Give it up

Most of us are familiar with the tradition of Mardi Gras in New Orleans and all of the excesses that come along with it: rich foods, parades, costumes, beads, hurricanes (the ones that come in a glass) and parties that last all night long.  The celebration ends on Tuesday, popularly known as Fat Tuesday for obvious reasons.  But some may not be aware of how Mardi Gras got started.   Over 2000 years ago, Christians began recognizing a 40 day period leading up to Easter called Lent.  This 40 day period represents the 40 days that Jesus fasted prior to be crucified.  During that period, Christians focused on fasting, prayer and service.  Fasting is giving up something, typically food or drink, but Christians today will also sometimes give up vices like social media or television.  The idea is that when you think of the item that you are fasting, instead of partaking, think of Jesus, pray or do something for someone else.  So, as you may have figured out, Mardi Gras became the last chance for people recognizing Lent to partake of some or all of the things that would be abstaining from during Lent.   In case you haven't done the math yet, Lent began yesterday, but it's not too late to join in the fun.  I chose to give up sweets this year as I think about them a lot.  I guess depending on your perspective, that could be good or bad.  But I look forward to what God has in store for me while I attempt to focus less on sweets and more on Him.

Sports Girl

 

Growing up in Douglasville, GA, Elana was focused on one thing and one thing only - softball.   She wasn't just playing pickup games on the weekend, she was competing at a high level on her high school team.   Her softball aspirations didn't end with graduation from high school, as she planned to compete in college as well.  In college, she set a personal goal to compete in the Olympics.  Her single minded focus on softball may have contributed to what turned into deep depression and then an eating disorder.  She felt her life spiraling out of control.  She began reading about world religions trying to find an answer.  One day when she was on the elliptical, she felt an unexplainable wave of emotion come over her which she could only describe as the love of Jesus.  She committed her life to following Him, and her eating disorder was immediately healed.  In three days, Elana Meyers Taylor will compete in the Olympics, not in softball obviously, but in both the monobob and the two-woman bobsled events.  If you are a bobsled fan, none of this is new news to you as this will be her fifth Olympics, and she will be competing for her sixth Olympic medal.  I will be cheering her on.  Click here for Elana's testimony in her own words.

Theo

 

If you are an avid reader, you have probably heard of the recent New York Times best seller, Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi.  Theo is a mysterious character who moves to the town of Golden.  He visits a coffee shop that has 92 portraits on the wall.  He decides that he will purchase the portraits one at a time and try to get them to the subjects in the portraits.  Allen takes the seemingly unrelated stories of the subjects and weaves them into a picture of hope and love.  

Other than a book about caring for his dying brother, Gary, and a children's book, this was Allen's first novel.  Allen grew up in Columbus, GA, was an attorney, then a singer-songwriter, and then a judge.  Allen is 70 years old.  What inspires a man to write a novel at 70?  He wrote it as a challenge to himself with encouragement from friends and family.  With very little time or money spent on marketing, the self-published book had better than average success in 2023, selling about 3000 copies.  But as readers began sharing their love for the book (including Oprah), publishers took notice, and as of the end of 2025, over 300,000 copies have been sold.

I am not an avid reader, but I took notice of Theo of Golden when my mom received a copy a couple of years ago from Allen.  You see, the town of Golden is modeled after Columbus, and Fountain City Coffee in downtown Columbus has portraits hanging on its walls.   I grew up in Columbus, and Allen Levi lived across the street from me.  His younger sister, Laura, was one of my best friends.  Allen wanted my mom to have a copy.  I read it and am now one of his biggest fans.  If you want to be inspired in the best way, I encourage you to read it, too.  I am quite sure it is no coincidence that Theo, in Greek, means "gift of God".

Fishing 101

I want to start by admitting I am no fisherman.  The highlight of my fishing career was helping my son, Michael, get his fishing merit badge in scouts.  Somehow, we were able to accomplish that without catching a fish.  But this morning, I was reading about Jesus calling his disciples to be fishers of men.  I love that Jesus found a way to engage the disciples by meeting them where they were.  They were not highly educated, but they knew about fishing.  He must have made an impression, as they immediately dropped their nets to follow Him.  But what was he actually calling them to do?  He wanted the disciples to know Him, follow him and tell others about Him.  And He is calling us to do the same.  Like fishing, the whole process requires a lot of quiet and patience.  There will be days when the fish aren't interested, but there will also be days where a connection is made.  Whether we are casting nets or casting a lure, there will be times when the equipment needs to be repaired or the location needs to be adjusted.  That shouldn't be viewed as a setback, but part of the process of learning how to better connect.  I want to be a better fisherman.

Pharisaw

 We don't know a lot about Nicodemus from the Bible, but John introduces us to him in chapter 3 of his gospel.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a learned Jew that studied and taught the Old Testament scriptures.  He became aware of Jesus when he saw Him teaching others and saw the miracles that he was performing.  He approached Jesus under darkness to try to find out how the miracles were performed, believing that Jesus must somehow be connected to God to have such amazing powers.  Jesus explained, "unless one is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God".  Nicodemus was confused, thinking that Jesus was talking about a physical rebirth, but Jesus clarified, saying that he was talking about "being born of the water and the spirit."  Jesus then spoke the most widely known verse in the Bible.  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him shall note perish, but have everlasting life."  I think I can learn something from Nicodemus.  As much as I think I know about God, the world and myself, the miracle of Jesus is still almost unbelievable.  How could it be that God elected to come to the broken world in the form of a baby, born of a virgin mother, die on the cross and then rise from the dead?  And how do His actions pay the penalty for my sins?  I don't know exactly how it works, but I believe it does, because I know when I am attempting to follow Him, I feel the peace that only He provides.  I am meant to be with Him.

At War

I came across a Vietnam War documentary on Netflix this week.  I am embarrassed at what I must have learned and forgotten, and more embarrassed about how much I never cared to know.  Not just the details, but the major storylines were brand new to me, as if it was a fictional film that had just been released.  The war started with a fear of communism in the north threatening something like democracy in the south.  The United States takes notice and fears that if communism can move through that country, that it can spread through the rest of the world.  US war specialists are sent to "advise" South Vietnam, but not engage in combat.  That lasted only a short time until young boys and men began being drafted into active duty.  Many felt that blacks were being drafted at a disproportionate rate to the whites, which angered blacks back home, creating the first round of dissent for the war.  As a response, the "birthday lottery" was established to quell the protests.  Each day of the year was placed into a rotating basket, and drawn out one at a time.  If your birthday matched the one drawn, it was your turn to be drafted.  Success in Vietnam was measured by body count - who was killing more people.  Soldiers had areas where they could kill anyone they saw without determining whether it was the enemy or not.   The sheer brutality led many soldiers to resort to alcohol and drugs to soothe the pain.  Opiates were legal and readily available in Vietnam at that time and a jelly jar full of heroin could be purchased for five dollars.  The political leaders in the US were warned that there was no way to win the war, but they deceived the public so that support for the war would continue.   The political cover up began to be exposed, and as it did, protests erupted.  One of the worst was at Kent State University where 4 students were killed.  As soldiers returned home, instead of being honored for their service, they were spit at because of the stories of the atrocities that had been committed.  Many soldiers were already addicted to drugs.  Many more became addicted to drugs after returning and and some committed suicide.  I know that the boys and men that went to Vietnam had different experiences, but I have never heard of anyone that went whose life wasn't changed forever.   This soldier from Australia talks about his experience there which is nothing less than gruesome.   I hope things are better now, but I don't know if they are.  

Talented

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents.  A man gives three workers five talents, two talents and one talent respectively.  A talent was a common unit of measure in that time, probably about 75 pounds, and was used mainly to measure precious metals.  Before doing some research today, I thought a talent was a type of coin of marginal worth, but as it turns out, a talent could represent multiple years of wages for a worker.  The man giving the talents left for a long period of time, and upon his return, found that the workers who had received five and two talents had doubled their value while he was gone.  The man praised them saying "Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much."  But the worker who only received one talent buried it in the ground and earned nothing more.  The man scolded him calling him a wicked and slothful servant.  In the parable, the man giving the talents represents God, and the talents represent all of the gifts that we have been given by God.  The parable is about stewardship and our responsibility to use those gifts for the good of others.  Jesus echoes the instruction reported in Luke when he says, "to whom much is given, much is required."  Some may think, "I don't feel like I have that many talents to share".  Talents come in many forms.  Do some soul searching and think about what you are good at and what you love to do.  If you  need some help, ask close family and friends what they think your talents are.  Then find a way to do those things more, thereby creating an offering to God.