Another Brick in the Patio

This is one of those weeks.  No, not one of those weeks; I mean one of those weeks that I am stuck on what to write.  Mother’s Day was Sunday, but I’ve mentioned women and moms for the past several weeks.  I met a new friend last week, but I’m not sure how to tell the story.  I had my first full Saturday at home in about six weeks and got to do some much needed work around the house and yard.  It was glorious for me, but not necessarily compelling reading. Or maybe I could write about finishing up a great concert season with the Singing Men of North Central Texas last Thursday night in Cedar Hill, but I’m not sure how to make that interesting reading either.

Maybe I’ll write about all of the above.  “You just did,” said the reader.  “Hang with me for a minute,” replied the author as the wheels began to turn. 

Part of my Saturday at home project was to build a small brick patio.  Actually, it is more of a “landing”, about 4 feet square, at the bottom of a ramp that comes down off our back porch.  When we bought this house 22 years ago, we found tons of spare construction materials piled up on the back of the property.  Mrs. Sweetie used over 1000 bricks we found to build a patio.  When we had the new Sweetie Suite built last year we had to dig up the patio, but we saved the bricks. So, I had plenty to choose from to build my little landing on Saturday.  A future planned brick project is a larger patio with a fire pit and a place for me to exercise my outdoor culinary skills. 

My brick collection has a lot of variety in size, color, and texture.  So, part of the challenge was to put the individual bricks together in some sort of pattern to create the whole. Individually, they are bricks.  Collectively, they are one “patio”.

As I consider the various stories and experiences of the past week, I realize that each one is a brick in the patio of my life.  I may not immediately see all the connections and patterns, but God is building something in me that utilizes, perhaps even requires, all the various sizes, colors, and textures.

Romans 8:28-29 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

That tells me that, because I love Him and have been called by Him for His purpose, God is working in all the circumstances of my life to make me more like Jesus.  Each circumstance is a brick in the patio and each one matters to Him.

What is He building in you?

I've Got New Names

Thomas Gerald Lewis: That’s the name I was given at birth. My parents and namesakes, Thomas Jefferson & Geralene, shortened it to Gerry and that’s what I’ve been called most often for these 50 plus years. 

I’ve inherited a few other monikers along the way.  In sixth grade, one of my friends started calling me Dumbo because I had not yet grown into my ears. My pastor and mentor, Roland Earl, called me Goober.  Once I became a pastor, both Gerry and Lewis often got preceded by Brother, Pastor, and Reverend.  That last one was my least favorite.  I’ve always been more irreverent.  When I completed my doctorate, then I gained Dr. Lewis, Dr. Gerry, Dr. Lew, and Dr. G.  A couple of my associate pastors called me Master Doctor and El Doctoro.  Once I started writing about Mrs. Sweetie, it wasn’t long until Dr. Sweetie came about.

Twenty-five years ago today (May 5), I got a new name that was a game changer: Daddy.  I think back to the time when I couldn’t wait to hear that baby girl say “Da-da” for the first time.  What an amazing sound! She has grown up to be a wife and high school teacher and my heart still melts when that name crosses her lips. She’s one of those important women in my life that I have been writing about for a few weeks. When she ends a phone call with, “I love you, Daddy,” I can’t feel anything but amazed and blessed.

There is a common thread that runs through this process of the acquisition of new names.  Each one came about because of a change in circumstances or location, or because of a significant event.  Another common thing about those new names is that they were in addition to rather than instead of the previous ones (with the exception of Dumbo and Goober—those did eventually go away).

However there was another significant event and change that resulted in some new names that were not simply additions; they were exchanges.  The event was responding in faith to the grace of God offered through Jesus Christ.  When I did that, everything changed.

You were dead in your transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1).  You were separate from Christ … without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12-13). You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds … But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Colossians 1:21-22). You were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (1 Peter 2:25).

New names, new focus, new destiny.  Talk about a game changer.

I've Got Women on My Mind

I spend a lot of time thinking about women these days.  By “these days”, I mean this time of year.  And I don’t mean just women in general, but specific ones.  During the months of April and May, I celebrate birthdays of my mom, step-mom, mother-in-law, favorite daughter, Mrs. Sweetie (who just had one of those significant numbered birthdays), one sister-in-law, and two nieces.  Throw in Mother’s Day and that’s a high concentration of estrogen that affects my life this time of year. 

This past weekend, we went to see our son in a production of “Legally Blonde, The Musical”.  Talk about estrogen overload!  But, I digress.  After the sold-out performance, we gathered in the crowded lobby of the theater to greet the cast members. As we stood visiting, congratulating, and repeating funny lines from the show, my son’s future mother-in-law lined the kids up for a photo.  She couldn’t get the photo taken because her future son-in-law kept harassing her by looking away just before she pushed the button.  I think he was actually pushing her button, but I digress again.

I had a flashback watching this hilarious exchange. I fear he comes by it honestly.  I messed with my mother-in-law’s photo taking for 25 years.  Mamaw was always armed with one of those little one-use disposable cameras.  I couldn’t convince her to go digital.  It was actually a bittersweet moment to watch this new generation of harassment on what would have been her 84^th birthday.  She went on to heaven four years ago and I miss her.  I can only hope that my son has as much fun with his mother-in-law as I had with mine and for at least as many years.

We all have the family into which we were born.  Some of us have a family we got because of someone’s choice.  But however we got them, we get to choose how we interact with them.  I’ve got some nut cases in my family.  One of them lives in the house with Mrs. Sweetie.  Family can drive you crazy sometimes, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  What that means is that you care enough about each other that the way you interact affects your life.  I can pretty well forget the random person who does something goofy that affects a moment of my life because I am unlikely to interact with them again.

Since I can’t forget family, I’ve got to choose how I interact with them.  Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you [emphasis mine], live at peace with everyone.”  I am only in control of me.  But I am in control of me.  The reason I had such a great relationship with my mother-in-law is that I chose to ignore some things about her and she chose to ignore some things about me.

I’m probably going to be writing about women for several weeks.  Embrace the estrogen, guys.

Lord, I Just Want to Thank You for My Mama

“Lord, I just want to thank you for my mama.  I’ve been the cause of so many of her tears.   

She weeps in times of sorrow and there are tears in times of joy. 

 How can my cries always reach my mama’s ears?

Lord, I just want to thank you for my mama.  Her labors of love have so often been for me; 

a warm blanket tucked up under my chin and lacing shoes that I couldn’t tie. 

 Her love for me never let her labor cease.

Lord, I just want to thank you for my mama and for the times she’s spent before You on her knees.   

Of all of the places she could choose, there is no better place to be.   

May she always love You much more than she loves me.

Even though she’s changing and bears the marks of aging, I can’t help but notice in her eyes; 

there’s such a joy in living and such a grace in giving. I know she’s pressing toward a prize. 

Oh, Lord, I just want to thank you for my mama.”

I wrote those words, and the tune to go with them to sing as a special Mother’s Day song at church in 1992.  I sang it as a duet with a lady in our church.  In 1993, I recorded the song, along with seven other family-themed original songs on a project titled, “In the Family Way.”  On the recording, I sang it as a duet with my five-year-old daughter. In a couple of weeks, that little girl will be twenty-five.  I still love to hear that recording and I still enjoy singing the song on occasion.

I’m still thankful for my mama and today (April 22) is her 78^th birthday.  I’m going to call her in a little while.  The card was mailed a few days ago, so hopefully she will get it today.  As my own kids have grown up, I have come to understand better some of the things Mom has been telling me for years.  I’m 51 years old, 6’ 2”, and 220(ish) pounds.  In her eyes, I am still, and always will be, her little boy.  I’m still the cause of a lot of her tears, both sad and happy.  And she has enough of them to go around for all three of her kids, all six of her grand-kids, and anyone else who needs some.

There’s a line in that song that can’t be understood without some context: “I know she’s pressing toward a prize.” Philippians 3:13-14 says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

The best gift a mama can give is not to give her best to her children, but to let them see her give her best to the Lord.

Thanks, Mom.  Happy birthday.

Following the Leader

(Written 4/13/2013)

Almost everyone, at some time, has played "Follow the Leader".  I have always liked this  game.  As long as I am leading.  I can be a good follower as long as the leader is going somewhere I want to go. But I can be pretty impatient if I am asked to follow somewhere else.  That statement was only partially true. I can be impatient, but it really isn't very pretty.

For the past week or so, I've spent a lot of time focused on leadership.  I spent four full days at a retreat center near Glen Rose, Texas with a group of about 30 church leaders focusing on becoming better servant leaders. At this retreat, I was one of the students.  I was home from this retreat for about twelve hours before I left to take another group of leaders to Green Bay, Wisconsin to lead a conference for church leaders. 

I am writing this from a hotel room in Green Bay.  There is snow on the ground. It is 40 degrees colder here than it is at home. I will be preaching tomorrow morning in a church full of people I have never met, who are probably Packers fans! I will be leading a workshop tomorrow afternoon for a group of church leaders, most of whom I have never met, who operate in a different culture than the one where I spend my days. What can I possibly have to offer?  What in the world am I doing here?  What if I look back and no one is there?

I ask myself these questions and myself answers, "So what? It's not about you!"

Here's a great truth for life and for leaders.  If you can't follow, you have no business leading.  The moment you think you have nothing left to learn, or that you don't need anyone else's input, you have lost your effectiveness as a leader.

So how do you know whom to follow? Glad you asked.

Then he [Jesus] told all of them, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continually, because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit will a person have if he gains the whole world, but destroys himself or is lost?" (Luke 9:23-25)

Did you know that Jesus never once told people He wanted them to become "Christians".  The word Jesus used was "disciple". A disciple is one who follows, learns, obeys, and acts like Jesus.

Here's my message to leaders (and my reminder to myself): You may be a leader, but you are not at the head of the line.  Our lives matter so much to God that He protects us from the pressure of having to be in charge of the world.

Now, if I were in charge of the world ... That really wouldn't be pretty.