Was blind, but now I see

He was a young man. His father was a ship master, so at age 11 he joined his father at sea. He signed on a merchant ship bound for the Mediterranean, was captured and pressed into the Royal Navy, deserted, was recaptured and severely punished, became involved in slave trading, was made a slave himself, and was finally rescued.

It is quite a story. It sounds like the makings of a great screenplay. But, the story doesn't end there. While on his return to England, his "savior ship" was caught up in a great storm. As cold seawater filled the ship, the young man called out to God. The ship did not sink. As they traveled on to England, the young man read the Bible, as well as all the other religious literature he could get his hands on. He celebrated that March day in 1748 when he had reached out to God - the beginning of his conversion - for the rest of his life.

He continued in the slave trade for many years (although he preached against it in later years), but it is said that from that March day forward, he never drank, gambled, or used profanity. No doubt, he stood out amongst his sea-going, slave-trading colleagues.

Eventually, John Newton became a clergyman and a prolific hymn writer. Many of us have grown up singing his great hymns. Arguably, one of the best of these is Amazing Grace. It has certainly held up to the test of time. Two hundred years after it was penned, the song is a fixture in spiritual and secular culture. It has been played at many gatherings that are etched in our memories: memorial services following the Oklahoma City bombing, September 11, and the Virginia Tech attacks. We have probably buried loved ones, with that hymn as a backdrop. It somehow resonates with us, like none other.

The lyrics are monosyllabic. The melody is easy to sing. A director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has called it the “perfect marriage of text and tune.” It has been recorded more than 6,600 times, according to www.all-music.com. That puts Elvis and the Beatles to shame. Does anyone believe their songs will have the staying power to be remembered, sung, and recorded in 200 years?

Why has it had this “sticking” power? Because, we understand the words. We could have written them. Like John Newton, we are weak selfish sinners caught in a terrible storm. The icy waters are rising. We need to be saved. And, God is our only hope. That is why we can sing - from memory,

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see

Amen.

C'mon Get Happy

While I was traveling, before the holidays, I picked up a USA Today. There was an article that caught my eye, so I tore it out and stuck it in my briefcase for later review. Guess what I just found in the bottom of my briefcase? I still think it is an interesting article, two months later. Maybe that is a good rule of thumb – stuff it in the briefcase and if you still care two months later, then talk about it.

On page 7D of the December 7, 2010 USA Today there was a headline, “Happiness is having friends at church.” That seemed a bit obvious to me, and I thought of a quote from that great American philosopher, Homer Simpson, “D’oh!”

According to a study* released by the American Sociological Review (ASR), attending religious services regularly and having good friends at church are keys to being happy and satisfied with life. Even attending church several times a year makes a difference, the study says, if there is a circle of friends and strong, shared religious identity. So, just walking in the door doesn’t really make a difference. It is a beginning. I don’t want to diminish the value of “being there,” but we won’t soak up the goodness of the experience by just sitting in a pew. The study says we have to get involved, meet people, know them, and be a part of the spiritual community.

There have been many studies that report the positive effect of spiritual living/prayer on our healing process. Other studies have revealed that religious people have a higher level of well-being, when compared to the non-religious. The specific cause of the positive results that comes from a spiritual/religious life has not always been made clear.

The ASR study found that when looking at people with similar levels of church attendance, the social aspect of our faith - our “connection” – determined happiness. The researcher stated that, “90% of the correlation between church attendance and life satisfaction can be explained if you have these close interactions.” 90%!

Check this out:

• 33% of the people who attend services weekly and have 3-5 friends at church said they were extremely satisfied with life
  
• 23% of the people who attend services several times a year and have 3-5 friends at church said they were extremely satisfied with life


• 19% of those who attend weekly and have no friends at church said they were extremely satisfied with life


• 19% of those who never attend church and have no friends at church said they were extremely satisfied with life

The first two rows tell a great deal. Being in a faith community, where you are involved and making friends, has a direct impact on your life satisfaction. There are some people I know who would love to just be “mildly satisfied” with life – but this shows EXTREMELY SATISFIED.

Did you check out the last two rows? Attending regularly, but not making contacts/having relationships gives you the same life satisfaction as never going.

Jesus told us to hang out with like-minded people, and he would join us (Matthew 18:20). The Apostle Paul told us that hanging out with bad people would ruin us (1 Corinthians 15:33). The writer of the book of Hebrews, tells us to not skip out on worshipping together, but come together and encourage one another.

I think I see a theme, here! These are thoughts that have been around for a long time. They are sound Biblical principles that many of us have accepted as true. Now, scientific research is proving them to be true. (See Simpson quote, above). It’s like my friend Marty always says, “It’s about the relationships.” It is about our relationship s with the right kind of people and with God.

So, the question is, “Do you wanna be happy?”

*the study’s findings were consistent across all main Christian denominations, Mormons, and Jews. Conclusions were not drawn on other religious groups, due to small sample size for other groups.

...sweet land of liberty...

I don’t really know anything about Ethiopia. I know that a former leader was a guy named Haile Selassie (as a kid, I thought the name sounded cool). I know the capitol is Addis Ababa (again, cool sounding). I remember the chilling photos of starving Ethiopian children. That is about it.

On a recent recruiting trip to Washington, D.C., I had the pleasure of interviewing two candidates who were originally from Ethiopia. They may have been the first Ethiopian-types I had ever met. Impressive, professional people. In fact, they were related. Interesting, I thought. What are the odds? On one trip, I meet two people from this country in the horn of Africa.

On my trip to the airport, my taxi driver was from – wanna guess? Yes, he was from Ethiopia. Crazy luck, right??

It was dark. It was cold. It was early morning. But, he didn’t know it, evidently. He was full of smiles. He wanted to chat. If you know me, you know I am not a “chat with strangers” guy.

Honestly, in the beginning, I wanted to just doze on my way to the airport. Dulles isn’t nearby and I knew I could take a quick nap. I wanted him to leave me alone, plain and simple. Just as I am not a chat up the stranger-type, neither am I a “be rude to the chatting person,” either. What was I going to do? I smiled. I mumbled responses, in the appropriate pauses. I wondered if he heard me snoring, then he would just sit quietly. He kept talking. Quickly, he began talking about our freedom. He grew excited when he talked about our “wonderful” system of government. He smiled and laughed, while talking about the greatness of our country, the people, and unbelievable blessings we have.

His early morning enthusiasm for the U.S. made me realize that I am blessed to have been an American, since birth. The driver kept talking. Before long, I was smiling and laughing, as well. I was agreeing that this is a great country. We have great people. And, thank God, we are blessed. For over five decades, I have enjoyed the benefit of living in the greatest country in the world. I am sorry if that is politically incorrect. C’mon, you know it is true. People want to come here to be educated. People want to come here to work. Think about it ---- people risk their lives to come here for less than favorable living conditions and a poverty-level job. Why?Because the US is a great place. And, opportunities abound.

It IS a great place. I should have a better attitude, just naturally. But, nope. It doesn’t work that way. I had to be reminded. It took a delightful man driving a taxi to help me have a better attitude about my home. I suppose that is natural. Maybe our own eyes become a bit cloudy, and it takes seeing the “old place” through fresh eyes.

I just hope that it doesn’t have to happen, often.