I Am Hunter

We are all—at our most primal state—hunter-gatherers. Case in point…I found a dime the other day. Ok, sounds pretty benign, but it did get me thinking (as most things do).

Exiting my car I saw a dime on the ground. Did I actually need it…well it certainly wouldn’t put a dent in my mortgage payment. But there was a strange inner satisfaction as I bent down, picked it up, and placed it in my pocket…walking away with a much livelier strut in my gait. How, in the grand scheme of things, can a simple and near worthless coin produce such a powerful sensibility? It’s primal, I say…simply primal.

So here’s the real question...”What effect do you have on those around you?” Much like that dime, it may seem insignificant or possibly worthless...but let me tell you, a simple ten cents worth of wisdom, or compassion, or time spent listening, can make all the difference in someone’s life.

If Jesus’ life taught us anything it’s that the little things do matter and, in fact, are essential to fulfilling the greater things.

The next time you see a coin on the ground, let it be a reminder of how much we have as Christians for such little cost to us. A free gift of salvation for simply believing and accepting that Jesus is the Son of God, died for our sins, and rose again to provide us the incredible privilege of spending eternity with Him.

Without even knowing it at the time that pitted, dirty dime I picked up gave me new insight and a fresh look at what a valuable person I am even in the small things. Thank you, Lord.

Greg Morton
Copyright © December, 2014

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Life's Journey: Part III

Excerpt from “Life’s Journey: A Retrospective Commentary” Copyright © 2010

CONTROL

Being in control of one’s life is an essential element to maintaining sanity. Sure, there are hundreds of variables to this truth…but the fact remains: If we are to face all that life throws at us on a daily basis, we need to own the reality that our choices are our choices; our decisions are our decisions. While some may be more passive and others more type A, we’re all in the same responsibility boat in the end.

Perhaps this is why many people struggle with the concept and reality of salvation. Making the choice to believe in Jesus Christ and accepting His free gift is, of course, the fundamental element to choosing our eternity. The verification, though, that we were sincere in that choice is what follows. Repenting is more than acknowledging our sin and having regret for our past conduct…it is an actual turning away from those ways and habits. This is where it goes against our human grain of giving up control.

While on one hand the very act of turning over our natural sin nature to a saving God is comforting; this very act also requires we relinquish who we are as a sinful creation. This can be very unsettling even when we realize what we are gaining. It’s all about control and that inborn need to not simply be a puppet or pawn in life.

I am, by nature, a pretty passive person. I can go with the flow under most any circumstance and it takes some pretty hard hitting events for me to become confrontational. People in this category tend to hand over control a bit easier than more assertive personalities. In my case, giving up control came all too easy with alcohol.

Growing up it was modeled for me that drinking was a staple and standard for how adults dealt with life. As a teenager I took up that model and ran with it. By the time I was thirty I had surrendered most of my decision-making capabilities to the numbing influence that alcohol provided. By the pure grace of God and the guts of a woman who refused to settle for my actions, that is thankfully behind me now.

It’s very interesting when my wife and I discuss the whole dynamic of drinking. She doesn’t enjoy drinking because she hates the feeling of not being in control while, in contrast, that was the very reason I enjoyed it so much.  In the end reality came crashing down that I couldn’t continue to be anesthetized from all my choices and decisions in life.

Control is a pretty wily creature. It makes you and breaks you all at the same time. Ironically, the need for control is as much a controlling influence as anything can be. If not put in its proper place it can drive us to a very unhappy life. This is why we need God and His omniscient character. Our human nature allows us to be too easily affected by situations and we need a divine guiding hand to keep our lives in the proper control.

Greg Morton

Copyright © November 2014

Life's Journey: Part II

Excerpt from “Life’s Journey: A Retrospective Commentary” Copyright © 2010
(Edited for 2014)

PARENTS

I’ve observed we more often than not rebel…then model…our lives after our parents. As much as we might have disdain for how we were sculpted growing up, we inevitably gravitate towards being more like them than not. We often choose different paths and make many choices they never would…still our core tenets are eerily similar.

My dad modeled some pretty interesting—albeit dysfunctional—guidelines for me. He had a penchant for the ladies and it came back to haunt him on more than several occasions. His desire for acceptance by way of suave flirtations shaped my way of thinking about relationships more than I realized at the time. By the time my testosterone began to kick in I simply followed suit…being more dorky than charming notwithstanding. Experiencing how difficult it was for my inhibited, passive personality to accomplish what appeared so easy for him simply built up an admiration for his talent. It would take decades for me to realize my true personality was all I needed without the charade of all that false masculinity.

My mom was a great caretaker and go-getter. If a job needed to get done, by golly she’s was the one to put in charge of the task. It was interesting to observe her many years later as a grandmother; she displayed a deep love and affection for all her grandkids and I can’t help but feel she wasn’t quite that way when my sister and I were growing up. Maybe she was and my memories just didn’t stick…or perhaps she wasn’t quite the same person due to so much else going on in her life. Whatever the reason, I can’t seem to remember the same caring relationship she clearly developed with my own kids.

Bottom line…I’m ok with it all. I was basically raised right and I appreciate my parents all the more now that I’ve gone through parenting myself for the last 28 years. My mom and dad have since passed but I enjoy a close relationship with my wife and kids...due in large part to having Christian parents that guided my onto the right and righteous path.

Additional excerpts from “Life’s Journey: A Retrospective Commentary” © 2010 will be published in future postings.

Greg Morton
Copyright © October 2014

Life's Journey: Part I

Excerpt from “Life’s Journey: A Retrospective Commentary” Copyright © 2010

PROLOGUE

Life is a journey. It may be long or short, simple or complex, confusing or satisfying. Regardless of what structure it takes, it has been given to us by our Creator and we have been charged with a specific role. Finding that role—and how we find it—is the essence of who we are.


CHURCH

Growing up with the Christian dogmas of a Baptist church I encountered many perplexing ideologies. To be a kid and try to figure adults out is challenging enough. Throw in the mix of “do what you’re told” (“but not as I do”…which is the part they most often leave out) gives rise to more than just simple life questions. It begins a whole structure of trust and accountability that often falls short of providing answers. Right and wrong are doled out under the guise of “religious correctness” rather than finding out what is in your heart.

A personal relationship with God will provide that conduit from brain to heart to soul without all the strangeness of religion and liturgy. Unfortunately, most people construct their comfort zones based on these rites and rituals rather than their own sensibilities of being a divine creation.

I’m grateful for all the spiritual exposure I was given growing up. Although it was never clear to me as to whether Christianity was a tool, a means to an end, or simply a lifestyle…it did lay a foundation for which I could eventually ask essential and more informed questions later in life.

As a teenager I saw some very incongruous representations of Christian life…at least from the perspective of what I was taught Christians ought to be. In retrospect—having lived a good fifty years—I realize all humans are flawed and fail. Christians are no different in the sense that they are affected by the world’s wily ways just as much as the next person. What “should” be evident, however, is their response to the world when life doles out all its goods.

It has taken me years—decades—to realize the true value of a personal relationship with God and how that relationship should take form. Church, at its very essence, is instrumental for the growth of all Christians. It provides a place for corporate worship, corporate prayer, healing…a safe place to simply get more centered with your personal and spiritual self.

That said, it can also be a crutch, a façade, a delusion of spirituality that allows one to think they are on a correct path…when in reality they are only fooling themselves. The church environment, whether ancient or present, tends to be more camaraderie than substance. Read any of Paul’s letters to the churches in Biblical times and you’ll see the same confusions and failures as you do today.

I don’t want to minimize the importance of being an involved church member…what I want to do is maximize the importance of the Creator-creation relationship without all the repertoire of rituals getting in the way.


Additional excerpts from “Life’s Journey: A Retrospective Commentary” © 2010 will be published in future postings.

Greg Morton
Copyright © September 2014

The Benevolence Paradigm

I scan news headlines pretty much every day yet tend to gloss over the political section. Not that I’m disinterested so much...it just seems to drone on and on. To put it in a Shakespearean vernacular, it appears to be “much ado about nothing”.

When I do take the time to read through them, however, I often find myself riling up a righteous indignation. It appears so absurd that our government spends so much time focused on votes and offices, yet very little progress is made towards the basic needs of our nation e.g. feeding the hungry, housing the poor, etc. If only the Christian moral could be exercised we could hold our heads higher as a nation!

Then I go back to Jesus and scripture. My ultimate guidance counselor.

Granted, the scriptures don’t illuminate every moment of Jesus’ life, therefore some things must be understood in context alone. I have to believe, however, that the things presented by all the writers--especially in the gospels--are there for essential purposes and for our benefit. If it’s not addressed in scripture, it’s probably a matter not worth focusing on too much.

All that to say...nowhere do I find any account of Jesus beseeching the government to enact legislation or establish methodologies to address the poor, hungry and needy. It’s never written that He traveled to a new area of ministry and went to the leaders of that land to impress upon them their responsibility to take care of their citizens. Quite frankly, Jesus didn’t interact with leaders or governments much at all unless forced to.

It’s interesting that three of the gospels (which is a tell-tale sign to perk your ears up) author an account of Jesus being anointed with perfume by a women when visiting the town of Bethany. His disciples felt that wasting expensive perfume could have been better spent helping the poor. And Jesus’ reaction? “You’re always going have the poor, let this woman honor me as she sees fit.”

Extreme socialist views see a no-class, global parity among all the people. The reality is that our world is filled with needy, hungry and poor... and always will. Jesus dealt with these issues on a personal level everywhere He traveled and never once, at least from my reading of the scriptures, rallied the masses to have government change its ways. He had every attribute to be a revolution leader...yet He chose to be strong in a humble way, powerful in a personal way, compassionate in a meek way.

So what is the takeaway from this? What I find resonating within me is that perhaps it’s really not the role of government to fix all the civil woes of our land. Perhaps it is one of the many Christian callings to do as Jesus did. If you see someone in need, bless them in any way you can be it money, provisions, or prayer.

Perhaps I need to set aside my righteous indignation and face the fact that it may not be all that righteous. As a child of God I need to convey the attributes of God...it’s that simple. I know I will, from this point forward, concern myself with that much more than the misplaced concerns of what my government is or isn’t doing.

Greg Morton
Copyright © August, 2014

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Carpe Diem

Literally carpe diem means “seize the day”… in other words, enjoy the present rather than deferring all your hopes on to the future. Living for the day is actually a very practical philosophy yet, as all good philosophies go, shouldn’t be the one and only principle to be used.

If you forgo all the “thinking ahead” stuff...you’ll most likely never achieve certain goals. Some things just don’t come to fruition unless there’s a certain amount of planning. That said, some people take planning to an extreme and truly miss out on what’s going on around them right now. As with most things...balance is paramount.

I’ve spent my whole life looking ahead on what I should be, or become, or aspire to be as it relates to being a good Christian boy. Now in my mid-fifties, it occurs to me that I probably could have utilized some good ol’ “carpe diem” along the way. My visions of good-Christiandom always seem to be looking beyond the present and envisioning a loftier person. Really, Greg?

Sure, we’re all in the middle of a “process” in life, but God has no timeline as it equates to His ultimate plan. He sees where we’ve been and where we’re going and everything in between simultaneously and His love and desire for our lives is not dependent on how we view things from our myopic human brains. God sees us in our totality already.

Nothing wrong with pursuing better living, improved understanding, gaining experiences to enhance who we are. It just shouldn’t be the criteria for which we value ourselves through God’s eyes. He sees a much clearer picture and━albeit hard to understand━loves us as much as He did before we even existed.

James puts it pretty boldly in Chapter 4 saying: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Go ahead, seize the day. It truly is a privilege we shouldn’t take lightly.

Blessings!

Greg Morton
Copyright © July, 2014

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Careful! It’s At Your Doorstep

When God speaks...we really should listen. Although that’s a pretty obvious truth, it’s something we all need to heed in this hurried and crazied life.

Genesis 4:7 is a very basic, yet profound, truth that should be ingrained in each one of us. This is what the Lord was saying to Cain after expressing His displeasure at the sacrifice he offered Him.

“But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” NIV

Definitely words of wisdom we should all take to heart. Probably will show up in one of my song lyrics in the not-too-distant future.

Now I don’t generally get into the different translations of the Bible too seriously, although I do use the New International Version most often. That said, I found it interesting that the King James Version--which by most experts has a more accurate transliteration--uses the personal pronoun of “him” rather than “it” when referring to sin. Either way, whether you’re talking about sin in general terms or about Satan himself, it’s rather sobering to realize sin is crouching at your doorstep. The saving grace in this is that God says, “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door.” The corollary to that, of course, is that if we are doing right in God’s eyes we have a distinct advantage of having the Holy Spirit camped out at our door rather than evil.

All this to say, we should be very mindful of how close sin is to our everyday lives and not take it for granted. When trials and challenges come our way it’s easy to be more alert and conscious of how affected we truly are by the world. When life seems to be going fairly smoothly, however, it’s all the more reason to remember God’s words.

Sin...Satan...all powers of darkness are just waiting to be camped out at our doorstep, waiting for that opportunity to enter in and wreak some havoc in our Christian walk. We need to prepare and be on guard at all times.

God has been warning us since the beginning of time and  I Corinthians restates it quite nicely, “ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

Blessings!

Greg Morton
Copyright © June, 2014

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Albedo 0.39

Albedo 0.39 was one of my favorite albums to listen to back in ‘76; a concept album by the then, not so famous, Vangelis. So the album name certainly begs the question, “What the heck is an albedo?”

Simply put, it’s the measure of reflectivity for a given object. The Earth’s albedo happens to reflect an average 0.39, or 39% of light...thus the album name.

This brings me, once again, to another parallel to our Christian walk. What would your albedo be if you were to be measured for how much you reflect Christ? I shudder to think what mine would be, quite frankly.

The scriptures are very direct about who we ought to be as children of God:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.  Philippians 2:14-16

When Jesus made His Sermon on the Mount he expressly referenced the saved as both “salt” and “light”...two necessities this world can not live without. As children of God we are to be noticed not for who we are just as people, but who we are as having Christ within us. Our accomplishments in career, finances, family...even humanitarian energies should not be simply the results of God blessing us. Our true purpose is to make others take note that, “Hey, they’ve got something. Can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s definitely something more than just living life.” That is our doorway--our commission--to present Christ to others.

Shining like stars; salt of the earth. These are prominent and unmistakable things and so should it also be with our lives. Although the earth’s albedo may be 0.39, we should all strive for that 100% reflection of God. Sure, we’re incapable of completing that task completely and God certainly knows that; but it doesn’t negate our purpose as clearly stated in the scriptures.

The next time you look up at the stars or the moon and see it’s light, let that be a reminder of how light reflecting off an object is so noticeable to everyone around...then apply that reminder to your Christian life. Those around will notice and God will smile.

Blessings!

Greg Morton
Copyright © May, 2014

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Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Often times life is definitely not “gently down the stream”. There is an account in the Gospels that even non-Christians are familiar with: Jesus walking on the water. Clearly a miracle like that will always get the attention, but perhaps we can take note for just a moment at some smaller details surrounding this miracle.

This miracle occurred not too long after the feeding of the 5,000. In the account of Mark chapter 6 it states:

45Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. 47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. NIV

A couple of interesting things here. First is the fact that Jesus purposefully sent them out, knowing full well what was in store for them.

Second is the timing that Jesus went to them. The “fourth watch” in those days would have been during the 3AM to 6AM time period (my favorite part or the day, by the way). It doesn’t say at what time He observed them straining, however, it does intimate they had been struggling for quite awhile.

I think it’s very interesting that He didn’t intervene immediately. He observed them first to see if they could struggle through their situation. When the time was right, however, He chose to go to them. Jesus sees us when we’re straining. We don’t have to call out to him…He just comes to us because that’s the way He is.

It’s also interesting to note that He immediately alleviated their fears once they saw Him approaching. Curious thing, that we want so much to have miracles come and save us from our peril...and then when it really happens miraculously we cower in fear and wonderment.

When I’m struggling against the winds and currents of life, I take great comfort knowing that Jesus is watching me and seeing my plight. I know He will address my situation in the right timing. I know He will ultimately keep me safe and let me cross that sea of trouble intact.

The God I serve is a God that loves His creation; loves to watch what I do personally. That’s a pretty hard concept to wrap this pedestrian mind around...but I’ll take it. So the next time I want a miracle in my life and one actually happens, I trust I will be more in awe than wigged out...even if it’s Jesus himself approaching me on the water.

Blessings!

Greg Morton
Copyright © April, 2014

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Don’t Make Jesus Your Miracle-Daddy

For me…prayer has been a very elusive thing my entire life. It’s a strange, wonderful, yet enigmatic privilege that has changed me in many ways. Prayer is conversation; prayer is petitioning; prayer is thanking; prayer is whining; prayer is any means of communicating with God that you wish to put a label on.

Recently, however, is has become a deeper, more relevant, discipline. I am seeing it in a new way that is beginning to transcend all my previous understandings over the years. Prayer is a free-will choice, yet God is all-knowing and sees the beginning, middle, and end of whatever I bring to Him. This begs the question, “Why pray?”

The simple answer—which has taken me 54 years to understand—is that the matters I bring to the table certainly are by my own choosing but they may, or may not, bring me in alignment with God’s purpose. That ”alignment” is the key to my prayers these days. No longer am I concerned about whether I’m praying correctly or for the right things…God wants my life to be aligned with His plan and purpose. When I pray and calibrate myself to that truth…then the purpose of prayer becomes more clear.

For many years my prayers were directed towards God like a genie in a bottle. Make this happen; let me acquire that; allow this, that and the other thing to happen. In the name of Jesus I asked for things and completely justified it by using scripture...specifically James 4, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” NIV

What I continually failed to do was to keep reading as the very next verse states, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

In other words, we will receive anything we ask for as long as it is aligned with God’s plan. We may not understand His answer; it may even seem calloused or illogical. Still...He is in complete control, omniscient and omnipotent.

I’ve wanted so desperately to have a “miracle-daddy” to take care of all my wants and desires. That’s simply my human nature. My renewed life through Christ, however, begs to be in alignment and closer to my God and Savior.

So...does prayer really change things? Absolutely! What it most often changes is the person praying. The circumstances may or may not change but that’s really the point here. Prayer changes our attitude, our perspective, our priorities...and, most importantly, our relationship with God.

That’s what prayer is all about; what relationship is all about; what finding our place in this world is all about. Once we begin to realize that our actions do not cause a reaction from God, but simply brings us closer--or farther apart--then we will find true peace in whatever we ask of Him...regardless of the answer.

Greg Morton
Copyright © March 1, 2014

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May The Force Be With You

I don’t believe every bad thing that happens in life is a direct intervention of evil. Quite frankly, it doesn’t need to be orchestrated by demons or even the devil himself; this world is already bent towards the sin of man and doesn’t typically need further help. That said, at times there are certain circumstances that just seem too bizarre to not have some kind of added influence. Case in point… January 26, 2014. Pope Francis, while speaking at St. Peter’s Square, had two children release one white dove each as a symbolic gesture of peace. Soon after their release both doves were attacked, one by a seagull and the other by a black crow in front of thousands of religious onlookers. Hmmmmm….this could be a scenario right out of the The Omen in that it is a subtle—rather than gruesome—possible depiction of supernatural taunting.

Do I really believe some demons were having a fun pranking on a religious ritual…heck, I don’t really know. What I do know is that some people equate “supernatural” with “unnatural”…which couldn’t be further from the truth. Spirits—good and bad—are as natural as anything in this life. The spiritual realm existed long before our world and humanity did, and it’s a sure bet that it doesn’t stay unnoticed all the time just to watch us exist.

Although I seriously doubt spiritual forces were at play in this situation, these moments are a good reminder to myself--lest I ever get complacent--that we do live in a very spiritual world. It’s a very cogent reminder that there are forces at play all around us we don’t often see or recognize. The real key is to not get caught up in the media hype about what “spirits” are. Yes, they are real. Yes, they can manifest themselves in many tangible ways. Yes, evil ones can oppress even the strongest of Christians. But the glorious victory we Christians hold is that our Lord and Savior created each and every one of these beings and, as such, has complete power and jurisdiction over them. We know from scripture that God has allowed a certain amount of latitude for evil to exercise its dominion, but we can be assured God is in absolute control and has the ultimate victory in every situation.

Do I care if some evil powers wanted to display some sort of control over nature in St. Peter’s Square?…not really. I do care about the One who is the Creator of all things and what He can show me. Perhaps the doves of peace didn’t fare so well, but I do know that the Lord shepherds his flock with a very loving and protective dominance. This is the Savior I serve. This is the peace that affords me the strength and hope to move forward in life without cowering over forces that don’t have any real power over me.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Greg Morton
Copyright © February, 2014

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