musings on "Bruce"

A martial artist, I am not.    And yet, the influence of the martial arts in our American culture today is significant.    Growing up, my youth minister often referred to the movie "Kung Fu", starring David Carradine as a renegade man wandering the countryside making a difference with his feet and his philosophy.   "The Karate Kid" has now come full circle from my youth to be remade for the theater.

When she was a small child, I would play "Kung Fu" with my oldest daughter.    She would stand across the room before we began our "fight", and say "I bow to you, Bruce".     I would say "Bruce who?"    Her response was often "Bruce You", but most often, the famed "Bruce Lee".

I was watching one day last week, and "Dragon, the Bruce Lee Story" came on.    Interesting movie, wistful, mystical musical score throughout, and a sad story of love found and lost, and a life spent too fast or too hard chasing a dream.

Aside from being an incredible martial artist, Bruce Lee deemed himself a philosopher, and even suggested a new form of the martial arts and a philosophy he dubbed Jeet Kune Do (The Way of the Intercepting Fist).

Some of his thoughts (courtesy of Wikipedia) included the following:

"Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there."

"Quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough."

"I always learn something, and that is: to always be yourself. And to express yourself, to have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate him."

"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."

Despite these great ideas, his life, his passion, his fears, his failures, and his nightmares ultimately consumed him.    He was chased by demons in his own mind and from his past.

The family he loved and wanted to be there for, he ultimately stayed away from, eventually costing him his life at a young age.

What dreams are we chasing?   What sound philosophy are we espousing, but not really living up to?   What demons are we wrestling with?   Are we running away from the ones we love, the very people who are in our lives as an opportunity to remain grounded and sane?   Are we running away from God?

Romans 8:38-39:  No power on earth or heaven can separate us from God's love. Not our sin, not any authority, not any spiritual force. God's love is unshakable and can always be relied upon.

Another man ran from God.   His name was Jonah, and the contradictions of Bruce Lee's life pale in comparison.    Maybe another future blog topic...

Be still

I love early mornings, especially as I "mature" in years. Mornings are uber quiet, and have a unique "still" quality about them. Reading, thinking, walking, praying, or enjoying a good cup of coffee, the morning is unlike all other times of the day. You can feel the stillness.

No TV blaring, kids are asleep (like most of us should be more often) no traffic moving, few people out for any reason; just the strong hushed presence of the wind and the early morning song of the birds as the first rays of light creep over the horizon. I can feel the stillness, and I can sense that God is all around me, not hidden or drowned out by other noise and activity.

Psalm 46:10 came to mind this morning:
"Be still, and know that I am God;
       I will be exalted among the nations,
       I will be exalted in the earth."

I need to know that. I need to celebrate that. I need to proclaim that.

I should be still more often.

Transitions

Been away from blogging for a while; 7 months to be exact.    Been distracted?    Maybe.     Probably.   OK, it's been an interesting time. 

Going to give it another shot here.

I received a wonderful email blessing from a mentor, friend, and brother yesterday.      His message was entitled, "Transitions", and he spoke of my oldest daughter's upcoming graduation, my grandmother's recent passing (he's long been a friend of my extended family), and of all the stresses and obligations life throws at us, and his concern and thoughts about me during this time of "Transitions".

"Baby Hannah grew and grew; just like me, just like you.   Clap clap clapped her little hands, and she played, peek-a-boo".    It seems like only yesterday, but, as the little song says, she grew.     The two year old of yesteryear is now a thriving young lady, and drawing the interest of young men.

She's graduating from HS in two weeks, then a transitional summer, and off to college.    We have a great relationship, she, her mother, siblings, and I.   And yet, already, we can feel the change in the air.    Independence, judgement, deciding for herself irrespective of what we might, or did, suggest.    And we have to be OK with that.     Years of loving, teaching, sharing, and it's time to let her go.
We lost my grandmother of 94 years about two weeks ago.     She was a great example, Christian mentor, and friend.     She taught us so much.   She played "peek a boo" with us when it was my time.       It seemed like only yesterday, but as the little song says, I grew.      The two year old of yesterday is now a 44 year old man, watching her great granddaughter become a thriving young lady, drawing the interest of young men.

Time took it's toll.     She fought the good fight, she finished the race, she kept the faith.     My other grandmother, 96 years young, is struggling with her final days in a nursing home near my father's house.     Years of loving, teaching, sharing, and it's time to let both of them go.

Transitions; no one said they would be easy, and yet, they are required.

Our relationships change.     Our lives change, our kids grow, our own health and strength slowly begin to wain.    And yet, the time can be sweet, and we know it's how it's supposed to be.     Heaven is our destination; the home we were created to reach and share with our God.

And along the way, when you begin to wonder or worry about how things are, and how well you are handling it, a good friend and mentor comes along to bless you, encourage you, and lead you through life's "Transitions".     God's providence, at work in the life of another.

Who can I bless tomorrow?    Who can you bless?     Are we ready to help someone with their next transition?

Pickpockets; I Can Only Imagine

Ever been "pickpocketed"?    I had not, until recently.   When I was, a big overblown show took place before I ever knew something was going on - something involving me.

The scene was an outdoor cafe in Vienna.    One of my colleagues and I were having lunch with a mission team member in Vienna, discussing the city, real estate, the Church, and the mind and hearts of Europeans.    The day was beautiful, the setting was ideal, and the feeling of everyone around was comfort and safety.

Suddenly, there was instant pandemonium.    Men were screaming, and 2 men jumped up from tables surrounding ours and took off running.    Our waiter took off running after one of the men, running at full speed and shouting at him, I can only assume saying "stop" or "come back".    I don't know for sure, as it was in German, and maybe another language or two.     When the waiter returned, he pointed to me and began asking questions.    The mission team member, astounded, finally understood and translated for me: "they took something from your pocket".    I was bewildered, astounded, and frightened.    After a few harrowing seconds that felt like an eternity, I finally realized that I still had my passport, my cell phone, and other important things.    What did the thief actually get?    A mass transit pass with about 3 days of value remaining.     But, he also took some of my confidence.    For much of the rest of the day, I was paranoid, fearful, watching my back.

It was all so subtle.    Two men selected tables close to ours.    They were dressed like many others.   They seemed to belong.    And they slowly, methodically, and boldly worked their way into our space, until finally they were close enough to take things that did not belong to them, to create chaos at the appropriate moment, and to escape with their "prize".

Was I harmed?    Not really, but in a way, yes.      But this made me think: "isn't this much like the way Satan attacks us?".      Comfortable settings, acting like he belongs, slowly working his way in.    And then, it's too late.   The damage has been done.    We were comfortable, and we never saw the attack coming?    Were we complacent?    Maybe.    Were we deceived?    Absolutely.     Kind of reminds you of the story of Adam and Eve, and the Serpent, huh?

Scripture tells us that "the devil prowls as a lion, seeking whom he may devour".      I have sat in my front yard and, with amazement, watched our cat at work.    Stalking, prowling, seeking her prey, preparing to pounce, preparing for the kill.     And a killer she is.    I am amazed how she gets birds to hold still long enough to get them, but she's close to a 10 bird killer: a double ace, at least.      The scriptural analogy is amazing to ponder.

So we watch.    Is the loss of confidence a bad thing?    Maybe not.    It hurts, but it also helps us keep guard.    And this is not our home, anyway.     Not losing your passport is a big thing.      God calls us to protect our spiritual passport: our ticket to eternity - our heart - our soul.     "Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life".     Proverbs 4:23.

Hang on to your passport.    The country we are travelling toward is a promising destination.     "Surrounded by your glory; what will my heart feel?    Will I dance for you, Jesus, or in awe of you be still?    Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?     Will I sing "Hallelujah"?    Will I be able to speak at all?     I can only imagine; I can only imagine." (MercyMe).

Mit Gott - "With God".

on the other side of the world; Holy Spirit moments; things we fight about; life comes at you fast; culture compression

Whether foreign land, or neighbors, everyone's the same. Searching for the answers, that lie within Your name. I wanna proclaim the love of Jesus, in all I do and say. Unashamed? Oh, yeh. These lyrics to a Mercy Me tune have been running thru my head this week, along with a thousand other things.




One of my newly inherited job responsibilities at OC this past year has been assisting in our facilities planning for our Vienna Studies program at OC, and, you guessed it, I have been blessed to go to Vienna, once last year, and right now, where I'm typing this from tonight. There's the explanatory background for you.



Lots of new or renewed experiences this week. Because of the very low airfares (yes, I do try to save money), my colleague from OC and I traveled this week thru Munich instead of directly to Vienna. That required we get a car, and, you guessed it, that we had to drive on the Autobahn. Tough deal. More on that later.



This also provided opportunity for me to revisit a family I have not seen in 21 years; "meine Deustche famile" (my Germany family) from a church campaign over 20 years ago. They live in a town just outside of Munich (Augsburg), and I had opportunity to meet them for dinner Saturday night and worship with the Augsburg church before heading to Vienna later that day. It was wonderful. Everyone was so gracious. I got more hugs in a church building than I've had in years. They knew I was coming that day. One man had looked me up in Google and knew I had something to do with "borrowing some money to build something" (great legacy), and another approached me and said "you are the American boy!".

I was asked to speak to the church at the end of the service, and while I said a few things to them "auf Deustch", they had an interpreter both during the sermon, for my benefit, and to tell the church what I had to say. It was an amazing experience. I am not one to often admit to or claim to have had "Holy Spirit moments" but I felt them this past Sunday. I have often wondered about the meaning of a word, "Botschaft", that I heard often 20 years ago in prayers during that campaign. The few German speakers I have inquired of could not define it for me. As class began on Sunday, I was switching back and forth on the iPhone Bible between German and English for the topic of the day, and there it was in verse 1 of Obadja (Obadiah) 1:1. It means tidings or message from God. I went all the way back to Germany to finally get the answer I had wondered about for two decades. Then the sermon: Not being disappointed or disillusioned when life delivers setbacks, financial, health, and otherwise. The preacher this Sunday was the retired long time preacher, and a man I knew when I was here before. He only preaches 6 or so times a year due to his health. He called me up before it started and shared an outline with me in English, and he had someone sit with me and translate. It was wonderful, and it was a message I very much needed to be reminded about. I needed this "botschaft". Sherry could not make this trip, partly for duty to the kids, but in large part due to heath concerns. The financial world continues to make life difficult, for families, for Universities, for churches, for businesses. We need to see that life is so much more, and these trials are temporary.

As we drove on to Vienna later Sunday, I watched the view thru the Alps and the green countryside, and remembered scenes from CS Lewis' "The Great Divorce" and the imagery of the pain of working our way toward Heaven and what we need to let go of on the journey. I thought about if Heaven looks like southern Bavaria and the Alpine mountains. Beautiful land; beautiful people. Of course, all people are, especially in God's eyes. But not too many decades ago, our people fought each other to bitter ends. Noble purpose dually noted and aside, fighting is an evil thing that brings out the worst in almost all men. And here we were on Sunday, generations from that era and generations since, worshipping God side by side in two languages, showing love for each other, and longing for a day without pain and sorrow.

What things do we disagree and fight about today? As families? As friends? As coworkers? Noble purposes dually noted and aside, does the fighting take control and end up causing collateral damage? I need to think about that; we all do.

Life comes at you fast. What does that mean? It's a phrase from a popular commercial for an insurance company right now. Driving on the Autobahn, briefly (very briefly, but you can't say I would not want to try once), let's just say I got to the triple digits for MPH. It was fun, but it did not feel that fast, until I glanced to the side and saw how fast everything was going by. I was missing things moving past, and there was inherent danger in the speed.

Which leads to my final line of thought, then I've got to go to bed. 1:22+ am here in Wien, and I have meetings starting at 8:00 am and running all day. My colleague and I have talked this week about the feeling of culture shock: everything is so different from our home. But, is it more "culture overload", or "culture compression"? My days are going by just as quickly as at home, but the minutes feel long. Each experience is soaking in: the images, the sounds, the ideas and thoughts. Expressions on people's faces; what a place looks, sounds, and smells like. Conversations in other languages, some of which I can understand and most I cannot. It is all being compressed and processed actively by my brain, and it makes the 4 days so far feel like 4 year's worth of experiences. The culture is being compressed in my brain. It took weeks to move beyond the feeling last year, and I suspect it may again.

And a sense of loneliness unlike you usually feel. Others are around; some can speak English; my colleague and I are spending significant hours together visiting as we work. But it is different. I miss "home" and the feeling of familiarity: of what I "know". My hope and prayer is that, in returning to that soon, I won't be going 108 miles an hour (oops, meant to not reveal that; OK, I did) and that I will still soak in facial expressions, conversations, and cultural moments with those I miss the most.

From the other side of the world. Guten nacht, meine freunden!

Chick Flicks

Ever wonder why we like some things, despite the "paradox" factor?

I like history and war movies (lots of war movies, but nothing really graphic - the old stuff where you "hear the bullet" before the hero falls, like John Wayne in Sands of Iwo Jima or Frank Sinatra in Von Ryan's Express).

But sadly, I must confess that I like many movies that would also be best classified as "Chick Flicks". Sleepless in Seattle, Some Like it Hot, and You've Got Mail (possibly my favorite). Yes, I admit that Meg Ryan is cute (sorry, Sherry), but I believe there is much more to it than that. Sherry and I saw "Julie and Julia" today, and I have to admit, I liked it as well. Good story, despite the fact that Julia Child's voice has annoyed me all of my life, and I certainly don't like to cook. So what was the connection?

I has to be the story. Redemption. These "Chick Flick" favorites are almost always stories of Redemption. And relationships; these stories make us think a lot about relationships and friendships, especially our own. What's working? What's not? How can I do better? What am I missing?

Today's movie was a great story of friendship and what it's all about. Sherry is my best friend. Am I the friend she needs me to be as well? Do I think about her and watch out for her interests and needs as fully as I should? I hope to. She deserves it.

There is another great story of Redemption out there. It's called the Bible. Great narrative of people with everything to gain, and blowing it, but things work out. Or, at least, they can work out for the best. The movie is not over yet; we don't know what happens to all of the characters, but we know the ending. The good guys make it. Love triumphs over evil.

Jesus is Lord. I am Redeemed. And that's no chick flick. Thank Goodness. I don't mind the idea of being one of the unsung hero's in our ongoing war movie; and I hope to not "hear the bullet" when it's my time to exit the screen.

Humans Being; Light Your Candle - Shine On

I like to claim/admit very few vices in life: Ice Cream, Peanut Butter (both usually late at night), and listening to older rock music, most notably Van Halen. I don't endorse the images or the lifestyle, but like the music. Great guitar runs, and occassionally interesting and telling lyrics.

I was reminded the other day of the words to the 90's tune "Humans Being" (the song played during the dirt road scene in the movie "Twister"). Again, not endorsing all the lyrics, I am left to wonder about Sammy Hagar's upbringing and how religion impacted his life and thinking, often indicating a significant paradox.

The song begins "There is just enough Christ in me to make me feel almost guilty. Is that why God made us bleed; To make us see we're Humans Being?....Shine On, Shine On."

That too often describes how I act, or more notably fail to act. I pull up to the Braums drive in, I walk thru the grocery check out, I talk to my son's basketball coach across town. In each instance, passing the time, talking about mutual interests, but not as often speaking of or looking out for "how is this person's life? Do they know Jesus?" I drive away or walk away, and wonder why I didn't say something more. Is "there just enough Christ in me to make me feel almost guilty?" I hope not.

We had our special annual "Missions Sunday" at church this past week. It was a great day. We talked in Bible class about what some often used words really mean. Evangelism is thought to mean "preaching", but it is really about telling the good news of Jesus. Missions is used to most often mean "someone going somewhere to teach or preach", when the word Mission often means work or purpose (as in "military mission", corporate mission", etc), and the word Witness is used to refer to telling others about your Christian walk and faith. I "witness" about a lot of things, again talking basketball, the weather, etc, but how often do I casually talk to someone about Jesus? It should be so easy. Is "there just enough...to make me feel almost guilty?"

As we moved into our worship this past Sunday, we sang "Go Light Your World". Run to the darkness; take your candle - go light your world". May God help me to be more open and willing to talk with others about our life in Him and need for God. If you know me, feel free to ask how I'm doing with this. If you run across this blog because you searched labels and you too like a good Van Halen tune, I hope the good news of Jesus can begin to bless you through these thoughts.

Light Your Candle; Shine On, Shine On. No guilt necessary.