People Who Inspire

I love movies. Especially ones that have a good message. Jack Nicholson was in a movie with Helen Hunt called, "As Good As It Gets". Jack's character (Melvin), is an obsessive-compulsive man who has a hard time communicating with other people. As the movie progresses he finds himself romantically attracted to Helen Hunt's character, (Carol), but he is at a loss for words in trying to describe his feelings for her. Finally, in a last-ditch effort to make sense of his feelings he simply says, "You make me want to be a better man". For Carol it is the highest compliment she could have received. It's a wonderful movie and I highly recommend it.
I wanted to write a blog about "authors" who have inspired me over the years. And then, the more I thought about it, I realized that there were actually people in my immediate life who have inspired me to "be a better man". There is the older gentleman in our church whom I watched nurse his wife through 6 years of Alzheimer's Disease... saying the "long goodbye" with a grace that constantly amazed me as I observed his faithfulness, love and tenderness towards her. The young couple who suffered a great loss of one of their children...and did so without wavering in their faith in a loving God and His promise that "this is not the end of the story". My own pastor, whose messages of redemption through the finished work of Jesus Christ has bolstered my faith tremendously over the years. My good friend who struggled most of his adult life with drug/alcohol addiction but managed his final years of recovery with strength and courage. My two sons, who have grown into compassionate, Godly men that any dad would be proud to have raised. Our family friend, who, despite bad health most of her life has always "been there" when we needed a friend. Anothe friend, who succumbed to cancer a few years ago. She still amazed everyone at her funeral by making even that into a celebration. (She actually bought "baby gifts" for her yet-to-be-married friends). A sterling example of a life well-lived. Then there is my wife, God love her, who has been an amazing example of love and hospitality to others all her life.
I'm sure there are others I haven't mentioned. Thank you ALL for writing a bit of your lives into my life. I can say without a doubt that knowing you has indeed, made me "want to be a better man". As you are reading this, I'm sure there are people brought to mind of whom you could say the same. Sure, there are authors/musicians/writer-muses who have challenged my life and actions through their wonderful songs and literature, but that's nothing compared to witnessing, first-hand,... lives that inspire.

Forgiveness

My wife and I just saw the film, "Invictus". It is the story of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela spent almost 30 years in prison in South Africa for protesting the apartheid government, ruled by the white minority. When he was finally released from prison he ran for and won the office of President of South Africa. In most cases this is how repressive, ruthless dictatorships begin...the opportunity to finally get "revenge".
In the case of Nelson Mandela, he surprised everyone by including blacks and whites in his administration, even to the point of hiring white bodyguards, men who, in the past would have been part of the forces that imprisoned he and other family members. Mr. Mandela had learned the secret of "grace" and had been given the gift of forgiveness. Forgiveness is, I believe, the most powerful force in the universe. It is part of that supernatural thing we call "grace". In the 12-Step program (and in everyone's life) there comes a time when we are forced to make a decision.... forgive, or... hold fast to our lust for revenge and vindictiveness. It's one of the toughest decisions you or I will ever make...and one of the most important... for it sets the path of how our future will be played-out. Will we live lives free of bitterness or will we break through that wall and become people of character and persons of love and respect? Nelson Mandela made the right choice and it changed, in some way, the hearts of 43 million people. We are each given the opportunity to follow his example. More importantly, God Himself gave us the supreme example in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. God, in Christ, came into this world not to condemn it, but to save it. He did so by offering Himself to pay the penalty for our sins...our grudges, our addictions, our self-centeredness. It is through the gift of grace and forgivenss that any of us have the opportunity to change our lives (or, a better way to say it would be to say, to "Let go and let God" change our lives, our hearts. The greatest words every spoken were uttered from the God-man on the cross of Calvary two Millenia ago: "Father, forgive them". If God has forgiven us then who are we to say that we have the right not to forgive others? It's part of the beginning of a remarkable Spiritual journey...

12 Steps... the Music CD

During the two years that I was pursuing a degree in Addiction Counseling I did my practicum at Mainstream, in Bonner Springs, Kansas. As a songwriter I often was taken by some of the things discussed in group counseling sessions. Often it inspired me to write a song about a particular subject and then I would sing it for the guys at the center. Most of the time I would have great feedback on the song and even had requests for me to put it on a CD or, at least, make them a copy of the lyrics. It was during these two years that I sat in my little basement recording studio and put together the CD, "12 Steps And a Winding Road"... 15 songs of hope and healing for those in recovery. I wrote or co-wrote half of the songs and culled the other songs from some of my favorite songwriters who I felt had written a song which would tie-in to the message of hope. The CD was completed in 2009 and I now have copies available. While I would love to just give them away (and sometimes that happens), I also would like to recoup my financial investment in the recording, paying other musicians, the extensive artwork (full color booklet with lyrics) and the CD productions costs. If you are interested in purchasing a CD they are available for $15 (shipping and handling included) by sending to: Bob Jenkins, P.O. Box 671, Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201. You can hear some of the songs at: http://songramp.com/Flyingsheep
Also I would love any opportunities to share my time and talent with any groups, organizations or churches that might be interested. email me at: coloringmoses@yahoo.com

I've enjoyed the journey so far and am looking forward to carrying the message of hope and healing to the hurting and suffering, wherever they may be and wherever the road may lead. God Bless

Barn Building

I noticed that my youngest son, Nate, was busier than usual this year. It seems he was always out someplace helping someone move or tear down a wall or patch or roof or.... whatever needed to be done. I asked him about it one day and he told me it was his "year of barn building". When I asked him what he meant he explained to me how in the Amish Community, whenever someone needed a new barn or their old barn had burned down or been destroyed, the entire community would come together and help them erect a new barn. He told me that this year he had decided that whenever anyone asked him for help, or needed help with a project, and it was something he could do or had time to do, that he would volunteer to help. I thought it was a terrific idea and I was very proud of him that he would simply think of doing something like this without any outside (or ulterior) motivation.
The biggest obstacle to overcoming addiction is coming to the realization that our greatest struggle is addiction to "self". Sharon Hersh delves headlong into this subject in her great book, "The Last Addiction". All of us are driven to "pursue pleasure" and "avoid pain" in life. What we all need to realize is that the Bible speaks a pearl of truth when it says that "it is better to give than to receive". For all of us struggling with recovery from addictions it would be helpful to take a good look at our lives and ask ourselves the question: "Are we still living only for ourselves, or are we using our recovery to reach out to others, to get us out of "ourselves"? I think it's a lesson for all of us. Thanks Nate for the reminder that I am not the center of the universe. Cudos from a proud papa...

12 Steps And A Sick Church

I had a discussion with my son and mentioned that the 12 Steps of A.A. were something that every church should take a good, hard look at. He told me, "the Church is sick". I agree. The 12 Steps of A.A. mirror the truth of God's Word. Step 1: Admit our powerlessness over our sinful nature and the inability to manage our own lives (this is paraphrased). Step 2. Believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity (or, as in the case of the Church, "save us" from our sin and ourselves. Step 3: Make a decision to turn our lives and our will over the the care of God. In the case of A.A. it's "God as we understand Him/Her/It". As Christians we seem to be able to get through the first two just fine. And then, as we turn our lives over to Christ we bog down on the "will" part. We don't surrender our "will", we just are happy to be "saved and on our way to heaven". In A.A. there is a saying that one has to "reach their bottom" in order to see their true need for intervention. I have found that, in a lot of ways, those in A.A. have a better understanding of "surrendering the will" than those in the Church of Jesus Christ. This enables those in secular "spiritual" groups to continue on in the journey....to make a fearless and searching moral inventory of their lives, admit to God AND another human being the exact nature of their wrongs, to make amends to people they have hurt,... to carry the message of experience, strength and hope to others, etc. The Spiritual live is indeed a "journey", a succession of "steps", if you will. The Church would be wise to take a cue from A.A., N.A., or any of the various recovery groups and live up to what the Bible has been teaching from the beginning....total surrender, examining our lives in the light of God's word, the dire need for fellowship and the gratitude to the saving Grace of Jesus' death, resurrection and forgiveness which enables us to "carry the message" to those who are still hurting and suffering.

Addiction and Worship

As Bob Dylan so aptly stated, "You Gotta Serve Somebody". For most of us that "somebody" is ourselves. Addiction has been defined as "a state of compulsion and obsession, focusing on one element that will supposedly satisfy." All human beings are born with a God-shaped hole in their souls and most of us spend our lives trying our best to fill this hole with "something that satisfies", be it money, power over others, a beautiful body, prestigious job,.....drugs, alcohol, sex. In Sharon A. Hersh wonderful book, "The Last Addiction" she states: "The definition (of addiction) is incomplete, however, because it leaves out the heart of addiction. Addiction goes deeper than obsession and compulsion. It is worship. It is giving my heart and soul over to something that I believe will ease my pain and provide an outlet for my fury at being out of control in a world that hurts me, scares me, or leaves me alone...." I find this to be true in my own life. It's a constant battle to try and "not" fill my life with pursuits in which I try to find my ultimate comfort and identity. I must leave it up to God to not only design my life but to fill my life with Himself. I do have an identity and it is in being a son of God through faith in Jesus Christ. When we come to a place in our lives where we can truly long to hear the words from the lips of Christ Himself, "Well done, good and faithful servant", only then can we re-direct our lives in such a way that we can find fulfillment in this life and the life to come. The Bible says it is better to "give than to receive". I believe that's the secret to overcoming our obsessions. We must first learn to "give" our lives over to God and His purposes and then, in turn, to be able to "give" of ourselves to others in a position of servanthood. This is our true act of worship and it takes us out of ourselves and into the realm of healing and wholeness.