In honor of Ron Brooks...

The outpouring of love and support to our family has been a balm to our bruised hearts. Through cards, visits, calls, flowers, food, hugs, prayers and joining with us at the visitation and funeral you have demonstrated your love and respect for our sweet dad, Ron Brooks.

If only Dad were here to experience it all. He would take in all in, smile, and say, "Thank you, but no." He would redirect our thoughts and hearts upward. "It's all about Him." He would remind us. 

If we had been able to see Dad as a twelve year old boy, sent out of his home, left to fend for himself, we would say, "He doesn't have a chance." But God knew better. God healed his hurts, protected his path, adopted Dad as His own and put him to work. Dad lived for his Lord. He would tell us the past does not matter. What you are (or are not) does not matter. Your lack of abilities or talents does not matter....Who you serve does. For Dad knew if God could embrace a forgotten twelve year old and mold him into a tool for service, God is ready to embrace any of us.

Dad's work here on earth is done. He has finished the course. He has run the race and finished well. Today he celebrates with His Savior. But who will take up the mantle? Who will continue in his place? May I urge and challenge you? To honor Dad, live for the One for whom Dad gave his life. Dedicate yourself, willingly sacrifice, follow and love Dad's Jesus.

How to honor Dad? If we asked him?.....If you've ever had the privilege to speak with Dad one on one, you will recall that twinkle in his eye and his half smile as he'd pause, lean forward and  say, "Serve my good God."

A letter to my children: Legacy, a heritage from our fathers

As we celebrate the home-going of our Pop Pop, reflections of life bring me to an amazing understanding of God’s blessings to us, to you. His promises of blessings to come as a result of lives lived before us, not only begun before our time, but also, lived before our eyes.

                            Jack P. Dean   Ronald A. Brooks….a double portion

Our lives have been immeasurably blessed through no effort of our own. Our fathers have handed to us favor from God simply because they lived. But not “just” lived. They lived for His glory, for His honor, in obedience and love. And we, regardless of how we live, are blessed. We and generations to follow will see God’s hand in our lives because of the men we called “Dad”.

My Daddy. Papa. Just the saying of it brings warmth to my heart. He lived his life “full-out”. End of story. But not quite. Every aspect of his being was full of life, energy, love and….humor. But more than anything that influenced him was his love for his Savior. Life began and ended there.

He was a simple man. Smart, educated, loved by everyone who met him. He was an athlete, teacher, preacher, friend. He was determined. Nothing could stop him. If he was convinced a thing should happen, he would find a way. He loved people and treated everyone the same regardless of social status or position.
And no one was exempt from his admonitions….or his jokes. But his heart would reach out and embrace you. You could read love and concern in his eyes. Your whole being could relax in his presence, secure and supported by his desire to be your friend, to bring you to relationship with the One he served. And that was his greatest fulfillment, serving God.

No task was too menial if it brought glory to His Savior or folks to a closer relationship with their God. No one was out of reach, if he was led to minister to them. They were not always receptive, appreciative. But his motivation was not their approval. He lived to honor the call on him long ago to love, to teach, to serve God.

Dad Brooks, “Pop Pop” as we lovingly referred to him, was Dad’s brother in Christ, but that was where most similarities with my Dad ended. It was an honor to learn to know and grow to love the man God had developed in Dad Brooks. He from an early age had aspirations and with his salvation as a young boy, his goals and passions grew to include service to God. He excelled in military service, leading men and loving them to Christ. He risked his life serving his country and sacrificed good health in later life as a result. He continued to serve the military as he began his ministry among the believers, at home and abroad. His influence around the world brought many to Christ and to others, to growth and a deeper understanding of God, His word, and the purpose of a life lived to honor Him.

Children, teens and adults benefited from their time with Dad. Whether counseling, teaching, preaching or casual chatting together, the Lord was presented, considered and uplifted.

Two men. So different. So much the same. Both blessed by God with talents and abilities to communicate to those around them Biblical principles by which to live. Both in love with the Savior who died for them. Both passionate about serving Him and loving others. Both with a drive and desire to honor their Lord and end well. Both of them successful.

As they left us to go to the God they loved, they left for us the blessing God promises for those who love and serve Him. They never doubted Him. His faithfulness was their foundation. His love for them was their comfort. Their love for Him, deep and secure.

From them we learned God is Real and God is Good. All the time.

Drop the poop!

I saw something different today. Well, it was the same thing I see almost every day, only with a different perspective As I drove to work, I passed some terrier-type mongrel leading its person down the sidewalk. Common enough. And its person was carrying a little plastic bag containing goodies deposited by the dog and retrieved by its man. Again, expected, normal. Then the reality of that scene hit me.....

When did it become so common-place that it became acceptable for a dog owner to follow the dog while carrying its poop? Really?

Immediately following that little nugget came another realization. That's how I look when I follow Satan around, letting him lead, while I willingly carry his bag of lies. Whoa. OK. Wait. No. It's not really like that, I reasoned. But the more I pondered, I realized, YES. It is exactly like that.

Just as the dog owner thinks nothing of following the dog, seeing nothing embarrassing or detrimental about it, I follow Satan. He's slick, people. Without realizing it, we pad right along behind him. We make choices that honor him. And allow habits that support his agenda in our lives. We like to call it selfishness or pride. And these are areas we are "working on" spiritually. But we are never stagnant. And while we allow these "tendencies" in our lives to any extent, Satan uses them and mostly, we never even know it. Then, there's the little bag....

Satan is a master deceiver. He never shows up as the little red man with horns and a pitchfork. Oh no. He helps us reason in such a way that how we are living seems right, good. But when we place our thoughts, attitudes, desires, motivations, not to mention our actions alongside God's Word and compare our reasoning (world view/how we live life) to what God desires/commands of us....Well, it's not a pretty picture. Open your little bag and take a whiff---there ya go. Now we are getting to the truth of what's going on in our lives. IT STINKS!!

Satan tells us we have no value. NOT TRUE! He tells us we need to take care of ourselves first. NOT TRUE! He says a little sin in our lives doesn't really make a difference. SO NOT TRUE! He says there is no possibility for reconciliation. NO. NO. NO. He helps us choose comfort over sacrifice, selfishness over service, judgement over love, pride over humility, MY desires over God's desires for my life.

Proper dog walking dictates that the human leads, the dog follows. ("Get thee behind me, Satan!) And though I do support cleaning up after your dog, I suggest that all of us be careful not to pick up Satan's refuse. It has no value for us......and it interrupts our relationship with Christ.

Bohemian baby steps....finally...

So where do I start? What's next? How do I make the move from conventional to Bohemian? As I asked myself these questions, the answer came rather quickly. Service. It is how we show love, by serving. Before my new "Bohemian" efforts, service was well-planned. I decided what to do, for whom it would be done, the time schedule involved (wouldn't want to be inconvenienced, ya know), etc. When the Lord would approach me with an unplanned opportunity, it was difficult for me. I refused to recognize that people's needs are unpredictable, difficult to schedule.....Service was more about making me feel good about what I was doing than how much it served others. Wow. Then, the Lord planted a little, easy to digest idea. I should offer my services as a gift. My education and background is in counseling/life coaching. But for many who needed my help, dedicating money to something like that is so far down the priority list, it often drops off the backside, never to be seen again. And yet, it can be so life-changing. SO! It will be my gift of service. I will make myself available to talk, counsel or just listen as a gift. Return gifts will be accepted, but not expected. I grappled with this idea and finally showed up where the Lord had already arrived. Then my instincts kicked in. First I need a website, and I need to update my LinkedIn account. Also, I need to set up a schedule to  make things flow smoothly. I might need a new computer. Should I give out my personal phone number or get a new number/phone? Facebook! And here we go again!! The Lord suggested we just put it out there and see what happens. He feels He can handle whatever comes up. He will work out the details. He knows where this idea will go and who will be helped/served. So.....I don't do any planning, Lord? Not possible. Well, possible, but very difficult. But ok. I'm game (loosely translated, "I will trust You."). And so, without great fanfare (or planning) I'm putting it out there, to you, my facebook/blog-reading friends. If you know anyone who needs someone to talk to, I'd love to listen. Message me on FB.

Rather unconventional, dont you think? Sorta.....Bohemian?

Bohemia or bust!

OK. So, I live on the perfectionistic side of of life. All things must be correct, balanced, accurate, timely, detailed, fair and planned! And all of you need to meet those guidelines as well.....just so you know. Life should be predictable and explainable, well organized and controlled. There is a "just right" evaluation for every situation, every meal, every activity, relationship, occupation, home and project. Every person, every thing has a sort of check list. We have to measure up, right? And how will we know our rankings if we don't have a measuring stick (perfection) to go by? This is how I live. Now, it's not an obvious act on my part. It's more of an undercurrent, an unobservable attitude than anything I realized was happening. Consequently, there is rarely happiness or satisfaction because the requirements are never met. Sick, right? It makes me so tired.....I am weary of trying to live by the expectations I put on myself (and everyone else); expectations that not even God requires. This has to stop. I must escape from this cocoon of excellence that binds me. It is not satisfying to be adequate. I push to be exceptional. I leave no freedom for the Holy Spirit to work. It is my pride that pushes me, not my desire to demonstrate my love for the Lord or a desire to glorify Him. How does one who is so bound up escape? It takes drastic measures. You have to go to Bohemia......My thinking is, in order to find some middle ground, you have to go way past where you are comfortable, past where you've ever gone before, Wild and crazy? No. Well, maybe. I am ready to go from conventional to unconventional, from expected to unexpected, from familiar to unfamiliar. Does that mean swaying from my dedication to the Lord or dishonoring Him? Of course not. If anything, my desire is to honor Him more as He makes needful changes in me. It means moving from my control and desires to allow Him to make determinations about who I am and what I do. It's refreshing as I think about it, actually. It will surely be wonderful to let someone else manage me for a while....

Next....Bohemian baby steps....finally!

Bohemian flunky....

I have always lived my life in such a predictable way. Always follow the rules. Always have a plan. Always do what's right. Always be an example. Always keep your word. Always meet (exceed) expectations. Always. All honorable endeavors. But WHY? In my mind all of it was for God's glory. Of course. Why else? My actions point others to God, right? Then.....the epiphany.....I was on my way to church. I was headed there early because I was scheduled for the praise team, worship team, whatever your church calls it. All I know is I would be out front with a mic. I didn't know the songs as well as I liked and wouldn't have music in front of me. I was stressing and "calling out to the Lord"! I was concerned about messing up the music. I didn't like what I was wearing. I wasn't sure everybody would approve of the music selected. I just knew God didn't want me to stress like this. I must have made a mistake when I joined the choir. On and on....Then the Lord asked me, "Which of these troublesome issues are stressing you because of your concern they will dishonor Me?" BOOM! Wha....well.....ummm...Man. I was nailed right there in the middle of Kempsville Road. NONE! I was totally consumed with how everyone would look at me. What they would think of me. There was absolutely no thought in my brain of glorifying God. Whoa. Back up and check the rearview. Has my whole life been this? In the deepest recesses of my heart? I love God. I want to serve Him. But as I stood before the mirror again....Things needed to change. Bohemia! Here I come!

Bohemian wanna-be (part one)

Yeah, so....Can midlife crises happen in your late fifties? Lately I have been considering my life, my habits, experiences, future and desires. The Lord has begun to reveal to me how many of the "good things" I do are more relating to "my" benefits than to glorifying Him. Hmph. As I speculated, the term "Bohemian" came to my mind. Wait. What? Why? (My idea of Bohemian mostly had to do with a "Little Rascals" episode where this giant native guy who had dreadlocks and a bone through his nose kept repeating, "Yum yum! Eat 'em up!" That could be lots of guys now, but that's the picture I got.) So, I looked it up.

     Bohemian: (loosely translated) a person who lives an unconventional life, in appearance and behavior.

Okay, so there were other definitions, but this definition fit my situation. You see, I have lived a very conventional, exemplary life. My actions have always been above reproach, acceptable to all, always meeting the expectations of others. And that's what counts, right? What we DO? Sadly, while I was polishing the outside, the inside of me was stagnating and corroding. Oh, I looked like Christ all right. Always. But the "who" of me....Who was I really? Who did I strive to please most? Who did I seek to glorify? Really, really and truly? I dusted off my mirror from James 1 where I'm encouraged to detect the smudge of my face and remove it. Cautiously I approached. This time, not a quick glance and then on my way. No, this time I spent some time there, looking deeply. The Lord stood over my shoulder and pointed out a few things upon which I was reluctant to focus. He held my hand to keep me in place there. A longer look....there was a lot......ugly, selfish, prideful things. I gave attention to my heart and His heart and how different they were. We adjusted some areas, eliminated others. Whew. Then, we looked again at that spiritual mirror that revealed more than I wanted to see....Suddenly, I realized I needed change. I WANTED change.

Bohemia seemed far, far away......