Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Look up! Look w-a-a-a-a-a-y-y-y-y-y up!


We have a cross on our building. “Ya –totally-hoo!!” 25 years or so after constructing buildings on our site, we finally have a cross on our building. I always wondered why we didn’t have one on our church, but at least now we can say we do. A cross means that there is more to this building than a building. There is something inside that matters more than brick and mortar.




Now … if you haven’t noticed it, don’t be alarmed. Because it’s not very big. But if you look, you’ll find it on top of the new entry way into our facility. It’s sort of chrome looking and against the skyline it can be a little hard to spot. It’s about 5 feet tall. I was kind of hoping for a 50 foot one. But at least it’s there in all it’s 5 foot glory and that’s what matters.




About 5 years ago, I started wearing a cross. I usually wear it outside my
shirt so it can be seen. And when I began to do that I noticed other people who were wearing them. It’s kinda like when you buy a car and you suddenly start noticing cars just like yours for the first time. And I don’t know how many times a server in a restaurant or someone in an airport will comment on my cross. It gets noticed. And it’s not even 5 feet tall.

And I’ve found this: in the many places I have travelled I have found a warm kind of comfort every time I see a cross around someone else’s neck. Even in places where I don’t know the language, I can gesture to the person about the cross around their neck and point to mine, and inevitably they smile. There’s a bond in the cross that is transnational and transcultural. I find that it bridges a lot of ground between total strangers.

So … while you might not notice “the not-so-big” cross on our new building, people seem always to notice “the even- smaller” cross around a neck. A cross means that there is more to this person than meets the eye. There is something inside that matters more than brick and mortar. Maybe we should all wear a cross.


...just thinkling

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Good news and bad news ...


I went to my doctor last week for something minor. But he fooled me and gave me a physical. Not to name names but I will say that Dr. Charles "Chuck" Johnson of Commonwealth Physicians sure is a sneaky guy.

Anyway, he says I'm healthy. Real healthy. In fact, when I got all my results back and saw them in print, I was so delighted I went out and had a Big Mac. And fries. Supersized. And then I had a double fudge sundae. I mean, you gotta celebrate good health, right?!

Being healthy means the odds are good I'm gonna be around for a while. The good news? My Marilyn is happy. The bad news? My kids have to wait a while before they buy the beach house with the money from the will. Did I say "beach house?" I meant "beach ball." I mean, if I'm going to live longer I've got more time to spend their inheritance.

Which brings me to my point: CONGRESS!!! WALL STREET!!! DON'T MESS WITH MY FUTURE!!!!! Or I'll come over there and ... and ... and whine. Real loud.

In the meantime, I'm cutting back on salt. Just in case they get it right.


... just thinkling