In the meantime

An Amazing Run Comes to an End

This afternoon one of the most remarkable streaks in sports history came to an end.  For the first time in sixteen years, the Atlanta Braves were eliminated from the playoffs.  Every October since 1991, the Braves have been in the playoffs.  While detrators will quickly point out they appeared in only five World Series and won only one during that period, nothing can take away the fact that no team has ever won their division fourteen times in a row.  The Braves stars during this period will populate the Hall of Fame not too many years hence: Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones.

To put the streak in perspective, my 17 year old son does not ever remember the Braves not being in the playoffs at the end of a season.  He was only one year old the last time the Braves players packed it in at the end of the regular season.  The Braves have been in Atlanta for thirty seasons, and this streak encompasses almost half of those seasons.

We all knew that eventually a year would come when the Braves would not make the playoffs.  2006 wound up being that year.

It will be interesting to see how the fans react to the end of the streak.  My hope is that they will realize the totality of this achievement.  Like the crowd that cheers wildly when a pitcher is taken out of a game - not for his faltering which led to him being taken out, but for the great effort expended throughout the game.  They are cheering for the totality of his performance, not for the end of it.

We owe the Atlanta Braves one huge ovation for the winning legacy of the last fifteen years. But this is not the end of an era.  It's just a slight hiccup.  You see, I'm a baseball fan; a part of the fellowship of the eternally optimistic.  Our mantra is "Wait until next year."

Next year looks really positive for us.  Smoltz will be back, along with the Jones boys, Marcus Giles, Jeff Francoer, McCann, Renteria, LaRoche, Orr and Langerhans.  Brian Jordan will be healthy again. The pitching staff, especially the bullpen-- the Braves Achilles heel this year-- look strong and solid with Smoltz, Hudson, Chuckie James, Macay McBride and Oscar Villareal.  Most importantly, big Bob Wickman will be back for '07 to slam the door in the ninth.  It will be the beginning of a new streak.

Just wait until next year. 

Please Be Patient

Do you know what an oxymoron is?  If you're like me, the first time I ever heard this word, I was sure an oxymoron was a stupid bull!  Actually, an oxymoron is a contradiction or a paradox, usually expressed in two words that although said together seem to mean the opposite.  Like "act naturally," "found missing" or "fresh frozen."   

My favorite oxymoron is JUMBO SHRIMP.  I have a good friend who is a Navy veteran.  He says his favorite oxymoron is "Military Intelligence."  Another buddy of mine who is a computer genius loves "Advanced Basic."

Here's a phrase that according to God's word ought to be a spiritual oxymoron: Impatient Christian.  Patience is the Fruit of the Spirit that millions of believers struggle with on a daily basis, especially in the fast-paced culture most of us live in today.

Did you hear about the believer who went to the Lord in prayer and said, "Lord, I want patience in my life and I want it right now!!"?  Sometimes I feel like that person.  I get impatient with my being impatient! 

There are several good reasons why these attributes are called the "Fruit" of the Spirit.  One reason is that just like an apple is the natural product of a healthy apple tree, so, too Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control are the natural products of a healthy Christian. To the extent all of these attributes are manifesting themselves in my daily life, my spiritual life is healthy and on target.

But unlike the apple tree that only produces a single fruit, the fruit of the Spirit is ALL of those attributes taken as a whole.  The Fruit of the Spirit is not a Piccadilly Cafeteria assortment where we get to choose which of these attributes we want to show forth in our lives and ignore the others. Trust me, if we could opt out of one, I would leave off patience.  It's the one I struggle with the most. 

Have you ever noticed the attribute that you struggle with most is the one the Lord will give you the most opportunities to exhibit?  It's true.  If you pray for the Lord to give you patience, be prepared for Him to bring into your life a lot of opportunities (not to mention people) to be patient with!

There is a second reason God uses the analogy of Fruit for these vital spiritual attributes: In the natural realm the production of fruit is not instantaneous.  It doesn't matter how much you pamper a brand new apple tree, you're not going to get bushels of apples right away.  You have to give that tree time to grow and mature and it will produce wonderful, beautiful and abundant fruit in due season.  It's the same thing with the Fruit of the Spirit.  As you and I grow and mature in the things of God, our "fruit production" goes up. 

Maybe that is why so many of us have trouble with manifesting patience in our lives.  We are so impatient to become perfect people!  We live in an instant society.  We're conditioned to get it now.  Television would make us think every problem can be solved in 60 minutes or less.  We eat "fast" food.  And when we come to Christ we expect instant perfection.

When I was very young in my walk with the Lord, a friend gave me a button that had this written on it: PBPGINFWMY.  It stood for "Please Be Patient; God Is Not Finished With Me Yet."  You know what?  I've walked with the Lord for a lot of years now and I still need that button!  It's like that wonderful little children's song that says:

"He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be
It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be!
'Cause He's still working on me..."

Thank you, Lord for being so patient with me.  Help me to be equally patient with the people that you bring into my life!

Five Years After

There are certain events that are forever burned into our memory.  Events that everyone remembers where they were when they first heard the news.  The attack on Pearl Harbor, the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, the Challenger Disaster... and of course September 11, 2001.

Today there will be wall-to-wall media coverage as America and the world remembers, even if just for a day, the horrible events that took place five years ago today. 

But the stark reality is that for most of us, life has returned to normal.

In the aftermath of 911 we were all united.  Democrats and Republicans put aside their differences and stood on the Capitol steps and sang "God Bless America."  Our churches were filled with people who hadn't gone to church in years.  We all realized how fragile life can be.  Policemen and Firemen were recognized as heroes. We were truly thankful for our freedom.  We loved our country, warts and all. 

Then things went back to "normal".  The Left and the Right started fighting again.  Church attendance returned to pre-911 levels.  We started taking all those things for granted again.

I hate normal.  I don't want to be normal.  A normal husband takes his wife for granted.  A normal father is distant from his kids.  A normal neighbor doesn't know or care about those who live around him. A normal citizen doesn't bother to get involved or to vote. Worst of all, a normal Christian is lukewarm, rarely prays, seldom reads the Word and hardly ever spends time alone with God.

I don't want to be a normal husband; I want to give my wife the love and honor she deserves.  I don't want to be a normal father; I want to leave a legacy of love, laughter and faith for my children.  I don't want to be a normal neighbor; I want to reach out and show the love of Jesus to my neighbors.  I don't want to be a normal citizen; I want to be a part of the solution, not the problems with my country.

Most of all, I don't want to be a normal Christian.  I want to be a passionate, wholehearted follower of Jesus whose heart burns to know and do His will and to demonstrate His love in both word and deed.

This is my prayer for me, for my nation, and especially for the Body of Christ on this day: Lord, deliver us from normal.