A New Direction

My roommate often hears me exclaim this on Wednesday nights. That's right, I get pumped about Lost hero Jack Shephard. I didn't realize this until I started to examine more closely why I watch Lost. I discovered I thoroughly enjoy mystery, which the Island is full of. I also like Lost because it's not morally ambiguous as is most of television. The Losties' character is portrayed as both good and bad. And with a deeper look, their sin inclinations match their personality types so the characters are convincing. We are familiar with Sawyer, Hurley, and Sun because there are people in our lives who act like them. In fact, I would venture to say that Jack is my on-screen doppelgänger. But before you make your objections, I don't claim to have the looks of Matthew Fox, nor do I claim the natural leadership capabilities that the Doc displays. So, here are seven reasons why Jack is my boy...

7.) Jack hates it when people lie to him. Locke lied to him about Boone's condition, which disabled Jack from treating him properly. When he finds this out at Boone's funeral, he's completely enraged at Locke.

6.) The way things are are never good enough for Jack. He's always trying to think of what could be better, whether it's living in the caves or rationing the food.

5.) Jack is utterly committed to keeping his word. With the perfect opportunity to let Ben die, he is compelled to do what he said he'd do.

4.) Jack takes responsibility for his actions. When he didn't believe Claire and she was later taken by Ethan, he takes it upon his own shoulders to get her back.

3.) With Jack, you get all or nothing. He wouldn't sleep while Charlie and Claire were kidnapped, nor would he let up on bringing Charlie back to life.

2.) Jack always takes the initiative. The pilot for Lost shows Jack racing to the scene of the crash to help every injured person he comes across.

1.) Jack is frank about the truth. He doesn't cut corners with his patients, or anyone else for that matter. He tells it like it is.

By now you're probably thinking I'm full of pride as I liken myself to Jack, the hero. But as we see on the show Jack's greatest strengths are also his greatest weaknesses. He's stubborn, angry, unwilling, and is impatient among other things. Seeing the further connections?

Anyways, all of this post is a result of me seeing Jack-centric episodes as of recent and finding myself in the show. I was surprised to finally realize that Jack is my boy, well, because I'm pretty similar to him.

And if you're wondering if I'm rooting for Jack to end up with Kate or Juliet, try to guess and leave a comment.

Spell it: J - O - B. Out in Pittsburgh we never just called it a job. We said, "I gotta get myself a J O B." My friend Neil was the one in particular who was searching, but we all got to spell it out with him. So what's important about a J O B? I finally got one! "Get in there!" That was another catchphrase we had denoting an accomplishment, victory, or encouragement. Anyways...

Here's the best part. What kind of J O B do you think Lane got? Hmm... He's worked in the swimming pool industry for some time now... maybe he's continuing as a pool guy? Nope. Well, he was a sociology major... maybe something to do with social research? Cold. Okay then, he wimped out and got some $7/hr taking orders at Starbucks or the like. Colder. I'll just tell you because you'll never guess with me leading you on like this. I'm going to be a... drum roll, please...

Car salesman. Read it again... and again, but make sure you begin to breathe. Yessiree, I will be a "sales associate" at Stephens Honda/Hyundai just off of Route 37 in Bloomington. You're probably asking yourself one of two things right now. How in the world will Lane hold fast to his confession of faith in such a deceitful industry? Or maybe, will Lane's hair be slicked back and as stiff as the smarmy grin that will soon be plastered on his face? To the first question I reply Christ alone. And to the second I say, well, plaid is making a comeback. Just kidding. But here are a few of my thoughts for now...

We all know that car salesmen can lie right through the teeth that you see when they are smiling at you, right? And they are just about "making a buck" and "sealing the deal". Well, to that I say redemption is real. Sure, this might describe the majority of car salesmen, I don't know, but Christ came in the flesh. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, all man has known was sinful human nature. This is all we saw in others and in ourselves. That is, of course, until Christ came to bring perfect redemption to humanity. Jesus Himself was the perfect union of the nature Divine and man. This was redemption, taking what was filthy and making it white as snow. In other words, I hope to be the most honest, genuine car salesman I can. Some have already questioned if I can have this kind of character and still make a living. I believe it will only be to my benefit. I figure this is exactly who you want to buy a car from.

I'll let you know how things go as they progress. For now I'll have a few weeks of training before they get me on "the floor".  Weird, I have to go to work on Monday...

Since I recently moved to Bloomington and no one had my address, I am just now receiving my birthday cards. The one from my grandma included a few precious memories that her and my mom found while doing some cleaning...

Jade and I loved our PJs with footies.

My thumb got a break while I napped, but "Blanky" was always on duty.

My personal favorite. I suspect my three female cousins were nearby.

These are three great pictures that really capture my childhood. I was always wearing those PJs with the footies. I even remember trying to put them on when I had clearly grown out of them. The middle picture captures my childhood almost completely. I loved dinosaurs and even my bedsheets told you so. I'm pretty sure I had a few camo t-shirts to sport. And when I wasn't napping I would walk around sucking my right thumb with my super soft, silk-edged, light yellow "Blanky" clinched tightly in my right hand. This, of course, allowed me to do whatever I needed with my left. The last picture is a good one with Jade and I. We were always playing, and though she took to sucking on a "binky" she was always trying to do what I was doing. Monkey see, monkey do. I know that doesn't really explain my hair, but I guess stuff like that happens...

When I was younger I always thought of Sunday as the last day of the week. In my mind Monday began the week with school, Saturday was a day for fun, and Sunday was like a prep day the week to come. It's been difficult to have my mind renewed as I've become a Christian because this attitude was reinforced day after day, week after week for my whole life. Many say it's all the same that one day is as any other, but Scripture says otherwise. "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy," is proclaimed from one end of the Bible to the other, even as the culmination of Revelation declares the Sabbath rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9). But isn't the Sabbath really Saturday? And wasn't it on the last day that God rested? John Piper does an amazing job explaining the Sabbath and the resurrection of Christ in this sermon. But here's why the Sabbath rest has been particularly important in my life recently. We'll work backwords...

About an hour ago I spoke with the HR department at Target about the recent application I put in. I've been trying to find a job and Target seemed like a great company to work for. I was hoping for a second tier management position that would help me learn how to lead workers under me and provide decent pay. As I phoned in about my application, they had one major concern. Would I be able to work on Sundays? My first thought was, "No," and thus I replied. Their response was that they needed managers to work weekends and so I was disqualified for the position. The conversation ended and I began to reflect on my decision. Could I work on Sundays and have my Sabbath another day? Certainly... right? Besides, if everyone kept the Sabbath, how would the world function? What if I needed gas or groceries, but all the stores were closed on Sunday? What chaos would the Sabbath cause! Indeed, what chaos the Sabbath would cause if all God's people worked six days a week and rested unto Him on the Sabbath. Here's what the Law says in Exodus 31:

And the Lord said to Moses, “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

By the Law those who profaned the Sabbath were put to death, most likely stoned outside the city walls. God commanded this as the Sabbath reflected the work He did in creation. God is serious about the Sabbath and I needed to be as well. Target just wasn't living up to it's name when it came to God's Law.

Aside from keeping the Sabbath holy, I also realized I would be missing the gathering of believers also known as the local church. I've been attending Church of the Good Shepherd regularly for only two weeks now, but I finally feel at home. The only job that would keep me from attending CGS is pastoring my own church. I know that what is new and fresh is always exciting, but when you've been so frustrated by pastors and churches that water down the truth or don't use words like sin, hell, Jesus Christ, pride, judgment, wrath, obedience, etc. a solid church is extremely refreshing. Thus, the idea of being away from this body of believers in order to work is unthinkable to me.

In general, God has really been convincing me over the past few months that He created man to work six days and rest one. Jesus Himself said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Sunday is a day for me to rest in Him. How counter-cultural it is for me to simply work hard six days and then completely rest for one in the country where businesses provide Blackberrys for employees?

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.