Little Girl, You are Out of Your Mind

There is an episode in Acts 12 when Peter gets arrested and his friends pray that he will be released. He was released supernaturally. It must have been a coincidence. When he went to the house where his friends were praying that they would see him safe, the girl at the door, first, did not let him in she was so surprised. Then she ran and told the others that Peter was at the door. They told her she was out of her mind seeing such a thing.

Boy do I know how they feel. What happens when something you pray a long time to happen actually happens? What happens when God actually gives you what you have been bargaining with Him for?

When I was praying to God for Him to give me something, I made some deals. I made some promises. I vowed some different things would happen. Guess what? God gave me what I was asking for. Now What?

Now, it happens. I need to come through with some things. I need to make good on some promises. Only time, my heart and God's knowledge will tell if there was a differnce. You usually dont share the deep issues you barter with God for with others.

Sometimes it seems that getting the answer you really wanted is tougher to deal with than when He has other answers for you.

Now, the real work begins.

FACEBOOK: What I learned during my time in Facebook

Questions answered
Serves a purpose
Stay in touch with friends and family
Find old friends
A way to spend time during the day
Joining in fun games
Information gatherer
Social media is good
Fun to share thoughts and stories and work together

Questions those answers presented
What purpose
If they wanted to stay in touch, wouldnt they call or stop by?
They tried to run away in the first place
What other ways can we wasteour time?
The games appeared to be scam generated
How much is really useful?
How many billions is that guy worth?
Building that tower in babel was fun too, until someone got hurt

I have a telephone. I have email. If they want to, they will call.

LETTERS TO AND FROM VIETNAM: Reflections of Rick Still Happen

It started to happen last week when Arkansas almost beat Alabama in college football. It got a little stronger as the 49ers continued to lose each week in pro football. It hit its peak yesterday when the Giants won the National League pennant. It doesn't take much, but, yes, many things still make me think of my friend Rick.

It may be little things like when I was over near ASU last week and I saw a Fed Ex truck drive by. There were so many Fed Ex employees from different locations at Rick's memorial service. Yes, a few of them raised their hands when it was asked who had their cars worked on by Rick.

Last week, Jean asked me if I would ever go visit the grave. Even though carrying the casket to the site was one of the toughest things I ever have done and we have both feel burial is not the way we want to go, I had to tell her that, yes, I have thought about visiting the site.

One of the biggest things that make me reflect on Rick is when it comes to sports. Rick and I had a life long habit of rooting for different teams. We loved to hate the teams the other liked. He didn't even like ice hockey, but he would root for the teams he knew I didn't like just to bug me. That rivalry was passed on to the next generation. When our children went to different high schools, I am sure he had Sam go to Mountain View because he knew it would bring disappointment to the Memberto household.

One year, while Sam still played for the Toros, Mesa beat them in the annual rivalry game. Melissa and I got the key to the high school room at church and decorated it in Jackrabbit colors and the group, in which Rick was one of the leaders, walked in and sat in the midst of Purple and Gold for the entire class.

One of the things that I looked forward to during the year I was in Vietnam were the letters I got each week from Rick. During the baseball season, I got weekly reports about how the Giants were so good and how much he hated the Dodgers. The best, however, were the letters I got during the football season. The 49ers, his beloved 49ers and the LA Rams, yes kids, they used to be in Los Angeles, were having up and down seasons. They fought it out to the end against each other. The weeks the 49ers were on top, I received such fine letters of encouragement. Rick telling me how good life was and how he loved that his team was on top. The weeks, however, when the Rams were doing well, the letters turned to ungodly(yes they included even cuss words)venom about how terrible, evil forces were in the world.

The love that he showed me, even while I was away, helped me get through some tough times. He was always around when I was away. I always knew how to find him for an encoraging word, a loving diatribe about our teams, something to share about his family, his church or our friendship.

Yes, even now, reflections still come to mind about my friend Rick. The pain won't go away soon. But the memories sure will continue to make the reflections fun and loving.

YESTERDAY'S REFLECTIONS BROUGHT ON BY TOMORROW'S REFLECTIONS

I have mentioned before that I am a fan of Tomorrow's Reflections, the personal blog of Jeremy Jernigan, one of our teaching pastors at Central. He made a point of bad starts and good results in his most recent offering and it got me to reflect on some other bad starts in history.

It made me think of Dodger Stadium. To this day, it is still known as the Crown Jewel of Baseball. Right before it was opened, someone noticed they did not add drinking fountains. So, they had to add the fountains. Sure, if people got thirsty, they could always go to the concession stands. But they felt it was the honorable thing to do to add the fountains.

My dad would go to the stadium and, along with many other people, would stand behind the left field pavillion and watch the game through a chain link fence for free. Sort of an updated version of the knot hole gang. When that was discovered, the chain link was quickly replaced by other fencing and the freebies were gone. Score one for free water, take a point away for having to pay to get to the free water fountains.

Some of the early concerns and problems could have caused many people to not want to return to Dodger Stadium, other wise known as the Crown Jewel of Baseball. But millions have attended a game there and millions still do each year. It is good that someone's first impression is not always lasting. they are important but not lasting. I am glad God has given me, at least, a chance to overcome people's first impressions of me. it hasnt always worked out well, but there is that chance.

MY FAVORITE WAR MOVIES

I don't know if I have mentioned this. But I have had some free time this past year. I was just sitting around the other day and said to myself, "Self, what are your favorite war movies? You know, the ones you think about watching again and again when you are in the mood to watch war movies".
So as not to disappoint myself or keep myself waiting, I compiled a list for myself. I will publish that list. I am not so presumptuous to think anyone who reads my list may be inclined to add their own. But, hey, stranger things have happened.

GREG'S FAVORITE WAR MOVIES: (not in any particualr order)
1. Kelly's Heros
2. The Great Escape
3. Hell Is For Heroes
4. The Best Years Of Our Lives
5. Sands Of Iwo Jima
6. Here To Eternity
7. Hell To Eternity
8. Guadelcanal Diary
9. To Hell And Back
10. Casablanca

BETWEEN THE ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

I know we have all heard, and probably used, the term, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place". Eugene Peterson of the Washigton Post just used it in describing a situation that the President is in. I wonder how that became a negative term.

It seems if we are between the Rock and a hard place, wouldn't that mean we are between Jesus, the solid rock and the firm ground that we should build our house, or live our life?

Psalm 18:2 says, "The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer, my God and my Rock, in whom I take refuge. My Shield and the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold." That sounds like a good place to be.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus tells us to build our house on solid ground, the rock, so to speak. Not on the sandy, unstable ground. That way, when the storms come, which there will be many in our lives, the house will stay standing.

That tells me that being between a rock and a hard place is a good thing.

OH GOD, revisited

I remember when the movie, The Last Temptation of Christ came out. It caused quite an uproar in churches. Pat Boone led demonstrations. Church groups picketed theaters that chose to show the movie. Athough some critics thought it was a good movie, it was not a blockbuster and all the picketing did was give the movie free publicity on the 6 oclock news.

About that same time, a movie called Oh, God came out. A comedy that depicted god as a wise-craking, cigar-smoking old man with cute glasses. It had some very funny parts to it and it was received well enough to have a sequel. I am not sure if the other movie about the cruxifiction of the savior had a sequel.

Someone finally pointed out the hypocricy of condemning a movie that depicted Jesus as being married and other unbiblical points and church people flocking to a movie depicting god as a wise cracking man with glasses.

I was thinking about that incident so many years go over the week end. I had a concern. But I guess I am the only one. I thought that it was odd, to me, that church people would condemn another religion building a building dedicated to a religion that isn't Christian while they embrace a wise-cracking man with glasses "preaching" a gospel that is not Biblical. The cutsey woman with morals and Christian beliefs embraced him as one of her own.

I guess I am the only one.