Look Beyond What your see.

My friend Jimmie Reynolds saved me the other morning. It wasn’t just Jimmy, but he had a lot to do with it.

I was having one of those days when you feel like slipping your head under a blanket and not coming out until the next morning. You’ve felt like that too, right? It’s not just me.

Anyway, moment after moment I was slipping deeper into a fog and ended up at Goodwill to shoot a video blog for the February RickDancer TV show.

My friend and photographer showed up and he too was having a rather crappy day. We walked into the room and there was Jimmy.

The phone calls, the bad decisions, yes, the irritation lifted as Jimmy stood up and smiled at us.

I don’t want to reveal the story behind Jimmie and me. Something he said many years ago opened my eyes to people, to God and how I see the world.

I think God gives us people at certain moments to quiet our nerves and calm our fears. Jimmie did that for us today and he didn’t even have to try. It’s just who he is.

I wish I could tell you more but that will come in a video soon.

As we started to leave you could tell we had brightened Jimmie’s day too. When I told him there was one more thing he had to do for me he said “What’s that Rick?” I said please stand up. He looked surprised and pleased when gave him a huge hug.

Yes, that is what this life is really about. It’s about the Jimmies, it’s about those moments when you just can’t do it anymore and someone says just the right thing.

Yep, Jimmie is still teaching me a lot about life.

Jimmie has Elephantiasis and asked me today if I knew that beauty is only skin deep? Yes, Jimmie i’m starting to understand that.

The Public Eye has Limited Vision. Chip Kelly

Have you noticed how quick we are to offer our limited vision when something happens in the public forum?

Chip Kelly was in the news the other night and people were going nuts speculating about what he was doing and why.

I had to laugh. When I left KEZI the rumors were flying and people were dying to give their two cents (which was really worth about ½ a cent).

When I ran for office the speculators knew exactly what I was planning, why I was planning it and the reason I was doing it and they were all wrong.

Reporters used to ask me what my plan “B” was if I lost. I’d say I don’t have a plan “B” I’ll figure it out when I get there.

They just wouldn’t or couldn’t believe me. They thought sure I was feeding them a line. How can anyone leave a job, run for office and not have a plan “B”?

My thought was how could I give this my all if in the back of my mind I’m planning to lose?

I’d hear conservative radio hosts bitch and badger me for not being conservative enough and the liberal folks were scared to death I was going to win.

Everyone had a story, everyone had an answer and most of them didn’t know s..t.

My wife, my staff and my advisors and I would sit there scratching our heads. It was a great education for a former reporter. I saw the ugly side of the business, the industry and quite frankly people.

So when someone like Chip Kelly looks at other options I figure that’s life. Only he knows what he’s truly doing. You can speculate if it makes you feel better but chances are you don’t know the whole story and you may end up with egg on your face.

Was Jesus a Failure?

By today’s church standards Jesus Christ would be a failure. He didn’t have a mega church in fact His followers were but a handful until long after He died.

He didn’t own a lot of “Church” property. He never talked about a growth plan heck He didn’t even have a regular meeting place. A lot of His church was done with just 12 people and often times it was just a few at a time walking along a dirt road.

So if this is what Jesus looks like then why does the American Church looks so different. We wear (I don’t) these little bracelets that say WWJD and yet we do the exact opposite.

Jesus asked questions and we are discouraged from doing so. He lived His faith and we are taught to copy what others do.

We think reading the Bible everyday is living our faith. Reading the Bible everyday is great but that’s not church.

I wonder if people in His day said stupid things like “Jesus seems so real?” I bet they didn’t because Jesus was real. We expect our religious leaders to be fake and then get all excited when we discover they are just people. (Yes pastor puts his/her pants on just like you do)

Jesus didn’t get paid to preach He taught and questioned because He loved people so much.

The church in Jesus’ day was not a business, didn’t sell taped series or even have a bookstore. (He didn’t really like moneychangers in His church)

Jesus wasn’t trying to build an organization or a ministry He was building up people and introducing them to God.

Jesus didn’t complicate church with legalism in fact He came to set us free from additions to the law.

Jesus continued to follow the law but the church today ignores it. We don’t celebrate the same holiday’s He did but have traded those for holidays steeped in pagan roots.

If Jesus were to walk into the American Church today would He ask questions? If so, what would those questions be? If He interrupted a sermon with a question would He be ushered to a “quiet room” and told to leave or just shunned into submission?

I have a feeling Jesus would ask a lot of questions. I think He would be asking the same things He asked more than 2000 years ago.

Why are you making this so difficult?

PS. I don’t think Jesus would mind at all that I ask these questions. He would not feel threatened and would understand that the reason I ask them is because I do love His church.

Wanted Real Church

Before I start let me explain a couple of things. I’m reading a new book that I won’t give out the title of just yet because I’m not finished so I have no idea if this is a good book.

What I do know is it is raising some amazing points.

What I’m not looking for is “The Answers.”

What I am searching for is God’s heart for His church.

I do not care if your church is the perfect place and I know that churches are made up of imperfect people.

Now that we have that take care of I have a few questions raised by this book.

These are questions that have resonated with me for more than a decade and when I ask them I usually get the same religious responses and no real answer to the questions.

All I ask is that you think about it. You don’t have to say or write anything, just think for a minute.

1)           When did we get to the place where questioning church or church leadership was wrong?

Jesus did it.

2)           Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus was brutally killed by devoutly religious people?

3)           How did we get to a place where asking questions about church or leadership is considered irreverent?

4)           Would Jesus attend a mega church?

5)           If Jesus looked at a church budget would he agree with how the money is spent?

Now, here are some simple yet complex statements Jesus made during his short time on this earth.

1)           He warned against the teachings of the religious leaders of his day.

2)           He said: “ They worship me in vain: their teachings are but rules taught by men.

3)           He said: You have let go of the commandments of God and are holding onto the traditions of men.

This is normally the place where I try to explain what I am not against. I try to ease people’s minds by saying I’m not against this or that but I’m done with that.

All I am doing is asking questions, the same questions Jesus asked in His day.

If that bothers you take it up with God but to ignore this stuff is denial.

I’m excited because I’m ready to jump into church in a different way.

What that means I have no idea. I’m ready to do something and I’m relieved to know I don’t have to go back to anything to do it.

God, let’s go. I’m placing a classified ad right now.

Wanted: Your Church, not the one steeped in traditions or afraid of difficult questions. I want the church you want. So, show me what that looks like.

Our Purpose: Blink and you might miss it.

I talked with a father yesterday whose son recently died. Jason had a severe disability and lived his entire life never saying a word.

His family had to do everything for Jason and to the unknowing this young man’s life appeared to have little purpose and some would fail to recognize his great value.

As I talked with his dad about Jason it was clear Jason had fulfilled his purpose on earth. It was clear God had not made a mistake but instead created a being that could show love and joy without all the trappings that keep you and me from such purity.

I stopped questioning God a long time ago. I question everyone else but when it comes to God I really do trust He has a plan and knows what He’s doing.

I don’t always agree with God but it’s easy for me to remember that I am not “The Creator” but instead a creative individual, created in the image of my “Father” and He alone is the creator.

When you are the creator the creation is not allowed to tell you what to do. God doesn’t mind our questions as long as we understand our tiny brains will never fathom all that He is doing.

As Alan and I ended our conversation I had this amazing sense that this Father could truly see the value of His son, disability and all. This father understood a life well lived even though it didn’t look that way to the outside world.

Perhaps as we toil and fret over the purpose we’ve been given we should relax just a bit and realize the tiny task we’ve been asked to do may have much greater importance than we could ever imagine.

No Excuse, Just Excused

I knew something was foul when I found 455 people called for jury on the same day as me.

I knew something was up when staff was secretive about the case and escorted us 7 at a time up to the courtroom.

I knew I was in big trouble when I stepped off the elevator and there were all the TV Cameras in the hallway looking at us.

I sat there for three hours while the judge graciously explained and talked to the jury. She was actually amazing and very kind.

The case is a high profile manslaughter case involving a Springfield woman and a baby that’s all I’m going to say out of respect for the system and the woman who is innocent until proven guilty.

You all had great suggestions as to ways I could get out of serving (if I were breast feeding that would actually work). But after sitting there a while I really wish I had the time to serve on this case.

The problem is, this trial could take a month or more to try. I told the judge I don’t have that kind of time to give. I have a business and if I don’t work there is no money coming in.

She was very nice but asked if that would be a hardship. I said: We’ll if you call not paying the mortgage or putting food on the table for a month a hardship, yeh, It would be.

She asked me one other really funny question. She wants to make sure jurors are listening to the facts in the case not reading it in the paper or hearing it on the news. When she got to me she said “number 68, would you say disregarding what you see or hear in the media is a good idea for a juror?” I said, yes your honor I’ve seen a whole different side of the business being out here and people should definitely weigh only the evidence they hear in this room.”

So I don’t have to serve which is good news for my business but as Rick Dancer I’d really love the chance to do it.