It's Not Brain Surgery

At various points in my life, I recall my dad saying these words when he thought any of us were over-reacting to anything: “Chill, it’s not brain surgery.”  An account of the last 4 weeks of my life has made those words more real than ever before.

Four Saturday’s ago, I went to the optometrist for what I thought would be a routine eye check-up. Five years ago I had Lasik surgery and had been seeing fine (with the exception of the old age need for reading glasses), so I had never thought to go to the eye doctor. Prior to this appointment, I had been having some “weirdness” going on in my eyes. For months, I had dealt with what seemed like eye fatigue and frequent headaches but didn’t think much of it. After an extensive eye exam, the doctor told me that I had pressure on my retina and that I either had a tumor or a pseudo-tumor and, untreated, I was going blind. She wanted me to see an ophthalmologist ASAP. I walked away understanding that this tumor possibility was on my retina so when I did the obligatory Google search, that was what I was researching. There is very little info on retina tumors but they do exist. I gave up the search and decided to just wait.

On the next Wednesday morning, I was seen by the ophthalmologist. He made the diagnosis a wee bit clearer: yes, I was going blind, if untreated, but the tumor or pseudo-tumor was on the brain and not the retina. He wanted me to get in to see a neuro-ophthalmologist within a week.

First thing the next morning, I received a call from the office of the neuro-ophthalmologist. They had received my file and wanted me to come in that morning. Two doctors ran several test – one would check and then the other would immediately confirm with a second opinion. The results: yes, I did have a pseudo-tumor that needed attention but they did not think there was a brain tumor. To be sure, they ordered a CAT scan that day (nothing there, read into this however you’d like) and then an MRI. The MRI did not show a tumor either. A pseudo-tumor acts like a tumor and produces the same symptoms but is because of pressure and fluid – in my case, behind the eyes – and is dangerous if untreated. My symptoms are in both eyes. The first line of treatment is tomorrow - a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). This will relieve some of the pressure. Other treatment will be determined next week.

The most intense part of all of this was the morning I received the call to get to the neuro-opthalmologist - immediately. Cyndi went with me to this appointment so as to have a second set of ears and to write things down – lots of info was flowing fast. As we drove up, she asked me if I was fearful. As a tribute to the peace which passes all understanding as it flows from our Lord Jesus Christ, I could honestly say, “No.”

During this time, I kept thinking of the words of Jesus, “It is better to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell” (Mark 9:47). I particularly dwelt on, “It is better to enter heaven (the Kingdom of God at glorification).” Is this out of context? Perhaps, slightly. Although, a Christian should always use adverse situations to examine herself and this verse is about loving God more than sin. I will not go into what the Lord has shown me here. No matter what, the idea that living for the Kingdom is better resonates throughout scripture. I took great comfort in this. I began to think about what is better:

It is better to enter heaven than to have physical sight.

It is better to enter heaven than to have a “normal” brain.

It is better to enter heaven than to have physical health in general.

It is better to enter heaven than to have a bank account.

It is better to enter heaven than to be entertained.

It is better to enter heaven than to have the approval of man.

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? Mark 8:36

Reasons People Doubt Their Salvation - Part 2

Unbelief. God does not turn away the repentant sinner. Roans 10,

⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”; ¹³ for “ Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

You will be saved – verse 9

Resulting in salvation – verse 10

Will not be disappointed – verse 11

Will be saved – Verse 13

Is the problem unbelief? Have you turned to Christ and now you don’t believe? If that is the case, confess your unbelief and take God at His Word and then rest, Matthew 11:

²⁸ “ Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 If you have never believed in the first place, then call upon the Lord to save you.

Reasons People Doubt Their Salvation - Part 1

This is the first of a short series of reason someone might doubt their salvation followed by sources and statements that have helped me. 

The most obvious is that you aren’t saved. If this is the case, then you need to repent of your sin and turn to Christ as the only source of salvation. Turning to Christ means you believe on His life, death, burial, and resurrection as the source of your salvation. You realize that your sin is deserving of eternal damnation in hell and there is absolutely nothing you can do to pay the penalty. You know that you are desperately lost and that your only hope is the faith that God is giving at the present moment to depend upon the substitutionary atonement for your sin. The whole picture is salvation by grace alone. You can know that He is calling you if you have the faith to believe. You can know that He has given you the faith to believe if He is calling you.

II Corinthians 13:5

 ⁵  Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

Ephesians 2:1-10

 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, ² in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. ³ Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

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I’ve resisted the temptation until now but I can’t resist any longer. So here it is folks, the blog about the Albert Pujols’ move to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Before addressing this directly, however, bear with some opening personal remarks.

I am a little bit disappointed – in the Cardinal’s organization. You’ll see why if you endure to the end.

I love baseball. Yes, I wrote “love”. It’s ok because I really do think you know what I mean. I don’t love baseball more than my family or more than my church or more than my Lord Jesus Christ but I love baseball. I love the history, I love the statistics, I love the strategy, I love the competition and there’s probably more that I love about it.

I love my Cardinal’s. Yes, they are “mine”. They can be yours too. They encompass everything that I love about baseball. My home office is decked out with Cardinal’s stuff. But you know what? That’s all it is… “stuff”. It’s stuff that very special people have given to me through the years and it gets bigger and bigger every year. This year, a prized possession was added to this “stuff”. It is a large, nicely framed picture of Albert Pujols with Stan the Man along with autographed baseballs by each of them. I was absolutely wowed to receive if from my parents and my sister. But, in the end, it is “stuff”. Some of it is somewhat expensive stuff but it is stuff. You get the picture? It has temporary value in a temporary world. It brings me great joy and thank God that he allows this joy. I regularly examine my “stuff” to make sure it is not an idol. And, I smile back at AP and Stan the Man!

I’ve been asked frequently over the past few days what I think about the Pujol’s move by my husband, by my friends, and by a waitress that I don’t know (I had on Cardinal’s gear in December, that makes me an expert). So I’ll now express my opinion. I’m tired of writing “I” so I’m going to pen my thoughts as though they really mean something.

What is Albert’s legacy with St. Louis?

• Statistics that blow the baseball mind.
• Giving to the community beyond what would be considered necessary.
• Memories that will not just go away.
• Commitment on and off the field.
• Watery eyes as we watch him dance with children with Down’s syndrome, give his bat from hit #400 to a child with brain cancer (no media around, he didn’t tell anyone – the kid’s parents leak it), sweat on his brow as he represents our community in the Dominican Republic and many other acts of charity.

Did the St. Louis Cardinal’s make Albert, Albert?

The Cardinals did not "make" Pujols. It's hardly called "getting a chance" when you picked around 400th. Colby Rasmus "got a chance". Albert worked his butt off and got into the line up and then just blew us all away. The Cardinal’s aren’t to be totally dismissed in this equation but you can be sure, they would have dropped him like a hot potato if he had not produced from the beginning – and rightly so, it’s the way the game works.

Does Albert have his faults?

• Of course he does. If he didn’t, he would be God and he certainly isn’t. He was often view as very cold and impersonal to the fans. Was that concentration on the task at hand or a character flaw? Opinions will be varied forever (this one is not so good).
• It would be naïve at best to think that money was not issue. Money played its role but not necessarily in the form of greed but more likely in the form of pride. The best at what he does wanted to be paid the best. Is this reason to throw stones at him? Probably not. Is this much different from most people? Probably not. Does this make it 100% right? Probably not.

What proof is there that it was not all about the money?

The Marlins have been reported to offer him more than $274 million. That’s more than $254 million. That just shy of the most ever offered to any MLB player. But the Marlins would not give him a no-trade clause.

What was so bad about the Cardinal’s offer?

• If you are the average above average player, nothing. Albert is not the average above average player. He has brought millions more to the Cardinals than the $114 million he has been paid over the past 11 years. On top of that, he has brought millions to the St. Louis area. How many people have come to this area and spent money at restaurants, hotels, and other entertainment venues because they wanted to see Albert Pujols play at Busch Stadium?
• Pujols made it clear that he wanted to be a Cardinal for life (my friend, Chad, has a good blog on this) in the likeness of Stan Musial. Did he lie? No, but it became apparent that the Cardinals were not willing to embrace him for life. The Cardinals would not lay it out on the line before the 2011 season. They wanted to hold out and see what would happen on the open market. Perhaps this was a good business decision. That remains to be seen.
• Pujols also made it clear that he never again wanted to negotiate. This is not an unreasonable request from the best player in the business but it required a ten year commitment – a commitment that the Cardinal’s refused to make. Is it possible that he really wanted to be a Cardinal for life but desired a long term contract even more? Absolutely. If you are in a position to make that demand, and he was, wouldn’t you want that stability for your family?
• Reports indicate that there was no passion or charm from the Cardinal’s ownership. Is it possible that they were looking for an out without it appearing they had turned down the great Albert Pujols?
• In the end, what was so bad about the Cardinal’s offer was that it was half-hearted even if it was with an open-pocketbook.
• A good couple of good articles on this: STL Today - Burwell and STL Today - Strauss

Is Albert worth $254 million? Yes and no.

• “No one is worth $254 million.” How many times have you heard that in the last week? It is outrageous. Some have even vowed to quit following baseball. But, are the same people going to quit watching movies too? Leonardo DeCaprio made $77 million from May 2010 to May 2011. At least 7 CEO’s made more than Pujol’s will make. You’ll need to boycott Disney, DirectTV, Comcast, Black and Decker, and Ford, and many others along the way. Get the picture? It’s everywhere. That doesn’t make it right but it is what it is. Be careful before quitting on this one industry.
• There is something wrong in a world where military personnel, police, firefighters, and many teachers, pastors, missionaries, and charity workers do not get paid even a fraction of what a baseball player or actor makes. Why is this? Basic economics – demand and supply. Americans demand it and the entertainment world supplies it. What a demented system yet a free market is the best system in the world. So, with all its faults, we welcome it and one of its faults plays out in baseball.
• What this ends up meaning is that relatively speaking, Pujols is worth $254 million dollars. Just like the best execs get wooed with the best money, so do the best athletes. You don’t have to like.
• Whether or not the Angels reap their return on investment remains to be seen but consider this

1. Baseball number crunchers can show you that even if he tapers off every year, he’ll bring in the bucks to cover his first 5 years based upon his performance.
2. Pujol may only have 5 or so really good years left. No one really knows. But, if he doesn't get injured, he will make a run for some tremendous records and accomplishments. Many of those will come in the latter years. So, even when he's not putting up the prime year numbers, he'll be going for big numbers and bringing in the fans from all over for that. In the long run, barring injury, the Angels will probably get their money's worth... and the Cards could have.

Does this move make Pujols any less of a Christian? (going back to using “I” on this one)

• If it does, then we’re all hell-bound. Whether your decision or his decision is good or bad, we live and die by grace.
• It most definitely would have been an incredible statement to a worldly world for him to have been wronged in the contract and walked away with less money (see Scott Weldon’s blog on this) but from all indication he is a brother and until proven differently, I will trust that he sought the Lord and acted accordingly.
• The question has been raised as to whether or not he could have really prayed about something that happened so quickly. Several times in my life I have prayed through a decision and been led to look for certain conditions to surround the options. Could this be the case with the Pujols family? I think it is very possible. Sometimes we just know something is what we are to do.

I’ll miss Albert even though he doesn’t know me from Eve. I was already considering a west coast baseball park anniversary and this helps a lot in making up my mind. (And yes, I will allow Scott Lee to go too!) I hope Albert Pujols has success every time he plays unless it’s against the Cardinals (thinking World Series here). He’s my brother in Christ (from all I can tell) and I’ll hope for the best in his life which means I hope and pray that he glorifies God in all that he does – even if it is in L.A.

Rockport Baptist Church

Grace Camp Meeting 2011 – Schedule

April 7 - Thursday
5:00 pm – Prayer Meeting
7:00 pm – Curt Daniel

April 8 – Friday
8:00 am– Breakfast
8:30 am– Prayer Meeting
9:00 am – Mack Tomlinson
10:30 am – Mike Dickmann
11:30 – Lunch
2:00 – Curt Daniel
3:00 – Scott Lee
5:00 - Supper
7:00 – Bob Jennings

April 9 – Saturday
8:00 am Breakfast
8:30 am – Prayer
9:00 am – Curt Daniel
10:30 – Nathan Rages
11:30 – Lunch
2:00 – Mack Tomlinson
3:00 – Bob Schembre
5:00 - Supper
7:00 – Bob Jennings (Mack Tomlinson)

April 10 - Sunday
8:00 - Breakfast
8:30 – Prayer Meeting
9:30 – Curt Daniel
10:40 – Mack Tomlinson

Needy

written by a very imperfect parent

I recently taught at a student retreat. The emphasis was on training young men and women to be biblical in their relationships and roles. For two of the sessions, my husband taught the boys and I taught the girls.

As I observed the young people at the retreat, an overwhelming theme repeated itself and it wasn't that of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. But rather, what caught my eye, great big letters across the forwards of most of the young people in attendance - N E E D Y.

But what could this generation need? They have Wii's and XBoxes and Nintendos and computers and plasma HDTVs with surrounded sound, cable or dish. They have iPods and cars and movies and all kinds of mass media. They have sports and concerts and fast food and clubbing. They have drugs and alcohol and sex. They have massive church youth groups if they want to be "good" and "safe" while be entertained. And, oh yeah, if all this weren't enought, they have money. What more could they need? Why was N E E D Y written across their forwardheads?

Perhaps it is because we older people keep throwing money at every problem and thereby give them more "things" that dissatisfy. So, we sit back and watch the letters, N E E D Y, grow bigger and bolder across their forwards. And the really sad thing is, as the letters get bigger and bolder, we can't see them because all we see are the Wii's and XBoxes andNintendos and iPods... and wonder why they need more.

Yes, they need more. They need more of our time, our talents, and our discipline poured into their lives. They need more than weekend retreats where teachers can touch the tip of the iceberg when teaching the Word and where counselors really don't have adequate opportunity to erase those letters, N E E D Y, that have become so intrusive in the lives of adults.

They need full time moms and dads who will love them, teach them to work, teach them to play, and give them proper discipline in their lives. But wait, far to many of these young people come from disfuntional homes where there is either a mom OR a dad. Or, they live in a home where there is a mom AND a dad but they work long hard hours to buy the Wii's and XBoxes and Nintendos, and iPods... not just for their children but for themselves as well. And mom and dad's list of toys is even bigger and even more expensive and often times not "appropriate" for the N E E D Y child.

The schools try to deal with the N E E D Y young people. They receive more grants and more stuff and different books (like 2 + 2 has really changed through the years) and better sports equipment and more clubs to join and societies to be a part of and their teachers have higher educations and can now use all these new assets to reason with the N E E D Y children. But when they leave school, it appears that not only are the letters still there, N E E D Y, but the lines of the letters are getting somewhat blurry as mixed messages fill the air.

So now the church steps in to help meet these needs. The church hires a student minister and places him or her in a room full of young people who all have the same words written across their forheads, N E E D Y. Surely this young man (or woman) who is close to their age will be able to erase those trashy letters from across the foreheads of our children. But he can't. So they increase the youth budget and guess what, they bring Wii's and XBoxes, and Nintendos, and TVs, and cable and pizza and concerts to the youth group. We'll bring it all in except for the drugs and alcohol and sex - we don't do that here.

But wait, now they leave their homes with N E E D Y written across their forwards, go to school with N E E D Y scrambled across their foreheads and then they come to church to have those nasty letters erased, only to have them even more emboldened as they leave. We've confirmed one thing, this N E E D Y thing is everywhere. It's like an irreversible tattoo.

WHERE IS THE GOSPEL!!! You know, the gospel that says, the N E E D Y need a savior, not entertainment. The N E E D Y need to be discipled in the Word by older people who may have once been N E E D Y themselves but see the need to rescue these young people from the materialist, entertainment saturated, me centered world and teach them to be confident in Christ so that they can reach out to the N E E D Y rather than be the N E E D Y.

They need order and discipline. N E E D Y should evaporate from their foreheads as the older men and women in their lives teach them to work and to play by participating with them. The N E E D Y dissipates because the need is fulfilled. The need for the community, the church and especially families to pour so much love, order and discipline into the kids that N E E D Y is wipe off their foreheads and their actions spell C O N F I D E N C E in C H R I S T because they are secure in the boundaries and the love of the Christians that God has placed in their lives.

Look for the N E E D Y, pray for the N E E D Y, invest in the N E E D Y.

Should We Spread the Wealth?

Romans 13

4for it [government] is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

5Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.

6For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.

"Spreading the wealth around" is so very dangerous. It is not the biblical mandate of government to "spread the wealth" but to be a minister or servant to the people and to avenge evil. It is "because of this" [Romans 13:6] that we pay taxes, not so that the wealth can be spread.

Acts 4

32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.

The wealth is to be shared voluntarily [2 Corinthians 9:7], especially by believers, to the glory of God.

When government is "spreading the wealth around", it is very dangerous because government is:

• Feeding the lie that economics is exempt from scripture.
• Promoting "class envy." "Do not covet" made the Top 10 when Moses went on the mountain to hear from God [Exodus 20]. This mandate includes the poor and middle class regarding their outlook upon the wealthy. Government should not santion envy by removing funds from one economic class to give hand outs to another in the name of "fairness".
• Redefining the scriptural ideas of justice and mercy to that of humanly defined fairness.
  
• Taking on a responsibility that is not scriptural [Romans 13:1-7].
• Wasting money by flushing it through an inefficient system of bureaucracy that eats away at every dollar before it gets to those who might need it. In effect, the value of the dollar is reduced. Local churches and accountable charities are far more capable of sharing the wealth than government is at spreading the wealth.
  
• Promoting laziness. Isn't this obvious? Yes, there are those in dire straights through no fault of their own. Most people who fall into this category have developed a network of friends and family who will make sure that they do not end up on the streets. But, social and economic history dictates that laziness is a natural biproduct of on-going handouts.

Although these warnings are presented from a biblical perspective, they are also very logical. Our founding fathers understood that the more control we give government, the less freedom we will have.

By the way, this includes health care!

Think about it.