#firstworldpersecution

So I sitting with some guys at Starbucks yesterday morning, well before sunrise. We meet each week a little before 6 AM to talk about life, God, and to pray. Yes, this is what is called a "small group" in many of today's churches.

As we were sitting there, suddenly we found ourselves almost shouting over the "background" music. The song wasn't bad, a Diana Krall remake of California Dreaming. Actually kinda cool.



But it was loud. So loud that we had trouble concentrating on anything, It was at that point that someone said it. Persecution! We're trying to focus on Jesus, and Starbucks is making it impossible.

How ridiculous! Yeah, we thought it was pretty funny. That's why this tweet went out:

Starbucks playing music so loud it's hard for small group to hear each other. #firstworldpersecution
— Donnie Manis (@Donnie19) October 28, 2014

#firstworldpersecution

Yes, we Christians in the prosperity and freedom of the United States really don't know much about true persecution. Thousands of Christians in the middle east are at risk of death every day. Some friends...you know what, you know the drill. To talk in detail could put people at risk.

In the meantime, I get my feelings hurt because someone on Facebook disagrees with my faith-based opinion. Anytime there is a court ruling, new law, or media article that makes me a little uncomfortable...persecution.

Well, I would certainly prefer to avoid conflict and have everyone agree with me, especially when it comes to faith. But Jesus said that wouldn't happen. He said that in this world we would have trouble. He said that people would oppose us. It's not supposed to be easy.

First century Christ-followers faced horrible deaths at the hands of rulers like Nero. They faced cultures that refused to receive their message. And many of the died for their faith.

So yeah, I think I can take it when the music disrupts our concentration at small group. Or when the media doesn't fall in line with the truth of the gospel. Or when my friends disagree with me. Those things are #firstworldpersecution.

May I have the power of God's spirit if I ever face the real thing. And Lord, protect and show your love to those who do. Amen.

A new wave

Last night was awesome. I spent the evening hanging out in Tallahassee with my friend Steve. But instead of going to a movie or a ball game, we went to listen to some live music. It was at a coffee shop called Redeye sponsored by his church. The music was excellent - there is a lot of talent in that community of faith. There was praise music, love songs, and songs that were just plain fun. But what struck me was the reason for the music. They were helping support one of their own in a major decision - a young lady maned Lindsey who has chosen to spend a year of her life following God's leading to the ends of the earth. It's called the World Race.

If you want to know more about her upcoming adventure and even support it, she can describe it a lot better than me, so check out her blog. Basically, she'll be spending 11 months of her life living in 11 different countries spreading the love of Jesus everywhere she goes. It's worth digging into.

But what really struck me is the wave I'm seeing in today's young adults. I am seeing an amazing enthusiasm for following Jesus and caring for the poor and oppressed of the world. Everywhere I go, it seems that I encounter another young person who is consumed with the desire to disregard their own comfort, pleasure, and even safety so they can be ambassadors for God's kingdom. It is so encouraging to see!

So I was happy to be part of an evening devoted to helping this one young lady, whom I had never met before. Yes, I enjoyed the music and the coffee. But more than that, I loved the energy and enthusiasm in the room for reaching the world.

And yes, the music was fun. One of the artists, Sydney Simpson, has a youtube video of a fun song that went, you might say, semi-viral. It was fun (especially for us Star Wars geeks), so here's my part in maybe getting rid of the "semi" part. Enjoy:



And check out Lindsey's blog. And support her or some young person you know who is following God's call. We are the verge of great things from these kids.

And I can't wait!

Iced maybe, but cold?

Ok, I think we all what they mean. This gas station/convenience store probably has started selling iced coffee.

But that's not what it says. For me, the sign conjures up images of a cup of coffee that's been sitting around on my desk for an hour or so. Ughhhh!

So here's a thought...if I want cold coffee, I can let it sit around on my desk all by myself. And it won't be very good.

Here's your sign....

One of those days

There I sat at my desk, responding to an email. Just to my left, the was scattering of coffee beans all over the floor of my office. And then a co-worker walked in and had a little something to say about it. But...let me back up.

This morning I woke up a little late and had to scramble to get ready for work. Not unusual. I left with plenty of margin for getting to work on time - and by " plenty" I mean maybe five minutes. As I backed out of the driveway and then put my car in drive, there was the warning light on my dashboard: Check tire pressure. I pushed a couple of buttons and saw on my display that the tire pressure in my right rear tire was only 4 psi. Not good - that's pretty much a flat tire. Dang!

To make a long story sho...well, not quite so long, I pulled over and started to change the tire. A neighbor came by and offered for me to use their portable air pressure device, and - yay! - it worked for me. I had a slow leak so I was able to put enough air in the tire to get to the shop. They found a nail in it, plugged it, and I was off. An hour and a half late for work, but hey, at least I got there.

When I got to work, I found a plethora of frustrations waiting for me. (That's right, I said "plethora". I don't get to use that word much.)  There was a 10:00 meeting coming up and I was not anywhere close to being prepared for it. I had been trying to set up and afternoon meeting and I was discovering that almost nobody who I needed to be there was going to be - which was going to affect my whole week if I couldn't find an alternative. I then stuck my head in a colleague's office to discuss a matter and, well, got my head bit off. When I got back to my office, the the carafe was out of coffee. Nooooo!

(Side note: I make my own coffee at work. Not because I'm cheap, but because I'm a coffee snob. I have a grinder so I literally grind the beans right before brewing. Sometimes I even do French press coffee.)

You can guess. This kind of stuff just happens on days like this. I got the canister with the beans out and as I was opening it, lost my grip. Idid manage to catch it before it hit the ground, but in the process I spilled a fair number of beans. As I was getting ready to clean up, I glanced over and saw an email that required my attention. Ok - email first, beans next.

And then one of our other actuaries walked in and he knew everything that had already happened. He roared with laughter and blurted out, "Your day sux!"

Thanks, Kevin. Yeah, that about sums it up. Can I do a reset?

But I did make the coffee. And it was pretty dang good.

Two accidents

This week I saw one accident and caused another.  Both struck me as odd:

• I was driving on Ann St under I-85 on Wednesday when I saw something I don't remember seeing before.  There had obviously been a fender bender and there was a police car behind another with its lights flashing.  Beside it, the police officer was talking with someone.  Then I noticed:  The front of the polics car was smashed in.  The back bumper of the other car too.  It was obvious what had happened.  So I wondered: How did THAT conversation go?  The official police position is that in a rear-end collision the back car is always at fault -- did it apply here?  And if so, who pays the claim if the officer was at fault?

• THe next day, I was in a meeting at work with some pretty high up folks.  The conference room was full, and we were going over a presentation about weather catastrophe modeling.  Analysis of potential for large, sudden events that could be costly.  Right at a key point, my hand has some sort of spasm and I knock over my cup of coffee.  Not an ordinary cup of coffee, mind you.  It was a hot, freshly brewed cup of coffee in a stinkin' 24-OUNCE MUG!  With no lid.  Yep, it went all over the place, and the meeting had to stop while we cleaned it up.  Oops!  However, everyone knows I'm a clutz (and it somehow missed the projector and everyone's clothes), so they laughed it off.  What was odd about this?  We were talking catastrophic events, and then I demonstrated one.  Yep.

But dang, I wasted 24 ounces of awesome coffee!  Do I take coffee seriously?  Ummm, I grind the beans right before brewing each pot.  So yeah.

Well, off to bed and then the big game in Fayetteville tomorrow.  Hopefully, it'll be something I wanna write about.  Enough accidents for one week.