Once Upon A Time...

I find myself lately visiting a location that may not be altogether healthy. I call it “What If Land.” You may have been there before. Many people like to visit there from time to time. It’s a place where the imagination can run wild and can provide you with ideas that range from the hopeful to the downright silly. “What if I could actually fly like Superman?” “What if I really could dive into a pool filled with nothing but Jello?” “What if I could get out of debt and support a worthwhile ministry?”

Not all of the ideas that are visited in “What If Land” are good for us, however. Unfortunately, with many places, there are dangerous dark alleys and locations that in the old days might have been called “the wrong side of the tracks.” It is here where we find regrets and shame. “What if I had NOT done this…,” or “What if I had done this differently….” are places we visit, but can do nothing about. In fact, almost all of the scenes that play out in these dank spots will deal with past issues that we wish we could change. There is no hope in that. Some people will carry dread into future scenarios of “What if I die?” or “What if something tragic happens?” These things come to them in the slums of “What If Land.”

The scenic locations are filled with hope because very rarely, when a situation turns positive, do we go back and wish for different results. Why change something that brings joy and happiness? We like to dream the silly, because it lightens our mood or helps us escape the stress of life. We dream big because hope is a much more efficient and stable fuel than regret or worry. A really positive single moment in life can keep us flying high for days at a time, whereas a moment of pain can make us feel like we’re dragging a train behind us. It exhausts us mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically to try and move forward with shame as our power source.

The only thing we can really do from bad experiences of the past is to heal from them, try and learn from those mistakes, and move forward--doing all we can to avoid the same mistakes again. Wishing we could change what has already happened is hopeless. It’s impossible. But, “What if I steer clear of this mistake…” is a way to inspire us to do better and to get it right next time.

I have visited my fair share of dark alleys in “What If Land.” I don’t like it there. If I were to be completely honest, I spent a couple of hours there this morning in the way I handled a situation with my children. BUT, What if I go home and spend some time just loving on them and giving them my attention and affection? What if we wrestled on the floor and they laughed so hard they got the hiccups? These are much better tourist attractions in the land of “What If” than where I was earlier.

In fact, is it possible to become the mayor of our own individual “What If Land,” and do some major street-cleaning, and finally rid ourselves of living in the past? If God can remove our sins “...as far as the east is from the west…” (Psalm 103:12), can He not use that same power to point us forward? In fact, if He’s removed it from us, and we keep taking it up ourselves, aren’t we doing it our way and not God’s way, making it sinful? Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to “...throw off the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” How many races do you win by running backwards? We are meant to move forward, free from the burdens of the past, but wise from the lessons of the past.

Which “What If” are you clinging to today? Is it the prime spot with a four-star hotel overlooking the sea of opportunity? Or...well, you know. Don’t waste time in the dark spots. Fuel your jets with hope and inspire yourself of the world of possibilities that await us when we move forward towards Jesus.

The Core Of the Problem

About a month ago, we had a slow air leak in one of our tires. After not having much luck finding the source of the leak, I took it to a repair shop. Good news...I didn’t have to pay to repair the thing. Bad news...I had to pay to buy a whole new tire! That was not in our budget for the month, but we got it taken care of and are doing fine.

Several days ago, a different tire on the same vehicle started showing signs of an air leak. I checked the tire pressure, and where it is normally stays about 35 psi, it was around 12. So I aired the thing up, and it stayed fine for almost 36 hours. Then, on Saturday afternoon, it was down in the teens on the pressure gauge. So, I aired the thing up, got a soapy solution, and began to spray the tire mercilessly, looking for the offending hole. (For those that don’t know, the air leaking out will “blow bubbles” out of the soapy solution.)

I couldn’t find anything, and realized I needed to take the tire off the van to get the full view. I jacked up the van and began the process of removing the lug nuts only to discover that they were stuck and rusted in place. Thinking I just needed a bit more muscle, I twisted the lug wrench tighter. I heard a horrible shrieking sound, felt the nut turn a little bit, and then was suddenly off balance. Thinking the wrench had slipped free, I looked to the wheel only to discover that the nut was gone; As well as about a quarter of the lug stud. Oops. It had broken off!

Admitting that I was out of my league, I called up a good friend, and he came over to give me a hand. We decided to replace the stud first, so we made the run to the auto parts store, bought the pieces, and headed back to the house. In order to get the new stud in place, we needed to remove the brake rotor.

You guessed it...new problem. The rotor was stuck so badly that my friend thought we needed special tools to get it done, and he didn’t have them. We decided to put the whole thing back together and see if we could borrow the tools the next day and take a whirl at it after church. The whole time time we were doing all of this other stuff, we had been taking turns still examining the tire, trying to find the hole, and finding nothing.

Sunday afternoon rolls around, and the tire is back down to about 10 psi. I jack the van up, again, and begin the process of exorcising the demons from the lug nuts as I removed them, again, and then pulled off the tire. Again. My buddy arrived and we began disassembling the brakes. Here’s where we finally got some good news. While we couldn’t find the tools we needed, my friend spoke to a mechanic he knows, and we didn’t need them. The rotor was just stuck to the post due to some more rust. We sprayed WD-40 all over that sucker, and using a very sophisticated leverage system of screwdrivers, rubber mallets, hammers, and our legs and arms, we finally got that thing off.

We replaced the lug stud, reassembled the brakes, and put the tire back on. Still not sure what was going on, we just decided to air it up, and I’d take it to the shop the next day. As we removed the air compressor from the tire, the valve stem finally revealed itself to the problem as air blew out with enough force to shoot a paintball 100 yards. The little tiny “core” that is triggered from the compressor or tire gauge was blown, and even though the valve cap was on tight, air was still escaping. We “jiggled” it around to stop the massive air flow, and recapped the valve.

This morning, I had to put more air in the tire, and managed to make it to the shop. Once I told the mechanic what the problem was, he came out with a tiny piece, less than one-inch long. It was the new valve stem core. In literally less than 45 seconds, this man (and his special tool resembling a screwdriver) removed the old piece and installed the new core. Then, in a display of complete good-will, he didn’t even charge me anything!

Isn’t it funny how one tiny thing can cause so much trouble? That valve stem core weighed less than one ounce, and was shorter than the diameter of a penny. However, it caused several hours of trouble and concern. Even though the solution was apparently very simple, discovering the problem proved to be more difficult than I had hoped.

Many times, we can see the same things played out in us. One tiny little thing isn’t quite right in our lives, whether it’s un-checked sin, a single concern, or what we thought was just a menial task that we overlooked. That one “little thing” can lead to a world of hurt and cause many hours of lost time. It may even cause new problems as we attempt to figure out exactly what is wrong.

But, if we know something is wrong and we commit to getting it fixed, the rough road that comes from seeking out the real problems and subsequent solutions can help us in the long run. Repentance from sin restores our fellowship with God, but is often a painful process. Learning to trust others may be out of our comfort zone, but may be what we need to quit worrying. We don’t always want to climb out of the recliner to do that one last thing we forgot, but can save us time in back-tracking or having extra things to do in the chaos of trying to get ready work or school the next morning.

What is the little thing that is giving you trouble? Even if you don’t know what it is yet, pray about it, and commit to getting it resolved. God is faithful, and He will help you find what you need to do in order to keep the core of your relationship with Him strong and growing.

Life Is Messy

With a 17-month old around the house, we are constantly finding things in one place that should be in another. As he has become more mobile and independent, we have to watch more closely. Inevitably, we get distracted, and only discover what he’s been up to later on in the day.

Recently, after the kids were all in bed for the night, my wife and I sat down to watch a little TV. We find that escaping into an imaginary other world for awhile helps us to better handle the chaos of our own. As I got comfortable, my eyes drifted to the corner where we keep the toys for the little guy, and I saw what appeared to be a pile of dirt. With twin 6-year-old boys in the house as well, a pile of dirt isn’t necessarily foreign to us, but the placement of this one was. It wasn’t near a door or where the older guys might track it in before taking off their shoes, so it caught my attention.

I got up and walked towards it to see what I would need to clean it, hoping that a dust-buster would be all that was required. As I approached the small pile, I saw that the particles were larger than just dirt, and were spread out all over the corner with the toys, and were also scattered on the furniture near that corner. What a mess! Then as I began to look closer, I discovered what these small particles really were.

One of our son’s other favorite past-times is to open the cereal cabinet and drag boxes out whenever he wants a snack. It was cute the first two times. Now it’s just annoying. He had apparently gotten ahold of a box of LIFE cereal, and made off with a handful before we could wrangle the box from him. He stashed them on the floor, but then lost interest, and as he played, he crushed them, and the broken pieces transferred from him to his toys and the furniture.

LIFE is messy...as it turns out. Yes, a dust-buster worked this time, but that’s not always the case. What about in our daily life, when things get scattered and spread out? Sometimes we stash items from our “to do” list, and move on to something else, forgetting about them. Maybe there’s a relationship that needs some attention, but we can’t find the time, and before we know it, it is broken into little pieces. Unfortunately, It’s only until we sit down when we discover the displaced pieces of our life and remember these things we forgot to do, or find out just how shattered a relationship is. The messes can range from inconvenient to painful.

We can’t just whip out the cosmic dust-buster to get rid of these things. We have to clean up the messes, but in real-life, it’s more like putting together a deeply intricate puzzle instead of just throwing away the pieces. Fortunately, we don’t have to try and do this clean-up alone. God is there and can energize us to find that extra fifteen to twenty minutes to take care of the last thing on our list. He is there to provide guidance and direction as we painstakingly put the pieces of a relationship back in place. It may take time, but He is faithful, and can help us when we let Him.

At one point or another for all of us, life is messy. How we handle the mess is what helps us get stronger. Eventually we’ll see that life is not served best with milk, but with the solid food of spiritual growth, and we can get to that point where we can thank God for the messes.

Book Review: Billy Graham in Quotes

For years, Billy Graham has been, without argument, one of the greatest examples of a disciple of Christ, who has committed himself to following Jesus’ great commission to “...go and make disciples of all nations.” Hundreds of evangelical crusades, dozens of TV specials, and several movies that he and his ministry have sponsored have all led to thousands of people coming to Christ. He is admired and respected, including those who do not necessarily agree with him or follow Christ themselves.

His words, filled with the Truth of God’s Word, and paired with the compassion and love for God’s people, allow those around him to know without a shadow of a doubt where he stands on issues of faith and life. Billy Graham in Quotes is a great resource to allow others to pull from messages, writings, and sermons that Graham has shared over the course of almost seventy years. His words are organized by topics, and each topic is headed off with a scripture reference that relates to the same concern. Whether to accent or add impact to sermons or to give encouragement to other believers, the words collected in this volume are a testament to what God can and will do through the lives of those who fully commit to serving Him.

To truly sense the humility and purpose that seemed to drive Graham through the years, only need to examine words from the man himself, laid out in the foreword of this book: “People do not come to hear what Billy Graham has to say; they want to hear what God has to say...God has not promised to bless oratory or clever preaching. He has promised to bless His Word.” Anchored in Scripture, and shared with a passion to see others turn to Christ, this book is a great resource that can be used to further God’s message of redemption.

I received a complimentary copy of Billy Graham in Quotes from Booksneeze.com.

Book Review: "The Final Summit" by Andy Andrews

I don't often get to post what I think about books here, but due to a recent website I found (mentioned at the bottom), I have decided to occasionally do just that. We'll see how it goes!

Winston Churchill. George Washington Carver. The Archangel Gabriel. These and others of the worlds’ greatest and wisest leaders from across time coming together for a meeting of the minds with “Everyman” David Ponder sounds like a very odd and intriguing collaboration. Having not read any of Andy Andrews previous novels, I was unfamiliar with David Ponder and the returning concept of the “Travelers.” Some of the ideas that are pulled together seemed a little bit far-fetched and even silly at first. However, upon reading further, I was able to escape into the story and understand what Andrews is doing with his story.

Many books are written each year that offer perspective on how to grow more successful, strong, spiritual, enlightened, or even intelligent. However, not everyone has the stomach for another self-help book. Andrews takes some very solid moral principles and introduces them in a manner that is much more interesting and easier to swallow. Through some afterward comments, he reveals that he did some research, and while his dialogue was almost completely original and crafted for this book, he did manage to throw in a few direct quotes that he found to be very powerful. The result is a story that gets your attention, and provides challenges for the reader that can be applied in everyday life. The Final Summit may take a couple of chapters to pull you in, but rest assured, once it does, it proves to be worth your time.

For purposes of disclosure, I received a complimentary copy of this book from Booksneeze.com.

Prime Lessons

When we bought our house a couple of years ago, we discovered that the previous owners had been avid gardeners. We kind of suspected as much when we noticed that the backyard had been partitioned into a “play” area and a second area that had two old sheds, a “rolling” landscape, and dozens of old tomato plant cages. They had also built a detached garage with a greenhouse on the back of it with direct access into the “garden” part of the yard.

Included in this garage was a beat-up old contraption that had pipes, cables, and a bright blue tank of some kind that looks like a small, upside-down propane tank. As it turns out, this water pump was added to pull water from an underground well. They would use the well-water for the yard and garden as presumably it costs less for the electricity to run the pump than to use the city water.

This past weekend, we finally decided to give it a try and see if we could make the thing work. I knew the thing hadn’t run in awhile, and while it wasn’t the old lever-handled pumps of old, I recalled a song that my dad used to make my family listen to years ago. The song is called “Desert Pete,” and it’s about a guy who is traveling across a desert when he discovers an old water-pump.

The guy then notices a note in a can next to the pump that informs whoever finds it that the pump works, but in order to make it work, you have to prime the pump with the little bit of water in a jar hidden under the rock. As it goes, the pump looks VERY dry, and our wanderer is tempted to drink the water instead of priming the pump. However, heeding the promise on the note, he pours the water in, and as he pumps like crazy, the water freely begins gushing forth. The note goes on to ask whoever finds it to refill the jar and leave it for the next traveler.

Two things strike me about this story. The first is that many people are tempted to take the immediate satisfaction of drinking the water. These folks are “thirsty,” and while there is a promise of more than enough water to quench their thirst if they’re willing to put forth a bit more faith and effort, they would rather have just a little taste of what they want and crave, which can still leave them thirsty, than to work a bit harder to get more than enough of what they need.

Relationships are one example. Too many students decide that the teenage years is the appropriate time to experiment sexually. They rush into situations fueled by hormones and selfishness, and think they get what they want, only to discover that they still feel empty and need something else to fill their lives.

Jobs are another situation where we see this. I’ve known some very smart students who were fortunate enough to get well-paying jobs while in high school. When you’re sixteen, and you have very few real expenses, and you bring in two hundred dollars a week, there could be a strong temptation to drop out of school, keep working at that job, and continue making money. However, if that same person had continued to stay in school, and maybe even gone on to college, they would more than likely be able to find a job later that pays significantly more than they did in high school.

The second thing that struck me was the end of the note. “Please leave the bottle full for others…” This is an assumption that people will do kind things for other people. I don’t see that very often in our world today. Sure, there are still a few people who smile at you and treat you with respect, but I am finding more and more that instead of waiting the extra two seconds it would take to hold the door for my little family of five, people walking into a building would rather just barely open the door, slip in quickly, and let the door close right on us.

The things that require very little effort, such as refilling the jar of water in this song, or things in the world like walking your grocery cart the extra three steps to the correct drop-off spot, smiling as you ring up a customer on your cash register, or keeping your trash until you get home instead of throwing it onto the yard of someone’s home who just happens to live on a relatively busy street (oops...did I make it personal?), are the things that should be easy, yet in a culture that continues to slip further into the void of selfish darkness, are apparently painful, and how dare I ask that of them.

Back to our pump. I found the priming valve, and poured a significant amount of water in there. I flipped on the pump, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. I even went to the water spigot attached to the pump and put my ear next to it. I began to hear something, and finally, what amounted to about four minutes later, the water began to flow. It worked! It took a little effort, but that dingy old pump worked!

In the grand scheme of things, getting our garden pump working may not save us alot of money on water. However, the satisfaction of putting some effort into doing the right thing, and being rewarded for it, brings with it a different kind of value that number amounts can’t convey. What kind of pump are you facing? Prime it, put the effort into it, and let God teach you His lessons.

Just for kicks, here’s the old song. I say my dad "MADE" my listen, but obviously I learned a little something. Thank me, or feel bad for me. Your choice.

Keep Pedaling

Several years ago, I read a book about Lance Armstrong. I realize that as I write this, he is once again facing some accusations about illegal blood doping while he was racing bikes professionally. The book I read dealt with his attitude and life during his struggle with Cancer, so it really didn’t deal with racing or these allegations, and since I don’t know the man personally, I will refrain from speculating on that topic. Yes, that seems to be worded in some fancy “legalease,” but I wanted to make sure that the point won’t be lost to those that focus on that particular aspect of Mr. Armstrong’s life.

Now, having said that, the book I read really focused on the subject of Armstrong’s discovery and subsequent treatment and recovery from Cancer. What I can tell you is that regardless of what anyone thinks of the man personally, his determination is inspiring. Some of the stories I read and have seen or heard about him lead me to believe that Lance and I do not line up completely on our value systems, but I can not deny that what he went through is a wonderful illustration.

Upon discovery of testicular cancer that also spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain, Armstrong had to have surgery in order to have a fighting chance of survival. After the surgery, he had a very aggressive chemotherapy regimen in order to try and kill off any remaining active cancer cells. After all of this, his cancer went into remission and he was able to begin training for the Tour de France.

Again, to avoid any political mess that is currently going on, I won’t say more about his subsequent career. However, there is a great illustration to be found here. Before the cancer, Lance Armstrong was a bicycle racer. When the cancer was discovered, he could not continue racing until something was done about the disease within him. The treatment was painful and took much out of the man, both physically and emotionally. But after pushing through what was necessary, he came out on the other side ready to continue racing bicycles.

I’ve been very challenged by our Sunday services lately, and the one from yesterday was no different. For several weeks before the message, I have been dealing with conviction from God in several areas of my life. Nothing gossip-worthy, but they are still issues that run between me and God, so I won’t go into details. What I can say is this--when God points out the sin in your life, He also lets you know what you need to do about it. It’s certainly not easy, and it is painful to know that we have let God and others down. But, it doesn’t change the fact that we must follow through with the treatment of repentance and forgiveness in order to remove the sin from our life and move on becoming who God created us to be.

Cancer is a horrible disease. Many times, the way people discover they have it is because it has already begun to make them very sick and has done terrible damage to their bodies. It’s hard to hide from what the cancer is doing.

We like to try and hide our sin. We cover it up, bury it deep, and just ignore it. However, it is still there, and while unlike cancer, it may take longer to wreak havoc in our lives, it will eventually catch up to us. The best thing to do is to respond as soon as you feel conviction in your life, and obey God’s leading in treating the sin. The road to recovery may involve great pain and humility, but it is in those moments when we remember how weak and frail we really are that we can experience the power of God’s strength.

Consequences of our sinful actions may leave our lives looking a bit differently, and may send us down paths we never thought we’d take. But, the good news is that God will be working to restore us so that we may be able to climb up on that bike again, and continue on the next leg of our journey.

Parts is Parts.

I was very challenged by the worship service at church yesterday. We placed an emphasis on service, specifically because we are beginning the process of trying to fill positions for teaching and other areas of ministry for 2012. It seems crazy to think of that this soon, but that’s the way it goes.

However, the message about service is one that fits in any time of year, and is relevant to all who profess to be believers and followers of Jesus Christ. How can we say we truly love Jesus with all of our hearts, minds, and strength, and also say we love others as ourselves, and then not be there for them? It’s not just about a friend who needs a shoulder to cry on after a rough week. That is certainly part of self-sacrifice and love, but beyond that, and even at what I consider to be a very root issue, how can we continue to not even show up?

Too many times, I look out at empty chairs in our Student Ministry. I know, I should focus on the filled chairs, and I do. I love that there are students who are here no matter who else shows us. When we have a group of eight faithful, I give them as much as I would give a group of eighty. But what really breaks my heart is that the rest of our youth group does’t realize that when they don’t show up, they are letting down the eight students that are here. Those that come feel the burden of the missing students, and are forced to work harder to cover their own disappointment, then must put extra effort towards not harboring ill-will towards friends they thought they could count on. I realize there are always special circumstances, but unfortunately, many of the absentees don’t have good reasons.

Borrowing from the scriptures used on Sunday morning, (but really, don’t we all borrow from the scriptures always?) I see that 1 Corinthians reminds us that “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.” (1 Cor. 12:12) Paul doesn’t mix words here. He goes on in the chapter to use a bit of biting satire to point out that we are not all the same body parts, and we really don’t function properly without all of the parts. In today’s world of medical technology, some would argue that the body can still learn to function with parts missing. That’s not the point. The Body of Christ is created by God to be one Body with All of the parts working, and if some of those parts aren’t showing up, then they aren’t working properly.

Now, I am not the fingers of this body to point. I have been wrestling personally with some things that have caused me to wonder if I have fallen into the rut of just simply “showing up,” and not doing much else? A sprained ankle is still there, but because it isn’t functioning properly, other parts of the body must over-compensate and do extra work to pick up the weight of that useless ankle. I don’t want to be a sprained ankle. I don’t want to the a total “rear end,” either. I want to make sure that before I get up on soap box and quickly point out how many others need to step up and do their part, that I am doing my own part as well.

If each of us would remember that we are just one part of a whole, and work hard at fighting the selfishness that creeps in, we might do more to contribute to this body of Christ, and make sure it is as effective as God designed it to be. Learning to “make it” with the parts that show up is not nearly as exciting as taking the Body as a whole, and pushing it beyond the limits of this world and watching what God can do. Lets be the part that God intended, and move this Body forward. Now, where’s that spleen?

Music for the Soul?

Like many people, I really enjoy listening to music in the car. I’m not a big fan of the radio, because I don’t get many chances to just sit and listen, so when I do, I almost always want something in particular instead of playing radio song roulette. This past weekend, I just found myself really wanting to listen to a particular song by one of my favorite bands. The song is “Lay My Burdens” and it is from the band “Disciple.” (Found on the Southern Hospitality CD.)

For those that don’t know, Disciple is a Christian Rock band that leans a little bit to the heavy and hard rock side. However, this one song has a very distinct old-time Gospel blues bent to it while keeping the edge that this band is known for. Many folks would be turned off by the sound of the music before they ever listened to the lyrics. However, I think they’d be making a mistake. After first really listening to this band several years ago, I have remained impressed with the impact that scripture makes on their songs.

If you were to pick up one of their CD’s and read through the lyrics printed on the inside, you would see at least one scripture reference for every song written, and in most cases more like four or five different passages that inspire their songs. “Lay My Burdens” is no different.

I have been going through some “rocky terrain” in my spiritual walk as I struggle to make the right choices as a dad. (Children are draining on many levels if you take parenting very seriously, and spiritual is just one of them.) Feeling like I was just holding on too tight to some control issues, a small section of the chorus of this song came to my mind. I’m not one to remember song lyrics very well, so I pulled up the song on my mp3 player and listened. As soon as it was over, I backed it up and listened again.

I’m looking to lay my burdens down

They’re something I can’t carry anymore (Matthew 11:28)

I’m longing to lay my body down

Beside still waters and find rest for my soul (Psalm 23:2-3)

How many of us carry around unnecessary burdens that we could simply lay at the feet of Jesus and find the rest that He promises? The still waters that are referenced from Psalm 23 represent the peaceful state of being that we can have if we only let God work on our behalf. Too many times I try to do things on my own. I work in my own power to overcome the obstacles and struggles in my life, and don’t allow the power of the Holy Spirit within me to do what He does to quiet the chaos in my spirit and to guide me through the trials.

When I revert back to trying to do things on my own, I’m re-living a time in my life when I didn’t have the Holy Spirit, which was before I came to Christ, which scripture calls the time that I was dead in my sins. Why would I return to a state of death, when I am more alive in Christ than I ever was before?

What once was dead has now come alive (Ephesians 2:1-5)

It’s alot easier to say all of this than to do it, I realize that. Trust me, I’ve kicked myself over and over again for being able to say the words, but finding no will power or strength to simply do it. Is it Pride? Is it just plain stubbornness? Whatever it is, I definitely find myself relating to the lyrics of this song. I DO want to lay down these burdens, and I am longing to find myself in the place where God’s peace is my own, and I allow Him to do in me what He has promised to do, and will do once I get out of the way.

If you’ve ever felt like you were carrying extra burdens, then I encourage you to listen to the song. I don’t put my hope in man-made lyrics, but sometimes God gets our attention through imperfect messengers to point us to the perfect hope found in Him.

Celebrating Death?

With the release of the news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed, I have noticed several reports of celebration in the news. A Baseball game stopped in the middle to allow for the crowd to cheer the news. People gathered outside the White House and raised American Flags and their arms in triumph as cameras captured the images.

I will be the first to admit that I am glad that this terrorist is no longer in a leadership position over other like-minded people. What he planned and did to our country, and the resultant countless lives that were lost, is such an act of evil that to simply put those words down doesn't seem to be strong enough.

There must also be an admission that I was not there when he was engaged and then killed. I don't know the circumstances. Yes, the news reports one thing, but if we have learned anything it's that details can change from one report to the next, and different reports can be dramatized in an effort to grow an audience. I'm skeptical, what can I say? It may be that Bin Laden came out guns blazing, and capture was not an option. I don't know, and I'm not criticizing our military in any way.

What causes me to pause is the fact that people seem to be celebrating death. Evil or not, should we ever celebrate when a life is ended? I'm not into politics, so please don't go there with me. All I am doing is saying that as a Christian, as one who believes in and has committed my life to Jesus Christ, I have a hard time digesting and processing how I'm supposed to feel about this.

Again, I am very glad that this terrorist is no longer leading others to wreak havoc and destruction. There's no telling how many lives are saved because he is no longer able to brainwash and control others who believe in violent, lethal demonstrations of hate and anger. I see all the good that can come from this, and it may be that people are simply cheering for those positive things. But, I really don't think that's the case for all of those people, and I just can't seem to bring myself to celebrate death.

Is our culture making a mistake? Jesus said to Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:43) In the same Bible that records Jesus' words you can find a passage that says there is a time for everything: "A time to kill, a time to heal...A time to love, and a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace."(Ecclesiastes 3)

However, I don't see where it says to celebrate the taking of life. Do our video games, novels, TV shows, and movies cause us to forget the difference between reality and fiction? We cheer for the heroes who must kill when it's a game or in our favorite book. We feel relief when the "bad guys" on TV resist arrest by pulling a gun, but take a fatal bullet because of their unwillingness to come peacefully. But, should we actually cheer on the death of others?

I remember a scene from the Bible where there were those who cheered for death. The man they wanted dead was innocent of crimes, and yet they wanted him executed by the state. They cheered his death, and mocked his pain. On THIS side of the story, I can find hope because I know that this Man rose from the grave and defeated death. But I choose to celebrate His resurrection, not His death.

The death was necessary, and I accept it with heavy heart. Jesus' death demonstrates what Ecclesiastes says about a time to kill. The result it brought is one that provides atonement for all the sins of this world. Jesus knew it would happen, and He still told us to love them with the love of God, and pray that they would turn their hearts to Him. His prayers from the cross for their forgiveness demonstrate that we should never quit hoping in the power of God to change hearts. Even as He walked among the witnesses who saw Him after His resurrection, Jesus never called anyone to arms or to seek retribution against those that cheered for His death. He simply gave us the command to go into all the earth, and share the message of salvation with everyone.

When I hear reports of the deaths of men like Osama Bin Laden, or Saddam Hussein, or other evil men, I take a very somber breath of relief. Death may have been the last resort and the only way to stop them, I don't know. I'm glad their crimes against humanity can no longer persist, and will support those brave men and women in the military who are called into action because of these evil leaders. But I will always be saddened that there are people whose hearts are so hardened and against God that their actions ultimately lead to their own death.