Saturday, March 13, 2004

AT THE HEART OF HUNGER

I am eating very little these days, and it's been surprisingly easy. My Lenten fast has limited me to fruits, veggies, a few nuts, and a small portion of fish. I've found I'm rarely hungry.

The exception is when I smell food.



When the fragrance of food is in the air, the battle begins for real. My belly squawks, my mouth salivates, and my mind wanders to fanciful places where the plates are piled high with rationalizations about why I should break my fast.

Last night a friend gave me tickets to the Spurs game. I ate before I went, but when I got into the arena and smelled the popcorn, the cotton candy, the nachos, and the various foods of which I am now deprived, my stomach started to roar.

I did without.

It helped knowing the only things I could permit myself to have were salted peanuts and water which would have set me back 8 dollars. The cries of my stomach were not loud enough to overpower the ring of insanity in that.

I'm sure it's a biological reaction that our sense of smell activates the desire for food - an instinctual survival trait.

I suspect it extends farther than our bellies.

I asked my friend, Ben, to come to the game with me last night. I invited him in part to thank him for helping me recently, but also because I needed to be around Ben's inherent Christian wisdom.

Our visit sparked a hunger in me as well.

I am grateful to know of the abundance available to feed that craving.

Psalm 17:14
O Lord , by Your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life. You still the hunger of those You cherish; their sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.


Click here to fight hunger.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/13/2004 06:23:00 PM  

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Friday, March 12, 2004

RIGHT AS RAIN

I almost made it. I was halfway through my daily march when the rain started falling. It came down quickly - drenching me.

It was a good feeling though. I was beginning to feel winded when the cool water blew across my skin. I was refreshed and invigorated.

I have to admit, it's a God thing how this works out some days.

Today my assigned bible reading was again a short story from Acts where Philip met an Ethiopian eunuch on the road to Jerusalem and baptized him.

As I relished the cooling rainfall I thought about that story, and of the other times in my life when renewing waters have come at exactly the right moment.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/12/2004 05:24:00 PM  

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Thursday, March 11, 2004

TEARS APART

I cry at kindness.

Before our Pastor begins his sermon each Sunday, someone from the congregation often will pray. They'll pray for God to help us listen, and to soften our hearts to accept His word. They'll also pray for our Pastor's ability to convey the Lord's teachings.

Occasionally, the youngest daughter my dear friend, Ben, will deliver that prayer. Each time she does, she makes a point to put her hand upon my Pastor's shoulder and offer up a heartfelt request of God to strengthen, embolden and cherish the leader of our small flock. Whenever that happens our Pastor's eyes well up with tears.

I start to cry too.

I cry at kindness.

In truth, there is nothing that can get me blubbering quicker.

I have experienced hardships, I have witnessed horrors, and I have grieved at deep loss. Certainly many people I know would consider me a fairly hardened individual. The term "jaded" might crop up occasionally...deservedly so.

Yet, more than anything else, I choke up at the simplest signs of sincerity.

Last night at church, Amy and I left a little early because Amy wasn't feeling real well. I asked her to wait for a moment while I went to thank Ben who offered his services as an attorney recently to expedite the land sale I've mentioned previously. Ben refused to allow me to pay him, and I wanted very much to tell him how much I appreciated not only his help, but his leadership and love for me and Amy. I barely was able to choke out the words.

Ben understood.

Another friend walked with me out the church door. We hadn't really had a chance to talk all evening and he wanted to see how Amy and I were doing. He asked if we needed anything, and I said simply, "Prayer". He replied something to the effect of "I'm always doing that for you guys, believe me." My eyes welled up instantly.

This is not a new phenomenon. When my parents died I cried as one would expect, but the hardest thing for me to handle was the love and concern I received from friends. I still tear up when I think about the outpouring of affection bestowed upon me during that hard time...and it's been 32 years.

Long ago I came to terms with this somewhat sappy side of my sensibilities.

I've also come to understand it a little more.

You see, I believe these seemingly small signs of benevolence from people are really glaring examples of the Holy Spirit at work.

I cry at kindness.

I cry when I feel the presence of God.


When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! - Acts 8:18-24

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/11/2004 05:46:00 PM  

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SPAMMED



I received a comment on the blog today and it was spam. Someone posted a benign comment along the lines of, " I really enjoy your forum..blah blah blah". It was signed "Cash" and then there was a link to a some get rich quick website.

I deleted it and blocked the IP address from commenting here any more.

I had heard that this was a new form of advertising intrusion, but I figured it was only the bane of really popular blogs. How desperate do you have to be to spam this tiny corner of the world?

I guess I should be feel flattered...but in truth I feel invaded.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/11/2004 05:40:00 PM  

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ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN

Please tell me this story wasn't really in the Wall Street Journal.

Our church has prayed for family pets before...I have no problem with that. It's our calling to care for animals. And make no mistake, I love our pets (at least most days..okay some days).

However, I don't let them share our bed ...much less communion.

Lord, if all dogs go to Heaven please assure me they stop barking.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/11/2004 03:16:00 PM  

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Wednesday, March 10, 2004

GODLESS AND THE GODFATHER

"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse"

I couldn't help but think of that quote from the Godfather as I watched an attractive blonde woman on CSPAN explain how her new political group was going to work. They call themselves the Godless Americans Political Action Committee or GAMPAC.

Seriously...it's a bunch of atheists who want to demonstrate the clout of nonbelievers to politicians. Here's the catch though. They know that politicians want nothing to do with them, so to get their attention they're going to threaten to endorse them.

It's true. I swear.

They're off to a slow start. So far they've gotten one contribution. A thousand bucks from a guy in Massachusetts.

It looks like their cause could use a few more believers.

Oh. Nevermind.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/10/2004 04:16:00 PM  

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Tuesday, March 09, 2004

LESSONS IN A COOKIE JAR

A dear friend of mine has a serious issue in her life and I laughed at it.

How horrible is that? Yet, when I detail it here you may very well laugh too.

My friend's mother is dying, and my friend's sister is in control of their mother's health care and funeral arrangements.

The sister told my friend that their mom would be cremated.

She added that her remains would be "put in a cookie jar for burial."

Yes, a cookie jar.



This is not a decision that was made due to some streak of eccentricity or because Mom was famous for her cookies. It apparently is a crass cost cutting move.

It's hard not to giggle isn't it? Even my friend had a difficult time keeping a straight face when she told me about it, but still I know it hurt her deeply. It was a very emotional and substantive concern for her. She doesn't want her mother buried in a cookie jar...who would?

She can laugh a little about it now, because my friend is a strong woman, and she eventually took matters into her own hands. She made arrangements for something more proper. When the time comes her mother will be dealt with in a dignified manner.

Still it got me thinking. How easy it is for us to look at others and laugh at their situations. We don't feel their burden. We are not scarred by their pain. Usually we don't even know their stories.

I hope to remember this story to remind myself that at times we are all very fragile and we should be treating each other gently.

Like little jars of clay.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/09/2004 06:30:00 PM  

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BASIC TRUTHS

I've lost a lot of sleep lately and spent a lot of time figuring out ways to extricate us from our current quagmire and reduce the general stress level in the household. I've got a plan and I'm hopeful we'll be able to make some progress. That's the good news. The bad news is that I've been so obsessed by it that I haven't had time or the inclination to write.

Simplifying your life can take up a lot of your time.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/09/2004 06:02:00 PM  

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Monday, March 08, 2004

HEARING THE HERD

We had crashers at our Deacon's meeting tonight.



A herd of deer. Perhaps as many as 15 suddenly wandered up to the front of the church. We have deer on the property, but they're usually skittish and we certainly never see so many in one place.

They strolled up as we were asking for God's guidance to help some of our small body of believers with the trials they are facing.

It was only a momentary distraction, but a valuable one.




We bow our heads in prayer, and close our eyes.

Tonight it seemed like we received a gentle nudge to remember that sometimes we should keep our eyes open too.

God may surprise you.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/08/2004 08:36:00 PM  

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GAINING IN LOSS

I've only got about two minutes to write. I've been running around this afternoon, and have a Deacon's meeting in 35 minutes. My fellow Deacon's would probably appreciate it if I showered first, since I finished my walk about 5 minutes ago.

I did want to get down a quick thought.

At the first of the year I mentioned that my true goal for this year was to simplify our lives. I felt our lives had become cluttered and confused. I asked God for help.

This weekend, the financial storm we had been dodging landed on our doorstep and we've had to enact some emergency measures. The storm has far from passed but no one is going to be threatening to break our legs either. I had to arrange the quick sale of some property, which I've actually wanted to do for sometime. I'm blessed to have a brother who has a real desire to help and also an honest wish to own that portion of land outright.

Today I also cut the cable. We had talked about this before and Amy finagled the cable company into reducing our bill substantially, in fact they actually gave us more services than we had before at a lower price. That was enough, especially while Amy was having so many medical problems. Today though, all of the cable boxes went back to the company and we are keeping only the minimum service which the company is required to offer. It's 11 bucks a month. I'll pay that for clear reception.

For Amy it means no BBC America...for me it means some Spurs games and other sporting events I will no longer be able to watch at home.

This is only the beginning. There are more harsh steps to come I suspect.

Yet, right now I feel so much better about our lives.

I also remember that I prayed for a more simplified life...

Isn't it funny how God sees the paths we overlook so often?

I'll admit I haven't always seen the humor in that....but it's hard to miss the paths once He points them out.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/08/2004 05:38:00 PM  

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Sunday, March 07, 2004

EIGHT REWRITES DON'T MAKE A RIGHT

I wrote a lot today. You'll never read it.

I wiped out the thoughts each time.

The words never came together adequately.

Here's the basic message: Yesterday I was overburdened by life.

Today very little has changed, but those same burdens seem easier to carry.

I asked for prayers today in church.

Prayers for perspective.

posted by Michael
©The Main Point by Michael Main 3/07/2004 05:41:00 PM  

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