Joel Stiff's Adventure

That was the headline of USA Today Newspaper I saw in Meijer’s this afternoon.

It was in reference to the South Carolina church shooting where nine black Christians were shot and killed by a twenty-one year old white man. This tragedy concerns me on a number of levels. It concerns me as a Christian, a church member, a pastor, an American and as a citizen who strives to judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

I wonder how much hate there truly is versus how much is trying to be stirred up. I know that the majority of people I interact with on a daily basis do not hate me. Nor do I hate them. So why make a headline such as this? The only reason is to cause more trouble to produce more news to ensure job security. After all, what fun is there in reporting about people getting along.

I often encourage people to turn off their news outlets for six months to see how it affects their lives. In every case, life is more pleasant and peaceful. That’s what happens when you get rid of that annoying little voice in your ear that is constantly trying to put fear and doubt in your heart.

My grandmother was telling Shannon and I about her experience as a first grader.

She was born in 1937 and they were still encouraging left handed children to learn to use their right hands for writing. She told us that her teacher would smack her hand with a ruler if she was caught writing with her left hand. She then told us that she still has to watch her heart when she thinks about what this woman did to her.

Now if my math is right, this lady is long dead. My grandmother is 78. If this lady was even 20 years old at the time, it’s putting her in her mid 90’s. She’s most likely long gone.

Not that we wish her dead. I should also add that my grandmother is probably the kindest and most loving individual you would ever have the pleasure to meet. I know that many would say that about their grandmothers, but I promise, if you met her, you would say, “Yeah, he’s telling the truth. This is the nicest lady on the planet.”

So I am exaggerating a bit by making the case that she is still bitter after all these years. It was more than anything a throwaway statement. I’m sure she isn’t lying in bed at night stewing about this teacher.

It did remind me of the fruitlessness of holding a grudge.

Suppose she were truly bitter and angry. Suppose also that this lady has met her maker.

Who is the bitterness hurting?

So one day I am at my grandmothers house and she is baking a cake.

Nothing fancy or from scratch, though she could do it if she wanted to. Just a box mix with the can of frosting. We are talking as she is frosting the cake and I notice that she is capable of covering the cake with only half the can of frosting.

It is at this point that she does the unimaginable. She puts the lid back on the can of frosting. I snapped my fingers in front of her eyes. She was conscious. I felt her forehead. No fever. I checked her pulse. Steady regular beats. So I asked her, “What is my name?” (You know, in case she was losing her mind.) She answered correctly.

I finally figured out that she intended to only use half the can. I confronted her about this ridiculous choice and she told me that the entire can not not necessary to cover the cake.

It may not be necessary, but it is most certainly the only option of a sane human.

A few weeks ago, Shannon was making a cake for Winston’s birthday. I mosey into the kitchen to see how it is coming and discover that she has just finished. In an effort to help, I pick up the frosting can to throw it away, but it isn’t empty. She tells me that she was able to frost the cake without using the whole can.

But that’s not the point, is it?

Just because you can skimp on the frosting doesn’t mean you should. The Bible teaches that we should “eat the fat and drink the sweet.” Not only is it inadvisable to fail to use the whole can, it is a sin to do so.

Bakers of the world, lend me your ears. Do not make the mistake of under-frosting your cakes.

You have the whole can. By jove, use the whole can.

I’m not a gambler, but I know what “all in” means.

You take all your chips or all your money and bet it all at once. If you win, you win big. No, huge.

Everybody I know wants to win big, but no one wants to go all in.

They want to win in marriage, but they aren’t willing to go all in, in the relationship.

They want their kids to win (this is quite relative), but they aren’t willing to go all in with their kids.

Their Christian life is weak, anemic and barely there. It’s because they aren’t willing to go all in for Jesus.

The good news is that life isn’t gambling. Every time you go all in, you win. You reap what you sow. You reap in proportion to your sowing.

If you expect to win huge, you have to be willing to go all in.

If you’ve never read the book of Nehemiah, you should.

It’s outstanding.

Nehemiah was a Jew living as a food taster for a king in a foreign land. One hundred fifty years before, his hometown of Jerusalem was attacked, destroyed and burned with fire. Upon inquiring as to the state of things back home, he was told that everything is as it has been – in ruins. This bothered him deeply. He wept and prayed.

He becomes so burdened by this that he asks permission, leave of absence and money from his king. He is granted all three. He is able to rally a group of people that go with him and they begin to rebuild the wall around the city.

Through much difficulty and opposition, the wall is rebuilt, the city is reestablished and once again flourishes.

No one cared to do anything for one hundred and fifty years. Until Nehemiah.

Once he started caring, other people cared too.

When we go through the checklist of, dare I call them sins, we see a common theme.

Here are a few examples:

Jealousy

Criticism

Inferiority

Fear

Love of comfort over doing of right

Procrastination

What is the common theme? The theme is that each of these sins takes our attention off of what we are supposed to be focused on and places it somewhere else.

When you’re jealous and critical, you’re focusing on someone else.

When you’re feeling inferior, you’re focusing on inadequacies instead of strengths.

When you’re fearful, you’re focusing on the imaginary (what might happen) instead of reality.

When you’re focused on comfort, you’re focusing on self instead of the need.

When you’re procrastinating, you’re only delaying the inevitable that must get accomplished.

We are put here for a purpose and when we ignore that purpose and instead focus our attention elsewhere, we fail to fulfill that purpose.

You’re not happy because you’re paying attention to everything around you instead of the work you were put here to do.

It’s not smart to grab a dog by the ears.

Doing so is a sure way to get bit.

The Bible says that something similar happens when we get involved in a fight not involving us. People are going to fight and argue, it’s what they do. It’s best to just pass by and mind your business.

Unless you want to get bit.

Ever since I was a kid watching Elmer Fudd blowing off Daffy Ducks beak with a shotgun, I knew that tv was the land of fantasy.

This is still true today.

Here are some things I don’t believe just because I see them on tv:

A duck can get shot, put his beak back on and go about life as normal.

Talking dogs, cars and giant purple apes roam the earth.

Sleestaks are out to get me.

An orange Dodge Charger can jump into the air repeatedly and land without any damage.

The earth is getting so hot it will soon be uninhabitable.

There are 84 things in my kitchen right now that threaten my life.

Politicians are hoping to be elected in order to help make my life better.

If I rub a certain creme on my thighs, fat will melt away.

Aging decathletes who want to mutilate their bodies are in no way mentally troubled and are actually heroes.

Everyone with a microphone and a camera is interested in telling me the truth.

See, all silly fantasy.

Some people like to make it hard for others.

I don’t mean that they issue a challenge to help someone rise to the occasion. I do mean that they create hoops and insist others jump through those hoops to earn their favor.

The problem is that once you start jumping through the hoops, they keep adding more hoops. If you jump through the new hoops, even more hoops will be added. There will never be an end to the hoops. You will never get the favor you seek from them.

My advice for the hoop jumpers: quit playing the game. You don’t need the approval of people who manipulate you to get their friendship.

My advice for those who like to make it hard for others: lay off. Who do you think you are anyhow? No one has to do anything you say, nor is your approval necessary.

I was going through new emails on my phone.

Just as the now infamous picture of Bruce Jenner popped up on my screen, a lady saw it and said, “Crazy, huh? But, whatever makes her happy.”

That is the attitude today. If it makes you happy, you should go ahead and do it. As a bonus, no one gets to have a negative opinion about whatever it is that makes you happy.

Now for my negative opinion.

First, the insistence of calling him a her. Bruce Jenner has an x and a y chromosome. This makes him biologically a male. Nothing can be done about that. Makeup, haircuts, dresses, surgeries, and name changes will never negate this fact. Where are those same scientists that like to denounce creation and promote evolution and global warming when something as simple as human biology is at hand?

Second, I am old enough to remember when being a “tranny” was some bizarre, outrageous choice that landed you square in the territory of freak. For the record, it still is bizarre and outrageous. The percentage of the population that chooses to espouse this choice barely registers. If it weren’t for our connected generation, we would rarely if ever encounter this.

Third, I realize that my choice of the word “freak” lands me square in the territory of intolerant. Actually, i’m not intolerant. Bruce Jenner may do anything he wishes to do to his body. It’s none of my business. I do claim the right to have an opinion about any such behavior. My opinion is based on the history of human civilization and common sense based on the way life is conceived, develops and progenerates.

Finally, no one has a right to do something simply because it makes them happy. Maybe stealing your car would make me happy. Maybe vandalizing your home would make me happy. Maybe drinking and driving would make me happy. Just because a choice would make me happy doesn’t mean I have the right to pursue it. The argument then becomes, “Well, if he isn’t hurting anyone else, it shouldn’t matter.”

Can we honestly say that this choice isn’t hurting anyone?