Somewhere Over the Rainbow

She answered the phone.
I introduced myself.
I asked how she was doing.
She quickly, almost too quickly responded with, "I'm pretty good."
My response was equally quick, "That's not what I hear."
I could hear her tears instantly streaming at a bandwidth stronger than 10megs.
And so the 35 minute conversation began.
I was privileged and honored that she would be transparent and honest enough to share the difficulties facing her at the beginning of this academic year.

Empathy was at the top of my game last night. I felt what she was feeling. I hurt in a way that could have served as her twin. We shared the same shopping cart of "aches and pains."

We are both into our second year at an institution of higher learning, with lots of acquaintances but few deep friends. We are both far away from "home." We are both in new "cultural" territory. We are both trying to learn a foreign language. The rock solid foundation that we had both been living on for a number of years is gone and now we are trying to get our footing on what seems to be the quicksand of new surroundings. 

I listened and listened and then offered some observations and perspectives as well as an emotional heartfelt prayer that concluded our time on the phone.

I discovered last night and maybe you have too, that sometimes just having someone who cares listen to our aches and pains is the perfect remedy. To know that we are not alone on the journey is oftentimes the best prescription to enjoying the rest of the sojourn.

My iWitness...

After I hung up the phone I headed downstairs to visit with Julie.
I eventually made my way to the computer to check on a few things and then I did what I always do when I am a little on the "emotional" side.

I dig deeper into the emotions. Rarely do I run away from such emotions. I dig deeper knowing full well that there is an underground aquifer of feelings and emotions that needs to be tapped.

I quickly found myself on YouTube watching "Britain's Got Talent". I knew exactly what to look for that would serve as the drill bit to free these pent up emotions into a full fledged geyser.

Her name is Connie Talbot and she is six years old whose only wish for Christmas would be her two front teeth. She loves to sing.

Judge Simon Cowell is in no mood for this and with little Connie Talbot, with microphone in hand, clad in a pink blouse, she begins to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

She only sings the first verse...(but I have provided the rest of the lyrics)

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Suffice it to say that halfway through Connie's solo I was an emotional gusher...

Listen to these words...
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true...

Will you dare to dream with me today?

Lastly, looking at the end of the song let me say this...
To my college student friend, to the man I see when I look in the mirror and to you dear friend who has taken the time to read this blog... perhaps our collective prayer to the Maker of the Rainbows is...

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

Why, oh why can't I?

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4. 16)

Nasty Noses

I ran into a good friend yesterday whom I had not seen for quite a while.
We made our way over to Peters Commons (the University's food service court).
Her husband is a great guy who pastors a church not too far from campus (within a 10 hour drive).

We caught up on what the kids were doing, what I was doing and then I asked, "How are things at the church?"

Her immediate response was, "Really well..." She went on to give a detailed description  of all the wonderful things that were happening. I just basked in her radiant recollection of the positive direction the church was taking under her husband's leadership.

A few minutes later she became a little more transparent in her assessment of things.
She said, "Well...we do have a few "nasty noses" in the congregation who are making things a little difficult."
I about jumped out of my seat with my reply, "Nasty noses? What are "Nasty Noses"?
She looked down at the table and gave a faint smile.
I continued, "I call folks like that "***holes." Is that what you mean?"
She sheepishly said, "Well... yes... I was trying to be nice."
I couldn't resist my next comment, "How do you think they got those "nasty noses"!!!???"
My boisterous laugh filled Peters Commons overshadowing her cute little laugh!
Oh my... Nasty Noses in the church! What a concept!

And yes... What a reality!!

My iWitness...

I could go in several directions here...

1. Quit being a nasty nose!
2. Stay away from the nasty noses!
3. Start a "Kleenex Team" in your church and "Wipe those Nasty Noses clean!"
4. In the "body of Christ" someone has to be the "***hole."

Lest I digress, let's go in this direction...

Isn't it great that the church has "Nasty Noses" and "Nice Noses"?

Welcome to the Church!
It's not the Country Club where everything is nicely decorated and everyone ascribes to a certain dress code and a modicum of behavior that is aromatically pleasing to all who participate.

No, No, No...the Church is full of nasty noses! The Church is a hospital where no potential patient is turned away and together we follow the Divine Physician's orders and prescriptions and allow the balm and salve of the healing power of the Holy Spirit to make us whole.

And guess what?

I am a Nasty Nose!
And so are you!

This is the beauty of the Church!
God has designed a place and a group of people called the church where it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we become something other than a "Nasty Nose."

By the grace of God I walk humbly day in and day out knowing that I am only a wipe a way from being a "Nasty Nose"...

Praise be to God who is so patently patient with and unconditionally accepting and loving to all of us whether we are a "Nice Nose" or a "Nasty Nose."

Just to let you know...
Jesus hung out with "Nasty Noses" all the time...

"And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2. 15-17)

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

I have another weird idiosyncrasy that drives my wife crazy and probably anybody else that hangs around me long enough.
I love listening to music. Nothing wrong with that right?
Well...the difference perhaps being, I love listening to the same song over and over and over and over!
When I was in college one of my hallmates and I had the same routine before every final exam.
Forty-five minutes before an exam we would get comfortable in his dorm room (me in the recliner, him on the couch), turn the lights down low and listen to the song "Sailing" by Christopher Cross... 10 times in a row and then we would go take our exam.

This week the song I have been listening to over and over and over is sung by Jason Gray called...

"Remind Me Who I Am"

When I lose my way,
And I forget my name,
Remind me who I am.
In the mirror all I see,
Is who I don't wanna be,
Remind me who I am.
In the loneliest places,
When I can't remember what grace is.

Tell me once again who I am to You,
Who I am to You.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to You,
That I belong to You.
To You.

When my heart is like a stone,
And I'm running far from home,
Remind me who I am.
When I can't receive Your love,
Afraid I'll never be enough,
Remind me who I am.
If I'm Your beloved,
Can You help me believe it.

Tell me once again who I am to You,
Who I am to You, whoa.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to You.
That I belong to You.
To You.

I'm the one you love,
I'm the one you love,
That will be enough,
I'm the one you love.

 

My iWitness...

 

I love the disciple named John. I love the book he wrote called "The Gospel according to John."

He is an incredible writer and one thing I love about John is his ability to tell us in very simple terms the special place he played in the life of Jesus.

 

As I mentioned yesterday, it is John who records the race to the empty tomb between him and Peter. John is so nonchalant about the result of the race..."Oh by the way, we ran to the tomb... and... I got there first...I won the race... not that it is that important... but I did leave Peter in the dust!!"

 

A few days before "the race", the disciples are with Jesus in the upper room in what would be their last supper before Jesus was arrested. Jesus becomes quite troubled in spirit and states that someone will betray him. Obviously, the disciples become troubled and begin to question among themselves who will betray Jesus.

 

John, in recalling that moment in time records this very sentence...

 

 ^"One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side..." (John 13. 23)

 

The one "whom Jesus loved..."

 

I just love that sentence!

 

So here is our important reminder of the day!
Listen up!!

 

Look in the mirror and repeat after me...

Tell me once again who I am to You,
Who I am to You, whoa. (Yes!! You have to say "whoa"!! That's integral to the process!!)
Tell me lest I forget who I am to You.
That I belong to You.
To You.

I'm the one you love,
I'm the one you love,
That will be enough,
I'm the one you love.

 

Just in case you forget...
Let me remind you...

You are the one whom Jesus loves!

 

If you need to be reminded of that,
just let me know and I will remind you in the same manner that I listen to music...

 

I will tell you over and over and over and over and over and over again...

 

And that's my iWitness...

Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

 

ps - And when I forget will you please tell me over and over and over...?

 

We ran...

Joshua and Dad in the End Zone before the Big Race!

Julie was out of town yesterday at a conference on Sports injuries. I dropped Faith off at gymnastics at 4:00. I would pick her back up in one hour.

That gave Joshua and me one free hour to do whatever we wanted. We drove over to the University of Dubuque. I thought that there was a Women's Tennis match going on at that time. I was wrong.

We walked over to the empty, spacious Spartan football field.
We moseyed on over to the 20 yard line and then it happened.

"Let the games begin!!"

Joshua stopped.
I stopped.
We both knowingly looked at each other.
He's eight years old.
I am not!

I knew what was coming next...
Joshua did not disappoint.
"Wanna race?"

And we did.
From the 20 to the 50 yard line...we ran.  Joshua beat me by two yards.
From the 50 to the goal line... we ran. I knocked Joshua over so that I had a chance. He still won.

And then we walked and hit the tackling dummies and watched the softball team pick up ground balls and throw them into an empty net at first base and watched a guy shoot lacrosse balls into an empty net and watched baseball players squat down to pick up a baseball that was just sitting on the dirt.

Then it was time to go.
But first!
One last race...
From goal line to goal line... 100 yards.

We took our places behind the white stripe in front of an empty stadium crowd and Joshua yelled out... "On your mark. Get set. GO!"
And we were off...
And we ran...
And we ran...
And we ran...

My iWitness...

Running is a popular theme in the Bible.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son it is the Father who runs to the son who is returning to the loving arms of the Father. Please remember how shocking this story would have been to the first century listeners - Middle Eastern men of that time - don't run!

In one of the accounts of the resurrection of Jesus, Mary tells the disciples that Jesus is risen and John and Peter run to the empty tomb with John winning the race (Yet, Peter runs into the tomb first).

In the book of Acts (chapter 8) Philip is told to go South. Upon going South he sees a man who has questions about God. Philip runs up to the man.

And then there's Paul.
I have no doubt Paul was a stud! Four sport varsity star who pummeled, raced and beat out everyone in whatever the competition might have been. What man could have withstood the beatings he did and then get thrown out of town only to dust himself off and then head back into the fray.

Paul passionately writes about running toward the goal.
We press on...
We persevere...
We push...
We run to win the race.
We run to get the prize.

And then Paul gets ready to hit the tape himself at the finish line of life.
He knows he is going to die.
He knows his time has come.
He has dodged the proverbial bullet time and time again.
But now he knows...
And so he writes to his dear friend Timothy some of the most poignant verses known to us in the scriptures...They are probably Paul's last words on parchment...

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." (2 Timothy 4. 6-8)

Joshua and I ran the 100 yard race before us...
It felt so freeing to run, to race, to reach, to press, to push, to persevere through the 100 yard dash.
Joshua and I will do a lot of things in life together...
As for yesterday... let it be known...
We ran!

At the end of the day...
At the end of the year...
At the end of our lives...
May we be able to say with Paul...
We fought!
We kept!
And...
We ran!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

ps - Joshua couldn't believe that his dad that is half a century in age could run 100 yards faster than him!

One last thought - It would be a great idea to read the book of Philippians for more on "running."

The Ordinary Trucker

I parked my car in the parking lot where I always park my car yesterday morning.
Right in front of me an 18 wheeler pulled up and parked on the side of the street with the top of his tractor trailer intimately kissing the branches of about three trees.
I got out.
The trucker with furry eyebrows got out.
I walked around my car with my blazer, blue tie and khaki pants.
He walked around his idling truck with his well worn jeans and long untucked T-shirt.
I looked at him.
He looked at me through his silver rimmed glasses as he "hand combed" his scraggly hair out of the way of his view.
He said, "Excuse me, but I understand that there is a new building going up around here. Do you know where it might be?"
I thought to myself, "A man, a man asking for directions!"

What ensued was a most pleasant 15 minute conversation about trucking, his family that lives in Denver, his son who works in the sheriff's department in Greeley, Colorado, the devastation of the recent flooding in Colorado, the potential hazards of getting stuck in the snow, his trucking company, his 18 wheeler cab that has a microwave, refrigerator, 10 gallons of water and a great bed and yes, we ultimately talked about where the new building was and how to get there.

He told me his name was Clinton Nicholas.
I told him my name was David Dendy (of course I did...)

We shook hands.
I told him to be safe out on the road and "God Bless..."
And into his truck went "The Ordinary Trucker."

My iWitness...

Nothing spectacular...
Nothing really out of the ordinary...
Nothing that will make you rethink your position on race relations, current politics, the deity of Christ or the rise and fall of the local economy...
Nothing but a friendly conversation among two men that just happened to meet.

And this is what I find extraordinary...
God being found in the ordinary.

Perhaps I need to look there more often to see and experience the wonder of our awesome God.
How about you?
Where will you discover God today?
What may seem as "ordinary" just might be the most extraordinary display of our creator God...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

"The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still small voice." (1 Kings 19. 11-13)

Four little girls

Do the names Addie Mae, Cynthia, Carole and Denise mean anything to you?

Addie Mae, age 14 is a budding artist.
Cynthia, age 14 loves Math.
Carole age 14 is a straight A student.
Denise age 11, a friend of Condoleezza Rice has a flair for the stage and loves to read poetry.

They all have at least three things in common...
1. They all love Jesus and going to Sunday School at their local church together.
2. They were all in the restroom together in the basement of their church getting ready for a church assembly when a bomb went off blowing up the church courtesy of the Ku Klux Klan fifty years ago yesterday.
3. Their young, innocent, precious, and lifeless bodies were found in the rubble.

The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama a half a century ago on the heels of the "I have a Dream" speech just 18 days earlier would awaken America's slumbering conscience and prove to be a galvanizing point in the Civil Rights movement.

Do you remember what it was like to be 15 years old?
Addie Mae, Cynthia, Carole and Denise never lived long enough to know.
They were just four little girls...

My iWitness...

Do you know what the Sunday School lesson was for that day on September 15, 1963?

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you..."

Addie Mae Collins
Cynthia Wesley
Carole Robertson
Denise McNair

In your honor, in your remembrance...
May we live out the Sunday School lesson you never had a chance to...

It's amazing to me how much the world changed after that day...
All because of "Four little girls..."

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

Battered and Bruised

 

One of the great joys of my life right now is that I have the privilege of experiencing college age students living out their faith and trust Jesus Christ.

On Saturday night, September 7th after a hard fought victory against the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse several members of the football team "took a knee" on the fifty yard line in the form of a circle for prayer. I happened to be down on the field and noticed what they were doing. I ran over and said, "Are you guys getting ready to pray?" The said, "Yes!" My reply was simply, "Can I join in?" There I knelt with the star quarterback leading a great prayer in the midst of his teammates thanking God for keeping everyone safe and being present with them during the game.

Last night, September 14th our football team took a beating against the highly ranked University of Wisconsin - Platteville. The entire football team had a meeting with the head coach at the 20 yard line after the game. After the coach had his talk with them, the team broke into groups of specialty positions. I was on the sideline and I was wondering if there would be a prayer offered after this mighty effort that left many of the players battered and bruised.

Sure enough the quarterback took a knee and called out to a few other players. They circled up and I ran up to them just like last Saturday. I asked the same question I did seven days earlier, "Can I join in?" "Sure" was their downcast reply. I knelt down, grabbed the hands of the young men next to me and bowed my head. After about three seconds I looked up and five pairs of battle tested eyes were staring back at mine. Caleb offered these words, "Would you mind leading us in prayer tonight?"

I was honored...

I thanked God that He was with us in victory. I thanked God that He was with us in defeat. I asked God to lift up the spirits of these young men in the week ahead. And I finished by thanking God that these young men placed their trust and love in Jesus in all things. With everyone saying, "Amen" in unison we were up on our feet and the players slowly made their way to meet their friends and family...battered and bruised.

My iWitness...

Have you ever been battered and bruised?

Maybe you weren't physically or maybe you were...

We have all had our egos bruised and even battered at times.

The question is where do we turn?

Having been ordained as a pastor for 25 years, I have always been intrigued when I hear people say, "I am having a rough time in life right now. I am mad at God. So... I am not going to talk to him or even come to church for awhile until things get better."

My response is always the same.
"What better time to let God know how you really feel! God is a big God. Believe me when I say that He can handle your anger, your confusion and He can even handle your yelling and shouting. Go ahead... let it out!"

Up on the cross, in the midst of the cruelest torture known to humanity, battered and bruised Jesus let God know how he felt..."My God... why have you forsaken me?"

I find two things fascinating about Jesus' response...

1. It was so honest!! He is up on the cross and He is shouting to God the Father as best He could, "Why have you abandoned me, your son? Why have you turned your back on me? Hey! What is going on up there? Where are you?!!"

2. He was quoting scripture. Yes! Right there in the midst of full abandonment Jesus recalls God's word. He is quoting the opening verse of Psalm 22.

It is in the midst of being battered and bruised on the football field of life that we take a knee and lift up our hearts and cry out with the assuring words of scripture that You, O God "are with me always even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28)

Feeling battered and bruised?
Believe me when I say Jesus knows how you feel...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!