understood something better anyone I've ever seen. He knew that time is short. The passion that he had for his family was equally directed onto those who didn't know Jesus personally. He was a major proponent of the 'hard sale', remember? That wasn't just when it came to selling skis. You see, he had something burning inside of him that never let him rest. He felt genuine anguish all of the time for those who wouldn't be coming to Heaven with him.
Check it out - of the countless days and years of my young life that I spent on the slopes with Grandpa, I very rarely got a chance to ride up the chairlift with him. You see, each time we would get to the bottom of a run, he would 'conveniently' end up the odd-man-out and have to go into the 'singles' line and ride up the chair with a stranger. "You guys ride together!" He would say, "I'll just go single." Man, it makes me smile just thinking of this. Those people who ended up with Don Speer on the chairlift never had a clue what they had in store for them! You see - Don had made it a goal to tell everyone he met about Jesus. He was truly a 'fisher of men'. He purposely rode single on the chairlift so that he could cast his net and bring more people into the Kingdom of God. And he was a very good fisherman. At the top of the chairlift, people would either be skiing off as fast as they could to get away from him, or be sitting in a heap of tears confessing their need for Jesus. He didn't care if he looked like a fool. He didn't mind offending people. He truly understood that if they didn't have Jesus, they were going to Hell, and that thought literally burned a hole through his psyche. It consumed every minute of his waking life. The chairlift was only the beginning. If you met him at the coffee shop, the gas station, the movie theater - it didn't matter where - you were going to hear about Jesus. Period.
Even at his funeral, many people came to know Jesus Christ. It was sort of an exclamation mark on a life that burned through this world like a shooting star. I pray every day that God will give me some of Grandpa Speer's passion. He didn't care if he had just met you - you were a child of God and if you didn't know that, you needed to. I am 38 years old and I have still to witness such passion. Friends, time is short. Donald Speer knew that, and it changed the way he lived his life. Ultimately, he died because of his passion for others. He wouldn't have had it any other way. I can only hope that one day you and I can say the same thing.
Don Speer loved to ski. That's pretty much the understatement of the century. He felt the same way about skiing that I do about surfing. He was a hardcore addict. I really think he believed that next to Salvation and family, skiing was the greatest gift that God ever blessed us with. And he wanted to make everyone a skier! As each new grandchild was added to his ever-growing family, he would take an old pair of skis, cut the tails off of them so that they were only about a foot-and-a-half long, mount tiny little bindings on them and then wait for the new baby to learn to walk so that he could strap those puppies on their feet and get them out on the slopes! I'm not kidding - I think most of the kids in my extended family learned to ski before they could even carry on an intelligent conversation!
Whether or not we actually wanted to ski didn't really make a difference to Grandpa Speer. Skiing was just one of those facts of life, like food or sleep, of which the human body simply could not be deprived. Luckily for him, we all turned into ski bums! But it wasn't just us. Grandpa actually sold skis in his free time and it was his mission to turn everyone around him into a skier and then sell them a pair of skis! And what a salesman he was. He had never heard of the term 'soft sell'. Only communists, satanists and criminals didn't want to ski, according to Don Speer. If you didn't want to be a skier, you were basically creating a rift in the time-space continuum and the Universe would disown you. I don't think I ever witnessed him not making a sale!
The great thing was that the passion that he had for skiing extended to every other facet of his life. He loved like no one I've ever known. Just as every single day on the slopes was "The best it's ever been!" (one of his trademark sayings), so was each one of his grandchildren his 'favorite', and each one of his friends his 'closest'. He had a heart so big that it literally had room for everyone to be #1. None of us ever doubted that we were his favorite. We knew that all of the rest of us were his favorite as well, and because of the miracle that was Don Speer, we were all OK with that. He worked hard, he played hard and he loved hardest of all.
Why did my Grandpa Speer come to mind as my thoughts drifted toward yesterday's post? Well, Don Speer understood something better anyone I've ever seen. He knew that time is short. The passion that he had for his family was equally directed onto those who didn't know Jesus personally. He was a major proponent of the 'hard sale', remember? That wasn't just when it came to selling skis. You see, he had something burning inside of him that never let him rest. He felt genuine anguish all of the time for those who wouldn't be coming to Heaven with him.
Check it out - of the countless days and years of my young life that I spent on the slopes with Grandpa, I very rarely got a chance to ride up the chairlift with him. You see, each time we would get to the bottom of a run, he would 'conveniently' end up the odd-man-out and have to go into the 'singles' line and ride up the chair with a stranger. "You guys ride together!" He would say, "I'll just go single." Man, it makes me smile just thinking of this. Those people who ended up with Don Speer on the chairlift never had a clue what they had in store for them! You see - Don had made it a goal to tell everyone he met about Jesus. He was truly a 'fisher of men'. He purposely rode single on the chairlift so that he could cast his net and bring more people into the Kingdom of God. And he was a very good fisherman. At the top of the chairlift, people would either be skiing off as fast as they could to get away from him, or be sitting in a heap of tears confessing their need for Jesus. He didn't care if he looked like a fool. He didn't mind offending people. He truly understood that if they didn't have Jesus, they were going to Hell, and that thought literally burned a hole through his psyche. It consumed every minute of his waking life. The chairlift was only the beginning. If you met him at the coffee shop, the gas station, the movie theater - it didn't matter where - you were going to hear about Jesus. Period.
Even at his funeral, many people came to know Jesus Christ. It was sort of an exclamation mark on a life that burned through this world like a shooting star. I pray every day that God will give me some of Grandpa Speer's passion. He didn't care if he had just met you - you were a child of God and if you didn't know that, you needed to. I am 38 years old and I have still to witness such passion. Friends, time is short. Donald Speer knew that, and it changed the way he lived his life. Ultimately, he died because of his passion for others. He wouldn't have had it any other way. I can only hope that one day you and I can say the same thing.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Time is short...
Well, Thanksgiving weekend is over and we all have a chance to catch our breath (and loosen our belts!). Why is it that the general consensus is that we all get a free pass on the sin of gluttony for the Holidays? My pastor said something at church yesterday that really applies here. He said that he cringes when he hears people say that they know what they are doing or are about to do is wrong, but they are willing to live with the consequences. You see, the consequences are always MUCH more than we bargain for. We think we're pretty smart and we've done the math and have come to an intelligent conclusion that we can live with the consequences. 1+1=2 right? Yeah, try and tell THAT to my stomach as I lay awake sweating garlic and unable to sleep because of that pizza I just HAD to have at 11:30 PM after a huge dinner AND dessert. (This is all theoretical, of course.)
In all seriousness, I truly wish that a bit of gluttony here and there was the only sin for whose consequences I've paid throughout the years. Pastor Jason is correct. We never do a very good job of estimating the consequences. Looking back, the bit of fun we may have had by taking the 'wrong road' is always overwhelmingly swallowed by regret and hardship brought about by consequences that we didn't even see coming. Sometimes it's just enough to make you mad at yourself and swear that you'll never do that again (as my friend Sean so eloquently stated on facebook recently, 'Sean is wondering what he did to Patron that makes her treat him this way...'), and sometimes the consequences are life-changing.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, I like to keep this blog somewhat light-hearted. Not too preachy, you know? I want you to actually want to read it! But sometimes you have something that weighs so heavily on you that just have to get a little serious. This is one of those times. If you read my blog, you know that I am a Christian. That means, simply, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe that He created me, He loves me, He died to save me from sin and I will one day meet Him face-to-face and spend eternity with Him. If you don't know Jesus like I do, I welcome your questions and comments. There's no one I'd rather talk about. What does that have to do with consequences and sin and all that? Well, here goes. I promise that tomorrow I'll get back to lighter fare, but this just has to be said.
I've been doing a lot of reading and soul-searching lately. It seems that God has allowed really hard things to be put into my life and the lives of many of those I love lately. The funny thing is, that without exception those same people, while at first having a bit of trouble coming to terms with what is going on, have all realised that God is using their circumstances to get their attention and bring them closer to Him. And the neat thing is that a common theme is starting to surface. Quite simply, Jesus is trying to tell us that HE IS COMING BACK SOON. He is getting His troops ready for a final push and He is willing to do anything to get our eyes focused on Him.
I could go on for an hour listing people who I love who are going through some of the hardest things in their life right now and who have turned their eyes back to the Source of their strength. God is getting us ready and focused to do some unspeakably awesome things for His Kingdom. In my case, it took a faulty heart valve and the possibility of imminent open-heart-surgery to jerk me back to attention. Believe me, my eyes are now on Him! I am still believing for a miracle, but I am SO thankful for my tough situation that has brought me back to the place where I need to be with my Creator.
So, what about sin and consequences? We all have friends and loved ones (maybe even yourself) who don't know Jesus. Some of the reading that I have been doing lately has really woken me up the the fact that the consequence of sin is death. Make that Death. With a capital 'D'. Maybe you are like me and have sort of put Hell on the backburner in your mind. It's a place of torment for Satan and his fallen angels, right? Hell for humans will just be separation from God, right? Wrong. Hell will most certainly be a place of torment for the Devil one day. But it is also a physical reality for every human who dies without making Jesus their Savior. It is a place that God never intended humans to end up. It's reality is too horrible to even imagine. But God's Word is very clear that God cannot abide the presence of sin, and unless we have our sins washed clean through accepting Jesus' free gift of forgiveness, we will have to spend eternity in Hell being punished right alongside sin and Satan.
Come on, Jeremy, lighten up already, right? Friends, this is just too urgent, too important to hold back. You see, I truly believe that Jesus is telling us that His return is coming very soon. That means that we don't have a lot of time left to help keep our friends and loved ones from suffering eternal consequences for sin. I know that some of you probably want to click on eBay or Amazon on your favorites list right now and forget about that nutty dude who just turned an interesting blog into a downer. Before you do, ask yourself if you are willing to take the gamble that I am just a whacko and that Hell is just a story to scare people into church and that if it does exist, 'good' people won't possibly be there. Are you willing to bet on the fact that Christ hasn't come back for the last two thousand years so He'll probably wait a couple hundred more? Are you so sure that tomorrow won't be your last day on Earth?
For those of you who know Jesus, are you willing to bet that you have plenty of time to kill before you need to get really serious with your family about the importance of knowing Christ? Are you willing to risk them spending eternity in everlasting torment? Sin sucks, as do the consequences. But thankfully, there is a way out. John 3:16 says that God loved the World so much that he sent his only Son Jesus to die for us (for our sins) so that whoever believes in Him will never perish but have everlasting Life. We get a free pass! I have mine. Do you have yours? Do your friends and family memebers have theirs? Time is short. Very short. God is doing amazing things around the world right now that haven't been seen since the time Jesus physically walked this Earth. He is getting us ready for His return. I long for that day and I want to bring as many others with me as I can! We'll have all the time in the world to relax when we get to Heaven. For now, we don't have a second to spare.
In all seriousness, I truly wish that a bit of gluttony here and there was the only sin for whose consequences I've paid throughout the years. Pastor Jason is correct. We never do a very good job of estimating the consequences. Looking back, the bit of fun we may have had by taking the 'wrong road' is always overwhelmingly swallowed by regret and hardship brought about by consequences that we didn't even see coming. Sometimes it's just enough to make you mad at yourself and swear that you'll never do that again (as my friend Sean so eloquently stated on facebook recently, 'Sean is wondering what he did to Patron that makes her treat him this way...'), and sometimes the consequences are life-changing.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, I like to keep this blog somewhat light-hearted. Not too preachy, you know? I want you to actually want to read it! But sometimes you have something that weighs so heavily on you that just have to get a little serious. This is one of those times. If you read my blog, you know that I am a Christian. That means, simply, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe that He created me, He loves me, He died to save me from sin and I will one day meet Him face-to-face and spend eternity with Him. If you don't know Jesus like I do, I welcome your questions and comments. There's no one I'd rather talk about. What does that have to do with consequences and sin and all that? Well, here goes. I promise that tomorrow I'll get back to lighter fare, but this just has to be said.
I've been doing a lot of reading and soul-searching lately. It seems that God has allowed really hard things to be put into my life and the lives of many of those I love lately. The funny thing is, that without exception those same people, while at first having a bit of trouble coming to terms with what is going on, have all realised that God is using their circumstances to get their attention and bring them closer to Him. And the neat thing is that a common theme is starting to surface. Quite simply, Jesus is trying to tell us that HE IS COMING BACK SOON. He is getting His troops ready for a final push and He is willing to do anything to get our eyes focused on Him.
I could go on for an hour listing people who I love who are going through some of the hardest things in their life right now and who have turned their eyes back to the Source of their strength. God is getting us ready and focused to do some unspeakably awesome things for His Kingdom. In my case, it took a faulty heart valve and the possibility of imminent open-heart-surgery to jerk me back to attention. Believe me, my eyes are now on Him! I am still believing for a miracle, but I am SO thankful for my tough situation that has brought me back to the place where I need to be with my Creator.
So, what about sin and consequences? We all have friends and loved ones (maybe even yourself) who don't know Jesus. Some of the reading that I have been doing lately has really woken me up the the fact that the consequence of sin is death. Make that Death. With a capital 'D'. Maybe you are like me and have sort of put Hell on the backburner in your mind. It's a place of torment for Satan and his fallen angels, right? Hell for humans will just be separation from God, right? Wrong. Hell will most certainly be a place of torment for the Devil one day. But it is also a physical reality for every human who dies without making Jesus their Savior. It is a place that God never intended humans to end up. It's reality is too horrible to even imagine. But God's Word is very clear that God cannot abide the presence of sin, and unless we have our sins washed clean through accepting Jesus' free gift of forgiveness, we will have to spend eternity in Hell being punished right alongside sin and Satan.
Come on, Jeremy, lighten up already, right? Friends, this is just too urgent, too important to hold back. You see, I truly believe that Jesus is telling us that His return is coming very soon. That means that we don't have a lot of time left to help keep our friends and loved ones from suffering eternal consequences for sin. I know that some of you probably want to click on eBay or Amazon on your favorites list right now and forget about that nutty dude who just turned an interesting blog into a downer. Before you do, ask yourself if you are willing to take the gamble that I am just a whacko and that Hell is just a story to scare people into church and that if it does exist, 'good' people won't possibly be there. Are you willing to bet on the fact that Christ hasn't come back for the last two thousand years so He'll probably wait a couple hundred more? Are you so sure that tomorrow won't be your last day on Earth?
For those of you who know Jesus, are you willing to bet that you have plenty of time to kill before you need to get really serious with your family about the importance of knowing Christ? Are you willing to risk them spending eternity in everlasting torment? Sin sucks, as do the consequences. But thankfully, there is a way out. John 3:16 says that God loved the World so much that he sent his only Son Jesus to die for us (for our sins) so that whoever believes in Him will never perish but have everlasting Life. We get a free pass! I have mine. Do you have yours? Do your friends and family memebers have theirs? Time is short. Very short. God is doing amazing things around the world right now that haven't been seen since the time Jesus physically walked this Earth. He is getting us ready for His return. I long for that day and I want to bring as many others with me as I can! We'll have all the time in the world to relax when we get to Heaven. For now, we don't have a second to spare.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Practice...
Well, it seems that I was preaching to myself on yesterday's post. I've known for about a week that I need to make amends with one of my friends. I saw him out in the water a couple of days ago, and we both just sort of ignored each other. I knew then that I should paddle over to him and say 'hi' and work things out. It just didn't seem like the 'right time'...
When I got out of the water today, he was standing in the parking lot with a bunch of my other friends just checking out the crowded surf. Right away I knew that now was my chance to 'practice what I preach'. I said hi to a couple of the guys and Pat (the friend in question) was standing with his back to me. I went up to him, put my hand on his shoulder, smiled and said 'Pat, are you still mad at me?', sort of jokingly. He looked at me and smiled and told me he was never really mad at me. We talked a bit and within about 30 seconds, things were back to normal between us.
It's funny how easy that was but how much weight fell off my shoulders from just this simple act of taking the initiative to do the right thing right now. Like I said yesterday - let's keep short accounts!
Happy Thanksgiving to all and blessings on you and your families.
When I got out of the water today, he was standing in the parking lot with a bunch of my other friends just checking out the crowded surf. Right away I knew that now was my chance to 'practice what I preach'. I said hi to a couple of the guys and Pat (the friend in question) was standing with his back to me. I went up to him, put my hand on his shoulder, smiled and said 'Pat, are you still mad at me?', sort of jokingly. He looked at me and smiled and told me he was never really mad at me. We talked a bit and within about 30 seconds, things were back to normal between us.
It's funny how easy that was but how much weight fell off my shoulders from just this simple act of taking the initiative to do the right thing right now. Like I said yesterday - let's keep short accounts!
Happy Thanksgiving to all and blessings on you and your families.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Surfing Lessons - #2
The surf was great today. Well, it was huge and a little scary, but I'm weird and huge and scary is sorta to my liking. Anyway, I'm totally surfed-out right now from catching some of the biggest waves of the winter so far. But yesterday...
Yesterday was one of those days where it looked like everything was lined-up to give us super fun surf. Camille and I got up, did our morning breakfast thing, and drove to the beach to check it. The last few days before had been going off (one of them made it into this blog), and we were stoked for the possibility of another great session. We got to the beach and the tide was still really high. The swell was there, the wind was offshore, but there was just too much water and the waves were mushy and barely breaking. No problem, we decided to just go home and get some chores done and come back in a few hours when the tide would be lower.
Camille had to work in the evening, so later on, I drove back to the beach to check it and tell her if she should come for a quick session before work or just chill. I got there and things were looking better. There were several people out in the water and it looked like they were getting some good waves. Not perfect, certainly not as good as the past few days, but definitely do-able. I called Camille and told her that I would probably paddle-out and where I would be. She decided that she really didn't have enough time before work and told me to have fun.
Now began a ritual that many surfers know well. I call it the 'Let's just check it for a couple more minutes' syndrome. It happens when things aren't perfect, but there are some waves to catch. Where I live, there are about four surf spots visible from the parking lot, so part of this ritual often includes hem-hawing about where the best place to paddle-out would be. Well, my 'couple more minutes' quickly turned into about 45 minutes, during which time I watched several surfers get several decent waves. Not epic, but fun nonetheless. I finally made up my mind to put on my wetsuit and head out.
Wouldn't you know it. As soon as I got out of my SUV, opened the back door and reached for my wetsuit, the weather turned. On the Oregon Coast, we like to say that if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes. Too true. Suddenly, the rain was coming down in sheets and the wind picked up and switched direction about 140-degrees so that it was blowing directly west, right onshore. Hard. That destroys the surf. If I had just paddled out when I drove up and saw a few decent waves, I could have gotten at least an hour of surf in before the weather ruined it.
As I drove home, dry and bummed, a thought occurred to me. How many times in my life have I waited for the 'perfect setup' do to something that I knew I should just do now? Whether that 'something' is something hard or easy, something uncomfortable or comforting, something I'm glad to do or something I know I'll do begrudgingly - it makes no difference. How many good opportunities have passed me by because I was waiting for the 'perfect moment'? Was I being a little too picky yesterday as a surfer? Yes. Am I bummed that my finicky attitude cost me a surf session? You bet! What other, infinitely more important things may I have missed simply because I told myself that later would be better?
How about you? Is there someone you need to say 'I love you' to? Someone with whom you need to make amends? Is there a burden on your heart for something and you have been telling yourself that you will get to it tomorrow? All I missed out on yesterday was about an hour or so of surfing. But how many really important things in life have slipped through my fingers because I didn't think that the 'time was right' for them? I don't want to miss any more surf sessions. I don't want to neglect any more friendships. I don't want to keep others upset with me. I don't want anyone else to wonder if they are loved or cared about. I don't want to keep God waiting to do more great stuff in my life.
The 'perfect time' is now, friends. Clear the slate. If you die tomorrow, will you leave anyone 'hanging'? I'll start - I love you. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. If you are reading this, then I promise you that there is at least one person in this world who loves you. Me. If you think that I may be the only one who loves you, please leave a comment and I will personally get in touch with you and introduce you to a whole bunch of people who love you as well. Life is short. Like my father says - let's keep short accounts.
Yesterday was one of those days where it looked like everything was lined-up to give us super fun surf. Camille and I got up, did our morning breakfast thing, and drove to the beach to check it. The last few days before had been going off (one of them made it into this blog), and we were stoked for the possibility of another great session. We got to the beach and the tide was still really high. The swell was there, the wind was offshore, but there was just too much water and the waves were mushy and barely breaking. No problem, we decided to just go home and get some chores done and come back in a few hours when the tide would be lower.
Camille had to work in the evening, so later on, I drove back to the beach to check it and tell her if she should come for a quick session before work or just chill. I got there and things were looking better. There were several people out in the water and it looked like they were getting some good waves. Not perfect, certainly not as good as the past few days, but definitely do-able. I called Camille and told her that I would probably paddle-out and where I would be. She decided that she really didn't have enough time before work and told me to have fun.
Now began a ritual that many surfers know well. I call it the 'Let's just check it for a couple more minutes' syndrome. It happens when things aren't perfect, but there are some waves to catch. Where I live, there are about four surf spots visible from the parking lot, so part of this ritual often includes hem-hawing about where the best place to paddle-out would be. Well, my 'couple more minutes' quickly turned into about 45 minutes, during which time I watched several surfers get several decent waves. Not epic, but fun nonetheless. I finally made up my mind to put on my wetsuit and head out.
Wouldn't you know it. As soon as I got out of my SUV, opened the back door and reached for my wetsuit, the weather turned. On the Oregon Coast, we like to say that if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes. Too true. Suddenly, the rain was coming down in sheets and the wind picked up and switched direction about 140-degrees so that it was blowing directly west, right onshore. Hard. That destroys the surf. If I had just paddled out when I drove up and saw a few decent waves, I could have gotten at least an hour of surf in before the weather ruined it.
As I drove home, dry and bummed, a thought occurred to me. How many times in my life have I waited for the 'perfect setup' do to something that I knew I should just do now? Whether that 'something' is something hard or easy, something uncomfortable or comforting, something I'm glad to do or something I know I'll do begrudgingly - it makes no difference. How many good opportunities have passed me by because I was waiting for the 'perfect moment'? Was I being a little too picky yesterday as a surfer? Yes. Am I bummed that my finicky attitude cost me a surf session? You bet! What other, infinitely more important things may I have missed simply because I told myself that later would be better?
How about you? Is there someone you need to say 'I love you' to? Someone with whom you need to make amends? Is there a burden on your heart for something and you have been telling yourself that you will get to it tomorrow? All I missed out on yesterday was about an hour or so of surfing. But how many really important things in life have slipped through my fingers because I didn't think that the 'time was right' for them? I don't want to miss any more surf sessions. I don't want to neglect any more friendships. I don't want to keep others upset with me. I don't want anyone else to wonder if they are loved or cared about. I don't want to keep God waiting to do more great stuff in my life.
The 'perfect time' is now, friends. Clear the slate. If you die tomorrow, will you leave anyone 'hanging'? I'll start - I love you. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. If you are reading this, then I promise you that there is at least one person in this world who loves you. Me. If you think that I may be the only one who loves you, please leave a comment and I will personally get in touch with you and introduce you to a whole bunch of people who love you as well. Life is short. Like my father says - let's keep short accounts.
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