Darren LeBlanc

I got a gift today. It was a little reminder about the purpose of our benevolence; a refresher in why we serve people.

I was driving to Phoenix to catch my flight when I pulled off to grab a coffee. There was a guy on the exit ramp that had a sign with something about him having lupus and needing food. I of course ignored him as most Americans do and went to get my delicious Starbucks coffee that I paid $4 for. Something got to me though and I decided to stop in the place next door to get a gift card for food. I put $50 on a card and decided to drive back and give it to him. So I make this illegal move on the road to get over to where this guy is standing and I confidently get out of the car. My eyes meeting his, we both walk toward each other. I, full of my own self virtue, hand him this card and explain what it is while in my mind, I’m patting myself on the back.

His response took me. He barely said thank you and turned and walked back to his position. Wait, aren’t I this great person for doing this nice thing? Shouldn’t he be so appreciative? Well, his response was exactly what I needed. It didn’t in any way shape or form make me feel good. I had no big thank you…not even an indication that this guy was going to use this. I was taken aback, but only for a moment. As I got into my car I realized what a gift this awkward man had given me. I had somehow slipped into thinking I was great for doing exactly what I ought to do. I had begun drinking my own bathwater…like I was something special.  Now, there are times that I do really give just for giving sake. Times that I want nothing more than to make someone happy…for their sake, not mine. But today, it felt like I may have missed the mark with my intention.

The Bible says that I should serve this guy as if I’m doing it to Jesus himself. That is what I’m supposed to do. This is not something above and beyondthat deserves a pat on the back. I’m not at all suggesting that everywhere you go you are supposed to give a gift card to every needy person you see. I really can’t say what we are individually supposed to do…only that we need to be sensitive to what our individual role is in the big picture. So, if we can serve in our towns soup kitchen this season, we should do it. If we can make a turkey for the family next door, we should do it. If we can shovel the elderly couple’s driveway, we should do it. We should do it because we should do it, not because it feels good.

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PS…thanks SOOO much to Richie and Chris for letting me stay at their place one night last week. I needed a break and it was perfect. Click the picture below to visit the gallery. I put captions on many of the images as well. It was a terribly overcast day, so I didnt get any shots that really captured the beauty of the landscapes. I guess I’ll just have to go back :)

And sorry for so few posts this week. Work was rough and I didn’t have much left at 12am when I’d get back from dinner!

Wow..some good comments. I must respond. 

Lucy – I’m so sorry. I cannot even imagine what it is like to lose a son…especially so young. I am praying tonight for them (as are many who are reading this right now I’m sure).

Connie – Thanks for pointing out such a common problem. We dad’s often do a poor job with communication/emotion/affection. So I must give myself and all of us a reminder: Dad’s, talk to you family. Even when you don’t have something to say, just listen (with the TV off).  Be open with your emotions…your kids will be able to approach you with their problems if you are real about your own. And please show affection to your kids and to your wife in front of your kids. My dad was a hero in this regard – I was a high school kid and he still kissed my cheek when I left the house. I know its not always comfortable for we men, but suck it up. Hug your kids today and tell them they are loved/beautiful/talented/valued/courageous/smart/etc.

Emma – Undoubtedly, your post is one of the bravest and most meaningful posts I have ever gotten on here.  Your transparency is staggering – I wish we all were so open with our lives. I have one major thing I’d like to say: DO NOT FEEL GUILTY. You have done nothing wrong. My previous post mentioned that it is the responsibility of those of us who have been GIVEN hope, to GIVE it away. I’m sorry the church has failed you lately…we are all too good at that. And there is no way I will delete you post (as you suggest). In fact, I will print it and hang it on my wall – you are my inspiration. I only hope that my life and Anthem of Hope can be some support to you in these coming years.  Please email me so we can talk further. (my email is listed in the contact link above)

 Lastly, I wanted to mention that there is a play going on for those of you fellow central New Jersey folks. My brother and some friends are in it. Here is the info (it’s tonight and tomorrow!!)

Lighthouse Productions & Unfailing Love Ministries present an original musical for the Christmas season:

“It’s His Birthday, Mr. Scrooge”
(loosely based on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”)

December 3rd & 4th, 2008
7:30 pm
@ The Paramount Theatre (Convention Hall)
Asbury Park, NJ

LIVE MUSIC!
FREE ADMISSION!

Starring:

Narrator- Rachel Ryan
Ebenezer Scrooge- Russ Scalzo
Bob Cratchitt- Nick Masi
Mrs. Cratchitt- Gail Scalzo
Martha Cratchitt- Tarra Emery
Tiny Tim- Chris Dean
Quartet- Kelsey Easy, Melody Easy, Maryann Smith, Elaine Buckley
Townspeople- Val Johnson, Fred Esposito, Alice Esposito
Jacob Marley- Justin LeBlanc
Angel of Christmas Past- Lindsay Guzman
Young Scrooge- Kevin O’Leary
Belle- McKenzie Deerin
Orphanage Director- Darlene Walker
Angel of Christmas Present- Stephanie Scalzo
Angel of Christmas Future- Leah Scalzo

***If you are able, please bring a new, unwrapped toy to be distributed at the Christmas Give Away on December 20th in Asbury Park!***
For more information: www.unfailingloveministries.com

Thanks to Christine for sending 18,971 people to this site from her blog in the month of October!!

Visit http://smilesandtrials.blogspot.com/ and pray for her son Dennis today as he has surgery. They are in the hospital from 1pm on today.

I went to be cute and put Obama’s initials in the subject line and when I realized what I had typed I got a little chuckle out of it. For those of you who are gearing up to type me a note about respecting our leaders, please just settle down…I’m not at all in Barack-Banging mode tonight.

I hope you all (for your own edification) voted based on the right information. It’s hard to really be “in the know” when we get such skew biased information from our primary info providers (i.e. the television).  I hope that you looked at Character, not just professed religion. I hope you looked at Ability, not just color of skin. I hope you looked at Policy, rather than just propaganda. I can’t tell you how many people I personally know that are voting for McCain because Sarah Palin professes to be a Christian or that are voting for Barack Obama solely because he is black. I find both to be a  reckless use of our voting privilege.

Regardless of how you voted, tonight is certainly a monumental occasion. For the first time our country has elected a black president. I’m excited about that part of this. It’s wonderful to see such a strong symbol that we truly have come so far from the injustices of the mid 20th century. I’m not saying the election went the way I’d have liked it to, but there certainly are positive aspects to focus on. Now, it’s time we all focus on praying for our leadership and keeping our focus on God, not our human leaders…no matter how lofty their position.

No comments for today. The last thing I want is a political debate after the election is over!! I have very much to say about all the comments from the last couple days, but I’ll get to that tomorrow. If you didn’t read, check out the last couple days…good discussion.

NOTE:  I’m not saying Sarah Palin isn’t really a follower of Christ, just that we need to look past someone’s words. Her life should peak more loudly than her professed church attendance.

Lastly, here are some pictures from Violet’s 2 year birthday party.

I love that we have some healthy discussion going on about yesterday’s post. It seems the topic of “judging” has come up and must be addressed. Before I attempt to justify my comments or my thoughts, let’s collectively look at what the Bible says about this. I you don’t value what the Bible teaches, perhaps some of my conclusions at the end will be of value to you. Either way, let’s explore:

Matthew 7:1-5
1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Verses 1-5 tell us not to judge. But what is that judging? Certainly this doesn’t mean that we should not have an opinion on anyone’s performance or assess what we believe is truth. I am a manager at work and I continually assess the performance of the people working for me. Isn’t that my job? And I don’t believe that this call against judging applies to our searching for what is truth either.  Acts 17:11 talks about how the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians because they “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” They were eager to hear the words that Paul had, but everyday they went home and examined what he said to see if it were true. Certainly, assessing the truth in a sermon cannot be labeled as judging…that is what we are supposed to do. (On a side note, I find this to be one of the most disconcerting aspects of the the 21st centure church. So often we sit in a pew and absorb what is taught without any effort or reflection.) 

So what is this judging that we are not supposed to take part in? The Life Application Study Bible comments:

Jesus’ statement, “Do not judge,” is against the kind of hypocritical, judgemental attitude that tears others down in order to build oneself up. It is not a blanket statement against all critical thinking, but rather a call to be discerning rather than negative.

So, this writer suggests that Jesus is making a call to be discerning. I agree with this assessment as later in chapter 7 (v.15-23) we see Jesus specifically say that we are to expose false teachers. But I think it unwise for us to dismiss these prior warnings to flippantly. In modern Christendom, I find it far more likely that we disobey the intent of these scriptures and justify ourselves with them, rather than vice versa. We throw around statements about “judging fruit” only to justify the scornful mocking that is birthed from our own depravity. For many of us, our self esteem is so poor that we constantly look for avenues to use words to place ourselves above our peers.  We find new ways of cutting down people to lift ourselves up. This is a crime. Whether or not we profess a faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t matter…we need to recognize the damage that our negative words have on people. Our words can literally destroy someone’s life (how often is the kid most picked on the one that commits suicide?)

I don’t have a full explanation of what this negative judging will look like, but I know what it looks like for me. I often find myself commenting on the lack of leadership in churches in America. As if, I am better because I am an accomplished leader in a worldly institution. Give me a break. Does any good come from my negative comments? No, not at all. I could do much better with this.

Now, with regards to my comments on the aforementioned preacher…I was attempting to highlight what I do believe is a false teaching amongst many preachers today. This is not specific to only him in any way. Also, I will not pass judgement based on what someone doesn’t say on a TV program, because I don’t have any insight into the purpose for the program or what he or she teaches in other venues of the church. I do however, find it very appropriate to pass judgement on what someone does say and I will continue to do that. I am not ready to fully tackle the propserity movement that I’m alluding to, but when I am, you will hear it. 

You can also check out James 4:11-12, Romans 2:1-3,  Romans 14:1-4 or look up Judge or Judging in a concordance. Would love to hear some thoughts.

PS…thanks to my dad who after discussing this subject with me earlier tonight sent me most of the references and some great thoughts on the subject.

So many of us love the story of Job (as told in the book of the Bible named after him). We see a guy who had everything the world has to offer…then we see him stripped of everything. It is quite a long process of suffering but through it all he professed to serve Jesus Christ.  We see an illustration of someone holding to their faith, regardless. Then as a result, the account tells of the second half of Job’s life being more blessed than the first. Here is the text from chapter 42:

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

 12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

 16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so he died, old and full of years.

Now, this is a great and powerful account, but there is one piece that bothers me. Job got everything back at the end of the story right? He was given thousands of sheep, camels and oxen. He was even given 7 daughters and 3 sons. When we tell the story we often point to that as an illustration of everything being restored to Job. We talk about how “all things worked together for good” and that God was faithful to “restore what the locusts have stolen”. I have even heard it told that because Job trusted God, he got everything he ever had back 2 fold.

What about the 10 kids he lost? The problem lies in how we look to this story and reason with simple math that Job was given back what was stolen. I don’t think that is a good argument to make from this text. Misty and I used to talk about this section of the Bible often. It has bothered us for years and every time we heard a sermon on it, we would find ourselves wincing at the idea of someone losing their children to gain a new set of kids. I don’t think that Job was thrilled to swap his kids for 10 more and gain a few goats.

This doesn’t make me think any less of the story. In fact, this makes me respect Job even more knowing that he did not waiver in his faith. It gives me a confidence that even though I’m NOT promised to have everything fixed for me on this planet, I’m still to trust God.

So next time Joel Osteen references the story of Job as proof that it is God’s will to make you prosperous, call him up and ask him if he’d be willing to trade his Jonathan and Alexandria for a couple new kids and some extra goats.

I’m sitting here eating hot wings in Sierra Vista AZ with some entertaining people from work (who are peaking over my shoulder), then sleeping for 3 hours, then driving 3 hours, then flying for 3 hours, then sitting in an airport for an hour, then flying some more, then getting a limo from the airport to my in-laws place, then going trick or treating with my little tinkerbell. It will be a good day. 

This week was good. I had to come down to here to get a few things in order and it was a successful trip. I’m still on my audiobook kick. This week it is Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. Pretty solid book by a Quaker. Discusses some fundamental habits that people who profess to be Christians should probably adopt. Being Quaker, he brings a new perspective to many things. I’m enjoying it.

One thing he talks about is the discipline of solitude. I don’t want to get too far into it other than to highlight a suggestion he gives. To retreat 4 times a year for a few hours for the purpose of assessing your goals. He goes on to say that we often overestimate our 1 year goal, but underestimate our 10 year goals. I’ll be thinking about that in my 3hr “solitude” while driving to phoenix tonight.

I remembered this verse today. I find it quite interesting. 

matt 5:4 -  Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.

It’s like saying that we are blessed when we lose someone. Or we are lucky to have to go through something that wrenches our heart. We are blessed because it is then that we can finally admit we need the peace and comfort that only God can give. Any other takes on this verse? I didn’t spend a lot of time on it.

Olivia,
Your nightly video postcard is – HERE. I’m so excited that you got to go to the Delaware Water Gap today. I’m glad you had a good day. – daddy

My new lens came in today!! I have some big events coming up and had to replace it pretty quickly. It’s a sexy piece of gear…I’ll have to post a picture of it for you.  While we are on that topic…I get lots of emails about photography. Specifically, many people ask what equipment I use. So, here is the list:

Pentax k10D (Semi-Pro Digital SLR)
Pentax 16-50mm  f/2.8 (what I just got to replace the Sigma I dropped in Maine)
Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8
Sigma 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6 (the super wide angle lens I posted pictures with a few weeks back)
Pentax FA50 50mm f/1.4
Sigma 70mm f/2.8 Macro (one of the sharpest lenses in production from any manufacturer)
Flashpoint Carbon Fiber tripod, with Giottos ball head
Pentax FG540 Flash (2x)
Alienbees Studio Lighting

I have been thinking that taking pictures is kinda universal. We all do it. So I am hoping to do a series of little posts on how to take better pictures without buying all the junk I just listed (the gear doesn’t really make your pictures any better anyway unless you are willing to learn). I think it will be fun.  Anyway, as you can see, I shoot Pentax. It is by far the best value for me. I’ll explain later, but if you are looking for a DSLR, take a peek at their stuff.

Ok, so…we all know I LOVE to have comments, especially from people that disagree with me. Like I said the other day, I’m pretty obsessed with being better in every area and I love to learn. When we challenge each other, we make each other better. For those of you who may be interested in a little more in depth Bible discussion, I’m going to dig a bit more into the text I posted yesterday. The following comment made me go back and double check myself…and I learned a good bit in the process. Here is the comment I got:

I think you are determining the verse in your mindset. This verse is all about risk, bro. Otherwise the guy would of done it? If God gives you more and you use it you are risking it. On one hand you can use what He gave you and use it with carnal heart and hands and destroy it, therefore losing a lot. But it is in the trusting of God in what he has entrusted and living by faith in some risk, because you do have something to loose. It is the whole balance of faith. If you have nothing to risk, what is the point. If risk is not present then there is no tension or struggle to do something. The message does have to be read by someone who has read the bible and will compare back to the bible, I agree. But verse 28 is true and holds truth in most practical and biblical thought patterns.

So, I went back and read the text in a couple different translations (I’m not cool enough to be able to read the original language…that would be Greek to me!). Here is what I’m observing. The NIV says:

 14“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

The act we see here is the servant putting the money to work. This does not imply risk to me…just work. Then after the servant tells the master he buried the money, we see:

26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!

The Master addresses him as wicked and lazy. If this parable were about risk, I suspect that the master would have called him cautious or cowardly. John MacCarthur supports this by calling the man “slothful”, implying this is an issue of laziness.

Perhaps the ringer for me though is Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

Burying money (v. 18) kept the capital safe, but the money would have been no less safe with bankers (m. Baba Mesi`a3:11; Gundry 1982:509). (full text)

If putting the money with the bankers (as instructed by the master) was no less safe than burying it, then there is no more risk involved with investing over burying it. This is not captured in the Message which has lines like: “It’s criminal to live cautiously like that!” or “Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most.” and my personal favorite, “And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb.”

The first time I heard these eloquent exhortations, I was ready to preach a sermon on risk. Then I did my homework and was disappointed. Oh well.

I’m addicted to audio books. If you have never tried it, I must say I highly recommend it. For years I consumed every leadership book I could get my hands on. I just have it running in the car…its pretty painless. Lately, I’m more into books on God rather than making myself better (though becoming a better leader certainly is a noble endeavor). This week I’ve been listening to the Message, which is one man’s take on paraphrasing the stories of the Bible. The Message is in no way the Bible and if I were to bare my soul…you would know that it’s kinda annoying to me how people use it like it is in fact the word of God. I always find myself listening to something and then going back and reading it in the real bible to compare notes (Real = NIV, NKJV, NASB, etc). Today, I had an interesting comparison that I wanted to share. This is what the Message says for Matthew 25:14-28

 14-18“It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

 19-21“After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

 22-23“The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

 24-25“The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

 26-27“The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

 28-30“‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’

 I was with him up to verse 28. In the NIV translation, verse 28 says: “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.” (a talent being a sum of money that was great than $1000). There is no mention of risk at all. In fact, I think our Mr. Petersen missed the mark on this one. I’d say it’s clearly about stewardship, not risk. Risk may be a component, but it is very misleading to identify it as the singular value exhibited in the story.  Don’t get me wrong, the Message is a great tool to have in the toolbox for exploring the mysteries of God. It just should be used as a tool, not the authority.

In less argumentative news…
Day 2 at work was significantly less relaxing. I guess its good that it only took a day to get back into the swing of things (good for someone at least…not sure it was me…haha).  And tonight Olivia said her longest sentence yet. In reference to her Curious George doll not being able to come upstairs for a bath, Olivia said “He sit on the couch and wait for me” – 9 words. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly…after many failed attempts, my daughter officially had her first pee on the potty today. Way to go Liv! And I know I talked about this like months ago…but we stopped trying when things got harder with Misty. Tonight Olivia asked to go so we kindly let her :)