Put that down!

    If you’re reading this Point of View on your SmartPhone, while driving, you should wait until you’ve come to a complete stop. Any use of any remote device while driving has just raised your odds of calamity by a 4x factor. You may be willing to take that risk… but have you asked the soccer mom driving next to you, with her car pool kiddos in the back?
    Medical research has confirmed what’s called the “cocktail party effect;” it’s your brain’s ability to zero-in on just one voice while tuning-out the blaring background. Their findings have determined that 2.5% of the populace is capable of what we’ve dubbed “multi-tasking;” the rest of us are subject to diminished capacity when we try to portray commitment while distracted.
    That’s a fact of life in the constant immediacy of life; it is equally important to consider when you ask – and, answer – the ultimate life challenge: who, exactly, are you?
    Identity is no small issue. For some, it’s found in their gender. Others find their best answer in their ethnicity or mother-tongue. Every four years, many put their default answer aside and adopt a partisan profile. Some friends are forever stuck in their youth and claim their alma mater’s banner. Some women leave their family badge on everywhere they roam; many men never remove their workplace uniform, with their earned rank as their mirror image.
    I live to help Christians discover – or, reclaim – the DNA that has eternal significance. I take my lead from the Apostle Paul, who described it this way: “…Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. 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. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” (Philippians 3:12-17)
    There’s no comfortable inactivity surrounding that segment: Paul’s urgency is in full view. He’s clearly in process… and he is far from satisfied with his own progress. Yet, he is so bold as to link his posture – the primary emphasis of “…one thing I do” – to a level of maturity that he desired for his readers. If they disagreed, it was because they lacked his insight… but God would bring them along in time.
    His boldness was not arrogance when he challenged the Philippians to “… join with others in following my example, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”
    Our generation has come to believe that technology has given us the ability to spread our IQ crumbs across multiple initiatives with no loss in the weight of our contribution. Not so; the research has concluded that focused presence is necessary for full engagement…
    So, what “…wins the prize” that Paul idealized? The bulk of his writings – 13 of the NT books; 14 if you give him credit for Hebrews – established the primacy of his Kingdom Calling at his greatest designation. He set aside his ethnic, institutional religious and professional marketplace nametags and called them “losers” (Philippians 3:7-8) in a face-to-face comparison.
    Pull up that chapter of Scripture; let me ask an intrusive question: would you be able to write Paul’s words, directed toward less-mature believers, based on your discovery of your calling? Or, would you be the one Paul is writing to, encouraging you to make that discovery your next spiritual goal?
   
Here to help you along,

Bob Shank

Help!
   
    Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to convey my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack, and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.
    That concise appeal – delivered via a hologram, projected by robotic R2D2, in Star Wars: Episode IV (the first of the six) – made Carrie Fisher famous, at age 21. It was the high-water mark of her acting career; it's the role for which she's most remembered…
    She said a lot in eight sentences. She established her credibility through her father's history with Obi-Wan. She reported the circumstances of the conflict that was going on around her. She detailed the strategic Plan B that had come out of the battle… and then cited the urgency of her request. How important was Obi-Wan's reply? “You're my only hope…”
    Leia's message got Luke Skywalker on the case; what followed was the storyline for six blockbuster movies over two decades. From her desperation came the response that became the basis for the game-changer in the rebellion against the Empire.

    Pretend that computer in front of you is R2D2; I'm standing-in for Princess Leia. We have enough backstory that I don't need to introduce myself; I presume that you trust my message to you.
    Right now, we're under attack. So are you; it's no secret: if you're pursuing your Calling, the Evil One is actively opposed and firing live ammunition to try to dissuade you from your Mission. It's constant and expected; it confirms that we're on the right track.
    That's all cute and trendy, but what am I saying? Today – today! – is a vital day for the Mission of The Master's Program. This is our most strategic hour. Help me, (your name here). You're my only hope.
    Right now I'm with about 30 people who have given themselves to our Golf Challenge. We're on the course this morning playing the obligatory rounds of golf to unleash the funds from friends and colleagues to underwrite the start-up of new groups this year for The Master's Program, across America.
    About 80 friends have directly sponsored me for today's Challenge. If you're one of them, thanks! If you prefer to make a dramatic entrance at the last minute, this is your chance! You can travel right now to my sponsorship page and help us in Palm Desert, from where you are right now!
    Though we use the most secure web technology, some folks aren't comfortable with on-line donations with their credit information. If that's the case, you can hit reply – up there, in the corner – and let me know that you'll be mailing a check (it would be great to give me the amount you plan to send, if you do). I'll reply to your reply to give you mailing address information.
    Star Wars had a powerful message, and a huge fan following: battles were being waged – out of view – that had the fate-of-the-future hanging in the balance. That was science fiction; we're engaged in the epic battle between God and Evil, and we're helping the next wave of Luke Skywalkers and Han Solos to find their battle stations and get into the game.
    Next week, we'll be back to normal with Point of View. Today, I'm on assignment, raising the capacity to serve more leaders with TMP. Help me, partner: you're my only hope…
   
Bob Shank (you can call me Obi-Wan)

    You just can't make this stuff up. Jeanne Phillips took over the keyboard from her mom, Pauline Phillips, on July 22, 2002 as the source of answers to the 5,000-10,000 people who issue pleas for help from Dear Abby. Yesterday's syndicated column had this earth-shaking query:
    "My cousin 'Linda' loves her cats. Last year, one of them – 'Wookie' – got very sick and she had to take him to the animal hospital. She sent a mass text message to all our family members indicating she would be unable to afford Christmas gifts because she had to pay a couple of thousand dollars on Wookie's vet bills. She continues to send updates on his health and treatment. Last week, I received an e-mail from Linda about a website she has established soliciting donations to cover her cat's medical expenses. Every day since then I have received a text or e-mail from her or her mother asking me to donate and to tell my friends as well. I'm sorry Linda's cat is dying, but I don't feel comfortable soliciting friends to donate money for a cat who will not get better. How do I politely ask her to stop bombarding me with these requests? I think what she's doing is a little tacky…"

    It's a good thing that Jeanne is doing the answering of those thought-provoking questions. We don't have many cats in our neighborhood… but the coyotes are seen in the streets after sundown, frequently. If Linda could bring Wookie to spend a weekend on our block, things might just work themselves out…
    Perhaps I've just offended my cat-loving readers; I'm reaching – with cynical humor – toward a point: you find out a lot about someone based on what they value.
    Linda is not a friend of mine, and I sure don't know her cousin who wrote to Dear Abby, but I can tell you something about each of them: Linda values her cat above her own cash – and, the cash of her friends and family – while her cousin places her personal funds at a value level above her cousin's cat (and, likely, above her cousin!). There's a biblical principle on display there: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21).
    Different people have different stuff; we all collect our own kinds of "treasure" in life. For some, their children are their most important asset. Others have pets; some have cars or houses or memberships or various kinds of art. Get to know someone; you aren't finished with your foundational familiarization of them until you can assess their holdings in life. "Priorities" is the term we use for what we discover; it's a matter of setting the value of the various categories of accumulations that mark the meaning of their life's greatest accumulation.
    Ask God what He values most, and you'll be interviewing Someone with a fascinating portfolio from which He could respond. He holds title to the vast universe He created; on earth, He is the title-holder for every tangible material thing, both raw and refined. It's all His… though we often act as if it's ours while we hold it and keep it away from others. What would God put on top of his most-valued roster?
    Tough question; easy answer. He didn't leave the matter up for speculation; in fact, it's one of the most widely-known facts about Him: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life," (John 3:16).
    What does God value most? You… me, and all of the rest of the individuals who make up "the world" – the part of His creation that is His favorite-of-all.
    The angels could write to Dear Abby about His extraordinary affection for His "pets;" they don't understand His extraordinary love. In fact, His passion for us sent His Son to a cross…
  
Bob Shank

    So… what are you up to, between now and “the end?” What are you planning to accomplish between here and heaven?
    Is there anything more important – for a Christian – to ask… and to answer? Life's biggest issue is to clarify – and, then resolve – our need for a Savior. After you settle the matter of your eternal destiny (hell, or heaven?), living under the Lordship of your Savior is paramount. How practical is that?
    For Paul, it was life's most important pursuit: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad," (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). He had tents to make, bills to pay, commitments to fulfill… but he knew what his priority was, every day, leading up to the Big Meeting.

    At that appearance – the event Paul called “the judgment seat of Christ” – His assessment of our life as believers will be rendered, personally. The best words we could ever imagine hearing, quoted by Jesus Himself: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).
    How important is our preparation for that encounter? About 15 years ago, I recalibrated the focus of all that I do in my life to align with my Calling: to help Christian leaders ensure that they will hear Jesus say those words to them as they transition, from life on Earth to Life in Heaven.
    I met Rich Saul about 35 years ago. In those days, I was in the marketplace, and he was in the spotlight. My career was in business; his was in football. Drafted by the Rams in 1970, he played his 11-season NFL career for them; the last six of those he was All-Pro.
    Rich was a professional athlete, but he had balance in his life that seldom accompanies success on the field. His marriage to Eileen was rock-solid, and his kids – Jamie and Josh – were far more likely to get him bragging than his Super Bowl ring. Our kids went to the same Christian school; we went to the same church; we lived in the same community of neighborhood Christians who were working to be the same people on Wednesdays that we were in the sanctuary, on Sundays. We were in a small group together, for years. His weekly greeting was sincere, and always made my morning…
    Though Rich's after-football day-job was selling title insurance, he had ample opportunity to exploit his football history through his community roles and speaking invitations. The picture of aw-shucks humility, he sold title policies… but he gave away encouragement to everyone he encountered.
    Rich was in The Master's Program in 1999 when he turned 50, and submitted himself to the classic mid-life physical exam. He demanded the colonoscopy – the one that his doctor said he didn't need – that discovered his colon cancer. Surgery and chemo followed… and God gave Rich 14 more years to serve his family, love his friends and impact his world.
    Rich left the NFL in 1981; he left this life last week and moved to heaven. The sports world has recounted his life with appropriate honor at ESPN.
    His memorial service is Saturday, on the same church campus where he and Eileen worshiped and where I once pastored. I will be out of town for a ministry commitment and will miss the service. I can guess what will be said about Rich to the thousands who will probably attend… but I know for certain what Jesus had to say when they met-up last week: “Well done, good and faithful servant!…”  Some things are certain; I'd bet my life on it.
    Hey, Rich: get a table for four, and wait for us. Cheri and Eileen and I will join you soon…

Bob Shank

    Long, long ago – in an America far, far away – restaurants served American food. I had my family with me last week – for Easter Break – and we were far enough away from home that we were Yelp-dependent at a few mealtimes. With the “$$” limitation (I didn't want to be a “$” cheapskate, but there are 11 of us, and “$$$” was a little rich for the one-check patriarch), I did “close to current location” searches. The result? Ethnic foods were the dominant option; not much American food nearby.
    These days, one of the most frequent compromises is fusion. Good luck finding “fusion” on a map; it didn’t exist 25 years ago. Technically, “Fusion cuisine combines elements of various culinary traditions while not being categorized per any one particular cuisine style, and can pertain to innovations in many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970s…” (Wikipedia). Fusion puts tacos and dim sum on the same menu – or, on the same plate – with no culinary conflict.
    It’s one thing to mix up your food; it's quite another to mix up your faith. What happens in the dining room will simply be a curiosity; what happens in the sanctuary could become an eternal disqualifier. Using a quirky buffet line for dinner is one thing; doing a creative hodgepodge of the holy is risking way too much to dismiss it as “personal freedom.”
    Last week, Andrew Sullivan wrote the cover story for Newsweek: “Forget the Church; Follow Jesus.”  Sullivan – self-described as British by birth, American by residence, politically conservative, Catholic, and openly gay – offers his perspectives as an author, editor, political commentator and blogger. His contribution to Easter Week suggested that the best approach to the Christian faith offer was to go a la carte: just Jesus, without church-on-the-side…

    His lead illustration was the work of Thomas Jefferson on the question of faith, demonstrated by his Bible-on-display at the National Museum of American History in Washington. Jefferson's approach was to "cut the diamonds of Christ's teachings out of the dunghill of the New Testament." He extracted the portions of the Gospels that he thought “reflected the actual teachings of Jesus,” aggregated those… and dismissed the rest as “the misconceptions of Jesus'; followers;” not to be trusted, not authoritative.
    Jefferson declared himself to be "a real Christian; that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus." More succinctly, he was aligned with the sayings of Jesus that survived his scalpel. He created a picture of Jesus that reflected his sensibilities, and dismissed the rest as irrelevant; the supernatural was negated by science, and the result was an individual code that did not need to agree with anyone else's construct of Christianity… or synchronize with a faith community organized as a “church.”
    So… Andrew Sullivan embraces his version of Thomas Jefferson, who embraces his version of Jesus of Nazareth… and gets cover-story status from Editor-in-Chief Tina Brown, also a British-born journalist who speaks to American culture from the platform of one of the culture's dominant weeklies. Is it the prerogative of journalists – imported from England – to reinvent American faith in Christianity's most holy week?
    America suffered a brutal backlash recently in Afghanistan when it was reported that copies of the Koran had been mishandled. But… there's no outcry in America when a former president – or, a contemporary reporter – does a cut-and-paste on the book that claims divine inspiration for all of its words, including and limited to the “words of Jesus in red!”
    “Forget the Church; Follow Jesus?” Which Jesus? I wonder if Thomas Jefferson – or, Andrew Sullivan – considers this statement to be among Jesus accurate quotations: “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it…” (Matthew 16:18).
    I'm ranting… but, I'm right. Is anyone else becoming a little perturbed by the mounting attacks on the Word of God, the Son of God, and the Church of Jesus Christ?

Bob Shank

    Too frequently, I find myself defined by my pathology; sometimes, I think I’m pathetic. Voices that have been dead for decades still echo in my mind… when it’s quiet all around me. Does that ever happen to you?
    Some phrases haunt me; here's one I heard from the heavies during my upbringing: "No 'Buts'! I don't want to hear any 'Buts.' Just do it!" That must have come into the heritage somewhere back in the shadows of history; somewhere between Eden and Orange County, "No 'Buts'" became a mandatory mantra to get me out of the debate mode and into action.
    Maybe you heard the same thing (could we be – somehow – related)? Some words are marked, for me, for life; buts have a bad rap, based on my family history. But…
    I've been learning something about my other family – the one that adopted me, spiritually, when I was just a child. In this Family of God environment, I've discovered that our Father – the One in heaven – has made the “But” word part of His affirming operating style. Whassup?

    There is a word couplet that shows up without fanfare in God's account of life on planet Earth; if you don't know to watch for them, you could miss a big part of the story. The duo? Here it is: “But God…” May I introduce you to that attractive word couple?
    But God. Those may be anonymous-looking faces in the literary multitude who live between Genesis and Revelation, but they show up in the most amazing moments in the story! Like a Where's Waldo game, when you spot those six letters joined-up in that order, throw a spotlight on them: something's about to happen. Like… what?
    First occurrence was early, on the first installment of the mini-series. It had rained for forty days; then, no dry land had appeared for nearly four months. Almost half-a-year surrounded by the floods of judgment; for the eight folks – and the Animal Planet cast below-decks – the prospects for life as they had once known it were drowning. What next? Watch it; there's that couplet: “But God remembered Noah and all the… animals… and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded…” (Genesis 8:1). But God…
    Here's another: same book, later chapters introduce us to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Numerous But Gods woven into their lifespans. Joseph – son of Jacob – is introduced as Most Likely to Succeed among 12 sons. Oops; they gang up against him, sell him as a slave, export him to Egypt with tall-tales for dad about his untimely death by wild beasts. You know the story: he ends up COO for Pharaoh in Egypt, administering the food program in a severe regional drought. His brothers come begging; Joseph secretly provides for them, then pops out of the cake (so to speak) and “surprises” them. Later, fearing for their lives, they ask him if he is going for revenge. His answer? “…Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives…” (Genesis 50:19-20). But God…
    Paul got it. Sharing the Gospel with Jewish expatriates in Pisidian Antioch, he explained it this way: “When they carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead…” (Acts 13:30). But God…
    The point? I call them Divine Inflection Points; they are the places in any story when the trend-line is interrupted by a turning point of massive importance. They are the moments in the movie when you don't want to be out getting popcorn: the whole story depends on the dramatic shift. In the Big Story – God's Story – He steps away from predictability when he signals His exception to the momentum with those two words: But God…
    We spent yesterday – Easter! – declaring a “But God…” event in that tomb! Wow! Don't know how you're doing right now, but you may be approaching a But God… moment …

Bob Shank

    Getting started: Have you noticed how my Monday missive is “different?” It comes, in part, from my desire to offer something different to you on Monday than the rest of the incessant intrusions – portrayed as “news” – that are jamming their way into your e-box. The commitment: Point of View is an Election-Free Zone (EFZ).
    Most news outlets are operating with an All Election/All the Time assumption. Latest Polls compete with Stupid Gaffes for lead story status. March Madness/Final Four gave temporary relief; the Mega Millions lottery scam was like a Super Bowl commercial, but now we’re back to the gridiron, watching the teams as they battle on the field. They call it “politics,” but in a courtroom, they would argue it as defamation of character…
    This morning’s USA Today carries an editorial by Richard Land, President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, under the headline, “Romney and the Evangelicals.” Rather than a group defined by purpose and passion, Evangelicals have become a voting block whose loyalty – from Primaries to General – is being polled and projected, sought and bought.
    We’ve just come-off one of our culture’s big weekends: yesterday was both April Fools Day (that’s for Atheists) and Palm Sunday (an event for Christians). The term has no occurrence in the Bible; rather, it’s the heading given to the first day of Jesus’ Passion Week, marked by what we call the “Triumphal Entry” (another not-in-the-inspired-text designation).

    Whose triumph? “The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!”  (John 12:12-13)
    When we read Bible segments, we often suffer from over-awareness; I know I do. If we’ve been around awhile, we read Genesis, already aware of Revelation. If you’ve read the book, the movie offers few surprises. One attendant attribute of that phenomenon: we assume that the players on the stage have read the whole script, as well. BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious): they didn’t know the story. They were living it, in real-time… and were as clueless as we would have been if we could swap places.
    Those people waving those palm fronds were at a political rally. Jesus had been “running” for Messiah for three years, and their definition of the position had everything to do with a victory over the occupying Romans, and the reestablishment of their national independent status. “Hosanna!… King of Israel!” The word means, “Save us now!” The title they awarded to Jesus: “King of Israel!”
    That was Sunday; by Thursday, the Romans had him in custody… and their hopes of his imminent conquest of their enemy occupiers were dismissed as irrelevant. His public regard sank faster than a rock in a pond: given the choice, Barrabas the criminal insurrectionist was their pick.
    Sunday was no “triumph;” it was the crowd, projecting their plans for Jesus to lead the revolt over Rome. They were looking for a political savior, and they were ready to put their clout behind him in that role. By Friday, Sunday’s hero was hanging on a cross outside the city.
    Ask any Jew with a palm frond: they would have stated their desire, clearly. They were looking for someone to save them from Caesar. Ask the Jew on the back of the donkey: He knew what the crowd – and, everyone else in the human family – really needed: Someone to save them from sin.
    We haven’t changed much, in 2000 years. Jesus is still on the scene… and we’re tempted to politicize him. His maximum value is in supercharging our partisan promotions. Really?
    Evangelicals? We’re not a voting block; we’re a missional community, tasked with completing the assignment to take the message of the Messiah – the spiritual Savior – to the rest of the world.
    Be a good citizen, in both kingdoms. Go to the polls, and go to the whole world.

Bob Shank

    The clock’s ticking; can you hear it? At midnight tonight, you’ll only have 432,000 “ticks” left until the end of the first quarter of 2012. Midnight Sunday marks the moment of truth, for many…
      In the Magic Kingdom of Corporate Life, time is punctuated on a fiscal clock. “Tax Years” take the place of real years, out in the “other world.” Kids are raised to get into the alternate reality through their classroom years; “Academic Years” break from the calendar confines to begin in September (or, thereabouts) and end in June (or May, if you’re closer to the Atlantic than the Pacific).
    Fiscal Years are created in Board Rooms, under the influence of CFOs. An argument is made that the peculiarities of an enterprise make it better to reset the corporate calendar out-of-step with the ball drop in Time Square. Even when that re-alignment is made, it normally shoves the new reality into sync with a conventional calendar’s quarters. March 31 will finish a quarter; whatever its relationship to a Fiscal Year – 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th – it incites an emotional reaction in the person who lives with one eye on the countdown clock. Up there – at the end of the field – is the Objective Eye that rules your life: points on the board, and seconds on the clock are the crucial factors in the formula of success.

    How is your quarter going? What impossible expectations – imposed by your corporate higher-ups, or proposed by your own swing-for-the-fences personal demands – are awaiting your fulfillment before the weekend? How is this quarter wrapping-up, for you?
    Whether you’re the one making the assessment, or it’s an outside official who will call the winner, the reality is the same: the judge doesn’t declare outcomes until all of the time on the clock is expended. The score won’t count until the time is up; when time runs out, the score will be all that matters…
    For some who read this, I’ve just succeeded in raising your blood pressure by a dangerous margin. We who live for accomplishment – rather than choosing to live benefiting from the accomplishments of others – we self-regulate, based on the scoreboard. The risks we are willing to embrace rise and fall based on the time/score relationships. With time running down and a score that won’t win, long-shot play calls become a strategic necessity. Smart moves: get the best players off the bench and in the game… and then call the plays that offer high risk/high reward potential.
    A couple of weeks ago, I heard from a TMP grad/friend from Chicago who was going to be in SoCal for a few days; we tried to connect while he was in my neighborhood. It didn’t work out, but we committed to make it happen soon. Five days after our attempted meeting, he was back home… and suffered a major stroke. Last Friday, it was “game over,” for Paul. He was born three months before me; he was a “young” 59… and had no indication that he was in the last seconds of the game when we talked…
    Are these the “Last Days,” in Bible calendar lingo? Corporations determine their fiscal calendars, but God sets the history calendar on His sovereign terms. There are two run-clocks in operation, all the time: the countdown of our personal time on Earth, and the countdown of God’s plan, that is being exercised on Earth in “time and space.”
    My buddy Paul Sweas left the field last Friday; he went directly to the Owner’s Box, where he’s now watching the game in style. I think I know what he heard when he was taken up the elevator and got off outside the Suite: “Welcome, My Son! Well done, good and faithful servant; you’ve been faithful…”
    I knew him; I knew his works; I watched him take risks, score points… and I think I saw the Owner – high above the press box – smiling…      

Bob Shank 

    “Why don’t you get a room?” If you weren’t a student of the culture, you might not get the implications of that expression of disdain, most often pointed toward a couple who are caught with excessive PDA (that’s Public Display of Affection!).
    It could have been the motto for the website Priceline – known for featuring William Shatner as the “Priceline Negotiator” until his character was killed-off in a fiery bus crash – in their effort to connect consumers with off-price hotel rooms from unreserved inventories.
    With Spring Breaks underway across America, and Summer Vacations just over the horizon, people are in a planning mode for their short escapes. In the “good old days,” holidays meant climbing in the family car and road trips, with the middle of the front seat stacked high with fold-up maps and AAA motel directories. Sundown meant watching for motels at or near the off-ramp, offering teaser rates in neon… and the promise of a pool. We’ve come a long way…
    Nowadays, folks don’t risk facing dusk without a reservation. Taking your chances for an overnight solution – especially when you’re in unfamiliar territory – is not a smart strategy in the internet age. Anticipating coming need – and exploring available options, complete with consumer reviews and objective ratings – can happen on your smart phone while waiting in the barista line for your morning latte. Reservations for a top-rated room – and for dinner nearby – are a point of assurance as you move through the day. Why take chances when you can make plans for paradise?

    If that plan-ahead posture makes sense for a vacation night – and, it does – our generation has begun to put the same emphasis on planning for a future destination for the retirement season. The weekend Wall Street Journal featured an exploration of options under the headline, “The New Retirement Resorts.” The institutionalized model of Assisted Living – or, campuses with graduated levels of services based on declining health and accelerating requirements – were contrasted with new concepts like moving to Costa Rica where you can hire full-timers of your own while living in a tropical paradise, or buying a high-rise condo in a coastal resort community where bring-in services are routine. The ultimate – in low cost and high desirability – was the chance to sign on to a cruise ship as a new primary residence and ride the high seas as the ship moves around the world based on seasons and demand. Their point: don’t wait until your kids ambush you with a short-ride to a nursing home. Make plans for yourself, or they’ll do it for you…
    If getting a room for the night – or considering the best solution for your “golden years” – makes sense, why don’t people give more thought to their need for a domicile, beyond retirement? If William Shatner could offer assistance in making the best deal for a one-nighter, why wouldn’t the offer from Jesus make great sense for the advance planner? “’Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me… ‘”(John 14:1-6)
    It’s amazing how many people are willing to get on the toll road that moves through the Valley of the Shadow of Death (it is a toll road, you know: they don’t dispose of your remains for free!)… and then hope to grab a room at an off-ramp in the afterlife. Who needs a plan? Do you really think you’ll still have your options when you get to the other side? Really?
    Down here, I stay with Bill Marriott. Up there, I’m staying with Jesus. Why take chances?
     
    Bob Shank

    Where is “Orange County?” That would be a killer question on a game show; the answers would be all over the map.
    Reason: because Orange County is all over the map! New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Indiana and California would all be right answers. The Real Housewives of Orange County (California) could get lost on the way home from a “botox” clinic if they tried to abbreviate the address in their GPS…
    For the last half century – before Housewives and Choppers broadened the brand – Orange County (California) was an incubator for new and innovative Christian ministries. Leaders rose from obscurity to celebrity as they told the old, old story in new and revolutionary ways… and neighborhood names became American – and, then, international – images of Christianity in a new era.
    The last few weeks in Orange County (California) have been tough ones for some of those well-known notables. The newspaper inches have told stories that didn’t make the Sunday bulletin.
    One pastor started a ministry in Orange County on the roof of the snack bar at the Orange Drive-In in 1955. His ministry built a church which subsequently became a landmark; recent financial challenges led to bankruptcy, the sale of the iconic campus to the local Catholic archdiocese… and as of this weekend, the resignation of the entire ministry staff of the remnant church, including the founder. Tough times never last, but tough people do…
    Two couples launched a Cable TV network in Orange County in 1973. In ’75, one left the ministry to start their own network; but the other couple persevered. Organized as a church – they have no elders, but that means no 990 financial disclosure forms like “normal” ministries file – some of the broadcast behemoth details are now being exposed in court by a relative. Until last fall, she was the network’s CFO; she is now charging the ministry’s attorneys for complicity in allowing gross financial abuses by/for the leaders. They will all have their day in court…

    The new generation hasn’t been left on the sidelines: another Orange County pastor has been in a crossfire over articles suggesting that his ministry is “going more than halfway” with Muslims in an effort to create friendships that cross the religious divide. Do biblical Christians and Koran-reading Muslims worship the same God? That question has left academe to become a spiritual street fight in our town…
    In the midst of all of that, the story of Youcef Nadarkhani’s travails is just an international bullet point. The Iranian pastor committed a death-penalty felony at 19 when he exercised his faith and converted from Islam to Christianity. Today – at 32 – he has a family and a church, but his case is before the Supreme Court of Iran. The charge: apostasy. He will not renounce his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
    Reveal: to make something secret or hidden publicly or generally known. Revile: to subject to verbal abuse. Persecute: to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve or afflict; specifically, to cause to suffer because of belief. Are these different experiences?
    Jesus had comfort to offer to those who are reviled or persecuted: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:10-12)
    If my ministry brethren are being reviled or persecuted, I pray God’s blessing toward them, as promised. If, instead, their ministry details are being revealed to be inappropriate… I pray that God’s integrity will be protected and his character will be honored. He deserves nothing less.
    This ministry business can be a little challenging…
     
Bob Shank