Which Comes First - Love or Obedience?

Jesus said some of the most radical things that the world had ever heard. In the book of John, Jesus was talking to His disciples and check out some of that statements that flowed out of that conversation. Truths such as, "I am the way and the truth and the life." No man comes to the Father except through me." and "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."

Yet His words, "If you love me, you will obey me." are sometimes overlooked in that chapter of John (Chapter 14).  Tucked between the promise for the present, "Ask for anything in my name and I will do it" and then followed with a promise for the future, "I will ask the Father for an advocate, and He will send the gift of the Spirit of truth who will abide with you forever." it can be granted a position of lesser prominence.

The Chronicles of Narnia

When my daughter was very young, we had a appointment every night with C.S. Lewis and his books, The Chronicles of Narnia. Over the course of many months we read through the entire series, starting with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe then working our way through the remaining six books. 

The memories of reading each night to my beautiful daughter and having her fall asleep in my arms made this a part of my day I looked forward to with great joy. There was also the added benefit of knowing she would drift off to sleep with vibrant images of Narnia in her dreams. Also, these books conveyed such deep truths on a simple level. I know some Christians attach an almost canon-like quality to these books but that's not how I look at C.S. Lewis creation. What I draw from these books is a wonderful description of the age to come, as well as the age that is. C.S. Lewis painted word pictures that make Heaven seem real, exciting and welcoming, and I thought that if he could convey those feelings with an human imagination than how much more was our Creator dreaming up for our future home! This scripture became even more of a foundation for my faith because of these books, " . . . no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived - the things God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9 

Rocky Mountain Racetrack Closes After 54 Years Of Racing

In the late 1970's I spent a summer in Salt Lake City. My faded memories of that time are mostly all good, a organized and very clean city filled with friendly people. I was living with a family in Salt Lake and they were gracious enough to take the time to show me several of the nearby attractions. The one that I remember enjoying the most was the Bonneville Raceway.

It was a cool summer afternoon and our plans were to spend the day at the Racetrack. The bill included Funny Cars, Top Fuel Dragsters and Motorcycles. It turned out to be an awesome day filled with noise, smoke and speed. At the time it was $3.00 to get in the gate and if my memory is correct, you could splurge another $2.00 dollars and have access to the pit area. The bleachers weren't very crowded so we sat on the row nearest the track. I don't remember if there was a fence separating us from the racing but either way I do remember it was a sensory-overload type experience. As night fell the visuals became even more stark. Cars racing into the darkness, flames and smoke illustrating the speed and danger, and the Rocky mountains absorbing the roar of the engines before releasing it back into the valley at an even louder volume.  I do remember watching a funny car explode at the starting line and the burst of heat that quickly became uncomfortable, even from the safe distance of the stands. The green light and the emerging parachutes on the race cars seemed to be separated by the blink of an eye, and the excitement of watching these mechanical duels never got old.

The Chain

 Can you imagine playing this song for over thirty years standing next to the person who was the reason you wrote the song in the first place? Greatest love/hate song ever.