We’ve all been there. Even guys. C’mon, guys. Admit it. You see something in a store hanging on a hanger and you think, “Ooo. Not bad. I think I’ll try it on.” And then you get into the dressing room, get it on, and well….not so much.

I was enjoying a wonderful day off yesterday and strolling around Short Pump Town Center with my wife. We went into one particular store that I will leave unnamed (J. Crew) and while I was strolling aimlessly among the mannequins, I noticed that they all had something in common. It wasn’t the lack of a face; it was something even more sinister. Every outfit on every mannequin had been pulled tight around the chest and waist and pinned back so that each outfit was form-fitting to each lifeless figure. Rather than just dressing the mannequins and letting the clothes speak for themselves, each mannequin was sporting a row of industrial strength straight pins down their back, bunching up the fabric in the back, but really look good out front.

And as I stood there looking at these mannequins, I was reminded of a spiritual truth.

The allure of a life centered on self is entirely like the way the enemy of our souls dresses things up in order to show us the “flash” while hiding the “trash”. He started in the Garden of Eden and hasn’t stopped since. Working with teens as I do, I could share of countless ones who sadly have succumbed to the temptations of this world, chased after a life that seeks what they can gain, and have consequently ended up a mere shell; not at all living the abundant life God offers and promises to any and all who do things His way; a life that dies to self, and becomes alive to the things, ways, words, and actions of God.

So next time you find yourself among mannequins, and especially if their clothes are pinned back, realize that behind Satan’s “flash” is waiting a huge pile of “trash”.

Just a few minutes ago, someone from the neighborhood (don’t know this person) knocked on my door. I opened it to find an androgynous looking person standing there with their hand holding firmly onto the collar of a large dog. They simply said, “Hi, is this your dog?” Several of the neighborhood kids (including my own) were gathered around because after all, who doesn’t like a strange dog? I responded, “Nope, not mine.” One young girl from our neighborhood was standing next to me on the front porch and asked the stranger holding the dog, “What is it, a boy or a girl?” The stranger said, “I don’t know what it is.” The girl then said, “No, not the dog. I was talking about you.”

Ask the next person you see what year it is, if you dare. Endure the look you’ll get in return and wait for their answer. More than likely (unless they’re crazier than you are), they’ll eventually humor you and respond, “2009”.

And then, if you’re feeling even more audacious, go ahead and ask them why it’s 2009. What was it that happened 2009 (or so) years ago?

If they happen to give you the right answer (there’s really only one), and you’re feeling like a certified nuthouse loon, then you might as well go all the way and ask, “Why was that birth significant enough to split time in half, from BC to AD?”

From there, you’ll be standing at the threshold of a conversation that–let’s say it–is the centerpiece of sanity. Know and believe the answer and you’ve got a rock to stand on in this quicksand world. Dispute, refute, and dismiss the truth and well….good luck and good night.

I was recently reminded of the different views on that miraculous birth; the one that happened some 2009 years ago. There are abbreviations that we all recognize in connection with the calendar year: BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini = “In the year of our Lord”) But there are variations of these abbreviations. In an attempt not to “offend” or “bother” non-Christians, there is the dechristianated version, BCE and CE or “Before Common Era” and “Common Era” respectively.

Now, as a Christian, you might think that I would put this on the same level as saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” (which by the way is not a hill I’m willing to die on). But rather if we look closer and deeper, the impotus behind the change from BC to BCE and AD to CE is one that is driven by inclusiveness. Now, stick with me here because it gets hairy and you very well may disagree with my line of thinking, which is entirely your prerogative.

Read Matthew 1:1-16. Its the part of the birth story that most people skip. It’s as boring as watching someone else’s home movies or looking at a stranger’s yearbook. It’s a lineage list of “so and so was the father of so and so and so and so was the father of so and so and so and so was the father of so and so who was the father of so and so….” See, you started dozing off during that last sentence, didn’t you?

But upon closer inspection of the genealogy list, we see a couple peculiarities. First of all, did you know that 5 women were included in that long list? “So what?” you say? Silly you. It’s peculiar because women weren’t listed in genalogies; only men were. No offense, ladies. It’s just the way things were. So the fact that Matthew (a sturdy Jew himself) included 5 women was more than noteworthy. But then Matthew climbs aboard the crazy train when you realize that 3 out of 5 of those women were Gentiles! Matthew included these women as an indication that Jesus the Messiah (meaning “Annointed One”) didn’t only come for the nation of Israel, but for all people, men and women alike. Jesus came for the common, the “vulgus” as it was in Latin, those who were not royal, those who were the Joe and Jane Schmoes. Jesus the Messiah came for you and for me, the commoners, the nobodies, the everybodies. Jesus was and is the very epitome of inclusiveness!

So, feel free as some do to have CE stand for “Christian Era”. You’re well within your rights and no one will fault you. But if you’d like to grapple with the true sense of Jesus’ incarnation and mission and the pounding of God’s heart that “It is not God’s will that any should perish, but that all come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), then you might be okay with the shift from AD to CE.

Yesterday, I officiated a funeral. As a pastor, there is no greater challenge and privilege than to step into the darkest hours of a family’s life. Whether I’m speaking at a funeral or attending one, I can’t help but focus on my own mortality.

And that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Look at the instructions in Ecclesiastes 7:2:
“Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all–everyone dies; so the living should take this to heart.”

Now, Solomon (the author of Ecclesiastes) wasn’t off his meds when he wrote this. He wasn’t just haven’t a crummy day. He wasn’t possessed by the spirit of Eeyore. It wasn’t a rainy day or a Monday that always brought him down. He had been and was in the course of looking the world over, searching for the meaning of any part of life that he could grab on to. His search had brought him to some astounding, sombering, and sobering conclusions, such as is found in the verse above.

My wife lives in constant fear of me dying. I suppose all wives who adore their husbands have that fear on some level. But I’d like to suggest that the thought of death is a wonderful motivator for life. Now, I’m not saying that the fear of death is a wonderful motivator; there’s a huge difference between thinking about death and fearing death. I don’t fear death. I’m saddened for what my death will bring to others, because I truly know that I am a deeply loved person by many people. I know, as humbly as I can say this, that my absence will be a hole and a pain in their lives for a time. I’m certainly saddened by that. But fearing death? Nope.

Death is not the mystery many people think it is. As I type this, I’m about 10-15 feet away from my front door. If I were to stand up, go to that door and walk through it, I’d be outside. So it is with death. Death is nothing more than a door we all (or most) will pass through. Our bodies are nothing more than containers for our spirit. My body is not me. When you come to my funeral, and if by chance my family decides to have the casket open, what you’ll see is nothing more than an expired vehicle. I’m not there. I’m with the Lord. The Apostle Paul said it perfectly and clearly: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” See? I’m not there.
Don’t cry for me, Argentina.

Also the brother of a dear friend of mine passed away late last night, and we just got word this morning. I can tell you that my friend is not mourning today “as those who have no hope,” as the Apostle Paul writes. When a friend of Jesus dies, we celebrate. We worship God for the good gift of a wonderful life He has given. But Job (in the Old Testament) said it best when he looked at the loss that surrounded him and said, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” His wife’s attitude was a just a tad bit different than that. She suggested to Job that he “curse God and die.” What a sweetie.

Our view of death is hinged greatly on our view of God. Strike that. Our view of death is hinged ENTIRELY on our view of God. Is God loving, faithful, and with us? If He’s not, then the best we can do is cling to memories. If He is, then the hope we have and the peace He gives is more than enough to outweigh and overshadow the pain of human loss that we feel.

Last night I sat down and watched “The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now?” (while eating my traditional bowl of ice cream). It was a special episode of the popular show dedicated to catching up with past contestants to see how well they’ve done at keeping the weight off (or not). I would have been more inspired if I wasn’t so preoccupied with my Moose Tracks ice cream.

As they showed one after another of the show’s previous participants, I was astounded at how many of them have not only lost the weight, kept the weight off, but have since changed their occupation to be a personal trainer so that they might guide, challenge, and encourage others to follow in thier weight-loss footsteps. In succession, I watched each one in a gym classroom, wearing a headset microphone, urging others to shed the pounds they had put on. If they weren’t found leading a class in a gym, they were working one-on-one with a client who had hired them to be their personal coach.

While living in Nyack, New York I remember walking to work one day and coming across an injured bird. Its wing had apparently been hurt somehow and it could no longer fly. I suppose some might have thought “Oh, what a shame” and walked on by. I felt compelled however to pick up the bird, put it in a shoebox and drive it to the local animal doctor. The doctor welcomed the bird, assured me that the wing was mendable, and thanked me for bringing it in. I left with somewhat of a sense of thankfulness that I was able to do something for that bird, even though I’d likely never see it again.

While I left the hospital and drove home, my imagination led me to think about the conversation that bird might have with other birds once he was well and flying again. He’d say to his bird friends, “Yeah, I was in rough shape and it looked like I had no hope of flying again, but then this guy picked me up and took me to this other guy who healed me. And that’s why I’m here today and able to fly with you guys.”

As a child of God and follower of Christ, my deep desire is to help others find the help only found in the healing love of Jesus. And not because I’m something special, but because there was a day when someone told me about the Man who can heal my wounds and make me well. And if I don’t pass that on, then it discredits not only the ones who introduced me to Jesus, but also discredits His work in my life as well.

So, while I was watching that follow-up show last night and thinking, “Gee whiz, another one saying ‘…and now I’m a personal trainer.” I couldn’t help but understand the desire they must have to not let the help and hope they received end with them. I know all about the drive to pass on what they had received. God’s Word puts it this way in Matthew 10:8:
“…freely you have recieved, freely give.”

So, in a spiritual sense, I have to respond to the love of Christ in my own life by saying, in a spiritual sense, “…and now I’m a personal trainer.”

You’re heard it before. “Be there around 9ish.” or “I’ll be done around noonish.”

“…ish”

I heard this morning of someone referring to a friend of theirs as connected to a certain faith, but added “ish” to the end.

I thought to myself, “I hope that I never give a reason for anyone to attach “ish” to my beliefs, based on what they see in my life. It seems that if “ish” is appropriate, than you just might have one foot in and one foot out of what you say you believe.

As for me, I want to be all in, and completely devoid of the “ish”.

My wife is quickly becoming an authority on how to get stuff cheap or even free. Her latest arrival was a small cologne sample for me. With a great deal of gratitude (since my last bottle was tanked), I sprayed on some of the new stuff this morning after my shower and bounced down the steps to the kitchen. True to tradition, I went around the breakfast table, giving a peck to the top of the head of each of my kids. When I got to Hudson, he said, “Daddy, don’t smell me!” Clearly he had caught a whiff of my new cologne and that smell was NOT okay with him. But it didn’t stop there. He continued, every time I got close to him. “Daddy, go upstairs! Don’t smell me!” If you know about my son Hudson, you know that “Don’t smell me” is his way of saying, “You smell!” And “Daddy, go upstairs!” is his way of saying “Daddy, go upstairs!”