A Way of Life

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Jason

I don’t know how you feel about the providence of God. As for me, I’m convinced.

When I was 18 years old, I was the epitome of the angry young man. My Mother had just died and I began to spiral downward into a dark period of self-loathing and anger. The God I’d heard about my whole life — the God of love and comfort — seemed distant or, even worse, a sham. If God was real, I told myself, He sure doesn’t love you. I think there’s probably no more dangerous place to be…when you begin to doubt that you’re worthy of God’s love.

That’s when God sent an angel my way in the form of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl named Sunny. Ours was a pretty improbable pairing: like I said, I was in a pretty dark, skeptical place at the time…and along comes this joyful ray of light, all smiles and warmth and optimism. We were — are continue to be — so different. She was loved by her teachers, the perfect student — always respectful, always obedient. I was neither. Sunny has always been an ardent rule follower, while I’ve been known to bend a rule or two if the end justifies it. I’m convinced that if we’d known each other in elementary school, we’d have hated each other. But providentially, we met at just the right time.

It’s not a stretch to say that Sunny saved my life. I’m reminded of how she helped me believe again: in God, in myself, in everything. She helped me see that I was lovable, that God hadn’t forsaken me no matter what the circumstances might seem to indicate. She loved me through my pain and through this simple act, something profound occurred: she became a conduit through which I experienced the love of God once more. And when that happened, my life changed forever.

Today we celebrate an anniversary: 12 years of marriage. It’s a significant marker, one that we acknowledge every year. But annual recognition isn’t nearly enough when it comes to how I feel about Sunny. Her love has become a way of life for me, and it’s the best life I could ever know or behold. Sunny, I shudder to think where I’d be…who I’d be…if not for your love. You have restored me and redeemed me from my darkest hour. Your faithful love points me more directly to the enduring faithfulness of our God. You are God’s gift to me. And I love you.

August 14, 2011 — 10:29pm

Posted in Blessings, God, Sunny | 4 Comments

MyPod: The Head and the Heart

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Jason

I’d started wondering if I was going to find a favorite album for 2011. There’ve been a few really good releases so far this year: Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine…but I’d put each of them in the “good but not great” category. Imminently listenable, but…not the kind of songs that burrow their way into your brain and set up residence. THAT’S what makes a great album, in my opinion.

So, like I said, I was beginning to wonder if 2011 might go down as a year devoid of that one GREAT album for me…

…until I listened to The Head and the Heart, a magnificent opus of yearning and loneliness from my new favorite Seattle-based indie band.

Now, I’ll admit: the band name was enough to make me almost write them off instantly. (I know all that stuff about not judging a book by its cover, but the same rule doesn’t apply to band names. You see “The Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies” on the album cover, you pretty much know what you’re getting yourself into. Think about it. I speak truth.) “The Head and the Heart” is a terrible name for a band in my opinion. It comes across like they’re trying too hard for significance, an over-earnest attempt at self-definition. Plus it’s just dorky. I suppose some would find it an improvement over “The Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies”, but whatever.

That being said, I came across one of their songs “Lost In My Mind” on a free Amazon sampler a couple weeks ago. I liked the song enough to listen to a few snippets on eMusic and I liked what I heard even more. I used a few eMusic credits to download the whole album. After the first listen, I knew I’d found the best album of the year. Let me tell you why.

First of all, this is my kind of music: acoustic guitar, bass, violin, piano, indie sensibility, soaring harmonies. Sort of Avett Brothers meets the Pacific Northwest. Plus, these dudes are cool by association, having opened for Already & Not Yet faves Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, and Iron & Wine. But what sets this album apart is its resonance with me on a personal level: the lyrical depiction of the human condition is pretty much spot on here.

If the album has a theme, it’s this: our universal longing for home and the intermediate loneliness that accompanies our waiting. The album opener, “Cats and Dogs”, sets the tone for the record: “Oh the songs people sing for hope / And for the ones that have been gone for too long.” There’s an intersection of pain and beauty as we recount our losses — the terrible toll of tragedy met with the best of human resilience and malleability — with the hope that this isn’t all there is. Some call such hope futile and foolish; I call it the fabric of life. What fuels such hopefulness is this confession at the end of “Cats and Dogs”: “We’re only here to find the love that lingers after the moment.”

But all is not pollyanna positivity: take “Ghosts”, a jangly little pop-record that is fixated on the notion that, for all of our talk about leaving and moving on to bigger and better things in life, “someday we’ll all be ghosts”. Or “Rivers and Roads”, a lilting ballad that opens with “A year from now we’ll all be gone / All our friends will move away.” This line instantly grabbed me: in the 10 years we’ve lived in Huntsville, my three closest friends have all moved away and a fourth is preparing to move next month. But given the album’s theme, there is more in play here, a nod to the brevity of life. “Honey Come Home” articulates a response: when faced with life’s absurdities, we reach a point where we throw our hands up and say, “I just want to die with the one I love beside me / I am ready to be home.” Indeed.

As someone who has been shaped by the grief of my early years, I know I’m prone to filter certain experiences through my own loss and longing for reunion. I’ll give you that. But I suppose these experiences have given me a deep appreciation for honest reflection on loneliness and the ache for home. That’s why “River and Roads” speaks to me so much:

Been talking about the way things change
And my family lives in a different state
And if you don’t know what to make of this
Then we will not relate
Rivers and roads / Rivers and roads
Rivers ’till I reach you

I guess I’m a bigger fan of that over-earnest stuff than I realized. But this album has been a reminder for me of the deeply spiritual connection we share and the eventual culmination of all things. It has renewed my belief that when it all fades to black, there is something more, something beautiful and glorious and right. The album closes with “Heaven Go Easy On Me” and the lyric: “All things must end, darling.” For the lonely, there is perhaps nothing more comforting.

I could write more, but I’m already pushing 900 words. Suffice to say, I’m a fan. I expected to find cool background music; I didn’t expect to find a record of such evocative power. A true masterpiece and 2011’s Album of the Year.

Posted in Eschatology, Music | Tagged , | 2 Comments

On Honor

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Jason

Show me the man you honor, and I will know what kind of man you are. — Thomas Carlyle

Posted in Quotes | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Photo Contest

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Jason

A few months back, my in-laws took a trip out west to Yellowstone. While they were there, my father-in-law snapped some pretty amazing pictures. He’s entered one in a photo contest sponsored by The Tennessean. If you have a minute to spare, follow the link and vote for his photo. I know he’d appreciate it.

Click here to check out the photo and vote.

Posted in Family, General | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Dangerous

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Jason

News reports broke last week of a young Indiana woman who was lying on the couch watching television when her boyfriend arrived home and surprised her by asking her to marry him. When she declined his proposal, he became so enraged that he pulled out his gun, pointed it over her head and fired a shot through the wall. The young lady promptly called the police and her boyfriend was arrested and charged with three counts of criminal recklessness.

Interestingly, a few days later her Facebook page featured a photo of the couple and her relationship status had been changed to “engaged”.

I asked some of my friends last week, “What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?” I received a lot of responses to that question and most of them fell into one of two categories: stories pertaining to driving a vehicle way too fast or stories about jumping off of things that were way too high. But I learned a lot about my friends; who knew they were such daredevils?

It’s interesting that none of my friends said the most dangerous thing they’d ever done was to choose to follow Jesus. I know, that seems like a “gotcha”; I mean, who thinks about the question that way? But truthfully, I’ve recently become even more aware of the radical, risky nature of the call of Jesus. It seems as if we often frame “following Jesus” as the ultimate mitigation against risk. We ask, “If you were to die tonight, where would you spend eternity?” And this frames the decision to follow Jesus as a way to mitigate against the risk of spending eternity in hell. And while I suppose that conversation can be useful to prompt a certain level of personal reflection, it also undersells the clear message in Scripture that following Jesus incurs tremendous risk, even danger, for the would-be disciple.

Consider a few places in the Gospels:

  • Matthew 8 – A teacher comes to Jesus and professes “Jesus, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus throws a wet blanket on his devotion by saying, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” In the next verse, a potential follower wants to follow but offers up the perfectly legitimate request to attend his father’s funeral first. But Jesus swats this request aside, too, saying, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” It’s not that Jesus has a problem with funerals or home ownership. But he does have a problem with anything else competing for the place of primacy in our hearts.
  • Matthew 13 – Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God is the ultimate pursuit in life, similar to a treasure buried in a field. When you discover the treasure, you go and sell everything you have in order to possess it. Or, Jesus says, the Kingdom is like finding a pearl of great price at a yard sale. You go back and sell off everything you have in order to purchase it. In Jesus’ economy, the Kingdom of God is the one and only commodity.
  • Luke 14 – Jesus says only a fool sets out to build a house, a tower, a structure without first consulting the budget. Likewise, he says, you should count the cost before choosing to follow Him.

In “The Cost of Discipleship”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Perhaps no one understood this better than the apostle Paul. Listen to his description of the dangers he’s incurred from following Jesus:

23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 2 Cor. 11.23-28

Paul’s litany of dangers may strike fear in our hearts. How often have we been “in danger” because of the Gospel? Who among us has experienced nakedness, hunger, thirst, or cold for the sake of the Gospel? Who among us has faced beatings and stonings because of our devotion to Jesus? Certainly these sorts of dangers are foreign to the experience of most American Christians. And yet, two points need to be made here:

  1. For many of our brothers and sisters around the world, these dangers are ever present. In fact, Paul’s experience has been the norm for believers for thousands of years. Those of us who live in an age of religious freedom should not make the mistake of presuming that this is the case everywhere. We bear the burden of praying for our fellow Christians who risk much for the name of Jesus.
  2. We need to take a long look in the mirror at our culture of “comfortable Christendom” in light of the teaching of Jesus and the example of Paul. Kerry Walters writes, “Many Christians play it safe by practicing a tepid, no-risk spirituality in which we domesticate the roaring Lion of Judah into a nice, safe pussycat.” We need to recognize that following Jesus necessarily involves leaving our comfort zones and taking risks — great risks — for the sake of the Kingdom. Although we likely will never suffer the kind of oppression and danger that our brothers and sisters in India or China or Pakistan or Indonesia face, we are called to risk it all — our status, our wealth, our image, our comfort — for Jesus.

What are we willing to risk for the sake of the Gospel?

We should remember that following Jesus is perhaps the riskiest, most dangerous thing a person can do.

Well, except for NOT following Him.

Posted in Devotional, Discipleship, Gospel, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Scripture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Most Dangerous

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Jason

Trying to start a dialogue here (although FB is probably the better format for this). But I’m curious: what’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done? Just curious.

Posted in General | 5 Comments

Search Results

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Jason

Today, someone found my blog by searching for “ground hog droppings pictures.”

Buddy, wherever you are, I’m sorry to disappoint you.

 

Posted in Blogging, Humor, Random | 3 Comments

MLB Thoughts: July 2011

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Jason

We’re spending a few days in St. Louis this week, catching a few Cards games before school starts back. These early August school start dates really wreak havoc on summer schedules. But I digress. We’re catching the first few games of the Cards / Astros series. Nothing like a good series with Houston when you’re in a three-way tie for first.

I’ve had this thought for a while, and tonight’s game only confirmed it: Hunter Pence is the worst-looking good player in the major leagues, bar none. He’s the anti-DiMaggio. Everything he does on a baseball field looks labored and awkward. I watched him long toss in the outfield during BP and he just looked out of sorts, lank and gangly. In batting practice, he kept popping the ball up, hitting the roof cage. Meanwhile, Carlos Lee goes out and hits about a half dozen moon shots to the delight of the crowd. In the second inning, he completely misplayed a fly ball that allowed two runs to score. And you’re thinking, “This is the Astros’ best player?” I’m not saying he’s not good; in fact, just the opposite. He’s so good, I can’t believe how bad he looks. But just when you’re about to give up on him, he opens up in BP and puts a couple in the bullpen and you see that he’s got it. Come game time, he’s raking opposite field screamers with the best of them. But 90% of the time, you wouldn’t know what a good hitter he is just by looking at him. Then again, there are a whole host of good hitters who would flunk that test (John Kruk, Tony Gwynn, Dustin Pedroia, David Eckstein…all anti-DiMaggios in their own right).

Other than Pence, the Astros are just pathetic. Quick: name the Houston starting infield. And no, Biggio and Bagwell don’t play for them anymore. The bad news is their outfield and pitching staff isn’t much better. Tonight, my Cards took J.A. Happ to the woodshed. How the Phillies convinced the Astros to give up Roy Oswalt for Happ, I’ll never know.

And while I’m hoping the Cards eventually run away with this division, I have to say it’s been mildly entertaining to watch the Pirates defy the odds and remain competitive for four months. Now I hear they’re in position to be “buyers” at the trade deadline. How cute. Maybe the curse of Sid Bream will be lifted and the long suffering Pirate fan base will once again enjoy the sights and sounds of October baseball in the City of Bridges.

But I doubt it.

Like father, like son. St. Louis, MO -- July 2011

Tonight’s game was especially fun because our youngest little Card fan was more “into” this game than any of the previous ones he’d attended. When we arrived at the stadium, he immediately wanted me to show him the statue of “Alvert Pujols”. (Funny how he mispronounced his first name.) Earlier in the day, he decided he really wanted his very own Cards hat, so we obliged him and for the first time ever, the little man kept his hat on for more than 5 minutes. In fact, he wore it all day long…in part to keep the blazing sun at bay, but also, I believe, because his old man was wearing his hat. A proud moment indeed.

 

Posted in Baseball, St. Louis Cardinals | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Things I Want to Remember, Vol. 15

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Jason

It’s been a few months since I’ve made one of these posts. Here are a few of the things that I want to remember about where my children are right now:

  • The other morning in church, we sang “Step By Step”, which just happens to be Jackson’s favorite song. We got him a CD player for his birthday and I made him a CD with all of his favorite songs. I included Rich Mullins’ original version of the song and Jack loves to turn it on full blast and just belt it out. Anyway, at church we start singing this song and Jackson looks up from his toys with the biggest grin on his face and goes, “I know this one!” From that moment on, he sang at full voice. People across the aisle could hear him. I love it.
  • Yesterday, my little theologian told me, as I was tucking him in bed, “God is, like, humungous!” Imagine all of the inflection a four-year old can muster resting solely on the word “humungous” and you’ll have a pretty good idea of how Jackson said it. And He’s right!
  • Yesterday was another rite of passage for Joshua. We threw football in the front yard…and I didn’t have to dial down my throws. I actually threw the ball at a pretty good clip…and he caught just about every one. And his return throws actually stung my hands a bit. Now, I’m used to him slinging the baseball around, but this was new territory with the football. Then we played some basketball and it happened again…I actually had to try a little in order to beat him. He actually played some pretty tough D…for a 7 year old. I can see that the sports thing is really starting to click with him. This is what I’ve been waiting for!
  • Abby Kate makes me so proud. A few weeks ago, she shocked her mother and me by getting up in front of a room full of church families and singing karaoke. Her song of choice was Taylor Swift’s “Our Song” and she sang every note with her whole heart. We think music and art will be her areas of interest, which means she’s probably going to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Seeing the smile on her face as the crowd started cheering and clapping at the end of her performance made me really proud. I suspect we’ll have a few more choral performances and talent shows in our future in the years to come.
  • For some reason, our kids are really obsessed with heaven these days. We find them talking among themselves about heaven, about what their rooms will look like in heaven, how we’ll be playing football in heaven someday…stuff like that. They’ve also taken a real interest in my parents. They’ve taken to calling them “Big Daddy and Me-Ma” and they know that they’re in heaven and that they’ll get to see them there someday. Jackson especially likes to ask questions about heaven and about what it’ll be like when he gets older. I think it frustrates him that I can’t answer all of his questions about heaven. When he asks something about what heaven will look like or be like, I usually answer him, “I really don’t know, buddy. I’ve never been to heaven.” And he gives me this blank stare like I’m letting him down! It’s hilarious.
  • The other day Abby Kate came walking through the kitchen holding her Bitty Baby, which is her favorite baby doll. The doll is named “Lilly” and she’s been part of the family ever since we bought her. Anyway, Abby Kate comes up to me with a big grin on her face, looks at Lilly and says, “Say hello to Grandpa!” Slow down, there, sister. None of this grandpa stuff for quite a while.
  • Our church’s Vacation Bible School was a few weeks ago. During the class sessions, some of our ministry interns walked around with a video camera and “interviewed” some of the kids. They asked them a lot of different questions and then they’d edit them together and show the responses later on. Sunny said one intern came up to Joshua, turned the camera on, and asked him, “So, what do we do when we come to church every Sunday?” Without hesitation, Joshua responded by saying, “We listen to big, long, boring sermons!” For the record, Joshua is STILL grounded for that little remark.
Posted in Blessings, Eschatology, Family, Kids | Leave a comment

Just Checking In

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Jason

So tonight I realized I’ve only made one post this month. Obviously, things have been a bit busy around here. Let me recap some of what’s been going on with the Bybees lately, in bullet form:

  • We rang in the month at Lipscomb University for Summer Celebration, which is kind of like a Bible college lectureship, only fun. Our whole family moved in to the dorm for three days, I taught a class, and we spent the rest of our time together: worshiping in Allen Arena, catching up with old ministry friends, playing ball out on the lawn in Bison Square. Sunny and I even told the kids some of our stories about our time together at Lipscomb. All in all, we had a great time. Looking forward to it again next year.
  • We also spent time in Nashville with my family celebrating my grandmother’s birthday. It was good to catch up with a lot of family members that I hadn’t seen in quite a while.
  • I had the chance to return to one of the churches where I interned (the Hendersonville church of Christ) as part of their summer series. In addition to spending time with some old friends at this great church, we were able to share a meal with my aunt and uncle who live in the area and worship at Hendersonville. Another family treat.
  • We took in our first drive-in movie. For the twins’ birthday, we treated them to Cars 2 at the drive-in. Somehow, neither Sunny nor I had ever been to a drive-in, so we had a blast. Even though I think Cars 2 is nowhere near as much fun as the first film, we still had an awesome time together. A great memory.
  • I spent last week in Mexico with our Baja Missions team. For 20 years or so, our church has been heavily involved in mission work in Baja Mexico. I had the chance to be a part of a team of 40 doctors, teachers, and evangelists who made the trip this year. As our team arrived, we learned of a tragedy in the community: one of the young children in the church died in a horrific accident. But the church responded as she always does: weeping with those who weep, rejoicing with those who rejoice. We certainly shared in the grief and the joy of our Latin brothers and sisters last week. It had been 5 years since I’d been to this mission point, so I was especially encouraged to see the progress that’s been made in this area. I spent a significant amount of time with those who were grieving. I was also able to spend one whole day with the preachers of the area churches, encouraging them and equipping them. I spent another day in the homes of the church members, bringing their monthly supplies of food and cooking supplies to them. We shared an impromptu Bible study with a young mother named Maria who is ready to give her life to Jesus. We miraculously fitted a pair of adult-sized crutches for Nora, one of our sisters who desperately needed a pair that were sized more appropriately for her. Actually, she needed children’s size crutches, but those are hard to come by in Mexico. Thankfully, we have several determined, intelligent men in our group who rose to the challenge to shave 4 inches off of the adult-sized crutches in order to bless sister Nora. We also spent time with Thomas, a skeptical convenience store owner whose English is as good as mine. He’s not a believer, but he daily embodies goodness and decency and integrity in his workplace and in the community. I was blessed by his way of life. The week was absolutely incredible.
  • Tonight, Sunny and I went out on a date for the first time in quite a while. We enjoyed dinner together and then rushed to catch the final Harry Potter film (which we really enjoyed). Now I’m semi-inclined to read the series. We’ll see.

That’s it for now. Maybe I can carve out some time to blog a little more regularly toward the end of the week.

Posted in Blessings, General, Movies | 2 Comments