How About a Holy Kiss?

Ever notice how many times Paul tells his readers to greet each other with a holy kiss? It’s in the books of Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Peter and I’m sure there are others.

I think this is a lost art in the church today.

I know, I know a lot of people say our handshakes today are sort of like their kisses of yesterday.

I’m just not convinced. Are you? Didn't they have hands back then like we do today?

I believe the kiss was a little more serious than a handshake. Back then, it’s as if before the churches met they would offer the holy kiss to say I forgive you. To say you are in fellowship with me and I’m in fellowship with you. This was done so that when they sat down at the communion table there were no fractures in their relationships. How important this is…to have no fractures in your relationships with your brothers and sisters before you take holy communion.

It’s as if that kiss said we may have had our differences, but that’s all behind us now. I accept you. You accept me. That’s the way the church is. We need each other to get through tough times in a tough world.

There are quite of few kisses in the Bible. Many are kisses to be friendly or used as a greeting, others are kisses to be very friendly. And I guess that “greeting” kiss is what Paul talks about. Meaning, this is how Christians greeted each other as members of one family in Christ united in holy love. Anybody can shake your hand, but how do you know if its disingenuous or not? A kiss is quite different, isn’t it?

With all this said, that kiss from Judas was the most hypocritical kiss in the Bible. It's not that he shook the hand of Jesus and said hello and good to see you again. No, this was a kiss of greeting and acceptance. This fake gets under my skin. It makes me angry. But I guess I should ask how many times have I been like Judas to brothers and sisters…to Christ himself?

Now I’m not advocating that we re-employ this kissing thing, especially since back then men typically greeted men and women greeted women…and you know what our culture would say about that.

As a single guy, I would be open to bringing back that old tradition, but of course with a few changes. The Greeting Ministry would finally get the volunteers they’ve been begging for. And it certainly would enhance the reputation of the congregation of being friendly or not.

All kidding aside, I guess it’s a call that we all take the extra effort to mend what Satan loves and that is broken, fractured and even strained relationships in the kingdom of God. What do you think?

Family Roots

One of the coolest things that I’ve ever received is my family tree on my Mom’s side of the family. I received this just before Christmas and it’s been fun to absorb it all. The farthest back it goes is to the year 1567. Here’s part of the tree (all a matter of public record of course):

1. Me
2. John, Jr. and Jackey Robinson (Mom and Dad)
3. Clarence and Elizabeth Woodard (Grandfather and Grandmother)

Here are the greats:

1. Will and Emma Woodard (great grandparents)
2. Jesse and Cynthia Woodard (great, great grandparents)
3. William and Milly Chipman (great, great, great grandparents)
4. James and Elizabeth Chipman (great, great, great, great grandparents)
5. Steven and Agnes Chipman (great, great, great, great, great grandparents)
6. Peter Perez “Paris” and Margaret Chipman (great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents)
7. John Hale and Hope Chipman (great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents)
8. a. Thomas and Agnes Chipman (great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents from Dorchester, England). Thomas was born in 1567.
b. John and Elizabeth Howland (great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents from Huntingdonshire, England). John was born in 1592.

Probably the coolest name is from my great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather Israel Skelton from Ireland…what a cool name! And yes I am part Irish. Somebody kiss me.

Based on this information, I am also part Scottish, English and Choctaw Indian.

A lot of the info in this record of family history. It shows when and where they were born, as well as when and where they died…even many of the cemetery locations. Also, many of the listings show occupations. A lot of farmers in the family. One of my great uncles was James “Sport” Woodard. Another cool name was Audy Bee Woodard.

On my Dad’s side of the family, there’s a lot of Dutch in us. I’m taking the steps to get the family tree completed on his side. What great gifts for my children when they get older.

The Christmas Encounter

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. This year I’ve been more deliberate about keeping Christ in Christmas. Too many liberal agendas out there to remove Christ from everything. Therefore, I’ve intentionally said “Merry Christmas” to just about everyone I’ve greeted…at the service station, stores, dry cleaners, etc. Every one of them returned the blessing with another heartfelt “Merry Christmas to you too!”

My Christmas goes on through the New Year weekend…that’s when we go to Missouri to see my Mom and Stepfather. In fact, I do my shopping for them after Christmas and I usually can get some pretty good deals. So, that’s the plan for today and tomorrow. I did brave the Galleria yesterday. Something happened that was quite disturbing:

I was in JC Penney in the Men’s Department looking for a new pair of Dockers pants (I always buy myself something for Christmas). I overheard this man who was obviously from another country. He spoke with an accent and I couldn’t quite make it out. It was either Middle Eastern or maybe from a place like Turkey. Since it was difficult to find a store employee to help him, he asked (in English, but with an obvious accent) another customer to help him understand this particular sale for a shirt. He also had a receipt with him as though he was comparing the sale price with what was on his receipt. The other customer, a man probably in his late 50’s or early 60’s said in a louder than normal voice, “Speak English! Speak English! I can’t understand you. You better speak English around me! Speak English!” The less than helpful man walked away mumbling, “I don’t know anything about it, I don’t want anything to do with it.” The guy needing help just stood there in shock. He looked embarrassed, very sad and hurt by this rejection. I couldn’t stand it, so I went up to him and asked what he needed help with. I was not able to help him with his question, but a store employee finally came and did. He was grateful and thanked me for being nice and trying. As I turned to leave, I noticed the older guy that refused to try to help was still in the Department, not more than 30 feet away. He was looking at some pants with his wife and we briefly made eye contact. I almost went up to him to tell him that he just took Christ out of Christmas, but I didn’t. But I’m sure the look on my face sent a message that seared his skull and, hopefully, pierced his heart….

For Christmas, I actually baked a pie. It’s called Razzleberry Pie…with lots of blackberries and raspberries!! It was fantastic! The only thing missing was a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. I guess I’ll have to bake it again and get some ice cream just to get it right.

I must say that my cooking skills have been greatly enhanced this past year. My daughter, Bailey, says I make the best spaghetti ever. Recently, I’ve added a Mexican Chip Dip and a Spicy (not too spicy) Soup with pasta that will warm your soul…I still have to come up with a name for this. All my friends at church have been impressed. Next up, I think I’ll try something like Hawaiian Chicken.

Anyone else hungry? I’ll make sure I have enough to go around. Any Christmas Encounters you'd like to share?

Born in the wrong era?

Have you ever had the feeling that you were born in the wrong era? I’m not sure why I feel that way sometimes. Sometimes I wish had served in World War II…the height of patriotism for our country. I feel like I was left out. I can see myself in England and then landing in France and then on to Germany…or on a PT Boat somewhere in the South Pacific.

And then, to live in the 1940’s and 1950’s in America when things were simpler.

Back then, a kid could ride their bike anywhere and your parents would not be aprehensive about it at all. Today, that simply isn't the case, at least in many neighborhoods. Too many weirdos out there. And, there weren’t a whole lot of choices back then. Just a few brand of automobiles. Full service at the gas station with no extra charge from people wearing a uniform and a cool hat. A few brand of soft drinks…nothing diet. Lot’s of radio where your imagination could fly with shows like The Shadow or Jack Armstrong. And, you shared in a family meal…almost everyday. There were so few things to distract people with (i.e., video games), people pretty much had to relate with each other. You shared in community. You had to know people and talk to them. You knew the storeowners, a few doctors in town, the local sheriff, the town barber (Oh no, I just got a picture of Floyd in my mind!).

Don’t get me wrong, I know the folks back then had their share of trials and tribulations (there is nothing new under the sun).

And, I do like the era I’m in…better medical care…I can get cash from a machine…whole wheat bread…the NIV version…The Message…microwaves…blogging with a laptop, etc. But sometimes I long for a different time.

How about you? If you could live in a different time, when and where would that be? What draws you to that?

Christ Displaces Worry

From Philippians 4 (The Message):

"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."

I pray that we'll all be able to let go of our worries and allow Christ to be at the center of our lives...I know I need to do this. God bless and Happy Thanksgiving!

Little Known Facts About Me...tagged again!

I've been tagged again.

Here's how it works. When you are tagged you must post 10 interesting and little known facts about yourself. Then tag 5-10 of your blog buddies! Here are my little known and interesting facts (not in any particular order):

1. Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and New Jersey are the only states I have not been in...only 10 to go (I like to travel)
2. I tried out for the Cincinnati Reds (eons ago...prefer the Cardinals)
3. I love writing songs
4. I used to the be the Cartoon Editor for The Saturday Evening Post magazine
5. I have a fear of my legs going bald when I get old (I keep looking for a receding hair line...should go well with the Bermuda shorts and black knee socks)
6. I ran 10 miles around the Indianapolis 500 MotorSpeedway (4 times around)
7. I get a real charge out of hitting the sweet spot on a golf ball and playing my fade perfectly
8. I can do an Elvis impersonation while doing tricks with a yo-yo
9. Never been to Europe, but I long to visit Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland
10. I love reading history...especially about World War II

and one to grow on:

11. I can't understand why God would persistently pursue me with his tender mercy and love, but I'm so glad he does.

I tag:

Donna
Terri
Mae Ann
Greg
Garry

Tag, You're It!

Looks like I’ve been tagged by Donna.

The rules:

1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas.
5. Tag five people to do the same.

Unfortunately, I’ve only had 22 blogs. So we’ll have to use that. Here is the 5th sentence:

“I’ve got a badly bruised shoulder.”

This was in reference to when my daughter and I were slammed into by someone running a stop sign.

I really can’t think of a deep, profound thought here. Other than a scripture a friend gave me:

“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from then all; He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

Psalms 34:19-20

Perhaps you have some insight on the 5th sentence? If not, I’m going to the library with Terri….

At any rate, I’m tagging:

Greg
Garry
Sheila
Mandee
Clarissa

If you’ve already been tagged, disregard. Thanks!