The Back Table

A couple years ago I’m belly deep in water on a beach in Florida with my wife and kids...the sun is warm, the water’s cool and beautifully clear…every few minutes one of us let’s out a giggle from the fish that are playfully nibbling at our feet. And then I feel something on the ocean floor- when I’m fully convinced its not a shark or other weird sea creature... I go down for it.  A few seconds later I pop up holding the perfect sand dollar that I proudly raise in the air- which set’s off a family competition of who could find the biggest and best one. From a distance we probably looked like a human version of whack-a-mole (without the whacking of course) as our heads were repeatedly going in and out of the water.  The exploring led us to find, what we called Sand Dollar City- a seemingly endless and breathtaking expanse of sand dollars that went on as far as the eye could see on the ocean floor.  But because they were deeper, and because they took a lot more breath...

The other day a commercial came on that I think was about cereal. It ended with the dad giving his son a celebration hip check (because this is always what you want to do after eating Raisin Bran :) ). Both were smiling from ear to ear with their perfect father-and- son relationship in their beautiful, perfect house. Everything seemed for them... well…normal...without problems - no disease, no disorders, no Bell's Palsy.  And this question mixed with complaint crossed my mind, "Why can't I have that?" All in all, life has been pretty close to a "celebration hip check" for me. Yes, there have been some small bumps and stitches along the way. (And yes, I could have done without the softball collision that broke my entire face.) But for the most part, it's been good...normal.  A few years ago our " normal" was hijacked, and my family and I were left trying to figure out what happened, what to do, and how we were going to move on witho...

Is there a restaurant that you go to for the wrong reasons? For example, do you go to International House of Pancakes for the eggs, or Waffle House for the amazing atmosphere and great tasting food? In general, I go to restaurants for the right reasons. But there is one exception: I go to Texas Roadhouse not for the steaks, but for the rolls and butter. For a season, buns were on my mind a little too much. One lonely night I thought about going there by myself just to get some. Knowing I was in a low and desperate state, I rolled my cares to Jesus, and He raised me up and spread  His grace over me, giving me the strength to resist. (Why did writing that sentence make me hungry?!) I'm sure you've heard of the story of Jesus feeding well over 5,000 people with five barley loaves and two fish. But did you catch the post-meal conversation with the ones He fed just a day after? John 6:25-30:  They (the crowd) found him on the other side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, whe...

I'm sure you've heard the expression, "when pigs fly," right? It's typically used to describe something that will never happen. Many have used this saying when talking about the Eagles' chances of winning a Super Bowl or the day that Steeler fans will stop flashing their make-believe rings like gangster rap stars. But did you ever experience a time when the pigs actually flew? When the impossible happened? What did you do? What was your response? There is this story in the Bible about a man who was possessed by an evil spirit. Jesus sees him and casts out the demon into a herd of pigs that then flew over a cliff and died. (OK, so they didn't fly. They dropped off the cliff like anvils. I had to find some way of luring you in with the title.) People seeing what happened were amazed and astonished. So amazed and astonished that they asked him to leave the town immediately. You heard me, they wanted him out. What would cause a group of people t...

When you go to the beach, do you at some point pace the shoreline looking for seashells? Do you only collect the prettiest ones? If they're broken, then they aren't leaving with you. If they aren't perfectly whole, if even a sliver has been broken, it isn't making the cut, right? Every time I enter into this well-worn tradition, the same thought invades my mind, "I'm so glad God isn't like me."   I'm glad that God doesn't choose to only love and work through those who are shiny, perfect, and unbroken. During my most recent expedition, a question hovered close behind those thoughts. Is it about more than shells? Is this simple art of shell hunting revealing something about the human heart...my heart? Is most of our time and energy being used toward the wrong things? Have we replaced God with the good things He gave us to enjoy?  The Lessons I Learned From a Conch Shell As I searched for the perfect shell, more specifically, the perfect ...

Did you ever witness the ever-familiar scene of a dad in a pool stretching out his hands for his son to jump into them? I've found myself poolside several times watching this very event unfold and the same things seem to come to mind. "Why is it so hard for him to jump? He's right there. If his arms are stretched out any farther, they'll turn into limp pool noodles floating in the water." I try to imagine what is going through their minds. If I'm the dad, I probably start off enthusiastic, encouraging him with confidence, boosting courage-injecting words to help him leave the edge. After a while though, I might feel a little hurt. I'd start asking myself, "Why won't he trust me? Does he really think I'll miss him or let him drown?" I'd start backtracking to moments where I might have let him down or missed him before. And then I try to imagine what the boy is thinking. He's probably thinking about all the air in between where he...

A couple weeks ago, I went to the doctor to get my test results regarding my cholesterol. I have to tell you I went in feeling pretty confident. I was pretty sure he was going to tell me that I was fine, and I could keep doing what I was doing. One of my biggest weaknesses is food. I love being able to eat whatever I want to without gaining any weight. (I can hear some of you snarling at me reading those words, but hold your snarls. They may soon turn to chuckles.) My worst fear became reality as the doctor unpacked the report that I would no longer be able to eat whatever I wanted to whenever I wanted to. As he handed me the pamphlet of the do's and don'ts of eating, I started having an out-of-body experience right there in his office. If he was talking, I didn't know it. I was...gone. Flashes of floating rice cakes, lettuce and bran muffins were popping up everywhere. Was I really going to have to start eating those things some of my friends were trying to get me to eat...

A few years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to try out snowboarding. Thinking back on it, I never understood why I would desire to do such a thing and why others live for it. If you think about it, it's totally crazy! You voluntarily lock your feet and ankles into a slippery, narrow board and slide down a mountain of snow and ice, filled with boulders, trees, and other humans while standing up. Fun!  When I first starting learning how to snowboard, the instructor emphasized one thing over and over, "Lean forward." He must have said that at least a hundred times. Leaning forward though was the last thing I wanted to do. When you're standing at the top of a mountain with both feet locked into "The Oval of Death" and you're looking down, the natural thing to do is to lean back. Leaning forward was the John Wayne thing to do, and I felt more like Betty White.  The whole process of just learning how to turn, stop, and not fall was tiring, humili...

Did you ever go to a public pool or attend a pool party and not see at least one kid - or adult for that matter - doing a cannon ball into the water? (For those of you wondering how or why a kid would throw black, iron balls into a pool, you really should get out a little more!) The cannon ball I'm referring to is a diving technique in swimming. Unlike competitive diving techniques, however, its purpose is to maximize rather than minimize splash on water entry. Lesson 1: Leave Your World Wet The cannon ball is dreaded by the readers and sunbathers surrounding the sparkling blue abyss, but to the exerciser of it...pure joy. The bigger the splash and the louder the noise the better. Usually the award is given to the larger or should I say "bigger-boned" individuals. But on rare occasions the skinny kid triumphs with his unconventional and unorthodox style that leaves the other competitors splashes look like rain drops. If you've ever been there and seen it, you know wha...

Did you ever go out to eat and secretly (or unsecretly) study other couples to try and guess how long they’ve been married? It’s interesting to see the chemistry in all its different levels among them. The older couples are quiet and composed with sporadic conversation throughout the meal. They seem to be totally relaxed and at peace, sometimes almost too relaxed, as I’ve witnessed several falling asleep in seemingly mid-sentence (only one of them required a stretcher). The biggest disagreement comes in how much butter is being used on the rolls and how much salt is coming out of the shaker. The younger couples, on the other hand, are animated with arms and elbows flailing as they want the love of their life to get the full visual of their story. They’re wide-eyed and bushy-tailed like they've trained for months for this night. With endless discussion, ice-breakers, and team-building exercises the night is never long enough for this couple. After dessert they’re checking out the br...

Did you know that most people who choke to death do so in the bathroom... alone? (I presume that most of these cases involved men since no women I know dare to enter this room without a herd or two behind them.) Recently, I read of a near-death experience of a man who got a piece of a pork chop lodged in his throat. Guess where he was heading? Luckily, he passed out on his way there, alerting others to come to his rescue. What is it about this room that draws us to it when we're frantically gasping for air? Do we want our last inhales to be of the fresh and invigorating scents that come from the urinal cakes? Or maybe it's the hand dryers that make our flesh look like ocean waves. Maybe we just want to die in the room where everything just seems so right with the world, where the only concern is if it will flush. Okay, so I've taken that as far as it can go (probably a little too far, right?). Let's be real. No one wants to die in a bathroom. Out of all the places i...

The other day as I was watching ESPN, the news ticker at the bottom of the screen caught my attention. It read, and I'm paraphrasing, "Albert Haynesworth suspended for the final four games due to conduct detrimental to the team." A few minutes later the full story aired and the details left me bewildered, angry, and confused. This guy was a two-time pro-bowler (which means he's really good) and was just signed for a seven-year deal with a guaranteed 40some million-dollar contract. He had the potential to be one of the best defensive tackles to ever play the game. So what happened? How does a player that good, with that much money and talent, with that much going for him get to the place where he's a detriment to the team he's playing for? In a few words, Albert lost his passion and heart for the game. Every player interviewed in response to his suspension agreed that it was the right decision. He refused to go on the field unless the plays were designe...

My dad loves to talk about my sleepwalking adventures. Whenever and wherever there are parents reflecting and conversing about their kids, my dad will somehow find a way to be in there throwing and tossing my stories around like pancakes. (Sometimes my dad doesn't realize that others may not want my pancakes, but he serves them anyway.) In any case, yes, I was a sleepwalker. And yes, the stories I'm about to share with you are real, or so I'm told. So just in case my dad hasn't told you yet... In both of the following incidences I was three years old, and I went to bed like any other night. Story: check. Tucked in: check. Prayer: check. To the best of my knowledge, I didn't eat any crazy foods nor was I dropped or elbowed those days. It was typical from sunrise to sunset. And no, my parents didn't rub wild turkey on my lips to help with colic. A Midnight Stroll Were you ever tempted to get out of your comfy bed and just stroll the streets naked? Me neither, but ...

My family has a tradition. We always get our Christmas tree on Black Friday. It's the earliest you can get one before all the needles fall off just by looking at it wrong. (The week of Christmas I try not to look directly at the tree - always out of the peripheral.) Not only do we get it the same date, but we also get it from the same place which is about thirty minutes away - without the tree on top, of course. Another part of the tradition is showing up at the tree farm totally unprepared and unequipped. Part of the joy is the expressions and stares of others that are there with their gloves, pick-up trucks, roof racks and bungee straps. Some of them probably think we showed up spontaneously as they watch us, in total disbelief, throw a tree on our unprotected car roof without anything to tie it down with. Now, to this point I'm happy with our tradition. But it's here, the part where the tree has to get secured to the car, that I could do without. You would think, that a...

What do you do when your golf club leaves your hand and is flying over hundreds of people? Do you grab a 6 iron and pretend it's not yours? Do you yell, "Fore!" and just hope that everyone gets out of the way? Do you justify your inaction with thoughts like, "At baseball games, bats and balls find their way to the stands all the time, and people fight each other to get them. Isn't this the same thing? Wouldn't it be wrong for me to keep my club from being theirs?" It was a warm, spring afternoon, and I was invited by my older brother and his friend to go to the driving range to hit some balls. Since this was my first time ever to hit a golf ball with a golf club, I was pretty excited. I had visions of being amazing, of reaching new distances that no one ever reached before. I imagined them naming the new distance after me. They might call it the "Josh Zone" or "Land of Josh." But to my dismay, the only tangible memory or imprint tha...

Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions. When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” John 2:6-10 Did you ever read this story and ask the question...why? Why waste a miracle on changing the beverage menu? Why do it and then want everyone to keep quiet about it? I mean, what did it accomplish for Kingdom purposes? I know many churches and religious circles don't give this miracle a lot of pulpit time, maybe beca...

One of my all-time favorite games to play as a kid was Kick the Can. Basically, there is one person who is "it," and everybody else hides. Once you're found, you have to go to the "prison" (base) and hope and pray that someone rescues you by touching the can or ball before the person who's "it" does. Playing the game, I remember hiding and the feeling of not wanting to leave my spot. I didn't want to risk being found or caught and then have to take the walk of shame to the porch. But I also remember feeling a stronger pull to get up and rescue some people. Hiding always felt like a waste of time, like I was missing all the excitement. Every once in a while someone would be hidden so well that a couple games would go by and they wouldn't even realize it. They couldn't hear everyone screaming that the game was over and everyone who was caught was rescued. That was the worst feeling, and it happened to me at least once or twice. I love the...