Sunday

On Sunday I went to hear a dude give a talk about Galatians. Now, Galatians is plenty solid, but I’ve been in that book before, so I wasn’t exactly expecting a revelation. What I heard caused my heart to pull out a ladder and make its way to my throat.

The talk came from the first chapter of Galatians where Paul writes about his disgust for the Jews who were adding to the gospel. The path to Christ that Paul had told the Galatians about was being complicated by old-school Jews. Jews, who wanted Gentile Christians to practice parts of the old law. So Paul is hacked, and he’s not pulling any punches in letting his readers know about it. This part of the study was what I expected—its good stuff even for today. Anytime people manufacture requirements to reach Christ we should be disgusted. (Insert whatever church traditions you’ve seen people bind as law here.)

The chapter takes a turn about half-way through as Paul validates the message he originally preached. He does this by telling his own story, highlighting the revelation he received from Jesus.

What the speaker chose to highlight next grabbed me.

Paul’s life before Jesus’ intervention had been flawless. He went to the best schools, excelled in his studies, climbed to the highest ranks of the religious elite, and then made it his personal mission to eliminate those who would try to change the old ways. He was living a life of righteousness, but what was his motivation? You see, the speaker explained, he was trying to gain favor with God by doing all the right things.

And then in verse 15 he writes: “But when God”. Paul’s life story hinges on those 3 words. That was the moment Paul quit and God began. The system of the old law was designed to give followers a way to achieve favor with God. But when God sent Jesus, the system changed. Now the favor is free, there is nothing we can do to achieve it.

That made me swallow, trying to coax my heart back to its normal spot. How long have I been keeping score, trying to collect enough points to earn God’s favor? This introspection and the following realization were liberating. It came with a wave, like a gentle rain that honestly left me a little weepy. You see, in Paul’s story when he stopped and God began the repercussions were immeasurable.

I want to stop and let God begin.

Dick Dalzell

One of my favorite memories is the Northwest College and University Choir Festival held at Willamette University in the spring of 1993. We'd participated in this festival every year and this was to be our last as Columbia Christian College was closing at the end of the semester. In other years we compared quite well in size and sound to the other choirs from schools with 10 times our enrollment, but this year we stood out. I don't remember exactly how many members we had in choir that final year, but it wasn't many. I do remember that after we spaced ourselves evenly across the risers I couldn't touch my nearest neighbor without taking a full step. We were small. But that night, our sound filled the auditorium. The feeling I experienced during our most challenging selection has never been duplicated in me. The music that we made that night took me to another place. The audience of choirs met us with a standing ovation when we reached our destination—they were moved as well.

While that was a highlight during my choral career at Columbia, my memory is flooded with dozens of similar, musical moments. Moments where we didn't just sing songs—moments where we made music. My director for these moments was Dick Dalzell. Under his direction I was taught that music is more than notes to be sung. It is a message, an emotion, an expression.

I took Choral Conducting, Choral Arranging, Music History, 4 semesters of Joyful Noise, 8 semesters of choir, and 8 semesters of private voice lessons from Mr. Dalzell. It would be accurate to say that he shaped me. I am indebted to him for the person that I am today. For while Mr. D. was teaching lessons on music, I was learning about life. Under his tutelage I learned about the commitment it takes to build a program that will touch lives for generations. About the love that is required to sustain a marriage. About the patience that is needed to shepherd a church. And about the familiarity with God that makes His name Father.

My teacher is nearing the end of his journey on earth. In this place his presence will be missed, but his lessons will continue. I am thankful for the time I spent with him.

Change in Venue

Yesterday was a turning point in my life. I have been an active member at the Metro Church of Christ since 1989. At the conclusion of yesterday's service I read the following through blurred vision:

Dearest Family,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce that Christa and I have completed our time at Metro. We have felt the urging of the Spirit to embark upon a new journey; and while we are excited about what God has in store for us, we are sad that we will no longer be serving at Metro.

After 19 years of membership, this is not an easy thing to do. You are our family and we have been shaped through our time with you.

Please know that we are not leaving because of any falling out, or disagreement with anyone. We hold the Metro leadership in the highest regard and look forward to seeing where they will lead you.

For us, this is like a graduation. Metro has loved us, fed us, and inspired us--and now we must commence the next chapter.

We take comfort during our transition from stories in the Bible where God moved people from one place of service to another. Heroes like Abraham, Ruth, and the disciples were all asked to leave the places where they were and take a new journey.

Our new station has not been revealed to us, so the first step of our journey will include reflection and listening. During this period we covet your prayers for our direction.

We love you very much and will seek to continue the relationships we have formed with you despite our departure.

We pray that God will:

cover you with His wing when you need protection,
strengthen you with His joy,
surround you with his people so you have a sense of belonging,
turn His face toward you and give you peace.

When it was over Christa and I were met with an overwhelming outpouring of love. I can't tell you how much I will miss that church. They will always be my family. I will never take for granted the time I was allowed to serve there.

Regarding the future, I have never felt so in love with my wife. We are embarking on this journey together and can't help but be excited to see where God leads us.

Ringtailed Guests

Last night my dog came in after barking with a Jimmy-is-stuck-in-the-well-and-you-better-come-see look in her eyes. I ignored her. She went back out an barked some more. When she came back in her eyes said "if you don't follow me out to check this out, I'm gonna gnaw off your toes while you sleep!" So, I went (I like my toes). She led me to the, (ahem,) unfinished, treehouse platform where I found 3 raccoons. I wonder how you poison raccoons?

Rite of Passage

Do you remember the feeling of your first ride? (Turn up your sound and let Adam refresh your memory.)

Cast & Crew
First-time Rider	Adam (29 days before his 3rd birthday)
Dad with words of direction	Blake
Older Brother	Griffin
Camera	Kim

What I should have said

I'm insulted by the flippancy of your blog post. To think that I used to hang on your every word and now I only get one word a year. One post a year, and that post is a 3.5 liner.

~Rizzle

The sentiments of this comment left me feeling like I was wrapped in a warm blanket on a chilly night. In an effort to allay Ryan's un-satisfaction I offer the following.

I have few sports heroes. I like lots of sports, I just don't find myself drawn to individuals very often. One exception is Lance Armstrong. I am a huge fan of Lance. In fact, just mention his name near me and you'll get an explosion of conversation that would rival any political, talk-show host in the aftermath of Sarah Palin's VP announcement. I think the Tour (or Tour de France to most of you) is one of the greatest tests of physical endurance on the planet (covering 2200 miles in 21 days). Lance has won the Tour a record 7 times. He completed this feat after conquering testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain before it was diagnosed.

During his reign as the father of the peloton Lance was often accused of using performance enhancing substances. Although he was tested more than any other athlete in history, he never failed a test. In the light of rampant, drug-use by other cyclists there are critics who say Lance must have cheated. These critics have trouble acknowledging his un-aided greatness.

Since his retirement, drug testing has become more sophisticated, revealing even more cyclists using performance enhancers. This has only fueled the nay-sayers who now claim Lance must have doped. I hear even casual fans disregarding his accomplishments.

With his, now confirmed, return to the Tour, he will win. And he will win without the use of drugs. Today's more sophisticated tests will vindicate his accomplishments.

That got me kind-of excited yesterday, so I thought I would share it with my faithful readers.

Could it be true?

I nearly spilled my slurpee and wrecked my car.

Lance is returning to the Tour de France

And he will once again silence the drug-doping allegations. Mark my words.

(O, and he'll win it, also.)