Call it like it is-Ethics in leadership

There might be a need for more boldness in the church today in leadership. For many years leadership in the church has spiralled further and further downward, meaning, the ethics and morals of leaders. Now if we check out the New Testament we´re going to find that it was a problem back then too. Look at Corinth. Gee whiz!

What I mean by boldness is accountability in areas of ethics. I´m talking about holding each other to a higher standard, that of Christ. No way we can be perfect, not gonna happen. However, we can set our sights higher than those in the world or in the business world. If we as leaders look no different than men and women in the corporate world today, maybe something's gone terribly wrong. If we do the same things, use the same sleazy methods, and follow the same unethical principles as Mr. Madoff, then can we even call ourselves the church?

Now this all has to happen in relationship, close relationship. You sure don´t need some dude from Arizona who you don´t know coming into your office or home and saying, 'Man, you are a messed up guy.' We need brothers and sisters who know us well and call us friend and spend regular time with us to call us on the carpet. Spending regular time with one another in itself might straighten out many ethical issues rather quickly. When we know we are going to be sitting across the table eating lunch with a friend or shooting hoops we just might think twice about some things, you think? Having someone ask you face to face specific questions and the big word 'why' makes it much tougher to allow some of the things into our lives that have come in.

Mentors is the word some use for this. Discipleship is what some would call it. Accountability is another word. use what ever word you want but please let´s hold each other to a standard higher than Tiger Woods, David Letterman, and former President...what was his name? We simply cannot continue down this road that we have drifted. Christ called us to a higher standard, he called us to live a holy life, not perfect, not legalisic, holy. Set apart, called out.

Let´s give it a shot guys and gals. What have we got to lose? The world outside the church is full of people who are broken and hurting and they need to see a different model of lifestyle. Leaders, that´s what they need. Holy leaders who live authentic lives, who mess up, get forgiven, but live a higher calling. Set apart, that´s it.

Stick around/long and short term missions

In 1990 when I first went to Mexico for a 10 day mission trip I thought I was in heaven, except for the room temperature cantaloupe juice I drank. It was one of the highlights and turning points in my life. That trip changed where I was going in life to a whole new direction I would have never figured. I'm thankful my old pal Dwayne Hicks came up with the dream to take a bunch of kids down to Mexico to do a choir/work trip. I'm thankful Cris Garcia put up with all 29 of us.

From that point forward I traveled on many mission trips as a leader, co leader, or just flunkie. We went to more places in Southern Mexico with CIY, sent two groups to Juarez which I planned but did not go on, lead groups to Wash. DC, New Orleans, Atlanta, and who knows where else, LA. Each time I went on a trip I felt the need to go back to the same place and work with the same missionaries and see the same kids. I began to tell the people,'I'll be back', and I meant it. I did go back to most of the sites. For some reason each time the Lord made connections between me and the missionaries, workers, and kids in each of the places I traveled. For me it was more than a nice spiritual adventure, it was something more. It was about relationships.

I can honestly say I still keep in touch with many from those past trips. I wish I could have more contact, go back and visit all of them. I have been able to pop in on a few of them, like my friend Teri Mullens in DC. The thing that I loved most about each of those trips was the people, the relationships. Hearing the story of what God is doing in the lives of people did something to me. It made me hungry to know more of what God is doing all over the world.

I have to say that short term mission trips are a good idea if certain things are done well.

Number one, building of relationships by spending time with the missionaries and workers and kids while on a mission trip. Time, it takes time to get to know someone and talk with them and listen to them. Time equals love, because in spending time with these folks they can sense that someone really cares about them and loves them. I think possibly the most glaring weakness in short term mission work these days is the mentality of 'go, go, go' and 'do, do, do'. Get as much done as humanly possible and then leave.

The first trip I took to southern Mexico we worked with this incredible man of God named Gil Contreras. Now Gil knew how to take a mission trip, cause there was plenty of people time during this trip. We got to know him and his family and hear stories of what God had done in their lives. We got to laugh and tell jokes with him, his kids, and his crazy grandson, Adrian Sanchez. Time, lots of it, was what we had to be with them and enjoy them and get to know them.

The next trip I took to Southern Mexico was very similar and the next and the next. In fact, I went down to Mexico in 2002 after I finished up at a ministry in GA just so I could hang out with Gil and his family. What did we do? We wound up driving up to the border of Texas for a car. We had lots of time on that trip.

Relationship building is still a priority in missions, long term and short term. If you want to stick around on the mission field long term then you better plan on doing this one thing. The others are important too, but this is numero uno. Is it easy? Nope. Is it clean and tidy? No, it gets messy most times. Is it worth it? Definitely!

I'm back! I think...

If anyone actually reads this blog, sorry, I have slipped over to the darkside. I have been writing a wee bit on facebook. Like I said, the darkside.

I am going to make a feeble effort to blog once again and see where it goes. I encourage and am open to comments and ideas for blog subjects. I am also open to anyone copying anything I write, just tell me or whatever. If I write something that makes you think about writing something along the same line, do it and tell me about it.

I really write this for two or three reasons. I like to write and it gives me a vehicle to do so. I like to challenge others to think, or try to do so. I like to share struggles and glories of the mission field so others can pray, can get interested in missions, or can get ideas of ways to serve in the kingdom.

So, I'm back....watch out!

Tanks, guns, and soldiers

So, last Saturday after running a few errands with Martin my friend we turned the bend down near our house and guess what we saw? An armored vehicle with a high caliber gun strapped on top manned by a guy that looked about 18 years old and on the other side of the road a military truck that carries troops half full of soldiers, the other half being in the road and on the side of the road. So we took a detour to my house that was only a couple blocks away.

Martin said,'You have a neighbor that is a very bad guy.' That was putting it mildly. Those soldiers were waiting on someone to come that way and then the hammer was going to fall.

Most of the day we kind of hung around the house, partly because we needed to rest a little, and partly because I didnt want to find that very bady guy who is a neighbor. Kind of weird to see armored vehicles, soldiers, and automatic weapons right around the corner, right? But it's life here in Mexico.

Then Monday I mailed some packages to Hungary for a missionary friend Rusty. I commented to the lady behind the counter that one day soon I hoped to go there, maybe this summer if God works it all out. She said, 'Why do you want to go there? Aren't you afraid of the terrorists?'
I didn't know they were there. I also commented to her that I lived in Matamoros, no big deal, right?

I guess one day I will get used to seeing tanks, weapons, big guns and soldiers. Maybe I should start learning their names?

Receive food from a prostitute?

Sometimes when you receive food from someone who has a checkered past, like a prostitute, you should just pray. And I don´t mean pray a blessing for the food, although that is a good idea. No, I mean you should pray for the woman who sells herself, who is holding out a plate to you. You should pray for her that God will show her a different way, a better way, a hope and a light. You should pray for her two children who you see playing in the street and the empty canal nearby with other kids. You should pray that any blessing you receive will be passed onto that lady who lives a life of pain.

Why would you ever be in a situation where a lady like this could even offer you food? Well, it´s simple, live in Matamoros, go visit a friend, sit outside on a bucket or old chair. Then when the fiesta for a birthday gets started, just wait and finally a plate of food will come your way. Sounds simple enough, right?

Isn't this like some of the situations Jesus found himself in while he lived on earth? Didn't he get in trouble by the religious right, I mean religious leaders of the day because of whom he associated with? But how else was he supposed to give away mercy, grace and love, compassion and forgiveness to those who needed it most? How else can a doctor heal the sick if he is not among the ill and infirmed?

I did not plan to be sitting right where I was at that moment last Saturday, but I was there. I think a lot of living for God is just being in the right place at the right time. Being, as opposed to doing, someone once told me. We can do and do and do, and go and go and go, but if we never 'be' where God wants us to be then we might miss out on some pretty incredible things in this life.

I could have turned the food down, but I didn't because here that is an offense, especially from someone whose family has so little. So I ate and I said a prayer and Martin did too. In fact, I am still praying for this lady and her family, her two boys, that they desire and seek after God. That they SEARCH for truth.

I am praying that her son who is 3 years old will come back to preschool again. The door is open....

Tired, but what do you do, part 2

I just received news from my friend that his family member who was at risk has decided to follow Christ's path of truth and light and not fall prey to the enemy. She has returned home and is choosing the way of God over the way of pain and lies.

This is why we do what we do and we keep making an effort to help those who seem to have no hope, live in poverty and desperation and will try anything to escape their situation. Simply put, we do what we do because of those who get God and His way and walk in it. The ones who don´t we give over to God regularly that some day, near or faroff, they will find His path.

Amen!

Tired, but what do you do

If you are like me there are certain times when you just get tired of stuff piling up and up and up. Maybe it's the junk we hear over the news online, on tv, radio, does anyone still listen to a radio? Maybe it's the load of work in your job that keeps coming at you. Maybe it's the struggle to balance family, work, hobbies, rest, and life in general.

I get tired of what I see or what I hear about the bad choices in people's lives here in Mexico. The past two weeks I have heard of three different situations where a young woman was making terrible decisions that could totally destroy any hope of a good life or future. Two of them I know, but one I have never seen or met. So, what do you do? Pray first. Well, at least it's a good idea to start there. Then what? Talk to them, support them, what????

Sometimes talking works in these situations. Some people actually listen to the counsel of others and make an attempt to salvage their life from the mess they have made. Some think it's just too hard, they've gone too far or messed up too badly. Some just don't care anymore, they are too far gone. So, what do you do?

Try. Do something. Don't quit. Pray again. Try. There are those few who do want more than a life of pain. They listen. Pray again.

When is enough, enough?

Sometimes it gets hard to live inside my head, because my brain goes places and thinks thoughts that make me struggle for answers to questions like, "Am I doing enough to help alleviate hunger, pain and suffering in this world? What else should I be doing? Am I doing enough to cry out for those who are oppressed or facing huge injustices? When is enough, enough?"

Some days, like one day this week I had a sense I was doing enough, because we took food boxes to families in need. Made me have a sense of accomplishing something significant. We fed kids and families.

Then some days I see a website, read a news article, watch a video of suffering children in Africa and I wonder, "Am I doing enough?" On those days I say, "no", there's so much more I could be doing. But what, where, how, and with whom? Like I said it's hard to live inside my head some days.

Tired of the flu and government

Is it okay to be tired of hearing about the flu here in Mexico and school being closed and the government threatening to fine churches, restaurants and schools if they don´t abide by their rules? Is it okay when we don't agree with the way the powers that be? Are we supposed to always agree with what government tells us and do it like sheep following along blindly a shepherd?

If it is okay, then I say I am tired of how the Mexican media and government has threatened and bullied the people of Mexico. They get bullied and oppressed enough, why does their own government have to do this to them as well? Illegal immigrants get bullied and discriminated in the US on a regular basis by those who live in ignorance and fear. Many legal aliens from Mexico and other Latin American nations are treated poorly by many Americans, including some businesses who treat them as slave laborers and not creations of God.

Maybe I am tired of more than the flu, maybe I am tired of other things too, like racism and ignorance and hatred. Yes, I think I am tired of all of these and oppression too. What's oppression? When someone of a higher economic or political status places burdens and weights too heavy to carry on others who are less fortunate or have lower status. I better stop there, because I have other things I am tired of that the United States government does to its own people and to people in other lands. So, let's stop so that I don't get placed on someone's naughty list.

I do think it is okay to admit we don't agree with how something is done or how our governing bodies are doing their job. It seemed like the American people cried out for a change in government this past election, but somehow we got more of the same, but much worse. It appears we are going to be taxed into oblivion by the government that is in power, and mind you, it's not just one person, it is two houses, two parties, and many men and women in control. So we should spread the blame around, or credit.

I think I should stop here. Somes like I am complaining. Freedom of speech allows me to, I think...

Slow down

SLOW DOWN...I just wished someone had gotten this message through my thick skull when I was younger and my kids were small. If you are wanting to listen to me blubber all my regrets of life, not going to happen. But I do wish that I had learned how to slow down, breathe in every moment, make my family my first priority, and live a full life.

However, I am glad for the days when I let the kids stay out of school because they 'said' they were sick or skip preschool when they were little because they just didn't want to go. (I hope my wife doesn't read this.) I am glad that I coached their sports' teams. Well, I'm glad a coached most of their teams, there were a few of those kids....okay, you know what I mean. I am glad we took family vacations to the mountains and the beach. I am glad that we took our kids on all those youth retreats and CCF retreats. I think they had more fun on some of those trips than the students.

There were points in my life that I could have lived a little slower, worked a little less, taken another day off, but those days are past. We live in the present right? So today I enjoyed eating breakfast with my daughter and running errands with her and driving slowly not the opposite. Hey, one more thing....

Slow down.

You won't regret it.

doubt....part 2

You have to read 'doubt' first for this to make sense or not.

I just walked through some doubts, in case you wondered. Like going through a desert, dry and dusty with no roadsigns. I think I am out of this desert of doubt for awhile. I have learned a lot. Boy, do I need it.

Step by step.....

doubt

I watched the movie 'Doubt' late last night and it kind of blew my mind. I mean, there I was, contently watching some boring movie, a little bit sleepy cause it was after 10pm, and then BOOM! I got hit smackdab in the face with a look inside my own soul. If you´ve never seen the movie, maybe you should give it a try, but not really late at night, unless you are a night owl. Then, by all means stay up late.

In the final scene there are two Catholic sisters sitting outside in the snow on a cold day. The older sister, the principal who seems to have a tight grasp on everything is just sitting there trying to keep it all together when the young sister prods deeply into her soul. Finally she cracks. She admits she has doubts too.

Here she is, older Catholic sister who has lived a great deal, seen a lot in the Catholic school where she has been principal for decades, and then she makes the great confession, that she too has doubts sometimes.

This hit me so hard cause I have doubts and so often I live and exist like I dont. You know, I am a missionary, guy who's been serving all his adult life in ministry. I am not supposed to have doubts, right? I have it all together. If you think that sit down with my son, daugther or wife. If you sit down and talk to my wife I have to be in the room, she has too much dirt on me.

We all have doubts right? We wonder about what we've been taught as a child when we go off to college and hear so many new and crazy ideas and philosophies. We question God in the middle of trials as we sit by a hospital bed or a grave. We wonder,'Does He care? Why doesn't God do something? Why doesn't He answer me?'

We have doubts when our spouse walks out the door after years of faithfulness. We have doubts when our son or daughter does the unthinkable or falls into such a deep pit of darkness we can only pray. Doubts....they are there whether we acknowledge them or not. Dark clouds that hang like a thick smoke in the small space of our minds. Hey, my mind is small, dont know about you.

Doubts, what do we do with them? How do we live today with them? How do we go to work with them? How do we love God in the midst of doubts, in the middle of questioning times?

I read a book once that said this about doubt, or faith,

'Sometimes faith is walking in darkness and simply refusing to quit. Sometimes faith is just hanging on. The character of the faith that allows us to be transformed by suffering and darkness is not doubt free certainty, rather it is tenacious obedience.' John Ortberg

Sometimes I talk heresy and say I am not very gifted or dont have many talents. In these times I tell my friends something cheesy like,'I'm not the most gifted guy around. There's a lot of things I don't know how to do, but I do know how to keep going. I just get going, step by step.' Maybe that's what tenacious obedience is. It works for me, cause I have my doubts, more than once in awhile. But I walk, sometimes very small steps, barely picking up my feet. Step by step by step.

Doubt is not the enemy. The enemy is the enemy. Doubt is a companion that can draw us nearer to the bosom of God the Father, if we allow it to do just that. When we question and wonder if we seek, something will happen.....what? That's up to the Father and His creation, you.

Fear, drugs, and pigs...continued 3

Okay, I'm on a roll and since I have time here goes another one.


A few years ago when the SARS epidemic was going on in China there was a trip planned by a group to go there. One of the guys going was a friend of our son, Nick Neely. Nick had been before to China and was ready to go back for another dose. Well, because of the SARS deal the group decided to cancel the trip for safety's sake. You can't blame them for that because most likely several parents were worried and concerned. Maybe some of the college kids had already dropped out before the final decision. I´m not sure. Those in charge have to make decisions sometimes that are tough calls for the good of the group.

Well, Nick decided he was going to go anyway. He had a heart for the people there and felt this was something he must do. Even amidst the SARS deal and his whole group backing out, Nick made up his mind to go to China and serve there for several weeks.

What do you call that? Stupidity, loco, insanity, foolishness, careless, faith, stubborn, bull headed.....? Or what?

Call it what you want but it takes faith to do something you feel led, maybe called to do, when everyone else around you says 'no' or 'don't go'. It takes a bit of intestinal fortitude that is uncommon in the realm of Christianity today. It requires grit.

I think Nick may be going to Uguanda this summer. He's been there once for a term of 3 months or so, and now he says it´s time to go back. I wonder how life is in Uguanda these days?

Say a prayer for Nick and his adventure to Uguanda. While you're there see if God can send us a few more like him, we could use them.

Oh yeah, Nick said it was not nearly as bad in China as the media said it was. Overkill, is that the right word?

Fear, drugs and pigs...continued

If you have ever lived in Mexico you can appreciate the statement, ¨Only in Mexico´. Today amidst all the media superhype about the swine flu/H1N1 Kelley, Erin Brumit and I were treated to a random display of craziness. We were grabbing a bite to eat for lunch at a fast food chicken place and were done, just hanging out, catching up with each other´s lives, when along comes a teenage boy over towards the table and with great stealth he snatches up a slightly used chicken wing of mine, right off my plate.

I was a little shocked, Kelley almost laughed and Erin just sat there with an Erin grin on her face, halfway startled and about to burst out in laughter too. What did he just do? He grabbed a picked over piece of chicken off my plate and ate it right there. Did he ask? No, he just snagged it and gnawed on it. Normally people ask for food donations here, but this guy did not. What made it crazy was the fact that we are supposedly in the midst of this huge pandemic in Mexico and all the schools are closed for safety's sake. The people behind the counter all had on masks and gloves to protect them and here's this kid eating food from someone he doesn't know and without asking. Very odd, right?

Mexico is a place where you just might see about anything. If you think this story is crazy you should've seen the guy driving a truck one day down the city street holding a rope in his hand which was attached to a horse running along side him. And no, we don't live in the country, we live in a big city, over 1/2 million. Only in Mexico...

Fear, drugs, and pigs

If you have a tv or computer you have heard more than your share of the flu that is wreaking havoc in Mexico City and is making an attempt to threaten more lives outside the borders of Mexico. So what? So what is your response? Does it affect you? Does it even make you think twice about washing your hands or covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze?

At first it didn't really bother me too much and then when I saw my friend wearing a mask at work one morning while he was outside, all by himself working I thought,"This is craziness, a bit of overkill."

I remembered the Sars semi epidemic in China a few years back and all the fear the media raised over it. I remembered the swine flu outbreak, very small, in the 70s. I remembered these because I began seeing people with masks on walking down the street or in places of business. Kind of weirded me out.

I will admit I have watched a ton of news coverage lately due to the pig flu. More than normal. I have read more than my share of internet articles too. Just curious.

But I am trying to not do the one thing that the media and the rest of the world wants, I am trying not to live by fear. I am trying to be wise and use common sense, but I am not going to resign to the fear that drives the media these days.

Anyone remember the year 2000 or what was it Y2K? Remember the overall fear and paranoia during that time? The powers that be had convinced us to be afraid and prepared, but mostly afraid. I never bought into it, maybe you didn't either. I actually did buy some extra drinking water though, about 4 gallons.

There's another crazy thing that is going on in Mexico and has for as long as we have been here, 5 years......the drug war. Many groups will not be coming to Mexico this summer because of the drug war. My guess is many more will not come because of the flu virus. Think about this, mission groups who are supposed to be on mission for God to spread the faith of the gospel, but are too afraid to go.

Maybe we should rewrite the great commission, "Go into all the world unless you git scared.."? Hum, we could rewrite some other verses as well.

cHanGe

On Sunday after enjoying church service and a nice lunch with friends Kelley and I headed over to Edinburg, Texas to visit two of our girls from Matamoros who live there in the girls school/home. They had a piano recital with 28 different girls playing a song or two. It was incredible to see these young ladies from age 9 to 20 share their musical talent. One of the girls stood up to share her testimony after playing, her name is Diana. She choked back tears as she shared how God had totally changed her heart, her will, and her life for the good in the four years she had been in the school. She talked of rebellion and disobedience that she displayed towards her mom in years past, and how God had changed her to a child of God.

What was so moving for me was knowing that two of our girls were there in this same school, hearing this same message, but more than that, seeing this young lady live out her testimony. Olga and Paola both came from rough homes and both dealt with their share of rebellion, one very open, another not so open, but still there. Now they live a different way in a different home with love and God´s word to lead them. They see the change that has occured in Diana and so many other girls that live there in the school. They know that they have the opportunity to change as well, that they can do it through Christ who strengthens them.

Our testimony is not what we say, it is more what we do, how we live, who we are. I have learned more about Christ by seeing the testimony of people like Martin, Christy, Carolina, Ely, Brenda, Paola, and Olga here in Mexico. I have never met a preacher who could match the testimony in words of these faithful followers of Christ.

Praise God there is hope that Christ can change lives like Diana, Paola, Olga, Juanita, and perhaps me!

Fellow follower

Resting and sacrilege

When is it okay to rest? I mean to really do nothing but chill out, read, mess around the house putting photos up, and just be not driven. Is it okay to let your body, mind, and soul lay back and catch up with all the world has been throwing your way? Does God ever rest? Well, Jesus did, I think. Seems like he did if you read the New Testament without an American work, work, work bent. I seem to remember him snoozing once in a boat as the disciples put out to sea on the lake. I wonder how many times he did that and it was not recorded. Other times he just went away from the crowd, just left them to be alone or with just 2 or 3 disciples. Sometimes he got up early to go off alone to pray. Maybe you don't think getting up early to pray is like rest, but it can be.

So, is it okay to rest and do nothing so you can get renewed and focused again on what's important and what's just sideline stuff? Or do we have to go, go, go all the time?

New house

Okay, so we moved into a new house, although it's not new, just not so old as the one we used to live in, and not falling apart. It was kind of exciting to change houses because the old one was in bad shape and we had to do all the repair work. The landlord repaid us, most of the time, but little stuff we just took care of. It was exciting too because the new area we live is much calmer and quieter. The old area had a lot of drinking going on late at night. Our one set of neighbors would have a party in the street, yes, in the street, at least once a week. Sometimes it was just a few guys and a few beers, and loud music. Sometimes it was a few guys a lot of beers and louder than loud music, with lots of bass.

The new place is smaller too and that means less to clean up and less stuff to hoard away. That's good too.

And our new neighbors actually speak to each other and smile and wave at you. The old ones, not so much. Maybe one family was sort of nice, but the teenagers were a little snooty and.....

The new house feels like a home to us too. Honestly, we have never had that feeling in the almost 5 years we have lived here. We have always felt like we were just visiting, not really at home here. Maybe because of the places we lived maybe the people around us, not sure.

The new house is also close to places, like the Oxxo convenience store, the ice cream shop, the sandwich shop, two taco stands, and the internet cafe. I don't have to drive anywhere except to the preschool. It's great! Walking to stuff makes me fell more like I belong too, like it's my neighborhood.

This may seem all trivial to you, but if you've never lived in another country, spoken a foreign language, and been away from everyone you know, then it's not so trivial. It's huge.

Well, I think I'll go back to the new house. It's a nice sunny day and I need to walk, because of the tacos, and ice cream.

Of living and dying well

Everything seems to change when we hear some really sad news. One moment we are lost in our own lives, what we are going to do that day, what we are going to eat for lunch, what clothes we will wear that day, and then BOOM! We receive some tragic news, like the loss of a life of a young person. Then all of a sudden our preoccupation with our daily stuff seems to fade away quickly.

Sometimes I know I put too much emphasis on stuff that doesn't matter so much. Like just recently, as we prepared to move into a different house we uncovered tons of stuff we had no use for and had not seen for quiet some time. Things, stuff....junk. I cannot tell you how many pieces of junk that I threw away, gave away, placed out in front of our house so that the early morning collectors of stuff would pick it up. At one point I got a little angry at myself for having so much stuff that I did not need. So I got rid of even more, and I'm not finished yet.

The young person who died in an accident this past Sunday was serving as a short term missionary in South Africa. She was described by those who served alongside her as a person who lived a life of love. She loved her team members, her family back home, and especially the people of South Africa. She was giving up a year of her life to serve and love people in Africa. She never knew that she would give up her life on this earth to serve there.

This Sunday our youth pastor Rusty shared a powerful illustration of how we should give over all our stuff and all of our relationships to the Lord and let him do as he pleases with them. At one point Rusty began tossing his stuff onto the ground in front of the stage. He chunked his wallet, watch, cell phone, and even shoes and belt. I was scared the shirt was coming off too.

In the end the Lord doesn't really want our stuff, He wants us, our very lives, plans, dreams, everything.

The young person who died in Africa gave her all. Tragically she died when a tire blew out and a car rolled over. She died doing what she loved to do, serving people and loving them. She very well could have died in the United States just merely existing in life like so many do. Praise God she lived and died with purpose.

Inside church or Outside church???

My mind comes up with these strange ideas at times. Today is one of those days. I was reflecting on meeting yet another homeless man in the park yesterday when I decided I needed to clarify which church I would be attending today, inside church or outside church.

Inside church normally is held on Sundays, sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night, depends. Inside church is also held on Wednesdays in some areas, and even Saturdays in others, like those fancy dancy high powered praise services. (Sometimes I like them, when I need a worship buzz or high. Not too often, gives me a headache.) There are other times inside church is held, but mainly those are the times, Sunday being the numero uno tiempo.

So then, when is outside church held and where???

I almost forgot to mention that inside church is most specifically reserved inside four walls and a roof, sometimes AC is in working order, heating in the colder months, and sometimes there is free coffee and donuts, yum. There are other places to find inside church as well, home bible studies work well and schools are sometimes rented for inside church and even a workout gym or theatre too.

Outside church, so where is it held and when? Okay, this is a tough question. Anywhere outside the four walls and anytime. Wherever a Christian or two or three are, that could be called outside church. In fact, you don't really need that many Christians to have it. You can have some people who are not Christians, maybe you can call them pre Christians. (I heard that word the other day, kind of cute.)

You can hold outside church just about anywhere or anytime. Not many restrictions. Just go and do church whenever or wherever.

Not sure about you, but outside church can be pretty exciting and challenging. If you haven't heard about it, you should try it. If you have no clue what I'm writing about, drop me a line. Better yet, come by and we'll go out for church.

Homeless, who cares?

Maybe you and I say we care about people who are homeless, especially women and children, but what's the real truth? Do we really care about them as individuals? If so, how do we specifically show that, how is it demonstrated in our lives?

I'm writing this because I am in San Antonio right now and they have a few homeless people, more than a few. And yes, they ask for money, some do. Isn't that annoying? You know, you are walking down the street with your wife or your son or your whole family and then this smelly guy with dirty clothes comes up to you and asks for 50 cents. Who has 50 cents? We all use debit cards right. You just want to tell him off and send him on his way, right?

Okay, maybe that is too brutally honest, but I am saying the truth. Many times we just look the other way. I ain't gonna lie, sometimes I do. Most times I don't and sometimes I get myself into trouble. Sometimes I meet the neatest people, like Chuy, who I met a few weeks ago in Matamoros. He came up asking for something to eat, I tried to blow him off and send him away, being the great Christian I am(sarcasm). But he kept talking and got my attention by sharing a scripture. I had to sit down with him and hear his story and I'm glad I did. We talked over a Big Mac at McD's and he shared what God was doing in his life. He, a beggar, encouraging me, the missionary. What a contrast. What a reality wake up call.

The truth is we do not know how to deal with homeless people or beggars. My dad had a habit when he worked in downtown Atlanta for over 30 years. If a guy asked him for money he would offer to buy him a burger instead or sandwich. Sure, maybe at times he had to get back to work and could not, but many times he did. That's my motto too. I've used it many times, sometimes we sit and talk, sometimes we get it to go. I don't force someone to sit down with me so I can bore them to death or freak them out.

So, what's your motto? Do you have one? Will you create one? Will you ignore the next beggar, homeless person, or child of God that is in need which you see on the street?

Make up a motto. Pray it over, talk about it with your kids. Maybe they have an idea. Maybe their idea might be pretty cool. Never know....

All Broke Up

Being broken is not something that is popular among Christians today. Instead we seem to have this hair brained idea that we must always appear strong and full of joy and happy to the world. It's like we are campaigning for Jesus like Pres Obama campaigned for office, all smiles and charming sayings.

If you walk the streets of Matamoros, Mexico or the ghettos of Atlanta or New Orleans or even our nation's capital for very long, you will be broken. I've tried to walk each of these places and not let it get to me, but I always come away broken and without answers to life's pains. If you go to Africa in many of its war torn countries or travel down to Central America you will see pain and desperation on a level your heart simply cannot handle for long.

I really can't comprehend how Mother Teresa served so many years in the ghettos of India. It boggles my mind. She must have had a spiritual reserve unlike anything we have ever seen. It's one thing to work in a church and serve as a minister for years on end, it's a whole other level of struggle and sacrifice to do what she did for so many years. Brokenness must have been a close companion of hers.

It maybe that we are about to witness some severe pain and suffering by many in the United States in the coming years, only God knows. It maybe that it is avoided somehow. I cannot imagine that we could avoid it. Too many have lost too much and too much greed and corruption has destroyed so many lives and families. Sooner or later there will be a crying out by many for justice for gettting a fair deal in life. Many in our country are broken and many more will come to that same point of brokenness.

So, why write such a dreary article? I am in a place of brokenness, having seen so much pain and injustice and wrong doing by so many. The only way I can deal with it is prayer and sharing the struggle with others. Maybe just writing it down does something for my soul and heart. I don't know.

Am I depressed? No, I've been there once or twice before and this is not depression. My heart is strong, heavy, but strong. I am still working and serving and praying and giving. Depression would not allow me to do what I do and enjoy simple pleasures of life like I can with my friends Martin, Aaron, Rusty, K T, Erin, Panchito, Meg, Chris, and others.

Brokenness and depression are two different things. If you've been through both, you understand. If not, I can't help you see the difference except to say that depression is like a huge cloud that will not go away always over you, drowning you with its weight. Brokenness is a heavy weight that is almost too much to bear, but like a backpack on your back, somehow you keep walking and at times you even feel your strength and your spirit arises.

Well, I feel the fire in my legs and my heart's blood is pumping. I think it's time to ascend the mountain.......

Pick a side and stay there

Today we had a very interesting conversation while mixing cement by hand in Mexico. Franc and I were talking about the need for men to step it up in the church and be men, not just fixtures or doormats or silent partners. As we talked our partner in mixing Jaime came back out from hauling a wheelbarrow of concrete inside. He heard us and didn't speak up at first, you see, he doesn't go to church and has not for some time. I don't know how long, maybe 4 years, maybe 10.

When Jaime finally spoke we listened attentively to hear what he had to say. He said that men in the church need to live the same lifestyle outside the church doors as they do inside the church doors. He even made a physical movement to show how they need to not straddle a fence and live one way, not two ways. Hypocrisy is what he was referring to, not just the normal sin we deal with in life, but blatant hypocrisy. We've all seen it and it is never attractive. Some of my darkest memories of youth group were the kids who talked very spiritual in youth group and the night before partied like heathens.

What Jaime said brought out a verse from Revelation, where Jesus is telling the church to be either hot towards him or cold, but not lukewarm or tepid. Franc quoted the verse in Spanish, I couldn't even though I tried. Wow! There we were, an American missionary, a young Mexican pastor from Chiapas, Mexico, and a Mexican man who had become disgruntled by the hypocrisy, yet was willing to openly share and not condemn.

Pick a side, Jesus or the world. If it were only that simple, people would be flocking to churches and begging to come in and see what this Jesus' stuff is all about. If we lived as salt and light, the world would want what we have, they would follow us around and wonder what we are up to. Too bad it isn't true, they could care less most times.

Let's give them something to wonder about men. Let's live bold lives filled with integrity and walk in faith so that others will scratch their heads and try to 'get' us. Let's live with faith and courage and leave doubt and fear in the past. Let's get excited about something more important than the Super Bowl touchdown or the March Madness tourney breakdowns.

Well, that's all. I have to go rest my muscles from the concrete mixing. Pick a side....

A Quiet God?

Does God still speak to us today? Does the Lord send impressions, dreams, etc. to His people in our times? Or do we have a quiet God?

Most of my Christian life I have struggled with this, wanting to know if God does still speak today and how I can know when it is Him speaking and not me, or the burrito I ate, or the devil. There are times when I sense that I should act in some way or go in some direction. Sometimes I do and the outcome is a huge blessing, I am almost 100% sure it was an impression from the Lord. It is not always a pretty situation when I do.

Once I felt a strong urge to turn away from my original destination and go instead to visit a friend I had not seen in years. I was very puzzled, but I drove to his office. When I arrived at his office his wife was in tears and the whole place had a black cloud hanging over it. As I went back to speak with my friend he unveiled a sad story that his business would close on that very day. I was shocked. I had heard nothing of this at all and had no idea. As he shared more details of the way it had shut down I was even more shocked. After some time I asked if I could pray for him and it was very emotional. After that day I vowed to God that I would pray for my friend and his family.

This whole scene was setup simply by an impression in my spirit that I should turn right down a road going to my friend's office and visit him. I believe it was of God, because my friend needed someone to be a friend, love him, and pray for him that day, and to follow up on him as well.

This is one simple story of mine. I could share quite a few more. Sometimes they are not so dramatic, some are even more powerful. You may think this above story was not such a big deal, however, if you had been there in the office that day and seen the tears in his wife's eyes and heard the pain in his voice my guess is you would think this story is a big deal. It's a deal of God placing me in a place with a friend in need.

I know sometimes Christians get some very strange or weird impressions, dreams and even visions. Some of them perhaps are from God, some maybe from their own minds and spirits and some could possibly be from the devil. I have had a few of those too. I have had a few very bizarre dreams when I knew it was not of God, but a satanic attack. I have had a few that I have thought were of God, but later realized maybe it was of my own will because I was so fixated on something or some pursuit and my vivid imagination pulled it out.

Just because some Christians tell of very bizarre impressions and dreams we should not dismiss all of them. The Bible has something to say about all this, good research yet to be done on this and a lot of digging has been done by a few writers.

A friend and fellow missionary has written some things on discerning how to listen to God. His name is Seth Barnes and he is the director of a mission organization called Adventures in Missions or AIM. There website is www.adventures.org. You should check some of his writings out if you are interested in this subject.

Listening to God should be something Christians make every effort to do daily. It should not be some pursuit we only leave to the holy ones or monks or some other Christians. I honestly believe God wants to speak to us and walk with us in every day life. The question is, 'Are we listening?'

Post Valentine´s Day, Roses or Nada

This is mainly for the guys out there. Guys, well, how was Valentine´s Day? Did you give in and go buy that bouquet of flowers or that dozen roses? Or did you go big and pick out a ring or necklace? Or did you spring for a nice dinner and a babysitter, if kids are in the equation?

Or did you rebel against cultural peer pressure and do nothing for your lady? That's okay, just remember there are 364 other days in the year to buy her roses or take her out to eat. And you better do it sooner or later, or else....there are 364 days in the year for her to remind you of the not gift she received for Valentine's Day.

I'm not going to brag about the roses I bought or the letter I wrote for her or anything like that. That would be wrong.

Seriously though, we have been married 25 years as of March 17 and I have done some dumb things and messed up on some Valentine Days, birthdays, and anniversaries. I have dropped the ball my share of times. However, I do my best to make up for it, sometimes it works and sometimes the couch is my bed more than one night. Sometimes outside the house.

Here's the deal. When we mess up guys we need to make an effort to reconcile and seek forgiveness. Sometimes it ain't easy. I remember a birthday a long, long time ago that I bombed on. I still get a gentle reminder of that. But easy smeasy. We should be men and make a strong attempt at setting things right. If we want to stay married, or together, we should make an attempt. Or if we want to live in harmony and peace we should seek peace and reconciliation, whether we were the one in the wrong or not. Pride, who needs it? Pride ain't worth much if you are alone. Better to swallow your pride a hundred times and live in peace with a woman you love than be proud and eating alone. I know pride too. I have my share of it. I would gladly give it all away, but for some reason the human side in me likes for pride to hang around

I hope Valentine´s Day was a good day and a time to rekindle your affection for your girl. If not, remember, there are 364 other days in the year.

Quit Snoring Please!

I don't know about anyone else's wife, but my wife doesn't like snoring. She even says it awakes her sometimes. I can't believe it. Actually I can, because I have been on enough youth retreats with fellow snorers to know that there is nothing worse than a chain saw revving at full throttle whilst ye seeketh to sleepeth. Joey Musick and Jim Smith once performed a snoring duet for out whole room years ago in the Great Smokey Mountains. It was simply...horrible!

So my question today is why do we allow snoring Christians to continue to rip off the horrendous melodies so often and never protest or wake them up so they will halt the noise? I am not referring to those occasions when a friend or family member gets a little drowsy in a church service. That is not even that bad a thing to me. I used to love to sleep in church when I was a kid, so peaceful, so quiet, so calm. Man, I'm getting sleepy right now.

What I am referring to is the insane snoring so many Christians participate in the realm of spiritual things. There is a deafening slumber of so many Christians in the United States as related to the spiritual realm. We are in a comatose state. Dead to the world in two ways, spiritually and intellectually. I will only tackle one area today, spiritual slumber.

Do we really think that we can thrive and succeed in the world today without acknowledging the spiritual struggle that is raging behind the scenes? I mean, come on. Have we not read the Bible lately and seen this incredibly awesome adventure on the other side of things?

Could we flip over to the Old Testament and look into the antics of David, Joseph, Moses, and Job just to name a few? Can you say there is no such thing as a battle for souls after reading the first 2 chapters of Job, let alone the whole book? Are we that sleepy?

So, if we do acknowledge the spiritual realm how do we live in both worlds, physical and spiritual without losing our minds? Well, we aren't succeeding at this too well by just focusing on the physical are we? Look at the mental health business, it's very good these days and getting better. Honestly, I know I get depressed when I only look at the physical side of life. I have had two episodes of what I think were mild depression, both times all I could see was this world, physical, and how bad things were. Both times I struggled to word a prayer and many, many times I could hardly pick up the Bible and read it.

Tell me that was not a spiritual battle. There were days when I slept more than I should have and wept for little stuff. Call it what you like, I would like to call it major spiritual battle for my soul, mind, and heart. When you work 5 different jobs within the span of one year and can't seem to find contentment in any of them, what do you call that? Especially after working one job for over 10 years and loving it thoroughly.

So, my challenge today is for Christians to wake up and quit snoring. Quit sleeping through this spiritual struggle that is waging right before your closed eyes. Grab hold of yourself, your spouse, your child, your friend, your fellow Christian and wake up!

Prayers from your own heart and prayers from the mouths of others are a key to this struggle if we are to succeed and live well. The Word of God read, studied, meditated, memorized, and chewed on is crucial as well. Fellowship with other fellow strugglers cannot be dismissed as well. I know the church isn't what it should be. But Jesus says where 2 or 3 are gathered together in His name there He is, right there, standing with you. Almost forgot, worship both with others and just you and God is power packed. My guitar and I have banged out some pretty amazing worship services before our almighty God. So, what are we waiting on?

Quit Snoring, Please! Some of us are trying to live richer, deeper lives.

Calling all Men

My friend Martin and I have figured out most of the world's ills down here in Mexico while drinking a coke. Well, okay, maybe we've only solved one or two, but no one will listen to us. Maybe one of us should run for president of the US or Mexico. Or maybe not.

One thing we have figured out over the past 2 years and after having had many cokes. This is it. The church needs more strong men to come forward and live an example for others to follow. We need men who have commitment to Christ, who love their families, and who are not perfect, but authentic, real. We need men of prayer, men who can weather storms, men who don't quit.

We need men in places of leadership in the church, men who will teach, men who will serve in areas of their strength and in some areas that might stretch them. We need men to challenge each other, especially in the realm of leadership. We don't need any yesmen who say yes to every thing proposed just because the person presenting it had a nice, high tech presentation and appealed strongly to all involved. If it's a bad idea, say so. If it costs too much money, say so.

We need men who will struggle, wrestle in prayer over families in their neighborhood, at work, and in their church. Yes, wrestle, fight for other men and their families in prayer. We need men who will study the Word of God and dig in deep, not just wade in ankle deep with shallow Bible studies, but in depth , applying the whole Bible to life.

We need many good men to step up and be the example Christ desires and the example He lived.

The Church Today, followers or foreigners?

Would you say the church today is following closely in the footsteps of Christ? If your answer is 'yes', how would you back that up? Could you go to the Gospels and read what Christ said followers are supposed to look like and then say, 'That is exactly what our church is all about! Serving, loving, giving all for others, praying, sacrificing.'

Or would you say that in your experience the church is not so much about these sorts of things, but more focused in other areas? Years ago when the Willow Creek movement came about many jumped on board, and others cringed. Honestly, I cringed. I couldn't envision that what was being taught in Chicago was what was taught by Jesus in the Word. It just didn't match up.

So, does the experience you are having in the church you are involved in match up to what the Bible calls us to live?

If you read Matthew 25 there are some very poignant words that Jesus tells his would be followers to grab hold of, better known as 'the least of these'. What is so strange is that if we lay these and many other passages from the Gospels beside the church today in much of the United States we would have to say, it doesn't even come close. Why not?

Then we can hop over to the book of Acts and see more inconsistencies with the first century church and the church of today. Who's getting it right and who is not? Dare we venture to James 1 where the writer tells us what pure religion is, to care for orphans and widows, and not to act like those of the world?

I am not writing to vent, I am writing to challenge each Christian to seriously look into how their local church is operating and compare it to the New Testament. Then to pray and put into action what they see the New Testament church really is. If it is the same, then so be it. So live it. If it calls you to a radical life of faith and action, then so be it. So live it.

Tough times call for men, women and youth to act and not sit back. People all around the world, not just the United States are in a season where they are looking for someone to step forward in courage and lead, full of conviction and passion. We are looking for change, for a better way. If you don't believe this, look how President Obama won. He campaigned on one simple issue, change.

Change we can believe in. I don't believe one president can change the state of this country. Call me pessimestic or realistic. And I am not an anti Obama guy. I just have heard enough politicians promise the moon and give us a mud puddle instead.

Change we can believe in comes in the form of Christ being lived out as humble servants who care more about their neighbors and family than about their own selves. Crazy, right, just like Philippians 2. Christ was really crazy then.

Change in our churches can only come as one Christian at a time searches God's word empowered by the Holy Spirit and with much prayer. And then lives it out daily.

Salt, Light, or trash?

In a small section in Matthew 5, Jesus challenges his current and future followers to live as salt and light. What actually is he challenging his followers to do? These two terms have been used in sermons and lessons and talks over the past 2,000 years in a variety of ways and applications of how followers of Christ should live. However we define them in our daily lives as Christians we must not do one thing, forget them and neglect them to practice them.

If ever there was a point in history when the world needed salt and light, today is that day. Define these two words and what Jesus meant by them how you may, but do not do the worst thing of all, overlook them. Please figure them out and work them into your daily life.

John Stott said this in his book, Human Rights and Human Wrongs,

...Christians are fundamentally different from non Christians, or ought to be. Both images set the two communities apart. The world is dark, Jesus implied, but you are to be its light. The world is decaying, but you are to be its salt and hinder its decay.


The words 'ought to be' kind of jumped out at me when I read this passage. Christians ought be be different. Wow, that's putting it nicely. Are Christians different in their lifestyles, morals, and choices? Each Christian must answer that on his or her own, no one else can answer.

To go even further with this, what impact are we Christians making individually and collectively in our communities, states, and countries? Is our impact even being noticed?

Recently our new President was quoted as saying that a large part of our economic problem was caused by greed and corruption. So much truth was packed into this small statement of his. Everyday it seems we are hearing examples of corrupt dealings and greedy actions pulled off in secret. Would it be correct to say the United States needs more salt and light in dealing with the current economic holocaust? Or more exact in saying we need more people who are of the salt and light persuasion?

My question for each Christian is this, what are you doing to truly be salt and light in your community, state, country, and world? Are we making others thirsty for what Christ has or have we gone bland and tasteless, needing to be thrown out as Jesus says in Matthew 5?

Mission trips and questions

If you are looking for a good book to read that will make you think and scratch your brain. This is it. If you have any interest in how Christians are to be involved in the social ills of our world this will definitely be a great read for you. I am midway through it and have already scratched my brain more than once and said a few, 'amens', along the way.

If you think as a Christian you need not be concerned about social ills in our world, then wake up! If for one minute you believe the governments in our world are going to resolve and heal what ills the masses in our world, then you should pull your head out of the sand.

Maybe for me this book is so powerful because we see so much pain and suffering and want to do something to change or alleviate as much as possible. You cant help everyone, or you cant save everyone, for sure, however, if we make an effort and step outside our comfort zones, whatever that is, then we can alleviate some of the pain in the world.

The biggest step is the one out of your comfort zone. For some it is your career or school or home. For some Christians it is your church walls. What a novel idea for Christians to take what they learn on Sunday or Wednesday or Thursday and apply it in the city street to the homeless, or to an orphanage in a poor country, or to a school or university in a communist country like China. But I am getting ahead of myself. Start in the place where you are and do something to help someone who cannot return the favor and who may never step foot in a church building. Or who may turn their back on you and refuse your help in some way.

Can we tackle a very real sacred cow in the church? Could we stop thinking that mission trips and such are for the purpose of making us feel more spiritual and holy? I know, I did the same thing for years, until I finally realized God did not necessarily want me to return from a mission trip feeling a spiritual high. Sometimes, well, most times I came back from those trips emotionally broken and hurting for the families I met and the kids I fell in love with.

I'm not saying let's quit taking mission trips, maybe we need to thin out some of the people who are going on these trips. Make it tougher to go. Have an application process and make participants do an interview on why they desire to go and what they hope to see occur. Possibly have each participant do references and ask a series of thoughtful questions. Most mission organizations do this, but most churches simply post a list and everyone who gets their money and stuff together goes, regardless of their preparedness.

Maybe instead of allowing the ones who are not quite ready to go, instead have them raise money that will be given straight to the missionary. Kind of an offering. This money should not be used on the group's trip expenses, rather for the work of the missionary. For $200 a missionary friend I know could pay a pastor in Africa for 4 months. 4 months. I believe a national pastor could do much, much more good in 4 months than an unprepared mission trip attendee who doesnt even speak the language.

There is a group from a church we work with in Texas who actually tells teens they are not quite ready to go and asks them to wait. What a novel idea! Waiting and growing in the grace of the Lord is sometimes best. Especially in the area of mission trips.

Do we want more groups to go on mission trips? Yes, but more groups with members who are fully prepared and focused on God and His plans, ready to serve, sacrifice and even eat foods that you dont like and cannot pronounce and go to bathrooms that smell so awful you want to barf.

Smaller groups, better prepared, fully devoted to prayer, and with servants´ hearts is what we seek.

Dogs are of God, part 3

Okay, in case you haven't ready Dogs are of God, parts 1 and 2, they are somewhere in this month's post. Read'em if you wanna, forget'em if you wanna. These are merely random things I like about dogs. I almost could call this, 'why I like dogs better than people'. But I am trying to be polite.

If you haven't seen the movie Marley and Me, I recommend it. It is a little bit of a tear jerker, so if you want a happy, fun dog movie, don't go. If you want a lively, crazy dog movie packed with some emotion, then go. In the ending the main actor says some pretty cool stuff about dogs, and I wished I had written it down. So, if you go, take your note pad and write what he says down. Way cool, and way true. And email it to me, please.

There was a point in the movie where I told Kelley, 'They need to get rid of that dog. He's too wild.' If they had gotten rid of Marley, then the movie would have been very short, about one hour or less. And the whole getting rid of dogs idea is a bad one. Even if it is a semi out of control dog, like Marley.

One other reason I like dogs is they wag their tail if they like you, they stick out their tongue, in a good way, and they remember if you have given them a treat. And they are always up for a good scratching, given you are their pal. They are high touch, not high tech. Hum, maybe we could learn from them...

Okay, that's it. If you are a dog lover, you get it. A wagging dog tail and tongue stuck out is all I have to say. If you don't get it, you must like cats, or just haven't had a good dog yet. Sorry, dogs are of God.

Church...love, leave it, or just put up with it

Some days I love the church. Some days I could leave it and not come back. Some days I just put up with it. I know, this sounds kind of not so religious doesn't it. Well, I'm not so religious some days. Hear me out before you call me a heretic or a loser or any other names.

Sometimes I really get tired of the abuse of power, the struggle for power, the politics, etc. of the church. Sometimes I wonder if this organism called the church looks anything like what God intended it to be. Sometimes I wonder if we are doing it right or anywhere near what Jesus wants it to be done. Sometimes I look in the Bible and I see what the church is in the New Testament and think, "Huh?"

I have been involved with the organized church for over 45 years, my mom thought I should start early. She brought me to church when I was only a few weeks old. I have seen a lot of good things happen in the Body. I have seen some things that mad me cry with tears of joy or shout with an Amen, however, I shouted inside so no one would hear since I am in a conservative church. I have some of the best memories of my life in the church, baptizing both my kids at a small church called Bethany. I even remember a concrete block falling on my foot when I baptized my daughter. She was too short to stand in the baptistry so she stood on this block, until she kicked it on top of my foot, and I had no shoes on. Good times!

The last few years I have seen more of the fleshly nature in the church than the spiritual nature. And I don't like it. Not sure what God thinks, maybe one day we will find out. I know anytime you have people you have problems. Kenny C taught me that. I understand that we are all sinners and but by the grace of God we would stay in that sin mode all our lives. It just seems the church is over run by sin and lacking in people who are doing their best to walk in obedience to what Christ taught.

I am not perfect, ask my wife, my son, my daughter, oh anyone that knows me. I do not ever expect I will be. But I think maybe just maybe Christ wants me to make a serious attempt at living the words in the New Testament. Now I'm not talking legalism. Been there, done that. Left it behind. But when we will stop making excuses and start living Christ's way.

What does that mean? Love your neighbor as yourself. Do for others what you would have them do for you. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Bear one another's burdens.

Ha! Maybe you thought this was going to be a list of all the don't do's of the New Testament. Nope. There are so many things we are called to do if we would just do the do's we would not have time to worry about doing the don'ts. Go into all the world. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Do everything without grumbling or complaining. You get the point.

I talked to two great guys today, one who happens to be a missionary and the other a missionary recruit. They both get this, praise God! I love hanging out with these two guys. They make me love the church and see a hope for the church!

Jesus said something else, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

cold is relative

I am from Georgia. When it snowed one inch we cancelled school, for two days. Now that I live in Matamoros, we cancel preschool when it is in the low 40s. For real, no lie. However, not many people have heat, at least not central heat and we all live in concrete houses, not very well insulated. So 45 degrees in a cold concrete building makes for some popsicle kids.

When we first moved here and I found out the public schools cancel for weather in the low 40s, I laughed. Today, I´m not laughing, I´m freezing. I´m used to the heat here, but even a little cold and I am freezing.

So I say, cold is all relative. 40 for me and my friends here in matamoros is chilly. For my friends in Minnesota, 30 below is cold.

Enjoy your relative cold weather today!

faith or lunacy

When is faith faith and when is faith lunacy, I mean just plain crazy? I wrestle with this balance. And maybe I fall on the crazy side too often.

Here's one example. Back in the fall of 1997 I took a trip to Mexico City with my 8 year old daugther and a college student to do some light duty mission work, okay, not so light, we taught kids and I preached in a number of churches, by default, if you believe in coincidences. The pastor who defaulted was a pastor I knew and who had broken his leg the week before we got there. Crazy.

Well, here's the faith or lunacy part. I had very little contact with the missionary before we flew to Mexico City. We had mailed letters back and forth to setup the trip. However, here's the lunacy, I never received word that the dates and times I had asked were available. I also never received word that the missionary had gotten my flight info and times. So, I didn't know if we were going to have a ride. Add to this, I had no phone number, just an address. I almost forgot, we were arriving late in the evening, not good planning on my part.

So, there we were in the Mexico City airport, my 8 year old, a student and myself, praying that our ride would show. I never told the two of them of our situation. Why? Finally after about 30 or 40 minutes I saw our chofer, Hermano Gil eating a taco and looking for us. Boy, was I happy!

When I got home I found a piece of mail addressed to me that had arrived after I left for Mexico City, maybe 2 or 3 days after. Guess who it was from? My missionary buddy, Hermano Gil, saying he would pick us up. Crazy or faith?

You decide. I already decided when I got on the airplane in December of 97.

Raw Leaders, authentic and real

Some days I get surprised by God. Some days I just am not looking for something and it just happens in front of me. Wham! Surprise! Wakes me from my sleep.

Today I got surprised, at church of all places, during a communion thought too. How does that happen? Usually I am almost in sleep mode about this time, sorry, but I'm being honest.

One of our leaders shared some very vulnerable words of struggle he had experienced in the life of one of his young daughters about 18 months ago. A time when she was in the hospital dealing with intense pain. He shared how he wished to take her pain away and perhaps even take it onto himself if possible. But it just doesn't work that way.

He used this heart rending experience from his real life to share how Christ has taken our pain and sin by way of the Cross. He could do that, Christ. He did do that, took on our pain and our sins.

I was struck most by Roy's realness and authentic nature up there in front of the whole church. He had to stop talking, more than once, being overcome by emotion. I hurt for him. I think maybe others did as well. But I identified with him. I remembered times of great pain and heartache in my kids' lives when all I wanted to do was to take away the pain and hurt in their bodies and souls. But I couldn't, all I could do was be there and listen. And pray.

If you are enduring a time of pain or your child is or your friend is, Christ knows where you are. He has been there and is not afraid to go there again, to the pain of a heart that is broken and dashed on the jagged rocks of life. He is a real leader who weeps like my friend Roy and aches for his kids, us. Christ is merely a cry away, a prayer. No text message needed, just cry out. If you are dealing with sin issues in your life, the same applies, Christ is available to you. He is familiar with sin, having lived on earth and seen sin up close in the lives of humans like you and I.

Thanks, Roy, for showing us the raw side of leadership! Thanks, Christ for enduring our pain and taking our sin upon yourself...then and now and in the future.

Who´s following who?

This past week one of our former students, Carlos, who is now proud to proclaim he is in First Grade, was hanging out in front of the school with his brother. I was busy doing this and that and the other and noticed that Carlos was following me around, kind of like a puppy, but he didn´t wag his tail.

Normally when we have preschool going on we don´t allow kids who aren´t enrolled in preschool to come in, but I was feeling like the softy that I can be, sometimes. So, on this day I just let Carlos hang out with me. He wanted to know what he could do to help. I scratched my head, I didn´t know. For one thing Carlos´ speech is so garbled that you can hardly understand him, even if you are in his family. For another thing I didn´t really have any jobs for 6 year olds at the moment. So, I just let him follow.

But he found jobs. He grabbed the plastic bin I was lifting off the bodega floor and helped me, struggling all the way. He wrestled with all his might to accompany me with the plastic bin.

Later I picked up garbage and bits of trash around the grounds. Since Carlos doesn´t pick up garbage much he just watched me and followed me.

I wonder sometimes who´s following me and who´s watching me. After all, I am an American, bald guy living in a neighborhood as the only white guy. I work in yet another neighborhood where I am the only white guy. I guess you could say, I stick out like a sore thumb.

Who´s watching you? Who sees you doing the little daily things? What sort of a grade would they give you? What kind of a leader would they call you? Are you too busy to be followed?

A River divides two worlds

You never really appreciate what you have, the liberties, luxuries, basic utilities and nice roads until you don´t have them so much. Or in limited supplies. I never thought much about how cool it is to be able to drive 55 or 60 mph on a smooth road until I moved to Mexico and have to drive much slower on slightly bumpy roads.

Being able to understand every word of a conversation is something I take for granted when I cross the Rio Grande River. When I go in to Mexico I wonder if I can understand what someone is saying to me.

There´s other things that we have in the US, but not so much in Mexico, or you have to pay for. Free Education is one of the myths, or lies of Mexico. It isn´t free, even if someone swears on their life it is. You have to pay to preregister your child in a school in the city where we live. Sometimes you pay for drinking water so your child can get a drink of water. I know, I have bought water once for a classroom. The quality also is not near what you have in the US. I thought the public school system in Carroll County, GA needed some help, until I learned how far behind a 7 year old or a 15 year old kid here is compared to one in Carroll County. Literacy rates are extremely low. Don´t believe any of the statistics you hear about literacy rates in Mexico. We live in a large city of 500,000 and have modern schools. Once you go out in the rural areas literacy rates plummet even further. We won´t discuss dropout rates.

Funny how one river divides two worlds, United States of America and Los Estados de Mexico. The roads are different, the lanuguage is not the same and the educational opportunities are not even close to the same standards.

Value your liberties and opportunities if you live in the US. Pray for more for our kids in Mexico.

Forced to eat

This summer I had the opportunity to go back to El Salvador and visit with some friends, Sam and Julie. They are pretty cool people in my book, I guess because before they ever met me they took the word of a friend that I was an okay guy. And they let me stay in their house for free; food and running water too.

I recently reread my journal entry from that weekend I spent there in El Salvador with them. My daugther and her friend Andrea had gone along as well and my daughter was in charge of feeding one of the little babies there, named Angelica. She, like all the kids there, was suffering from severe malnutrition when she arrived at the nutritional center. Angelica was a little fussy this day while Carrie was trying to feed her. She just didn't want to eat and Carrie didn't want to force her to eat. Carrie was a little nerve racked to say the least. Why wouldn't this kid eat?

Later that day as Carrie explained her battle with Angelica over eating, Julie said something that I will never forget, "Some of these babies you simply have to force to eat. You just have to. It's a matter of life and death."

For babies suffering from malnutrition, eating is a matter of life and death. I found out this summer that often times they just don't want to eat, but they must eat in order to survive and to grow and not become sick and die.

Balance this with the amount of overeating we do in the US. Okay, I'm sorry, it doesn't balance itself out. It just doesn't.

Maybe there's a way we could balance it out. Maybe we could set an amount of money aside each month, or each week to give to someone like Sam and Julie in the work they do in El Salvador or Compassion International or to our work in Mexico. We feed hungry families too. But I'm not writing this to raise money for us.

I'm writing to raise awareness and to get Americans to quit stuffing themselves to the point of sickness and start thinking about little ones like Angelica in El Salvador and begin coming up with creative ways to help starving children.

I remember my mom encouraging me to eat all my food on my plate as a child. Maybe she said something like this, I don't remember, "Eat all your food, because there are starving children in other countries."

Maybe we could change that method and put a jar, a can, a box, whatever on the dinner table. And each day, maybe once a meal, place money in it, a quarter, two dimes, a dollar. Then we could take that money at the end of each month and send it to some organization that feeds hungry children. Maybe you've got a better idea. Just try something.

Maybe when we go out to eat we can order one meal to be shared by two people, since they give you so much anyway. Then take the price of another meal we would have ordered and write it down. At the end of the month take all those amounts and send a check to a group to feed hungry people. Hey, it's better than taking home leftovers that get thrown out.

That's all for now. Eat well, think about others as you eat, pray for Angelica.

Trust me

Trust is a small word that packs a great deal of power. We have a new president and it would seem that he wants us to trust him. It would also seem that from the showing yesterday and from the media coverage that a certain percentage of people in the US do actually trust and have faith in President Obama. Yes, I said have faith in.

Funny, how trust works. Back in 2001, after Sept. 11th the American people had a great deal of trust in former President George Bush. That trust grew as our nation began a plan to fight back against terrorism. Somewhere along the line, the same trust and confidence had a great fall, just like Humpty Dumpty.

I was talking today with Martin and Juan about our new prez. They asked me a lot of questions, finally, I told them that the honeymoon is over. Now it's time for the marriage to begin, the daily life of president of the most powerful nation on earth, at least for now. They understood completely. They have had presidents in Mexico named Fox and Calderon who promise to change all of Mexico in their short term. How did they fare? Ask someone from Mexico and you will find out. Calderon, however, is still acting as president. His fate is yet to be decided, but it ain't looking so hot. Lots of violence going on in Mexico these days. As much as a war torn country.

You may think I am the typical Christian who is anti Obama. That is not the case, however, I am also not an Obama lover. I will admit I listened to a lot of what he said, of what he wrote in his book, and what others had said about him. I was entrigued by the man, but I came to a point where I realized he is merely a man, like me, like King Saul, like Pres. Bush, like the apostle Peter. I realized too that I need to pray for this man, our new president. And pray I have, more for him than any other president.

I realized that my trust must rely in faith in something bigger than one man. Because one man can go from hero to villain in the matter of a few weeks, a few months, or even a day. A single man can perform the most courageous act, like the pilot named Sully who saved the day last week by landing a plane in the Hudson Bay, and a single man can do the most evil acts known to man, like A. Hitler. A man is limited by his passions, his ambitions, his pride, his sinful nature.

Jehovah God, however, is not limited in such ways. He has one limit, His love.

I think it's safe to say that the United States of American is once again at a crucial point in history, in a time of change in which we will be judged by all the world for years to come. How will we respond? Who will we trust?

I think I will trust God with all my heart, soul and mind. And I will pray for our new president, Barack Obama more than I have prayed for any other in my lifetime.

Obama, history, movers, shakers

Whatever your opinion of President Obama, one thing is true. We are seeing history happen right in front of our eyes. You can say good things about our current President or you can curse him, but you cannot deny that the world as we know it is changing in a way we could not have possible envisioned over a year ago.

Then again, hasn't this generation seen more changes in the world than any other? The Cold War, the collapse of the Berlin Wall and Communism in Europe, the rise of this crazy thing called the internet, a world economy so tightly knit that one country´s crash affects the entire globe in a matter of days, the positioning of China in the past 20 years. I forgot one, the VCR and microwave. Important ones. The world has become much smaller these days with technology and travel.

As Christians we have the opportunity once again to be in the midst of the change or we can remain on the sidelines, like some football fans, yelling, screaming and protesting. Honestly, in my opinion we have allowed several changes in US history to pass us by because we didn´t have the heart to get in the game and be on the front lines. Takes courage to step out of our nice suburban homes and hit the city streets or travel to the lesser blessed nations in the world. And it costs you something, actually costs you much.

A good friend and I were talking about the costs Christ asks us to pay to follow Him. We chatted and wondered why so many never got this part of Christianity. So often we get the blessing part, but the commitment and cost part never quite makes it to our brain and heart.

Another friend of mine who heads a mission organiztion is constantly asking young people and adults to live a radical Christian life among a nation of comfort. A lot of people hear his message and chase after this lifestyle, many more, I can only guess, think he is a lunatic. Maybe he is. Paul says something about that in one of his letters.

President Obama wasn´t the first one to come up with the idea of ´change´as a slogan. There´s someone called Jesus who came and asked a group of 12 to give up their lifestyles and take on something totally, radically, insanely different. They impacted more change than the world has even known.

What impact will the changes in your life hold for the future?

Dogs are of God, part 2

Being a dog lover I have to admit I don't understand them sometimes. They do some rather odd things at times. In fact, to be so smart sometimes they are so dumb. The couch is not a proper place to use the potty, but for some reason our former pup, Sasha, thought sometimes the couch was a proper potty place. Crazy dog. It always made me so mad when she would take a leak on the couch. She was a smart dog, she knew better.

So after yelling at her and all that she would hop down from the couch and hide or go to another room in the house. Ten minutes later she was back out, tail wagging. The odd thing was she always got over it, meaning she forgot and forgave me yelling and screaming at her about a new pet stain on the couch. Dogs have short memories in that sort of stuff.

I had an old dog back when I was growing up, Pancho. There were times when he did a dumb thing and I yelled at him. Five minutes later he would come back over, wagging his tail, tongue out, all was forgotten.

Dogs don't hold grudges, as far as I've seen and they seem to let stuff go, like screaming fits, fairly quickly. If only people could be more like dogs and have shorter memories of wrongs done and tantrums pitched by owners.

Call it unconditional love or whatever you want. I call it cool...

A can of food, a box of granola bars and some juice

The post below refers to a little girl named Juanita. Her family goes hungry often. We assist their family with food through our ministry. Her dad works off and on and so he provides some food as well. Too bad his work isn't more on, than off.

The day after I wrote the previous post Juanita and her younger brother Rodolfo came by asking for baby diapers. We searched high and low and found a bag of them. My wife hides everything from me, that's why I had to search. In the last room we looked I noticed some food items we had, not much, but something, some canned food, a box of granola bars and a can of juice. It seemed like too little, but it was all we had at the time. I sent them on their way with it.

The following day, today, I went shopping for more food for Juanita's family and three others in our area. Each family was very grateful and said, "Gracias", more than once. I told one mother that it wasn't much, just a box of food, but she insisted that it was a great deal to her and her family. She was the most gracious of all.

It's easy to give a box of food away or a pack of granola bars when the recipient says, "Gracias". It's kind of fun, yes, fun. If you've never done it, you should try it. You may not know anyone who is really poor, at least not in your neighborhood. Gotta tell you, there are people who go without food all around you. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist. You just have to search, kind of like me and the diapers I had to look for.

People in need of food or clothes aren't going to jump out at you, unless you work in Atlanta or Chicago or D.C. But they are there. The question is, "Will you search for those in need?" Will you search and then do something to help them?

I ended my last blog saying, "Tomorrow, maybe I will..." Tomorrow is around the corner. How will you complete the statment, "Tomorrow, maybe I will..."???

Are you really hungry?

Sometimes I catch myself when I say something really dumb like, ¨I´m starving.¨ I don´t think I have ever really been to that point, or near it. I remember once a bunch of years ago when some West Georgia CCFers fasted with Kelley and me for about 4 or 5 days. Now, then I was really hungry. But starving? I don´t think so.

Today I drove a family of seven, only one was missing, to an interview with a director of a Christian school in Texas. The kids were all very skinny. Why? Exercise, proper dietary habits, or just metabolism? Nope, they simply don´t eat three meals a day, some days they just get one. Some days it´s just a snack or some cookies or chips that they eat.

I would apologize to anyone reading this, especially if you are about to eat or just have eaten. Sorry, I am not going to apologize, because we Americans consume far more food and waste far more food than is necessary. And, too many children like Carlos, Rodolpho, and Juanita don´t eat well at all. This is one reason we hope to enroll Juanita in the private school, so she can eat three meals a day.

But thinking about this today I wondered if she would at times struggle with knowing she would eat at night while her brothers and one baby sister might not. Wow, that makes my mind hurt, heart too. I wonder if there will be days when she will eat a candy bar after lunch in Texas and wonder if her brother Carlos will eat anything at all that day. My guess is, yes, she will, because she loves her brothers deeply, even though they pick on her quite a bit.

Tonight I ate two bowls of chili and prayed for Juanita and her brothers. Tomorrow maybe I will....

heaven - numero 1

We don't talk much about heaven anymore and I don't know why, but I wish we would. Guess cause I'm still like a kid, I have a wild imagination and when I think of heaven and the possibilities, my mind races. More on that in another blog.

Getting back home to Mexico is kind of strange. We used to call Georgia home, but now we call Mexico home. After 4 1/2 years Mexico seems more familar than Georgia. Maybe cause the roads change and so many buildings are built that I can't find anything. Maybe GPS is a good idea for me. Nah!

Just yesterday we got back from a month visit with family and friends in Georgia and Alabama. It was nice to see everyone and see what's up. I even caught up with a buddy, Ralph T, who I had not seen in 6 years, because he called Costa Rica home for a couple years and Colombia before that. It was really cool to hang out with him for our 3 hour breakfast. Very cool to hear what is going on with him and where his life path is heading. I like old Ralph, maybe because we think alike, except the black clothes.

When we got back home to Mexico I was, okay, a little giddy, very excited. I missed our friends and the kids here. One of the first places we went was to Martin's house. He was gone but his kids were home so we played and laughed and cut up, until Martin got back. Then we acted right.

Next as we drove up the road from his house we saw Valeria's mom selling roasted corn. She greeted us and went to fetch Valeria, who is about 2 years old, from the house. She smiled a huge smile when she saw us. We did too. As we got ready to leave her mom said to give us a kiss, or maybe Kelley asked for one. I thought I would get one of those cute kid blown kisses. You know, you kiss your hand and blow it to the person you would kiss. Nope, she gave me the sloppiest, wettest kiss on the cheek. Wow! I was in heaven!

So, heaven is going to be about sloppy, wet kisses from little ones like Valeria, or maybe Jesus. Wow! I can't wait.....

Goats and Billy

Never really liked goats that much til I moved to Mexico. My uncle Billy had a goat and it was not the nicest animal on the farm. Mean, I'd say. Gave me a love tap a time or two. Made me mad as heck. So, I guess that old, mean goat made me not like them so well.



But then we went to Mexico and we housesat for some friends. They had a goat, a sheep and some ducks. Honestly, the goat was the smartest and friendliest of the bunch. By far. The ducks just waddled into the house at times, unannouced quacking all the way. And doing other things as well. The sheep would always get tangled up in his rope and knock over his water bucket. He would run from me too. What a crazy animal.



But the goat would always talk to me, okay, in animal langauge. So I have no idea what his baaas meant. He would let me rub his head and he would come to me. He was a friendly fellow.



Now this Christmas, John, a good friend of mine who works in Ghana, told me I should buy a goat. I thought, "John, you have lost your mind," but then he explained what he meant. He told me that for only $35 I could purchase a goat in Ghana, Africa for a family in need and it would be a means of having milk, cheese, and yogurt. And if we could buy three, two females and one male, then a family could have baby goats as well. A way to make a living and feed their children.



What a great idea! I had to have one, no two, no three! Finally, when all was said and done our family had bought four goats.



Now, I know everyone doesn't like goats. Well, you can get a chicken, or a cow, or a llama. Yes, you can find someone like John, or go online to an organization like World Vision and you can buy an animal and help a family in need in a place like Ghana or Haiti.



I can't wait to get a photo of my goats!

Real needs or feeding the poor?

I heard a statistic just recently on hunger and starving people. I've heard these stats before, and sometimes they move me, cause pain in my heart, and sometimes this type info does not. Why? Usually it depends on where I am spiritually, where I am geographically, and what I am doing physically to alleviate the needs of the poor.

If I am spiritually in a state of decline often I just pass off the numbers of people I here in Africa, India, or wherever who are suffering and dying daily of starvation. Simply put, satan tells me lies like, "What can you do? You live on another continent. You don't know anyone who is that poor. You are a good enough Christian. Let someone else do it." When I am in a sorry state of spirituality I listen to lies like these and more.

If I am in Mexico in one of the areas we serve as workers I can't pass the numbers off, because I know kids who get maybe one meal a day, maybe only one meal every couple days. Or if I am in El Salvador visiting two missionary friends they share pictures with me of babies who are dying of starvation, all emaciated and with sunken eyes. You can't see those photos and not be affected. I remember the first time I went onto their website. I honestly can say I cried and had to turn away the first time I saw the photos of babies suffering from malnutrition on their website. Why? My heart hurt. I couldn't handle seeing what I saw.

My wife says I shouldn't get so overwhelmed by these type things, she sometimes says I am too emotional. She's right and she's wrong. Don't you love it when someone tells you that? Well, you are both right and wrong at the same time. How can that be?

I shouldn't let it get to me emotionally when I hear the number of children who will die in Africa or El Salvador because of lack of food, but I do.

Something else gets too me emotionally as well. This one you might not like and you might want to stop reading. That's okay. We are all wired differently and have different soft spots, so to say.

The other thing, (okay, there are many things that get to me, this is just one of many) often that perturbs me is how much money we Christians spend on useless, trivial items which we think we need. Again, I will mention, if you don't like what is written from this point forward, click a button and forget about this post.

Often what we think we need in the physical isn't at all what we need. We know that, but we buy stuff anyway. I know I should eat a salad or turkey sandwich for lunch, but a hamburger from BK sounds so much better. I know I don't need to buy a book for full price right after it comes out, better to wait a few months and get it used and for much cheaper, right?

The rub comes when our perception of physical needs hurts others. Yes, when what we must buy, must have affects others. There are a myriad of ways our purchases affect others in poor regions of the world. Books have been written on this by much wiser men and women than me. I am thinking of only one. Here it is.

When I spend $20 on an item that I think that I need, I must have that money is gone from my wallet. I can't respend that $20, or recycle it, or wish it back. It is gone. My wallet's total amount of dinero has been deducted by a whopping -20. If I had $60 before my purchase I know have $40. Simple math, right?

Let's say that same day I am sitting at home and a children's organization places one of those tv ads during a break of my favorite college football game and I see the commercial. You know the ones. There is a sweet child from a third world country in a incredibly poor village, a skinny child of course. Then there is the plea for help,"For only $20, this child, Keyla, can have food to eat and clean water to drink. For only $20...." (Oh, I should have mentioned that people die all across the globe as well because they don't have access to clean drinking water. No Dasani in poor countries.)

So, there you have it. Your $20 bill is gone, been used for a small purchase. No way to regain it and send it off to that children's organization. Sure, you can send another $20, however, the 20 that has been spent is no longer yours, it belongs to someone else, possibly Wal-Mart, Burger King, or the Academy sports store.

Now maybe this is not a conflict for most people, doesn't even phase you. Fine, but for some people this sort of stuff just hits you right in the gut, giving you a sense of, "What should I do? How can I help?"

Research, open your eyes, find an organization that is feeding the poor(or providing clean drinking water) to people in another country outside the US. Pray. Stop spending so much on you and things you think you need, but you really....what's the word....uh.....my brain has frozen....don't need.

Hey, I said you may not like what you read here. I was being honest. Oh, what's that statistic on how many children will die today of starvation that I mentioned at the beginning? It doesn't matter. It matters that even one should die today, the day you read this. One child matters, especially if it is yours.

Dogs are of God, part 1

I like dogs and always have. We always had dogs when I was a kid, so it was only natural that we had dogs in our house when my kids were growing up. I can't remember all the names of all the dogs we had, but I can remember little glimpses of those old hound dogs. I do remember Pancho, a black, big dog that my brother-in-law donated to us when he moved back to Texas. I loved that old big, black dog cause he would follow me wherever I went, like a good friend. He just wanted to hang out with me. Wagging his tail, tongue always sticking out, panting, he followed me.

I think one of the cool qualities about dogs is they like your company. Most of my dogs just liked hanging out with me, being by my side, walking, running, etc. That presence of a good ole four legged friend cannot be matched. A good dog will lay there beside you when you are fishing and just listen. Yes, listen. And they don't interrupt or talk back. Which is good and bad, but mostly good.

Being there, by your side, that is a pretty good quality I think.