Every day from Monday through Friday I drive about twenty minutes to work and almost forty minutes from work (the curse of LA traffic). Other than enjoying music in my truck's 6-disc CD player I find myself spending a lot of time listening to the radio. As many of us in this telecommunications-advanced world know: there are pretty much millions of stations whose frequencies compete for almost each channel in my truck's radio (both AM and FM). (I can't even imagine thinking of digital and satellite radio signals.) I have radio signals coming in and out at multiple levels. But my tastes are simple. I love this one FM channel that plays the best uplifting Christian music that I listen to on my way to work and on the tedious drive back home. But here's the frustrating part. I enjoy this rejuvenating music only half the time when I'm driving. Because somewhere during my daily drive, frequencies from competing signals overpower the channel. I would be grooving to some powerful spiritual music and all of a sudden I'm bombarded by moving "mariachi" music that cuts in and out of my supernatural revelry. And before you know it I can't tell whether the channel I'm listening to is a Christian music channel or Latin party central.
Now this is not a scientific expose' on radio technology and science. It is not a study on the merits of Christian music versus Mariachi music. But in one of these frustrating moments I received a prophetic revelation. Why is living a supernatural-oriented life so incredibly difficult in this day and age? Answer: the channel in our hearts that receive supernatural radio signals have to compete with other frequencies that cut in and out of this channel. Soon we cannot tell the difference between the supernatural and the secular. Deep down inside we long for the heart-channel broadcasting that primeval voice, that deep presence of the supernatural one who completes us and makes us whole and healed. But somehow the frequency of that supernatural radio signal is not strong enough to hold on to our heart-channel. Other frequencies and signals cut in and out. Before you know it we've moved on to another channel. And whatever channel that once held our heart and soul is now lost to a different music. We have lost this supernatural radio signal in our current age. Its spiritual frequency is just not that strong in our lives anymore. As a result we are stuck in a miserable ride with music that numbs the misery but never makes a good ride. How strong is this spiritual frequency in your heart? Is the supernatural radio signal broadcasting loud and strong?
"The Spirit Himself (supernatural) testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Romans 8:16)
"Christ gives me the strength to face anything." (Philippians 4:13)
The Lord is an incredible God. Last month (January 2011) I have been dealing with the painful process of moving on from my ministry of almost twenty years. (The previous two entries in this blog have been my way of dealing with the thoughts and feelings that came with that.) The major challenge we faced was how our family was going to survive financially and emotionally after this change of life. We felt so alone and isolated. Although deep in my heart I really experienced God's peace that some how He knows what He is doing. It was tough at all levels. But we knew that as a family we had to really trust that Jesus is moving in our lives. I pursued options... we prayed about them... we continued to trust despite the unknowns. Well, the day after our family said goodbye to our ministry I received a job offer to work in a place that I really feel excited and motivated to be in. I have been there for a week now and the Lord seems to be present there as He was in my 20-year ministry. This morning my wife shared with me a commerical that airs on the Superbowl. You have to watch it because this captures really how it feels for me and my family to experience the Lord at work. Jesus does give us the strength- or the force (in Star Wars lingo) to face anything. If you watch this vidoe link you will see how. Enjoy and be encouraged! With the supernatural this is how it works... this is how we can face anything.
Horses have always been a source of fascination for me. Not only horses in general but Thoroughbred horses in particular. These magnificent animals seem to be born and bred for the pure pleasure of watching them run. They are one of the few creatures in our society that seem to be treated better than other fellow human beings. They are bred and born with care. They are raised like royalty. They are also a multi-million dollar industry. And that's not counting the untold millions from betting on their races. Some of their names are legendary: Man O' War, Secretariat, Ruffian... Seabiscuit. In many instances of our history and society, these thoroughbred celebrities captured our imagination, our heart, and our soul as a human community. Perhaps that is why these horses have a special place in our culture.
There are two Thoroughbreds that have captured my mind lately. They may not be as legendary as the previously mentioned equine superstars. But for me they illustrate something about what it means to live beyond normal. I sense that to be truly alive we have to live a life that must have a flavor to it... a supernatural flavor... a quality that becomes obvious in our daily life that there is something about us that points beyond our individual self. This quality allows us to transcend our individuality and capture our collective heart and soul. Seattle Slew and Barbaro are two Throughbreds that have become my teachers about the possibility of transcending the earthly dimensions of human nature.
The ultimate purpose of almost all Thoroughbred horses is to win one, two, or all of three major races at only one point in their lives (when they're 3-years old). Everything before and after their lives is centered around these three contests when they were three-year olds. The three races of course are : The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and The Belmont Stakes... the historic and famous "Triple Crown". Any Thoroughbred who wins one or two of the Triple Crown immediately becomes a celebrity in every sense of the word. If a Thoroughbred wins all three - a "Triple Crown" winner... this horse becomes legend. There are only eighteen horses who came to the season of the "Triple Crown" undefeated. Seattle Slew and Barbaro were two of those Thoroughbreds who have never been beaten by late Spring to race in the first Triple Crown event- The Kentucky Derby. You can't really talk about Thoroughbreds without watching them race. So here is Seattle Slew the undefeated three-year old racing in his first Triple Crown challenge: the 1977 Kentucky Derby.
If you enjoyed that... you need to know that Seattle Slew went on to convincingly beat all the other Throughbreds that year in both the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes... becoming the only horse to date that has won the Triple Crown as an undefeated horse. You may never be a Seattle Slew. You may feel that you have not had an astounding achievement in your life that can make you feel like a champion. But here is the profound truth that this equine superstar has taught me. Seattle Slew lost the very next race after he became "Triple Crown" champion finishing almost dead last. He lost his stature as an undefeated horse. The next year 1978 Seattle Slew became part of history. In no other time have two Thoroughbreds won the Triple Crown in two consecutive years until 1977 and 1978. In 1978 another horse named Affirmed duplicated Seattle Slew and won the Triple Crown. The two horses dueled in a race called the Marlboro Cup. This is the only time two Triple Crown champions ran against each other in the same actual race that was not computer-generated. In the Marlboro race, Seattle Slew ran against a younger stallion who had already proved his equal... and beat him convincingly. For me Seattle Slew became transcendent after he fell from his exalted pedestal and became a champion again. What makes us champions is not the absence of defeat and failure. The true champion in life is the one who keeps rising from the ashes like a phoenix... that is what makes living supernatural.
And then there's Barbaro. Like Seattle Slew he came into the race as a Thoroughbred who had never been beaten. And since an exclusive few racehorses have ever entered the Triple Crown undefeated, the buzz was extra intense. So here is the three-year old Barbaro in the 2006 Kentucky Derby.
Barbaro's dominating performance in the Kentucky Derby had everyone excited about the emergence of another historic Triple Crown winner. There hadn't been one in 26 years since Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978). Barbaro entered the second of the Triple Crown races- The Preakness with high expectations and excitement. But after bolting out of the starting gate tragedy struck. Barbaro shattered his right hind leg. The horse showed his true mettle by remaining calm and incredibly self-restrained on the racetrack while his fellow thoroughbreds finished the race (an impossible feat for a horse). His public display of strength and poise in the midst of excruciating pain and loss ignited the heart and imagination of the world. How do I survive a heartbreaking loss? How do I pick-up the pieces of failure or defeat and still maintain dignity? The normal procedures for a tragedy like this is to euthanize the horse right there on the racetrack. But Barbaro transcended horseracing that day and became a legend. There was no attempt to put him to rest as other Thoroughbred horses who had been injured on the track. He captured the supernatural flavor that makes us more than what or who we really are. He inspired millions of men, women, and children who rallied around him for eight months while he recovered from his devastating injury. But his injury spawned more lethal complications to his health that the decision was made to let him rest. In death Barbaro achieved what he could not achieve in life. His inner quality made him a Triple Crown winner of life... undefeated... unstoppable. That is supernatural living.
"... and we must be deternined to run the race ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete..." (Hebrews 12:1c-2a)
In a desolate chaotic world: know who you are and where you're going!
This isn't a movie review. It's not even critical analysis of an apocalyptic film genre with really deep spiritual overtones. This is about how a film can evoke striking thoughts and emotions that make you sense a supernatural voice speaking deeply in your soul. If you are interested in the movie, you need to see it for yourself. (It is rated R for graphic violent scenes) The Book of Eli is about a world where an apocalytic (end-times) catastrophe destroys all sense of order and meaning to life. To master survival in this nightmarish post-nuclear holocaust-world, persons violently search for answers to the hows and whys of living. The main character (Eli- though not named in the movie) is the ideal. He knows who he is and what his purpose in life is about. This gives him an air of invincibility. He cannot be hurt or injured... or even killed. But he is deeply flawed and suffering. He is alone... always the stranger. He endures a discernable guilt when having to kill people in defense of his mission and values. This contrasts him from the heartless unfeeling killers that roam the wastelands. He is also getting by despite a physical limitation that is not obvious until the end of the movie (I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen the film). I accidentally stumbled onto this movie on a late night of thinking and praying. But I haven't stopped thinking and praying about it since. (It's been two days now.)
I am currently in a significant crossroad in my life. At the end of this month I am walking away from a life that I have lived and enjoyed for almost twenty years. I have to let go of the visions and hopes for a life that I had always thought was my calling and purpose... my reason for living. I am saying good-bye to a pastoral ministry that has been my life for the last twenty years. This is the nuclear catastrophe that has devastated my world. Now I have to redefine myself. I am compelled to discover who I really am and what my purpose is in the face of this gut-wrenching life change. I am looking at 2011 as one surveys an apocalyptic landscape wondering: what do I do now? Who am I going to become? I have to figure out my survival strategy in this scenario. In "The Book of Eli" the main character survives the aftermath of the nuclear holocaust by clinging to every word from the only surviving sacred bible left in his world. Interestingly, the scripture he reads is an echo of an inner voice in his heart that fuels him to get up everyday and move forward. I can relate to that. The only source for survival through my personal catastrophe is supernatural. I cling to the words of the bible. And it resonates with the voice of Jesus deep in my heart...connecting... consoling... leading.
The main character in the movie gets a sense that his purpose in the midst of a chaotic world is to take the last surviving sacred bible west to an island sanctuary (Alcatraz). He testifies to hearing the voice of God telling him that nothing would stop him or hurt him in this journey... and nothing did. That was until he had to make a choice: surrender that last surviving sacred bible to his antagonist (the bad guy) for the life of an innocent person. He gives up the sacred bible and takes a bullet to the heart. I believed deeply that God had called me to this pastoral journey. I had experiences through the years that gave me a sense of inevitability... this was my calling... this was my life. That was until I had to make a choice: surrender my sacred pastoral position for the innocence and purity of my supernatural calling. I gave up my sacred position and took a bullet to the heart.
Amazingly, the hero in "The Book of Eli" continues on his journey west without his precious sacred bible... inwardly convinced of his purpose and mission still. But he staggers now... mortally wounded in the heart... needing the assistance of a friend. He reaches the island sanctuary. But he is not empty handed. Down to his last breath he recites the entire bible as the sanctuary curator writes down his every word. In the final act it turns out that the real treasure was not the leather relic of God's sacred word. The last surviving sacred bible was the man himself. I will move on. I might stagger moving forward... mortally wounded in the heart... needing the assistance of loved ones and friends. But I will get to where I am called to be. And I will not be empty handed. Down to my last breath I will release every word of Divine grace and anointing from the presence of the risen Jesus in my life. In the final act it will turn out that the real supernatural value of my existence is not the pastoral position or title I hold. The real supernatural value of my existince... the sacred word of God... the real biblical revelation that matters... is me.
"I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live... yet not I
