IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER

Saturday, October 22, I had the most amazing privilege of baptizing my daughter in the cold waters of Lake Lanier. Joined by my immediate family, grandparents, cousins and friends, Emma and I waded into the water until it surrounded her from toe to mid-chest.

Then, after a few private words between Emma and me, I raised my hand into the air and said, “Emma, because you love Jesus and want to follow him forever, and be his friend forever, and live in his grace forever, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

No words can describe the feeling of gratefulness I had standing next to her. No sentence can capture the joy and pride that we all felt. No paragraph will ever recount fully the emotion of the day.

And I can only imagine the Heavenly Father’s gratefulness, joy, pride and emotion!

Emma was baptized “in the name of her Heavenly Father.” And in doing so she symbolized publically what has already taken place privately inside of her—a decision to be part of God’s family and to live now and forever in the loving care and leadership of a Father who loves her unconditionally, celebrates her radically, offers her wisdom impartially, and is with her completely.

Emma came up out of the water, smiling ear-to-ear, to shouts and cheers and hugs and prayers of thanksgiving! It was a day I pray she will always remember.

I wonder, if you have been baptized, do you remember that day or that era in your life when you made the decision to follow Jesus’ example and be baptized? And if so, as you remember it, would you re-dedicate your life to following Jesus, in whom we stake our greatest hope?

If you have not been baptized, do you know why? Be honest. Because if you are not sure you want to embrace God’s grace, and if you are not sure you would like Him to guide your life, then it’s helpful to be clear on that.

But if you would like to embrace God's grace and dedicate your life to following Him, then it's helpful to be clear on that too.

Emma spoke clearly about her desire to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ a few Saturdays ago, when she happily and excitedly stepped into the chilly, Fall waters of Lake Lanier to be baptized in the presence of family, friends and the beloved Creator of all things. He loves her so much. And she would want you to know that He loves you and me so much, too!

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!” -1 John 3:1

Knock Knock

I was talking to a friend recently who lives in Seattle. And he said something so funny that I laughed out loud—for minutes—longer and harder than I had laughed in months.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was recently interviewed on CNN. He recounted the day when he was eight-years old and told a joke that made his friend spit up his milk and cookies. “I felt the milk, and I saw it all coming at me, and I said, ‘I would like to do this professionally.’”

Laughter. It reminds me of Solomon’s words recorded in Proverbs 17:22 – “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Now there is a lot more to a cheerful heart than just laughter. But PART of a cheerful heart is laughter.

And science has shown us that laughter is good medicine. I read this week about researchers at the University of Maryland who found that when twenty healthy volunteers smiled and laughed out loud while watching a comedic movie, their blood flow increased by twenty-two percent, about the same increase caused by aerobic exercise. But when volunteers watched tension-filled scenes from a drama, their blood flow decreased thirty-five percent.

The researchers went on to say that “a healthy lifestyle would include thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and fifteen minutes of hearty laughter each day."

Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, has written about this. He writes:

I know this one lady, she hadn't slept well in years and years. She was constantly taking tranquilizers. She had taken them so long it hardly even affected her anymore. She had tried everything, different diets, different doctors, different medicines. Nothing seemed to work. But this one doctor gave her a very unusual prescription. He said, "Every night before you go to bed, you need to watch something funny – a funny movie, a funny video, a funny drama – something that makes you laugh." She started doing that night after night. Month after month she got better and better. Today she is totally off her medications. She can sleep like a baby.

Much of the sickness in our world exists simply because we don't live with the joy that God created us to experience. When we live anxious and uptight lives, it leads to headaches, digestive problems, an inability to focus, short tempers, lack of energy, lack of good sleep and, I believe, fewer close friends (After all, who wants to hang out and get close to a short-tempered, frequently distracted, stressed out person?!).

Now, I’m not a medical doctor, but I believe many of these symptoms would go away if we would simply learn how to enjoy the God-given gift of laughter. So I am going to give you the following spiritual prescription this week: Every day find something funny that makes you laugh. Not an inside laugh. Not a muted chuckle. A take-your-time, life-is-good, laugh-out-loud, hooting, snorting, cackling laugh!

And when you find it, share it!

Knock, knock….

Broccoli, The Beatles and Other Superior Things

Some things are superior to others.

For the last three weeks, on my way to and from work, I have been listening and re-listening and listening again to Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto in C# minor, performed by my favorite classical pianist, Vladimir Ashkenazy (at the expense of my usual sports talk radio). This concerto has been among my very favorites since I was first introduced to it in college. And, without much argument, it is considered among the best piano concertos ever written, if not the best. Listen to it and you’ll understand why. It is simply superior to others, and listening to it elevates both mind and soul.

Here is a very short list of other “superior” things:

The music of the Beatles is superior to the music of Milli Vanilli and 95% of other pop artists.

Pop music of the 80s is superior to pop music of the 2000s (IMHO).

Broccoli is superior to Waffle House hash browns (scattered, smothered, covered and deadly) for your physical health.

Exercise is superior to lethargy.

Drinking clean water is superior to drinking dirty water.

Authentically complimenting your spouse or a friend is superior to a sarcastic dig.

Doing whatever you do with excellence, with all your heart, mind and strength, is superior to doing your job half-way.

Sitting on a porch or park bench and viewing the tress, flowers, birds and sky is superior to viewing hours and hours of TV or internet junk.

Generosity is superior to selfishness.

You get the idea. And it’s not being harsh or judgmental to make these observations about many things in life.

So today (and this week, this month, this life) are you engaging in, thinking about, and embracing the superior things?

Paul reminds us of this in his New Testament letter to the Philippians. And I want remind you of his words today:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things” (Phil 4:8).

Ruthless Trust

I believe these two short paragraphs in Brennan Manning's book, Ruthless Trust, are worth thinking about and dwelling on and wrestling with and being comforted by and committing to memory and being deeply felt for a long time.

The words of the fifteenth-century theologian Angelus Silesius, "If God stopped thinking of me, he would cease to exist," are thoroughly orthodox. Silesius merely paraphrases the message of Jesus: "Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God's sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid, you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows" (Luke 12:6-7.)

God, by definition, is thinking of me.

CHOOSING TO SEE

This book was published in September of 2010, and I don't remember that it received much fanfare or recognition compared to other books that get released. But after reading it I have to say it may be the best book I've read in recent memory on surviving and thriving through the challenges of life, marriage and especially tragedy. A+++ book.