YOU ARE HERE!

The following is a story by Timothy Tennent, President of Asbury Theological Seminary.


Most of us have had the experience of going to a shopping mall and trying to find a place to eat or a certain shop to shop in. At the entrance of most malls there are large maps showing all the stores in the mall, and there is, mercifully, a large red arrow pointing to a certain spot with the words in large letters: YOU ARE HERE! This allow us to situate ourselves within the larger map, and, without it, the big map is useless. The Bible is like a gigantic map which reveals to us the over-arching work and unfolding plan of God for his creation. However, many of us wonder how we fit into this big plan of God.


There are two main places where God, in this inspired map, has lovingly placed the words "YOU ARE HERE!" The first is in the Garden of Eden where Adam rebelled against God. Scripture teaches that in one act of rebellion the entire human race was bound up in sin. When we read the story of the Fall, we should not read the story without seeing ourselves in that story of rebellion. However, the other place where God has placed the words YOU ARE HERE is in Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. Just as Adam's sin brought condemnation to the human race, so the righteous obedience of Christ brought salvation to the human race (Rom. 5:12-19). In the final analysis, the entirety of creation is either "in Adam" or "in Christ." This is why Jesus is called "the second Adam." He provides an alternative to the story of sin, rebellion and pride. The story of Christ is the story of righteousness, obedience and humility.


May you also find the words "YOU ARE HERE" in the life of Christ during this Lenten season.

People Matter to God

Our Sunday school class is working through a book on evangelism right now, titled "The Unexpected Adventure" by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg. The final story in the series of 42 stories that make up this book knocked my socks off.

It was a story about a man named Robert. Robert got "his thrills by cheating death." In fact he was rich because of it. He lived a life of riches, women and booze, always pushing things to the limits. By his own admission, he made $60 million, but spent 61. He was so arrogant that one time he had both his private jets fly next to one another, for no other reason other than that he could sip champagne and look at his name on the tail of the other jet! "Robert didn't hate God; in a way, it was worse than that. At least despising God would have required emotion. Instead, God was simply irrelevant to him. Unneeded. A non issue."

One day Lee Strobel received a call from across the country from Robert (whom he had never met). Robert said that he had began to inquire about the Christian faith and someone had given him a copy of "The Case for Christ" authored by Strobel. Robert had read it and something amazing had happened. He believed in Jesus Christ! "I just got on my knees and prayed that God would never, ever let me go."

Several years later Robert died and many attended his funeral in Butte, Montana. The Inscription on the tombstone reads:
Robert "Evel" Knievel
"Believe in Jesus Christ"
Not long after he was converted, Knievel was baptized and gave a testimony at a large church in Southern California. It is reported that the testmonial of his changed life brought over 500 people to Jesus that day.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

The Indestructable Doc Marten

Even though I am not quite the minimalist I used to be when I was single and backpacking, I still consider simple living as the best living. I like to go through everything every now and then and make sure it has its place. The problem I have right now is what to do with my Doc Marten shoes. I think I purchased these babies when I was a senior at Mizzou in 1995. I wore them heavily during that year and the following years in Evansville, Indiana. I have never had a shoe last so long.

For the last five years they have been stored under the futon in our study. Several years ago I got them out and was going to wear them somewhere and my wife made some kind of comment about being seriously out of date or something. The picture above does not do justice to the thickness of the soles of these shoes. I feel like I am 6'4" when I put them on.

So now I have come across my ol' Docs again. What should I do with them? They hardly have a mark of wear on them, I think they are made out of kryptonite or something. I am not oblivious to the needs of the world, but they are so heavy it would probably be more efficient to send money instead of ship them somewhere. Should I shellac them? I think not. Should I save them and see if the style comes back around? (I still have a few paisley ties just waiting for this ;)). No, I guess I will contact the Better Living Center in Macon. Surely these 15 year old shoes will find a new home somewhere.

Goodbye Doc Martens, and thank you for your service.

Top Ten!

The Top Ten reasons why raising kids is similar to being a Wall Street Tycoon**

**The general idea for this is taken from "Parenting" magazine. February 2010 issue. I made several edits to personalize this particular Top Ten.

#10..You're all about the Perks...at least three cups of coffee per day.

#9...Your bonds are very rewarding...group snuggles on the couch.

#8...You will gladly accept a bailout..."Thanks for babysitting Grandma and Grandpa!"

#7...You constantly watch the markets...for sales on ground beef, etc.

#6...You dole out sweet bonuses...hey, a handful of yogurt covered raisins can go a long way.

#5...You keep a sharp eye on interest rates....in green vegetables and chores.

#4...You're sentenced to several years in a maximum security facility....safety gates and security latches are a way of life.

#3...Every night you may be subject to a hostile takeover...toddlers love hopping in that king size bed with you and momma.

#2...You have weekly board meetings...scrabble or hungry hungry hippo depending on age range.

And the number one reason that parenting is similar to Wall Street!.......................You're gross domestic product rises dramatically with each diaper change!!