Randy Wray’s Blog

There was an old commercial, I believe for United Airlines, that showed the power of face to face conversation. A business firm had lost some customers including a long time friend of the CEO. In the effort to mend the fences the CEO hands out airplane tickets to his employees with instructions to go see their clients face to face. The commercial ends with one employee asking the CEO what he was going to do. He said, holding up a ticket, “I’m going to see an old friend.”

I’ve already explained, in detail, my fondness for technology and advancements in technology. We use VOIP for our home phone. We’ve used SKYPE to talk to Switzerland and El Salvador. I’ve used MSN messenger and GMAIL to have regular contact with our mission point in Mexico.

There’s nothing that compares to sitting around a certain kitchen table in a certain house in a certain place. Looking at my brothers in the eye, drawing out plans, praying and making plans to bless the local church and one individual in particular who in just a short time will receive the gift of a house.

I’ve sat at that same table for over 10 years, worked side by side with the same brothers for that same amount of time yet each time we’ve prayed for these projects the enthusiasm and energy begins to flow.

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I keep learning or realizing these things about myself.

Yesterday I realized the difficulty of accepting a gift. Don’t get me wrong, in my mind I imagine receiving all kinds of freebies. Upon receiving the gift, however, I spend a fair amount of time trying to pay back the giver. Am I the only one affected in this manner?

There are certain relationships where, over the years, I’ve been the giver. I’ve also been in many relationships that have been mutual in the gift department. I’m wondering now if this is because it’s two people who can’t just accept a gift and find ways to give a gift upon receiving a gift!

Yesterday I was given a very nice gift. A friend of mine purchased and gave me a custom made classical guitar. He had been traveling in Mexico on business, came across a local luthier (fancy word for instrument maker), thought of me and purchased a guitar for me as a gift.

I was speechless, appreciative, grateful, humbled, and conflicted. I spent the entire rest of the day trying to figure out how I was going to pay this person back for the gift he had given me.

Most of us, it seems, do quite well in giving to others. There seems to be some circuit that trips when we receive a gift. Why is that?

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A few more words about the concert we attended Monday night.

The experience was . . .

Friendly - among a group of strangers united only because most people liked the music of the particular artist. I’m sure there were some who were dragged along, but everyone in attendance appeared to forget about everything else when that first note was played.

Relaxed - this particular venue is a large hall filled with tables and chairs. Participants can arrive early and eat dinner or show up (like we did) just in time for the concert. Sitting around a table brings a whole new dimension to the event. I loved the stage and the backdrop. If I were a church architect this is what the gathering place would look like!

Moving - this artist could sing and he could play. The nuances of pitch and control were evident in his voice. The evidence of preparation in his guitar playing. It’s always a treat to see someone give their best.

Entertaining - i was encouraged, uplifted as part of the crowd. I was in a good mood before the concert and in a better mood because of the concert.

Telling - people who are passionate attract a following. Here is a musician who sang and played his heart out in front of a group of people who came to here him sing and play. But he also talked and had some strong opinions on certain topics. His soulful singing and passionate playing became the conduit to share what he had to say. People listened and responded.

The whole experience left me dreaming of what fun it would be to have a worship gathering at the Birchmere.

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It happened again. Two sentences, 38 words that framed an entire day.

Reese and I sat at the counter of a local burger joint, the boys having a burger and bonding. Father and son talking about how together we could rule the universe. Oh wait a minute, that’s an entirely different story. We talked about life, the future and our crazy cat.

Madison and I had a catch out in the backyard, the old man is the catcher and his daughter is the pitcher. I have to wear shin guards and should wear a dixie cup, minus the dixie, because she throws so hard. We don’t talk much when we throw. We just laugh. It seems the favorite part is seeing how hard we can throw it to each other.

Beth and I ate dinner with a friend and saw Colin Hay in concert. It had been a while since Beth and I had been to a concert. The dinner was excellent and the concert was most excellent. The specifics of the seating arrangement at the venue (tables and chairs) required us to sit close. No complaints here! We sat for an hour and a half and listened to a very talented singer, song-writer, guitar player. I could blog for a week about the guitars and the guitar playing!

When he began to sing these words, the song from his first encore,

Any minute now my ship is coming in
I’ll keep checking the horizon
And I’ll stand on the bow
And feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down, down, down on me

And you said,”Be still, my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in”
Don’t you understand?
I already have a plan
I’m waiting for my real life to begin

I had tears in my eyes.

I thought about my lunch with Reese. I thought about playing catch with Madison in the yard. I thought about dinner with our friend. I thought about being there in that moment with Beth and knew I didn’t have to wait any longer for my real life to begin.

Two sentences, 38 words that framed an entire day:

I assume you have had moments like this when you were caught up in something so much bigger than yourself that you couldn’t even put it in words. What is it about certain things that ignite something within?

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Did anyone else experience blogging difficulties this morning. Here’s the entry that should have posted this morning.

Let’s begin this week of blogging on a light hearted note. I know it may surprise some of you that I would consider writing or discussing issues of fluff and frosting. Those of you who’ve actually had a conversation with me, longer than five minutes, were probably expecting fluff and frosting.

There was a certain young man who wished not to attend school to participate in scholastic learning. His gracious, generous, good-looking, muscular dad had planned to pull the young man out of school around lunch time to treat him to a special meal consisting of fried meat, melted cheese, and melted Idaho potatoes. Today was the last day for the young man to participate in the class swimming session. He would have gone to school for 10 minutes, gone swimming for two hours, and be liberated accordingly. The young man wished not to go to school - not even to swim. Strange they are the reasons we wish not to go to school.

Please choose one or all of the following questions to add your decorative touch to the fluff and frosting.

• What’s a good reason for not going to school?
• What’s the best reason you’ve heard for not going to school?
• What was the funniest reason you’ve heard for not going to school?
• What is the most unbelievable reason you’ve heard for not going to school?

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It was the best sermon no one will ever hear.

I spent 6 hours yesterday writing, crafting, moving a paragraph here and one over there. Here a comma, there a comma, everywhere a comma, comma. I pounded the words on the word processing anvil shaping, forming them to the best of my wordsmithing abilities.

I stepped away from the finished product and pronounced “it is good.” I renamed the file and here’s where the details go fuzzy. Through a mad series of clicks the sermon was gone. I tried every conceivable method, even purchased a snazzy undelete program, to no avail. The sermon was gone. As the crew from Switchfoot observes:

Gone, like yesterday is gone,
Like history is Gone,
Gone, like frank sinatra
Like elvis and his mom
Like al pacino’s cash nothing lasts in this life
My highschool dreams are gone
My childhood sweets are gone

I mean vanished, erased, deleted, terminated, vaporized. The sermon death star displayed the power of a full working destroyer and obliterated my sermonary planet.

Whoever determined that preachers should not cuss never lost the best sermon they had ever written. Though used in the right context there are at least two religious terms and one biblical city name that came readily to mind. Bonus points if you can figure out the two words. Double bonus points if you figure out the biblical city. Though you should probably just leave the passage in reference and not the actual city name!

I’ll try to rewrite the sermon. But I already know it won’t be the same.

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I’m not sure I’m the type of person who would do well as a road warrior. I like to travel (every once in a while) but don’t particularly like the days leading up to the travel.

Before traveling I always have a million or more things that must get done which activates some circuit in my brain and go into youth rally mode.

Youth rally mode is the endless pace of frenetic activity that extends into the wee hours of the morning.

I know people who fret and panic over the actual travel. I fret and panic over getting ready to travel. Sleep on a plane is not an optional activity it is required.

I’m also notorious for starting some insane project in the midst of travel chaos. I’ve already mentioned the building of the cabinet the night before going to Yosemite. If you don’t remember, the key words to jog your memory would be mother-in-law and bathrobe.

I’ll be traveling soon to Mexico to prep for our summer house building trip. The circuit has been activated. I’ve got a million or more things that must get done. Oh and I started organizing and compiling, ripping and digitizing our entire music collection.

Some men are probably from mars. Right now I feel like a resident of the planet imanidiot.

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Here’s the statement that plunged me into yesterday’s thought stream.

Doctrine is a wonderful servant and a horrible master.

We’ve certainly been reminded of this truth in many painful ways.

I’ve tried without success to track down where I heard the following idea because surely I didn’t come up with something this creative!

I would rather miss a doctrine of Christ than the disposition of Christ.

For you see, I can miss a doctrinal point for many legitimate reasons. Yes, it is possible to be wrong. If I miss the disposition of Christ it is because I have chosen to do so. The Bible says:

In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5 NCV)

The NASB says “have this attitude in yourself.” The Greek word carries the implication to be mentally disposed. In other words decide to think and act like Christ Jesus.

I’m not saying we should choose the disposition (character) of Christ over the doctrine (teachings) of Christ - for the teachings of Christ inculcate within me the character of Christ. I am saying we should always choose the disposition (character) of Christ over the doctrines (teachings) of our church tradition.

On a daily basis I am consistently challenged to make visible the teachings of Christ through my effort to emulate the character of Christ. At the check out line, at the gas station, on the freeway or working with a bunch of monkeys my effective witness for Christ is when others see my acting like Christ.

The issue will not be how right was I, how many debates did I win? The issue will be how well did I reproduce the lifestyle of Jesus in myself and in others.

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It wasn’t the first thought that caused me to nod in agreement and mutter “preach it”. It wasn’t the first idea that affirmed that I would be buying this book today (Big Bad Brad loaned it to me). It is one of the few books wherein which the author’s introduction struck so many chords in my own heart and mind that I wanted to read and absorb every last word.

The book, Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, opens with a story about a painting in his basement. Should you decide to read the book I won’t ruin the fun story surrounding the painting. The premise revolves around the idea of the artist of said painting deciding, after the painting was finished, there was no longer any need for anyone to ever paint again. Can anyone guess what that leads him to conclude?

I saw it right away in our own heritage. There are those who believe we have the perfect painting (how to do church and be THE church). Not only that, there’s no need for anyone else to paint any more pictures. Just fire up the mimeograph machine and roll out copy after copy. But I have real, serious problems with this viewpoint and so should you.

The challenge for Christians then is to live with great passion and conviction, remaining open and flexible, aware that this life is not the last painting. Times change. God doesn’t, but times do. We learn and grow, and the world around us shifts, and the Christian faith is alive only when it is listening, morphing, innovating, letting go of whatever has gotten in the way of Jesus and embracing whatever will help us be more and more the people God wants us to be.

He gives the example of Martin Luther who raised a whole series of questions as part of his experience with the church of his day. Luther wanted the Bible to be available to everyone, he believed that everyone had a divine calling from God and that God’s grace was not something to be purchased. Luther was part of a tradition that stressed change and growth.

The didn’t use the word reformed, they used the word reforming. This distinction is crucial. They knew that they and others hadn’t gotten it perfect forever. They knew that the things they said and did and wrote and decided would need to be revisited. Rethought. Reworked.

And we, those involved in church today have not gotten it perfect either. What we have said, done, written and preached is not perfect. It must be revisited, rethought, reworked to be genuine and relevant in the lives of people living in this century.

I’ve wrestled and agonized over the spirit of legalism and self-righteous, self-proclaimed correctness of our heritage. I realize that right now, at this point in my life, God can use me to change this particular aspect. Not to effect change on the tradition as a whole but in the lives of specific people. I may not be able to change a church as a whole but I can allow Jesus to change my life.

In the process of Jesus changing my life I can influence someone else, perhaps you, to live for Jesus and live like Jesus. I was reminded of my place in the stream of Christianity.

I’m part of this tradition. I’m part of this global, historic stream of people who believe that God has not left us alone but has been involved in human history from the beginning. People who believe that in Jesus, God came among us in a unique and powerful way, showing us a new kind of life. Giving each of us a new vision for our life together, for the world we live in. And as a part of this tradition, I embrace the need to keep painting, to keep reforming. By this I do not mean cosmetic, superficial changes like better lights and music, sharper graphics, and new methods with easy-to-follow steps. I mean theology; the beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, the future. We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived, and explained.

All that and I didn’t even share with you the thought that started all this.

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Easter has always been one of Beth’s favorite special days. It might have to do with the fact that her family has a tradition of putting cash into the Easter Eggs. I still remember the looks on the faces of the triplets when I was made aware of this fact. You’d think junior high kids wouldn’t cry and complain when someone faster and stronger found all the eggs!

The last six years we’ve never had the same group of people at our house for Easter. In case you were here yesterday, our group this time was perhaps the best group ever. We celebrated and enjoy being with a different group of people each year. The more the merrier is always the motto for Easter.

Beth’s assistant coaches came over for lunch and we had fun talking about Easter traditions. One of the girls was from the Sacramento area and it seems her family also put cash in the Easter eggs. Must be a California thing.

Our kids are growing out of the Easter egg hunt. Maybe it’s because we have yet to put cash in the eggs. I do remember when we would spend the next week hiding the plastic eggs through out the house. The kids would spend days hiding and searching for the eggs.

The memorable experience this year has been the Star Wars Easter egg characters. The egg is a perfect shape for R2 and Yoda.

So let’s here about the fun Easter traditions you remember, the traditions you’ve kept and perhaps even those you wished your family still observed.

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