What I Learned From Art Linkletter's Visit

3/30/2009 09:15:00 AM / Posted by Mike Landry / comments (2)


Art Linkletter visited our church this past weekend and left an indelible mark on me. I learned so much about what shapes a man’s character and how to LIVE until you die. He was so very personable, positive and likable. At breakfast, he was full of questions – wanting to know about me, my family, and the church where I serve. He was not only inquisitive but his follow up questions showed that he was processing everything he heard and still trying to learn. Wow! I want to be like that NOW, not just when I turn 97 years old.

What’s amazing is that here is a man who is about to turn 97 years old and just gave up snow skiing on black diamond slopes two years ago. He said he’d still be skiing but after a spill on the slope that hurt his knee 2 years ago, his wife gave away all his ski equipment. When he asked why, she replied, “I’d rather be your wife than your nurse.”

Dr. Linkletter spoke for about forty-five minutes and was entertaining, thoughtful, engaging, and focused. He talked about playing college basketball, swimming in the Olympics for the USA, hosting TV shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC, getting to know every president since Woodrow Wilson, as well as serving as a missionary for 20 years with World Vision Ministries. He was probably best known to most people for his TV shows, “House Party” and “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”

He amazed us all with his ability to recall all kinds of statistics, dates, names and facts without notes. If you closed your eyes, you’d think you were listening to a 40 year old man who was in his prime. He told us he still lectures at UCLA as a professor of Gerontology.

His wisdom concerning aging was priceless. He was so positive and down to earth. His secret was to “live until you die” and don’t stop a moment earlier. One of his past books summed up this life message with the title, Old Age Is Not For Sissies.

His life has been a model of how pain and suffering mold the character of a person. He told us how he had been abandoned by his teenage parents at birth and adopted by a 50 year old Baptist minister and his wife. He shared, with teary eyes, the tragedy of losing a daughter by suicide, a son in a tragic car accident and then another son at the age of 70 from cancer. He was quick to share how his daughter’s death devastated him and ultimately led to his placing his faith in Jesus Christ.

When asked what he though attributed most to his longevity, he shared a story about a 30 minute meeting in the Oval Office in the White House with President George W. Bush. The president asked him the same question and he told him that he had put together the “OLD GEEZER TEST.” He shared he had devoted much time in the last years of his life to studying this very issue and that the test would reveal one’s odds in becoming an “OLD GEEZER.” The President asked Dr. Linkletter to give him the test while there.

I thought you’d be interested in the quiz, so I’m going to finish this article with the questions that were listed in Art Linkletter’s book, How To Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life (p. 23). The more yes answers you have the more apt you are to become an OLD GEEZER like Art.
THE OLD GEEZER TEST:

1. Do you refrain from smoking?
2. Do you abstain from alcohol consumption? 3. Do you get eight hours of sleep a night? 4. Do you eat a low-fat diet? 5. Do you exercise every day? 6. Do you eat a good breakfast every day? 7. Do you have a sense of humor? 8. Do you have a sense of curiosity about the world? 9. Do you have a passion for what you do? 10. Do you have a happy marriage?

Moving Forward With You.
Pastor Mike

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OUTRAGE AND CRY FOR JUSTICE

3/23/2009 11:35:00 AM / Posted by Mike Landry / comments (1)


Last week everyone, including the news media, was outraged over the extravagant bonuses paid out by AIG. Me too. It just didn’t seem right to reward people for poor performance that resulted in the collapse of AIG. Contractually the bonuses may have been legal, but were they moral or ethical? In addition, since the government had to bail out AIG with billions of taxpayer dollars, how could the executives of AIG, in good conscience, even consider giving out the bonuses.

The immediate knee-jerk reaction from our Congress was to pass a bill that would tax those who received the bonus with a minimum of a 90% rate. Now that really solves the problem, right? I don’t think so. But that’s not the point of this particular article. My point is that the outrage stems from an inherent sense of right and wrong that we are born with. Sometimes our reaction or solutions may be just as outrageous as the wrong deed done, but nonetheless, our outrage over a social injustice is legitimately proper and right – and should be dealt with justly.

We also see a similar reaction from the general public whenever a child is kidnapped, abused, or murdered. Inherently, we are outraged by this act and want justice to be served. The wrong needs to be righted. Nobody taught you to feel this way…our conscience inherently knows it is wrong.

I like what C.S. Lewis said about this in his book, Mere Christianity, “Whenever you find a man who says he does not believe in a real Right and Wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later. He may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he will be complaining ‘it’s not fair.’”

Because we want outcomes to benefit us, we tend to adjust our standards as needed. We may feel a little better for a while but ultimately it puts us deeper in a hole that we cannot climb out.

Hopefully, what we have been experiencing will force us to take a step back and ask some different questions. Instead of merely casting blame and proposing temporary solutions to immediate pains let’s go back to the root of our problem.

We have neglected and even tried to deny that there are timeless and absolute standards of right and wrong. These exist because they are an extension of the very nature and character of God who created this world and all of us. When people seek to know that God, not only will the standards begin to make much more sense but also real forgiveness for the violation of those standards can be experienced.

It’s time to turn back to God and ask Him how to proceed. He is certainly not surprised at what is going on and definitely has a proposal on the table for how to proceed.

“If my people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Spiritual Cruise Control Button

3/18/2009 10:44:00 AM / Posted by Mike Landry / comments (1)


Entering into a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is really not that difficult. That’s because you were made by God, for God. It is His desire that you and I know Him intimately. John 17:3 even defines eternal life relationally rather than numerically. It says,

“This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent—Jesus Christ.”


The excitement and joy you experience when entering into this kind of relationship is undeniable. New Christians are so refreshing to be around for that very reason. The passion and lifestyle associated with a life in relationship with Jesus Christ is contagious. But isn’t it amazing how quickly we will judge this kind of experience and outward demonstration as evidence of immaturity or shallowness…especially when we haven’t felt that way for quite some time?

Instead of pursuing God we begin to pursue spiritual knowledge. In our quest to go deeper and know Him more intimately we often substitute the critical elements of a relationship with God for simply the facts about God. In my conversations with others, I find this to be typical of everyone’s experience including my own. I personally find it as easy as triggering a cruise control button on my car's steering wheel. After I hit the button, I’m still heading in what appears to be the same direction but find my heart and passion for God becoming incrementally a bit cooler and harder. I'm not as focused as I was after I push the button.

A. W. Tozer said,
We have substituted theological ideas for an arresting encounter; we are full of religious notions, but our great weakness is that for our hearts there is no one there…The spiritual giants of old were men who at some time became acutely conscious of the real Presence of God and maintained that consciousness for the rest of their lives.(God’s Pursuit of Man)

Can I make a suggestion?

Today, in your pursuit of God, go beyond a simple knowledge of the facts.

  • Ask God to make you sensitive to His presence.
  • Take time to listen to God.
  • Look for His fingerprints and activity all around you.
  • Let the facts about God that you glean from the Scriptures trigger a pursuit of God.
  • Choose to relate to God rather than simply be content with more information about God.

Then, at the end of the day, jot down what you saw and learned. Thank God for revealing Himself and ask Him again for "eyes to see and ears to hear" Him again. You won't regret it. I know I won't.

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Trip to the Holy Lands - Final Thoughts

3/12/2009 07:46:00 AM / Posted by Mike Landry / comments (2)



What a trip...no...what a journey. A trip is simply traveling and moving from one destination to another. Pictures are taken, memories are stored, and bodies are wearied. After the trip, you simply return home with another notch carved into your travel belt.

My Holy Land adventure was much more than a trip. It was a life changing journey. Sure, a lot of pictures were taken, new experiences were engraved as memories, and I did return tired. But I'm no longer the same person. My trip became a spiritual journey that God used to adjust my frame of reference. My journey put a Biblical frame around real people, real places, and real conversations. For example:

When traveling the same path that Moses led the Israelites on from northern Egypt to Mt. Sinai, I gained a whole new appreciation for the miraculous nature of the trip and provision/protection of God. We're talking about an 8 hour trip by bus through some of the most barren terrain you'll ever pass through. Nothing but rocks and dirt and mountains. My friend and fellow pastor, Bill Hild, says it's the closest thing on earth to walking on the moon. He's right.

I try to imagine a couple million Israelites (men, women, and children) traveling on foot down that same path. Only with the miraculous intervention of God and His protection could they have made it. God was using this short hop to teach the Israelites AND ME that the journey itself may even be more important than the final destination. It's along the journey that we learn to really trust God. You see what I mean...a bus ride from Mt. Sinai to Cairo became a video prepared by God for my heart to teach me that I need to pay attention along the way instead of always being so obsessively focused on getting to my final destination.

Since going on this journey, I cannot read the Bible the same anymore. The locations and the settings all mean so much more now and help me to better understand the truth of God's Word. Talk to anyone who went on the journey with me and they'll tell you the same thing. It's amazing. This journey to the Holy Lands was like getting another degree from seminary.

If you get a chance sometime to go...don't hesitate...you will never get over it. Plus, you're going to establish some new friendships with the people you travel with. You'll find that they become like close family -- which by the way, is another priority lesson that God wants us all to learn...the value of relationships. This is definately not the kind of trip you want to do alone...you need to be able to share it with others.

Hope we can do it together in the future sometime. I hope to go back in a few years.

Shalom

Trip to the Holy Lands - 14th and 15th day

3/03/2009 02:35:00 PM / Posted by Mike Landry / comments (0)


I was able to secure an internet connection a couple hours ago. Hope to catch you up on our journey to Egypt. Days 14 and 15 have been fast and furious. Especially yesterday, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

We began on Monday by visiting 2 pyramids - not the ones you've usually seen in pictures. We left the hotel early at 7am and headed first to see the Hawara Pyramid in El Fauom. This pyramid dates back about 3000 years (about the time when the Assyrians defeated the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and was made totally from mud brick and much smaller bricks. Amazing that it is still standing.

Next we went to Sakara and saw the first constructed and oldest pyramid, the Step Pyramid. It was over 5500 years old (before Abraham's time) and made of limestone. Coming from a nation that is barely over 200 years old, it's hard to believe I was standing beside and touching a structure that was 5500 years old.

By the way, antiquities are a really big deal here and everything is watched and guarded closely. I think it's because so much has been stolen in the past and taken out of Egypt. We were reminded constantly not to be picking things up off the ground on each of these sites. It was extra incentive when you see security everywhere holding submachine guns.

Speaking of security, everywhere we go in Egypt we are escorted by a security truck of 6 men fully armed. Very different from Israel and Jordan. In fact, we always had a tourist security guard responsible for our safety sitting on our bus wherever we went. Nice guy but very quiet. I sat next to him today and kept bumping into his gun that was under his jacket. I found myself praying a lot while sitting there.

Next we went to Ramsey's Museum in Old Memphis and saw a lot of artifacts from ancient Egypt. Some huge statues of Ramsey II were on display. The guide said they made these huge statues and distributed them abroad because they couldn't take pictures and post them. I think I would have found a way to get some papyrus pictures circulating if I were Pharaoh. Come on, if they could build pyramids, surely they could get some sort of mass Production of Papyrus Pharoah Pictures (alliterated for all you preachers). :-)

Lunch was delicious and very different. It was about as Egyptian as you could get. We were first greeted by musicians playing traditional Egyptian music (I felt like I was listening to a sound track from Aladin). Then we were led to some tables that were placed outdoors under nice shady trees. The table was then covered with fresh baked Egyptian bread (looked and tasted like Pita bread) and dishes of sauces and vegetables and falafels. It was great! But we were told not to eat too much because the main course was coming. Then they placed 3 different miniature grills on our tables with shish kabobs (I don't know how to spell it) full of chicken, sausage, and beef. Much more than any of us could eat. We waddled away from there and tried to stay awake as our bus then drove us to a carpet factory where children were hand weaving these beautiful nylon carpets that you've seen and heard about. They told us that there were over 600 knots every square inch. Everyone wished they could have taken a rug, and a child, back with them to the states.

Then it was off to the Cairo Museum. Most of our time was spent looking at the treasures found in King Tutankamin's tomb. Our guide, an Egyptologist, filled us in on all the details and it helped to understand what we were looking at. Mummies, gold, pottery, statues, chariots, boats, etc., were just a small part of what we saw. Unfortunately, we were getting tired and found it hard to concentrate on what we were looking at.

Then it was back to the hotel, but not without first stopping by a Papyrus Shop. We were shown how papyrus was made and then given time to look at what they had to sell. Our folks were over it and immediately went to the bus. They just wanted to get back to the hotel, get something to eat, and then go to bed. I can't really blame them, it was by then past 7:30 pm and we still had another 20-30 minutes before we would be back to our hotel.

After a great night's sleep, everyone was much more cheerful and excited about the agenda for today. We got to see the Great Pyramid, Ghefren, and the Sphinx. They are so huge and impressive. But the highlight was a 20 minute camel ride around the pyramids. We laughed and took lots of pictures. I have to admit, there's nothing quite like riding a camel in the desert with the Great Pyramid and Sphinx in the background.

Before lunch, we visited a Christian and Jewish section of Cairo where many old churches were located as well as a very old synagogue. It is believed that this was the area where Joseph and Mary fled with Jesus after being warned by an angel in Bethlehem. I had never thought much about what it must of been like for them in Egypt but this visit really helped all of us to reflect on this chapter of the life of Christ.

Then it was lunch in a downtown Cairo restaurant right on the edge of the Nile River. The food was good but the picture of the day was that of a dead horse floating down the Nile upside down about 20 yards from where we were sitting. We couldn't believe our eyes. Really helped our appetities. I know, gross.

After lunch, we hustled to the Cairo airport and caught a flight to Luxor. We landed safely and checked into a really nice hotel, the Steigenberger Nile Palace. I can't believe something so nice would be located in the heart of the desert. It is located right on the Nile River and in downtown Luxor. Tommorrow we plan on visiting some of the tombs of the Pharoahs and the ancient city of Thebes. I think we'll also get to take a cruise in a sailboat down the Nile just before dinner. We'll see. Well somebody's got to do it. Pray that there will be some wind...or else we'll be paddling hard. I'll tell you more about it next time I can get an internet connection.

One final devotional note: As I've heard and keep on hearing about the many gods of the ancient Egyptians, I'm reminded how we, in our desperation to find God, keep inventing gods. The statues, the hieroglyphics, the images all point to this. We are a depraved people full of creative ways to distort what God is really like. Apart from God's revelation of Himself, fully done in the person of Jesus Christ, we have no clue what God is really like. The ancient Egyptians were no different than us in that respect. Some things never change. But they can!

NO PICTURES
By the way, sorry there are not pictures. I'm not able to upload them at this time. You'll just have to imagine what it was like until I can update the pictures. Have a great day!

Trip to the Holy Lands - 12th and 13th day

3/01/2009 01:49:00 PM / Posted by Mike Landry / comments (2)


It's becoming harder to get an internet connection with my trip to Egypt so I'm having to combine 2 days again of my journey to the Holy Lands with this blog entry. Sorry about the length.

We boarded our bus at 7am for Egypt on Saturday morning. There were 8 of us on a bus that seats 50. Not much room to spread out in. :)

Jerusalem was spitting snow flurries when we left, so we were looking forward to some warmer weather as we went south. However, we were in for a surprise.

We made it about an hour before we had to turn back because the rain had flooded our road and made it impossible to go further. We turned back and got to Jericho before we heard that the water had subsided enough to pass. So we turned around again having lost 2 hours and proceeded south. The temperature rose and was about 75 degrees when we hit the Egyptian border city, Taba, at 2pm.

Crossing the border was a breeze and after walking across the border with all our luggage in hand for about 200 yards we were greeted by a new tour guide and a new bus. This time our bus was smaller...only a 35 seater. Then it was off to south Sinai where St Catherine's monastery is located, as well as our hotel. The drive there was like touring the moon. Nothing but mountains of rock and desert everywhere you looked. Our guide informed us that groups were not allowed in the monastery on Sundays but that we were given special permission to see it since we were going to arrive too late Saturday evening.

St Catherine's monastery is up in the mountains and the temperature dropped rapidly as we ascended. By the time we got there it was dark and cold. We dropped our bags off and then ate at the hotel restaurant. We were then informed that a local Bedouin man had invited our group to join him in his tent for some hot tea before we went to bed. We went wondering what we would see and just exactly how much colder we could get. The tent at least blocked the wind and the Bedouin man told us we didn't have to take our shoes off because he could see we were very cold...he was barefooted. We all sat on cushions in a circle around a fire he had build in his tent that was ventilated through a hole in the top of his tent. He served us tea that he had made in the fire. When you're cold, anything hot tastes good and this sure did. He also distributed heavy camel skin blankets to cover us while we visited. It was a rare opportunity to learn first hand of the customs of the Bedouins that inhabit most of the desert area. What a treat!

We finally got into our rooms and got some sleep. When we woke up we were amazed at what we saw. The mountains had been covered with snow throughout the night and we were in the midst of a snow blizzard. And we thought Jerusalem had been cold! We got some great pictures and I did some skating on the concrete in front of the restaurant by accident - I'm just glad it was nimble me who did it - I can take the impact of a half gainer with a quarter twist better than the others in our group.

The snow subsided enough for us to proceed to the monastery where we saw the traditional locations of the Burning Bush, the well where Moses met his wife the shepherdess, the location where the golden calf had been made by Aaron when Moses was receiving the 10 commandments, and the plain where the million and a half Israelites had waited for Moses while he was on the mountain. This was so much better than any powerpoint presentation or youtube clip. We were all freezing on the outside but fired up on the inside reflecting on what happened here.

We then proceeded to Cairo and arrived here about 7pm. This was about 3 hours later than planned because of all the roads that had been washed out from the rains. A couple times we were driving through a foot or two of water. Along the way we travelled the route that the Israelites traveled as they crossed the Red Sea and went to Mt. Sinai. We stopped at where Moses threw a tree in the bitter water and it became drinkable. We stopped at MarahRephidim where the Amalekites attacked the Israelites and lost. This is the story about the Israelites winning as long as Moses held his hands and staff up in the air...with a little help from Aaron and Hur. We also passed close to the spot where God first provided manna. Our trip today was an amazing journey through the pages of Scripture (Exodus 15-19).

Let me stop here and highlight the main lesson that the Lord was teaching me as I saw all this and reviewed the Biblical text. The hardships faced by the Israelites in the Wilderness were planned by God as a test. It was God's desire that His people learn to trust Him before He took them to the Promised Land. A perfect example was in Exodus 15:22-26 (but it happened over and over again). Verse 25 said, "There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them." Another example was Exodus 16:4 when God was about to provide manna. He said, "I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whther they will walk in my law or not."

Nothing has changed. God still does the same thing today. We always look for the shortcuts and the path of least resistance. God wants us to learn to trust Him...and that always involves suffering and testing.

A couple of final notes - we drove right up to one of the loading ports of the Suez Canal. It was much larger than I would have expected. We then backed up and crossed the Suez Canal by tunneling under it.

Upon our arrival we were also reminded that Cairo is the 2nd largest city in the world with 22 million people. Now having driven through it I can believe it...I think they were all out on the road when we went through it. I also discovered that the white lines on the road here mean absolutely nothing. Most cars...and our bus...straddle the lanes looking for a way to get in front of the cars ahead. Usually what was intended to be a 3 lane road became more like 5 lanes with cars weaving constantly in and out. Oh, and don't forget the donkey pulled carts on the same road too. And I thought my driving was agressive. I'm not sure I could survive driving here...though it would be fun trying. :)

Well, I've got to go to bed. It's late and we leave to explore Cairo tomorrow at 7:00 sharp. A couple of ibuprofen to work on my sore shoulder (remember my half gainer with a quarter twist) and I'll be good to go. Not sure I'll have internet connection tomorrow so you may have to wait a couple days for the next entry on my adventures in the Holy Land.

See you later.

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