The Jesus I Know

Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still?
-- MercyMe

I watched the movie “I Can Only Imagine” last night. Through the story of MercyMe’s lead singer Bart Millard, the movie presented the history of the most famous song in modern Christian music and how it launched the band’s rise from obscurity to the big time. 

It’s also a great movie about forgiveness and redemption. The once overplayed-to death-song is now just a bright star in the constellation of pop/country/Christian music. For most, it’s probably a fond memory of songs gone by, unless you played it at a loved one’s funeral. Which I did at my mom’s memorial service in early 2004 when the song was still residing on the BillboardHot 100 list. 

Watching Millard debut the song at the end of the movie was a powerful moment, transporting me back to the day in Monterey when my mom was memorialized with tributes, slide shows, and I Can Only Imagine. Fifteen years later, the song is still being used at funerals.

I’ve been to too many funerals lately. I feel like I’ve entered a new season in the circle-of-life department. It’s like the post-college season when there was a wedding every other month. Instead of watching friends tie the knot, I’m now consoling them when they lose a parent, or in some cases their spouse. This time of life should be called Four Funerals and a Wedding. 

And often, I Can Only Imaginestreams through the speakers as the slideshows roll on. 

And yet this weekend, as we remember Christ’s death and subsequent resurrection, I can’t help but think that the one man who conquered death didn’t receive a funeral. I don’t know how funerals went in ancient Israel. Maybe they had a weeklong period of mourning, complete with potato casseroles, sackcloth, and ashes. Maybe the deceased, like Jesus, was buried right away. We know from John 11 that Lazarus was in his tomb for four days before being raised to life. But how many days after his death did the burial occur? Jesus died just before the start of the Sabbath and he was hastily laid to rest. The resurrection account in Luke 24 says that the women were on their way to prepare Jesus’ body. So maybe a more formal and proper funeral was forthcoming. Good thing Jesus didn’t die on a Tuesday and he came back to life three days later in the middle of his funeral. I can only imaginewhat that would have been like.

Yesterday morning, I had a brief conversation with my checker at Trader Joes. It was crowded at an early hour and our chat led to Easter. He said he was thinking of asking his customers what significance Easter has for them. I asked how it was going. He said I was the first. 

So I told him Easter is the day I celebrate the resurrected life of the one who purchased my forgiveness and conquered death.

He liked my response.

But I must ask you now. Who is Jesus to you? 

Is his just the first name you utter when you’re upset or frustrated? Are you a fan, but there’s no way in H-E-L-L you’d ever darken the door of a church? Did you grow up in the faith, still believe, but have no space or time for organized religion? Is Easter only for family gatherings, with egg hunts for the kids and a ham the size of a Honda? 

If so, I’d like you think about getting to know Jesus the way I do. Lord knows I’ve made my share of mistakes … of all shapes and sizes, so I’m not trying to judge. I throw a lot of things, baseballs, parties, ideas; but certainly not any rocks. 

But the Jesus I know asks you to forgive those who hurt you and then gives you the ability to do so.

The Jesus I know redeems the pain of bad decisions (yours and others) and gives you second chances that are more amazing that you could have ever hoped or imagined. 

The Jesus I know holds your head above water when you feel like you’re drowning.

He brings help when the walls you have to climb are too high and the river you have to cross is too wide.

He accepts you the way you are.

He doesn’t require you go to a specific church, change your political worldview, or stop hanging out with your best friends. 

But he does ask for everything you have: your fears, worries, cares, burdens, hopes, hurts, and dreams … basically your life. Then he wastes nothing in working it all for good.

He climbs mountains, kicks in doors, and swims oceans to get to you when you need him most. He digs you out from under the weight of guilt and shame.

The Jesus I know loves you like a really good parent loves a son or a daughter. Tenderly, compassionately, and patiently.

The Jesus I know came back to life, conquered death, rolled away the stone, and exited the tomb so that YOU could have life, not just a future eternal life in heaven … which is a pretty darn good thing … but a life of peace and hope in both the joyful and the painful times here on earth NOW. 

The Jesus I know is hanging out with my mom in heaven. I am confident of this because I know that before she died, she knew him like I do.

Easter was her favorite holiday. She used to dress us up, take us to church, and cook a wonderful meal.

I can only imagine what it’s like for her in heaven. Because of the Jesus I know, someday I’ll find out. 

Will you be joining me?

HAPPY EASTER

From the Bottom of My Heart

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Today we celebrate the heart and all the love within it. With flowers and candy and romantic dinners we pay our respects to Saint Valentine, the third-century priest who was martyred on this day in 269 AD. Our hearts are amazing inventions. They miraculously keep us alive by sending blood through our bodies every second, every day.

But that’s not all they do.

Our hearts can both skip and leap with Olympic ability. They can melt too. Our hearts can be steadfast. They can break and sink. Hearts can be lost and left behind, even if they were in the right place all along. 

Our hearts feel. They see. In return, they can be touched. Out of the depths of them we speak. Something is memorized when we know it, not by mind, but by heart. We make promises by crossing our hearts. 

Hearts are like snowflakes, as no two are alike. There’s big hearts, golden hearts, and warm hearts. Some are youthful, even though they’ve lived for many years. Sadly, some are hardened and some are stone. Others are as cold as a polar vortex.

Like a telegraph, our hearts transmit information, often to console or encourage. Our hearts go out to others. They bleed for others. We share, bare, and pour out our hearts. We have heart-to-heart talks. Direct words come straight from the heart and it’s where we keep our best interests. We send heartfelt greetings and condolences. 

Hearts are paradoxes. There are heavy ones and light ones. In fear, our hearts knock and grow faint. But they also can be brave. In discouragement, they are sick. But a joyful heart is good medicine. If we lack effort, we didn’t have the heart. When we’ve worked hard, we used our whole heart. Our hearts can be set on something, but to get it, you might have to follow your heart. We mockingly tell others to eat their hearts out, but all women know that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. 

Without matters of the heart, there might be fewer songs on the radio. Juice Newton was playing with the Queen of Hearts and Elvis visited the Heartbreak Hotel. Bruce had a Hungry Heart. Bonnie Tyler’s heart was totally eclipsed. Singers are always telling us what to do with our hearts. Tom and Stevie commanded to stop dragging their hearts and Elton directed to don’t go breaking his heart. 

For a long time, I felt like I was, as the band Yes sang in the 80s, the owner of a lonely heart. But things changed last summer when I met someone who captured my heart. A mutual friend introduced us. A month later, the same friend hosted an essential oil class that I was teaching. Beautiful Karla attended. As the story goes, she purchased some oils so she’d be able to see me again. When I delivered the oils we sat and talked for an hour and a half. Besides having legs for days, I noticed her infectious laugh and a smile that would make Julia Roberts jealous. 

Then I went off to Mozambique. After I returned, she texted me:

“Do you like to hike?”

I thought maybe she was joking? Perhaps she’d stalked my Facebook page and noticed my hiking trips through Utah and Washington. I liked her approach.

“It’s only my favorite hobby,” I replied.

We opted for a walk on the beach and we’ve walking together ever since. We’ve walked in Santa Barbara and San Francisco. There have been trips to Paso Robles, Monterey, and Mammoth. And yes, we’ve hiked – from Palos Verdes, to the Palisades, to Pinnacles National Park. 

As much as I enjoy the trips and vacations, the walks around her neighborhood are just as special. It’s in those quiet strolls that our hearts connect. She says that I have a big heart. I don’t know about that, but she said she wants to take care of it. She realized that I needed security and stability. She saw in me passion and inspiration. We approach life differently, yet live in incredibly similar ways. She “thinks through her feelings, while I feel through my thoughts,” as another wise friend summarized. But somehow we arrive at the same destination. Perhaps because we have a parallel outward outlook on life.

All I know is we make a really good team. We don’t ever have a problem getting to the heart of the matter. She’s stolen my heart and I’ve vowed to risk a purple heart in order to protect hers.

Her heart is a fountain of virtues. She is calm, caring, poised, patience, and really smart. She’s elegant, diligent, noble, wise, and hardworking. She’s an amazing mom to a pair of wonderful kids. Her speech is pure. She thinks before she speaks and she’s super generous. She fears the Lord. She is faithful. And she’s weathered the storms of life.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity,

She can laugh at the days to come.”

She is beautiful. Inside and out. 

Lou Gehrig didn’t have a clue about luck. Because I feel like I’m the luckiest man alive. She makes me happy and I love her with all my heart. 

BK, Happy Valentine’s Day 

December Madness – Ranking the top Christmas Carols

I usually restrain my Christmas music listening to the 10 days before the big day, but this year was different. During the #bestyearever I started as soon as the calendar turned December. I’ve always enjoyed Christmas carols and everybody has his or her favorites. So this year, I decided to take a nationwide poll to determine the top-ranked Christmas carol. Gallup was busy, so I turned to Facebook for my research.

December is also the month when the college hoops season begins to heat up. Therefore, in honor of basketball’s glorious March tournament, I bring you December Madness -- the Road to the Christmas Carol Final Four. 

To begin with, the songs have been placed in a bracket consisting of seeds 1-16. 

1.    Hallelujah

2.    Silent Night

3.    O Holy Night

4.    Joy to the World

5.    Little Drummer Boy

6.    Mary, Did You Know?

7.    What Child is This?

8.    Hark the Herald Angels Sing

9.    God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

10.  O Come Emmanuel

11.  O Come All Ye Faithful

12.  Angels We Have Heard on High

13.  Come Let Us Adore Him

14.  Away in the Manager

15.  Do You Hear What I Hear?

16.  O Little Town of Bethlehem

Seedings were given out based upon votes received during my online polling. I then took the competition to the streets. For the first round games, I stood outside my grocery store, polling shoppers entering the doors while boxing out the Salvation Army guy collecting coins. For the second round matchups, I moved down a few yards and questioned the Douglas Fir-finding consumers in the Home Depot tree lot. For the two Final Four matchups I spent an hour in two different Starbucks locations, polling people frantically seeking caffeine like the shepherds looking for the baby in the manger. Then, I had to go big time for the championship game: the mall. I went to the food court, the perfume department at Macy’s, and of course the Foot Locker, since this is a basketball-style tournament. Note: Beautiful Karla cast the deciding vote when a tiebreaker was needed.

The Results:

Shockingly, the tournament opened with a major upset, not unlike No. 1 Virginia losing to 16-seed University of Maryland Baltimore County in last year’s basketball tourney. O Little Town of Bethlehem’s stunning upset of Hallelujah is one for the ages. Also the matchup was a true David and Goliath confrontation. Interestingly, Hallelujah is about Israel’s King David, who hailed from all places, Bethlehem. Personally, I was glad to see Hallelujah get the boot, because without any references to Christmas, I’ve always wondered why it is played during the holiday season.  

The next three top seeds all cruised to victory, Both Silent and Holy Nights, as well as Joy to the World. But the brackets were further busted when Angels We Have Heard on High took down the 5-seed Little Drummer Boy. LDB, perhaps overconfident, or lacking a big man in the paint, was one of the tournament’s biggest disappointment. AWHHOH was quick to give glory to God in the highest after its victory.

Two songs with a lot of question marks entering the tournament both advanced easily: Mary, Did You Know? and What Child Is This? The closest first-round contest was the 8-9 game featuring Hark the Herald Angels Sing and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. GRYMG, which presents one of the clearest gospel messages in the tournament field, kept the game close thanks to a little known version sung by Annie Lennox. But the former Eurythmics vocalist wasn’t a match for Carrie Underwood on this night. Underwood’s version of Hark led the way to a close two-point win for Charles Wesley’s famous hymn.

Second Round:

In the next batch of games, Silent Night squashed the Final Four hopes of Little Town. It was also a bad day of action for the shooting cherubim. Both Angels We Have Heard on High (to Mary, Did You Know?) and Hark (to What Child is This?) went down in defeat. Perhaps the most intriguing match-up of the tournament was No. 3 O Holy Night’s showdown with No. 4 Joy to the World. These are two heavyweights. While dozens of uber-talented vocalists from Mariah Carey to Aretha Franklin have belted out JTTW, tonight Celine Dion’s version of OHN was the only song repeating the sounding joy.

Final Four:

Semi Final Game One – What Child is This? vs. Mary, Did You Know?:

Boy, was this a matchup or what? Mary, a relative newbie to the Christmas carol landscape, seemed unfazed by the history of WCIT. All the question marks went out the window as these two song played on. The wonderfully creative Mary, powered by the version of Kenny Rogers and Martina McBride actually took a lead into the fourth quarter. But the powerful rendition by Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige was the difference maker for WCIT.

Semi Final Game Two – Silent Night vs. O Holy Night:

This matchup was the Christmas Carol equivalent of a Duke - North Carolina showdown. Unfortunately, the game didn’t live up to its billing. Silent Night came out weak and uninspired. Maybe because it’s just too hard for an average churchgoer to sing. Even with Bing Crosby on lead vocal, Silent Night was so quiet from the field that everybody, including the round yon virgins, headed for the exits early. Meanwhile, Johnny Mathis’ version coasted to victory.

Championship Game:

No. 3 O Holy Night vs. No. 7 What Child is This?

With Bocelli and Blige on the bench, WCIT went with Faith Hill’s version. However, O Holy Night had Josh Groban waiting. This game went down to the wire. But OHN was powered by the simple phrase, “The thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices”. To me, “The thrill of hope” is one of the best expressions in the English language. And it’s why OHN is the tournament’s champion.

Hope, for the Christian is the certainty of getting what is promised. It’s not wishing for an easy, trouble-free life. It’s knowing that in all things … sad times, hard circumstances, difficult seasons … God, in his love, goodness, and faithfulness will see you through them. I know this is true. I have first-hand experience. It’s a hope that only Jesus provides. For me, it’s why a weary world and a weary person can rejoice.

CBS always ends its NCAA Tournament coverage with a video montage to the song One Shining Moment sung by Luther Vandross.

One Shining Moment. 

I can’t think of a better name for a time when the Son of God entered the world to bring peace and hope –

under the glow of a twinkling, bouncing,

basketball. 

… I mean

star.