Evan replied that he had heard about the bombing, and proceeded to recount his understanding of the tragedy. He pretty much knew all he needed to. Some sicko planted a couple bombs in a crowd and blew some people to bits.

As we moved to the kitchen table to enjoy microwaved hotdogs and leftover corn-on-the-cob, I asked Evan if he had any questions about what he saw on the news.

“Do they still make bombs that are black and a sphere and have a string sticking out the top that you light, and that can also float?”

“No, buddy. I don’t think they really look like that anymore.”

“Oh.” Pause. Then, “Dad?”

“Yes, Evan?”

“Why would someone want to bomb a race?”

And there was the question I knew would come. It was the question that our country was asking on Monday. It was the question that seemed to awake and roll around in our collective consciousness first thing Tuesday morning, even before we managed to hit the snooze alarm to delay the start of a new day.

Why?

And as we all ask ourselves this question, knowing that no answer will ever truly satisfy us, we find that it is the same question we ask ourselves every day in a thousand different ways.

• Why would someone bomb the Boston Marathon?
• Why would someone open fire in an elementary school?
• Why would she cheat on me?
• How could he snip the spinal cords and murder countless babies?
• Why would they fly planes into the World Trade Center?
• Why did he kill millions of Jews?
• Why does he hit me?
• Why?…

And as my son stared up at me from behind those adorable little boy glasses, I gave the only answer that I could.

“Because we all need a savior, Evan. Whoever did this was so broken, so lost, so hurt, so angry, that he didn’t know what else to do. Whatever he was thinking or feeling, I guess he just thought that if he hurt a bunch a people he would somehow feel better.”

“And does he feel better now?” my son quickly asked.

“Maybe. For a minute. He did what he planned to do. But there is always more loneliness and hurt and pain. He won’t feel better for long. None of us do. Which is exactly why we need a savior. We all need someone who is bigger and better and greater than anything we can ever do or think to try to make ourselves feel ok.”

“You mean Jesus?”

“Yes. See, bud, there are lots of people in this world who don’t believe Jesus is who he said he is. They don’t believe that he is the King. So without a real King, all these people just try to do whatever they want and believe whatever they want to try and make themselves feel better. Some people do great things with their lives. Things like curing diseases and helping the poor and trying to make people smile.”

“And like creating video games?”

“Exactly. But other people do horrible things, like bullying or hurting people.”

“Like the bomb.”

“Like the bomb. But the thing is, Evan, is that the good things and the bad things, they are all the same. The horrible things seem horrible to us, but even the good things aren’t enough to save us. Even the best person in world is broken. Even the happiest kid in the world, like you, is going to smack his sister every once in a while. Every single one of us is the same. It’s hard to imagine, but you and I are no better than the people who made those bombs. Because unless we let the King be the King, then it means we are trying to be the king. And you can’t have two kings.”

“Like in chess?”

“Check mate.”

“But the queen is more powerful in chess…”

“Ok, so not like chess. But when something like this happens, it doesn’t surprise me. It makes me sad, but it doesn’t surprise me. See, unless people believe in Jesus; unless people let him be their King; unless people in the world start to realize that we really do need someone to save us – that we will never be able to save ourselves; unless we can do that, then there will always be bombs and killings and sister smackings.”

“So….if someone had told that guy about Jesus, then maybe he wouldn’t have made those bombs and killed those people?”

Exactly.

I think this is what it means to be a Christian. The very person of Jesus Christ reveals himself through his followers, the church. The more closely we move to the source, the more clear the reflection becomes and the more visible it becomes to others. If my life is a reflection of Christ, if my story is really His story played out in a new beautiful mess that is my life, then I’m ok with that.

So Justin Timberlake may be right. His new song “Mirrors” is exploding all over the airwaves and interwebs right now. For lack of a better word, it is my jam. I saw JT sing it on SNL a couple weeks ago and loved it. He released the official music video just this week, and quite honestly it is heartbreakingly beautiful. The video pays homage to Timberlake’s grandparents, William and Sadie Bomar. William passed away late last year after a long battle with dementia and heart problems. Sadie is now left alone with the shadows and memories and impressions from a lifetime of love, commitment, struggle, frustration, passion, and intimacy.

The video captures this relationship through the best of times and worst of times; the excitement of young love, the heartbreak and disappointment that we are all capable of and prone to, the lifetime of intimacy, and the shadowy reflections that remain now as Sadie is left alone. Fittingly, the coda at the end of the song shows Sadie dropping a wedding ring that was worn for more than 60 years…and Timberlake himself catching the ring, symbolically accepting the challenge to face the next 60 years in the same kind of beautiful marriage with his new wife, Jessica Biel.

Last October, my grandfather passed away after struggling with Alzheimer’s. He was married for 71 years, and now my grandmother is left alone to walk in the same kind of memories and reflections that Timberlake portrays. As I write this, she is fighting for her life with some heart complications, as if her entire body seems to recognize that a whole part of her is missing. It is sad and tragic and so stunningly beautiful. If my marriage can be some kind of mirror of that legacy; if I can hit 60 or 70 years of marriage to my wife, through the ups and downs, then it is a good life. Definitely a story worth telling and a song worth singing.

And if I could dance in a creepy funhouse with those pointy shoes and look as fly as JT, then I would gladly make that a part of my legacy as well.

I you haven’t seen the video, it’s worth a watch.

Snow tubing eliminates all of that. You just go down. Really fast.

As our families hit the slopes, an interesting dynamic revealed itself right away. At first, everyone hit a solo run, or in some cases paired up tubes with a young child or a Tubey Newbie™.** There was the usual trash-talking about who would get to the bottom first, who would push whom down which hill, etc. When all was said and done, however, there was something largely unsatisfying about riding solo. All the factors that make for an exciting run (speed, distance, getting airborne off of the bumps, etc.) are limited by your own weight. When you ride alone, you max those out pretty quickly.

Over on the Super Slope, however, you can pony up with a whole group – up to 8 tubes linked together. I’m sure there is some sort of physics equation that can tell you exactly how the increased mass + inertia + surface area = faster, but since I got a 0% on my physics final exam (true story) in college I don’t know what that is. But it sure was fun!***

With a group all linked together, the thrill increased exponentially. We went faster, slid farther, bumped higher, laughed louder, and crashed harder. Instead of competing against each other to be the first one to the bottom, the collective goal was to crash into the barriers at the far end of the slow-down. And despite the fact that tubing together took no more skill than it did alone, it seemed much more fun when we met our goal and actually did come to a crashing halt together.

Such is life. While many of us like to maintain the illusion of control, the truth is that our lives are more like snow tubing: a fleeting journey that is altogether bumpy and exhilarating, freeing and terrifying. And, like a ride down the slopes, our lives are much better when we join up with others. We live in a culture where isolation is easy and where real, difficult, deep relationships are eschewed for cheapened friendships lived primarily through a smart phone. It is that much more important, then, that we make the space in our lives for the people that matter most.

We all need a chain of friends/family to cling on to as we take the journey. We need people to laugh with and to scream with. We need those people who will push us to go farther. We need close friends who know the desires of our heart and encourage us to chase after those big visions. And when we hit those bumps in the slope, we need people around us who will go into the depths with us and help lift us back out.

I am thankful to have a wife who has committed to spend her whole life with me.**** No one laughs with me, cries with me, or generally keeps me pointed in the right direction on a day to day basis more than she does. I am thankful that the very same people who helped initiate this Tubey Newbie™ at Perfect North are the same people who share their lives with me week in and week out on their own slopes. The farther down my own hill I slide, the more I become aware that I need to make space amidst the busyness of life for people to link up with. The last thing I want of my life is to reach the end and look back to see fast and how far I went…and to have no one to celebrate it with.

What about you? Do you create space in your life to let people in? Do you let the people who matter to you know that they matter?

Oh, and do you want to see what snow tubing actually looks like? Here we go.

________

And by the way…the mirror is Jesus. (You’ll see, just watch)…

Leonard Sweet’s latest book, Viral, addresses this issue and, quite frankly, hits a home run. In Viral, Sweet analyzes the generation gap that exists between the “Gutenbergers” and the “Googlers.” He examines the changes that have taken place culturally, and makes the case for why the church absolutely cannot be left behind in the world of cyber-communication. Social media, Sweet contends, provides an incredible outlet for connectivity and storytelling. Tweeting and status-updating are a matter of discipline and focus that stem from a mission of reaching into the lives of other people. “[It] is a discipline of transparency. The knowledge that my tweets will be read by thousands of people keeps me more focused on my mission, makes me less whiny and complaining, and keeps me more sensitive to what others may need to hear. It’s a discipline to serve others and to simply express what I’m feeling.”

Sweet makes the case that even the simple things are important, just as every relationship is made up of both surfaces and depths. The important thing is to tell your story; we are to leverage the tools at our disposal to both draw others into our story and to engage in theirs. After all, Sweet reminds us, echoing the words of Plato, “If you want to change the world, don’t bring in the politicians who make the laws; bring in the poets who tell the stories.”

Viral is an invitation and exhortation for the Church to share the greatest Story ever told with a world who is already listening.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Did Ray Lewis mean what I think he meant?

The larger than life LB for the Superbowl Champion Baltimore Ravens has hardly been silent in recent years about his professed faith in God. In fact, since his life and career were almost completely derailed back in 2000 when he was accused of a double homicide, Lewis has been increasingly vocal about his faith. The man claims to love God, and that is not for me to judge.

But I do believe that Christians are called to “correctly handle the word of truth” (see 2 Timothy 2:15) because the danger of mishandling Scripture and spreading false teaching is en ever-present reality whenever religion is concerned.

Which is why I cringed at everything Ray Lewis had to say surrounding the Superbowl last night.

Following a narrow victory, the soon-to-be-retired and future-Hall-of-Famer, in his typical fashion, tossed out a Bible verse in, as I interpreted it, a totally inappropriate context. Standing on the championship podium, broadcaster Jim Nantz asked Lewis, “How do you describe it, Ray? How do you describe it, going out as a champion?”

“It’s simple,” Lewis replied, sounding oddly like an old school Randy Savage. “When God is for you, who can be against you?”

Come again?

It sounded as if Lewis just used a passage of Scripture to say that God wanted Ray Lewis to win the Superbowl. Now, part of me has no quarrel with that. I believe that God has a sovereign plan, and that He can use any person and any circumstance to bring about His own glory. Even Ray Lewis. Even the Superbowl.

But the key is that God’s plan and might are always about HIS glory…not our own. Lewis seems to have flipped that around, indicating that God wanted Ray Lewis to win a Superbowl for the glory of Ray Lewis, so that Ray Lewis could end his career as a decorated champion.

Now, I may just be putting words in Lewis’s mouth, but when you consider other comments he has made, I actually get quite concerned that Ray’s view of Scripture, his theology, and thus the religion he claims to adhere to, are actually quite unbiblical.

Prior to the big game last night, CBS aired a taped interview between Lewis and Shannon Sharpe, in which Sharpe asked the Raven to comment on the homicide case from 2000. The families of the two victims, Sharpe said, are still devastated, and find it especially painful to watch the man accused of the murders be so widely celebrated and successful. “What would you like to say to the family?” Sharpe asked.

“The way God works, He don’t use people who commits anything like that for His own good,” Ray responded.” No way. It’s the total opposite.”

When given the opportunity to say a word to the heartbroken families, instead of offering any kind of grace, apology, concern, or love, Lewis instead defended himself by invoking the name of God, saying that God would not allow a murderer to achieve the kind of success that he has experienced.

Did I hear that right? God does not allow heinous sinners – like murderers – to be used for His own glory? I’m sorry, Ray, but that statement appears to fly in the face of the entire Bible. Scripture is full, from beginning to end, of God using broken, sinful, wicked, jacked-up, fallen, adulterous people for His own glory. That is actually what God’s story is all about. That is what Jesus and the cross were all about. Without that fundamental truth, Christianity is worthless.

Our theology matters, and the way we handle Scripture matter. Greatly. None of us can claim to be infallible in that regard, and we can all pray for grace and humility in our shortcomings. But the flippant use of random verses of Scripture without seeming to understand the greater context is quite concerning, especially from someone given such a significant forum.

Ray Lewis says he loves God. I truly hope that he does. There is nothing greater nor more important that that. My desire for him – and for all of us…myself included – would be that he would continue to grow in the grace and humility of Christ. I pray that Ray Lewis – champion or not, murderer or not – would be used for God’s glory, and that his life would truly be about making Him famous. But let us always seek to correctly handle the word of truth.

Did you watch the Superbowl? How did you feel about Ray Lewis’s comments? Am I being too hard or unfair on the guy? Do you see a difference between Ray Lewis and Tim Tebow?

Most of us commonly view saying goodbye as a difficult, often hyper-emotional moment. And there certainly are times where this is true.* When a parting is permanent, or when the next “hello” is far off somewhere beyond the horizon, saying goodbye can be heart-wrenching.

But there are so many other smaller, everyday goodbyes.

• We drop our kids off at school.
• We close our eyes for the night.
• We walk out of a co-worker’s office.
• We watch a customer leave the store.

…and the list goes on.

What if we treated each casual parting of ways as an opportunity to make someone’s day beautiful?

On Friday, December 14, 2012, when I heard the news of the horrific massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, my mind immediately grabbed onto my own two elementary school-age children. What if this was their school? What did I say to them as they hopped out of my car this morning? What was the last thing they heard from me before that door slammed shut?

On December 14, it was an abrupt, “Goodbye.”

A week or so ago, my wife and I had a rough day. It was the kind of day where I realized how far short I fall from being the husband and father I desire to be. But as I lay in bed that night, all I could think about was how many beautiful goodbyes I had let slip away over the course of our marriage. How many nights did we doze off without a kiss, a brush of the hair, an “I love you,” a good old-fashioned spoon, or even a simple “Good night”?

Put enough of those empty goodbyes together, and we start to take each other for granted.

But the opposite is true, too. Put enough beautiful, simple goodbyes together and we start to feel valued. Loved.

Needless to say, that night in bed with my wife, I said “Goodnight” and “I love you.”** On Monday, December 17, I told my kids how much I loved them as they jumped out of the car.

If the last thing someone hears from you when you part ways, even in the most mundane and commonplace moments, is that you care – that they matter – then before long they may actually start to believe it. And if any of us believe that, we could all walk a little taller, sleep a little more soundly, and face any number of tomorrows.

Has anyone ever made your day in the simplest of ways? How can you make a beautiful goodbye today?
__________
*   Lloyd knows.

** In fact, I think we did all of the above.

I have been fairly critical of you ever since your first presidential campaign. I don’t agree with many of your stances on important issues, some of your policies seem like they are moving our country in the wrong direction, and I always get the sense that your administration is one that will over-promise, but under-deliver.

But do you know what? All of that is neither here nor there. My response to your presidency should come down to one thing: you are The Man. The bottom line, Mr. President, is that my attitude towards you has not been appropriate. Instead of respect and support, mine has been more of condemnation and sarcasm. Now don’t get me wrong: I fully believe that Americans should be able to stand up for what they believe in without fear of punishment or retribution by the government. That is America. But speaking up for my beliefs does not have to go hand in hand with open criticism of our leaders.

You are the President of the United States of America. This did not happen by accident. You were voted in by a majority. And the more important thing for me to keep in mind is that your election did not happen outside of the sovereign will of God. My God is not surprised – nor is he upset, frustrated, disappointed, etc. – by this. He is, after all, God. But I had lost sight of that – at least to the degree where it truly impacted me with an appropriate Christian response.

1 Timothy 2:1-5 provided a grounding reminder to me last night: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Yes, I believe in standing up for what is right. Things like life and grace and love and justice and walking humbly before my God. But I also need to be for you. I have a significant responsibility to lift you up in prayer. God’s will will be done on this earth no matter what, and my prayer should be that you would have a heart for that and lead into that.

The bottom line is that I have failed in that responsibility. So today I ask your forgiveness for my selfishness and I apologize for neglecting a very basic and fundamental Christian response. Today I want to pray for you.

• I pray, President Obama, that God would grant you wisdom and discernment as every day you face difficult decisions; decisions which carry ramifications that will echo throughout generations.
• I pray for you as a husband, that your marriage would remain strong and that you would be able to serve and love your wife with an even greater urgency and passion than that with which you serve your country.
• I pray for you as a father, that you would be present in the lives of your children. I pray that the very demanding and public role you must fill as leader of our country does not overshadow the unique and private role that only you can fill as leader of your home.
• I pray for peace for your soul. As you make the best decisions you can with the information you are given, I pray that you will know the weight of your actions without being crushed underneath it.
• I pray that you would have joy in your life, both from your family and from your work.
• I pray that, in a nation so often divided by politics and agendas, you would find unity.
• I pray that you would lead well.
• But most of all, I pray that you would know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and that you would live a life pleasing to Him, fully becoming who He created you to be.

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. – Romans 13:1

Why I Stopped Writing

• Life Got Busy - In September, we finally opened up The Cairn. This was the culmination of almost two years of my focus. Opening the coffee house was far more chaotic than I ever imagined it would be, and it took every once of my energy to make it work. There were countless people who poured themselves into this ministry, and we all shared a great burden and excitement. But it drained me. There was no time for the creative process and “down time” for writing.
• I Speak Too Quickly - Make no mistake, blogging is not journalism. Some do not even consider blogging to be “actual” writing. That’s ok. But in the world of online information, so much of what makes a good blog depends heavily on being informed of current events, and then responding to those events in the public forum. Over the past few months, my attention was so focused on my work that I had little time for “staying informed,” much less writing about it. But of equal concern for me was the fact that I recognized a tendency in myself to speak too quickly in an attempt to stay current. The truth is that I am often more foolish than I am wise, and by wanting to react quickly on the blog to events around the world, I have on more than one occasion put my foot in my mouth. Twitter has revealed this to me in a very real way: when things (like Sandy Hook) happen, it becomes very easy to tweet and retweet initial, carnal, emotional responses. This is both ok, and also not. I want to learn to balance that better and maintain discernment with my online presence. One of my reasons for not rushing back to this blog is because I wanted to force myself to listen more and speak a little more slowly.
• False Identity – I have no problem admitting that I can be quite prideful and vain. I don’t like it, but it’s a fact. As my job in ministry has put me in greater positions of public visibility, this has become more and more apparent. Social media and online “platforms” like blogging can often fuel that fire of self-importance. I found that in different seasons over the past few years, I had become too focused on my “network worth” and less content in my true identity as a sinner saved by the grace of God. Things like blog comments, Facebook followers, site stats, Twitter RTs, etc. all have a way of creating a false sense of identity and worth. Time away from the blog has been a great reminder for me that my identity is found in Christ alone, and I can honestly say that, while I value my online networks and relationships, they do not consume or define me.

Why I Am Coming Back

• Writing Forces Me To Think - Writing is difficult work, and often it is hard to tell which is harder: coming up with content to write about, or communicating the content just right. But the process of thinking and analyzing and writing and editing is a beautiful labor, and I value it. Writing challenges me to think deeper, to pray more, to believe more firmly, to experience more. It forces me to open my eyes & heart to things far beyond myself. It makes me swallow my pride and realize how wrong I can be sometimes. It allows me to pursue beauty and love and grace. And I have missed this.
• I Miss The People -  There are those of the mindset that online relationship are empty, false, and pointless, but I completely disagree. The more I have engaged in Social Media – most notably Twitter and blogging – the more I have found very real encouragement and joy from establishing new relationships. While I may not ever meet any of you face to face, I always enjoy the dialogue, encouragement, and even challenges that come from social networks.
• A Real Calling - Over the past couple of years, I have had a growing sense of urgency to make this life matter. I fully believe that my life needs to be about knowing Jesus and making him known, and I want to leverage every possible opportunity to do that. I value all my communication outlets as opportunities to do that.

Thanks for joining me and challenging me – I’m looking forward to what this year holds for us all!