Jabez Knew What He Was Talking About

1 Chronicles 4:9-10
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

Bruce Wilkerson wrote a book a while ago called The Prayer Of Jabez. It was a big deal when it came out and controversial for what he claimed: Jabez's prayer that is listed in 1 Chronicles possesses the powerful prayer framework that will transform your life. Many in the Christian world scoffed at what they saw as a prosperity gospel message while others claimed it is a huge revelation. I'm mostly in the middle on these matters as many look at what's external and not at the heart condition. Any message of Christ can be twisted to justify a prosperity gospel message while others sensationalize what is Truth and lose what has been rooted in God's character from the beginning. I personally think that Wilkerson's book The Secrets Of The Vine is a much more powerful message, but prior to reading that I read The Prayer Of Jabez. This was about twelve years ago and focusing on just one aspect of the prayer was pretty eye opening: it revealed just how faithful God has been to me. It showed me that a persistence (even if at times my heart really wasn't into it or just plain being selfish) in prayer and the effect of drawing near to the Extraordinary has on me. It's actually quite comical and delightful.
I'm sure that to some this list isn't such a big deal. Many have lived amazing lives that are full of cool adventures and memories. For me, I consider my life pretty mundane. I haven't really distinguished myself in any field which makes anything amazing in my life very much God blessed. For that, I am thankful and will be thankful to Jabez and his example.
The one aspect of Jabez's prayer that stood out to me is "enlarge my territory". It sounds like a "make me rich" request, but it more about having us see that God a much larger story in store for us; that He desires for us to pray for audacious and crazy things that will be huge in advancing His Kingdom. It is a mindset that asks God to do something so big, that it can't possibly be from man.

I am originally from California. I had the mindset that I would live my whole life there. I had little desire to see much more than what I knew. I mean, I had snow in the Sierras, beaches in Santa Cruz, an engineering job in Silicon Valley, all of my family and friends nearby and all my favorite sports teams there. What I'd never consider is that I'd end up moving to Tennessee. Not only that, I'd end up owning a KOA campground in the very small town of Sweetwater. This means driving a tractor, cleaning sewers and dealing with difficult guests. It means that I wore a bright yellow shirt and drove a golf cart around while picking up trash and repairing just about anything that could get broken. It also stretched me to learn many new things. I had to be the janitor, the customer service representative, the bookeeper, mechanic, grounds maintenance man, marketing specialist and boss. I'm also glad to say that I believe my grandfather would be proud to know that his youngest grandson who grew up in the suburbs taught himself to drive a tractor. I was stretched beyond my own means. I prayed a lot about things since so much was riding on the success of the business. I learned so much about myself there. God expanded me in ways that I could never imagined if I'd stayed in Northern California.

I used to be adverse to travel. Believe it or not I hated the change, the strain of travel and just not being able to relax being away from what was comfortable. For some reason I started getting encouraged by others to get out and help minister away from my comfort zone. This has led me to helping build houses in Mexico. That in fact meant using outhouses and living in a dusty and dirty makeshift camp. It also meant meeting people who literally had no roof over their heads. It meant connecting to people with whom I barely could communicate with. It was so powerful to see the tears of joy of a sixty year old man as we handed him the keys to his newly built two room house. Going through that can change your heart. God showed me that I had much to learn about love and much to appreciate about what my life is.

Travel also means helping in the sticky, bug filled Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. The destruction down there was shocking at times. I was in Waveland and was standing on an empty lot. It took me a few minutes before I realized it was a campground. If there's one thing I should easily recognize is a campground. I just couldn't see it because there was so much that was destroyed and that nothing around me was familiar. There were literally whole neighborhoods that were destroyed with all members of the families working: boys directing traffic, girls cooking, moms organizing while dads operated heavy equipment. This was community at its best.I learned how to repair roofs and do drywall work. I saw how generous people can be. I received many warm hugs of appreciation. This showed me that I have much to learn about mercy.

Travel also can involve and random call from a good college friend: one that invites you to get involved with a small village in the Western Highland of Guatemala. It would be a time to reconnect with my IVCF friends from college. Seeing the Mayan people made me think that somewhere at the Tower Of Babel, some of my ancestral relatives found their way to Central America while others found their way to southern Japan. I felt like a tall Mayan there. All of these trips involved lots of bottled water, but this one also involved building an outhouse. It also involed kids. Lots and lots of kids who seemed to love you instinctively. They also showed me that hard work is not lost on this generation. The people of Panyebar must be hard workers to survive. They also are looking for ways to thrive as they move more and more into the modern culture. God showed me the blessing of friendships that last a lifetime. It also showed me a lot about joy. Children with so little material possesions had the more valueable gift of joy; play was instictive and spontaneous; laughter was constant. I needed to expand my experience of joy and found it in Guatemala.

To be honest, I took a few college courses that were out of sheer laziness. Two of them were Basketball Training and Basketball Coaching Theory. Both of them aren't exactly Organic Chemistry in terms of complexity. Along with that I have spent all too much time watching sports. Somehow God even can use my laziness for His glory. I first volunteered to be an assitant coach for Fox's JV basketball team. It was my hope that this would be a good connecting time with him (and it has). I have found myself leaning on the things that I learned from basketball coaches and classes that I picked up along the way. Through some tragic circumstances (the head coach was in a car accident and thankfully is doing well), this led to me becoming the JV Head Coach. During the summer, the Varsity Head Coach retired; I was asked to fill his shoes. Is this something that I'm qualified to do? One definitely questions that. I know that being the kid who sat at the end of the bench in high school isn't an auspicious beginning to a coaching career. Anyway, I'm on the verge of my first season as a Varsity Basketball Head Coach. God has gifted me with some wonderful young men and a great pair of assistant coaches. I know that somehow, God is preparing us for something great. Maybe not in wins, but in terms of leading young men. My hope and prayer as we embark on this season is that each of us on the team grows to see more of God's leading in our lives; that He is intimately involved in the process of growing; and that His love for us is deeper than we can possibly imagine.
I see that Jabez was on to something. Not a magical set of words that will give you things you want, but something far better than that. It is access to seeing God work and not just far off somewhere, but deep and intimately in your life. It is a transformational experience that can only be accomplished by God. So Jabez and his prayer is much more about our heart condition. Are we ready for what God is going to do? Are we open to not only His leading but His vast stores of love?

Dude, This Is Awesome - One More Thing Off The Bucket List

Acts 2:17
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams."
The Bucket List. That pesky To Do list of things you want to do before God calls you home. On it there's usually a bunch of deep and very important things to do that usually involves family, self improvement and leaving the world a better place. Those items have a sense of duty, calling and sacrifice. God desires for us to live those things out for we are called to be servants. The funny thing is there are usually a few other items on the bucket list. They're outlandish, crazy and by many definitions, self serving. This part of the bucket list reflects a wonderful side of our Father: the Creator, the Artist, and the Comedian. I think both of these are important aspects of the Extraordinary. Without one side, we are entirely self absorbed and spoiled, without the other, we're duty bound soulless slaves. I hate the idea of living exclusively in either realm.
So with that in mind, I present my experience in checking something off the latter part of the list. It's one of those things you do that only makes sense if you really love baseball. Add to that my love of the San Francisco Giants and maybe you'll get the picture.
It started with my dear wife giving me a Father's Day card this year. In it was my gift: a road trip to attend a game at Wrigley Field. If you need context, it's the oldest park in the National League, home to the Chicago Cubs and situated in the colorful North Side of the Second City. It is a mecca for baseball and a touchstone to the past history of the game.

 

If you're a baseball fan, I'm sure can appreciate just how cool this is. It got even cooler when I found out the Giants were playing the Cubs on Labor Day weekend. Even more cooler: the Chicago White Sox had a home game after that meaning a trip to the new Commiskey Park on the South Side. This was hitting the "too cool for words" level of excitement.

I invited my good friend Phil Fishbach on the trip - he's a Reds fan but I'll forgive him for that. On the way we could have seen Purdue play EKU in football or stopped on the way home and saw Cincy play the Phillies, but that would be overkill. With the remants of Hurricane Isaac passing over the Midwest, a concern for rain outs crept in.

Even so, we risked it and took our Mistubishi Eclipse Spyder convertible. This trip is starting to sound like a midlife crisis...

We have a running joke about Phil in that wherever we go with him, he will meet someone he knows from somewhere. Surely enough, on I75 somewhere in south eastern Kentucky, he saw a friend driving by - kind of creepy/scary. We did hit some hard rain in Louisville (or Lou'vil if you're from the south) but besides that, the weather was mild. In Lafayette, IN we hit Triple XXX Burgers (not what you might think) which is a famous diner for Purdue football fans. They're famous for their cheeseburger with PEANUT BUTTER. I wasn't brave enough for that so I ended up with a nice steak and eggs plate called the Drew Brees Breakfast:

Grease was obviously the ingredient deJour on this trip. I happened to be wearing my University Of Tennessee Basketball Camp shirt with Cuonzo Martin's name on it. What I had forgotten was that Martin played at Purdue. I made some friends there without any effort.

We holed up in Merrillville, IN (just as I did with Amanda on our motorcycle trip). Phil's last words to me that night were: "Dude, tomorrow we'll be at Wrigley Field!" 

Taking the L train to the Addison exit on the Red line drops you at the corner of Sheffield and Addison (this was taken after the game):

Phil's reaction to this was "Dude, this is awesome!"

Walking out to this area was hard to describe. There's a vibe, and buzz in the air that I had only experienced at Fenway in Boston. This was the world of baseball. Everything around was about the game. Fans wearing all sorts of Cubs and Giants garb. Baseball themed building, restaurants, street vendors and bars.

Phil's reaction to this was "Dude, this is awesome!"

Circling the perimeter of the stadium and seeing all the things that you hear about on TV and radio was a bit mind blowing. The brick facade on the outside, the bleacher on the roof tops, the statues of Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Harry Carey and Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks:

Phil's reaction to this was "Dude, this is awesome!"

Entering the park and seeing the red bricks, the green bleachers, the Chicago skyline, the green ivy, the big hand operated scoreboard, the lush green grass and players warming up gave me a bit of a chill - I was inside Wrigley Field to see the Giants and the Cubs! When I was four years old, I went to see Mays, and McCovey at Candlestick Park. For a moment I was that excited kid again looking in awe of seeing the wonderful world of baseball. Just think that every great National League player (Aaron, Ott, Mathewson, Gibson, Musial, Koufax just to name a few) has played at Wrigley. Here's where Hack Wilson and Fergie Jenkins made their home. Babe Ruth called his famous shot here.

Phil's reaction to this was "Dude, this is awesome!"

We circled around the park enjoying the sight lines around the box seats. I even went to find the most notorious seat in the house: the Bartman seat. The gentleman who got it didn't even know that was the seats he purchased. He acknowledged that he was not going to ever be left alone during the game, but was fine with it. He got to sit in a place with some cool history:

Phil's reaction to this was "Dude, this is awesome!"

We made our way back to our seats. I noticed at this point that Phil had never stopped smiling since we got off the train. I think he was having a good time. Included in that was through text messaging he was guiding his son through mowing the lawn... Not a bad deal, watching a game in Chicago while the kids do the chores!

To continue the greasy food theme, I had a bratwurst foot long dog with grilled onions and drowning in nacho cheese. I think my arteries are hardening just thinking about it:

First pitch was to Angel Pagan. I was seeing my beloved Giants playing at Wrigley Field!

Phil's reaction to this was "Dude, this is awesome!"
Throughout the game, there's a rumble in the air. This is a place where the heartbeat of the crowd is all in the rhythm of a baseball game. Though they haven't won since 1908, they bleed Cubbie blue here. A few big hits, an unearned run matched by a Soriano home run and then a triple by Brandon Belt resulted in the Giants win. The seventh inning stretch tradition of singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" was performed along with some Chicago Blackhawk players (including Hall Of Famer Tony Esposito):

Phil's reaction to this was "Dude, this is awesome!"
With a Giant's 7-5 win, my day at the ballpark was indeed complete:

 Post game in Wrigleyville is just as important. The streets are filled with fans filling bars and restaurants around the ballpark. We had a by the slice pizza place that had something that resembled a slaughterhouse for toppings:

Ah, Chicago pizza! On the way out we had one last glimpse of Wrigley. There's a garage door in right field that is an access way for vehicles. It was left open and I got an unobstructed ground level view of the hallowed grounds:

Phil's reaction to this was "Dude, this is awesome!"
Not sure where this ranks, but this was near the top of the best days ever. I have a feeling Phil would agree.
Although not as cool, the next day at New Commiskey (aka US Cellular Field) was another fun day at the ballpark. The stadium is a typical nice modern ball park with a great sound system and an HD Jumbotron (which is lacking at Wrigley, but not missed).

The White Sox played the Twins  (Sox won 4-2) and we had fourth row boxes down the right field line:

I scored a foot long Commiskey dog that was unbelievable (and greasy):

 

Mustard, pickle spears, peppers, tomato slices, some green stuff and onions. Let's just say that one of those will cover you for dinner. As for experiences, this was a nice day at the ballpark which is great for me. It also checks another baseball stadium off the To Do list.

Although this experience was pretty much a weekend of fun, I sense that God smiled down and showed Phil and I that He is a God of delight. His desire for His children is to enjoy things, laugh and have a good time. In it we can say that in all things God gets the glory. I am deeply thankful that I got this time with a good friend and some good memories.

Dude, this is awesome!

Hands High In Praise

Late last week I got some great news regarding one of my children. It wasn't a life and death situation, but something I have been praying for and hoping for. When God finally answered with a huge "Yes!" I was stunned in amazement. The next reaction was spontaneous and very much unlike my normal reaction to things: I raised my hands up in joy. I was so happy, joyful and thankful that my body just reacted. Reflecting on this I realize that still after all of this time of hopefully maturing and growing in my walk with Christ I am way too reserved in my praise of Him; the Extraordinary. We have so much to praise Him for and yet not only is it limited in the time we spend praising Him it's limited in scope. Why can't we just scream, cry, laugh, bow, or dance in joy?

A big part of why men lack is that we are once again boxed in by the world's definition of a male emotion. We are created to be emotional, but we are stifled by social mores that dictate how we are to act. Way too early in life we are told that emotions are for the weak. We are limited to laughing and getting angry in terms of social acceptance. Pretty pathetic if you think about it. Men end up stuffing or detaching from their emotions; the end result is all sorts of issues including depression; rage; anxiety and fear. Praise is a huge and positive step in terms of integrating and experiencing our emotions. There should be a moment in all our lives when we seriously contemplate what Christ has done for us. Perhaps in a song, or a film on the Passion or a passage of Scripture could hit us so hard with the depth to which Christ went to show His love for us. It should bring us to tears. We should bow down in thanks. Let whatever emotion you feel towards God be fully expressed. It's quite freeing and deeply refreshing. It will ease much of the stored up pain that we all need relief from.

I know that Tim Tebow is a lightning rod of controversy but I truly admire the young man. He has that settled peace that most men twice his age lack. One huge reason is that he knows his true Father and is at peace showing his love for Him.
One other thing that we have to get away from is the fear of men. Why do we care so much about what everybody else thinks? Fear is the universal emotion resulting from the fall of man. We are so afraid of what others think. Consider how much shame and scorn is heaped upon public figures for any misstep. Once I heard a comedian mention why men don't raise their hands too high when they're dancing. He said it was because there's an invisible "queer" line just around the shoulders that men's hands can't cross. The funny part is that there is some truth to that perception. Why should we care what other people define things as? Those who are at peace with who they are seem to be able to rise above all of that. In essence it's absence of fear that frees us. Adam was afraid of God in the Garden after the fall. Conversely, Christ, the apostles and so many who have died for their faith faced their fear and peacefully trusted in their Father. That is amazing.
To draw us closer to our feelings and to show just how much we as men do feel, think about the big moments you have experienced in sports. With apologies to Bobby Thomson, Carlton Fisk, Bucky Dent, Alan Ameche, Bill Mazeroski, John Havlicek, Bobby Orr, and Joe Carter; here are some that come to mind that hit deep for me:

The rag tag lowly eight seed 1994 San Jose Sharks oust the mighty President Trophy winning Detroit Red Wings on Jamie Baker's late goal.
Randy Hahn's call:
"It's over! The San Jose Sharks have pulled off a miracle. They're going to round two, Detroit is out!"

Cal vs. Stanford in 1982. The Big Game. Simply known as The Play. Joe Starkey almost bursts a lung with his call:
"AND THE BEARS!!! THE BEARS HAVE WON!!! THE BEARS HAVE WON!!! Oh my God, the most amazing, sensational, traumatic, heart rending... exciting thrilling finish in the history of college football! California has won... the Big Game...over Stanford."

Something I've waited all my life to see: the Giants win the World Series in 2010. Thank you Edgar Renteria! Not the greatest call, but Duane Kuiper gets the honors:
"Swing and a miss and that's it! The Giants are World Champions!"

US vs. Russia in the 1980 Olympics. Some consider this the greatest event in sports history. This Sports Illustrated cover is one of only three covers in their history that has no caption. Obviously, we all needed no explanation. We all love the underdog story. Al Michaels made the call (in only the second hockey game he covered):

"Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"

In the lore of Bay Area sports, this is the biggest of them all. This was the beginning of the dynasty. The Catch. Sprint Right Option. Joe Montana to Dwight Clark. The voice of the hated Dodgers, and perhaps the greatest announcer of all time, Vin Scully had the call:

"Montana...looking, looking, throwing in the end zone...Clark caught it!"

Psalm 150:4-6

"praise him with timbrel and dancing, 

    praise him with the strings and pipe, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

Just taking the time to think about those moments stirs something inside of me. Great memories. Times when I jumped up and cheered like crazy. We have it in us. We need to express it. Meditate on how many great things are in your life. Smile about them. Laugh about them. Cry about them. Raise your hands and scream at the top of your lungs. God created us to express ourselves.

Woohoo!