Leonardo da Vinci Senesi

A new dog will be moving into our house soon. The sworn limit of two, four-legged pets has been lifted. The girls are happy. I am questioning my resolve. We have already met Leonardo, and as you can tell, named him, etc. Leonardo is lucky, he was born in a good home (our friends, the Cockrells) and will move to a good home. Plenty of love to go around.

Reminded of the old story about an ad in the newspaper: Lost dog, walks with a limp, has the mange, one eye, answers to the name of Lucky. "Lucky" as the story goes, really was named correctly. Lucky was lucky because someone cared enough to look for him.

Michael Vick's dogs were not very lucky. As the story continues to be written, the gruesome nature of his crimes have come to light. Michael Vick was wrong and deserved punishment. Yet (thinking out loud) I feel so conflicted. I watch our confused culture continue punish a person for something he has already been punished for. If his mistakes were drugs, adultery, abortion, etc. he would have been forgiven years ago (if those would have been considered offensive in the first place) by the NFL and others. I am a Steve McNair fan, as a football player. But the sordid and tragic details of his lifestyle seemed to be only a small part of the story of this football hero.

Second chances are all relative, right? You deserve a second chance in direct proportion to how much I am repulsed (offended) by what you did the first time. I will think of dogs every time I see Michael Vick this season. I can't help it. I may hide Leonardo's eyes when he comes on the screen. Stitch does not watch T.V. (our other dog), he lives outdoors, so no protection needed there. But I will be reminded of second, third, and fourth chances I have received from God, my wife, my children, and my friends. I will remember (in spite of some cracker jack sermons) my tendency to be offended by the sins in others I have never committed, and not offended by the sins I have committed (and still do commit).

Will Michael Vick sin again? Yep, I'll bet he has. Will he abuse dogs again? Maybe. Our tendency to relapse is great. Will I be sorry I wrote this if he does? Nope, not at all. We have no hope but grace. Thank you Lord. I need some now.

Other Peoples' Plates

What a great weekend in the Crescent City! Some of my dearest and closest friends -- where I spent over 16 years of my life . . .

Food is a big deal in New Orleans. No overstatement here. I have lived and traveled in quite a few places. Food is high on most lists list everywhere. So, there is food in New Orleans, and then there is food every place else. If they love you, they feed you in New Orleans. From chocolate covered pecans to stuffed grape leaves I had it all. I did not fall off the wagon, but I did sample a bunch of stuff.

As I thought back on the weekend a pattern emerged. Almost every meal I had, in public, someone with me gave me something off their plate. One meal, someone handed me their plate and ordered another one. We took sharing a meal together to another level. How did it feel? Well, I noticed it. That should tell you something. Over time it looked like a profound lesson, and then lessons.

My grace story has always been . . . getting something I did not deserve, that belonged to someone else, offered freely, with no strings attached. The pattern that emerged from the weekend became a great reminder to me of God. He has put me around people, amazing people, every step of the journey, more than I deserved. People have loved and cared for me, more than I deserved. He gave me a wife, children, grandchildren, son-in-law parents, sister, and more, that is far beyond what I have deserved.

I have been given opportunities to see, do, and serve - far beyond what I deserved. Almost like a great big heavenly plate being pushed over my plate, with a fork saying, here you go, have some! Awkward at times, unexpected, out of the blue, a little personal. How do I feel about it? Well, I am noticing it. That should tell you something.