Have You Got Skin in the Game?

I’ve heard that question asked several times in the last few days so twice asked, I knew a blog was coming! I found out that the phrase "having skin in the game" was coined by Warren Buffett. He started out with so little that the seed money for his first stock fund came from others. Eleven doctors put together over $100K for him to start investing. But because he wanted to show his own commitment as well, he contributed $100 to the fund. It was his demonstration of willingness to be on the line with others. He had “skin in the game”, as Buffett said.

Then, a couple of days ago, I heard Lisa Harper, a Christian speaker and author, talk about her being single at age 50 and adopting her Missy, an HIV orphan baby from Haiti. One day at school, Missy was asked by a little boy, “Who’s your daddy?” and she said she didn’t have a daddy. Lisa said: “Missy could be sad that she doesn't have a "skin" daddy who can make her pancakes and take her to soccer practice. But through lots of talks with her, Missy came to realize that she DOES have a Daddy! Her Daddy God who loves her more than all the stars in the sky.” I loved it when Lisa said that now Missy has lots of good, strong, godly “uncles” who have stepped up to show her so much love and example of “God with skin on”.

We live in a world with so much need for a God who has skin, that is, physically, real and touchable. So where are those “with skin in the game” and where are those who are “God with skin on”? Is there a touchable God? Yes, there is. Within the Body of Christ, the body of believers! It's profound to realize that the Body of Christ is not a figure of speech. Each believer, you and me, with his or her skin and bones, makes up the Body of Christ, literally, as much as Jesus when He walked the earth.

By our presence in giving love in tangible ways to others and in giving encouragement and hope to those who need “just a word” that helps them push forward, and in opening our hearts and in wrapping our arms around someone who needs a warm touch – we are being Jesus “with skin on”. We can say "I'll pray for you" to someone, but how can we expect our prayers to be answered fully without letting ourselves be Christ for them? Praying WITH someone to offer comfort is a prayer that has been answered by God who still walks the earth in the flesh of you and me. We can be God’s ear for them, God’s touch, and God’s comfort.

Knowing that I have a "God with skin" in those around me, completely magnifies my appreciation of who those people are my life. When my best friend listens to me, Christ is there listening. When my children ask me over and offer me a meal, Christ is there cooking. When a friend “likes” and/or comments on my blog with encouragement, Christ is encouraging me. Each action they take gives God skin. Let’s put some “skin” in the game today – as the Body of Christ “with skin on”!

“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” ― St. Teresa of Avila

Remembering to Re-Member

Here I am – back in Tulsa. Sis and I are working diligently on getting Mom’s Estate Sale ready, but not before many close friends and family members came and took a token of a special memory they had with Mom in the past. We’ve loved the “remembering” of such special and momentous times that are etched forever in our minds. Mom, at 95 years old, remembers so many of those special times and even helps us to remember.

Remembering AND re-membering. Like the “re-membering” definition above, Mom, Karen and I had been “re-membering” my dear husband (Mom’s boy and Karen’s big bro) and the ways he did certain things, his little quirks and his many abilities. We often recall how contented he was during his final year of adversity, and how he rarely complained. We recalled how very quiet he was -- quite the feat for a man who "fire-hosed" people when he was given the chance to give them an encouraging word. All such sweet re-membering that is so very important and brings us so much comfort. When someone shares how my sweetheart impacted and made a difference in their life, it blesses me so much. They tell me they will never be the same because he cared. They were re-membering that he played an important role in their life story.

My daughter brought a whole new perspective to the word, re-membering. She reminded me of a beautiful statue of Jesus that I had given to her and how, inadvertently, in a move, the statute was broken into many pieces. Very quickly, she embarked on the task to “re-member” Jesus. Carefully, piece by piece, she glued the statue back together again. In essence, she put Jesus’ members back together again. She remarked "And this is what Jesus wants us to be doing – to “re-member” His body (the Body of Christ) by striving to bring us all together.

Though we don’t stay in-the-past thinking “I wish I were back there again”, we do REMEMBER and RE-MEMBER those circumstances, and even trials, that were the fuel for kicking us upward and onward to turn tests into testimonies, messes into messages and trials into triumph. I think about dear friends and RE-MEMBER their encouragement and support that carried us through some of our worst times. And, now it's us helping others to RE-MEMBER their broken hearts and spirits by encouraging them and praying for them.

Most of all – RE-MEMBER the ONE who paid the ultimate price for you and me. RE-MEMBER how Jesus went about doing good. RE-MEMBER how He loved you and brought you out of a dismal life of despair to a place of joy and victory. RE-MEMBER to REMEMBER His Words at the Last Supper: Luke 22:19 “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in REMEMBRANCE of me."

1 Chronicles 16:12 “REMEMBER His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth.”

Jesus reminded His disciples to REMEMBER: Matthew 16:9-10 "Do you not yet understand or REMEMBER the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?”

Holy Week -- a Time for Remembering

Just look at those amazing signs of Spring that celebrate this marvelous Holy Week aka Passion Week, the week just before Easter. Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the sacred day that commemorates the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where He rode into town on a donkey as crowds of people joyfully lauded him and spread out palm branches in his path to honor his kingship. Unfortunately, those same crowds would, later in this same week, cry out “Crucify Him!” This is the week of remembering His love and great sacrifice for you and me.

On Palm Sunday, our congregation, symbolic of those crowds in Jerusalem, meets together in our Fellowship Hall and then we all process into the sanctuary carrying our palm branches as we sing praises to our Lord. This day marked the start of Christ's journey to the cross, and ultimately, His glorious resurrection. The very least we can do this week, in the midst of our daily activities, routines and responsibilities, is to make room for the magnitude of what this week means to us.

We ponder with heart-felt gratitude He Who knew no sin, He Who loved so unconditionally, He who paid the price for our salvation and enable us to live a life of abundance, and He Who offers live-everlasting to each of us. Over 2000 years ago, He went the distance and finished what His Father set out for Him to do. His arms are still open wide for us to come to Him, to know Him, to receive Him and for us to live our lives in honor of such great sacrifice.

I snapped these photos as I left Inverness Village where a dear friend is in Skilled Nursing care there. I took her one of the palm branches from the service earlier, and I also took her communion. She cried when she saw the palm branch. I cried with her. Though she couldn’t be at the service, she remembered what this day meant, and humbly, she embraced receiving the Body of Christ in communion. As I left her and witnessed the beauty of this Spring day that represents newness of life, I also rejoiced because of such love from my Savior. Our Lord is no longer riding a donkey facing a horrific death. He is our risen Lord and Savior, soon coming on a white horse as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:11-16).

"You were worth dying for." -- Jesus

You Need a Class Clown in Your Life

The Class Clown -- oh, how I wanted to be her. She could make any situation funny -- without even trying. She was my roommate, Lois, at Canyonville Bible Academy in Oregon. She always had me, and others, in stitches. I have a daughter that's like that, too! To this day, she can still make me laugh at the same jokes and stories that I've heard countless times before. And then there's my granddaughter, Lexi, who is a chip off the ole' block. She, too, is a "Class Clown". Her Lexisms have made many FB posts by her mother and me.

I'm better today at creating humor than I was growing up. If there's something going on that seems way too serious, I'll probably make a silly comment that gives some comic relief. And, my attempts at humor have also faltered, as I'd forget the punch line of a joke, or spoken something that I thought was humorous and, as it turned out, my timing was waaay off! Comedic timing is essential!

My nature leans to being more serious, but when a comedian enters the room, I will gravitate to be near him/her. There is so much healing that can be derived from laughter. Yes, we need the serious ones around us -- the ones who make us think and help us to be better. But, we need those merry, jolly, and lighthearted comedians, too -- the ones who can pull out the humor, joy,and lightness, even in dark moments. I'll never forget Father Jack Gleason, who came to our home as soon as my sweet husband passed away. He didn't enter dismally -- he came in and shared with my daughter and I a hilarious situation he had gotten himself into during the day. At that time, we didn't need another sad face -- we needed "joy and light" medicine. Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart does good like a medicine"!

St. Paul said in I Corinthians 12:27 -- "You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." And, quite frankly, some folks are called to be the FUNNY BONE! If you are the funny bone -- go ahead and be funny. Celebrate your wit and humor and know you are a vital part of the family of God. And, if that isn’t you, and humor isn’t your natural "bent", celebrate the funny ones in your life. They need you and you need them.

And if you need some healing today? Laugh. Make someone else laugh. Bring laughter into your home, your life, your friendships. You need a Class Clown in your life because sometimes those are the exact people God uses to bring about the healing you’ve waited for.

So, did you hear the one about what the duck said to the comedian? A: "You quack me up!"