Up Early?

This morning I was rather surprised when my Anne got up at our normal time, 4:30 AM and instead of putting on jogging apparel instead got into the shower. I was assuming she had to get to work early or something. So as she is putting the finishing touches to her hair and makeup I ask the obvious do you know that it is early? My Anne’s response was ahhhhh because she thought it was an hour later and she was going to rush to have to get to work. So we instead took the dogs for a walk, got her lunch ready afterwards and she left on time as usual.

It is always amazing what happens when you get up early and have a pro-active mindset versus waiting for someone or thing to get you. This morning as I am sitting at my Starbucks getting ready to write this blog and do e-mail I overhear two guys that are teachers start talking about their situations. I quickly jump into the conversation about life and school and start talking about what we do. All of a sudden Mark, who is rather tall and overshadowing, becomes a friend who is quick to echo my experience of working with teens in the hood.

Scott, the other teacher, starts talking about his teen daughter who is going to an alternative type of charter school and wants something different of better. We end up talking about schools and overall life issues for about 15 minutes. As I step back and think about why I get up early I would have missed these guys, who I do see everyday but hadn’t actually talked to them before. So now I have two new friends, Mark and Scott. I also know that Scott especially will consider getting involved with some of his teens from Chavez who need community service.

I know that Jesus must have driven his disciples crazy when it came to his schedule. They would get up at the normal time and have this paniced look that maybe he had left them or gone back to heaven because he was no-where to be found. Jesus understood the importance of being on top of life and not letting circumstances control you. I know that there have been many books written about the tyranny of the urgent. It is too easy to let the little things in life blind you to the more important things. I love the book “Good to Great”. I know that it is easy for me to get sidetracked with doing good things that aren’t necessarily the best.

I have some friends who will ask don’t you ever sleep in or take a vacation from getting up so early. Yeah, we do get some rest and relaxation but usually our bodies are so programed that we still wake up by 5:30 or 6. I so much enjoy the early morning time to think, plan and just meditate on the Word or good things. It has been so much fun befriending the baristas at my Starbucks. This would never happen if I decided to come in at 8:30 when it is so busy.

Yes the early bird does catch the worm and those who snooze do loose is a fact of life. So why not catch the worm and why not win by simply being there on time!

Tribute!

Last night there was a tribute at University of Arizona in Tucson for those who lost their lives a year ago at the Safeway that has changed the lives of many Arizonians. I can’t fathom the emotions that went through those who attended, especially Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark. The congresswoman and her family will never be the same. The road to recovery for many will be for the rest of their lives. I will never understand what it would be like to have been there that day working at Safeway. The reality for many employees was that they went back to work in a few days and were suppose to act as if everything was back to normal.

We were blessed to have had some time in San Diego, our second home during the New Year’s Weekend. We did many of the usual things, like go to the beach, see the harbor, go to the Wild Animal Park, enjoy some Flippi’s pizza and watch a couple of movies with our larger family. The real treat though wasn’t any of these but seeing an older grandma who has been instrumental in my life and the lives of many youth at First Presbyterian in downtown San Diego. I was a little embarrassed when we walked into the New Year’s Day Service only to discover that they had combined both early and late services and also invited another international congregation to join them.

We did hear the last portion of the International Pastor’s sermon, which was an excellent call to live out the Gospel in the New Year. I saw many old faces around us that I hadn’t seen for a while. I know that my Anne was teary eyed through most of the service understanding that this could be the last service she might attend with her mom. I’m always teary eyed at First Church because my mom has been gone for over four years and I have many memories of being with my family at First Church.

After the service we winded our way into the Fellowship Hall area and the overflow area. They had a typical church potluck happening. I wasn’t really in the mood to be too social understanding the circumstances. Yet, there was one face that caught my eyes that I was automatically drawn – Mrs. Marksbury. I don’t know exactly how old she is but know that over forty years ago when Anne and I taught 4^th grade Sunday School with her and Blaine she looked the same as today. I heard the story through a few that she had suffered a severe fall at Thanksgiving and had been in the hospital. I also heard the sad news that Blaine was back in the hospital because of his ongoing battle with cancer.

I will always remember these two special friends because of their amazing smiles and quickness to always greet everyone regardless of age or background. I have soo many great memories of them volunteering to do the thankless jobs at First Church. I know that they had become permanent fixtures at the church that everyone assumed would be there forever. Yet, all of us know that there is no such thing as forever in this present life, short of going to heaven and glory with Jesus.

My time at First Pres during my seminary days was incredible between having theological discussions with many, serving along with an amazing team to help the multi-cultural youth group see the bigger picture and being challenged with the path for my future. The interesting thing looking back was that the Marksbury’s or Blueberries as we nicked named them didn’t stand out because of what they said but because of how they lived their lives. I will always remember these two automatically embraced the rag tag youth that made their way into the First Pres catacombs. I can’t ever remember Blaine or Mildred being put off because of the ethnic mix of kids or their wildness on occasion.

I know that the Tucson Vigil at U of A made the national headlines, yet, I also know that the memorial service for Blaine Marksburry made the headlines in Heaven for his homecoming. I am sadden to know that this saint’s smile will be missed at First Church but will be reflected by many all over the world who have been touched by his servant’s heart and smile. There is much of who I am today that is a byproduct of these two. I don’t think I would understand servant leadership or how to face hardship if it hadn’t been for these two. I know that Blaine fought skin cancer most of his life. I know that his thin hair on top didn’t always cover over the scars left from the numerous surgeries. Yet, what sticks out wasn’t his hat he would wear but his handshake, smile and greeting.

I have had a few like the Blueberries in my life that have truly shown me a taste and touch of heaven. My prayer is that I can be the same in my old age and encourage the generation growing up to see that having a smile, a handshake and ready greeting will change the world. Thanks Blaine and Mildred for being part of my life over the last 40 years!

Coincidence?

I have become a firm believer that there are no accidents or coincidences in life. I know that this might border on determinism; you would understand this if you took Philosophy 101 in college. If you are a Calvinist than it is easy to say that God has his ‘fingers’ in everything. The challenge is that no one wants to see life as a puppet on a string!

I have too many stories to write about that would almost make it scary if you didn’t believe in a sovereign God who is all about grace and mercy. So here’s a story that is just fairly normal for my day-to-day life. We are in San Diego over the New Year’s weekend to get some rest and refreshment. I always struggle with whether I just ignore all calls, screen some, just in case there is some emergency and ignore e-mail and social media.

I get a call from one of my single moms who is going through some rough times. I listen to her message because her mom has some serious health issues. (She has kidney failure, is a diabetic, does dialysis three times a week and now has shingles.) So I am always afraid that she will be in the hospital with complications. So I listen to the call and it’s about her daughter needing a twin mattress. I choose not to immediately call her back because we are doing some family fun event like going on a Harbor Cruise in San Diego.

I get an e-mail from a close pastor friend who has a neighbor who is getting rid of a couple of twin mattresses. I almost chuckle to myself about God’s timing. So I do quickly text back my non-techno pastor friend and then I do call the single mom to give her the great news that there is a bed for her daughter.

I get back from our little vacation and make arrangements to get the bed and tell the single mom that it is coming. I go out to my pastor friend who lives in a nice suburban house and joke about his yuppy lifestyle. We load the mattresses; yes three, into the back of my truck. We walk across the cul-de-sac to thank his neighbor, who has the perfect dog protecting his front door. (My dogs would have barked up a storm while waiting for me to get to the door. This magnificent Boxer stood at command and didn’t bark once.) I drive off after talking to my good friend who asked if I really like doing this kind of thing. I quickly remark that I don’t want to be a Good Will or Salvation Army but usually will ask my network of friends for help when there is a specific need and usually within a day it happens.

I drive back to my neighborhood, which looks a lot different from my pastor friend’s house. As I approach my single mom friend it strikes me that God set this up. I didn’t have to even e-mail or talk to anyone. I get a voice mail from the mom and an e-mail from another friend. So yes I affirm both God’s sovereignty and man’s apparent free will. Yeah, it is a mystery, as to how God does accomplish his will even when I’m being disobedient. So don’t be surprised when amazing things happen that show that there isn’t such a thing as coincidences. God is full of surprises!

Patience

We were blessed to get a new used van a month or so ago. It is great to have a safer way to transport our kids and adults when we do an event. Yeah, we already have a big van that can hold 20 and a truck that can fit that many in the back. So getting our used van has been a blessing. What hasn’t been a blessing has been waiting for a part over the last 2 weeks.

I’m blessed to have a great friend who is also my mechanic. He is great at helping out and figuring out what is wrong and then is always so willing to do what has to be done. I know that when I dropped the van off to get an oil change I was a little surprised when he told me what was really wrong with it, like there was fluid leaking that was anti-freeze which was caused by a bad seal in the AC condenser core.

The challenge now comes when the parts store my mechanic uses isn’t able to get the part. So we have to resort to using a different parts store. They go online and find the correct part and assure me that it will be in on Christmas Eve. I’m so hoping that the van can be done so we can take it on our San Diego trip. Yeah, I’ll admit that I wanted to show off the van and be able to use it with doing family outings. The sad news was that the part didn’t come in on Christmas Eve. I really shouldn’t have expected my mechanic to work on Christmas Eve. God threw a monkey wrench and there wasn’t a part so he couldn’t fix it.

I am promised by the manager that she would order another part just incase this other part was lost on a Fed Ex truck. She did admit that there were other parts that were missing and it was most likely a different driver because of the holiday and the part would show up. We leave for our little vacation in San Diego and I let go of whether the part will show up or not.

I am hoping that my mechanic has gotten the part and after we return there will be a call saying it is done come and get it. Yet, the sad truth was there wasn’t a call and the part hadn’t come in yet and the van was still stripped and unable to do much of anything. So I decide to go in and get my money back and go to a different parts supply place. I call the dealer and discover the part would cost over $400 if I bought it through them and it would still have to be special ordered. This last place I was going to at least see if they could rebuild the part and found out they could actually get the right one in just a day and it was still around a $100.

So I’m now waiting again for the part, which is promised to come in today. So I’ll see if I have patience when I’m told the part isn’t available later today.

Old!

I do have a difficult time admitting to the fact that I am getting old. Yeah, I know being around my father in-law gives me hope that I can be actively involved with making a difference for the Lord until I go home. I have been pegged as someone who is hyperactive and can’t be still. I admit to the fact that I like to be a doer. I do enjoy and actually cherish times when I can be still and read. Yes, I do read books, yes with my ipad.

This last week we went to San Diego to get away, be with Anne’s mom and dad and actually have a day to hang out at the beach and stay at a hotel on the shoreline. I have to admit that one of my highlights of the trip wasn’t being an hour late to church, no one thought that for New Year’s Day church might be different for First Pres. We did run into quite a few friends from our past which represent our aging youth group that is now in their 40’s and then lots of grandma types. I also remembered many who have been significant in my life that were physically absent but spiritually present as they looked down from heaven.

There is one special couple that seemed like they were old in the 70’s when we were doing a 4^th grade Sunday School Class, Blaine and Mildred Marksbury. It is now 40 years later they are exactly the same. What struck me as I saw Mildred having lunch after church was that she recognized me and automatically asked about our lives in South Phoenix. I will always remember how much influence the ‘Blackberry’s’ had on our Hispanic Youth. Most of them were on the wild side and really didn’t fit too well in a more traditional church. Yet, they led the way for many at First Church to love on these youth, help provide funding for a van and a very active youth program that sees fruit 40 years later.

I know that Blaine was in the hospital for his cancer and that Mildred had a very serious fall around Thanksgiving that had her in the hospital. I think of the many people in my life, part from my parents and Anne’s, it would be the Blueberry’s that impacted me the most along with another close friend, Lillian, who lives in the Bay Area. I know that in today’s hip church scene that they wouldn’t fit at all. They love hymns and mostly organ music and not the praise band type of worship. They also are into dressing up for all events. I have learned so much from them about praying and continuing to care for those that aren’t physically around you.

My prayer is that as I age that I can become like Mildred or Lillian and be special friends to those who are half my age. I do love being able to bug my father in-law about his hyperactive tendencies today. We went to the wild animal park while we were with him over the weekend and he was the one that was literally running from event to event. He was the one that wanted to do something every day and not just be still.

God thanks that I can enjoy being an old man sitting at my Starbucks blogging!