SelahScript

More Miscellany

2011-11-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

BACK TO SCHOOL. I'm so excited about our new partnership with nearby Crittenden Middle School.

Several weeks ago, our Outreach Committee led us to "adopt" the administrators, teachers, and students over there. Since then we've served snacks to the faculty and offered brief backrubs and placed candy bars in each teacher mailbox. We've collected and delivered gently used belts for use in pupil attire. One of our women's Sunday School classes prepared and took over a gift basket to a teacher who is expecting a baby this week. Two of our ladies went there last week and stuffed each faculty mailbox with a bag of popcorn and a note of appreciation from our church. We are donating money to their Angel Tree project for needy students this year.

And we want to brainstorm and dream up dozens of other creative ways that we can be a blessing and a help to that local institution. Possibilities include tutoring, putting on a special dinner for school staff and teachers, helping with flowers and shrubs on school grounds, asssisting with a planned student garden next Spring, volunteering to help in student athletic programs, and sending birthday cards to all the teachers through the year. We have a chance here to put our arms around those folks and lift and encourage and refresh them.

Why do we do this? Why bother?

Because Jesus challenges us to be salt and light in the culture around us(Matthew 5:13-14). Because our good deeds can open doors and make it a little easier for people to listen to us and believe what we say when we talk about Jesus(Matthew 5:16). Because good works are the signature of the Christian(Titus 2:14: 3:8). And because while we're waiting for Christ to return so we can go home, we're to be actively engaged in being a very positive, caring influence in our society(Jeremiah 29:1-7).

I long to see every person in our congregation find some way or niche to plug in to this undertaking. Each church member has skills and talents that could be utilized to contribute to the overall success of the project. Getting involved will energize you! If this campaign ends up just being an activity that a small handful of our folks work on, then we will have missed a golden opportunity to unite around something significant that enables us to break out of these walls and out of our comfort zones to make a difference, even if a small one, in our community. I also hope that throughout the duration of this outreach we'll have numerous chances to actually interact with students and not just the adults who work at the school.

Please don't get tired of hearing about this labor of love. Pray for its success. Ask God's blessings and favor on the employees and kids over there. Step forward with suggestions and ideas and a willingness to actually get involved in some manner. Remember that we're not going there to witness or evangelize or try to get new members for our church. We can't do that. We go out of the grace and love of Christ to give ourselves away in simple, quiet, humble service. Here is a tangible way to minister that has more traction to it than anything we've done in a long time.

MOVING DAY. Once again I want to encourage all of our folks to sit a little closer to the front in Sunday worship. We have a large sanctuary, and when people are so spread out or clinging to seats toward the back we lose a lot of warmth and intimacy. Please consciously, deliberately decide to begin to relocate to a pew, in either section, within the first 12 or 13 rows from the platform. If everybody did this it would have a transforming effect on our worship times. Do this for the good of the church body.

ADVENT. It's hard to believe that this season has rolled around again, but I sure am glad it has! I love the music and the scriptures and the colors and the decorations of this 4-week preparation time for Christmas. My preaching for these Sundays will come out of Luke 1:26-38 which tells of the angel Gabriel's announcing to Mary that she will bring baby Jesus into the world. Read and reflect on these verses to get ready for the sermons on December 11 and 18. And look, enjoy this whole month! Don't let commercialization or overactivity rob you of the simple joys and wonders of this time of year. By the way, please remember that I love you and my job and this great church more than I could ever express!!!

2011-11-22T05:54:00.000-08:00

Will you be on the road, traveling this holiday season, away from your residence?

You'll have a lot of company. Millions will crowd the interstates heading home to visit the relatives. So many of our men and women in the military will be scattered around the world, often in distant places, separated from loved ones. That's true, too, for Christian missionaries, who will go on serving the Lord in far off locales at the cost of being unable to be with family at yuletide. Truck drivers will still be hauling freight. Emergency personnel, like police and firemen and hospital and rescue workers, will be on the job and moving about and out of the house.

It's fascinating to me that most of the persons in the stories of the first Christmas in Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1-2 spent time on the road as the epic events of Christ's birth unfolded. A good bit of traveling takes place in these narratives.

Zechariah, for example, was fulfilling priestly duties, away from home, at Jerusalem's temple when he learned that he and his wife, Elizabeth, were going to have a baby in their old age who would grow up to be John the Baptist. He journeys homeward with the amazing news. Young Mary, upon receiving the angelic announcement that she, though a virgin, has been chosen to give birth to the Christ-child, leaves her house in Nazareth and travels southward to a Judean town to visit Elizabeth, her relative, and she both gives and receives encouragement at their joint and unusual pregnancies.

Then, of course, there is the long, arduous trip that Joseph and Mary take from Nazareth to Bethlehem during the most difficult time of her child-bearing when she is about to deliver. She's a long way from home and her "maternity ward" ends up being in a smelly stable or cave. Later, after the birth, shepherds leave where they are and go to see the new baby. Eventually wise men from hundreds of miles away set out on a road trip to find and pay homage to this small child who they sense is someone of great significance. Ultimately, Mary and Joseph will have to embark on yet another not-completely-pleasant pilgrimage when they hurriedly whisk young Jesus away from their dwelling and to safety incognito in Egypt out of range of king Herod's evil intentions. And don't forget the intriguing story of the family trip to a religious feast in Jerusalem when the now adolescent Jesus is missing for awhile, causing great distress for his parents.

Surely the incarnation itself was the most extensive journey. God stepped out of eternity and Heaven, entered time and space, and took on human flesh in Jesus, all for the purpose of reconciling sinful humanity to Himself. What an incredible distance was spanned. What an awesome love was demonstrated.

Some lessons emerge.

For starters, we probably ought to shed our naive, warm, cuddly,sentimental notions of what that first Christmas was like. It was not a Hallmark, comfortable, cozy, "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" kind of experience for the cast of characters living through it, even though they were tremendously blessed. There was fear, uncertainty, loneliness, hardship, and separation involved in history's most momentous event. Let that be of some comfort to you this holiday season when you're stuck in traffic or just can't find that perfect gift or have to put up with cranky or obnoxious family members around the Christmas dinner table or are haunted by dark, hurtful memories of past holidays that were very painful or when you have to be far, far away from the people you love most. Let's face it--Christmas is not always "the most wonderful time of the year." Remember, too, that there will be other Christmases. More than likely this is not your last one!

Let the journey motif in the Christmas stories remind you that the Christian life itself is a pilgrimage. Spiritually speaking, we are to be on the move. We're to be growing and stretching and advancing. We're in a maturing process, progressing toward the goal of becoming like Christ. The Bible describes our relationship with Jesus as a walk and a race. Sometimes that's hard and sometimes it's easy, but we're not just to sit and wait until we go to Heaven! There are lessons to learn, sins and bad habits to give up, virtues to acquire, and service to render.

In your literal moving about this Christmas, whether it's crosstown or across the nation, take some cues from the personalities you meet in the birth stories of Jesus. Like Mary, for example, find someone(an Elizabeth) that you can lift and refresh and affirm. Nursing home, maybe? A lonely homebound individual, perhaps, or a scared little child? You might find, as Mary did, that encouragement and inspiration flow right back to you. Like the shepherds and the wise men, make ample time for worship. How tragic to spend so much money on self and others and schedule so many holiday activities for ourselves that we forget about Christ and his amazing entry into this world and ignore opportunities to give him praise. He can be adored, incidentally, just as much in a family car trip on I-64 or I-81 as in a magnificent Christmas Eve candlelight service in a church if you are genuinely focused.

We can learn from Joseph that sometimes you may have to change your plans in order to serve the Lord. I'm sure that he would have preferred to assist his wife in her childbirth at home rather than on a long trip. I feel certain that a sudden, unexpected trek to Egypt to protect his new, young son wasn't on his calendar for the upcoming year. He wanted to please God, though, and so he was flexible and pliable. See your interruptions this season as perhaps divine appointments. Think about making maybe one major sacrifice to help someone in dire need. Like Zechariah, realize that there is great value in simply being silent sometimes, too. Carve out some down time as he and Elizabeth did to be alone and quiet and reflective, to let your soul be renewed in the midst of a hectic few weeks. That'll be tough on the highway when the kids are quarreling in the backseat. It'll be hard, too, if you think you absolutely have to go to every Christmas party. Personal times for solitude and retreat work wonders for our spirits, though.

Even if you're not going anywhere this holiday, travel back in your mind's-eye at least once to the rich happenings of that first Christmas centuries ago. It may completely change your perspective.

Miscellany, yet again

2011-10-20T10:42:00.001-07:00

DON'T WASTE HALLOWEEN. This year we won't be having any activities here on October 31. In times past we've had Fall Fests on that night for the enjoyment of our own church family. In recent years we shifted to "Trunk 'n' Treat" events outside on our parking lot with outreach to our neighborhood as a focus. We'll take a break this time around. We'll not schedule a happening inside our facility or out on our grounds.

It's okay not to do the same thing every year!

We could use a breather. Traffic and walk-ups for the outdoor event had seemed to decrease some in the last few cycles, and the needed participation of our own folks was a little down, too. Maybe we should reevaluate what would be a better approach next year. Churches ought to be constantly studying and dreaming and brainstorming new and creative ways to minister and do mission. Staying in a rut is useless. ( I'm so very excited, for instance, about our latest project--adopting and partnering with nearby Crittenden Middle School and attempting to be a blessing to faculty and students there. That endeavor began last week.)

So...stay home this Halloween. But use the evening for God's glory. Turn on all the lights in the house so that your residence is ablaze with illumination(we're people of the light, not darkness!). Make your dwelling shine like a Thomas Kincade painting!Meet your neighbors as they come bringing their little "trick-or treaters" to your door. Put a gospel tract or a New Testament in the kids' bags along with the candy. Invite some folks to visit our church. Enjoy being with your family. Breathe a silent prayer for each one who stops by your place that night and then shuffles back into the autumn darkness. If it's chilly, build a fire in the fireplace, make some popcorn, and watch a scary movie...and be so grateful that because we know Christ we don't have to be people who live in fear(ever counted how many "fear nots" there are in God's Word?)

CHRISTMAS IS COMING. If you don't believe me, go visit Cracker Barrel.

It's only 8 or 9 weeks away. And Advent begins on November 27. Just my usual reminder that if you're going to buy a new Bible for a friend or family member this holiday season, consider purchasing a study edition. Those cost more but offer lots of very helpful explanatory notes alongside the scripture text. I heartily recommend the ESV Study Bible. There's now a student edition of that wonderful product, too, if you're looking for a good spiritual tool to give a teenager.

PBA. In a day when many are discounting the value of district Baptist associations any more, and when some of those groups are even disbanding(one in central Virginia did recently) our own local grouping of churches is doing very, very well. Some of us attended last week's annual meeting of Peninsula Baptists and I have to tell you that I came out of that 2-day event greatly encouraged. There's new energy and passion and focus. Chuck Harrison, our new Director of Missions, is doing an awesome job of leading us. He's very committed to church planting and to existing church revitalization. Lift a prayer for him occasionally. He's a man with a vision! I'm thrilled that we've already had him here 3 times for visits and that he's now a good friend to us.

New Grandson

2011-08-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

William Shaphan(2Kings22) Davidson was born at 12:22am August 20! Praise the Lord!

This is Ryan and Christie's third child, and our third grandchild. We were able to be present in the hours leading up to delivery and then just after the birth. His size? 8lbs., 14oz. at 21 inches long. And...he was born on Vicki's birthday. We're proud, ecstatic, and honored about that.

We're excited to see what God is going to do with this new young life. Welcome to the world, baby Shaphan. We're so glad you're here!

Miscellany...Again

2011-06-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

STATE DENOMINATIONAL NEWS: Word comes this week that Dr. Jeff Ginn, Executive Director of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia for the past 3 years, has resigned to accept a pastorate in Baton Rouge, LA.

Ginn has been, in my opinion, a good leader. He is dynamic, articulate, and creative. He has led the SBCV in some fresh directions. He has had, apparently, a desire to return to pastoral ministry in a local church(which is really where it's at in kingdom work) and so will leave our state at the end of July. I didn't know him well. We've only had a few conversations. I assisted him once in a funeral in another city. He's a pretty sharp guy. My guess is he'll be missed. I wish him well in his new assignment.

As you know, Virginia is one of a small handful of states that have two state Baptist conventions. Here it's the SBCV and the BGAV. Local congregations can be either uniquely aligned with one or dually aligned with both. We have voted to affiliate with each of these 2 great entities. Both of them are led by and made up of terrific people and do really good work for Christ in our state. We divide up our Cooperative Program giving between them. Of late I suppose I've been a little more involved with the older BGAV because of personal friendships, but I'm a fan of both groups and am delighted that our church has the opportunity to draw from the resources of each.

In case you've forgotten, each Southern Baptist church is autonomous. We're not in some denominational hierarchy. We make our own decisions under the guidance and lordship of Christ. We do, however, voluntarily choose to relate to other congregations as partners in mission and ministry. Locally, that's through associations(for us, the PBA). Statewide, that's through state conventions. Nationally, we're linked to the Southern Baptist Convention. All of that gives us the chance to unite with likeminded believers and intensify our efforts to reach the world for Jesus. After all, that's our real business. Our churches are not to be cozy, comfortable country clubs that exist solely that we might get our needs met. Instead we're to be constantly finding new and effective ways to spread the Gospel of Christ all over the globe, often in sacrificial approaches. That's why working together in these larger groupings helps local fellowships carry out their mandate.

In recent years, denominationalism has fallen on hard times. Everything is in flux. Many Baptists across the land are turned off by bloated bureaucracy and loss of focus and division over sometimes minor issues. It remains to be seen what shapes our cooperation will take in the future. If you're a church member and serious about the Great Commission, all of this should be of at least some concern to you. This isn't something that just pastors should be interested in. Stay tuned.

CULTURAL DECLINE. The action last week by the New York state legislature to legalize same-sex marriage there next month is regrettable and one more indication of the decay and deterioration of the culture around us. This should not surprise us, though. We live in a fallen world that is mostly alienated from God. Lost people have no other means of making their decisions except by relying on their natural, fleshly reasoning which is set against God's will. In other words, unbelievers are just acting naturally. Spirit-filled, scripture-immersed Christians know that homosexuality is sin and that marriage is to be between a man and a woman.

All of that said, though, I hope by now you know my heart. We're not to be condemnatory people. We're to shower gay and lesbian individuals with love and grace with the hope of reaching them for Jesus. One of my favorite Bible texts on this is 2 Timothy 2:24-26. I'm appreciative of some of the humble, gracious remarks that Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler made on this issue in response to a questioner at the SBC in Phoenix the other week. Though adamantly opposed to homosexuality, he reminded us all that we've got a lot of work to do in terms of extending understanding compassion before we can expect to gain a hearing. We've been loudly judgemental.But each of us is a sinner. Every one of us struggles still with some sin. We're going to have to exchange our shouting and our rhetoric for humility and listening ears and loving tears. We're going to have to come down off our legalistic pedestals, where we tend to rank sins,and admit that before God we're all desperately wicked and in need of His mercy.

Miscellany

2011-06-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

REFLECTION STATEMENT: Every now and then I have Marian print up some sheets of paper with thought-provoking sentences on them and post them at different points around our facility. The idea is to stimulate our thinking.

Regrettably, no one ever comments on them, at least to me. This is true, too, for newsletter columns and bulletin inserts. No one asks "What did that mean?" or says"I didn't agree with that" or "That really impacted me" or "That was a waste of time and paper" or "That gave me a new perspective". It's a little discouraging and makes me think that these sincere efforts to provide seed and fertilizer for inspiration and motivation and spiritual challenge are futile.

Well, anyway, currently there is a 14-word saying attached to some of our doors and hallways and bulletin boards around here that poses a question: if our church ceased to exist would it make any difference to this neighborhood?

That inquiry stirs up still other questions. Does the community all about us even know that we're here? What is their impression of us? Do they sense that we care? Are we really ministering to them in any meaningful way? And again, if we folded up or moved away would that have a negative impact on them? Do they harbor the impression that we just drive in for a couple of hours on Sunday morning and then drive out without any real concern for, or interest in, them?

All of this is important to consider. If God planted us here, and wants us to remain here for at least the foreseeable future, then this is our mission field. We're to reach out and get to know and influence and bless the persons on these streets close by our property. I don't know that we're really doing that. We take a stab at it occasionally but have no ongoing, concerted, consistent strategy in place to just love on those folks with the love of Christ and touch their lives in helpful, practical ways whether or not they ever come to our church. Somehow we've got to seek the mind of the Lord and come up with some plan to accomplish that.

I'm excited about the desire of our Outreach Committee to attempt another small step in that direction with the milk-and-eggs project on June 25. This is something we all can get behind in different ways. Let's not leave this to the few members of this team. Let's plug in. Let's be here that morning to meet our neighbors and help them in a specific,tangible area of life. And let's develop dozens more creative approaches to extend a hand. Matthew 25:31-46 comes to mind here. God never intended for us to have a comfortable, country club mentality but rather to shine as lights in the darkness. Seed, and salt, in a hurting world.

NEW BOOK: In just a few weeks California pastor, writer, and conference speaker Francis Chan releases his latest work, Erasing Hell(David C. Cook, 2011). It will be a brief but thorough examination of what the Bible says about eternal punishment, and will be a great antidote to the seemingly universalistic distortions about that subject in the controversial book by Rob Bell that came out in March. I hope you'll get a copy(about $15) and read and review it very carefully. It will give you thoughts to share with unsaved friends. Chan's perspective will be a humble, not arrogant, one.

SBC. I didn't attend the annual meeting this year, held out in Phoenix. Messenger count was expected to be quite low, and no major matters seemed to be on the agenda. I do think it is important for pastors(and laypeople, too) to go to these conventions. There were many years when I never missed. Oh, well, maybe next year, in New Orleans. You do need to be aware that there is real concern in our denomination these days over declining baptisms and attendance in our churches.

Not Camping With Camping

2011-05-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well, May 21 came and went and California radio preacher Harold Camping's prediction that the rapture would occur and God's judgement would fall on that day didn't materialize.

Regrettably, the 89-year old Family Radio head is not deterred. He's simply "recalculated", again, and now says that all of this will take place in October. News people are having a jolly field day with this stuff, and hundreds of folks who believed this man's declarations now feel crushed and deceived.

Some observations:
1.He blended ignorance and arrogance in his claim to know when these major prophetic
events would happen. Matthew 24:36,42, and 44 make it clear that no one but the Father
has that information. We're given signs but not the date.
2. He has to be labeled a false prophet now if you take Deuteronomy 18:21-22 seriously.
Jesus warned that lots of spokesmen like that would turn up in the endtimes(Matthew 24:
24).
3. He has given the culture around us one more reason to laugh at our faith. In the minds of
many, all preachers, churches, and Christians are lumped together with this guy and
others like him as silly and backward and thus deserving of ridicule rather than a hearing.
That's unfair because there are millions of believers who are faithfully living the Christian
life and are involved in serving, sacrificial ministry. There are thousands and thousands of
Christ-followers who are careful, responsible, capable students of the scriptures who
present God's Word accurately(2 Timothy 2:15).
4. The more I study the Bible, the more I doubt the validity of a pretribulational rapture
anyway. It's just my opinion these days but I don't see a lot of scriptural support for it.
Jesus is coming back visibly, bodily, gloriously...but it's hard to hold to a 2-stage second
coming. And just believing in that because that's always what you've been told,without
doing your own diligent study on it, is not wise.
5. Unwittingly, Mr. Camping may now have caused a lot of Christians to lose hope in the
return of Christ. He may also have made it easier for many unbelievers to doubt the sure
reality of coming judgement for this earth . Evidences abound that we are living in the
last days. Signs seem to be intensifying that our Lord will soon be appearing and millions
of lost people will be doomed forever. That's why it was so hard for me to hear media
people mock and scorn Camping, even though I knew he was wrong, because I was
saddened that they were missing the larger point that one day final endtime events are
going to take place and so many won't be ready(2 Peter 3:1-13). Jesus said that society
would be pretty much like it was in the days of Noah(Matthew 24:37-39) when He comes
again.
6. While we're waiting, we're to be ministering to people, winning souls, and growing in
Christ-likeness. That ought to keep us busy.

Summer Reading

2011-05-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

The summer season is arriving and with it comes more relaxed opportunities for reading.

Christians should be in the forefront of those who allow their minds to be expanded and their souls stretched by good books. Obviously the Bible is our first priority but God plants truth in the writings of contemporary authors, too. Their works can sharpen and refresh us and give us greater understanding not only of pertinent life issues but of the scriptures themselves.

Allow me to recommend some literary offerings that have impacted me recently and that could be helpful in your faith journey as a believer.

For starters, try Russell Moore's Tempted And Tried(Crossway, 2011). It's a brief study of the 3 major temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. Those critical tests are unpacked and explored skillfully and then their relevant applications to our lives today are discussed. It makes for good devotional reading. We tend to forget that Jesus himself experienced temptations and yet was victorious over them, giving us a pattern to follow in overcoming our own tests after we are born again and have a new spiritual nature.

Paul Enns has written Heaven Revealed(Moody Publishers, 2011). After the death of his wife this seminary professor set out to study anew the wonders of the afterlife for the child of God. His work considers many of the basic questions that Christians have about our eternal destiny, such as what we will do there and what we will see. His answers are based on biblical teachings and offer an exhilirating view of our future that rules out the common misconception that Heaven is just a glorified retirement village where Christians will sit on clouds and strum harps.

There is another dimension in the life beyond, though, that has gotten a lot of attention in recent months due to a controversial book by Michigan pastor Rob Bell that seemingly eliminates the idea of eternal punishment for some and apparently espouses universalism. A good, scholarly antidote to Bell's ideas comes in an earlier published work, Hell Under Fire(Zondervan, 2004), edited by Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson with contributions by several leading evangelical academicians. This book examines the scriptural perspectives on Hell from a wide variety of angles. It's interesting that in July popular California pastor and author Francis Chan has a new work coming out on this fascinating subject, entitled Erasing Hell, in which he will defend the reality of this unpleasant otherworldly destination.

Two short but insightful books should be of special interest to church leaders. The Case For Antioch(B&H Books, 2011) investigates some of the characteristics of one of the early churches presented in the New Testament book of Acts and how that particular ancient congregation offers clues on how to develop transformational churches today in our culture. David Platt's Radical Together(Multnomah, 2011) deals with ways that modern churches can model serving, sacrificial ministry in society and make a profound difference. This work is a followup to a previous bestseller by Platt.

Interested in family concerns? Try the helpful, practical book How We Love Our Kids(Waterbrook Press, 2011) by Milan and Kay Yerkovich. The authors describe several different love styles that show up in homes and how those approaches affect children. Using the increasingly popular attachment theory, this book reveals how the early childhood experiences of parents determines how they will rear their own kids. Sometimes that's good and sometimes it isn't. This couple offers very specific suggestions on how to best show healthy love to our children.

Tired of shallow, trivial formulas for living the Christian life? Read the new book by Gary Thomas, Thirsting For God(Harvest House, 2011), in which he blends scripture and the reflections of some great Christ-followers in church history who discovered depth and maturity in ways unexpected to us who live in an insipid, fluffy, celebrity-and-entertainment oriented environment that often infects our view of Christianity. Two other works, Counterfeit Gospels(Moody Publishers, 2011) by Trevin Wax and Revise Us Again(David C. Cook, 2010) by Frank Viola also diagnose some of the glaring misunderstandings about our faith and practice as evangelical Christians and propose how we can live authentic spiritual lives as believers. Wax's book exposes some of the alternative brands of Christianity that do not match up to the biblical portrayal of the genuine gospel. The work by Viola, succinct and fresh, cuts through some of our behaviors as Christians that aren't very real and life-giving.

On these lazy, hazy days just ahead don't simply pamper your body. Do something good for your soul, too. Read a stimulating book.

Treasures From Tertius

2011-01-31T10:09:00.000-08:00

I love finding short texts in scripture and digging out some insights from them for preaching. Notice I said short texts, not necessarily brief sermons on them!

This past Sunday I brought a message from Romans 16:22. Just a little verse, but loaded with lessons and applications.

The Apostle Paul is concluding his massive, comprehensive tome on the doctrine of salvation, his letter to the church at Rome(a great choice for a Bible book to spend 2011 in, reading and studying and reflecting). Because of poor eyesight or illegible handwriting or both, he had secured the services of an amanuensis, or secretary, to do the actual writing for him as he dictates. Thus in this little verse we are introduced to Tertius, the scribe, who in one sentence interjects his own short, warm greeting to the readers at the very end of the epistle.

After careful meditation, I discovered ten practical insights to pass on to you from that tiny statement that most readers would pass over as insignificant. God's word is so rich, isn't it(2 Timothy 3:16-17)? My own heart was warmed as I shared these thoughts with you. And the sermon wasn't that long! The ideas were meant to deepen faith.

Take lesson #5, for example. Based on the example of Tertius, I said the Christian walk is not just about meeting obligations and doing jobs but about building relationships and being part of a community. This secretary was working hard, listening carefully to Paul's words and then meticulously copying them down. In so doing he is serving the Lord and helping to advance the kingdom. He is laboring behind the scenes in a faithful way. Nevertheless he takes the opportunity to greet the readers and to personally, intimately interact with them. Perhaps he knew some of them, perhaps not. He saw the value of being connected and bonded to God's family. He was not just task-oriented and duty-conscious but was interested in people and being in relationship with them.

We miss something if we quickly exit the church building as soon as the benediction is pronounced without briefly lingering to spend a little quality time with our fellow believers. We're only cheating ourselves if we don't take advantage of chances to get into close-knit huddles(S.S. classes, choir, Bible studies, small-groups) with other Christians where we can be nourished and challenged and encouraged. We need one another! We draw strength from each other. It's quite possible to sit in a pew every Sunday or to hold some major church position and not really know or be known by, any other disciples who can refresh and inspire us and hold us accountable in our growth. Like Tertius, we must take the initiative to reach out and build networks of friends that can laugh with us and cry with us and pray with us and offer wise counsel when we need it. Lone-ranger Christians eventually crash and burn!

I like application #8, too. It also draws on the experience of this humble amanuensis in reminding us that not everything in the Christian life will be fun. There surely must have been some moments for this guy when the job of taking dictation got tedious. Certainly his fingers probably got tired and ached. It wasn't a glamorous, out-front, on-the-platform kind of Christian service. It definitely wasn't emotionally titillating, even though Paul's Spirit-inspired thoughts and words must have fed his soul. But Tertius was ministering. He was making a difference. He was pleasing the Lord. He was playing a part in God's great overarching plan to get the glorious message of the gospel out to the world. The task may have seemed at times to be dull and mechanical but the Lord would use his efforts.

Regrettably, the entertainment-saturated, success-oriented culture around us today has so crept into the Church that many believers have the idea that if something in the Christian life doesn't turn you on or pump you up it must not be of God. If the sermons don't excite you or the worship music doesn't thrill you the Lord must not be at work.If we go through some trial of illness or suffering we conclude that God doesn't care or if a church can't report big, glowing statistics it's labeled a failure. What happens is that we base our walk with God so often on our feelings and emotions, which are fickle and up-and-down. If we're not careful, the menial, routine chores(taking a turn in the nursery or mopping the fellowship hall floor or rehearsing for weeks on one choir piece or bagging groceries for the needy or diligently preparing a Sunday school lesson) begin to look like uninteresting and unimportant assignments that we'd rather avoid on our way to the next scintillating Christian concert or dynamic seminar. If we're not paying attention, we end up seeing our faith as a way to get our needs met and to feel good instead of as a channel for serving Christ and promoting His purposes. We have to understand that even though prayer and Bible study and sitting with a sick friend and working through a relational problem toward reconciliation or explaining the plan of salvation to a lost friend may not always give us a giddy high they are still beautiful, significant, soul-building acts that honor the Lord and bring glory to His name. Usually it's the slow, methodical, often grinding stuff in our Christian pilgrimage that stretches us and shapes us into godly character.

Make no mistake. Mostly unknown Tertius was rewarded for his work. That's insight #6. He had the great privilege of sitting with, and assisting the Apostle Paul. He had the joy of knowing his contribution to the crafting of this letter would have an impact. His name, because of the inserted greeting in verse 22, would forever be associated with this foremost piece of biblical writing. And in Heaven there would be trophies, too. You, as well, will be richly rewarded, both now and in eternity, for whatever you do to advance the cause of Jesus. In Matthew 10:42 you have our Lord's word on that!

Broad Shoulders

2010-12-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

One of the most popular biblical texts at Christmas time is Isaiah 9:6-7.

From the Old Testament, these verses show up on seasonal greeting cards and in pastors' sermons and even provide a slice of Handel's Messiah. The words "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" offer tremendous hope and speak of God's greatest gift to the world, Jesus.

But another line in that passage is quite intriguing. It says "and the government shall be upon his shoulder". In these days of strong, populist anti-government sentiment, that phrase really grabs your attention. Politicians and legislators and leaders of all political parties as well as the executive branch are widely distrusted and seen as incapable of effecting wise, effective leadership right now. Confusion and division and inertia abounds. Polls suggest that very few people have confidence in what's coming out of Washington, and similar feelings seem to exist among citizens of other nations about their governing authorities. What does it mean, then, for the ancient prophet to predict that the government shall rest on the shoulders of Christ? What could that portend?

Obviously the main point here is the kingship of Jesus. All of scripture develops that idea. He is referred to as "king of kings and lord of lords" and the apostle Paul, in Philippians 2, affirms that everyone eventually will recognize Christ's authority and yield to it. All of the threads of biblical teaching appear to indicate that Jesus began to establish his kingdom when he came to earth centuries ago. At present he reigns, invisibly and often imperceptibly, through acts of divine providence and through the workings of the Holy Spirit in and on the hearts of people. Both Old and New Testaments, in various ways, promise that one day Christ will return to this world for a second time and his kingdom will ultimately triumph over the nations and be fully manifest to all. According to texts like Isaiah 9:7 and 11:1-10 his victorious, eternal reign will be marked by peace, justice, integrity, and prosperity. Evil and inequities and war and deception will all be banished. So will poverty and racism and crime.

It's pretty clear from scripture that even now Jesus is at work behind the scenes on the world stage impacting the affairs of nations, leading everything to a final conclusion. We may see only chaos or tangled lines but Christ is slowly and surely weaving out his design for restoration and healing for this bruised and battered planet. History will have an endpoint. Good will win. Imagine how different this world would be today if it looked to him in submission and obedience. The halls and chambers on Capitol Hill would have a refreshing new tone if Jesus was in charge. North Korea and Iran would no longer be worrisome. The pundits and media talking heads would have vastly new and positive topics to discuss.

Of course this business of the government being on his shoulder has a bearing on the Church, too, whether we're speaking of the worldwide fellowship of true believers or local assemblies. This insight reminds us that the Church belongs to him. Members don't own it, he does. Members can't really build it, only he can. Check Matthew 16:18 on that. We can't take credit for successes. That goes to him. Ephesians 3:20-21 is emphatic here. Surely this idea should warn us about trying to run the church. A man named Diotrephes in 3 John was strongly rebuked about that. Jesus is the head of the Church. Individual Christians should work hard in it, doing their very best to share the Gospel and develop new believers and reach out in all kinds of people-helping ministries, but when all is said and done, we must look to Christ for guidance and strength and leave the results in his hands.We ought not be endlessly pushing for new rules and policies that choke out the missional vitalty of the church and quench the Spirit's moving among us. We shouldn't plot and maneuver and scheme to attain power in our congregations but should have servant hearts under the leadership of Jesus. How many church fights and splits could be avoided if we remembered that? How much burnout among parishioners could be prevented if we realized that we're not responsible for the harvest, just the planting?

And certainly this conviction that the government shall be placed on Christ's shoulders has implications for our personal lives, too. So many of us are control freaks. We tend to be worry warts. We obsess over a lot of stuff. We have to learn sooner or later the value of letting go. You know what I'm talking about:our adult children sometimes make decisions we can't understand or friends may verbally wound us and not even seem to notice or the aging process slows us down and wears us out and holds us back or prolonged illness in the family robs our joy or some folks just don't like us regardless of how hard we try to please them or unresolved sibling rivalry rears its ugly head or lack of financial resources keeps us from doing some of the things we'd like to do. Sometimes we feel helpless. We want things to go our way, to be just right. That's an echo from Eden and a hint of Heaven but we're caught in the in-between and so we get anxious and uptight and often angry at the circumstances we face. In this present fallen world, there are some things we'll not be able to change.Many times we fret over things that end up not happening. We stress out over stuff that's none of our business or we get bogged down in other people's junk.

Like Peter in John 21:20-22 we need to be reminded not to get overly worked up over things we're concerned about needlessly. Like Paul in Philippians 4:12 and 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 we have to learn the secret of contentment and trust, regardless of our situation. Jesus talked in Matthew 6 about stopping foolish worry. The ancient sufferer got to the place in Job 13:15 where he could have confidence in God however dark his problems were.

Our Lord has strong, broad shoulders. He can handle our burdens and fears and doubts and longings. He is sovereign and is using the bits and pieces of our lives, both good and bad, to develop us and mold us.He knows what he's doing! Our part is to yield to him, opening up our clenched hands and releasing control to his authority.Our task is to learn what his commands are by studying the Bible, and then obeying. With that comes incredible peace. After all, it's not about our image but rather his image being formed in us. Turning over our messed up lives to him in a new birth is the beginning point of a journeythat will find us repeatedly surrendering matters to him and that winds up at that moment when we breathe our last and commit our spirit to him in death and enter into the eternal adventure awaiting us beyond.

The picture of a child being carried on the shoulders of his big, strong dad is apt here. Ah, the exhiliration, the freedom, the sense of relaxed abandon, and that awesome view!

Miscellany

2010-10-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

SEPTIC TANK THEOLOGY. In our current Sunday morning sermon series on popular cliches, sayings, and expressions in everyday conversation evaluated in the light of scripture, we recently considered the oft-used phrase, "misery loves company".

That line can be taken 2 different ways. It may mean that sometimes hurting people want others around them to listen to them and comfort them. Or it might be suggesting that bitter, miserable folks often want to spread their toxic attitudes to others so they won't be all alone.

How does this saying look from the perspective of God's Word? Perhaps we should examine it from some varying biblical angles.

It is safe to say that cranky, negative, unhappy individuals do sometimes seek out others to align with them in their misery. A swamp, a cesspool of emotional and relational poison is then formed. Through gossip and complaining, resentful and frustrated persons build a coalition of folks who then stew in their juices and spew out their venom. The ancient wisdom teacher warns us frequently not to be drawn into these webs that can turn us into angry, whiny people. Check out Proverbs 13:20, 16:27-29, 21:19, 22:10, 24-25, 26:20-22, and 29:22. Read Hebrews 12:15, too. Two Old Testament characters, Korah in Numbers 16 and Absalom in 2 Samuel 15, stand out as spiteful, critical persons who tried to get others to link up with them in their meanness.

We do have a biblical mandate to go to and try to help hurting people, though. Texts like Romans 12:8, 15-16, and James 1:27, and 2 Timothy 1:16-18 all stress that. So does Galatians 6:1. But we better make sure we're strong in the faith when we attempt to minister to those who are bogged down in sin or grief or anger or guilt. We need to be constantly getting spiritually re-charged by prayer, time in the Word, and fellowship with positive, emotionally healthy individuals or we'll be vulnerable to getting sucked into the pain of those we're attempting to rescue.

I suppose that Hell will be the ultimate and eternal misery. Sinners who die without Christ have that as their unending destiny. My impression, though, is that even with that horrible place being heavily populated, there probably won't be any companionship there. That's the sense I get from reading Luke 16:19-31. Hell will be a destination of utter loneliness.

It needs to be said that all of us are miserable spiritually until changed by Jesus. Jeremiah 17:9 and 31:33 and Romans 3:23 and Mark 2:16-17 and Matthew 11:28-29 and John 10:10 make that point powerfully. How blessed we are that Christ came to us and beside us in our weakness and hopelessness and began to transform us! In the 4 Gospels, Jesus spent a lot of time in the company of miserable people and when they were willing to be changed(John 5:6) He lifted them.

NEW BOOK. Kerry and Chris Shook have written Love At Last Sight(Waterbrook Press, 2010). It is a helpful, practical, 30-day guide to growing and deepening relationships, whether marital or with friends. It's simple and straightforward but very insightful. The discussion on pages 151-152 of how certain types of aquatic life illustrate how different people deal with their anger is worth the price of the book. Puffer fish, hermit crabs, angelfish, electric eels, sharks, and piranha all picture the wrong approaches to expressing angry feelings. There are lots of constructive tools here for building stronger ties with those we love.

YOGA. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler stirred up a hornet's nest with his recent blog post(reprinted in our worship guide the other week) criticizing the practice of yoga by Christians. He's gotten a lot of response, much of it negative. Maybe what he wrote will drive folks to the Word to see if what he said is right(Acts 17:11) or just personal opinion.

Vision Correction For Relationships

2010-10-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

In my pulpit, over the last few months, I've been preaching a series of messages on popular cliches, sayings, and expressions that we tend to use and overuse in everyday conversation. We've been examining them from a variety of angles through the grid of scripture and a biblical worldview to see if they accurately describe the realities of life.

It's been fun!

I've probably enjoyed preparing and delivering this collection of sermons more than any other in my ministry. Gotten a lot of positive feedback, too. We've considered "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" and "don't count your chickens before they hatch" and "misery loves company" and "don't burn your bridges behind you" and lots more. We've dug into a lot of texts that sometimes support and sometimes refute these clever, catchy phrases.

The other Sunday we put this one under the microscope: love is blind. When folks toss that line into their talk they mean that generally people do not notice the faults of those they love. Well, is that true or false, good or bad? It would seem that it makes a lot of difference in dating and marriage relationships or business partnerships or friendships or church life whether you accept the validity of that cliche or reject it. Does God's Word provide any help here?

I think so.

Scripture does appear to suggest that we are to overlook a lot of stuff. In our dealings with those close to us we shouldn't take up every offense or get bogged down in every issue. Proverbs 10:12 and 19:11 as well as I Peter 4:8 make that clear. Remembering that each of us is fallen, human, and thus not perfect ought to keep us from being irritated at the little mistakes and idiosyncrasies of those around us. The realization that we don't always know what another person's going through can prevent us from getting upset or walking away or lashing out, too. Those we care about might be wrestling and struggling with some painful trial of which we're totally unaware, and their hurt might be behind some of their reactions that we do not understand. We just have to let a lot of things go. We need to be more patient. After all, in any of our relationships it ought to be our goal to build up and encourage the other individual.

It must be said, though, that the broad sweep of biblical counsel urges us to be observant, discerning, and careful in our ties with one another. Surely that's what Paul stressed in Philippians 1:9-10. We're to go into our relationships with our eyes open and probably should avoid making the closest, most intimate alliances with those who pose a danger to us spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It would be a most profitable exercise, for example, to take our children and teens through a crash course in the book of Proverbs, when we talk with them about close pals and dating, to help them observe all the warnings there about certain types of persons with whom they probably shouldn't link up. The foolish the angry, the lazy, the mean, the proud, the alcoholic, the violent, and the one bitterly alienated from his parents are just some of the individuals we should be aware of when it comes to forging our deepest bonds. Their toxicity could spill over onto us. In Genesis 24, Abraham sent his servant Eliezer out to find a bride for his son, Isaac. He gave him very careful instructions as to what to look for and what to avoid. It may be sweet and sentimental to get all caught up in warm, fuzzy, romantic feelings and refuse to see any negatives and potential trouble spots but it is a most unwise practice fraught with dire consequences.

We must not forget, either, that sometimes we have to confront and correct those we love. That's a biblical responsibility given to us in the body of Christ. It's not easy, and never fun, but often out of deep concern for others in the family of faith who may be straying or drifting we have to go to them and gently but firmly draw them back. This is where a grace/truth balance is vital. Proverbs 27:6 and Galatians 6:1 are pretty emphatic about this. We can't overlook or ignore serious sin or error in family or fellow church members but instead must do the difficult and genuinely compassionate work of restoration.

How blessed we believers are, though, that Jesus loves us inspite of our sins. A line from an old Gaither song reminds us that the "One who knows us best loves us most". It's kinda like the Old Testament prophet Hosea. He was fully aware of his wife's despicable adultery and yet chose to buy her back out of slavery and bring her home and shower her with love just as God forgave and loved Israel. According to verses like Romans 5:8 and Psalm 103:12 and Jeremiah 31:34 Jesus came to us completely cognizant of our ugly sin but chose to die in our place, paying our debt, that we might be forgiven and bask in God's love. Even now He knows all of our habits and inclinations and thoughts and even our motives and yet stays in love with us and works in us to gradually change us to be what we ought to be. What a Savior!

All of us probably ought to get our spiritual eyes examined when it comes to appreciating God's love for us and applying our love(2 Corinthians 5:16) to others.

Miscellany

2010-08-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

AT THE MOVIES: The new film, "Eat Pray Love" is the basically true story of writer Elizabeth Gilbert and her decision to drop out of her marriage and travel abroad to find herself. She tours 3 countries(Italy, India, and Indonesia), enjoys great food, dabbles in some Eastern spirituality, and falls in love. The scenery is beautiful. The story is interesting. I have some real concerns, though.

Elizabeth offers a very poor example when it comes to marriage. The husband-wife thing is not just about love but about commitment, too(Genesis 2:24). Walking out and running away when there are misunderstandings or when one's partner's personality quirks irritate or when the grass looks greener someplace else may seem heroic or courageous or romantic but it's far from the ideal that God put in place. Part of genuine, mature love is working through our issues with our spouse, not bailing out at the first sign of trouble or discontent. Actually God may use our partner's weak points or irksome ways to refine and strengthen us! You'll rarely find the deep happiness you seek by gingerly skipping away from your mate or your family or your church in search of some fantasized better life elsewhere.

Jonah the prophet learned that lesson the hard way. God gave him an assignment in one place but he boarded a ship and went in the opposite direction. The Lord had to lead him through an exacting discipline process after that. Another Old Testament prophet, Hosea, obeyed God's command when it came to marriage and garnered vital insights about real love in the midst of great difficulty and personal pain. The very idea that joy and success and fulfilment in life can only be found somewhere else from where God has planted you is highly foolish and potentially dangerous.

And this whole business of "finding yourself" is suspect, too. Usually that's code for "doing what I want to do", being free, having no restrictions, satisfying my personal desires. In Matthew 10:39 Jesus said, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Apparently, then, the key to contentment is discovering what God wants and getting on the same page with Him. Even if that ultimately calls for serious sacrifice, a richness and a depth in living will result.

Mention is made in the movie about the "god within". That ought to raise a red flag among discerning Christian film watchers. Our God, the one true, living God, is transcendent. He is other than us. He is above and beyond and greater than us. He chooses to come near us, and to indwell us by His Holy Spirit, but that is not what Gilbert is talking about. We are not divine. We are not deity. That false idea is pantheism and must be rejected. It has many unsettling implications and is a demonic doctrine. It may sound all spiritual and mystical, but it is totally false!

Opportunities to travel and the appreciation of delicious foods and taking time to get away for vacations and rests that offer refreshment are all good things. They are gifts from the hand of a gracious God and should be gratefully received. Gilbert's approach misses the mark, however, and goes too far afield.

SERMON SERIES: I'm continuing to delight in the preparation of this collection of Sunday morning messages on popular sayings, slogans, cliches, and expressions in everyday conversation as we examine them through a biblical lens from various angles. We'll keep at this for a while. Thanks for your response...and for your suggestions of sayings to be included.

STUDY BIBLES: Christmas is less than 4 months away, and if you are considering purchasing a new Bible for someone this year let me encourage you to buy a study edition. They're more expensive, but the reader gets the benefit of not only having the text of scripture but many, many helpful explanatory notes, too.My favorites are the ESV Study Bible, the MacArthur Study Bible(now available in the great ESV translation) and the Life Application Bible. The NIV Study Bible is good, too.

Bedroom Redecorating

2010-08-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. God helps those who help themselves. Don't burn your bridges behind you.

These and hundreds of other popular cliches and sayings are spoken in everyday conversation to wittily make points.

In my pulpit ministry this summer I've been bringing messages on several of those clever phrases and slogans and expressions. We've been taking a look at them through a scriptural lens, examining them with a biblical worldview to see if they offer anything in the way of truth or if they are just catchy statements used to spice up routine chats.

The other Sunday we put this oft-used saying under the microscope: You've made your bed, now lie in it. Apparently first recorded back in the late 1500's, this trite cliche seems to be a critical, sarcastic way of telling an individual that he must put up with the unpleasant results or effects of a foolish decision made or action taken.

Is it wise or helpful to speak these words to someone who has just made a mistake or a mess?

Well, actions do have consequences.Galatians 6:7-8 makes that clear.King David in the Old Testament learned this the hard way after his sexual sin with Bathsheba. Even though he got God's forgiveness for the heinous act, he had to live the rest of his life with the devastating personal and familial aftereffects of his wrong choice. Sometimes in the passion and recklessness of youth our kids don't see that their deeds have longterm effects. We adults have to help them connect the dots. And we have to be reminded of the same lesson ourselves. Regardless of whether it's an adulterous affair or overeating or smoking or abusing drugs or gossipping or playing around in school and not studying, our actions will produce unintended negative results. Mark it down.

However, it may not be the best or most useful thing to condescendingly, condemningly exclaim this expression to a person who has bungled something or blundered in a big way. Our words have tremendous power. People who stumble or who flubb up need hope and redirection, not caustic barbs. Judgemental statements may actually harden and seal them in their poor behavior. Verses like Proverbs 12:18 and 15:23 and 18:21 suggest that with our tongues we can either wound and bruise and cripple or refresh and encourage and inspire. As Christians our homes and churches should be "grace places" where people who have floundered and failed know they'll be loved, accepted, picked back up, and pointed to a better path. Flippantly uttering this cold, heartless cliche to an individual who botched it only sentences him to regret and stagnation. We just leave our hurting friends in ditches when we blurt out that phrase in our frustration or exasperation at their actions. Many an adult still lives under the burden and curse of hearing "You'll never amount to anything" or "I wish you'd never been born" shouted at them in childhood.

It needs to be understood, too, that sometimes our beds are made for us.

There is such a thing as generational sin, patterns and practices that get passed down in families. It's possible to be predisposed to bad choices as a result of growing up in a dysfunctional home. Anger or alcoholism or laziness or abuse in a family tree can be transmitted through several generations. God seems to address this in Exodus 20:5-6. The patriarchs of Genesis could tell us about how parental favoritism and sibling rivalry, for example, kept cropping up in succeeding eras until finally Joseph broke the cycle and halted the downward spiral by forgiving his hateful brothers. His example teaches us that we don't have to be victims or stay stuck in habits or trajectories that we inherited. We can acknowledge, and choose to move out of, harmful patterns and forgive those who handed them down to us, and then go forward in a new, positive direction.

It's hard to imagine Jesus using that cynical slogan. He didn't usually leave people as they were, in their mess. Even when the rich young ruler of Mark 10 ultimately rejected Christ and went his own way, which was a recipe for life failure, Jesus had a heart of tender compassion for him.

Jesus didn't consign the paralyzed men of Mark 2 and John 5 to permanent disability. He healed them. He didn't push away the adulterous woman of John 8 or the frequently divorced woman of John 4 but rather forgave them and offered them a new lease on life. Ditto the despised, cheating tax collector Zaccheus of Luke 19. These persons had no hope or had failed or had sinned miserably but Jesus lifted them instead of spouting off harsh words about their status. The power of salvation in Christ is life-transforming. So says 2 Corinthians 5:17. By placing our faith in Jesus we can be completely changed, despite our past or our failures. Spiritually speaking, we don't have to stay in "bedbug- infested cots".

Of course making the choice to refuse God's freely offered mercy in Christ finds us "making our bed" for an eternity of horrible exclusion from all the wonderful blessings and benefits of knowing the Lord. Revelation 20:15 describes that in stark terms. The uniqueness of Christ for salvation and the exclusivity of the Gospel are ideas hotly debated these days but texts like John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 are hard to refute.

When it comes to making our beds, we all could use a little help.

Leader Lab

2010-08-02T06:17:00.000-07:00

All of us involved in ministry should take advantage of opportunities to hone our skills. Pastors, staffers, deacons, and Sunday School teachers ought to jump at chances to attend seminars, conferences, and training events where insights and methods for more effective leadership are presented, whether offered by the state convention or the local association or some parachurch organization.

But right in our own backyard, so to speak, and much closer at hand, is an excellent resource for picking up hints and tips and strategies for successful Kingdom work. I'm referring to the Bible. As we scour the scriptures, studying the biographies of the major characters found on its pages, we can develop profiles of the men and women who led well, and, applying what we learn, can enhance our vision and sharpen our approaches as we guide groups and serve people.

Think about Elijah, for example.

This famous Old Testament prophet stands out as a model of productive leadership. Practical lessons abound as we examine his ministry style and techniques.

Obviously it needs to be said that the key to his success was prayer. Even a New Testament writer comments on that, in James 5:16-18. We see illustrations of his commitment to conversation with the Father in 1 Kings 17:20-21, 18:36-37, and 19:4, 10, and 14, and it seems like he carried on a running dialogue with God throughout his tenure of work. To dare to think that we can accomplish anything of lasting spiritual value without a dependance on the Lord in supplication and intercession is sheer folly. Overreliance on human tactics to the exclusion of waiting on God for direction is a dead end.

Elijah appeared to grasp the reality, too, that there are polarities in ministry which require balance. Sometimes you deal with individuals(17:1,10;18:7-8;19:19) and at other times with groups(18:19). Occasionally the situation calls for confrontation(17:1; 18:40;2 Kings 1:16) and at other moments for mercy and compassion(17:10-16). There are seasons to be with people(18:19) and periods of being alone(17:2-7). Sometimes the presence and intervention of God is dramatic and almost overpowering(!8:38;2Kings 2:11) and then at other times He speaks gently(19:11-13) and works slowly and progressively(18:43-45). There will be days of routine and waiting(17:2-7) and then bursts of intense activity(18:20-40; 2Kings 2:1-11). We're wired and gifted by God in certain ways to serve Him along definite pathways, but to keep us on our toes and to surprise us with His greatness and creativity and to expand and grow us and keep us out of ruts He'll take us through some ministry patches where we have to develop and utilize some different skill sets. In God's work, you soon learn to expect the unexpected!

Let's not forget, either, that God had to teach this prophet to take care of himself. In body and in soul. Read all about it in 1 Kings 19. After Elijah's supernatural victory on Mount Carmel he got depressed and stressed and anxious and burned out(ever notice how spells like that sometimes arise after revivals or building campaigns or serious counseling sessions or painful committee meetings?) He was tired and he was lonely. He was ready to quit and prayed to die. The Lord was patient with him, though, and took him through a gradual healing process that restored him physically, mentally, spiritually, relationally, and vocationally. Only then did he recommission and reassign him. We make a grave mistake if we don't protect and safeguard our spirit and our body. If we're always pushing and rushing and don't take time for proper diet and exercise and periods of slowing down and reflecting we're probably gonna crash sooner or later. It is a smart minister who builds into his schedule ample time for rest, recreation, family outings, vacations, and seasons for just listening to God. And the lesson that God taught Elijah in 19:11-13 shouldn't be lost on us--it's not just in the big churches or the big days or the spectacular miracles or the loud, exuberant worship gatherings that the Lord is at work. He works in a myriad of ways. That concept ought to free all of us up!

We also can learn, too, from the way this man of God closed out his ministry. In 1 Kings 19:19-21 the prophet chose and summoned his successor. 2 Kings 2:1-14 indicates that he spent time with and mentored Elisha as well as some prophetic bands in different cities. He stuck close to the guy who would take his place and explained the ropes to him. He strengthened his connection with Elisha as the day of his departure grew closer(rather than emotionally pulling back). A very smooth transition was forged and a great ministry was continued even though Elisha was his own person and pursued his service a little differently. It has often been said that the real test of the success of our labors is what happens after we leave. We bequeath a legacy of effectiveness and ensure a bright future for those who will take up our task if we prepare carefully and give them the tools they'll need to be at their best when we're gone. And by the way, when we say goodbye, we need to leave! Elisha's ministry was every bit as scintillating and productive as Elijah's had been even though he served along some alternative tracks. But there is no record that Elijah ever swooped back down from Heaven to ask his successor why he wasn't doing his job just like Elijah had done it!

Go off to those classes and symposiums and learn all you can about strong leadership. Make sure, though, that you don't overlook that best manual on spiritual service ever written,right there at your fingertips--God's Word. Sure saves on travel expense, too.

Release

2010-07-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

One of the critical lessons about life that we learn as we get older is the value of letting go.

There's a lot of stuff over which we have absolutely no control. It does no good to get all twisted up in knots over it or rage about it or lose sleep or precious time because of it.

You know what I'm talking about. Adult children sometimes make decisions we can't understand. Friends may verbally wound us and not even seem to notice. The aging process slows us down and wears us out and holds us back. Lack of financial resources might prevent us from doing some of the things we'd really like to do. Spouses, as they get older, may say or do this or that and where once we may have overlooked it, these days it is a real irritation. Long standing dreams may now seem out of reach with little or no hope of fulfilment. Unresolved sibling rivalry might be rearing its ugly head. Prolonged illness in the family may be robbing our joy.

It shows up in church life, too. Sometimes members up and hop off to some other congregation without saying why or even good-bye. Often programs and ministries limp along because of a lack of volunteers(a case could be made that if there isn't passion for some event or project in the fellowshIp then maybe God isn't in it and it should be scrubbed or avoided or put on hold). And there are the ever present whiners and complainers and negativity forces.

It's easy for any of us to feel helpless and powerless at what life throws at us from time to time. We have that sense that we have no control over our situation. We want things to go our way, to be just right. We're subconsciously longing for perfection. That's an echo from Eden and a hint of Heaven but we're caught in the in-between and so we get anxious and uptight and occasionally angry at the circumstances we face. That's totally human but it sure does hurt.

Someone wisely said once that if you can do something about what's troubling you, don't worry about it and if you can't do anything about some problem or thorn then likewise don't worry about it. That's good advice, even if hard to practice. Some things aren't going to improve. Some people are not gonna change(regardless of your pleading or pressuring or placating). Actually some of our painful issues are probably going to get worse. That's just the nature of life in this fallen world. It does us no good to get bitter or to sit and stew in our own juices and waste the valuable time we have and miss out on all the joys that this existence does offer.

We have to discover the practice of letting go.

The Apostle Paul, in Phillipians 4:12, speaks of having learned the secret of contentment. It encourages me that this greatest, most mature and godly Christian of all time, had to struggle and wrestle with this and learn it like we do. He suffered and sacrificed and had to release so much that had been of value to him previously(reputation, educational attainments, position). But he fell back on the sovereignty of God. The Lord knows what He's doing and only permits or allows what is for our good and His glory. God is carrying out His plans and purposes for us as He works in us. Check out 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. If we gradually lose our health or our long-cherished hopes and ambitions, or if we find ourselves stuck in circumstances that we wouldn't have chosen and cannot remove, then we must trust in the midst of the darkness or discomfort like the ancient sufferer testified in Job 13:15. All this is part of our sanctification process.

Jesus on one occasion had to gently rebuke Peter for being overly worked up over something that he was concerned about needlessly(John 21:20-22). Our Lord told him that he shouldn't be in a tizzy about it but instead should just focus on following Him. Many times we fret over things that end up not happening. A lot of times we stress out over stuff that's none of our business or we get bogged down in other people's junk.

As we practice letting go of foolish worry(Matthew 6:25-34), and as we start giving away more and more of our treasures and trinkets and tools now and as we yield up our fears and anxieties over losses and distresses to the Father(the famous Serenity Prayer comes to mind) we rehearse for that moment when we will have to surrender everything in death. Perhaps that is why Jesus could so effortlessly cry from the cross "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Likewise Stephen, in Acts 7:59. When you've lived in simplicity and generosity and humility and obedience and abandoned self-interest, you can die without fear or regret

Breathing in, breathing out. Accept with gratitude what God gives. Release back to Him what you cannot cling to or handle on your own. After all, it's not about our image. It's about His image being formed in us.

Prince Of Persia

2010-06-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

It hasn't exactly been a box office blockbuster, but the new movie "Prince Of Persia" has been seen and enjoyed by thousands since it opened in late May.

The action adventure film, based on a video game, tells the story of a young street boy, adopted into the family of an ancient Persian king, who becomes a prince alongside 2 brothers. He grows up to be a man of integrity and courage, and with the help of a beautiful princess saves the kingdom, and perhaps the world, from the evil schemings of a power hungry individual in pursuit of a sand-filled dagger that gives its possessor the ability to turn back time.

This cinematic piece is great fun. It's also complete fiction.

It may surprise you to learn, though, that a "prince of Persia" is mentioned in the Bible. This one is for real.

The reference comes in the Old Testament book of Daniel, chapter 10, verse 13. It speaks not of a human being but of an evil angel who temporarily thwarted the attempt of a heavenly angel to deliver, from God, an answer to Daniel for a prayer he had prayed seeking information and counsel about the future of his countrymen, the Jews. The narrative implies that wicked territorial spirits under the command of Satan were assigned to nations to seek to influence them in opposition to God's will and people. This prince of Persia, then, who evidently was responsible for trying to manipulate the decisions of that kingdom that had just chosen to release many of the Jews long held in captivity, managed to struggle with God's angel and delay a response getting to Daniel for 3 weeks. His evil machinations were overcome by the assistance of Michael, God's chief angel, who came to the aid of the heavenly messenger, who may have been Gabriel. It's interesting that a Hollywood film, "Legion", earlier this year, in its plot had Michael and Gabriel pitted against one another. Nothing could be further from the truth. They're on the same page, the same team, serving God!

All of this sounds so far-fetched and hard to believe in our sophisticated, technological age. But evangelical theology affirms the truthfulness of it. Some lessons emerge.

For starters, spiritual warfare is a reality. There is a titanic, cosmic battle going on in the supernatural, invisible realm all around us. We can't see it but good angels slug it out with demonic forces in a conflict to determine who will persuade and control peoples and nations and individuals. In the admittedly pictorial, apocalyptic book of Revelation you get strong hints of this in chapter 12, verses 7-9, and elsewhere in the New Testament, in Ephesians 6:12, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that a monumental, ongoing struggle is being waged between spiritual forces. National and international philosophies, policies, and actions could well be influenced and shaped more by what we can't see than by what we can. Personal choices, too, are often impacted greatly by this continuing wrestling between good and evil beings over a fallen world whose ultimate redemption has already been won and victoriously assured by the saving death of Christ on the cross. The outcome of the war has been determined but skirmishes go on. Christians must decide each new day how to respond to the temptations faced so that they cooperate with God's plan.

This old, old story also reminds us that prayer is really important. Daniel was so concerned about his people that he prayed for them, seeking God's purposes for their future. Regrettably, most believers pray very little and in our churches prayer is often the spiritual discipline that is emphasized the least. Someone has said that the devil is unhappy but not overly troubled when we go to church or read the Bible or share our faith but he trembles when we pray! It is probably in our praying that we have the greatest opportunity to actually make a difference in this world and partner with God in what he is up to. You could team up with God when you intercede for a grieving family whose name you read about on an obituary page. You work alongside the Lord when you pray for those who might be injured in that car accident that you come up on as you're driving the interstate. When viewing the nightly news you could petition God about people and situations, even of global significance, that are mentioned and play a possible role in potential divine interventions. You might silently converse with the Lord about that hurting person sitting across from you in a doctor's office waiting room and thus be involved in heavenly activity.

There's no doubt that spiritual battles will continue on in the invisible supernatural regions and in individual Christian lives until history wraps up. The angel lets Daniel in on that crucial fact in chapter 10, verse 20. But as was true for that towering Old Testament character, we can have hope and strength. Just as the heavenly being reminded Daniel that he was loved and valued by God, believers should know that they are prized and protected by the Father. As Daniel received a lifting touch from the angel, so we can learn to draw encouragement from the often needed physical hugs and embraces that the Lord uses our human companions to bring to us when we're down and depressed or lonely and confused. And the most vital source for peace and strengthening as we face the challenges and uncertainties of life will come to us, as it did for Daniel, in the truth that God reveals to us in his word. That truth clues us in that the events happening on the world scene, though so often troubling, are ultimately in the hands of a wise and sovereign God and are being worked together toward a grand and positive conclusion. Immersing ourselves in Bible study can increase our confidence and stability.

The days of the real prince of Persia are numbered!

Up, Up, And Away

2010-04-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

There's a strange twist in Acts 8 at the very end of the story of Philip's successful evangelistic encounter with the Ethiopian eunoch.

It may be that some applications and insights for our own Christian walk and soulwinning could be gleaned here.

You know the narrative. Philip has been involved in a very effective mass evangelism campaign in Samaria where many lives were changed. Suddenly the Lord redirects him away from the crowds and out into the desert.There he meets an African government official who is returning, from Jerusalem, where he worshipped the God of the Jews, to his own country. He's reading the Old Testament scriptures. Philip uses that as a springboard to initiate a conversation, witnesses to him about Jesus, leads him to Christ, and baptizes him.

And verse 39 says that as soon as they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away! Before he could really celebrate the conversion of this new brother, before he could disciple him or take him through new members' orientation or even get his address for follow-up or report his name to denominational headquarters, he was taken from the scene!

Did he just become invisible? Was he miraculously, supernaturally airlifted out and transported away? Did he simply walk away quietly and humbly and unobtrusively while everyone in the eunoch's caravan was preoccupied with the official's spiritual experience? We don't know. We're not told. The text only tells us that this evangelist was whisked off, that the new Christian no longer saw him, and that Philip showed up later in other places still sharing the Gospel.

Why did the Lord choose to conclude this very positive outreach effort in this way? By taking one of the key actors off the stage? We can only speculate and venture some guesses.

It's certainly possible that God removed him from the scene to prevent him from succumbing to the ever present inclination and temptation to want to take credit for this evangelistic victory. To receive those congratulatory pats on the back, to be recognized as a high achiever among soulwinners, to be invited often to speak and repeat the details of the story of the big fish won in unusual circumstances. Just thinkin' out loud here, but we all are aware of the human propensity to toot our own horn and embellish the testimony to the applause of others. Could it be that the Lord was sparing Philip from a detour into pridesville following a ministerial high point? We must never forget that we are simply tools in God's hands. He graces us and chooses to give us the privilege of being used by Him. If there's anything good in us, He put it there.

Or maybe God helicoptered this faithful witness out of the situation for the eunoch's benefit. Surely this new believer needed to learn early on that his salvation came from the Lord and not a man. He now must put his focus on following Jesus. Rather than being dependant on another Christian, even a leader, he must walk by faith and trust that God would place other spiritual guides in his path all along the way to help disciple him and answer his questions and model a godly lifestyle before him. Perhaps the eunoch would have leaned on Philip a little too much, setting himself up for a disappointment. In our celebrity culture today we run the risk of putting dynamic Christian communicators and writers and entertainers and pastors on a pedestal, idolizing them and hanging on their every word. Then, if they stumble or fall away, our faith is damaged. Far better to immerse ourselves in scripture and ask the Father to plant different tutors and mentors on our journey(I Corinthians 3:5-8) as we need them. Incidentally, the 2 kinds of Christians most able to assist us in our ongoing pilgrimage are those who simply, humbly, contentedly, restfully walk with the Lord(Isaiah 50:4) and those who have suffered and been tested and have experienced the rich maturity that comes from that(Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). It's usually not the flashy Christian superstars who prove most beneficial as role models along the trail!

Okay. Sure. The newly saved eunoch needed further teaching and instruction. How to pray. How to forgive. How to understand the scriptures. How to deal with adversity.How to plant churches. But by not being able to latch on too tightly to Philip, he could "go on his way rejoicing" and stretch his spiritual muscles and spread his wings and return to Ethiopia where he himself could become a bold witness and a strong Christian leader. God would see to it that this babe in Christ got what he needed.

We can say without reservation that God in His wisdom and sovereignty and providence knows when a job is finished. When Philip had completed his assignment on that isolated desert road, the Lord placed him elsewhere. God knows where we are! We really don't have to push and scramble and climb. We're to bloom where we're planted and be faithful where He has located us at the moment. When He's ready to reassign us, He will! Obviously for Philip there was more work to be done in other locales and when he "parachuted down" he hit the ground running(vs.40) and kept up the ministry of preaching and leading people to Christ. God made it very clear to him when the desert task was complete and a new city ministry was to commence!

And by the way, one of these days our earthly labors will be finished and we'll be caught up to Glory. It may happen at death. You'll be busy serving the Lord and suddenly He'll say, "It's time to come home" and you'll be gone. It might happen at the return of Jesus. You'll be faithfully, passionately working for Christ and unexpectedly He'll appear(I Thessalonians 4:17) and you'll be instantaneously lifted away. Wow! In either event, you'll have this Philip-like experience one day. And who knows? Throughout eternity, God may have us fanned out throughout this vast universe of His, doing His work among the galaxies and supernaturally teleporting us just as he did this dedicated evangelistic deacon centuries ago. What a prospect!

The Lord's ways are mysterious. Philip must have wondered, in frustration, why God would move him from a high octane city-wide crusade to a lonely, sandy road to minister to one man. But what a serendipity he had out there, getting to lead this guy to Christ and then to be whooshed away somewhere else. God constantly surprises, and amazes, us! His work is never really boring. So...let's stay at it. It's too soon to quit. You have no way of knowing what He's gonna do tomorrow!

Movie Themes

2010-02-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

Where to start.

In recent weeks a whole spate of movies has come out that touch on biblical issues and spiritual concerns.

Serious evangelical Christians can use the perspectives expressed in these films as discussion starters with seekers and skeptics who surely have been to the cinema lately. The Apostle Paul modeled that ministry approach in Acts 17 when he observed and then utilized aspects of Athenian culture to launch a conversation about Christ in that pagan city. In Colossians 4:5 he stresses the importance of using every opportunity to cultivate an interest in Christianity among those outside the faith while Peter, in 1 Peter 3:15, advises believers to always be alert and prepared for chances to speak of the hope we have. In today's world, we can draw seed thoughts from movie plots to engage people in reflection and then present the biblical worldview.

Take, for example, "The Lovely Bones", the story of an adolescent girl, brutally raped and murdered by a neighbor who happens to be a sex offender. She goes out into a sometimes beautiful, sometimes fuzzy afterlife where she views her family's grief and desire for justice and where she pines away at lost youth and tries to orchestrate her killer's punishment. OK. It's just a motion picture, but its depiction of what happens at death sure is at odds with the biblical description. For starters, scripture makes it clear that not everybody goes to Heaven when they die. Only those who embrace Christ for salvation will show up there. And those who enter that tangible, material, beautiful place will not harbor jealousies or lusts or regrets or bitternesses anymore. Their bodies will be whole and their spirits will be perfect.There will be travel and art and learning and creating and growth. Contrary to this film's interpretation,though, the center of attention in Heaven will be God, who will receive worship and adoration forever. Even though the amenities will be indescribably awesome, it will not be simply a zone of self-indulgence. And there'll certainly be no possibilities of reconnecting with those left behind or somehow influencing earthly events.

Another cinematic piece, "Legion", weaves a tale of God capriciously, angrily deciding to completely destroy mankind and sending angels Michael and Gabriel to accomplish the deed. Only problem is that Michael feels that this isn't a good idea and proceeds to join forces with the frightened human race and thwart God's plan.

This film regrettably throws together a whole bunch of bits and pieces of significant biblical themes into a tangled mishmash(Flood, God's wrath, birth of Christ, end-times events, angels and demons, etc) that makes no sense. Worse, it offers up a God who is evil and mean-spirited, perhaps mentally ill. It depicts a God who is changeable and probably powerless. It leaves out the wonderful grace of God in Christ and assumes that God has no foreordained, long-standing plan for what will happen to this world. It portrays a heavenly world in chaos and divided just like the human one which is trapped in sin. God is reduced to human attributes and flaws. How completely opposite all this is to the scriptural presentation of God as sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient,immutable, holy, yet patient, and loving, willing for people to repent.

What about "The Book Of Eli", a post-apocalyptic story starring Denzel Washington? It's about some future time when the world has been largely destroyed by some cataclysmic disaster. One lone man travels across a barren landscape, facing all kinds of dangers, and carrying what may be the last copy of the Bible to a place where possibly it might be used in the refurbishing and reestablishment of the earth and culture.

Three cheers for a movie that seemingly exalts the status and significance of the scriptures. Nevertheless, there are problems here. First off, the predicted, ultimate devastation of this planet associated with the second coming of Christ in the last days won't be quite like what's dramatized in this film. At that time, according to the Bible, there will be no second chances for restoration. There will be no possibility of any man-made renaiisance.No prospect of simply pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, working hard, and starting over. Judgement will commence, and then, for believers, a God-directed renovation of this messed-up earth will occur as eternity begins. Also, you get glimpses in the movie of wrong ways to use the Bible. One evil-hearted individual attempts to steal the book from the wanderer so that he can utilize it to control his band of thugs.That kind of mindset is with us all the time, isn't it? And,sadly, at film's end, the delivered and copied Bible is seen as just one more book among many in a redeveloped library of great works of literature, not as the unique, life-changing book that it is.

Finally, "The Wolfman" opened recently. Here is the popular tale of men who are reduced by a curse to a wild, savage wolf-like status when the moon is full. The term for it is lycanthropy. Most people don't know that there's a similar story in the Bible, in Daniel 4. No pagan curse and no full moon business but rather an act of God's judgement, after strong warning, against the uncontrolled pride of Babylon's ruler, Nebuchadnezzar. He became more like an ox than a wolf, but for 7 years lived an animal-like existence until he learned the lesson that before God's sovereignty we are to be humble and grateful and submissive. The Lord usually doesn't use methods like that today, but He will get our attention. We would do well as individuals and as a nation to abandon prideful self-seeking and self-will and submit to God, who made us and knows what's best for us. One of the sins that God hates most is pride, and it is so destructive to human relationships.

Hand Signals

2010-02-14T17:30:00.000-08:00

Sarah Palin again created quite a stir when she spoke at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville a few weeks ago.

The part of her speech that garnered the most attention and generated the most buzz among the media and pundits, though, seems to have been her cute remark teasing President Obama about his apparent overuse of teleprompters when he speaks to groups. What made her comment so bizarre was that even as she was making it, the TV cameras and photographers could easily see jotted notes of an apparent outline of her talk and seed thoughts for responses to questions scribbled on her left hand!

It's laughable. She's been pilloried in the press for what seems like hypocrisy.

All of us certainly should guard against saying one thing and doing another. Jesus frequently warned about a hypocritical lifestyle. I suppose that politicians and educators and us preachers have to be especially careful that we don't lecture our listeners about stuff that we're not practicing ourselves. I am so keenly aware of my own sins and foibles and failures that I really try to be measured and transparent in my sermons and in my counseling. To exude grace, to speak the truth in love. To avoid setting the bar higher for you than I am reaching for myself.

Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson wrote in his blog that the recent Palin incident should caution us to refrain from attacking people personally when we have to criticize their policies or their philosophies. I agree. We don't have to condemn someone's personality quirks and idiosyncrasys and style just because we are at odds with their perspectives on issues. Her silly little barb about Obama's speaking techniques drew attention away from the larger import of his basic views of governing. And it can be a little dangerous to assume that we know another individual's motives when we are essentially opposed to their convictions and stands.

Now, what about Obama's teleprompter use and Sarah's very hand-y cue cards? Is it so wrong to have some notes when making a talk or presentation?

I don't think so. When I was in Jr High and had a girlfriend, I'd be so nervous about calling her on the telephone, scared that I'd run out of things to say and that there'd just be silence, that I actually penciled some conversation points on paper before dialing her number! I use an outline and notes in the pulpit. Probably most preachers do. I tell young people that the key to giving a good report in class is coming up with 3 or 4 talking points or developing a short outline, which makes it a lot easier to stand up and have something to say or write that long term paper. Reflections of substance. Frankly, I'd much rather hear a professor or a politician or a minister speak with the aid of notes if he can thereby talk with intelligence and eloquence and say something thought out and worth saying and interesting to hear. This might surprise you, but I think it can even be helpful occasionally to write out our prayers. What is the Old Testament book of Psalms but a work of prepared, written prayers and praises that we can use even today to recite back to our awesome God? And incidentally, I even jotted down a few notes about ideas I wanted to stress in this article before starting to write it!

Yes, there's a place for extemporaneous speaking. For sharing right out of the heart.No manuscript or note cards. We'll not always have the luxury of time to diligently prepare for proper wording and grammer and sharp, crisp insights when we're unexpectedly called on to pray aloud or to answer a question or to comment on an issue. What that means is that we've got to be continually in a state of preparation by our reading and by our personal, private prayer life and by our attention to what's going on around us and by quality time spent in solitude and meditation. That was Paul's secret for effective witness in Athens(Acts 17). That was Peter's advice in 1 Peter 3:15. Know what's happening. Get God's mind on something.

By the way, Ms. Palin's markings- on- the- hand reminds me that God has done something similarly. In Isaiah 49:16 the Lord says, "Behold, I have enscribed you upon the palms of my hands..."Now I know that's anthropomorphic language(ascribing human form or characteristics to our invisible God, who is Spirit) but what a message it conveys. God loves us and cares for us and thinks about us in such a way that it's like He's got our individual names and situations written indelibly on His hands! Sarah may have scrubbed her hands with lots of soap to erase her memory joggers when she got back to her hotel room that night, but God delights in seeing and considering our enscribed names. Forever.

Let's leave Ms. Palin, and yes, Mr. Obama, alone when it comes to using memory tools for their speeches. Cut 'em some slack. Let's pay more attention to what they're actually saying.

When The Saints Go Marchin' In

2010-02-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

How ' bout those New Orleans Saints?

They deserve congratulation after Sunday night's Super Bowl victory. It was a good game.

It set me to thinking. You know one of the New Testament labels for Christians is the word "saint'. It shows up often in the epistles. It doesn't denote a perfect person("She's so sweet and kind. She's a real saint.") Nor does it refer to someone elevated or canonized by a church. It doesn't speak of one who is especially religious.

A saint, rather, is someone called out by God, for God. An individual set apart for God's purposes. The term connects with sanctification and with holiness. It designates a person positionally placed in God's family and service and involved in a lifelong post-conversion process of becoming like Jesus.

I've never researched why the victorious football team of last night has that particular name. I also do not know how many, if any, of the players are believers in Christ. I am aware that the guys were not expected to win that thing in Miami. But they really showed us something!

A lesson emerges.

We Christians are usually viewed by the world as a bunch of losers. As ignorant and backward. Out of step and out of touch. But ultimately we win!

The culture around us may laugh at us now, but one day there will be trophies and crowns and rewards for God's faithful ones. The time clock is running down. Soon the hard fought contest will be over. And surprise will permeate the universe, just as it did yesterday evening in that stadium and in millions of living rooms across America!

Whose team are you on?

Miscellany

2010-01-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

SERMON RECAP: Last Sunday morning we took a look at Luke 4:14-21 with its story of Jesus, on the front end of His ministry, visiting the synagogue in his boyhood hometown of Nazareth(I think it's important to "go back home" sooner or later, both literally and figuratively).

Jesus participated in the synagogue service by reading an Old Testament passage and commenting on it. He really valued the scriptures, as evidenced by His going where they were honored and knowing where to find the text he wanted to read. Apparently it was not only His custom to "go to church" but to spend time in God's word. The Bible is God's authoritative revelation to us(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21) and should be treasured. How valuable are the scriptures in your life?

It's obvious that Jesus saw himself in the text. He interprets the Isaiah passage as referring to Him personally in His Messianic role(vss. 18, 21). Sometimes when we read the Bible we're tempted to think it's just a history lesson or that it's for somebody else. But scripture is our instruction manual and a love letter to us from God. Our marching orders.There are warnings, promises, comforts, directions, and challenges there for us. Today. It is equally clear that Jesus saw Jesus in those Old Testament portions. That sounds redundant, but what I mean is that our Lord understood that the ancient scriptures unfold and predict and picture and present Him. In some way He shows up in every Bible book! In the types and ceremonies and tabernacle and prophecies He is foreshadowed and announced. His post-resurrection dialogue with some followers on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:27 puts it all together for His listeners.

Most importantly, Jesus saw us in the scriptures. In verses 18-19 he uses the text to offer His personal mission statement and strategy for ministry. It's all about people. It has to do with meeting needs. Certainly He viewed His task as that of compassionate social, physical outreach(helping the poor, the hurting, the jailed, the sick). Also, though, He took His assignment as encompassing a far deeper work, that of inner, spiritual transformation(sinners are poor in spirit, soul-blinded, captive to sin, and needing deliverance). Contemporary believers, too, have a dual task. We must endeavor to relieve human suffering but also witness to grace and salvation and life change in Christ.

AT THE MOVIES: The new film, "Avatar" has been a box office smash since it opened about 6 weeks ago. It has lots of action, gorgeous scenery, thrilling music, an intriguing plot, and creative special effects. This sci-fi flick spins the narrative of soldiers and scientists from Earth who travel to a distant moon, Pandora, to try to extract a precious mineral desperately needed on our by then deteriorating planet. They are ultimately and decisively thwarted by the defensive actions of the natives who reside there.

This motion picture is quite interesting and entertaining, but regrettably is a thinly veiled Hollywood protest against perceived Western greed and exploitation and environmental plundering. It comes across as anti-American and anti-military. It portrays essentially a pantheistic, New Age, Wiccan, Earth-worshipping spirituality wrapped in an attractive, appealing garb. There seems to be a blending of Eastern religion and African animism here.

What to tell the kids: yes, Christians are to take care of the environment. That's a mandate from God(Genesis 1:26-31;2:15). No, we are not to worship nature. Our God is personal and transcendant, greater than, and above and beyond, all that He has made. He is not in flowers and trees and grass and stars but rather fashioned them for His glory and our enjoyment. He reveals Himself in His creation(Psalm 19:1-6) but more significantly in His scriptures(Psalm 19:7-14) and most perfectly in His Son, Jesus(Hebrews 1:1-3). No, when we die we are not absorbed into some kind of vague, cosmic force but instead will have distinct, personal identities.

Sharpening The Ax

2010-01-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

How about a good book?

Reading is a great way to stretch mentally and deepen spiritually. The Apostle Paul understood that. Even when at the end of his ministry, in jail and near death, he was requesting stuff to read, according to 2 Timothy 4:13. He wanted to stay sharp and fresh, intellectually alert and vocationally visionary and spiritually focused.

We could benefit, too, from using some of our time during these winter days to recharge with the aid of wise writers. Allow me to pass on some suggestions of helpful works that are blessing me personally just now.

Anything that John Ortberg pens is insightful and creative. His latest offering is The Me I Want To Be(Zondervan, 2010). He discusses individual growth and maturity in a variety of areas, and uses very helpful illustrations. Chip Ingram's new book, Living On The Edge(Howard Books, 2009) also deals with deepening our spirituality, and he develops, in a very practical way, the applications that come from Romans 12.

You'll find John Piper's most recent work, though brief, to be rich and pointed. It is A Sweet And Bitter Providence(Crossway, 2010). He works through the Old Testament book of Ruth, drawing out crucial themes that impact our lives today. He highlights sex, race, and the sovereignty of God as well as the comforting truth that the Lord is always at work in our situations to bring about our good and His glory. Pure Pleasure(Zondervan, 2009) by Gary Thomas would refresh you. He ponders why Christians feel so bad about feeling good. He offers a practical theology about delighting in the everyday pleasures that God created for us to enjoy while warning about the misuse of those joys.

Want something a little deeper? Try the weighty academic study by Andreas Kostenberger, A Theology Of John's Gospel And Letters(Zondervan, 2009). It thoroughly probes the historical and literary features of these New Testament writings and digs out in detail the critical themes. This work provides fodder for a long, satisfying investigation of these portions of scripture. Sermons galore could be birthed out of these pages, and Sunday School preparation enhanced.

For some scintillating reflections on marriage, check out Love And War(Doubleday, 2009) by John and Stasi Eldredge. This couple blends scriptural thoughts with experiences out of their own relationship and those of people they counsel to serve up some beneficial advice on marital issues. Their transparency is refreshing and their wisdom enriching. If you need to brush up on your leadership skills, you might find Axiom(Zondervan, 2008) by Bill Hybels to be of assistance. This noted megachurch pastor shares a wealth of insights in short, incisive chapters on matters like vision, strategy, communication, teamwork, assessment, and integrity. It's almost like a "book of Proverbs" on leadership issues.

Dr. Larry Crabb does an interesting thing in his new book, 66 Love Letters(Thomas Nelson, 2009). He devotes a chapter to each book in the Bible and"converses with God" about what He is trying to communicate in each particular portion of scripture in terms of personal concern. This comes off like a daily journal kind of reading experience and is packed with rich thoughts on all kinds of spiritual and emotional matters in light of what God gave us in His Word centuries ago. This book offers a different kind of devotional way to work through the Bible over a year.

So...see ya at the bookstore.

Post Yuletide Reflections

2009-12-28T04:23:00.000-08:00

What will you do after Christmas?

Now that this wonderful, magical season has come and gone, how will you spend the new year fast approaching?

In Matthew 2 we are given both good and bad examples of how to move into and live in a new 12-month period. During Advent we took a look at the characters of that first Christmas depicted in this chapter and discovered what they did in response to the birth of Jesus. Now it might be good to consider how they behaved after all those amazing events surrounding Christ's nativity took place.

Regrettably, according to verses 16-18, Herod decided not to change at all. He had been cruel, malicious, proud, and vengeful before Jesus came into the world and continued on that track following the realization that a long-awaited Messiah had now indeed been born. In his jealous aim to get rid of what he saw as a potential threat to his throne, he ordered the ruthless slaughter of little children in Bethlehem. Though we will surely not match the extremity and severity of his evil, we will imitate his approach to life if we do not resolve to make some alterations in our thinking and in our conduct as we step over into 2010. Are there habits that need to be jettisoned? Relationships that need to be mended? Lifestyle patterns that ought to be adopted? Stinkin' thinking that should be corrected? Ugly attitudes to be confessed and forsaken?

We could really learn something here from the Magi. Verse 12 tells us that after visiting and worshipping the child Jesus, they returned to their homeland a different way.

When you genuinely draw close to Christ and walk with Him, you find that it is impossible to live the same old way you always have. You continually make adjustments as you seek to please Him. The beginning of a new year is a naturally opportune time for evaluation and redirection.Spending some hours before the curtain falls on 2009 to meditate and reflect on fresh courses of action to take as the calendar page turns would probably do us far more good than reveling and putting on party hats and watching the ball drop at midnight New Year's Eve!

And from Mary and Joseph we can pick up the lesson that you can expect the unexpected as time unfolds. After all the exhilaration accompanying the nativity of Jesus, with the angels and shepherds and wise men celebrating His arrival, comes the sudden middle-of-the night summons to get up and take the family and escape to Egypt for the safety of the child from Herod's wrath. Life changed so quickly! These parents were obedient to the divine command, however, and immediately at that. Joseph paid attention to God's warning, made the unplanned move, adapted to the transition and to changes in his day-to-day routines, and stayed tuned in to the Lord for detailed guidance in how to proceed. Read it for yourself in verses 13-15 and 19-23. From the thrill and excitement of that first Christmas to the nitty-gritty of protecting and rearing the treasure who is Jesus these earthly parents were thrust.

They offer us a positive model for personal growth and maturity in the next 12 months. Understand that God is committed to our protection and progress. Listen to Him as He speaks through scripture and sermons and godly counsel from others. Remember that not everything will be easy. There will be some pain and heartache and twists and turns(Mary would later recall Simeon's words in Luke 2:35). Be obedient at the first mention of God's will about something to stop, or something to start. Move forward in confidence even when you can't see all of the picture in advance(verses 21-23). Like Mary and Joseph, realize that having and being with Jesus is worth all the sacrifices that may have to be made.

Have a happy, blessed, and stretching new year!

Movie Messages

2009-12-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

I thoroughly enjoyed the new Disney animated motion picture, "A Christmas Carol" a few weeks ago.

It is the latest in a long line of movie remakes of the classic short novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1843. The simple but powerful story is about how the crotchety, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is transformed one Christmas Eve night from greedy, selfish, hardheartedness into a joyful, caring, generous individual as a result of some dreams and visions in his sleep about his past, present, and future. It is the quintessential secular holiday narrative. It's loved by kids and adults alike. It packs a punch with its basic theme.

Admittedly, there are some theological flaws here. For one thing, it's never stated that Scrooge's tight-fisted, unsympathetic behavior springs from a fallen human nature. We know that Ephesians 2:1-3 and Titus 3:3 and Romans 3:23 and 5:12 and Mark 7:20-23 and numerous other biblical texts make it clear that we are all sinners who inherited a sin nature from Adam and are thus inclined to commit acts of sin. We need a total heart change! Read Psalm 51.

The plot also sorta leaves the impression that Ebenezer's dramatic transformation comes about solely because he gets some illumination(that sounds a little bit like the old Gnostic heresy) and because he decides to turn over a new leaf and start doing good deeds for other people. That's a works righteousness. We do need to see the light and hear the truth(John 1:5-9 and Romans 10:14-17) but in order to be saved we must be born again, born from above(John 3:3-8). That doesn't happen by our efforts or desire to reform but by the work of the Holy Spirit in applying God's salvation to us on the inside. A completely regenerated heart will then be different and our conduct will change.

Okay, okay, I know Dickens' work is just a story. And we should be grateful for it since it lifts high some significant values and truths. It is something of a window into crucial insights that people need.

It certainly reminds us that second chances are possible in life. That's incredibly good news.

It also demonstrates that sometimes it takes difficult, painful experiences to wake us up, to get us thinking, to help us see ourselves for what we really are, and to stir us to change. Scrooge's night time visitations were anything but pleasant. They got his attention, though. Often God uses tragedy or failures or sickness or loss to move us to listen.

When all is said and done, relationships are most important. Money never ultimately satisfies. It can be stolen or lost. You can't take it with you when you die. You can use it to be a blessing in others' lives and thus send it on ahead of you to Heaven as treasure there(Matthew 6:19-21 and Luke 16:9). A lot of "Tiny Tims" may meet us and thank us.

Enjoy people this Christmas. Your family, your co-workers, your fellow church members. Delight in the parties and get-togethers. Give to the needy. Laugh. Thrill to beautiful seasonal music. Show forth the life and light and joy and peace of Jesus.

Insights From The Men Who Followed The Light In The Night

2009-11-24T06:21:00.000-08:00

I think all of us get re-fascinated with the story of the wise men in Matthew 2 at this time of year.

For us there is great sentimental value in the narrative. For Matthew this true account afforded him an opportunity to foreshadow the eventual fulfilment of ancient prophecy that Gentiles would come to Christ in large numbers from all over the world.

I find some helpful lessons for life and leadership here. Some personal applications show up.

For starters, when you are called to a place of service, recognize that God has been preparing you for a long time. These pagan men, perhaps from Persia, had been exposed to Old Testament scriptures because Jews, living there since Daniel's time, had probably talked about them. Maybe Numbers 24:17 was a text they mentioned. The Lord uses a variety of people and situations to shape and equip us for future ministry. He doesn't call us and then abandon us.
To be effective in Kingdom work, we've got to be willing to take some risks. These pilgrims boldly decided to embark on a long, long journey with lots of uncertainties because they really wanted to see this long-predicted new king. Sometimes churches need to think and act outside the box. All of us need to consider getting out of our comfort zones and going on that overseas mission trip, perhaps, or helping plant a new church, or using our retirement years on some big projects for the Master. These men would've missed a lot had they settled for ease in their land.
Wise leaders understand that you should never fear where the truth leads you. These seekers stirred up the waters when they rode into Jerusalem and started asking questions about the birth of a new ruler nearby. Confusion, anxiety, and Herod's hostility resulted. God used all of that, though, to bring about the completing of His purposes. Sometimes secrets and lies and unhealthy systems and tradition-based but unproductive programs have to be brought into the light, exposed, examined, and jettisoned in order for a fresh work of God to begin. Painful? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely. Whether we like it or not, occasionally the boat has to be rocked.
This story certainly reminds us that the scriptures are to be our final authority. The Magi got their most crucial, reliable information about the location of little Jesus from those Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem who went back and delved into the Old Testament prophecies, like Micah 5:2, that announced where the Messiah would be born. Then the seekers proceeded on in confidence and joy until they found Him in Bethlehem. It is essential that we immerse ourselves in the Bible if we would experience a fulfilling Christian walk or be strong spiritual leaders. If our priority is worshipping and pleasing Jesus as these men did we will find contentment and victory in our journey. The star was helpful, but the scriptures gave a precise, clear word.
These travelers also remind us that it is good to leave something of value behind us as we move through life. In an act of adoration, these guys placed gold, frankincense, and myrrh in front of this small child. As symbolic and significant as these gifts were in themselves, they were probably used in a very practical way by Mary and Joseph to provide the financial resources needed for that emergency trip to Egypt they had to make to protect Jesus from Herod's wrath. In our estate planning, we should remember the Lord's work. In our day to day lives, as we turn loose of things and give them away, whether books or artworks or tools or dollars, we must trust that the Lord will bring good out of them for others. As we share toward the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, we should rejoice that our missionaries are being helped.
And by all means, remember that how you finish is important. That's true of a ministry. It's true of life itself. The wise men did not slack off in their listening to God's revelation after they had visited Jesus.They heeded God's voice as it came in a dream and altered their return travel plans. They refused to compromise the safety of young Jesus. They were willing to change course. Beginning a career or a task or a life with flair and energy and determination is good, but staying at it with faithfulness and consistency all the way to the end is to be prized. These pilgrims could be justifiably proud when they got back home because not only had they started off with a bang on the trip of a lifetime, and not only had they actually spent time with the Messiah, they had been obedient and used in the hands of God to further His divine program. A celebration at a conclusion is a lot more satisfying than a party at a launch. Hearing the Lord's "well done, thou good and faithful servant" will mean much more than the temporary relief we might get from quitting a difficult job and throwing in the towel because not enough people are noticing or appreciating us.

Have a very Merry Christmas. It's a joy serving among you.

Helpful Reading

2009-11-23T07:13:00.000-08:00

When the wise men, following a star, traveled hundreds of miles to find the long awaited Christ child, they stopped in Jerusalem to ask questions and get further directions.

The Jewish religious leaders there searched their ancient scriptures and were able to tell the inquiring pilgrims that the predicted location for the baby's birth was nearby Bethlehem.

The reading of those helpful materials provided crucial information for these journeying seekers and gave them the inspiration they needed to continue their quest.

Perhaps during the hectic rush of this holiday season you're searching for some good books to nourish your spirit. Maybe with the shorter days and longer nights of this time of year you'd like to devote a little more attention to reading. Or it could be that you'd like to purchase some quality, soul-refreshing writings to give as gifts to friends or family at Christmas. The right kinds of books can make a real difference in our lives.

Allow me to recommend some works that have enriched me personally.

Timothy Keller's Counterfeit Gods(Dutton, 2009) is all about the idols we make of money, sex, and power and how they can never really satisfy the hungry soul. Keller's last offering, The Prodigal God(Dutton, 2008) is also a worthwhile read that will spiritually encourage you.

Looking for some counsel on distressing personal issues? Two books by well-known people-helper June Hunt blend biblical teachings with psychological insights to provide wise advice. Her Counseling Through The Bible Handbook(Harvest House, 2008) and How To Handle Your Emotions(Harvest House, 2008) both deal with concerns like depression, fear, anger, grief, and loneliness. Eating disorders, dysfunctional family styles, sexual problems and a variety of other topics get discussed, too. Healing The Scars Of Emotional Abuse(Revell, 2009) by Dr. Gregory Jantz skillfully outlines how to recover from the various types of abuse we may have experienced in the past and how to handle the negative stuff we sometimes get from other people in the present.

Anything by Philip Yancey is always thought-provoking. His newest book, Grace Notes(Zondervan, 2009) is a compilation of some of his writings over the years placed in a daily devotional kind of format and touching on a wide range of soul concerns.

If you want a work with some intellectual muscle try The End Of Christianity(B&H Publishers, 2009) by Christian philosopher William Dembski. It grapples with the problem of evil in light of the Christian conviction that God is good, and traces evil back to the Fall with some scholarly reasonings. This book, like those by Lee Strobel and Ravi Zacharias, is a good apologetic tool to assist the believer in defending the faith.

Hunting for a new Bible for yourself or someone else this Christmas? I'd suggest buying a study edition since you'd not only get the text but hundreds of helpful explanatory notes as well. My favorite is the ESV Study Bible(Crossway, 2008). It's packed with very illuminating information. It's thick, and a little expensive, but a fabulous investment.

My top recommendation this time around is Randy Alcorn's If God Is Good(Multnomah, 2009). It is a rich, full, warm examination from a biblical perspective of the pain, evil, and suffering in our world. Alcorn looks at it from a wide variety of angles. He uses a lot of illustrations and presents dozens and dozens of encouraging principles. If you can only read one book this year, it probably ought to be this one! It will greatly expand your vision.

You may recognize Alcorn's name since he also wrote the bestselling work Heaven(Multnomah, 2004). That book is still available and is the best offering on that subject I've ever seen. He answers, from scripture and from sanctified imagination, tons of questions about the Christian's eternal home. His basic premise is that Heaven will be a place of meaningful activity and fulfilment, not an everlasting retirement village where we sit on clouds and strum harps! James L. Garlow and Keith Wall present a very similar picture in their Heaven And The Afterlife(Bethany House, 2009). In this shorter work they take up a lot of inquiries about Heaven, Hell, angels, demons, and death.

For the lover of biographies, there's John Piper's new book, Filling Up The Afflictions Of Christ(Crossway, 2009). This brief but interesting volume tells the story of three great Christians, William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton, and how they endured much and suffered greatly for their faith.

Do something good for yourself. Imitate the wise men of Matthew's Gospel this Christmas by not being afraid to stop and ask questions. You may find the answers to those questions on the pages of a good book!

Miscellany 2

2009-11-17T06:19:00.000-08:00

EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP: I am gratified at your response to Dr. Bob Davis and his message the other Sunday. I got some very favorable comments regarding his ministry among us. Bob is a good friend. I guess I've known him for 30 years now. The Lord has used him all over our country as he has preached the simple gospel.

Dr. Davis is an evangelist. That means his primary task is reaching the lost, preaching the news of salvation in Jesus to them. In Ephesians 4 Paul mentions that evangelists are gifts to the churches to assist them in witnessing to unbelievers. Congregations ought to bring in these guys from time to time as they are divinely skilled to help gather in the harvest.

The giftings and role of a pastor are a little different. Even though he should occasionally "do the work of an evangelist"(2 Timothy 4:5) his major responsibility is developing the saints, those who are already Christians. He is to feed and instruct them. Disciple them. Guide them. Build them up in the faith so that they become strong, solid, serving, Christ-like followers of the Master. His sermons will usually not be of the same type as those of the evangelist. Theoretically he should be offering deeper, stronger stuff. If he does his job some soulwinners will eventually spring up from within the church.

After one has been evangelized(gotten saved, become a Christian) he should advance and progress and mature as a disciple. So assemblies benefit from the unique ministries of both kinds of servants in reaching and then strengthening converts. It is likely that we will invite Bob back to be with us again at some future time. We'll use other evangelists as well. Between their visits let's study and dig and pray and get stretched and grow to become all that God wants us to be spiritually.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Yesterday I was perusing a Christian book in a local bookstore and was impressed with it and almost bought it. Something kept me from doing so. Later, at home, I got to reflecting. I think I already have that book. This morning I started searching through all my stacks and sure enough, I had purchased that work, a few years back! I found it. That set off more reflection. A spiritual lesson emerged. How many people are longing for something to fill their souls and relieve the emptiness and are trying anything and everything to be happy when all the time what they crave most is so close at hand(Romans 10:5-13)? It's Jesus we really need. Isaiah 55:1-3 is a great text on this. Booze and drugs and wild partying and promiscuous sex can never ultimately satisfy. Trying to find love in an extramarital affair when genuine intimacy can be found right at home with one's spouse(Proverbs 5) or seeking to discover fulfilment by overwork at the office or plant when incredible joy can be yours right in your house by building stronger relationships with your kids are foolish pathways. By the way, not that it matters to this discussion, but just in case you're wondering, the book I rediscovered in my own dwelling is Dallas Willard's neat work on developing Christ-like character, The Renovation Of The Heart(NavPress, 2002).

Saturday morning I literally wept through almost 2 hours of the show on HGTV called Extreme Makeover:Home Edition. A large group of designers and builders and just ordinary folks built, from scratch, in one week's time, a palatial new house for a widowed young pastor's wife with 5 kids who had been living in an old inadequate trailer. And they refashioned that trailer, too, and gave it to another impoverished single-parent family, much to their surprise and joy. I fell in love with that TV program! It set me to cogitating. When I saw all those volunteers united in purpose, working on a common task, each with their particular talents and abilities, laboring hard and quickly, I believe I got a glimpse of what church ought to be like. We are to be builders, you know(1 Corinthians 3, 1 Peter 2:4-6). Building our individual lives up on the inside but also constructing, under God, a spiritual, ever-growing congregation. And, it's good, too, for a fellowship to every now and then perhaps do a big hands-on, physical labor kind of project to help people. In eternity we'll still be constructing things(Isaiah 65:21-22). I can't wait to travel throughout the universe designing and building homes to the glory of God...even though I don't know the first thing about hammers, nails, lumber, and saws now!!!!

Miscellany

2009-10-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

SERMON FLIPSIDES: In my message on October 18 I talked about how God is spirit and thus invisible, without boundaries or limits(John 1:18, 4:24; I John 4:12). I made the statement that because God is not confined to one place, and genuine worship is not based on location, that it is thus possible to commune with the Lord and praise Him on the golf course or in a boat on the lake or in a cabin in the mountains on Sunday mornings. One does not have to be in a church building. God is omnipresent and can receive our worship anywhere. But now let me qualify that so as not to be misunderstood! If one just uses that truth as a convenient excuse for avoiding faithful church attendance, and gets out in those natural settings and thinks of a thousand other things than God, and is not intentional about spending time with Him, then this insight has been misinterpreted and misapplied. Elijah had perhaps his greatest encounters with the Lord in the outdoors(1 Kings 18 and 19) but he was focused on spiritual realities while there. And don't forget that even though it might actually enhance our closeness to God to occasionally worship Him out among the trees and flowers and hillsides and singing birds, we are commanded to regularly assemble with other believers in corporate praise and fellowship and instruction(Hebrews 10:25). Not to do so is sin.
In my October 25th sermon from Luke 14:7-14, I preached about the comments of Jesus on humility. At a banquet He was attending He noticed the jockeying for position and the rush to get the best seats and the attempts to be seen at prominent tables with popular people. He warned that it could prove ultimately embarrassing to stake out the front, head- table, most- noticed dining spots if you subsequently had to be reassigned to a more obscure part of the banquet hall. It would be far better to go in to the affair humbly, quietly, unobtrusively, and pick a back corner seat and perhaps be pleasantly, serendipitously surprised by the host's invitation to move closer to more choice accomodations. Jesus is making the point that we should live with such inner contentment and healthy self-esteem that we don't have to be first in line or recognized or applauded or seen hobnobbing with the most glamorous people in order to feel good about ourselves. The kingdom principle is that humility(not prized much in our culture) usually leads to promotion or exaltation. But here's a caveat. Don't see this teaching from Jesus as discouraging us, in the proper settings, from getting seats near the front! If you're in a tour group, stand as near to the guide as possible, so you can hear the information and ask questions. In school, sit up in the front of the classroom to avoid distractions and to glean as much knowledge as possible. And...here it comes. In church take your seat in one of those first 4 or 5 front pews so you can be fully engaged in all that's going on!

READING TIPS: June Hunt's book, How To Handle Your Emotions(Harvest House, 2008) deals with anger, fear, grief and depression from a scriptural basis. It offers clear, helpful counsel. Healing The Scars Of Emotional Abuse(Revell, 2009) by Gregory Jantz discusses how to recover from the various types of abuse we may have experienced in the past and how to handle the negative stuff we sometimes get from other people in the present. Tim Keller's new work, Counterfeit Gods(Dutton, 2009) is about the idols we make of money, sex, and power, and how they can never satisfy the hungry soul.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS: If you're going to buy a new Bible as a yuletide gift for a friend or family member this year, let me encourage you to purchase a study edition so that helpful explanatory notes can be found alongside the text. My recommendations? Either the new Transformation Study Bible(David C. Cook, 2009) with its great notes from Warren Wiersbe or The ESV Study Bible(Crossway, 2008). Both are rich treasures!

THANKS! You made Pastor Appreciation Month so special for me.

Shepherd's Staff

2009-09-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

A church that lovingly and generously takes care of its staff is generally a happier, healthier, more productive congregation.

It's important to be a blessing in the lives of those whom God gives to us to lead us and assist us in the work of ministry.

The Apostle Paul apparently believed that. In 1 Corinthians 16:10-11 he encourages the believers to receive Timothy, to treat him well, and to back him up in his Christian labors. In Ephesians 4 Paul seems to suggest that pastors and staffers are gifts provided to local assemblies to strengthen them in their efforts at maturing and multiplying. A church that lavishly bestows hospitality and graciousness and provision on those in kingdom work will usually find favor and good things coming back to it.

A strong, grace-filled fellowship will see to it that its staff is well-compensated. When full-time Christian servants don't have to worry and struggle financially they usually are freer to joyfully work harder and more effectively in the Lord's vineyard. A wise and caring congregation will thus take the time to study to see if its salary packages are competitive and fair and keeping pace. To call upon Paul again, it's interesting that he discusses pay issues for church leaders in passages like I Timothy 5:17-18 and Galatians 6:6 and I Corinthians 9. Local assemblies that put lots of funds into facilities or send much money overseas but keep co-workers in anxiety about making ends meet may not be practicing good stewardship or careful obedience to Christ.

Loving churches will also see the value in appropriately recognizing and honoring faithful staff members from time to time, especially on their anniversaries of service. Doing so gives a fellowship the chance to celebrate what that person's ministry has meant. It gives a church the opportunity to express thanks for a job well done. Notes or letters of encouragement, taking staffers out for a meal, and even occasional small gifts convey appreciation and respect and affection. Once more Paul offers guidance, this time in I Thessalonians 5:12-13. To ignore this counsel is sin. Actually when a local assembly heaps kindness and delights on a loyal worker it ends up awash in those blessings itself, as Romans 12:15 indicates. Congregational health is fostered, unity is enhanced, and joy blossoms.

Are ministers and staffers in some churches overpaid? Sure. Are there professional workers in some fellowships who are arrogant and proud or lazy or mean-spirited? Absolutely. Is it possible that pastors and staff members serving in congregations where there is ample remuneration and abundant, tangible honor and love shown can grow calloused and comfortable and apathetic? You bet. But many, many of the church laborers across our land are vastly overworked and underpaid. Little appreciated. Lots of them feel beat up and often depressed and discouraged. The numbers are staggering of the pastors and music ministers and youth workers and even secretaries who eventually give up, quit, and never return to church work again. Most regrettably, some of them are so burned out and turned off that they don't even attend church anymore. Ever. A lot of fellowships have "blood on their hands" that they'll answer to God for.

It seems that congregations have it in their power to so love and cherish and protect their staff that the outlook and perspective of these workers can be healthy and sound for the whole course of their ministerial career, even if there are some bumps along the way. Speaking up for these folks, nipping silly rumors in the bud, supporting their initiatives, and adequately providing for them financially can enhance and extend their ministries exponentially.

Besides...it'll be harder to keep good, quality staffers if we don't. They'll constantly be polishing up their resumes, looking for some new field where maybe they'll receive kinder treatment. And mark it down--it'll probably be tougher and a lot more expensive to secure their replacements!

Passage

2009-08-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

The New Testament book of Acts is filled with transitions.

There's the switch from the visible ministry of the physical Jesus to the invisible but powerful work of the Holy Spirit. There's the gradual, outward movement of the Christian witness from Jerusalem to other areas and eventually to Rome. The shift from gospel proclamation going for Jews only to later include Gentiles as well is highly significant. The change from the preeminence of Peter's influence early on in the book to the increasing impact of Paul's work is obvious.

A case study of one transition in this exciting book shows up in Acts 1:15-26 as the small band of disciples tries to adjust to the ascension/departure of the resurrected Christ and the defection/suicide of Judas. What will this group do now? How will they carry out their mission to evangelize the world?

Peter steps up and convenes a meeting. He openly and honestly lays out the facts of the situation. He stresses that this band of believers must move on and advance forward. He calls for a replacement to be selected for Judas and indicates that the choice needs to be made carefully. The group deliberates with keen spiritual discernment plus common sense, decides on a course of action, and then prays, leaving the ultimate results in God's hands. This first real test of the strength of their fellowship and their organization ends successfully.

I think it is true that Christians and churches are living today in Acts 29. For us, transitions are just as inevitable as they were for our spiritual forebears.

We're experiencing some of that right now in our wonderful Peninsula Baptist Association.

Since October, 2007 we've been in an interim period. Just recently, after prolonged study and discussion, we officially made the shift from an older model of getting the churches to do the association's work to a whole new paradigm of viewing the association as a resource for enabling and assisting and equipping and partnering with congregations in doing their own particular and unique ministries. The analysis and conversations and questions and vote were all positive. Now we are trying to begin the process of fleshing all of this out as it relates to staffing alignment and services offered.

We're also transitioning from one Director of Missions to another. We miss Jim Ailor and the good men who served before him, but we now build upon the great foundation they left us and eagerly look forward to the individual God is preparing to lead us in the future. Your Interim Leadership and Admin and Retreat Board Teams have been attempting to wisely, gently guide the association in steadily working through a host of issues(office relocation, Seafarer ministry and building, Eastover potential, best configuration of staff, etc.) so that when the next DOM is called all of these matters will be settled and our new leader can hit the ground running in effective, strategic leadership.

I sincerely believe that throughout we've tried to follow the Acts 1:15-26 pattern. There have been open-and-above board presentations of facts and needs and options. Healthy, positive, motivational challenges have been shared and gracious, cooperative, joy-filled meetings have been held. Some wise, forward-thinking decisions have been made. Much prayer has gone heavenward and the results are in the hands of our awesome God. It's been an interesting and productive period. It's not over just yet, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Your patience and understanding is certainly appreciated. Much gratitude goes out to Eddie Heath for his incredible visioning and guiding during this process.

Now we stand on tip toe, watching to see what the Lord has in store for this great partnership of churches in the months and years up ahead!

Thoughts On The Death Of Michael Jackson

2009-07-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

The sudden, unexpected passing of the 50-year-old, legendary king of pop, Michael Jackson, has dominated the news for over 2 weeks now.

This entertainer, known for his singing and dancing, wealth, facial surgeries, child molestation charges and bizarre behavior, was quite a celebrity. His death has brought millions of fans out of the woodwork and created a media frenzy that has seemingly left no detail of his life and tragic exit unturned and unreported.

Tired of hearing about it all? I understand. But as Christians we need to attempt to put this recent happening in perspective in the light of God's Word. Some thoughts:
1. Let's not forget that this controversial star was a person created in God's image. We may not
have understood him. There may have been much about him that we didn't like and even
found repugnant, but we need to be careful in the way we talk about him. James 3:9 cautions
us about speaking disparagingly about other persons since all of us are made in God's
likeness. Believers certainly should set a higher standard in our discourse about our fellow
human beings, even when we disagree with their actions. Aren't we supposed to be
discerning? You bet. Aren't there times when we must speak out against the wrongs of
another individual? Certainly. But we must converse with grace and restraint. We earthlings
are all in the same boat when it comes to propensity to evil deeds. Christians are just blessed
to have received the electing, forgiving mercy of the Lord to atone for our sins.

2.I wonder about who we are choosing to be our heroes these days. Mr. Jackson had millions of
adoring admirers worldwide who lapped up his albums and fawned and shrieked and cried
and applauded over him in his concerts. Though obviously talented, was he really the
greatest entertainer of all time? Some have even implied that he was the greatest person
to have ever lived. It concerns me that nowadays we tend to elevate rock stars and
Hollywood folks and athletes to the status of heroes simply because they titillate us or make
us laugh or give us a good show. Our kids are learning to swoon over these fascinating people
despite their moral or ethical or serious psychological lapses. They can roll off film titles and
sports stats and song lyrics but can't remember more than 3 or 4 of the Ten Commandments
or name 5 of the 12 disciples or list 3 of the fruits of the Spirit or recite the Lord's Prayer.
Sadly, significant persons like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford,
and Ronald Reagan are getting lost in the shuffle as young people today swarm around
dazzling media sensations instead.

Yes, I know. Regrettably, the preachers and the politicians and the corporate executives,
those people we used to look up to as moral exemplars and patterns of success, have often
let us down. One scandal after another involving those types has set our heads spinning and
deeply disappointed us and left us wondering if there are any heroes to be found anymore.
Maybe that's part of the reason why young people have gone off after shallow,
lowest-common-denominator, intellectually challenged, often morally bankrupt pop icons to
talk endlessly about and seek to emulate. It must seem to our kids that at least with those
scintillating personalities there is no hypocrisy.

I keep coming back to Psalm 101, though. There David discusses the standards he has
personally set for those he will admire and those he will reject as potential role models.
Verses 4 and 6 are particularly helpful. I believe that in our day there are still persons out
there who are worthy of our respect and honor. People from whom we can learn. Folks who
can stimulate us and motivate us to be all that we can be. Individuals who don't tantalize us
and make us feel good but rather stretch us to reach higher and be more than we are now.

3.After what I've observed during these 2 weeks of hype over Michael Jackson, it's easy for me
to see how an Antichrist figure could arise in the future and be well received. Watching clips
of Jackson's old concerts where crowds are worked up to near hysteria, screaming, shouting,
crying, arms-in-the-air, and then witnessing the adulation and almost worshipping of this
man following his death, it's a little clearer to me how someone with charisma, offering hope
and peace and unity, and displaying extraordinary skill, could manipulate and entice a whole
generation of searching, empty people. The Book of Revelation, the first epistle of John, and 2
Thessalonians 2 seem to speak of a coming world ruler, evil to the core, who will mesmerize
the nations and lead them in opposition to Christ. Revelation 13 even describes his being
worshipped. Sound far-fetched in our sophisticated era? You been to a rock concert lately?

Sure. There are lots of differing interpretations on the Book of Revelation and endtimes
prophecy. I'm just saying that if the futurist view is the correct one, what we are seeing
these days may be the precursor and laying the groundwork for a soon-coming scenario
where an Antichrist could be readily accepted and embraced. Mr. Jackson's style and
approach was simply entertainment but isn't it possible that his enchantment was one more
step along the way of molding and shaping minds to psychologically get to the place where it
would be acceptable to wholeheartedly welcome someone in the future who would come
forward on the international scene with great promise...and great promises? Someone
pledging wonderful things for the world while defiantly rebelling against God?

4. We can only hope that Michael knew Christ before going out into eternity. Now we ought to
pray for his family, especially those children. Many heartaches and decisions and
uncertainties lie ahead for them.

Miscellany

2009-06-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

*What a week this has been.

From the mysterious disappearance of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford and his explosive subsequent confession of an extramarital affair to the deaths of 3 major entertainment figures, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson, to the ongoing struggle in Iran, we've been pretty much glued to the TV and internet over the last several days trying to get all the details.

It's a little depressing. A lot more bad news than we'd like.

As Christians we need to attempt to put all this gloomy stuff in perspective in the light of God's Word. Some thoughts:
1. We live in a fallen world. There's so much that is good and beautiful and
wholesome in this universe that God made, but because of Adam's sin
(Genesis 3) we've been plunged into a downward spiral of evil, disease, decay,
and death. By His sacrifice on the Cross Jesus has started the restoration
process, but for now we find ourselves on a planet ravaged by sin and
destruction. Radically messed up.

2. We each have an appointment with death(Hebrews 9:27). Doesn't matter how
rich, famous, talented, or attractive you are, you will someday breathe your
last. Death is the great equalizer. You really don't get to choose the time and
circumstances of your departure from this world. Those 3 megastars had
their brief day in the sun and then the inevitable summons came. I sure hope
they were prepared to meet God. Eternity is forever.

3. Each of us is vulnerable to temptation and sin. Regardless of how
conservative or spiritual we are, or think we are, we can potentially stumble
or drift into some moral or ethical failure. Politicians and preachers are not
immune. Neither are you. 1 Corinthians 10:12 needs to be heeded. Before we
get too critical of Gov. Sanford, we ought to pause and remember that
without putting in place strong safeguards, we are just as prone to fall as he
was. Judah(Genesis 38) was highly condemnatory of Tamar's sexual sin
until his own indiscretion was revealed. Same thing with David in 2 Samuel
12 when Nathan told him a story that got his judgemental juices flowing big
time until his own heinous sin was exposed.

4. We need to be careful that we don't consume a steady diet of just negative
news each day(war, terrorism, child kidnappings,etc.). That's a sure
prescription for discouragement and even fear. It's important for us to also
reflect on the attributes of God. The glories of the Gospel. The wonders of
Christ. The prospect of our eternal destiny. Immerse yourself in scripture
and in fellowship with other believers. Think about good things(Philippians
4:8) such as lovely art, gorgeous music, beautiful scenery, and precious
friends.

*I'm loving the seasonal flowers I'm being given for my desk. Gardenias(Bensons, Lucy, and Dot Newton) and now a big, bright sunflower(Betty Deans). God's handiwork on display!

Sermon Redux

2009-06-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

As so often happens, the point I most wanted to emphasize in a sermon got short shrift because time ran out Sunday.

I was preaching on fathering from Proverbs 4:1-9 about how Solomon attempted to pass on to his children the wisdom he had received from his own dad, King David. This wisdom was probably both practical and spiritual in nature, and Solomon wanted his kids to know how valuable it was and how crucial it would be to obtain it.

I attempted to say, from verses 8 and 9, that it is absolutely essential for us as parents to plant positive images in the minds of our children about Christianity and church and for us to paint pictures of success in their thinking about the future. I was talking about cultivating their spiritual imagination. About scripture-based visualization. Solomon used beautiful poetic imagery to do that. The Genesis patriarchs would accomplish that with their words in passing on a blessing to their sons.

Rather than transmitting to our kids by our statements and our actions that our faith is a drudgery and a duty, we need to speak and live before them the reality that knowing and walking with God is a joy and a privilege beyond measure. If they never hear us pray and never see us reading the Bible and only catch us bemoaning the negative stuff that sometimes happens at church it shouldn't surprise us that they possess no real desire for the Christian life or for congregational involvement.

Instead of belittling them or dashing their hopes or telling them that they'll never amount to much, we ought to be using our words to encourage our kids. To lift them. To inspire them toward great exploits. To cast mental pictures and visions of possibility for them if they will seek the Lord and His ways(Proverbs 3:5-6). Even in these dark days of economic distress and international tension we need to lay out for our children a positive view of the future that calls them to rise to the occasion and be leaders and shapers who will step up to the plate and interact with our crumbling culture and be a powerful influence for good. Jesus did that. He said we are to be salt and light in the midst of our pagan environment. He was both a realist and an optimist.

Solomon's passionate paternal counsel to his sons reminds us that we can't just leave our children to themselves and hope for the best. We must pass on to them critical life skills like etiquette and how to handle money and build quality relationships. We need to teach them how to make decisions and the steps to take to avoid temptations. We should model for them the value of hard work(not overwork, though) and the rewards of diligent study. Perhaps using Proverbs as our manual, we should instruct them in developing a godly character by practicing all the traits described there. Above all else, we must gradually lead them to understand that the most important thing in life is being connected to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. There can finally be no real fulfilment if we remain lost, dead in our sins, and unrelated to our Creator.

Our confidence in our kids will help build their self-confidence. Say what you will about Jacob's parenting skills(Genesis 37), he must have done something right with at least one of his sons, Joseph, in order to foster within him an inner picture of how his future would make a difference in the lives of others. With our love and attentiveness and wise counsel we can have that kind of formative impact on the destiny of the little ones God has entrusted to our care. By daring them to dream big dreams and by pointing out to them how to methodically take the preparatory steps to get there we can leave an incredible legacy. And by the way, grandparents can get in on this molding business, too. Solomon's tender reference in Proverbs 4 to his father proves that!

There are a lot of things we have to tell our children that they can't do. Let's be sure that we also instill in them an exhilirating sense of all the wonderful things they can do. Let's try to say "Yes!"even more often than we say "No!" to our boys and girls who, in a few years, will be running this world and need to be courageous and unafraid and willing to take some risks to bring about productive results.

Miscellany

2009-06-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

The other Sunday in a sermon I mentioned that studying the attributes of God is a very worthwhile endeavor.

As we examine God's characteristics, qualities, and perfections we get to know Him better and sense a stronger pull to be like Him. We also feel more secure and at peace in our spirits. Just thinking about God's goodness and wisdom and holiness and sovereignty and providence and love is enough to get us rejoicing. Then throw in His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Don't forget His unchangeableness, either, or His eternalness and His invisibility and His independance. Wow. What a great God we worship and serve.

Our worship will be constricted if we have only a weak, inadequate understanding of God's nature. Our obedience to, and service for, Him will be anemic and lackluster unless we really hunger to know Him intellectually and experientially.

Courses in systematic theology in seminaries and Bible colleges devote a lot of attention to the doctrine of God and His qualities. Bible teachers and theologians through the centuries have preached, taught, and written extensively about what God is like. I referred to the great Puritan preacher Stephen Charnock(1628-1680) who penned the massive Existence And Attributes Of God. Arthur Pink(1886-1952) wrote a much smaller but nevertheless valuable work, The Attributes Of God. In our own day, Wayne Grudem has discussed this topic thoroughly among other chapters in his textbook, Systematic Theology(Zondervan, 1994). As you might expect, all of this is heavy reading but rich and rewarding. Potentially faith-building and life-transforming, too.

We are now concluding our Midweek Fellowship(Wednesday evening) series of studies on the "one another" statements of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul, John, Peter, and James to include these sayings in their writings. You've seen them, scattered about the epistles. Serve one another. Pray for one another. Confess your sins to each other. Encourage and admonish one another. Greet and show hospitality to each other. Undergirding all of these is the challenge to love one another. And there are several others of those practical instructions.

These are not suggestions. They are commands. Taken seriously and consistently practiced, they will revolutionize our relationships in the body of Christ. We are given a track to run on in our interactions with fellow believers. Here is clear counsel not just on how to get along in church but on how to build deep, intimate, faith-stretching connections and ties in the family of God that will produce joy and spiritual growth.

We'd all do well to go through our New Testaments and discover and then underline each of these short but highly significant sayings, praying all the while that we'll have the grace and energy of the Holy Spirit in living them out in our age when the world around us presses its nose against the windows of our churches, looking in with the hope that it will find in our fellowships a better way to live and relate than what is out there in the self-seeking, hurried, dog-eat-dog culture.

The Southern Baptist Convention meets this week in Louisville, KY for its annual session. I'll not be attending this year since I used up most of my conference expense money to attend the very valuable John Piper Pastors' Conference in Minneapolis, MN back in the winter. This upcoming SBC gathering does promise to be interesting, though, as the messengers will discuss and vote on a document called The Great Commission Resurgence that has already been much debated. It is almost certain that Georgia pastor Johnny Hunt will be reelected to a second term as convention president. There is a lot of concern in our denomination these days about the growing exodus, or at least decreased involvement, of many younger pastors and laypeople who, while strongly committed to Christ and scripture, are upset with the narrowing theological and cooperation tents as well as a bureauracy that seems too big and outmoded in these fast-paced days. Anyway...watch your Religious Herald and maybe even our local newspaper for coverage of the major stuff coming out of the Louisville meeting.

Meteorological Meditations

2009-06-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love thunderstorms.

I didn't always.

I remember as a child that everytime the thunder roared and the lightning flashed and the rain poured, my mother, acting, I guess, out of the way she was raised, would make us 3 boys sit down and be still and quiet for the duration. Something about showing respect. That just compounded the fear that I already had at the loud noise and the sense of possible danger. If it stormed in the night I would hide my face under the pillow. Too many scary movies I'd seen on TV used threatening storms at precisely the darkest, most frightening moments and, alone, in bed, I really felt vulnerable.

Nowadays I look forward to these weather events. I delight in the way it somehow gets dark and still and silent in the late afternoon just before a storm erupts. In the middle of the night, it's neat to lay in bed and watch the lightning cause the room to glow, or hear the thunder very gradually get louder or smell the rain as it begins to fall, softly at first and then heavy in a downpour. It's fun to contemplate where that storm has been on its way to you. During the daylight hours it's awesome to observe those massive thunderheads in the sky and wait for the eventual storm. I've had the experience of flying in an airplane through those mountainous castles of vapor and up there it's even more incredible. I've long envied the people who live in the wide open spaces of the Midwest who can see these lofty clouds building long before the deluge.

This is God's work.

We're not to cringe in terror when a storm occurs but there's a sense, I suppose, in which Mama was right those many years ago--we should have a healthy respect for this meteorological phenomenon that passes our way occasionally, especially in these summer months. This is the handiwork of the Lord. His power and majesty and wonder and creativity are on display. He's giving us a gift, and a demonstration of His might and glory. Job 38, among other Bible texts, asks us to consider the mystery and the sovereignty and the omnipotence of God when we witness this weather pattern. Scientists can explain the various conditions that coalesce to bring about a storm but you have to push much, much further back, all the way to the Lord himself, to truly understand the dynamics of these towering sky happenings.

I hope that there'll be thunderstorms in Heaven! Until then, I'm gonna enjoy these free events that remind us again of how big God is, and how small we really are.

One of those storms is moving in right now. Would you excuse me, please?

Odds And Ends

2009-06-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

*Treat yourself.
Go see the new Disney/Pixar animated film, Up, which opened May 29.
Okay, okay, I know it's animation and supposed to be for kids. But there's something in it for everybody. Awesome creativity. Neat story. Incredible detailing. It's a visual feast.
What I liked were the powerfully depicted themes of adventure-seeking and risk-taking. Of a long, rich, fulfilling marriage. Of the sobering losses that come with old age as well as the opportunities to mentor and nurture future generations. Of coming to the realization that, in looking back,we find that our best days were not the real dramatic ones but rather the mundane, routine ones that we hardly noticed in passing. I guess you could say that getting to the place where we accept the past and arriving at the point where we're best positioned for the future are two emphases beautifully illustrated in this story of a flying house, a grieving old man, and an eager but already slightly wounded young boy.
Carve out a couple of hours, get some popcorn, and enjoy this cinematic experience that just might bring a tear or two to your eyes even as you laugh. Children will get a kick out of this movie on one level, but adults will find much here on which to reflect as well.

*I had a pleasant afternoon last Sunday at, of all places, a funeral home visitation in Wakefield, VA(yes, I went to the famous Virginia Diner while I was over there!).
I went because a 92-year old cousin, a most beautiful woman in her day, had died. She was on my late mother's side of the family and I suppose I made the effort to attend the wake because this lady and my mom had been so very close growing up and, of course, my mother could not be there.
I'm glad I went.
I didn't know anyone there except for another cousin and her daughter. This cousin, much younger than my mom but growing up around her, has always been good at answering my many, many questions about the childhood and teen years of my mother. My sources for that information are now very few. And there's so much I want to know! I think I'm more inquisitive than most folks my age about the family backgrounds and history of their parents, but even so, it's sad that we sometimes wait too late to seek and dig out those memories and stories and facts of familial context that would enrich us if we knew them.
Once again I peppered this relative with my inquiries.
I have this insatiable hunger to know more and more about what my mom was like in her younger years. When I get bits and pieces of clues, I try to picture her in the imagination of my mind as to those days long before I knew her.
Dorothy came through again last Sunday with more vignettes and wispy glimmers and images of a life well-lived and thoroughly enjoyed some 70 years ago. I was reminded of how my mother loved to dance back then(something I've never been any good at). I learned for the first time that Mama really adored cats(don't get me started on that!) I also heard yet again how playful and fun-loving she was.
Each person's journey is rich and packed with treasures waiting to be unwrapped and shared by and with somebody else. All of us need to be having those deep, intimate, rewarding conversations now before the sand in the hourglass runs down and the seconds on the scoreboard run out to that final buzzer. We become fuller, deeper, riper individuals when we breathe in and revel in the stories of our loved ones.
My time in that funeral home chapel last week was not wasted.
Incidentally, it was during that trip to Wakefield that I learned, by glancing at a Petersburg newspaper headline, that a 92-year old funeral director in Colonial Heights(site of my first pastorate)had died. I well remember riding in the lead car of many a funeral procession with Alvin Small in the late 1970's and early 1980's. We talked about churches and funeral home practices and burials and cremations and all kinds of things. I learned much from him, and he was always so courteous and complimentary and encouraging to this very young(then!) preacher. He prepared me well to receive very similar responses and assistance from the always kind and gentlemanly Eddie Faulkner here in Newport News. There is something of a bond between pastors and funeral directors! We have to work together, as a team, with people who are walking through the dark valley of losing loved ones. Colonial Heights, and especially the ministers there, have lost a dear friend.

Getting Along At Home

2009-05-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

During Christian Home Month in May, I preached a message one Sunday morning on sibling rivalry.

That familial phenomenom can be a very unpleasant thing. I recounted one episode from my childhood about a long, tiring, hot summer family vacation to East Point, GA in the early 1960's(no interstate, no car airconditioning) when my middle brother, Don, and I must have picked at and fussed with one another all day in the backseat. Upon arriving at our destination I was so exasperated, I boldly exclaimed, in front of the whole family and our hosts, "You're not my brother anymore!" And slinked away and pouted.

Fortunately that spat didn't last long and soon we were playing together again. I don't recall that there was ever much ongoing tension between us. Sure, we argued and competed like most kids do, but we pretty much got along. Now my 2 brothers are among the most admired people and closest friends in my life.

Sibling rivalry can get ugly, though. Anger, jealousy, and bitterness among brothers and sisters often leads to scheming and conniving and not speaking and frantic attempts to be first.

It's interesting that this sinful relational pattern shows up in the patriarchal stories of Genesis 12-50. The homes of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were afflicted with it in dramatic ways.It appears throughout the Bible. You'll find it in Cain and Abel and in the boyhood and later families of David. There's a hint of it between the 2 sisters, Mary and Martha, in Luke 10. It's certainly displayed in the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.

This friction among siblings is perhaps most graphically demonstrated in Genesis 25:21-28 in the interplay of Jacob and Esau. It becomes clear here that in many cases parental favoritism is behind these outbreaks of rivalry in the younger set. Why is it that moms and dads often favor one child over the others? Or parents are split in their affections for the children in their home? Why is it that we don't appreciate and relish the uniquenesses of our kids, seeing them as God's gifts to us, and go on to love them all, differently but equally?

As Genesis 27:35-41 reveals, unresolved sibling rivalry can have terrible consequences. Fractured families, threats of violence, and bitter separations can result. Rebekah, who plotted and manipulated and deceived to secure a paternal blessing for her favorite son, Jacob, and then had to send him away to protect him from his brother's wrath, probably never got to see him again. What a heavy price to pay.

Jesus shows us a better way! He is, after all, our loving Elder Brother(Hebrews 2:11). In that intriguing story that he tells of a father and his 2 sons in Luke 15, he paints a picture of a beneficent dad who loved both of his boys, just in different ways. Jesus speaks of a father who took the time and made the effort to tenderly, truthfully, intimately communicate with each of his sons and delight in their presence. There was no need for rivalry in a home like that.

And Esau himself, the cheated angry sibling of Jacob in that Genesis narrative, illustrates a beautiful way to bring an end to simmering conflict between brothers. In chapter 33, he takes the initiative and moves toward his estranged sibling. God had been at work in his heart, apparently, and he evidently decided "enough is enough" and goes to meet Jacob with an embrace and tears and forgiveness and reconciliation. It is one of the most touching scenes in scripture. Somebody has to go first. Somebody has to make the attempt to break the painful cycle of distrust and suspicion and resentment. Then genuine healing can begin.

If Psalm 133:1 is true when it says "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" then parents should foster this close, developing affection among their offspring and the steadily maturing children should perennially safeguard and maintain and cherish it. Life is too short for animosity and backbiting and division. Nothing is more satisfying than a peaceful, joyous family.

Family Secrets

2009-05-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Secrets in a family or church can have devastating results.

They concern those things that go on that nobody wants to talk about. They're like elephants in the room that everybody knows are there but refuse to confront. They create threatening shadows of suspicion and anxiety and tension that drain off energy and openness and joy.

Maureen McCormick could tell you something about the negative power of secrets. She's the actress who played Marcia on the TV sitcom The Brady Bunch 40 years ago. In her intriguing memoir, Here's The Story, she candidly recounts her decades-long journey through depression, drug abuse, self-image problems, and difficult relationships. She was very much unlike the ideal, happy teenager she portrayed on television and her trek into early womanhood was filled with disappointment and some destructive passages.

McCormick, now 52, traces a lot of her personal emotional pain and bad choices to an unpleasant family secret about syphilis, passed from her grandmother to her mom, that brought about severe psychological and physical effects for both of those women in Maureen's life. Maureen would only learn about this sensitive matter when she was a teen, and then simply because other family secrets generated by it started tumbling out. But she had sensed for a long time a heavy cloud over her family. Now for her there would be the stress of fear over whether she would inherit the disease. She found real solace on the set of the imaginary TV family in which she was a part since there was such friction and distress in her actual home. Even there, though,in that artificial environment, she struggled to maintain a perfectionistic image. These days, fortunately, she considers herself a survivor who has faced up to and worked through some of the bad stuff from the past. Odd, isn't it, how one little hidden secret can spin off such waste of years and lead down such lifestyle deadends.

Those things we can't bring ourselves to talk about, like abuse or alcoholism or affairs or mental illness or incest don't just go away. Sweeping them under the rug won't help. Try keeping a beach ball under the water! These family secrets have a life of their own and produce waves and vibrations of discomfort and discord that hang in the air. In churches, too, those significant issues that we've never resolved, like past conflicts or pastoral terminations or poor financial practices or episodes of immorality are unfinished business that color everything we attempt to do now and continually seem to haunt us.

This is not a new phenemenom. It shows up in the Bible, too. In fact, in the stories of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph in Genesis we find many illustrations of secrets that had hurtful and in some cases harmful impacts.

For instance, on at least 2 occasions, in chapters 12 and 20, Abraham and his wife Sarah travel to other places and he actually asks her to lie to the ruling authorities and say that she is his sister rather than his wife so that should those kings desire her because of her beauty, Abraham would not be put to death so that they might take her as their own. Here, by the way, is convincing proof that God uses even flawed individuals--Abraham was known as a man of great faith and yet at this point he stumbles in a kind of ugly compromise. He was putting his wife at real risk with this deception. She could have been forced into a marriage with one of those rulers, had children with him, and endangered God's promise of a line of descendants through Abraham. You have to wonder if Sarah ever really shared her heart about this cowardly act with her husband or if it just set up something of a wall between them from then on. You have to wonder, too, if they ever told their son, Isaac, about this foolish mistake when he was old enough to understand. Maybe not, because in chapter 26, years later, he himself tells the same kind of lie about his wife, Rebekah, out of fear. Talk about multi-generational transmission of bad relational patterns!

You see another type of secret in Genesis 29 where Leah, caught in a loveless marriage, never seems to be able to express her unfulfilled longing for her husband, Jacob. Given by her father, Laban, to this man who really wanted her sister and eventually got her, too, she had children by her husband but never really won his heart. It's obvious by the names she gave to their children that she talked to God about her loneliness and hurt but you get the impression that she didn't open up in a frank, intimate conversation with her spouse and disclose her deep desires and affections and yearnings for close attachment with him. She lived in real misery. Jealousy and a sense of rejection tormented her. Why is it that sometimes we go through life without having those soul-to-soul talks with those close to us that might bring such inner connection?

Leah's sister, Rachel, Jacob's other wife, forged a secret that could have had horrendous consequences. In Genesis 31 we read of how she and her whole family are fleeing from her crafty, manipulative father, Laban, to return to Jacob's homeland. She clandestinely steals some figurines, some pagan idols, from her dad's house. When Laban pursues this departing entourage and finally catches up with them, he demands the return of these little statuettes from whoever took them. Jacob knows nothing about the theft. Rachel has not told him. He boldly authorizes the death of anyone in his party found to have them, completely unaware that he is putting his wife's life in jeopardy. Through a further act of deception, Rachel manages to hide the fact of her wrongdoing and keep the images, but the outcome of this undisclosed sin could have been most unpleasant. A family could have been violently ruptured because Rachel privately coveted and took something she didn't need and shouldn't have stolen.

Perhaps the most heartwrenching secret in these Genesis narratives shows up in chapter 37. Jacob's sons, bitter and angry over his parental favoring of Joseph, whom they see as arrogant and boastful, consider killing the young man but ultimately decide to sell him into slavery. However, they lead their father to believe that his pride and joy has been killed by some wild animal. The light goes out in Jacob's soul. His grief is overpowering. He has no idea that his son is still alive. And those brothers maintain that secret for many years. Imagine the loss of transparency that now existed between these sons and their father. Try to grasp the ongoing tension that these guys lived with daily not knowing if Joseph would suddenly return. Picture the heightened suspicions that flowed among these men as they wondered if one of them would break ranks and tell their dad and expose their evil deed. They paid a price for their clinging to a secret. It would be hard to live with much zest and focus.

Ironically, and providentially, it would fall to Joseph to clean up a lot of this relational dysfunction that had wounded this family for generations. According to Genesis 39-50 this young man ended up in Egypt and after many twists and turns, ups and downs, he becomes a ruler there. When his brothers come to that country years later, seeking food in a time of famine back home, they stand before the brother they'd despised and abandoned unaware of his identity. He recognizes them, though, and begins a process of healing and reconciliation with them. It's done with tears. It's done with truth. It's done with time. This loving confrontation was hard work but Joseph took the initiative and stepped up and broke the cycle of rivalry and dishonesty and pain. The secrets were out. Everyone could breathe again. Mending of tattered relationships could take place.

Tender, open, intimate dialogue in our families and congregations could pave the way for stronger, healthier, closer ties among us. Harboring secrets keeps us in the dark and distant from each other, which in turn breeds all kinds of evil strategies and addictions and manipulations to help us cope with the insecurity and alienation that we feel. Life is so much freer and fuller and more relaxed when we're not hiding stuff. Granted, you don't want to spill the ugly garbage of a lifetime all at once and without sensitivity to the age and maturity level of your listeners, but gradually and gracefully turning loose of long locked away emotional and relational toxins will revolutionize your life. You won't have to live on pins and needles. You won't have to be constantly looking over your shoulder.

Genesis Stories And Church Health

2009-05-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

I'm encouraged by the fact that there has been renewed emphasis in recent years on church health, not just church growth.

A sick congregation will usually find it very difficult to grow, and if it somehow manages to, it will simply be spreading toxicity.

It's interesting that some of the events in the patriarchal narratives of Genesis 12-50 illustrate inappropriate and ineffective ways to deal with issues in church life. Key personalities in those ancient stories demonstrate approaches in handling concerns that actually foster relational pathology when utilized in modern day local assemblies.

Take, for example, the destructive power of keeping secrets. Jacob could tell you a thing or two about that. In Genesis 31, his wife, Rachel, steals the set of household idols belonging to her father, Laban, as she and her family stealthily flee his home. She does not tell her husband what she has done. When Laban catches up with them and demands back the stolen figurines, Jacob authorizes the death of anyone in his party found to have them. Fortunately they are not uncovered because of further deception on Rachel's part, but this episode obviously could have ended very badly. Years later Jacob again found himself the victim of a devastating secret. In Genesis 37, some of his sons lead him to believe that his favorite son, Joseph, was killed by a wild animal when they know that he is really still alive, sold by them, in their jealousy and hatred, to slave traders. Jacob would now live in unnecessary grief and sadness and darkness. The brothers would experience a psychological wall between them and their dad, and shame and guilt and suspicions and fears among themselves. The whole family would be haunted by this for years.

In congregations where critical underlying issues are never brought up to the surface for exposure and illumination and resolution, fellowship will suffer. When only a handful of members is privy to pertinent information that could make a difference, doubts and questionings will arise and a lack of intimacy and team spirit will result. An unholy spiritual bacteria will invade the ranks that will generate distancing and loss of joy. Secrecy breeds darkness, which in turn provides a setting for all kinds of undesirable consequences.

Some churches, and the individual members who make them up, choose to run from problems. Once again, Jacob offers some insight because it seems that he was always running. In Genesis 27-28 he's fleeing his home due to the murderous rage of his brother, Esau. He gets far away, to the home of his uncle, Laban, but he finds there, in addition to some blessings, a whole new set of disturbing issues. Plus, there's still a lot of unresolved stuff inside him that hasn't been worked through yet. After many years, Jacob takes off once more, again in a clandestine way. Only a gripping encounter with God and a beautiful reconciling experience with his sibling, recorded in chapters 32-33, get him to the point where he really starts to face up to crucial matters and change and grow up.

Church members who flit and hop from church to church at the first sign of trouble or because they aren't noticed or appreciated enough or because their "needs" aren't being met or because they had a falling out with someone do themselves as well as the next congregation to which they link up a real disservice. There's no way we can advance in spiritual maturity if we're always on the run and not dealing with the internal heart issues and the external relational concerns that we find where we are now. And carrying our unfinished business and emotional garbage to the next church we join can hurt them. Local assemblies that push significant matters and conflicts under the rug without confronting them and handling them with loving truthfulness will usually be stymied and will often atrophy.

Certainly in churches where there is political manipulation, such as that cooked up by Jacob's mother, Rebekah, in Genesis 27 in order for him to get his father's blessing or where there are calculated attempts to get a group of people to conspire to achieve their own selfish ends, as we see with Joseph's brothers in chapter 37, anger, pain, hurt, and division will eventually surface. Deception and backroom manueverings seldom have positive conclusions in congregations. Little cliques and small groups of bitter folks who take church matters into their own hands usually make a mess of things.

We probably can best learn the right way to function in church life if we look at the example of the final of the great patriarchs, Joseph. He managed to straighten out years of multigenerational dysfunction and ultimately bring his family together in healing and reconciliation. And he didn't sacrifice truth to do it. Tears and the often difficult work of honest, loving confrontation pulled it off. See for yourself in chapters 42-50.

Maybe that old, old book of Genesis is the best manual we could ever find as we try to develop strong, healthy, thriving local fellowships in these challenging days!

Making Music

2009-05-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

I had a delightful experience Monday afternoon and evening this week.

On my way home I stopped by First Baptist Church to take in some of the Virginia Baptist Senior Adult Festival of Praise being held there. Choirs of older saints from congregations around our state met to individually perform and to make up one big mass choir that would work on and present a short musical. I thoroughly enjoyed the 6 hours I gave over to this event.

The fellowship with some old friends and the making of some new acquaintances was marvelous. On hand was our own Rachel Pittman, who serves as Music secretary at FBC and who obviously worked hard in making many of the preparations for this gathering. Also there was Roger McGee, the very creative Minister of Music at my brother Don's church in Alexandria along with his "Jubilee Singers". Jana Wolfe, the lovely and gifted Music Minister from Mount Hermon Baptist in Danville, Don's former pastorate, was present with a contingent of her choir members. At dinner I sat with choristers from Liberty and Memorial churches locally, and across from Suzanne Buckingham and her pastor-husband. Suzanne used to come to my home church in Suffolk from Hampton to sing when her brilliant father, the late Dwight McSmith, would venture over to speak to our youth group or in that pulpit decades ago. It was a real privilege to meet David Schwoebel, the incredibly talented Minister of Music at Derbyshire Church in Richmond, who served as the piano accompanist for the large-group rehearsal times. He is known nationally as a composer of choral church music, and played my very favorite instrument with such delicacy and grace.

I suppose the highlight of the day was getting to see and hear Bob and Esther Burroughs again. I was first exposed to them over 30 years ago when I was a student at Samford University in Birmingham,AL and they were a part of the faculty, he in the School of Music and she as Director of Student Ministries. Even then he was recognized as one of the premier musicians, composers, and arrangers in Baptist life. She has gone on to become a leading speaker and writer and Christian communicator all across America. Bob, who has crafted songs sung by millions of us Baptists, was the guest clinician Monday. He was fun to listen to and watch. He directs with flair and exudes grace. He would alternately chide, playfully, that large choir, and gently teach musical techniques and mix it all up with the sharing of personal experiences from his long career. Esther was magnetic as she led out in the devotional times and spoke on themes appropriate to senior adults, such as grandparenting and mentoring and keeping laughter in your heart. She shared from the wellspring of a rich, full life. It was an honor for me to personally take the opportunity to thank them, separately, for what they have meant over the years to the Baptist family.

I went on home Monday night with my cup full. My soul was refreshed and inspired and invigorated. I guess somewhere down deep in my spirit that old dream of mine was rekindled yet again--that dream of getting to Heaven one day, instantly learning all there is to know about music, and becoming a concert pianist to the glory of God, traveling all over the universe presenting programs of praise. Or getting the chance to be a choral conductor who leads massive choirs all through the distant galaxies age after age in lifting musical adoration to the Lord. Or just being a simple, single part of that heavenly chorus whose membership is without number. Preachers probably won't have a job anymore over there...but musicians will! Eternally.

Thank you, good new friend Tom Ingram of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, for designing such a wonderful event. May it grow year after year. I wish more folks saw the value of taking a few days off each year to get with a couple hundred other Christians to just, as Bob Burroughs said, "make music."

Lighting Up The Room

2009-03-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

Most churches could use a healthy dose of 1 John 1:7.

That's the verse that reminds us that God dwells and basks in light. He is completely truthful and pure, faithful and holy.

That's the text that dangles the possibility of enriching fellowship before us if we will just immerse ourselves in that same light. We will then enjoy closeness with the Lord and intimate connection with other believers.

Genuine fellowship is not simply backslapping, joketelling, handshaking, coffeedrinking get-togethers. It is a shared life. It is a deep bond. It is unity of spirit and purpose. It is bringing everything we are and have to the table along with others who do likewise. It is "fellows in the same ship" who delight together in the sea when the wind and waves are calm and work hard together in that ocean when the weather makes conditions adverse.

Real fellowship is hard to find in a lot of congregations.

Because of our busy, hectic lifestyles we often don't take the time to really get to know one another. Paradoxically, due to our relative affluence, we have the luxury of time to sit and criticize and pick at and gossip about each other, which only breeds suspicion and distrust and distancing. Fussing and fighting abound. Members flit and hop from one local assembly to another, usually trying to run from unsettled relational issues they are unwilling to attempt to solve, not realizing that in their immaturity they will more than likely encounter these same types of problems in the next church. Many congregations divide, fragment, and split. Evangelism and ministry suffer. The church's reputation in the community sours.

The Apostle John has the prescription for these ailing groups: turn on the light!

In a "well lighted" congregation hidden agendas will not survive. Political moves and crafty manipulation will be out of place. Prideful posturing will not stand. Secrets will not long endure, whether secret meetings, secret backstabbings, secret power grabs, or secret sins.

It's kinda like flipping on the light switch in a long abandoned old house. Suddenly mice and cockroaches scurry, and dust and dirt become clearly visible. Light just does that. It exposes. It shows what needs to be swept or painted or moved or fixed. In a church where believers are "walking in the light" truth and purity will take center stage. Members will feel more free to share their long undisclosed burdens, which will have the effect of reminding the whole assembly that we need to be patient with one another because we're all struggling with something. Believers will have a little greater openness to confessing their sins to godly accountability partners(James 5:16) which will result in an expanded congregational awareness that none of us is perfect or better than others or has any kind of reason to boast or brag or grasp for preeminence.

The bottomline is that we will become more and more known to each other. Honesty and transparency will replace deception and lying. We're all on equal footing at the cross of Christ. We're all sinners saved by grace. We need to lavish grace and mercy and understanding and forgiveness on one another. If the Holy Spirit is truly at work in a church, He will be pouring out love(Romans 5:5) and dispensing light, the 2 great foundation stones of spiritual fellowship. If the Holy Spirit is not at work in an assembly it is nothing more than another civic organization or country club. The church is supposed to be a living, Spirit-inspired organism, not just one more organization, however well-oiled and smoothly functioning.

Devious schemes and ugly actions cannot coexist with real fellowship. Questioning everyone's motives or slamming the ideas of others if we don't agree or verbally attacking brothers and sisters in Christ or stomping our feet and running away if we don't get what we want or living in longstanding dread that some past sin of ours is going to be revealed to the whispers and condemnation of other church members are patterns not indicative of Christlike behavior. Instead, they are fellowship destroyers. Trying to "get rid" of a pastor who, like all the rest of us, is flawed and imperfect or constantly feeling like we've got to give someone else a piece of our mind or elevating our preferences on non-essential matters to the level of convictions and then passing judgement on everyone who doesn't view it our way all contribute to the breakdown of warm, close ties between Christians.

Let's "light up the rooms" of our local assemblies! Then Matthew 5:16 will become a powerful reality and the unsaved around us will want what we have.

Teachable Moments

2009-02-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Educators and psychologists talk a lot about teachable moments.

Teachers and people helpers long for those small windows of opportunity when attentiveness and learning and receptivity can best take place because circumstances have conspired to create interest in insights that will satisfy a thirst for information and meet a need in the present on the part of pupils or counselees.

It's intriguing to think that even God crafts scenarios and designs settings where individuals are put into position to more readily desire, sense, and grasp divine revelation and truth. Most people go through life oblivious to the spiritual dimension or frantically trying to brush aside its stirrings. The Bible suggests that God uses certain situations and events and occasions to raise our alertness and awareness to what he is communicating.

For instance, in those times when we are sensitive to, and appreciative of, the wonders of nature around us, God is speaking to us of his existence. Of his power and creativity. Of his kindness in fashioning a world of beauty for us to enjoy. Psalm 19:1-6 and Romans 1:20 indicate that the Lord planned and shaped this massive, majestic universe as a way of introducing himself to people. When we gaze upward on a starry night or stand in awe at the brilliance of the sun we are being addressed by a lofty Creator who is transcendant to everything he has made and who holds us accountable for the knowledge that we are answerable to him because he formed us, too. Granted, admiring the moon or being enthralled with the depths of the oceans will not provide the facts we need in order to have a right relationship with God but the intricacies and marvels of creation do render us without any excuse when it comes to knowing about him. That walk in the woods or that scuba diving excursion is a platform from which God can speak. If we pursue what we perceive, he'll see to it that we get additional insight.

Maybe you haven't thought about it but birthdays also provide a stage for the sovereign Lord to get your attention. That annual event has a way of reminding us that time is passing, and quickly, too. None of us knows how much we have left. Makes sense, then, that we'd pause to reflect on how best to use the years and months and days that remain. Psalm 90:12 is a prayer that reminds us that our lives are on loan from God and are a stewardship for him. We need to find out from him what directions to take and choices to make. According to Romans 14:7-12 our lives really don't belong to us anyway and we will ultimately have to give an account to our Maker. Birthdays should be days of gratitude to our benevolent God for the incredible privilege of being alive and immersed in a world of such delights and sensations and pleasures and opportunities. But our yearly special day should also be a sobering occasion of pondering the brevity of life.

That's why funerals are such significant teachable moments, too.

The writer of Ecclesiastes 7:2 offers the bold but perceptive insight that it is actually better to visit the mortuary than to go to a party. It often makes more sense to attend a wake than to accept an invitation to a banquet. The reason is because funeral homes and graveside services confront us head on with the reality that death awaits us all. We can conveniently put all of that out of our conscious awareness at a lavish dinner or dance but not when we are in the presence of the deceased and of grieving mourners. The caskets and the tears jolt us, if just for alittle while, with the sure realization that we, too, have an eventual appointment with death and need to be prepared not just in terms of wills and funeral arrangements but in regards to our spiritual lives which survive that last breath.

People can be so busy or preoocupied or independant that God has to use special tools to carve out a place where they are temporarily put in listening mode and become sensitive to his speaking.

For some, a season of sickness, as unpleasant as that may be, turns out to be a life transforming experience of really hearing from the Lord and getting priorities rearranged. Psalm 119:71 is actually a prayer of thanks, if you can believe it, for some period of illness in the poet's life that intensified his spiritual appetite and made him a stronger person. There's just something about being confined or in pain or flat on our back that gets us paying attention to what's most important and moves us toward a reevaluation of our life goals. The Apostle Paul relates in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 that a "thorn in the flesh", probably some physical ailment, may have done more to actually shape his Christian character than a lot of his busy ministry activity because it forced him to deal with some heart issues that needed resolution. The Old Testament figure Job suffered unbelievably but his pain was a factor in leading him to a vastly expanded view of the nature of God.

And it can't be ruled out that God may use the current economic mess to get us to sit up and take notice of his voice which we may have ignored when things were better. The massive layoffs, the business closings, the home foreclosures, and the wiping out of investments all hurt, and painfully so. It's certainly possible, though, that a very, very good God might be whispering to us in all this that we had gotten greedy. That we had put possessions over relationships. That a high percentage of our world neighbors live in deprivation, lack, and loss that we can't imagine all the time and we need to notice them. That maybe we ought to channel more of the resources we do have into charitable and mission causes. It would seem that I Timothy 6:17 and Hebrews 12:26-29 have something to say on all this. Clearly all of us ought to be training ourselves to live with less and to be content with what we have. Surely now is the time for Christians to camp out in Matthew 6:19-34.

Even in the quietness and peacefulness of the night God may be seeking to communicate with us. Psalm 119:148 flows out of the heart of a writer who made space in his soul as he rested through the dark hours for the Lord to counsel or confront or challenge or comfort him. TV off. Traffic noise subdued. Just stillness and calm and perhaps a stream of impressions from a loving God who simply delights in us. Check Psalm 63:6. Instead of taking all our troubles to bed with us, we can settle into relaxing sleep by offering up our cares to a compassionate, protective God.

Had any teachable moments lately?

Associational Decisions

2009-01-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

It's interesting to me that some scriptures in the New Testament offer some insight into the issues we're dealing with right now in our association.

We're trying to find our way into the future before us. We're facing a changing culture, a different kind of congregational climate, a bad economy, and a rapidly proliferating technological society. A very real effort is being made in PBA life these days to determine what our priorities should be and what type of focus we should have. Eddie Heath, our vision consultant, is capably assisting us in crafting a plan that will propel us toward effectively carrying out a well-defined mission in the years just ahead. A leaner, sharper, more targeted network is called for in these challenging days. Though our Gospel message doesn't change, our methods and approaches must.

It appears that a consensus is slowly emerging that our model for ministry must be altered. Enthusiasm seems to be growing for moving from a structure that develops programs and outreaches and projects and asks for the churches to help to a new paradigm where the association will exist to assist the congregations in their work of touching, reaching, winning, and discipling their particular communities and settings. This would be quite a shift but it was actually approved as the visional design for our collection of churches during the last transition period and was just never really implemented.

Under this strategy, our PBA staff would consult with and help equip and enable our local fellowships to be the very best they could be. They would provide personnel and resources to come alongside our churches with instruction, counsel, and fresh ideas about congregational health, conflict resolution, evangelism, church growth, and ministry initiatives. Imagine a Troy Durio helping an inner city church more finely hone its skills in impacting its neighborhood or assisting one of our congregations on this resort oriented Peninsula develop action plans to more creatively utilize beaches and theme parks for Christian witness. Picture a Mike Vaccarelli not just keeping up the PBA web page or preparing our newsletter but going in and guiding our churches in setting up helpful technology systems that will better position them to successfully make a difference in our high tech environment. Think about a seasoned servant like Mike Haywood establishing mentoring relationships with young and potential leaders in our congregations or equipping our churches in how to develop strong youth and family ministries that will enable them to have a greater influence in their communities.

Surely there would still be opportunities and occasions for shared ministries and wide-scale endeavors in our wonderful and longstanding voluntary patnership. The basic thrust, though, would shift to a more church-centered approach.

It seems to me that Acts 11:19-26 illustrates this beautifully. When the church at Antioch formed in an explosion of evangelistic activity, the "mother church" in Jerusalem sent Barnabas there to offer some help. He, in turn, went and secured the services of Saul(Paul) and the two of them taught, consulted, and strengthened that new local fellowship for a whole year. Eventually the Antioch congregation became a hotbed of spiritual vitality and a strong missionary-sending church itself. The life and ministries of most of our PBA churches could be enhanced and lifted to new levels if we were open to dynamic new methods and approaches as presented to us by able consultants whose work it is to find out what the trends are and how best to respond.

Then there is strong precedent in the New Testament for churches cooperating together in large tasks that isolated assemblies could never accomplish alone. Paul's attempt to raise a large relief collection for the famine-stricken believers back in Jerusalem(Acts 11:28; I Corinthians 16:1-4) is one example. Maybe the popular and very successful sports and work camps and disaster relief done in PBA would be something of a contemporary demonstration of that idea of occasionally joining together in big initiatives.

Please pray for your interim leadership team and for the ad hoc groups that are now wrestling with how to put all of this together into meaningful recommendations to the entire association sometime this Spring. Just as the Jerusalem Council met centuries ago(Acts 15) to deal with a major doctrinal issue, so now we grapple with these practical and organizational matters, hoping to get to that point where we can say, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." to move into exciting, exhilirating new missional directions.

Inauguration Guide

2009-01-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

I assume you'll not be attending next week's presidential inauguration in Washington.

It's a long way to go. The traffic will be horrible. The crowds will be unbelievable. Finding a restroom or a place to eat would be difficult. You'd have to stand on your feet for hours. Your chance of even getting a faint glimpse of our new Chief Executive would be slim indeed. Who knows what the weather will be like.

So you'll stay home like millions of other citizens and watch the proceedings on television. It'll be a lot more comfortable that way. And you'll see everything close up.

But how can you really mark this significant event in American history? More specifically, what can you, as a Christian, do to have a part in this most important national occasion?

In a word, pray.

Pray for outgoing president George Bush, that he'll find rest and solace. That he'll find direction for how to spend the remainder of his life. That he'll not be overly proud of his good accomplishments or painfully haunted by his mistakes and failures.

Pray for Rick Warren, the California pastor who will deliver the invocation at the ceremony. Rev. Warren has come under attack from the Right and the Left, and regrettably from Christians, too, in those differing camps. He has strong convictions, however, and hasn't compromised. Ask the Lord to give him a prayer with substantive content. A prayer that is respectful of other faiths but that doesn't leave Jesus' name out for the sake of political correctness. A prayer that reflects the belief that God is sovereign over national affairs.

Pray for Sasha and Malia, the precious little daughters of our incoming president. Petition the Lord to keep them physically safe. Ask God to prevent them from losing their sweet smiles and their beautiful innocence and their seeming humility as they become the most famous children in the world. Pray that they will continue to be reared to live so as to give back and not just be spoiled takers. Pray that as they grow up in the White House they'll provide an example to the youth and children of America of striving for excellence.

And intercede for Mr. Obama. First Lady Michelle, too. Ask God to lead them to a good church in our nation's capital where they might grow spiritually. Pray that our new leader might be surrounded with wise, capable advisors. That he might be protected from harm. That moral values and personal integrity will prevail over whims and opinions and political considerations and polls. Ask God to help him be transparently honest. Request that the Father use him to unite us and give us hope. Pray that he will be held back from making policy or personnel decisions that would further the spiritual and ethical drift we see in our land today. That he will enjoy continued good health and have energy for his awesome workload.

You don't have to go to Washington Tuesday to participate in the meaningful festivities. You can contribute right there in your lounge chair as you lift prayers heavenward.

Lessons On Relationships From The Bethlehem Folks

2008-11-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

Could it actually be that the players in the original Christmas story might have insights to offer us about getting along in church today?

I think so.

This disparate cast of individuals, brought together in God's providence and timing to act out significant roles in the real life narrative of the coming of the Messiah into our world, can teach us a great deal about relationships among believers in contemporary congregations.

Take Mary, for instance. She models for us humble submission to God's will(Luke 1:38). When we get more interested in doing what the Lord wants us to do than in carrying out our own personal desires, we start to make progress toward church unity. Most church fights and splits are over preferences rather than convictions. They usually spring from self-centered ambitions to be first or to be right or to be noticed or to be comfortable. This young girl completely yielded up her need for convenience or privacy or ease in order to please God instead of herself. She put aside her agenda so that she could fully serve the Lord and get in on what He was up to at that time. Imagine how many conflicted relationships among the saints could be untangled if the parties would take initiative and sacrificially surrender their rights and whims for the larger good of the fellowship.

Or consider Joseph. This brawny carpenter had a tender side. When he was initially hurt and disappointed at what he thought was his fiance's unfaithfulness he was nevertheless willing to show sensitivity and compassion to her by divorcing her quietly and privately(Matthew 1:19).That sounds to me alot like the spirit of Proverbs 17:9 and 19:11. How we need people in our churches who show mercy when wronged. How we need members who don't blab everything about everybody. Congregations flourish when filled with persons who lavish grace, not condemnation, on those who make mistakes and messes. But it gets even better. When Joseph was presented with the facts about his future wife by divine revelation, he was willing to change his mind(Matthew 1:24). A hefty portion of that attitude in our local assemblies would spark revival and renaiisance, whether we're talking about worship styles, business meetings, or pastor-member interactions!

The shepherds and the wise men illustrate some relational principles, too.

The response of the shepherds to the good news from the angels of Christ's birth reminds us that when there is a common focus there generally will be unity and harmony. Before the supernatural newscast and concert of the heavenly beings in the Judean sky(Luke 2:8-20) it's quite possible that these guys picked at and quarreled with one another. But after that visitation, they came together in remarkable cohesion, first to go see the newborn King, then to spread around the incredible news of His nativity, and finally to glorify and praise the Lord for His awesome gift. Sometimes multiple emphases and interest groups and cliques in a church can so fragment it that it is kept from coming together around a central, passionate purpose. Energy gets drained away by calendar battles and turf wars and continual personal sniping so that worship and evangelism suffer. Nehemiah 4:6 comes to mind here as a necessary corrective.

And what about those wise men? Talk about energy and unity! They traveled an immense distance, followed a mysterious star, and gave lavish, expensive gifts in honor of a little baby. What was the secret of their sacrifice and effort? Simple. They wanted to see Jesus. All those miles and meals on the road and changes in weather and feelings of homesickness and movements toward an uncertain destination came from one priority--yearning to be around Christ. Nuff said. If in our congregations we will hunger to know Him and love Him and obey Him, most if not all of our petty, childish, carnal personality skirmishes will evaporate or be settled in a godly fashion. These travelers(Matthew 2:1-12)stuck together like glue because their focus was on Jesus. And they could stand strong against an external threat(Herod) because they were ablaze with a thirst for Christ and were united in their obedience to the Heavenly Father. I wonder sometimes how many of our fussin', feudin', entertainment-oriented churches would even survive if persecution or economic downturns worsened.

Don't pack away these Christmas characters as you would figurines in a Nativity set December 26. You may need their example and character qualities in 2009.

Have a most wonderful Christmas season. It's a joy serving you.

Doing Advent Well

2008-11-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

I used to think that John the Baptist was the supreme example of how to do Advent right.

After all, he was the forerunner, the messenger, the advance man for the soon coming Messiah. He was first on the scene with news of the approaching Christ. I felt that if anyone deserved the title of "Mr. Advent" it was surely this strangely dressed but authentic and powerful preacher out in the Judean wilderness.

Not anymore.

You actually have to go back, much further back, to find the guy who seems to best exemplify the spirit of this 4-week season of reflection and expectation and preparation for Christmas that is now upon us. You have to reach back into the Old Testament. You have to go all the way back to Genesis. Long before any of the prophets began predicting the eventual appearance of the Saviour this man was anticipating His arrival.

I'm referring to Abraham, the great patriarch.

In a discussion with Jewish religious leaders who boasted of their ancestral ties to this father of their religion and who sharpely criticized and rejected Jesus, our Lord made a fascinating statement. Picking up on this hostile crowd's use of the name of the founder of their faith, Jesus said, in John 8:56, "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad."

What the Lord was revealing here was that centuries earlier the patriarch had somehow visionally put it together that sooner or later God was going to send a deliverer. Abraham looked down the corridor of time and came to understand that one day God would do something so big that all of history and destiny would be changed. This Genesis man saw all of this by faith. Perhaps he figured it all out from God's promises and from that whole Melchizedek business and from that matter of the Lord-sparing-Abraham's-son-Isaac-at-the-last-minute-by-providing-a-ram-in-his-place. The patriarch's gradually expanding understanding of the grand sweep of God's unfolding future plan exploded into joy. He saw what would eventually happen only in pieces and fragments but he thrilled and delighted at the prospect.

So he was the original Advent man.

As we today move through these next few weeks we do so with the certain knowledge that the Messiah has already come. We still can use this period, though, for self-examination and repentance and times of solitude and meditation and private worship so that when Christmas arrives we are fully energized for celebration of the commemoration of our Redeemer's birth. Failure to utilize the gift of the space of these preparatory days may mean that we just drift through the dizzying whirl of parties and decorating and shopping that often accompanies this month and usually ends up with everybody being frazzled and fatigued by December 24. But carving out time each day for music and prayer and scripture can actually renew and invigorate our souls and can enable us, like our spiritual forebear Abraham, to genuinely experience joy when pondering the entrance of Christ into our world.

And of course for us Advent is also about anticipating the second coming of our Lord. That event seemingly is very close. Signs of His return are all about us. In these days of war and terrorism and economic downturn we can look forward with joy as we sense the time approaching and realize that what Jesus commenced with His Bethlehem arrival will be completed at His next appearance. Peace and harmony and wholeness will be ours forevermore. I think old Abraham may have glimpsed that too even if he didn't comprehend it and couldn't grasp how God's purposes would be fulfilled in two stages. This towering man of faith just rejoiced that God's ways would triumph in the end.

Not a bad perspective for us, either, in these uncertain days.

We can't always, with reason alone, understand what God is up to and why He does what He does. Sometimes His ways seem, to our feeble minds, to make no sense. As we worship and study His Word and commune with Him, though, we'll slowly become aware of His presence and peace and an indescribable rest and calm and settled contentment will wash over us and we'll know that everything is going to be alright.

Let's be Abraham people this Advent.

Listening For The Sneezes

2008-10-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

In our ministries, we need to learn to listen for the sneezes.

Huh?

Well, Elisha the prophet could explain what I mean.

In 2 Kings 4:18-37 this man of God accompanied a grief-stricken, desperate, but believing woman back to her home to see what he could do about her dead child. When he got there, he prayed and stretched himself out over the young boy's corpse. Warmth came into the lad's body. Elisha got up, paced for awhile as he prayed, and bent down near the child. Suddenly he heard him sneeze, seven times. The boy opened his eyes and in moments was reunited with his grateful mother. A great miracle of God had just taken place.

Those sneezes were literal. They signaled that the Shunammite woman's son was coming back to life. Metaphorically speaking, we need to be alert to those initial signs and evidences that God is at work around us so that we can join Him in what He's up to in our midst. In our witnessing and church growth efforts we're sometimes tempted to think that nothing is happening and that our labors are in vain. It may appear that other soulwinners are seeing results and other congregations are reaping harvests while we're largely unsuccessful. The situation might seem as hopeless as praying for and massaging a decaying body in which there's not a hint of breath or movement. But don't get discouraged. Sooner or later you may hear a sneeze.

Someone shows up in church for the first time, or after a long, long absence. A person you've been praying for unexplainably starts asking probing spiritual guestions. A usually quiet, reserved individual requests your prayers. A friend is more tearful lately. These may be early reflexes that indicate that the Lord is digging and cultivating in someone's heart and He wants to use you as an instrument to assist in the work.

Or in church life, perhaps you sense a new burst of unity and enthusiasm in the fellowship. Maybe financial giving improves. There's a more pronounced swishing-of-the-Bible-pages-sound as the scriptures are called out and read from in worship. More folks are volunteering to serve. Church members start praying for lost friends and relatives(and not just the sick) and they get more intentional about inviting them and even bringing them to the services. Some of the saints who have been estranged reach out in reconciliation. These jerkings and twitchings are signs that God is reinvigorating and renewing the life of the congregation.

By the time Elisha got to the room where the dead boy lay, the body was certainly deteriorating and decomposing. It surely smelled. The situation looked hopeless. But the prophet refused to count God out and so prayed and waited. The snorts and sneezes that he heard next confirmed that the Father was restoring life.

Have you heard any sneezes lately?

You probably won't unless you do what the prophet did in verse 33 and occasionally shut out all the noises and distractions that would keep you from listening to those first faint sounds of God at work. TV and radio and internet can easily prevent you from a focus on waiting on the Lord. So can excessive busyness and activity. You must be alert and attentive to the coughs and moans that come when God clears out the toxins of the spiritual air passages of people and breathes fresh and stimulating divine oxygen into them. Then you'll have the privilege of cooperating with the Lord in His life-giving project of soul transformation and church renaissance. Solitude and silence and serious reflection every now and then do wonders in helping us be better prepared to minister in the Father's spiritual emergency room in resuscitating those flat-lined in soul.

These are tough times but individuals and churches all around us are sneezing.

Words For Difficult Economic Times

2008-09-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

By 21st century standards, the furniture in the room seems a little sparse.

According to 2 Kings 4: 10, the addition built onto the flatroof home of the Shunammite women and her husband to show hospitality to the itinerant prophet Elisha only contained a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp.

This wealthy, devout couple saw holiness, integrity, and possibility in God's spokesman and wanted to provide a place of privacy and rest and refreshing for him when he would occasionally pass through their village. We admire their generosity. But why were the accomodations so Spartan?

Perhaps it was the Lord's way of reminding his servant that we really don't need as much as we think we do. These simple furnishings met his needs for sleep and solitude and study and sustenance. There was no reason to expect to lead a lavish lifestyle while busy in God's work.

Today's prosperity, health-and-wealth, name-it-and-claim-it preachers ought to camp out in this Old Testament story for awhile. Their followers, who almost demand material blessings and an affluent existence from the Lord, should likewise pay attention to this narrative.

Now don't misunderstand. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being rich. It's okay to dream. Taking initiative and making plans and working hard is a good thing. Many Christians are given great wealth and lots of possessions, and that's wonderful. But to assume that abundance should be ours by divine right, and to make the acquisition of prosperity the driving force of our lives, is to completely get out of God's will. Contentment should be our aim. You don't hear many sermons nowadays on that topic. The old Puritan preachers in the 1600's and 1700's used to discourse on it frequently. Their ideas came from a good source--the Bible. There you find Paul talking about "learning to be content" regardless of his circumstances. You hear him saying that if he just has "food and clothing" he'll be content with that. And you discover that Jesus spoke on this subject many times, such as in Matthew 6, where He said that we shouldn't be anxious about life's provisions or Matthew 13, where He stressed that an inordinate concern for riches could choke out genuine spiritual passion in us. Then here, in Elisha, you have this terrific example of a man who wasn't put out or frustrated by the kind offering of simple decor and basic necessities but rather viewed them as ultimately coming from the tender hand of a giving God who sees to it that our needs are always taken care of as we walk with Him.

Maybe Elisha would've gotten lazy and comfortable and complacent if he had been showered with a luxury suite. Maybe his mission would've gotten off track. Perhaps he would've slowly developed a greedy, condescending, take-it-for-granted pattern of living. He might have decided to retire early and enjoy ease or get to the place where he took his eyes off the Lord and come to believe that his personality or his talents or his attainments had brought him all the good things in his grasp instead of the unbounded benevolence of the Heavenly Father. If he had been granted abundance, he might have been one of those who turn their backs on God when, in the inevitable vicissitudes of life, some or all of that fortune is lost. Certainly he may have lost sight of the fact that, really, the simple things in this world are the best anyway. Sunsets. The aroma of a cup of coffee. The smell of new mown grass. Flowers in a vase on the table. The laugh of a child. A lovely painting on the wall.

Our prophet, however, learned the principle of patience and humble gratitude and contented acceptance of whatever God chooses to provide for us. So much so that, when he had the chance to strike it rich in 2 Kings 5:15-16 after participating in a ministry miracle, he turned down the opportunity. He refused to allow avarice to lodge in his soul.

It'd be a good idea to be more aware of, and more thankful for, the simple, ordinary beds, tables, chairs, and lamps that the Lord has seen to it that we have. We'd probably be a lot more relaxed. Our credit card debt wouldn't be nearly as high from trying to impress and keep up with everybody else in the neighborhood. Who knows, maybe then we'd have a lot more freed up money to give to God's work in reaching this world for Christ!

Getting Along In Church

2008-09-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that a short verse by Paul is packed with insights for congregational life.

In Romans 12:18 the Apostle writes "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

In a day of church tensions, divisions, fractures, and splits this old text is particularly relevant.

For one thing, it reminds us that God is interested in our relationships. This statement is a command, not a suggestion, and it was written at the Holy Spirit's inspiration. God Himself exists in beautiful relational intimacy and mutuality in the Trinity and models for us the unity that should be found in our connections with fellow believers. Some Christians appear to think that God is only concerned with how we worship or whether we tithe or if we fill a slot of service in the organization of the fellowship. They don't realize that the Lord is intensely interested in how we get along with one another in the body of Christ.

Anger, quarreling, resentment, gossip, backbiting, and negativity among the saints all grieve the Holy Spirit. He longs for there to be peace, joy, harmony, and patience in our churches.

This verse hints that occasionally we need to be willing to make compromises and concessions. We certainly must become better listeners. Learning to forgive is paramount. Doing the sometimes hard task of working through issues and negotiating and discussing and praying until resolution is reached is absolutely crucial. Regrettably, so many church members nowadays want to hop off to another congregation at the first sign of a problem or a difference of opinion rather than hanging in there and sticking with a matter until a solution is discovered. They miss the faith-building, maturity-developing process of intense interaction with other Christians in conflict management by walking away and linking up with some other local fellowship that probably has just as many unsettled issues. Getting rid of a pastor or dropping out of church or sitting on the sidelines taking shots at those who are committed to dealing with crises and conflicts doesn't really accomplish anything and just contributes to greater tensions within the congregation. It just prolongs the anxiety.

It's time we all grow up.

Paul isn't sugar-coating the truth here, though. He offers a realistic view. Sometimes we will work feverishly for peace and unity and will not get cooperation from the other side. We do still live in a fallen world. We are part of a movement that Satan likes to torment and would love to defeat. As friendly and as kind as we may be, not everyone is going to like us. You can't please everybody. Some in your church not only may not want to be close to you but may actually enjoy being at odds with you. If you have to have everybody's approval to feel good about yourself, you're in for a rough ride. If you're a people-pleaser, understand that the apostle is conceding in our text that it's probably not accurate to think that you can make everybody happy. Live humbly, graciously, truthfully, and openly but realize that regardless of your efforts to labor for progress or to work for reconciliation or to demonstrate a godly lifestyle there will probably always be some who just won't accept you or agree with you.

Our mandate in these days is to do everything we can in our congregations and homes and neighborhoods to show forth the Kingdom way of life as salt and light and to illustrate that relationships can be lived on a much higher plane than what we see in the world around us.

Hollywood's Take On Faith

2008-08-19T04:20:00.000-07:00

Two recent Hollywood films touch on the role of faith in everyday life.

Regrettably, the story lines in both movies miss the point when it comes to authentic biblical Christianity.

In "Henry Poole Is Here" Luke Wilson stars as a handsome young man who has a terminal illness. He buys a modest home in his old neighborhood in Los Angeles and prepares to live out his final days in isolation and binge drinking. He soon discovers that some of his neighbors think that they see the face of Jesus on an outside wall of his house. Crowds start gathering in his backyard to view the spectacle and before long rumors of miracles happening to some of those touching the intriguing impression begin to spread.

Mr. Poole, the homeowner, remains incredulous. Bothered, too, by the invasion of his privacy. Because of his sickness and his memories of an unhappy childhood, he's a little cynical, anyway. As events unfold, his perspective changes, however, and the motion picture ends on an upbeat note.

It's a positive, refreshing, feel-good-kind-of-movie. I suppose we should be glad for a wholesome, clean, life-affirming film like this.

But the message portrayed here about faith is anything but accurate and is actually quite deceptive.

This is another in a long line of literary and celluloid works coming out of a breezy, amorphous, New Age culture that seeks to loose spirituality from scriptural moorings. The idea seems to be that it's important to just believe in something, regardless of the content of that allegiance. The view is that if you possess some generic faith and are passionate about it that's all that matters since there are no absolutes anyway and truth is relative to each person's understanding and every individual is free to create his own reality. Trouble with that is that once you jettison biblical teaching and reject the distinctive, concrete person and work of Jesus Christ through whom you can know personally the God who created you in his image, you start floundering. You remain in a spiritual void with a God-shaped vacuum in your soul that cries out for fulfilment and presses for satisfaction. Some people will try anything and believe anything just to calm that empty feeling.

Colossians 2 in the New Testament would be a good place to read about all of this. It stresses that having a life-altering relationship with Christ as revealed in scripture is sufficient for our greatest inner needs. It implies that individuals who somehow find it impossible to just accept the simple revelation of God's marvelous plan for salvation often will embrace mysticism or attempted conversations with angels or cultish teachings or fascination with statues and images and strange shapes in the clouds or excessive ascetic practices. It's the literal Jesus of the manger, the cross, and the empty tomb that can transform us, not some shadowy, mysterious apparition.

The other summertime film with religious themes is "Brideshead Revisited" which stars Emma Thompson. Based on the 1945 novel by Evelyn Waugh it is set in England in the years between the two world wars and tells the story of a young, middle class, aspiring artist, Charles Ryder, who becomes friends with an upper class fellow student, Sebastian, at Oxford, and ultimately gets inextricably bound up in the wealth and dysfunction of his family at their lavish country estate. There the matriarch, Lady Marchmain, lives out her faith in a heavy-handed way that creates pain and division--her husband is driven to an affair and moves to Venice, and her 4 adult children take divergent paths in their relating to her and to God.

This cinematic piece graphically illustrates the differing approaches that people take with God.

Some in the story try to relate to God in a legalistic way--keeping all the rules and observing all the rituals and forms and ceremonies of religion, hoping to appease and please and earn God's favor. This path inevitably produces coldness and harshness. It looks with scorn on those who don't measure up. There's no joy or peace. It's all working and striving. The Bible is quite clear in texts like Titus 3:4-7 and Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 3 that trying to merit our position with God is a dead-end. God dispenses grace. He can do so because of the death of his sinless Son on our behalf. Instead of lifeless religion, it's possible to have a relationship with the living God by trust in Christ's completed work.

Others in this movie seem to feel that Christians can live any way they want to just as long as they check in with God occasionally and confess and repent. In other words, it's okay to live with reckless abandon if you just throw in some penitent prayers every now and then. Again, seriously flawed thinking. Christ-followers are called to a whole new way of conduct in speech and habits and behavior. They are to honor God and model a transformed mode of existence by their lifestyle. Check Romans 12:1-2 on that, or Colossians 3:1-10. To claim to be a Christian and yet live a self-centered, "I'll do as I please" kind of life is fooling oneself. It indicates that one doesn't understand God's holiness or mercy and probably never really established a connection with him. No Christian is perfect but he is to be different.

Of course Charles Ryder himself suggests one other response to God--that of leaving him out completely. Of trying to live independently of him as if he wasn't even there. Of seeking to build one's own life by pushing the Creator aside as if to say, "Mind your own business. I want to do things my way." Psalm 14 discusses the sheer folly of that. It was encouraging at film's end to see some small evidence that Mr. Ryder had yielded on this critical issue of the soul.

This movie certainly reminds us that sometimes religion can be unhealthy. Not everything done in the name of Christ resembles his teachings or his ways. Churches can occasionally hurt people instead of helping people, as when they inordinately emphasize numbers or hammer persons who make mistakes or seek to control the lives of individuals. Hypocrisy or arrogance or pride in Bible knowledge or runaway emotionalism can harm people rather than pointing them to a grace-based walk with God. Christian parents especially have a responsibility to demonstrate before their children that following Christ is a delight, not a drudge or a duty. Religion should not make us sick but healthy and whole and progressively restored to God's wonderful original design for our lives.

These Hollywood offerings speak to us of great matters of the spirit. We need to listen.

2008-08-18T14:03:00.001-07:00

There's Gonna Be A Meetin'

2008-08-12T06:11:00.000-07:00

I'm already getting excited about the PBA Annual Meeting for this year.

It's set for October 20-21 at First Baptist, Newport News.

It'll be a 2-day gathering this time around because there's so much to be accomplished. We'll mix inspiration with information, devotional periods with significant decisionmaking, and hopefully you'll leave refreshed and renewed and ready to go back to your church motivated to work even harder in Kingdom business.

It looks like we've got a terrific thematic speaker coming. There should be a good amount of great music and abundant opportunity for worshipping the Lord. Encouraging reports from our various teams and work groups will be presented that will remind us all again that we are an association on mission.

Expect some crucial recommendations to be offered. We've been in an interim, transition stage this year and a lot of our folks have done some hard work in studying and coming up with options for some of the critical issues we face as a united collection of churches. The Admin Team and the Eastover Retreat Board and the Mission Center group have all labored intensely over many months to come up with ideas of solutions for some of our most pressing concerns so that we can soon move forward with new zest and zeal. Eddie Heath, Billy Hutchinson, Mark Reon, Dick Bailey, and Bill Cashman have been among those providing extraordinarily wise counsel and extremely helpful stability alongside these committees and our staff this year. Prepare to hear and act on some positive, future-oriented concepts on such things as the ultimate location for our PBA office and what path to take in our relationship to the Seaman's ministry and how best to position and utilize our staff in line with our stated mission statement and a possible track for our Eastover ministry. Get your full count of messengers to attend these sessions so that our understanding of these exciting proposals might be complete and so that we might progress in unity. Your interim leadership team was tasked with the responsibility of assisting in the formation of a dynamic, creative vision for the changing, challenging years ahead and we've earnestly tried to fulfil that assignment. We're not done yet, but hope by the Annual Meeting to have at least tentative recommendations for you to consider.

A word about Eastover: this may end up being one of our very best years over there. We could significantly enhance our effectiveness in that ministry, though, if we could quickly complete work on the new Activity Building. That facility would actually become the gateway and perhaps even the heart of the camp. We really need lots of volunteer labor to accomplish this task. We need people to do flooring work and painting and installation of restroom fixtures and siding and lighting and cabinets and shelves and some to help with landscaping. Aren't there some folks in your congregation who could step forward, give a little time and sweat, and knock out some of these jobs? Call George Arthur(294-3636) and set up a time for your work team to drive over and help.

Relevance

2008-07-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Jesus certainly knew how to be relevant in His presentation of the Gospel message.

Luke 13:1-5 is a perfect illustration of how our Lord effectively communicated the truth and connected with His listeners. We could learn a thing or two from His approach.

In that passage we discover that He has been teaching a little about His eventual second coming. In verse 1 He responds to a question about a recent happening in Jerusalem--Pilate's brutal killing of some Galilean Jewish worshippers. The popular thinking of the day would lead one to assume that those murdered surely must have been wicked sinners to suffer such a cruel fate. Jesus reacts to that false theology by asserting that the tragedy should not be viewed that way at all. Calamities and catastrophes and illnesses can come to anybody because we live in a fallen world. Indeed, all are sinners and deserve God's wrath and judgement and must repent to avoid dire consequences. The bad stuff that happens all around us and can strike at any time actually serves as a warning that evil will ultimately defeat and destroy us unless we turn to God.

But notice how Jesus takes an inquiry from His audience and uses it as a springboard to convey crucial spiritual insight. His mind was keen and sharp. He was aware of the nagging, critical issues swirling about and was ready in a moment to use them to offer helpful, transformative observations. He was able to not just spout off long doctrinal lectures but to speak persuasively about real events going on in the world around Him and how to view them with a divine perspective. I Peter 3:15 comes to mind here. We need to always be prepared to speak a word about our hopeful faith and how it can make a difference in everyday life. Friends and neighbors will occasionally question us about what the Bible says about some cultural trend or fad. They'll want to know what we believe about some philosophy or a particular recent world crisis. Like our Lord, we must be mentally and spiritually equipped to provide honest, gracious answers and show them how God's workings intersect with the affairs of day-to day living. It's almost like Jesus is doing a press conference here! He's really good on His feet. Focused, thoughtful, incisive.This is a way to take the old, old message of scripure and make it relevant to a contemporary generation.

But our Lord does another creative, mind-opening thing in verse 4. He brings up a current news event Himself.

It's only mentioned here in the New Testament. Had there been a Jerusalem Post in those days it definitely would have reported, in some recent edition, about the construction tragedy involving a collapsed tower in Siloam where 18 workers were killed.There were no newspapers, however. There was no CNN or MSNBC. News still got around, though, and Jesus seized upon this devastating happening to further amplify and highlight His teaching about human suffering, God's will, and the ongoing necessity for repentance. Remember how in school we'd have to cut news items out of the paper and bring them to class to discuss? Well, Jesus was aware of the events taking place in society around Him and used them as tools to get across significant principles. Part of our preparation to be fit, crisp, relevant communicators of the Word will be learning how to see and interpret what's taking place around us in politics and sports and entertainment and science and the arts. That may mean watching the nightly news alongside of studying Romans. That could mean subscribing to Newsweek as well as reading Luke or Galatians. Maybe taking in a movie or a college basketball game every now and then would add to our communicating skills in sharing an evangelistic witness. Being alert to what's going on in our world gives us a wide array of illustrations and pictures for presenting truth. The brand new Hollywood film, Wall-E, offers a terrific launching pad for discussing the perils of empty consumerism and neglectful environmental stewardship and the beauty of relationships, for example.

Never forget, however, that although Jesus was relevant in His presentation of the message He did not compromise in the content of it. In verses 3 and 5 He stresses repentance and talks about perishing. Some of our modern preachers are so concerned about being cutting edge and smooth and popular and successful that they don't talk about sin or the Cross or the blood of Jesus or Hell anymore. That's dangerous. God called us to speak His Word, not be Oprahs.

We'd do well to learn from the master communicator(the Master himself) how best to be relevant!

Tim Russert

2008-06-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

I've been grieving a little bit this week.

I'm gonna miss Tim Russert.

I was stunned last Friday by the news that this political commentator and "Meet The Press" host had died suddenly at his work. I sat in front of my TV for a few hours, wiping some tears, as his colleagues at MSNBC paid tribute to this fallen giant of broadcast journalism.

Because his weekly show came on during Sunday morning church time I wasn't able to watch, on a regular basis, his keen interviewing of fascinating individuals in public life. But at other occasions during the weekdays when he'd be asked to provide some analysis and interpretation of unfolding events in politics, I'd perk up and pay careful attention when he was on camera. He knew his stuff. He did his homework. His remarks were always crisp and fresh and usually right on the mark. He was so interesting to listen to and seemed so passionate about what he was discussing at the moment.

It's hard to believe that he is gone and that his voice is stilled and that his sharp, creative mind will no longer inform and stretch ours with his well-crafted incisive insights. He seemed to be too young to be snatched away like that. He pulsated with energy and with enthusiasm for what he did. I agree with columnist and commentator Peggy Noonan who borrowed a line from a novel and said that Tim died "in his joy". At the top of his game. Immersed in something he loved. Busy and active right up until the moment that the unexpected divine summons came.

And he had other great loves, too. He cherished his family. He wrote so movingly about his close, warm relationship with his dad. He cared so much for his wife and son. He drew tremendous strength from his Christian faith. So many are telling of the encouragement that he gave to others. He will truly be missed.

Each of us will have a date with death. We don't get to pick the year, or the day, or the place, or the circumstances.

When the time for our appointment arrives, will we be found at our post? Will we be enjoying the life that God has given us or be whining and complaining? Are we blazing a trail for those coming after us? What will people say about us when we're gone? How many will show up for our funeral? How will we be remembered? Will others say that their lives are richer and better because we passed their way? Will others genuinely be sad when we breathe our last?

Something to think about. Thanks, Tim, for stimulating our thought processes all these years about candidates and elections and blue states and red states and exit polls and all that. But thanks, too, for getting our minds awakened and stirred now, at your departure, about the most important issues of life.

And thanks for being such a great human being.

Mission Readiness

2008-06-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

We have our assignment. We know what we're supposed to do.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus gave us our mission. Just before His ascension, He charged us to be witnesses for Him in the power of the Holy Spirit until His return. The mandate is quite clear. The command given on that hilltop has not changed in all these intervening centuries even though the gospel message has penetrated throughout the world. There should be no confusion about what the basic activity and responsibility of the Church must be in these days. On the surface, the text, which is a good outline of the whole book of Acts, appears to suggest that there was to be a gradual, progressive outworking of the message of good news from where the disciples were in Jerusalem ultimately to the far reaches of the globe.

Devotionally, there is more than one approach or application in trying to understand the geographical venues in this challenging verse.

Obviously the point is made that when it comes to evangelism, you begin where you find yourself. We have a lot of Baptists signing up for overseas mission trips who never share their faith in their own neighborhoods. That reminds me of that thought-provoking statement, "how can we expect God to use us as lighthouses somewhere else if we're not willing to be used as candles where we are?" Congregations should pay a lot of attention to the local communities right around their doors and prioritize and plan to have an impact on them.

Some have looked at this text's soulwinning destinations metaphorically. In that case, Jerusalem would represent the cities, the great urban areas or perhaps instead, evangelism among those already entrenched in religion or maybe talking up Christ among people in our own families. Judea would illustrate the hard, rocky, barren places--witnessing to the bitter, the argumentative, the resistant. Samaria could well picture testifying of Jesus to people of other races and ethnic groups. Then "to the end of the earth" would speak of not giving up and not getting apathetic but always pressing on and looking for fresh, creative methods of outreach.

Certainly you can view these place names as suggestive of concentric circles that lay out an unfolding track for our evangelistic efforts. You sow the seed in your hometown, your state or region, on the national level, and then around the world. It's interesting that in denominational life we're structured missionally that way with our local associations, state conventions, and the large umbrella SBC. Churches relate voluntarily but do so to cooperate in the massive enterprise to which God has called us. We can accomplish more together. Nate Adams develops all of this so well in his book The Acts 1:8 Challenge(Lifeway Press, 2004).

The bottom line is that we've got work to do! And it's on a global scale. But our strategy should be glocal.

Churches dare not say "well, we're gonna spend all our mission dollars here locally. There are plenty of unsaved individuals right here on the Peninsula. We don't need to send vast sums of money overseas somewhere. Besides, we want to be able to see how our funds are being utilized." What a short-sighted approach. By the same token, though, we must never assume that we're faithfully carrying out the Great Commission if we're throwing large monetary allotments to our missionaries across the oceans, and salving our consciences when we see poverty-stricken third world children on the nightly news if we're not purposely, actively reaching our nearby communities with the saving gospel and social help!

Read Acts 1:8 again. It's not either/or but rather both/and. By the way, we may not have much time left, either. It's time to rise to the challenge...in our generation.

Tutoring From Paul On Prayer

2008-05-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

I'm impressed by the prayers of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:15-21 and 3:14-21.

We can learn from him how to pray more effectively when we intercede for others.

For instance, this man of God lets people know that he's praying for them. That's bound to bring encouragement in itself. But he takes it a step further and informs them as to just what he's asking the Lord to do on their behalf. That means that he's thought seriously about his petitions and is probably much more likely to follow through on his pledge to pray. It reveals his diligent care and gives those who are the recipients of his prayer support not only some insight into what their intercessor senses that they need but a way to measure the results of the praying.

In both prayers Paul is specific in his requests. No bland, generic, half-hearted petitions here. Sometimes I wonder if God gets weary of our lazy "Lord, bless all the missionaries" or "Father, heal all the sick" or "God, save the lost" prayers. We can get so comfortable just beseeching the Lord to "bless" somebody without visualizing what it would look like for that individual to be blessed. It's almost an easy, apathetic, lack of genuine concern. The Apostle is quite focused. He concentrates on nuanced needs, areas, and possibilities as he intercedes. He's gone to the trouble of trying to ascertain exactly where divine aid and intervention would be most beneficial in the lives of his readers. It takes more effort to pray like that but it is much more successful. Prayer is often work, anyway(Colossians 4:12). Approaching God's throne with trite, generalized phrases probably accomplishes very little.

It's interesting, too, that Paul prays about their souls and not their bodies. He prays for their spiritual condition. He petitions the Father for their inner growth and well-being. Usually we do just the opposite. Most of our prayer meetings are consumed by supplications for the physical needs of others, typically that the sick among us will be healed. There's absolutely nothing wrong with requesting that God restore those who are ill to health. In fact, we are commanded to do so(James 5:14). We should do more of that kind of intercession. However, if that is the bulk of our praying we are missing tremendous opportunities. Our brothers and sisters have great needs in their spirits as well as their physiques. Many are lonely and grieving and discouraged. Many are doubting and drifting. All of us are tempted daily, some heavily. We desperately need the prayer support of fellow believers that we will be "strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man"(Ephesians 3:16). Intense intercession should go up regularly for Christian friends, by name, that they will have God's guidance or comfort or nurturing or conviction or challenge. It wouldn't be a bad idea to pray more often for revival, too.

We could probably have no better tutor in our praying than the Apostle. He surely sets a good example.

Caring Ministry

2008-04-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes God's people are not as sensitive and caring as they should be toward hurting persons.

Just ask Hannah, in I Samuel 1.

This Old Testament woman was sad and depressed because of the rivaling presence in her home of her husband's other wife, Peninah. Her real pain and disappointment, though, resulted from the fact that she was childless. In her grief and tears she went to the Tabernacle one day to pray. There Eli the priest observed her passionate pleas and drew the conclusion that she was drunk. He scolded her.

Later the man of God saw his error and changed his approach, but he almost missed a chance to be a help and blessing to a burdened individual.

Why was this spiritual leader initially so out of touch, and why did he choose a ministry plan that was cold and condemning instead of listening with grace and compassion and then reaching out with beneficial resources? We can only speculate.

Maybe he was so immersed in Tabernacle culture that he had lost the ability to understand the needs of everyday people. This Jewish center of religious life was his job and his world. It is just as possible for Christians today to be insulated from the struggles and heartaches of our surrounding communities. We have our Christian friends and beliefs and lingo and activities, and tend to forget what it's like for those outside the bubble. We get a fortress mentality.

Or maybe Eli's problem was that he was looking at this troubled woman through the lens of his personal issues. We learn that his own family was dysfunctional. His sons, themselves priests, were greedy and cynical and immoral and gluttonous and perhaps drunkards. He couldn't do anything with them. This lady's animated pleadings may have triggered feelings of guilt or anger or frustration that blinded him to her real need. Psychologists tell us that sometimes we unconsciously project onto others those parts of us that we do not like. It's difficult, then, to genuinely relate with interest and care to the actual concerns that are presented.

It could've been burnout. You can't give out and give out and serve, serve, serve without taking some time for yourself. Stress and overwork can destroy your ministry, whether you're a pastor or a layperson. You've got to have rest and diversion and inner refueling. It might be that Eli had lost his passion and just couldn't accept it in her.

Obviously he didn't discern what was happening in her heart since he just made a snap judgement based on her actions. We're good at that, too. Maybe the "worship wars" in our churches would end if we stopped looking at styles and started focusing on hearts. Maybe if we remembered that everybody is wrestling with something we'd be more patient with one another. Just about anyone you meet is struggling with some private grief or hurt or pain.

I'm so glad that Jesus didn't minister like Eli did. More and more we should learn to try to help people like our Lord must have.

Trouble In Paradise

2008-03-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

It sure would be nice if the worship wars would just go away.

Disagreement over styles and techniques of worship has brought wrenching conflict to a lot of congregations. Usually, but not always, the tension and divide has been between different generations. Opposing views on types of music and instruments and order of service and whether or not to clap hands and lift hands and whether to stay traditional or go contemporary or try a blended approach have all sometimes brought serious turmoil in some churches and even resulted in fractures and splits. At the very least, unity is often jeopardized.

It seems so surreal that local fellowships whose high calling and chief purpose is to praise and adore the living God can't come together and cooperate in how to do it.

Two events in the life of Old Testament king David, both recorded in 2 Samuel 6, may provide some insight and guidance on this subject.

In the first half of the chapter we find this relatively new monarch attempting to transport the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. This box symbolized the presence and power of the Lord and the spiritually sensitive king wanted it known that God reigned in the capital city. He leads an exuberant, festal procession as the ark is moved. But in his exhilaration and sincere passion he makes a terrible mistake. Instead of having the ark carried by the Kohathites with poles on their shoulders, as the OT law prescribed, David mounted it on a new cart pulled by oxen for the journey. At some point, the animals stumbled and it appeared that the sacred chest was about to slide off the cart. A man by the name of Uzzah, with the very best of intentions, quickly reaches out to steady the ark and is instantly struck dead in an act of God's judgement. Despite his innocence and benevolence, he had violated God's requirement that this special box not be touched because it was a symbol of the Lord's holiness and because adequate preparation must be made before approaching Him. David was angry and then confused and then fearful at this tragic incident, but as he reflected he got the message!

We can learn something here. God values His holiness. He is concerned about the details. It matters to Him in what manner we draw close to Him. If our worship is just shallow emotionalism or just continual efforts to try something new or just going through the motions without genuine heart conditioning we may end up actually displeasing the Lord. Changing our methods simply to attract the culture around us or to make church more suitable to our evolving tastes will not necessarily honor the God we profess to love. We dare not forget that true worship is work. It takes discipline and focus.It must not be done in a flippant, cavalier way and it certainly should never turn into mere entertainment for ourselves. It's serious business because it's directed toward a lofty, majestic, transcendant God.

There is a flip side, however. In the second half of the chapter, David, after a few months, gets his act together. He resumes the delivery of the ark to Jerusalem. This time he does it right.
Now he is even more passionate and excited. There's not only music and a parade, but dancing(he couldn't have been Baptist!) before the Lord. Another problem surfaces, though. The king's wife, Michal, is awaiting his arrival back in Jerusalem and watching for him from a window. When she sees his joyful, unbridled dancing she is repulsed. She impugns his motives, criticizes his actions, and labels them as undignified and improper. David tries to explain that his jubilant movements were spiritually, not sensually, inspired, and that he planned to continue with even greater intensity. The story ends with the statement that Michal remained childless the rest of her life. Either their marital intimacy died that day or else God judged her cold, negative heart in this area.

Again lessons emerge. We can get so stiff and staid in our worship that the joy evaporates. We can allow ourselves to get locked into the same old traditional patterns of offering praise and we lose the life and the vibrancy. We might even catch ourselves becoming critical of those who desire to yield their worship in fresh, creative ways. If our worship becomes stale and halfhearted and routine we could potentially lose our sensitivity to the voice of the Lord. Churches are dying because they insist on keeping everything the same. But if God is always on the move, we've got to be willing to explore and experiment. We've got to be open to varying styles and expressions so that a new generation coming behind us can feel included, too. Dazzling creativity and celebration should characterize our church praise gatherings as we mix different musical genres and utilize the arts and diverse instruments and even, like the ancient king, sometimes incorporate sacred dance into our worship. But the key, as in David's case, is to do what we do from the heart, a heart truly focused on glorifying Him and bringing Him delight.

I call for a truce in the worship battles. It's time we stop demanding what we've become comfortable with or what makes us feel good and start seeking God's pleasure and what will build up the whole congregation.

Mixed Reviews

2008-03-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

Two events in the reign of Old Testament king Hezekiah are instructive for church life today.

One was a decisive, positive, necessary action. The other was a harmful, selfish attitude.

In 2 Kings 18 we read of how this monarch came to power in Judah and instituted some needed religious reforms. In verse 4 it is mentioned that among these changes was the breaking into pieces of the bronze serpent that Moses had made centuries earlier. Bear in mind that this object had been a great help to the people at a critical time. Remember that it was God who had directed Moses to fashion it. Don't forget that at the time it was originally set up it was a powerful symbol and reminder of the Lord's presence and mercy and healing. And yet years down the road, here is Hezekiah destroying it?

To us it seems odd. It appears to be a sacrilegious act. That is, until we read a little further and discover that as time had elapsed the people had begun to worship this thing. A tool that had been designed to get individuals focused on God was now itself an object of veneration. It clearly had to go. It had become an idol. It needed immediate removal, regardless of its sentimental value or traditional feel, so that the people once again could concentrate on worshipping the living, invisible God who is not stationary or manageable. Hezekiah gets a thumbs up. He does what is right here.

There's a lesson for contemporary congregations in this. We sometimes set up policies and organizations and programs in our churches that are very useful and effective at the time of their launching but that may tend to lose their impact as the years roll by in terms of their drawing us closer to Christ and making us stronger disciples. Our tendency, though, is to hang on to these instruments and procedures because we've gotten comfortable with them. They make us feel safe and secure. We've used them for so long that we've gotten in a rut. When someone suggests that we tweak them or discard them to see if there might be a fresher, more up to date, more creative way to meet the same need, we often cling tenaciously to the familiar, to what worked in the past. We almost get to the point where we worship our traditions and our buildings and our order of service and our worship styles and our bylaws and even our same seats in church rather than the always moving and unpredictable and sovereign God. Frankly, we develop a church culture that can actually be out of step with, and opposed to, the ways of the Lord!

But wise, farsighted Hezekiah blunders a couple of chapters later. In 2 Kings 20 he makes a bad mistake and exhibits a wrong attitude.

On one occasion he unthinkingly shows all his treasures to some visiting Babylonians. The prophet Isaiah verbally chastises him for that and predicts that a day is coming when this eventual enemy will show up and seize all this material wealth from a future generation. Hezekiah's selfish response to that dire warning was to remark, in essence, that at least it wasn't going to happen in his time so he could just relax and enjoy the present. Sadly, many senior saints in our congregations today think similarly. Their position seems to be "we realize that our way of doing church will probably not draw younger people, but please leave us alone and let us maintain our established, comfortable ways of leadership and structure for now. Then after we're gone, the folks coming behind us can do whatever they want to. It'll just be more peaceful this way."

I gotta tell you that that is a prescription for losing time, momentum, and ground. It's a recipe for church failure and even death. It puts security above Kingdom business, ease before reaching a new generation for Jesus, coziness in place of doing the sometimes difficult work of finding out what God wants us to do in these challenging days of flux and fluidity. Each of us only gets one life, one shot at making a difference in the time period that the Lord has given us. We dare not waste or fritter away our opportunity! We can't afford to be so chained to the past and so settled in the present that we're not constantly dreaming and envisioning and reshaping for the future that is coming at us at breakneck speed.

Thanks, Hezekiah, for letting us learn from your successes and your errors.

Insight For Living

2008-02-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how you can plop down just about anywhere in Psalm 119 and get a verse that really speaks to life issues.

This long poem right in the center of the Bible is all about scripture. It was obviously written by someone who loved God's Word and wanted to laud its authority, beauty, power, and helpfulness. Each of its 176 statements points out the relevance and the aid of the Bible for the varied concerns that we face daily, like suffering and temptation and persecution and decisionmaking.

Take verse 32, for example. It says "I will run in the way of your commandments, for you shall enlarge my heart." I see the text highlighting 2 matters of crucial import to those who are followers of Christ and on the journey with Him.

Notice that the writer speaks of running. We're accustomed to the metaphor of walking to describe the Christian life, but here a much more energetic, accelerated pace is endorsed by this particular lover of God. He is exuberant about his faith and finds exhiliration in it. It is not a chore or a burden or simply a duty, but a lifestyle in which he delights.

What a contrast this is with the attitudes exhibited by many contemporary believers who seem to be bored with church and prayer and Bible study. Their pilgrimage is a drudgery. There is little enthusiasm. They appear to be just going through the motions. Somewhere along the way they have veered off into a ditch and gotten stuck in the mud spiritually, maybe due to sin or sorrow or disappointment or pressure. They need somehow to reconnect with the Lord in such a way that they sense again the joy, freedom, and lift that come when the daily walk becomes a sprint. This Lenten season would be a terrific time to do some reflection and evaluation and make some fresh commitments to this athletic race of the soul.

But it's critical to observe, too, that the psalmist mentions the proper running track. He refers to eagerly springing forward "in the way of your commandments" which gives him a definite lane to run in and a finish line to attain. It's not haphazard. It's not just zest and momentum and perspiration. There is direction and discipline. Here is a clear focus. This writer moves toward greater levels of obedience to the principles and precepts that he discovers in scripture. He advances and makes progress by living out the knowledge that he acquires in God's Word.

Lots of present-day Christians, different from the cold, half-hearted crowd mentioned earlier, have boundless excitement. They may shout in church. Say "amen" and "praise the Lord" frequently. Smile constantly or shed tears at a moving gospel song or get emotional or volunteer for all kinds of church jobs. They may sincerely love Jesus and desire to please Him. But if they don't immerse themselves in the Bible and build their lives around its practical teachings sooner or later they will get tired and run out of spiritual energy. Burnout will occur. They'll stumble into some sin. Discouragement will set in and their run will slow to a crawl. They'll meet up with stresses or struggles that they don't have the resources to deal with because they've been living on fumes rather than on the fuel of scriptural insights.

What all of us really have to have is enlarged hearts. Only God can do that kind of soul remodeling and expansion in us. He has to do it before we can be saved(regeneration) and He has to do it before we can grow as believers(sanctification). His methods can sometimes be uncomfortable and painful. He has our best interests at heart, though, and so is far more concerned with our holiness than with our happiness. If we are the runners then He is the trainer. Let's remember, too, that He is the prize at the end of the marathon.

Generational Partnership

2008-02-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

There is a place at the table for both younger people and older folks when it comes to ministry in the church and in associational life.

At least that's what Acts 2:17 seems to suggest.

On the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter quotes from the Old Testament prophet Joel to describe to curious and confused onlookers what has just happened to the disciples in the upper room with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the launching of the Church. There is that intriguing line that mentions young men seeing visions and old men dreaming dreams as a result of the life-giving, energizing work of the Spirit.

Clearly both age groups are to be vitally involved in the leadership and mission of the Christian movement. It is regrettable, then, that in congregational life and associational affairs there is often a tension and occasionally even outright conflict between generations. Older adults sometimes say that the young are too green, too immature, too radical, too bent on change. Younger people speak of their elders as being too old fashioned and resistant to anything new and unwilling to share power and embrace fresh directions in the midst of a culture that is fluid and diverse and in constant flux, quite unlike any other period in our history. Lines get drawn. Cooperation suffers. The incredible impact of a united team with each age demographic offering its unique gifts and abilities is missing.

Proverbs 20:29 shouts at us that young and old both bring crucial contributions to bear on Christian work. It says that the "glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair" which indicates that we need the energy and zest and creativity of the younger set and the wisdom and depth and experience of the older crowd in order to have balance and cohesion. To neglect either generation's input and inspiration and integration is to make the body less potent than it could be. Whether it's worship styles or ministry approaches or methodology, we need to listen to each other and learn and find common ground and share together in reaching our communities for Christ. This applies to individual churches and to our Peninsula Baptist Association in this critical transitional moment.

Scripture highlights for us 2 mistakes that need to be avoided.

The young must be careful not to repeat the error of new king Rehoboam, Solomon's son, in 2 Chronicles 10 when he foolishly ignored the wise counsel of his older advisors and accepted the shortsighted advice of his contemporaries. That ultimately resulted in the division of the United Kingdom! There was a time when the monarch should have paid attention to the more seasoned reflections of his mature consultants.

But older church leaders must strenuously seek to guard against the attitude of king Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20. On one occasion he unwisely showed all his treasures to some visiting Babylonians. The prophet Isaiah chastised him for that and predicted that a day was coming when the enemy would show up and seize all that material wealth from a future generation. Hezekiah's selfish response to that dire warning was to remark, in essence, that at least it wasn't going to happen in his time so he could just relax and enjoy the present. Sadly, many senior saints in our congregations think similarly. Their position seems to be "We realize that our way of doing church will probably not draw younger people, but we want to maintain our comfortable ways of leadership and procedures for now. After we're gone, the folks coming after us can do whatever they want to.It's more peaceful this way." That's a prescription for losing time, momentum, and ground. It's a recipe for church and associational failure. It puts security above Kingdom business, ease before reaching people for Jesus.

Even if it takes effort and work and patience, let's find ways to come together generationally. These are such exciting days to be alive and involved in ministry. We must not miss our opportunity. After all, this is the only time we will have to make our mark and leave our legacy. Right now the PBA needs the fresh ideas of young people about techniques and strategies. We need their enthusiasm, too. We also need the accumulated insights of our older folks, who shouldn't back out but rather should reinvest and renew their commitment in their freer retirement years to helping make our association strong and vibrant, sharp and focused, effective and successful.

It's a joy and privilege to try and be of help during these months. Feel free to call on me.

At The Movies

2008-01-23T05:47:00.000-08:00

Three currently popular Hollywood films deal with some pretty heavy issues.

There Will Be Blood is set in the early 1900's and is a story about discovering and drilling for oil in the American West and how that affected two men, an entrepeneur and a young preacher. It is a tale of unbridled desire and greed. Deceit, manipulation, and hypocrisy show up, too. I'm reminded of the pointed inquiry of Jesus in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

The movie Atonement is a drama about guilt and trying to find a way to deal with it. It concerns a young girl's misunderstanding and misrepresentation of some facts, perhaps in adolescent jealousy, and the bitter consequences that ripple out and impact several lives. The devastation that can result from one simple, brief moment of deception is vividly demonstrated. The painful tug of a tortured conscience and the intense efforts to assuage its gnawings are skillfully portayed here.

A little lighter but nevertheless still compelling is Bucket List. Two men, different in every way, are thrown together by sickness in the same hospital room. They each learn that their illness is terminal and that they only have a few months left to live. The bittersweet narrative has them teaming up and becoming partners in an attempt to enjoy the the short time they have remaining before they "kick the bucket". They draw up a list of all the things they'd like to do and then set out to accomplish them. There are lots of travels and exploits that keep them busy but along the way lots of discussions about life, death, relationships, unfinished business, and eternity come up, too. The film has you laughing and maybe shedding a tear or two as well.

I mention all this because it reminds us again that the secular culture around us, as dark and pagan as it is, grapples with deep matters of the soul and spirit. People are searching. They are questioning and looking for answers and sometimes their inner yearnings and longings spill out in the art that they create. We Christians need to constantly be alert and prepared to point them to the truth as the apostle challenged us in I Peter 3:15. Right now, as our friends and neighbors view these motion pictures, they're gonna be thinking all over again about these intensely spiritual concerns. We have a chance to move into their vacuum and void and offer hope and direction. Just like Paul did in Acts 16:30 when a desperate, almost suicidal man cried out "What must I do to be saved?" and just like he did in Acts 17 when he encountered the religious and philosophical confusion of Athens and presented the life-altering message of the Gospel that can transform the morass of godless thinking.

Of course we need to learn to be adept at asking questions, too. Questions that will open doors and springboard us into conversations about serious heart issues. That will move us beyond trivial, surface chatter about the weather and sports and politics and propel us into dialogue about those things that really matter, like what you do about sin and where can you find peace and how can you face death. Philip the evangelist, in Acts 8:30, asked one little cleverly placed question that initiated a chat and steered the discussion into fertile territory for a consideration of crucial topics. As a result, an Ethiopian government official became a Christ-follower and went back to his nation and made a difference. Sometimes an inquiry as simple as "do you ever give much thought to spiritual matters" can launch you into a talk that will enable you to sow a lot of seed and turn on a lot of light and may, just may, end up with your friend praying to receive Christ.

Let's always be sensitive to the opportunities right around us to bear a witness for Jesus. Even if it means using movie plots as ice breakers.

Working Together

2008-01-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Churches cooperating together in ministry is a good thing.

An old thing, too.

We see lots of evidences in the New Testament of congregations partnering with each other to get Kingdom work done. Apparently in those first century days many cities would have one church made up of many local, neighborhood fellowships spread out through an area and meeting in homes or caves or by riverbanks. It seems that these smaller, tangible expressions of that one church worked together much like our modern associations. It also looks like there was a beautiful collaboration between congregations in different cities. Rather than isolation or competition there was unity and a shared effort to evangelize the lost and disciple believers and minister to the needy. We can learn from that! There are insights to be gleaned from the lifegiving linkages among the earliest churches that can instruct us today about our joint labors as Peninsula Baptists.

If you check out 2 Corinthians 11:28 you'll find Paul, while writing about some of the hardships of his apostolic career, mentioning that probably his greatest pressure came from his "care for all the churches" which was an ongoing challenge. I guess you could say he was almost like a DOM. These various local fellowships would all have their struggles and problems and issues. He was concerned and burdened for them, and would pray for them and try to be a help. One of the obvious benefits of associational life is the mutual assistance and encouragement that comes through accountability and networking when our individual congregations go through difficult times. Knowing that others are praying for our church and that they stand ready to offer counsel and resources when we hit a snag is so comforting. We're in this great enterprise together!

You certainly see that in Paul's endeavor to motivate and organize all the other fellowships to raise funds to help the poor, famine-stricken Christians back in the original mother church in Jerusalem. Read it for yourself in I Corinthians 16:1-4 and 2 Corinthians 8-9. This massive gesture of generosity revealed a team spirit. It spoke of a commitment to see that all the churches were equally strong and equipped and prepared to do battle against our one common enemy, the Devil. Lots of fishing boats. Just one fleet. It makes little sense for congregations to try to go it alone in the hostile environment of today's culture when there is strength in partnership. It's foolish and a waste of precious time and actually sinful for individual assemblies to compete for numbers and dollars simply to look more "successful" than the church down the road when we're all engaged in the same task of pushing back the tides of evil and could accomplish a whole lot more by working with one another! Small and large churches, BGAV and SBCV churches, traditional and more contemporary churches , all standing arm-in-arm against the forces of darkness.

And don't forget the blessing that comes from simple fellowship with others in the united effort. The laughter and the occasional commiseration and the tears and the insights and the "iron sharpening iron" effect that comes when we're willing to bond together. Paul could tell you a lot about that, too. A glance at those points in his letters where he mentions lots of names of persons in various congregations that he knew and had been enriched by and impacted indicates that he realized that there is reciprocal benefit from shared ministry (Romans 1:11-12)in Christ. An association provides a structure for us to make many friends and constantly, creatively hone our skills and strategies in doing God's work. In Romans 16:3-4 Paul refers to Priscilla and Aquila and notes their hard work and sacrifice and example-setting, and indicates that their labors were known and appreciated by "all the churches of the Gentiles" which says to me that we get role models and fresh vision and renewed boldness when we cooperate together.

Let's hang in there, Peninsula Baptists! In fact, let's deepen our ties.

It's a joy to try to be of some help during these days.

New Year Reflections

2007-12-28T06:50:00.000-08:00

We can all learn something from King Herod of old about how not to enter a new year.

Granted, in Matthew 2 we don't find this ruler, who was mean and cunning and who loved extravagance and great building projects, necessarily launching into a new calendar period, but we do discover that he is about to experience a profound change in his life. Little baby Jesus has been born in nearby Bethlehem and His arrival will transform everybody's existence. For centuries to come. How Herod dealt with his own personal slice of this change can illustrate for us at this season what attitudes and actions to avoid as we move into 2008.

For starters, we shouldn't take fear into the next twelve months. When this monarch got word from the visiting wise men, who had traveled a great distance in search of this child, that a new king had been born, he became anxious and afraid. Read it for yourself in verse 3. Ultimately Herod's alarm and dread, brought about by what he perceived as a threat to his sovereignty, led him to do some foolish and destructive things. We live in troubled, turbulent times. It is so easy to be apprehensive and even to panic. But Jesus is here! He is at work behind the scenes slowly unfolding His divine plan in all the events of life and history. To spend our days in fear would be to waste valuable time and show irreverent distrust in God's loving providence and maybe even take foolhardy precipitous actions to attempt to preserve our sense of security.

We also must not carry ignorance of scripture into 2008. I find it interesting that Herod, upon hearing news from the inquiring Magi about a royal child's birth in a supposedly nearby area, had to ask somebody else about what the ancient Old Testament texts said about the location of His nativity. Notice verse 4. Yes, the chief priests and scribes were well trained in the Hebrew prophecies, and there was nothing wrong with consulting those experts for advice, but why wasn't the king himself aware of what the scriptures predicted about something so momentous that was coming? God has given His Word to all of us. We should be reading it. Studying it. Memorizing it. Pastors are equipped to help quide us but each of us should be feeding ourselves and soaking up the richness of the Bible.

Let's not allow deception to be part of our trajectory in the new year, either. When Herod learned that the long-promised child was to be born in Bethlehem, he sent the increasingly eager wise men off to that little town and pledged that he would venture there himself to pay tribute to the toddler when it had been authenticated that he was residing there. The King was shrewd and crafty. He was lying! Check out verse 8. He tried to hoodwink a lot of people but his hidden, evil scheme eventually brought disastrous consequences for dozens of innocent persons. Whenever we try to connive and manipulate and twist or shade the truth, we're opening the door to potentially harmful results. And by the way, anger shouldn't journey with us into the upcoming 12 months. Herod's fury is graphically demonstrated in verses 16-18. Any bitterness or resentment left over from this year should be dealt with and eradicated now so as not to poison and cripple our lives and those of the folks close to us as the calendar turns.

And certainly don't step into 2008 without Jesus! Verse 19 tells us that this wicked King Herod finally died. Lost. Never knowing Christ and life's greatest joy and fulfilment. Alienated from God. Avoid that mistake at all cost. If you are not a Christian, receive Jesus today. If you are a believer, make it your aim to draw closer and closer to the Lord in the year fast approaching.

Something About Mary

2007-12-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

I've always been impressed with young Mary in the Christmas story.

We Christians are definitely not supposed to worship her or channel her or try to pray to her but she is to be appreciated and respected. She is a good role model. Luke's Gospel reveals lots about her that is worth emulating.

Take her purity, for example. She came to her marriage to Joseph a virgin. Though her carrying and giving birth to God's son created suspicion and scandal on the part of those who didn't understand and couldn't believe her story of a Spirit-conceived pregnancy, we know the facts and believe the biblical record. We know that Christ's nativity was supernatural and miraculous in origin. And we are convinced that this teenager had never had sexual relations before her marriage. In our day, sexual experimentation and promiscuity is commonplace, and is proving physically, emotionally, and relationally damaging to millions of young people. Mary reminds us that it is best to stay morally clean and pure until your wedding day.

I'm fascinated, too, by this girl's sense of wonder at the mystery of God's workings. Luke 1:34-38 demonstrates that. When the announcing angel gave her a revelation that she found hard to grasp, she wasn't afraid to ask honest questions. And she did so respectfully. And when the angel's explanation was itself too incredible to fathom, she believed anyway and submitted herself to the will of God.

Sooner or later, all believers have to realize that there is much about the Lord and His dealings that we just can't figure out. He is so big. He is so great. It bothers me when I'm around Christians who act and talk like they know everything there is to know about the Almighty and spiritual things. With their charts and memorized verses and strong acquiantance with Bible facts they come across as armed to logically pontificate on all matters divine. They assume that God does everything the same way everytime. They put God in a box, perhaps unconsciously feeling that He can be controlled that way and they can be safe. Mary's experience suggests that our God is a mysterious being, far beyond the ability of our limited minds to completely understand. Certainly we should always be reaching out for more light about Him but never thinking that we've arrived and have all the truth neatly arranged and packaged and manageable. God will inevitably surprise us! Our proper response is to live on tiptoe and by faith and in submission to His leading. Having a lot of doctrine stored up in our heads or having a powerful testimony of something God did in our lives in the past doesn't necessarily make us experts in what God is up to right now.

It is true, though, that this young girl marvelously used by the Lord did benefit from having scripture stockpiled in her heart. In Luke 1:46-55, she draws upon Old Testament texts memorized to craft her own personal, straight-from-the-soul song of praise to God for His blessing in her life. That's one more thing I like about her. She read, listened to, and reflected on God's Word and it shaped her thinking and her conversation. It gave her hope for the future. A worthy goal for us in the new year about to dawn would be to spend more time in The Book, soaking up its treasures.

' Tis The Season

2007-12-06T05:18:00.000-08:00

Advent is all about waiting.

These weeks leading up to Christmas are designed to foster expectancy and anticipation as we look forward to the celebration of the coming of Jesus into our world. Of course we know that He has already arrived, 2000 years ago in fact, but nevertheless this is not some religious game we play each December. We need these days.

We are given the chance to slow down just a bit. To catch our breath. To reflect and meditate and self-examine and repent and prepare our hearts to welcome Christ just as John the Baptist encouraged the Jews to do centuries ago. For us, now, Advent has the dual purpose of getting us ready not only for Christmas but for our Lord's second coming, which could occur at any time.

I guess you could say that while this season closing in on December 25 is a period of waiting it is also a time of working. This stretch on the calendar is not really for inactivity but for labors of the soul that deepen and expand us and get us in position for something wonderful just up ahead.

It seems to me that our Peninsula Baptist Association is now experiencing an Advent of sorts. These are days of waiting. Of transition. Of imagining and envisioning the future that God has next for our fellowship of churches. Our beloved Director of Missions, Jim Ailor, has moved on and away to another field of ministry and so now we find ourselves pondering what the Lord has in store for us in the years approaching. It's a time to slacken the pace just for a bit, just long enough to do some serious evaluation and contemplation and decisionmaking. But it's also a time for great hope and excitement because who knows what incredibly awesome things God has for us just around the corner?

Associationally, this is a season for work, though. While we wait for and eagerly anticipate the next phase of our journey together as a loving partnership of congregations, there's stuff to be done. This is an era of unprecedented change and challenge in our world, our nation, our denomination, and even our local churches and we simply have to gear up and be ready to offer the greatest possible impact. As a body of cooperating congregations we must continue to shape up and become fitter and stronger and more and more poised to make a real difference in Kingdom pursuits.

These next several months, then, ought to be times of earnest prayer in our midst for God to clearly show us what direction we should take. This ought to be a year of dreaming, too. Of seeking a fresh vision. Of determining God's way for us to carve out our unique niche of involvement in fulfilling the Great Commission in our generation, in this time period that the Lord has given us.

More tangibly, now is a crucial point for our churches to make stronger financial commitments to the work of our association. Stepping up to the plate and providing greater resources for our shared ministry in this part of Hampton Roads will help ensure a brighter future. Will help shape that future, in fact. To put it bluntly, this is not a time to cut back!

Beyond that, this is a pivotal moment for continuing the good work of bridgebuilding among us. Our older saints and our younger people reaching out to one another. Larger churches and smaller ones joining together in ministry. BGAV and SBCV congregations realizing that Kingdom concerns should far outweigh any minor differences between us and shouldn't hinder us in the least from joyfully partnering with each other in the task of taking Christ to this needy Peninsula. The time is too short and the days too dark for Southern Baptists in this area not to unite and put their hands to the plow in a massive effort to reach people.

I'm encouraged this Advent. Any way you look at it something good is about to happen.

It's a privilege to have the chance to help out during this season. Feel free to call on me at any time. And by the way...Merry Christmas!

Surprise!

2007-11-26T05:58:00.000-08:00

My good friend, fellow pastor Mark Reon, played a joke on me the other day.

Several weeks ago he had asked me to fill his pulpit in his absence since he would be away attending a wedding anniversary celebration for his parents in another state.

On the appointed date I arrived early, greeted those coming in for worship, and joined in with everyone else in the musical part of the service. When I stood to preach, I made some lighthearted, teasing comments about Mark to his congregation in my introduction. All of a sudden, I noticed that everyone had started smiling, giggling, and looking beyond me on the platform. I turned and saw Mark, walking out on stage from a side door!

It was just like The Tonight Show or Maury Povich or one of those old This Is Your Life events. Mark was smiling and talking as he stepped forward toward me. He feigned shock that somebody else was preaching in his place. Meanwhile, the audience is laughing and applauding and enjoying every minute of this surprise. Mark had gotten back in town early and had decided to come on to church, not only to hear my message but to shock me and perhaps even get me flustered. He's such a kidder! Anyway, I reached over and hugged him, and he went and sat down in a pew and I continued on with the sermon. It all made for a very warm and happy evening.

I went home and reflected on that delightful experience and saw a beautiful connection with Advent, the season we begin to celebrate this Sunday.

These next 4 weeks of meditation and introspection and repentance remind us that at just the right moment Jesus showed up! He simply appeared. At a time and in a manner that the world least expected, Jesus was suddenly there. And His coming has brought incredible joy and light and grace to this planet. I'm so glad that we have these 30 days before us to revel again in the celebration of Christ's nativity.

Granted, we're not waiting for His birth, though that happening is what we talk about. It has already taken place, 2000 years ago. We are in expectancy now over His return. His Second Coming. His second Advent. It could occur at any moment. We should hope that when He makes His grand entrance He finds us busy for Him! I John 2:28 challenges us to live in such a way that we will not be embarrassed or ashamed when He appears. In James 5:9 there's an even more stark picture and warning: Jesus is at the door getting ready to walk out, as a judge preparing to convene in a courtroom. The idea is that He can hear, even now, what's being said and done in our churches and homes and private lives. That may call for some straightening up and adjustments in our conduct.

So Advent is not just a portion of time on a calendar or a religious ritual. It's about looking forward to a coming. Eagerly, as Hebrews 9:28 says. Unsure of exactly when it will take place, as Matthew 24:42 suggests.

Ok, Mark, you really did surprise me and momentarily catch me off guard the other night. But I was prepared to preach and was enjoying the interaction with your good folks and so was able to quickly pick up and continue. I so long for that to be true when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords suddenly steps out on those clouds one day!

News Wire

2007-11-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe but youngest son, Wes, graduates from Carson-Newman College in Tennessee on December 14. Vicki and I are so very proud of him. His finishing there is especially meaningful to Vicki because CNC is her alma mater. Ryan got his degree from Samford University in Birmingham where I attended before transferring and so his graduation had great significance for me. So I guess you could say we're a balanced family. At least when it comes to higher education, anyway. We look forward to trekking out to the Volunteer State for Wes' commencement in a few weeks.

I'm concerned about the release of the childrens' fantasy movie The Golden Compass on December 7. It's based on the first of a trilogy of books by an atheistic Britisher who despises Christianity and the Church. Using the genres of epic and fantasy, he attempts to discredit the authority and influence of the faith. He denounces the failures and mistakes and occasional injustices of the Church over the centuries. His portrayal of God is clearly heretical, and in fact, in the final book, God is killed off. Apparently he hopes that all 3 books will make it to the silver screen, so this first film will be milder in its approach, thus hooking innocent, naive boys and girls on dangerous falsehood. We need to warn parents. We also need to pray that the movie will bomb or that its influence will be muted. Further, we need to intensify our efforts to teach the truth about God and creation and all the other key doctrines. I'm not a book burner. I'm not for censorship. I do think we have to always be alert and on guard and vigilant when it comes to destructive error, however it's packaged. Each of us needs to be a well-trained apologist.

I'm excited about Christmas! I'm one of those people who doesn't mind starting all the decorating and seasonal music early. One of the classical stations on my Sirius satellite radio system began playing great Christmas music today and I'm really enjoying it. I especially like a lot of the British carols, and stuff by John Rutter. I want to get the most out of this magical season. It wouldn't bother me one bit if gift giving wasn't a part of this holiday. I delight in all the other facets of the celebration: family, get-togethers, colors, programs and pageants, decorations, and the music...especially the music. And the coming of Jesus inspires all of this.

I'm really bothered by the censure of Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson by his fellow trustees on the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. And right here at Lottie Moon time, too. I admire Wade for his courage, his insight and vision, his gracious spirit, and his willingness to take a stand against the narrowing of possibilities for cooperation in SBC life. I can only hope that the negative, unkind, political action taken against him will either be reversed or lead to a groundswell of support for major changes in how our convention is led and how we do our work.

Reading Tip And Other Stuff

2007-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

In the helpful book Relational Masks (Intervarsity Press, 2004) Christian counselor Russell Willingham identifies 6 masks that keep us from relating freely, openly, and honestly to God and other persons. He also discusses several core beliefs that underlie and undergird these impaired emotional identities. This is a short, easy-to-read, practical work that would be beneficial to people helpers as well as individuals seeking to understand themselves better.

Watched the Democratic presidential candidates' debate from Philadelphia on MSNBC last night. I thought Hillary managed to do well against Barack Obama and John Edwards, but she hedged and bluffed her way through Tim Russert's questions about her quarantined papers from her husband's administration in the 1990's. I was most impressed with John Edwards. I do enjoy hearing Joe Biden talk, though. Some good, smart communicators in this group but I just can't swallow their philosophy.

Vicki bumped into the refrigerator last night. Got her foot x-rayed this morning...she fractured it and broke 2 toes.

Was reminded by Wade Burleson's blog that today is Reformation Day, celebrating Martin Luther's nailing of the 95 Theses to that church door in Germany so many years ago, the event that launched the Protestant Reformation. We are greatly indebted to Luther. I wonder how many people will think about that with all the Halloween hoopla going on?

And speaking of Halloween, I don't think that this day should be viewed as wholly devoted to darkness and paganism. Sometimes we Christians can get a little obsessive about that. Halloween can be a time for celebrating fun and children and festivity...it can be a time for outreach projects and emphasizing light and joy. Costuming, if not sinister, can simply be an expression of a good time among friends. It should go without saying, however, that dabbling in the occult realm is forbidden...and extremely dangerous(Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

I'm Concerned

2007-10-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

I'm concerned...

...About what our culture's obsession with Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan and Paris
Hilton says about us.

...About conservative political commentator Ann Coulter's remark on a talk show the other
day that Jews need to become Christians so that they can be "perfected". She's actually
right, but without being able to explain it, and by saying it without much grace and
compassion, and because of her reputation for making caustic remarks, she may have
done more harm than good. Of course, on the other hand, the Apostle Paul's witness to his
fellow Jews was not always sugercoated, either.

...About the nature of current political discourse in our country. Sure wish that instead of all
the carping and attacks between Democrats and Republicans, and instead of the
30-second sound bites on the nightly news and the rushed, extemporaneous comments
during debates that we could have extended, reasoned dialogues among the candidates
over their respective philosophies. Then we voters could make much wiser, more
informed decisions.

...About where all this global warming discussion is gonna lead us. And about why some who
don't believe it's as bad as is being touted are shouted down and shut out from the
conversation.

I'll be taking a few days of vacation October 14-21. I hope to return to blogging after that.

Odds And Ends

2007-10-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

My wife, Vicki, spent 4 days in the hospital late last month with pancreatitis. She was released on September 27 and has been doing real well since then. She has been her usual radiant self and has been catching up on a lot of her work at the convalescent center where she is the activities director. Please pray for her energy level...and that she can enjoy an absence of pain. With the Crohn's and the Celiac Sprue and the backaches and occasional headaches she doesn't have an easy time of it. She and I both want to stay as fit as we can for as long as we can so that we can keep up with our wonderful 1-year old grandson, Micah!

It's hard to believe but our second son, Wes, graduates from college in about 2 months! We are so proud of him. He's been studying at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN. What's he gonna do after December 14? We don't know...and neither does he. I guess eventually he'll go to graduate school. He'd kinda like to get some traveling in at some point. Pray for him, that the Lord will draw him close to Himself and give him clear guidance about his future.

I was saddened Saturday to hear of the death of Virginia's first district congresswoman Jo Ann Davis as she succumbed to breast cancer. I had had the privilege of meeting her several years ago and inviting her to come to my church and speak briefly of her testimony. She was a strong, godly Christian with a beautiful, gracious countenance. It was good having someone of her character and convictions in Washington. She was so sincere. This lady served her region, her state, her country, and yes, her Lord, well. She'll be missed...but I rejoice that she is now in the presence of Christ.

The new book by Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins (NavPress, 2007) is helpful. It discusses how believers should pay more attention to the subtle sins in their lives that keep them from being at their best spiritually. Our tendency is to focus on the big sins of the culture around us rather than on our own shortcomings, such as jealousy or ingratitude or discontentment. Get a copy! And check out the new Apologetics Study Bible, too. It's a terrific resource.

Pray For Vicki

2007-09-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

My wife, Vicki, was hospitalized Monday with acute Pancreatitis.

She gets this malady occasionally. It is quite painful. She usually has to go into the hospital with it to be treated. This illness comes on top of her other chronic medical problems like Crohn's, Celiac Sprue, and back pain.

She still is as beautiful as ever, though. And she somehow manages to maintain a real passion for her job as an activities director at a nursing home.

Remember her in your prayers over the next few days.

One other personal note. She and I are still reeling with delight over the first birthday of our precious grandson, Micah, on September 21. He is a treasure!

Mother Teresa

2007-09-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Mother Teresa shocked us all the other week.

Well, not personally. This tiny, compassionate Catholic nun, who ministered to the poor and the outcasts and the dying in the streets of a major city in India for decades, died 10 years ago.

But newly revealed letters that she wrote over a period of 66 years have proven to be quite unsettling. Compiled in an upcoming book, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light(Doubleday, 2007) these letters clearly show that this godly humanitarian lived for a long, long stretch in a deep crisis of faith. She seems to doubt the existence of God and writes of not sensing the presence of the Lord in her life. She describes spiritual dryness and silence. She laments the inner darkness and loneliness of her journey. She apparently felt that God was absent. While continuing to go on in her active, merciful service for the Heavenly Father to the desperate and the despised and the despairing, she found it very difficult, if not impossible, to even pray. And she lived with this kind of internal torment for 50 years!

This revelation confuses us. We looked at her and thought that if anyone walked close to God it was her. She was a role model and a pattern of quiet, humble, consistent, devoted ministry and faith. We assumed that she surely had it all together in her relationship with the Lord. On the outside she gave every evidence of being confident and comfortable in her connection with the divine. Now we're left shaking our heads in consternation, wondering what this all means.

But we shouldn't be too surprised.

If we're honest we'll admit that all of us struggle with doubts sometime. Whether or not God exists. Whether we've really been saved or not. If our ugly sins have really been forgiven. If the Lord is actually at work on our pathway. Often we just can't sense God's presence. Occasionally we don't feel like praying or going to church or reading the Bible. And Christians are aware from time to time of emptiness and darkness on the inside.

Maybe this sobering discovery about Mother Teresa is a good thing because it will liberate us as we realize that these valleys and feelings of God-desertion are common. Way back in the 1500's, St. John of the Cross labeled experiences like this "dark nights of the soul." They can be torturous, especially to those of us brought up in traditions where Christians are supposed to always be happy and smiling and enthusiastic and conscious of bubbly, heavenly vibes on the inside. It's time we tell the truth about our pilgrimage and disclose that there are those moments when we don't feel that God is close at hand. Frankly, sometimes we think that God has abandoned us.

Just ask John the Baptist. In Matthew 11 we find this forerunner, this advance man, this messenger, this one who introduced the Messiah to the world, lanquishing in jail and beginning to wallow in some doubts about whether Jesus is really the long-awaited deliverer. I'm so glad that story is in the Bible because it suggests that even preachers and spiritual leaders wrestle with doubts and fears and loneliness. John must have pondered over why, if Jesus was the promised saviour, that he had to go through this miserable suffering in a jail cell and most likely get executed. Couldn't Jesus do something about his servant's difficulty?

John did the right thing with his inner torment, though. He was honest about it for one thing. And he sent some of his followers straight to Jesus with his sincere questions. The Lord responded that there was evidence all around if one would just look. Notice that Jesus didn't condemn John for his doubts but actually commended him to the crowds. You see, our Lord knew that there was more to John than this momentary episode of spiritual trial. He was strong on the inside and would get through this. Good words for us, huh? I John 3:20 seems to touch on this when it affirms that in those dry, dark times when it appears that we have utterly failed and that God is absent, we can find stability in the knowledge that the Lord sees the whole picture. He knows us better than we know ourselves. And God is never really absent, anyway. Sometimes He uses our sense of His desertion to create a deeper hunger and longing for Him in our hearts. Or to build in us a stronger, deeper faith that isn't constructed on emotions alone.

Turns out that Mother Teresa is an even greater inspiration and example to us than we ever realized before, then. Despite her doubts and inner struggles she kept on going. She held on even when she could not see the light. She cried out for relief and help and a desire for God's presence but continued to minister in one of the world's hardest places in deplorable cicumstances even when what she longed for was not forthcoming. Now that's faith! Genuine faith.

Is it too much to ask, then, that when we're tempted or sick or lonely or not feeling warm, fuzzy sensations in church services or can't muster up the passion to pray or wonder if God cares or is there at all that we persevere and not quit? That we stay committed even when it all seems so unreal?

It may be that the richest legacy of the small, stooped holy woman of India is just coming to light now.

Michael Vick

2007-08-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

There are some scripture verses that I wish NFL quarterback Michael Vick had read before he got caught up in dogfighting.

The Atlanta Falcons star has now pleaded guilty to charges that he participated in this cruel, heinous activity that mercilessly abused a number of dogs. There is no excuse for his actions. This is despicable conduct. He has confessed, though, and is awaiting sentencing, and now all of us should hope that he will be rehabilatated.

If only he had been exposed to Proverbs 12:10 years ago. It says that "A righteous man regards the life of his animal." In other words, someone who knows and loves and walks with God will give evidence of that even in the way he treats creatures. He will demonstrate a sensitive, tender compassion that shows up not just in the way he responds to other people but also in the manner with which he deals with dogs, cats, birds, and horses.

God values animals. They are not created in His image like we humans are, but He still delights in them. He made them, and made such a variety of them. One of the very first assignments that the Lord gave Adam in the Garden of Eden was to give names to this vast array of creatures. The first man and his wife, Eve, were given responsibility for, and dominion over, all the birds and beasts that give color and creativity and wonder to our life on planet Earth.

Of course the first sin messed all of that up. Animals became wild and carnivorous and slipped through man's leadership grip. Now a suspiciousness and sense of fear exists between creatures and people. The animals fear being hunted or captured or abused or killed. We humans are afraid of being attacked or bitten or even devoured. Though many creatures have been tamed and domesticated and loved as pets, and despite the fact that most individuals show kindness to animals, it remains true that people and beasts view one another cautiously and warily. What a fall Genesis 3 describes for us. What a departure from God's beautiful design for our world.

What Vick and his friends did shows the extent of the disconnection and discord that is a reality in the realm of nature now. Hurting and terrorizing these creatures and using their pain for sport is a far cry from God's mandate to humanity to protect and love the animal population.

It would've been good for this athlete to have also read Isaiah 11:6-9 and Isaiah 65:25. These passages seem to speak of a future time when harmonious relationships will exist again between people and beasts. Some Bible teachers believe that these texts refer to the Millenium, when Jesus will literally reign on the earth and peace and abundance will prevail worldwide. Other scholars see these verses as referring to Heaven. There is poetic language here, to be sure, but these scripture portions appear to be dealing with something literal. They offer good news, anyway. Along with passages such as Romans 8:19-23 and Hebrews 2:5-8 they point to a coming era when the curse will be lifted and a marvelous bonding and affection will be seen once more between humans and the animal kingdom.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not part of the animal rights crowd. Their approach is so often naive and even silly, and they ignore other biblical texts that discuss creatures from a different angle. What I'm saying is that if eventually there's going to be a restoration of a warm, beneficient tie between the beasts and us, shouldn't God's people be an advance battalion of the approaching change? Shouldn't we model for our culture now a new and better way to relate to the creatures all around us? Isn't it true that the love and compassion the Lord pours into us believers should spill over into how we treat anyone and anything He has made? And couldn't it be true, too, that if we mistreat animals, we may be prone to harm children and other persons, because after all, it's a heart issue when all is said and done?

I deplore his behaviour but I feel sorry for Michael. What he has done was so misguided. Rumors of a recent conversion to Christ, if true, are encouraging. Perhaps then the spiritual blindness caused in part by his pride and his wealth can be lifted and he can slowly, steadily begin to see and understand the truth. He can be forgiven, just as we can for our different, but nevertheless, offensive sins.

Go to the Book, Michael. Not some football playbook, but to God's Word. It will show you the path to a new life.

Meanwhile, we'll be praying for you. The Lord just might give you a future far more exciting than anything you've experienced yet.

Coming Soon

2007-08-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Over the next few days I hope to post blog entries on Michael Vick, Mother Teresa, and...my beautiful wife, Vicki.

Be watching!

Road Work

2007-08-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

It's just not much fun these days.

Driving on Warwick Boulevard between J. Clyde Morris Boulevard and Nettles Drive here in Newport News, that is.

A massive widening project, costing millions of dollars and taking a few years to complete, is underway.

It's certainly needed. Traffic in that corridor has greatly increased over the last few decades. It sure isn't a joyous experience motoring through that construction zone right now, though. It's like an obstacle course out there. Lanes shift almost every day. Barrels and cones and signs and marking tape are everywhere. Speed limits are reduced and vehicles sometimes move at a crawl. There are huge holes and lots of dirt, dust, and mud. Businesses along that strip are inconvenienced and detours abound.

It'll be fabulous when the work is completed and a wider, more expansive roadway is in place. Moving along that stretch will eventually be so much smoother and quicker and more pleasant than in years past. But while all this construction is going on, it's a chore and a drudge to take that route.

All this has set me to thinking about the Christian experience.

Our lives are like highways that God is working on. He's trying to widen us and deepen us and add to us and make us better and richer. Luke, in chapter 3, quotes from the prophet Isaiah and describes the ministry of John the Baptist in preparing for the approach of Jesus. Road building imagery is used. Read it. Verses 4-6 picture this mammoth endeavor of straightening and widening and leveling and smoothing. The scene is reminiscent of workers in ancient times who would renovate roads in advance of an upcoming visit by a monarch. Every effort was made to insure that his journey would be a comfortable one. They wanted to please him. Well, Luke uses that metaphor to suggest that the forerunner was seeking to get people ready spiritually, in their character, for the arrival of the Messiah.

Jesus has, of course, come, but the renovation project continues. It's called sanctification. The Holy Spirit is laboring inside us to mature us and make us more like Christ. He's digging. He's stretching. He's stripping away old habits and building in new patterns and pathways. It's not always pleasant or easy. It sometimes involves loss or changes or sacrifice. Occasionally pain. Often waiting...and more waiting. But God knows what He's doing and the end result is going to be incredibly wonderful. So the barricades and warning signs and construction noises and twists and turns of divine activity in us are for our long-term good and should be bourne with patience. Slowing down isn't always a bad thing, anyway. Becoming more alert to God's work in us is so important.

I'm gonna try to remember to meditate on this stuff when I'm traveling up Warwick and get aggravated at the delays and the maze of road work that seems to be taking forever.

One More Movie Tip

2007-08-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I saw another movie the other day.

It was "Stardust", with Michelle Phieffer, Robert DeNiro, and others.

I happened to really enjoy it. It's a fantasy and a fairy tale and a love story all rolled into one. Beautiful scenery. Neat special effects. The narrative moves along with interesting twists and turns.

I won't go all into the plot. Just go see it. It's a refreshing, entertaining escape.

It's hard to resist the opportunity to draw out the "lessons" that I picked up as I viewed it. Let me simply say that I observed that most of the characters were on a quest of some kind. The wicked witch Lamia was seeking eternal youth and beauty. The sons of a recently deceased king were vying to succeed him, doing whatever it took to attain power. Captain Shakespeare, who commanded a pirate air ship, sought to hold on to a position of respect among his men despite his conflicted lifestyle. Our hero, young Tristan, was trying to win the heart of a girl and thus was looking for love. All of them desperately wanted to connect to a falling star who turned out to be a lovely maiden. Some of these persons end up being destroyed by their anxious hunt, while others find what they were looking for and more.

It occurs to me that all of us are on a quest. Sometimes we're looking for the wrong thing. Sometimes we're looking for the right thing, but in the wrong places. Others have stopped dreaming and searching, and so are simply existing, biding their time until death shows up.

Whether we realize it or not, what we're really seeking is Jesus. Augustine said a long time ago that "our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee." When we find and embrace Christ, the scattered pieces of our lives begin to come together. Life starts making sense, even if it's not any easier. We sense fulfilment. Verses like John 10:10 and John 14:6 and Matthew 11:28-30 and Proverbs 3:5-6 seem to address that.

To be sure, after we meet Jesus there'll still be quests. He'll send us out on adventures and hunts and exploits. In fact, I think He'll do that with us in eternity, too. Other galaxies and universes, maybe? But the difference for Christ-followers, both now and then, is that we'll have settled, satisfied hearts at the core. And we'll not need to search for power or fame. We'll not have to bother with frantically pursuing love because we've found that in Him. There'll be no reason to grasp for unending youthfulness and energy and attractiveness since we're gonna possess that one day even if it is slowly dissipating now. If you have Jesus, you have everything! Both body and soul will ultimately be complete in Him.

Now our quests are for other people to introduce to our Saviour. Now our hunts are for ever more godly character as we wind and work our way through trials and troubles. These days we seek to know Him better as we wander about His Word. Sometimes we go out on dashing mountaintop experiences with the Lord while at other times we move slowly and painfully through valleys alongside Him.

Okay, so "Stardust" is just a movie. Relax, get some popcorn, and sit back and let the intriguing story and dazzling images refresh you. But rejoice inwardly at the prospect that for ages and ages to come there'll be wonders and jaunts and journeys for us all under the protecting guidance of our awesome God. And, oh, by the way, Jesus is the "bright morning star" who came to earth once upon a time, literally, to transform our lives.

And He is infinitely more beautiful than the fair Yvaine!

Happy Birthday

2007-08-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today Wes celebrates his 23rd birthday.

I well remember that hot summer morning at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA when I sat just inches behind my wife as she lay on the surgical table awaiting the caesarian delivery of our second son. Shortly before 9am he was born...and I almost fainted after having witnessed the procedure! The nurses had to temporarily take care of me before they could resume their ministrations to my wife and my newborn. I have to say, though, that it's a pretty amazing experience watching your child come into the world.

Wes brought incredible joy into our family. God gave us a great gift when He loaned him to us.

It's hard to believe that in a few short months he'll be graduating from college. What a wonderful young man he has become. I see so many traits and characteristics in him that I wish I possessed. He's always been so relaxed and at ease and comfortable with who he is. He seemingly lives without fear or any anxiety. He's a risktaker and is always willing to try new things. He makes friends so easily, and is intensely loyal to those friends. A terrific athlete, he has excelled in soccer, basketball, baseball, and tennis...and yet has sought ever to be a team player, allowing others to shine. He loves to travel and often says "I wanna go everywhere." He doesn't appear to be worried about death, and frankly, has such a spirit of adventure that he'd go to just about any place either to serve or explore.

In family discussions we can count on Wes to keep us laughing or seriously thinking. Many times I've been prompted to see things in a whole new light after conversing with him. And after 23 years he's still bubbly and bouncy and just plain fun to be around. He's independant and likes to think for himself, too.

Wes, your Mom and I love you so very much. We are more proud of you than we can express. Thanks for making our world a better place.

We have no idea what God has in store for your life. He created you, though, and has a purpose for you. Seek that purpose...no, first seek Him and love Him and walk with Him and He'll show you that purpose. Commit yourself fully to Him. Don't ever forget Proverbs 3:5-6. And no, Wes, I don't expect you to become a preacher, that is unless the Lord should call you to that. If He wants you in social work or law or teaching or coaching or whatever, you go His way. It's there that you'll find perfect fulfilment. Let God lead you to your future wife, too. I have this feeling that you're gonna make a tremendous husband one day...and a terrific dad, too.

These days I miss seeing you out on the basketball court making those awesome lay-ups or beautiful 3-pointers to the delight of cheering fans in your old high school. Or watching as you kick those goals out on the soccer field as the crowd roars with joy. Now you're in a much bigger arena and court--the field of life. Keep doing your best now. Maintain the zest and the initiative and the energy and the passion. Do what's right, even when those on the sidelines don't understand or like your convictions and decisions and actions. Stay honest. Fair. Truthful. Open. Kind. Pure. Curious.

And never, ever forget that watching you with beaming pride and a tear in his eye way, way up in the stands is a white-haired man who thinks you're tops. Me.

Reading Tip

2007-08-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

For a good, practical study on the providence of God, get the new book by internationally known Christian apologist and speaker Ravi Zacharias. It's called The Grand Weaver(Zondervan, 2007). It discusses how "God shapes us through the events of our lives". He uses stories and illustrations and Scripture to make his case that what happens in us and to us is not accidental or solely of our own efforts but is part of a "meticulous and purposeful design in which all the elements are intertwined with breathtaking precision". This work will inform, inspire, and refresh you!

If Statues Could Speak

2007-08-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

Some folks are unhappy with the large new statue erected on the grounds of our local university.

It is a likeness of Captain Christopher Newport, after whom that school and our city were named. He commanded that first English expedition to Virginia in 1606-07 and subsequently made several other journeys from England to our shores when the colony was young.

It bothers some of our citizens that this monument portrays the captain as virile and robust, with both arms fully in place, when history clearly documents that he lost his right arm in a tough fight with 2 Mexican treasure ships at the beginning of his career as a privateer. What riles a lot of people is the inaccuracy of it. Others are probably offended by what they perceive as an attempt to hide a handicap, to tidy up the image of someone who, in his natural state, is at less than his best. Thus, a slap in the face to anyone who is physically challenged in some way.

I’m not taking sides in this controversy. I like the impressive look of this iron representation as I drive by it on a daily basis. At the same time, I suppose that those who are disappointed at this production do have some valid arguments.

This whole business has gotten me to think, though, about life and faith. There’s a powerful metaphor here. Some lessons emerge.

For starters, we are indeed strange creatures.

Sometimes we actually like to see someone else fall or stumble or get hurt. It might be a celebrity or a high-profile person or just a next-door neighbor. We inwardly smile at their misfortune or mistake because we’re envious of them. Or because it makes us feel better about ourselves. Proverbs 24: 17-18 issues a pretty sobering warning about that kind of attitude.
At other times we tend to put well-known personalities or ordinary acquaintances on a pedestal, thinking they could do no wrong. Assuming that they’ve got all the answers and have found the secret to success. Believing that they don’t grapple with the problems we face. That’s a fantasy, though, that sets us up for disappointment or disillusionment. Nobody is perfect or free from heartache. The occasional, surreal glimpse of a tow truck pulling a disabled ambulance pictures that for us.

None of us will make it through our earthly pilgrimage without getting wounded. In various ways we’ll get beat up and tossed around and torn by the myriad stresses and struggles that come with being human. In both body and soul we’ll be hurt and scarred and perhaps even disfigured. We’ll lose stuff along the way that meant a lot to us. I’m curious if mariner Newport thought his best days were over when he lost that arm.

Our pain and our losses and our battle injuries become part of our story, our biography. They are just as significant and as formative as the happy, whole, positive portrait we usually try to present to those around us in the hope that they will think that we have it all together. We don’t like defeats. We don’t enjoy vulnerability. But our weakness and failures and illnesses and deprivations are some of the tools that God uses to shape us and make us richer, stronger individuals. He sometimes applies trials and afflictions to work bad things out of us and at other times to develop good qualities into us. That’s why Paul was able to say in 2 Corinthians 12 that he would boast of the weaknesses in his life because they demonstrated that God was active in his experience.

One day, in Heaven, our wounds and handicaps and sicknesses and sorrows will be gone. We’ll possess wonderful new resurrection bodies with unimaginable abilities and powers. We’ll look so good! And we’ll feel so good, too, with energy that never dissipates.

I just wonder if even there, though, traces of our scars and blows might not be evident. Jesus, in his glorified body, still possessed the nail prints (John 20). The hymn-writer speaks of “those wounds yet visible above, in beauty glorified”. It may be that tracks of our troubles will still be dimly seen in our changed physiques as trophies of God’s grace and as reminders that it was our adversities that really molded our godly character. Perhaps there, for the first time, we’ll realize that we all wrestled with something. In the same boat after all.

Stand tall in your wholeness, Captain Newport. You show us our future. We’d be just as proud of you, though, if your right limb was missing.

Movie Tip

2007-07-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

Saw a good film the other night.

It's one of those limited release flicks so it's not showing everywhere. It's worth seeing, though.

It's "Away From Her'', starring Julie Christie and Olympia Dukakis. The story is of a gently aging husband and wife who discover that Alzheimer's is slowly showing up and invading their relatively happy space. A decision is reluctantly made to place the wife in an elder care facility, and the plot winds around all the pain and loss and sadness that this generates, as well as the stretching of the human spirit.

What you have here is a slow-paced, reflective look at the whole business of aging and wrapping up and finishing a lifetime. How do you best do that? How do you conclude years of joys and tears and memories? How do you say goodbye to someone you've spent a life with?

It seems to me that babyboomers ought to be going in droves to view this film. Professionals involved in nursing home work or retirement center jobs should see it, too. Ministers would benefit as well. It offers a keen look at the inner dynamics of individuals who come down to the final years of the lifespan and have to make sobering choices and experience hefty changes.

The hour and a half spent at the cinema for this celluloid narrative might make us a little more sensitive as caregivers. It might move us to spend our youthful days better. It would certainly remind us that when we approach the end, what will matter probably more than anything else is the quality of the relationships we've had and nurtured. Strenghtening our marriages now will help us avoid a lot of guilt and regret later, too.

Staying committed to our partner all the way to life's conclusion is a beautiful ideal depicted in this movie. A love that sticks by and takes care of the spouse even when that one is no longer at his or her best is the highest demonstration of genuine agape.

Find this motion picture. Purchase a ticket. Buy some popcorn. Sit back and be prepared to think...and feel. You may shed a tear or you may not. It's a gripping crash course for all of us, though, in what's just ahead. We may as well step out of our denial. We're gonna get old, if we live long enough. And we're gonna die.

Regrettably, this good film doesn't point to a hope beyond this life's curtain going down. Sure, there is something heroic and romantic about having lived out one's days fully and well, even if nothingness is on the other side of the last breath. But how pointless and meaningless and empty and without hope or joy is a life, however long, that ends up being just a blip when compared to the immensity and neverendingness of eternity. Praise the Lord for the assurance that we Christians have of living forever! And what an absolutely incredible life it's going to be. While I applaud so much in this movie, I ached to see portrayed before me two more representative samples on the screen who had seemingly bought into our culture's thinking that this life is all there is and you better grab for all the gusto you can right now. How tragic.

Thank you, Jesus, for your resurrection that guarantees mine!

If I Had A Hammer...

2007-07-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

My oldest son, Ryan, gave me a most unusual Father's Day gift.

To some dads, this present would not have been odd at all. For me, though, it seemed a little strange.

I looked inside the gift bag and noticed something wrapped up down at the bottom. I surmised quickly that it was probably a necktie, or maybe a book. Imagine my surprise when I reached in, unrolled the paper, and discovered a hammer!

For me?

Anybody who knows yours truly is aware that I'm no handyman. I hardly know one tool from another. Never built anything. Avoid nails and pliers and screwdrivers like the plague. Would just as soon call in and pay outside help to hang a picture on the wall. Absolutely zero carpentry skills.

Why was I getting a hammer, albeit a nice, new one?

I remembered that Ryan, 26, and Christie were moving into their new home that very weekend. Was this a subtle hint, a request for assistance with all that had to be done as their residence changed? Surely not. My son knows all too well my limitations in the manual labor department.

Then I read the card.

He thanked me for the "construction" I had done in his life as he grew up. He expressed the hope that I would do some similar work with his son, Micah, my new grandson. The tool was a symbolic gift. A metaphor. A picture. The hammer was a token of gratitude for spiritual building in the past and a challenge for the future.

I understand what he meant but I feel so unworthy of the compliment. Sometimes all I see are my failures as a father. Believe me, there were many. Nevertheless, this simple gift was a powerful encouragement to me and spoke louder than words.

All of us have some building to do. Not just with literal bricks and mortar and paint and lumber. Not just in adding on a room or a deck, or in refurbishing a den. Spiritually, we should constantly be cooperating with the Master architect-contractor-owner of our lives as He works to expand and enlarge and decorate our souls. It's an ongoing process. Check 2 Peter 1:5-9 on that. You and I are works in progress.

At the same time, we're to be building up other people. That's to happen in the fellowship of the church as we encourage and confront and teach and admonish and pray for one another. That takes place, too, in the family as we nurture and correct and discipline and love our spouses and our children and our grandkids. We add on whole new rooms in each other's spirits. We deepen the capacities of one another for rich, vibrant living.

So, yes, to do all that we must have, among other things, hammers for the soul. You notice that these particular tools have 2 parts, enabling 2 different functions. With one side, you press nails in. We all need truth and grace and love and direction placed in us. Sometimes(ouch!) that hurts. At other times we hardly feel it. With the alternate side, nails can be pulled out. There is stuff in our lives that ought to come out. And we all make mistakes. This side of the hammer affords us the chance to make a correction, to start over. To have a fresh beginning.

Perhaps all of us would benefit from giving and receiving these symbolic, metaphorical gifts occasionally. Not all the time, please. Usually we need those neckties or books or new shoes or shirts or CD's. But from time to time, "picture" gifts could serve useful purposes.

They could illustrate for us, in ways that words never could, just what we mean to someone else or what they mean to us. They could, with specificity, describe character traits or personality styles or ministry skills that we didn't know we possessed. They might serve as fresh motivators to get us actively engaged in people's lives so as to be a blessing, since something about us was noticed and observed, something that made a difference.

Imagine getting, or giving, a pencil sharpener that communicates that lives are shaped and sharpened by interaction with someone. Made better(Proverbs 27:17). Visualize the gift of a pillow, that offers the message that one feels comfortable around another. Somehow relaxed. Or that worries and fears can be brought to one and peace can be found. How about a pack of seeds? They suggest that a person is sowing kindness or good deeds or a worthy example. A vase of flowers illustrates that an individual brightens up a room, or adds color to life, or brings fragrance to a friendship. A world globe reminds us that we're to have a mission heart for the planet. A simple but beautiful rock provides an opportunity for one person to reveal to another that they find stability and quiet strength in the relationship. A can of spinach may be a way of telling a friend that they seem to have a knack for bringing to a conversation or a discussion or even a disagreement what is needed even if it's not easy going down.

You get the idea.

Thank you so much for my gift, Ryan. I will treasure it. I mean that. I really want to live up to the sentiment you sought to convey when you gave it.

2007-07-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

It happened 45 years ago this week.

I went away to camp for the first time.

I was 10 years old and had never been away from home, separated from my parents, for an extended period. Our Minister of Music at church awarded some of us in childrens' choir the opportunity and privilege to go to Childrens' Music Week at our denominational state assembly grounds, Eagle Eyrie, in Lynchburg, VA for 6 days.

I didn't want to go.

Call it late separation anxiety or whatever you like. I didn't want to leave the familiar surroundings of home and family. In all my fears and forebodings I probably begged my mom and dad not to make me go. I was actually afraid as I recall.

I am so very thankful all these many years later that my parents did not give in to my pleadings. They insisted that I go. They packed my suitcase and sent me off with the other kids.

New friends were acquired. There was fresh scenery. Beautiful mountains. Different foods. Great music to learn and present. My horizons were expanded and I was stretched as I had to do some things for myself that my folks normally did for me. I was impacted by new ideas and impressions and the change in pace and locale.

I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I had just stayed home that week. I think being away profoundly affected me. From then on, I wanted to go on all church trips. The travel bug really bit me. Since that July camp decades ago I have been lots of places and my heart's desire is to see as much of the world as I can. It was like whole vistas opened up for me back then. Maybe that's why these days I'm such a big proponent of, and cheerleader for, kids going to camps and on retreats and off on mission trips.

Even as adults, though, there's a part of us, down deep inside, that prefers to remain where we are. We struggle with change. We seek out the comfortable, the secure. It's easier that way. It's more predictable. More manageable. But we have to resist that impulse. We gotta keep moving and growing and reaching and learning and exploring. If we don't we'll get stale and stuck in a rut. We'll have less and less fresh water to offer other people. We'll become stagnant and boring. It's imperative that we move out of our comfort zones. Read a book. Learn a new skill or develop another hobby. Take a trip. Volunteer for some ministry or engage in a venue of community service. Visit art and history museums. Brainstorm lots of options when problem-solving.

Sometimes I reflect on whether my response to the approach of death eventually will be like my deal with going to camp those long years ago.

Will I dread it? Will I put up all those old resistances? Will I cling, white-knuckled and tenaciously, to this life when the summons comes to journey to the world beyond? I don't know. I just don't know. The fears and apprehensions may surface again because the next life is, still, so unknown to us. And we like it here. We're settled. We feel safe. It's all so natural. We shudder at the thought of breathing our last breath here and going somewhere to stay that we've never been before.

There is comfort, however, as I ponder all this. I have a savior, Jesus Christ, who has already taken that trip and come back to tell about it. He died and then rose from the grave. His saving work on the cross and through an empty tomb assures me as His child that everything will be okay when I come down to my final days.

And I have a heavenly Father who, like my earthly mom and dad in 1962, will not yield to my fright but will lovingly and firmly encourage me to launch out on the journey of a lifetime. He'll say, "Come on. Take my hand. You can't begin to dream or imagine what's in store for you out there. So much to see and hear and taste and explore and feel. So many worlds. So many sunrises. And absolutely nothing to be afraid of, ever. Come. It's just a step." Talk about the ultimate adventure! Wow.

I guess tiny newborns know something of this. They struggle through the birth canal and cry as they enter this loud, bright, cold, big place even as those who eagerly await their arrival smile with delight. After they've been here a little while and gotten their bearings, if they somehow could remember their former existence in that cramped, dark, humdrum, albeit warm and cozy atmosphere known as mother's womb, would they want to go back to it? Would they trade the exhilirating colors and shapes and sounds and trees and beaches and giraffes and symphonies and pizzas of this new place for their previous residence? I seriously doubt it. Life here becomes a fascinating trek.

It will be the same for us when we embark for Heaven. Tough to let go of the here and now, but incredibly awesome when we get on that side.

Thanks, Mama and Daddy, for not relenting in July, 1962, but insisting that I go to Eagle Eyrie. You probably never knew that you were altering my life direction for the good.

In The Zone

2007-07-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

There'll be a Twilight Zone marathon on TV this week.

Twice a year, at July 4th and New Year's, the Sci-Fi channel shows back-to-back episodes of this old classic series for a couple of days.

I'm always hooked. I become a couch potato. I sit there and watch these reruns, hour after hour.

What's the attraction?

Well, I like that antiquated black-and-white feel every now and then. I sorta enjoy Rod Serling's cigarette smoke-laced introductions to each story. I delight in seeing how some of today's popular actors looked back then, when they were just getting started. These tales of time travel and UFO's and life on other planets fascinate me. They make me think. They get my imagination cranked up into high gear.

The sets were spartan and cheap, and the plots fanciful and outlandish, but I'm always not only entertained but intellectually stimulated by this TV drama from decades ago.

Maybe what it is that resonates with me is that the themes touch on some of the deepest questions and longings of the human heart. The narratives track some of the great aspirations and dreams of the spirit. Watching these episodes as a Christian adds to the thrill factor, because I realize that there will one day be a fulfilment of some of these hopes and yearnings that are portrayed on the screen.

One day we will have the privilege of living forever without dying. One day we will be perennially young, in both body and spirit. We will possess a constant future-orientation. I think the Bible implies that we'll have the challenging, exhilirating opportunity to visit and perhaps develop and rule over other worlds to the glory of God. The age-old quest for peace will finally be satisfied. Maybe we'll even have the chance to go back in time occasionally, to study history and to have God show us why things happened as they did. Wow!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us that God has put eternity in our hearts. We were created for more than just a few short years here. We were made for much more than simply gratifying our physical selves. God fashioned us for Himself, to live for age after age after age in ever-deepening awareness and learning and growth and experiences. We will travel and create and worship and love and work throughout the eons to come because of the reconciling ministry of Jesus(Colossians 1:15-20). Regrettably, unbelievers only have now, but Christ-followers have an awesome destiny ahead.

Okay. Sofa reserved, snacks ready, remote close at hand, all family rights to TV programming ceded over to me. I'm gonna love this marathon! What I really love is the certainty that one day the twilight will break into full, glorious morning.

Were The Moderates Partly Right?

2007-06-26T10:31:00.001-07:00

Now there's a question to ponder.

Wait. Don't throw that tomato.

I am a committed inerrantist. The conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention has had my full support.

At the same time I have many, many wonderful moderate friends. I love them deeply and dearly as brothers and sisters in Christ and enjoy great fellowship with them. At age 55, no one is going to tell me who I can associate with along life's journey. Many of these "moderates" are really as conservative theologically as I am, but just may not use the same words. Lots of them probably have even more passion about sharing Christ than I possess.

The 1980's and 90's were years of tremendous upheaval in our convention. Clearly, changes had to be made to get us back to a more Biblically-grounded, evangelistic-hearted, mission-focused stance. Yet many good and decent people were hurt.

Lots of moderates were labeled and libeled and had their reputations besmirched and saw their careers damaged. Of course it cuts both ways. Conservatives were ridiculed and maligned, too. A deep divide resulted. I've been convinced for some time that a mighty move of God and an awesome revival could sweep this nation if these 2 sides would come together, even now,in a posture of humble contrition. Maybe there would never again be much affiliation organizationally but there could be apology and confession and repentance and reconciliation relationally. What a message that would send to a watching world. What a demonstration of the spirit of Christ. Seems like John 13:35 touches on this.

When all the denominational conflict broke out almost 30 years ago, and it soon became evident that the conservative viewpoint would prevail, the moderates made some predictions.

I don't know if these days they are sitting back saying "we told you so" or not. And it's certainly by no means confirmed that their warning prophecies have come true. I hope that they will not.

There is a feeling in the air, though, however vague, that something's just not quite as it should be. Were the moderates good prognosticators those many years ago? Is it wrong to even ask that question? We better ask it.

Were they partly right about the long-term future of our convention? And is there time to forestall their gloomy assessment from way back then? It may be that we'll unwittingly lend unnecessary credibility to their dire forecasts unless some course corrections are made.

They said, for example, that the controversy that erupted in 1979 was not really about scripture and inerrancy but about politics and control. The suggestion was that all the flap over the terms inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy was simply a smokescreen for those seeking to wrest dominance in the denominational power structure.

I didn't believe that then, and I don't believe it now. We had to take a strong, definitive stand on the authority of God's Word. The teaching in our schools, which would affect the future crops of preachers in our pulpits, was leaning too far toward the liberal and would eventually, if left unchecked, render our churches lifeless. Something had to be done to change our institutions. Church historians will probably debate for decades on whether what was done and how it was accomplished was the best approach, but nevertheless sincere men acted to rescue a denomination from slowly sinking into the abyss of theological mediocrity and cold, powerless congregations.

But 30 years later, look around. The battle over the Bible was won. Our seminaries are in terrific shape. But we've got to honestly face something. There has been, for some time, the perception out there that a small group has been making most of the decisions. That power is concentrated in the hands of a few who expect to be just blindly trusted to know and do what's best. That everything is cut and dried. That criticisms or complaints are not welcome. Hence, for instance, that discussion time on the convention floor should be kept to the barest minimum. Trustee appointments must go only to those who toe the most rigid of lines. You gotta ask--in a house now full of conservatives, what are we so afraid of? The tapping of Frank Page for the presidency in 2006 and his reelection this year do offer encouragement that perhaps there's going to be an opening up of the process. The vote on the BFM motion gives hope, too.

They said back then that this whole conflict was just a preachers' fight. They insisted that laypeople were not interested in all this fussin' and feudin' over doctrine but wanted to get on with kingdom business and missions, and we pastors were holding things up. We were wasting valuable time, it was thought. We were told that folks in the pews couldn't care less about all the bickering but just wanted peace and harmony and, especially, results in world outreach.

Guess what? Turns out, 30 years later, that the ones tending to dominate in convention leadership are preachers. Usually of the megachurch variety. More often than not, it's preachers standing at the floor microphones at the annual session. Each June, pastors still preach and holler and shout, somehow fearful that liberalism is "comin' back", and preachers debate each other on the finer points of theological discourse while laypeople sit out there wondering why, with all this heat and bluster, we're baptizing less people and not sending out enough missionaries. Average folks in the pews must wonder what all the fuss is about and why we can't seem to get on with the mission.

Can anyone remember the last time a layperson was president of the SBC? It just might be refreshing and transformative if we elected some strong, wise, godly laypeople to our highest offices for a few cycles. Persons with fresh, creative, out-of-the-box, marketplace, non-ministerial thinking. Back home, in our pulpits, we preach that all in the body are equal and of great value(1 Corinthians 12) and have gifts to celebrate and share, not just the pastors. We could act like we really believe that by giving more of our layfolks major leadership posts. We preachers could learn some things from them if we'd release our grip on the top slots.

They said that we would ultimately turn inward and end up fighting each other. Ouch.

Okay. Maybe there is a sociological principle at work here. Group dynamics studies tell us that when an organization feels like it has won over its major threats, it tends to take it easy and starts looking at inside stuff and ends up getting picky and irritable. Bubbles of conflict develop. With no external "enemies" to deal with, energy starts getting used up in internal squabbles. Anyone else noticed what's been happening in the SBC the last few years?

At first it was the liberals. Sure, something had to be done there. But then it was the moderates. Next it was the Calvinists. Now it's the Charismatics. Who are we going to slug it out with next? What group among us will next be made to feel that it is no longer needed or wanted? Who will be left after awhile? Probably just someone to turn off the lights.

This protracted navel-gazing and infighting is going to distract us and divert our momentum, and just might do us in as a cooperating body. All the suspicion and the "with us or with them" mentality, that we deplore so much in our individual congregations, could cripple us. Our internal struggles could so weaken us that we lose our stature and significance on the stage of Kingdom advance and world evangelization. You know it's true--a church can experience one split and survive, but when it keeps going through ruptures and fractures, it's in real jeopardy. Could that happen as well in our larger body? You bet. God doesn't absolutely have to have the Southern Baptist Convention, you realize.

They also said that we would probably become more and more narrow. Hmm.

The vibes I sense nowadays lead me to think that we are devolving from a bold, positive, conservative, evangelical, cooperative position to a kind of rigidity, almost an exclusive, narrow fundamentalism. Regrettably, we're often known more for what we are against than what we are for in this world.

Seems like it's not enough anymore to believe in Biblical inerrancy and the virgin birth and the deity of Christ and substitutionary atonement and the bodily resurrection of Jesus and the second coming of our Lord. Now everybody also has to think just alike on secondary and tertiary doctrines. Same view on the Millenium. Same perspective on spiritual gifts. There's no room for compromise or warm, collegial dialogue or agreeing to work together as loving partners on the main thing despite minor differences in theology or methodology. The impression is given that we all must walk in lock step, even though a lot of kneecaps and ankles and heels are sore and aching. Ties and connections with like-minded evangelical groups, zealous about reaching the nations for Jesus in these last days, are minimized or even severed just at the very time when we most need to be linked in high energy, frontline ministry to impact the world.

Indulge me. Honest questions: why do we all have to think alike on every single thing in order to cooperate together in God's work? And why are we bashing some people in our midst, denigrating them as rebels and whiners, who dare to speak up when they see something amiss and see us heading too far in a rightward drift when we well remember what it was like to be so labeled and misunderstood a few decades ago when we spoke up and warned of a leftward drift?

Finally, they said that sooner or later a lot of young people would leave. The prediction was that the rigidity would force many of the brightest and best in the next generation to depart. I don't know about you, but I sometimes hear the doors slamming shut and sometimes just quietly closing. A lot of sincere, dedicated younger pastors are tired of not having much of a voice. Some are fed up with a snail's pace bureaucracy. Many of those guys who are theologically sound and intellectually robust are weary(just when we need their passion and zest) from internecine battles over minor doctrinal points. There are younger men and women on fire with eagerness to try bold, new, innovative missiological strategies to reach a rapidly changing culture that's passing us by but they feel rejected when they speak up. It looks like an awful lot of these younger persons that we reared in our SBC churches and nurtured and helped to hear God's call are now moving on to other venues.

I praise the Lord for the concern and vision of Drs. Jimmy Draper and Morris Chapman a few years ago as they saw the rushing freight train-like challenge of this possible impending draining of a vast reservior of potential. More needs to be done to stem the tide of a large exit of younger disciples who are looking for more effective ways to do ministry in these climactic times than are currently offered in our present denominational structure. Many of these young people are far more willing to sacrifice than we ever were. They just want to do it in cutting edge ways that will impact the culture they know all too well.

So...were the moderates partly right? With hindsight, was their insight a bit of foresight?

You decide.

I love our great old convention so very much. Always have. I want to see us not just survive, but thrive.

Put down that tomato. Let's think and pray. With some adjustments, our best days as Baptists could be just ahead.

Parable Of The Croaking Frogs

2007-06-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

Found this old, familiar, been-around-the-block story in a church newsletter. Enjoy, reflect, pass on...

A farmer came to town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The proprietor asked where he could find so many frogs.

"I've got a pond at home just full of them", the farmer replied. "They drive me crazy night and day."

After they made an agreement for several hundred frogs, the farmer went back home. He came back a week later with 2 scrawny frogs and a foolish look on his face. "I guess I was wrong," he stammered. "There were just two frogs in the pond, but they sure were making a lot of noise!"

The next time you hear a lot of noise about how bad things are at church, just remember: it may be nothing more than a couple of chronic complainers who have little to do but grouch and croak!