Lying in bed last night I came across this verse in Proverbs 13;

Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

As an admitted talkaholic, this one hit me square in the…well…mouth. I think I know the truth of this. I just don’t practice  it nearly as much as I should. I am trying though.

In fact, I’ve tried something recently when heading into group meetings or discussions. One of the first things I do is look at the clock and make a commitment to not speak for the first 10 minutes. Not a word. Not a question. Not a remark. Nothing. Unless, of course, someone actually asks me a question. (No sense being rude.)

Amazing how much I learn when I just shut up and listen. Amazing how much trouble I can get into when I open my mouth. Especially when no actual thought has gone into what I’m going to say.

Once heard someone say, “God gave you two ears and one mouth. Catch the hint.”

Ouch.

Just got back from speaking at a chapel for 5-12 year olds. Right before heading back to class the principal got up and gave out “awards” for kids who displayed kindness, wisdom, compassion, etc. That was cool in and of itself.

However, the coolest part was at the very end the music teacher was about to sing the last song and one of the girls – probably in 2nd or 3rd grade – leaned over to ASK if she could pray for everyone before they went back to class. Wisely, the principal stopped everything and this little girl prayed for her classmates.

I love seeing the purity of a child’s faith. She wanted to pray. So she did. Also sweet to see an adult celebrate that instead of “keeping a schedule.”

Our church is using a devotional for lent called The Sanctuary for Lent 2009′ target=_blank>The Sanctuary for Lent. Yesterday’s devo struck a chord. It’s based on the short story in Luke 21:1-4 of the poor woman putting two coins in the offering and Jesus honoring her for it. Here’s what Dr. John Harnish had to say:

“Preachers love to use this text during the fall stewardship campaign. We bring out the little lady with two coins, hold her up against the wealthy, and make everyone feel guilty for a Sunday or so until we make the budget. the we send her back to her quiet corner for another year. The story sounds different when you read it during Holy Week. Knowing that Jesus is about to give his life, knowing that it was the rich and powerful who were turning against him, knowing what we know about this week, her gift takes on new significance as a symbol of the giving of our lives to the one who will give his life for us. My act of faithful tithing is not just about meeting the church budget in October; it is about the sacrificial giving of my time, talents, and treasure under the encroaching shadow of the cross.

Jesus gave it all. So did she. So should we.”

The Sanctuary for Lent 2009, Dr. John E. Harnish, Abingdon Press, Used by Permission

I met her my first week as a youth pastor. She was 16 years old. She had a baby a month later. Our youth group embraced her and loved her through all those first days, weeks, months and years. Then – as often happens when kids graduate from high school – we didn’t keep in as good a touch as we all wanted to. Many, including me, don’t live in that city anymore.

I saw her a year and a half ago when someone told me they found a cantaloupe-sized tumor in her abdomen. She got a bit better, then worse, then better.

Today the news came first in an email. Then a phone call. Mandy has less than a month to live. And she’s asked to see me. I’m honored. And I’m heartbroken. I haven’t cried in a long time. I cried today.

I know most of you don’t know Mandy. But many of you know the God who created her, and loves her, and looks forward to seeing her soon. Please talk to Him about her. If He wants to miraculously heal her – I’d be thrilled. If He wants to take her home, how can I fault Him for that. She’s His. She’s not ours. She’s His. She’s His. She’s His.

What a hard journey this is sometimes…

I recently performed a wedding for some good friends. One of the groomsman and his wife live in Bozeman, MT. There was a huge explosion yesterday morning in the building next to where the wife works and her building was leveled. They are searching for her right now and the outlook is not good. Please be in prayer for the rescue workers, Tara, her husband (Chris), their families, and my friend Cory as he flies to Bozeman to be with his good friend. Ugh…my heart hurts…

Bozeman Daily Chronicle (in case you want more info)

The scene last Friday night: Sarah and I walk up to her school for her very first all-school dance. The place is packed with kids and parents. A few parents are on the dance floor, but mostly it’s clusters of kids dancing around to the instructions of the guy on the stage with the mic in his hand. At one point he says, “Okay, we need more parents out there. Go grab your mom or dad and get them out here.” Sarah left her group of friends, came over to me with a huge smile, grabbed my hand and said, “Come on dad.”

Out on the dance floor she’s twirling, laughing, dancing much better than I, and we’re in our own little nothing’s-better-than-the-father-daughter-relationship zone. At least I thought we were. Halfway through the song, she stops, looks at me, and says, “Okay dad. You can go back over there and stand by yourself.”

Heavy sigh…

Have you caught the Facebook bug yet? Are you on it all day, every day? Once a day? Weekly? Do you even know what I am talking about? And why do I want to be “Facebook friends” with Les, Marcy, and John – people I haven’t seen or talked to since the day we graduated from high school?

I’ve thought about it quite a bit lately. Just wondering why Facebook is so popular – and addicting. Is it just the novelty of something new? Maybe. I’m sure something else will take its place in the years to come. Is it simply because it’s fun to see what others are doing, what they like, and learn little facts about them? (Sort of like the eavesdropping’s version of the “white lie.”) Probably a little. Is it because there’s power in networking for various causes. Definitely that’s a sweet benefit. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised through their “Causes” section.

These elements of Facebook certainly play a part in its appeal, but as I’ve thought about it more, I have come to believe there’s more to it. I think what attracts millions to Facebook is the sense of belonging. When I run across a friend from high school, I remember some of the things we did together, or the crowd we ran around with. Whether we’re still friends – in real life – or not, that person “belonged” to a season of my life, and I belonged to theirs.

When someone invites me to come to their “event”, become a “fan” of their band, or join their “cause,” there is a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself. I like that. I need that. We all do.

When Paul was writing to the church in Rome, he penned these words:

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

We all want to belong to something, someone, a group, or a family. Paul reminds us that our longing to belong is built into who we were created to be. We need each other. We’re in this together. We belong to each other….whether we’re on Facebook or not.