Good Ol Blogger

Anyone else miss ye goode olde blog? I've tried Facebook, and really miss the old blog.

GaGa over Kanye

I am having an Andy Rooney moment right now...

When I was in 9th grade, the most famous musician of my ear blew his head off with a shotgun, leaving his wife, child, band, and millions of devastated teenagers behind. I was so broken hearted that day that I lit a candle and left it burning as a vigil to my hero, Kurt (or Kurdt, or Curt...) Cobain. That week, the semi senile and snarky 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney laid down the law that Cobain was the most selfish S.O.B. that had ever walked the face of this earth. A man who had everything and still wallowed in self pity. I was so angry at him I could have exploded. But he was right.

We make gods out of people and then wonder why they raise the bar time and again. They do it to shock us, to impress us. We celebrate selfish indulgence and feral lifestyles and then when they manifest themselves as they did at the VMAs, at the SuperBowl a few years back, etc. we see what we have created and we are aghast.

The Enlightenment has added much to humanity, but has also left its share of casualties. Among them seem to be decency. People are so fiercely individualistic that they are simply out of their minds. That is why I have said and will continue to say that we idolize those whom we ought to institutionalize. I am only half serious here. But think about it. Who really wants to watch Snoop Dogg's wife get onto him for breaking his diet, or hear Ozzy and his kids drop F bombs like cluster bombs, or see an 80 year old man in his pajamas surrounded by sorority girls. Yet this is the world that we have created, and when it reaches critical mass we don't know what to do with it.

Think about Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick may be the greatest sitarist of our age. His films are brutal, offensive, and intentionally so. They give the people what they want in copious quantities. It would be comic if it were not so wicked. And I suppose I feel the same way about Lady GaGa, and her crew. If you want to watch someone simulate sex with a piano and smear blood over themselves (things which only Gwar could get away with five years ago) then that is your choice. The sad thing is that this sort of thing hardly even raises an eyebrow anymore. But someone out there (many someones apparently) want to see that.

This my friends is sad.

Those Who Wait Upon the Lord...

28Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. 30Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. 31But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT)

Those who know me know that I never do anything “half-way”. As much as I'd like to believe this to be an asset, I know all too well that it can also be a liability...

The word for this summer has been “relentless”, and lately we have been “feeling the burn”. Funerals, family needs, camps, VBS, concreete, pastoral counseling, church needs, etc. have come knocking on our door day after day. It is no ones' fault really, things have just stacked up in such a way that there has been little if any time for respite, for restoration, relaxation, for revival.

On one hand the sense that God is using you (of all people) as his instrument is awe inspiring. Yet, I am so often reminded that even Jesus took a time out from time to time (cf. Mark 14), as it is said, “if you do not come apart, you will come apart...”. I have been coming apart.

The first place this shows itself is my tongue, and my attitude which has been less than ideal the last three weeks or so. Words I'd hoped I'd forgotten how to say, and attitudes I'd hoped I'd left behind rose to the surface last week in particular.

Saturday as we were on our way home from somewhere, Vicki and I felt a discussion morphing into and argment and we both decided to button up for a bit. After a time she broke the silence and said, “Our problem is that we need to pray more...”. This gnawed on me all day (when God cannot get through to me Himself, he sends my wife after me). So yesterday our family went to the altar and asked for God's help. I made peace with them, and with God. Then, today as I was preparing for the day, I realized how long it had been since I had “waited upon the Lord”.

What does that mean? It will mean something different for eveyone. For me it means to carve out time every day to pray, read the word, journal, and maybe even strum a bit to God and God alone. It makes all the difference if we take time to stay our mind and heart upon Christ. It sets the tone for the day.

Vicki and I know that God is preparing to ramp things up in our ministry. As a consequence, we can feel the Enemy nipping at our heels, but we have to know that: “those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” It is clear that now, more than ever, if we are walking in our own strength we are sabatoging our own work. Not only I suffer, but my family and moreover, my church family suffer as well. But if we rely upon the Lord for strength and guidance, we can not fail.

It's time to get back on track.

God forigve me, help me to redeem the time, and help us to make the most of each day by beginning it with You.

Amen.


(Cut and paste for a favorite song that goes right along with this)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUwRX2HPLKY

AND

Here is another link for over achievers: :)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/19060705/Preaching-Preparation-by-George-Muller

Wicked ol' Wllow Creek

If you know anything about "trends" in church growth, evangelism, small groups, etc. you have heard the names Willow Creek or Bill Hybels at least a dozen times (if not hundreds). I had heard, and seen glimpses of the WC model, heard about people going to Chicago to spend a weekend or more observing the "Willow Creek model" (this was hugely popular when Vicki and I were church planters). But really had never been privy to first hand experience until a few weeks ago.

I tend to be a bit "behind the curve" when it comes to blogging. This is for two reasons, firstly I seldom have time to blog anymore (I think this is a good thing) and second, I like to let things settle a bit so that I don't "post in anger" (not that it matters since only my wife and my best friends read my blog).

Anyhow, I can summarize my entire experience at the Willow Creek Association Leadership Summit in two words, "Shock" and "Awe". My shock is at the narrow-minded bigotry and church envy that perennially pigeon holes the ministry of WC as watered-down and unorthodox simply by virtue of its willingness to color outside the lines (if Bill Hybels even remembers that there are 'lines'). Not long ago I wrote a furious letter to our state Baptist paper (the supposedly 'good' one) about their relish in the admission of Hybels that many of the programs and efforts of WC had been fatally flawed and that they needed fresh direction. I was angry for three reasons, first because of the mean-spirited gloating of those who still don't realize that the train has left their station thirty years ago or more (in part because of massive endowment of widows who keep the lights on in ineffective chapels all across America). Secondly, because they are wrong. And thirdly, because it takes GUTS to admit that half of what you have been doing for thirty years needs a serious adjustment. IF the SBC is going to survive to its next centennial, it better eat a bit less fried chicken and a lot more crow, and a little humble pie wouldn't hurt either.

My "Awe" was at the gorgeously seamless garment that Willow manged to weave at the summit between grace and truth. For instance, for the first time in a long time I was reminded that "telling the truth" was among a leader's primary responsibilities. I was so moved in fact that God gave me a sermon that may have completely readjusted the focus of our church in the short term, and in the long term may save our church for our great grandchildren (if that be God's will). What was my new radical, postmodern, seeker sensitive, emergent position? That our church could close its doors and no one outside our Sunday service would ever know. And that we all know that. And that is time to change that. Time for our church to become as necessary to our community as the school, the hospital, or the fire department.

So then, I suppose I have been corrupted. Although I should note that I have a dozen plus binders that I have received from more "orthodox" SBC training that in their sum hardly touch the significance of the two days that I invested in the WCA Leadership Summit.

I am reminded of an old commercial for Wendy's that asked, "Where's the beef?"

In my opinion, there is plenty at Willow Creek.

Just Grow Up

You know, I never thought I find myself saying those words.

I have two half sisters, but they were 14 and 15 when I was born. I hardly recall them since my dad's (their step-dad) job evaporated when the steel factory he worked for was sucked into the early 80's recession (thanks Jimmy Carter...). We moved to Michigan when my dad joined the Air Force and they stayed behind with friends to finish High School.

Then I had kids, five of them. And now, from time to time, more often recently, I find myself saying that phrase. "Just grow up..." usually followed by, "they didn't mean to hit you/break that/cut off your arm..." or something of that nature.

Now, all at once, not only an I saying that to my kids, I hear God saying that to me.

I made a mistake this weekend, I went to a Willow Creek Leadership Summit. You talk about challenging. It was two days of pure leadership wisdom with no fulff, not a great deal of flare (although it was creative and engaging), and challenge. Just today I wrote to a close friend:

MAN, I have to tell you, the last two days have been intense for me! I have really begun to feel a pull, a tension, a transition. Its like all of the sudden I am growing from young man to adult. Many things that I once thought were important have completely been left behind. I started feeling like I should tuck in my shirt (joking) keep my hair shorter (not entirely joking) and be more consistent in everything that I do (totally not joking at all).

So then comes the question, that I know we have talked about before,

what does it mean to put childish things away? Pauline scholar that
you are, you are one step ahead of my poor hermeneutic, "Paul is not
talking about toys and tops...", of course not, but in the same vein,he is. There is a time when we move from one life to the next. Like the eleven year old boy I saw today who was insulted that he was invited to VBS but would have gladly come to our Youth Ministry. I have to be honest with myself, who I am today is not who I will be a year from now, even a month from now. I know that God brought me here to be changed, to grow, this is my 40 years with Jethro. Soon comes the wilderness? The promise land?

This could be interesting.

I mean seriously, how do I know if I am grown up? Is it because I stop playing Nintendo (by myself) and only listen to KLove? Is it in my dresscode? My attitude? What is it? What will it be like? Will I ever get there?

I'll be sure to let you know.

Rich Mullins: Hard to Get

You who live in heaven
Hear the prayers of those of us who live on earth
Who are afraid of being left by those we love
And who get hardened by the hurt

Do you remember when You lived down here where we all scrape
To find the faith to ask for daily bread
Did You forget about us after You had flown away
Well I memorized every word You said

Still I'm so scared, I'm holding my breath
While You're up there just playing hard to get

You who live in radiance
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in skin
We have a love that's not as patient as Yours was
Still we do love now and then

Did You ever know loneliness
Did You ever know need
Do You remember just how long a night can get?
When You were barely holding on
And Your friends fall asleep
And don't see the blood that's running in Your sweat

Will those who mourn be left uncomforted
While You're up there just playing hard to get?

And I know you bore our sorrows
And I know you feel our pain
And I know it would not hurt any less
Even if it could be explained

And I know that I am only lashing out
At the One who loves me most
And after I figured this, somehow
All I really need to know

Is if You who live in eternity
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in time
We can't see what's ahead
And we can not get free of what we've left behind
I'm reeling from these voices that keep screaming in my ears
All the words of shame and doubt, blame and regret

I can't see how You're leading me unless You've led me here
Where I'm lost enough to let myself be led
And so You've been here all along I guess
It's just Your ways and You are just plain hard to get

Phil Wickam : Beautiful

A fantastic lyric from one of my new favorites. Bought two of his discs a month or so ago and downloaded a free record from his site and still haven't worn them out.

Very moving, powerful, God centered tunes.

*************************************

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You're beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who you are
You're beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You're beautiful

When we arrive at eternity's shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we'll sing
You're beautiful

I see Your face, I see Your face, I see Your face
You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

Happy Father's Day

This is in honor of my dad on Father's Day.

Thanks for all the laughs growing up, and sorry that you still can't

find some of your Calvin and Hobbes books!

Favorite Calvin & Hobbes Strip Ever

Saw this on Wade Burleson's blog

The title of this image is "Legalism".

The June Fourth Incident

June 4th, 1989 a ten year old boy is sitting in a hospital bed in Biloxi Mississippi reading a Ninja Turtle comic book. Above him, the new was droning on about China, and college students, and democracy. From what I could tell, a bunch of Chinese people were holding banners and flags and a bunch of other people who looked like police were standing nearby. Suddenly, my mother cries out "Oh my God!"

When I looked up I saw something I had never seen before. The police had started roughing up the media crews, then, moments later, opened fire on a bunch of college students. As a BBC reporter stated, soldiers fired into the unarmed crowd as if they were going into battle, and it was a battle, a one sided one as the troops violently suppressed the protests with field grade ammunition, armored personnel carriers, and tanks. They spared no one, old, young, even shooting people in their homes. Refusing ambulances into the square which they had been ordered to "clear by dawn".

As a kid in America, I had no way to process what I had seen.

On June 5th (the day after the protests) I saw something else I had never seen before. As a column of tanks was moving out of the square, a lone man approached the line, stopping them in their tracks. At first, the tank attempted to move around the man, but he moved with the tank. Then, again. We were all sure that he was going to die. To the PLA, human life has no value. Finally, the man actually scaled the tank, as if provoking the soldiers to kill him, and said something to the driver, then got off. Moments later, two men; likely secret police, maybe students took him away, perhaps to his death although some say that he still lives in hiding. Perhaps we will know the truth someday.

Regardless of where he is now, what he did has left an indelible impression on me. Whenever I think of courage, I think of the Tank Man. I also realize that I am blessed as can be to live here in America; flaws and all, where I can speak out against injustice without fear of reprisal. I hope that you and I can stop for a moment and thank God for the right to speak out.

Today NPR reported this morning that Blogs, Twitter, etc in China are being locked down to prevent a repeat of what is referred to in Chinese textbooks as the "June 4th, Incindent"

Well, I hope that there is a June 4th, 2009 Incident. A massive, glorious movement in the name of democracy and freedom.

And I hope that Tank Man shows up, and that the driver of that tank is right there in the front row with him.

*********

By the way, if you want to blow your mind, watch Tank Man, a fantastic documentary on the protest.

Tilling the Soil: Reflections on the Murder of an Abrotionist

Surely by now you have heard of the murder of Wichita, KS abortion provider George Tiller.

Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/id/2219537/
The people who kill abortion providers are the ones who don't flinch. They're like the veterans you sometimes see in war documentaries, quietly recounting what they faced and did. You think you're pro-life. You tell yourself that abortion is murder. Maybe you even say that when a pollster calls. But like most of the other people who say such things in polls, you don't mean it literally. There's you, and then there are the people who lock arms outside the clinics. And then there are the people who bomb them. And at the end of the line, there's the guy who killed George Tiller.

Richard Land: http://erlc.com/article/murder-of-tiller-human-tragedy/
"Murdering someone is a grotesque and bizarre way to emphasize one’s commitment to the sanctity of human life. People who truly believe in the sanctity of human life believe in the sanctity of the lives of abortion providers as well as the unborn babies who are aborted."

Now, these are only soundbytes, but they both present problems. If I read him right, Slate seems to think that people are truly pro-life should not be squeamish about how they put an end to abortion. I appreciate the satire, Tiller was the real deal for being willing to abort practically any unborn child. Tiller's murderer is the real deal for being willing to kill a killer, an eye for an eye...

However, Land's comments are the ones that get my attention.

Southern Baptists are currently walking an ethical tightrope. On one hand, we are stridently pro-life, not only on abortion, but euthanasia (of which I am admittedly less convinced is always wrong but also can see the obvious potential for abuse, it is a real Pandora's Box scenario to be sure...), etc. etc. On the other hand, those who tend to speak on our behalf support the use of torture to extract information from "enemy combatants", and hold to just war theory.

Now hold it right there.

The question of whether one can justifiably take a life to stop the murder of an unborn child begs the ultimate question that no one seems to be asking. "Is there EVER a justification for taking another human life?"

I have struggled deeply with this.

Last summer I spent quite a bit of time on this subject. I read Hayes, Bonhoeffer, Lewis. I had others recommended to me before life took over and the project was shelved for a time. But you have to wonder: "what would I do?"

When we are at our netbooks in the coffee shop its easy to speak in abstractions. "I would NEVER..." "I would kill 'em all..." As it was well said, "everyone always talks about dying for their country, but not about killing for it..." (if you know who said that help me out).

I can say that I would always turn the other cheek, but then, no one has ever broken into my home and threatened my family. I could say that I would never torture a man, but if I knew it would save the lives of a bus full of school children, what would I really do?

I don't know. But what I do know is this, this tills the soil for discussions that we have to have.

Rev.

Free Music Download

One of my favorite bands, Sleeping at Last, has made their latest record available for a free download at the link below. 

https://www.noisetrade.com/sleepingatlast

If you are not familiar with NoiseTrade, basically, you get a free album by telling other friends about the album. This increases the band's exposure. 

This is a great record, I espescially like the song 'Envelopes".

What are you waiting for!? You've nothing to lose! :)

Souls for Sale

The selling of a soul is more subtle than sudden. The transaction takes place through a series of small compromises, of saying "My will be done" instead of "Thy will be done", until one day we look into the mirror and we don't recognize who we see. 

A Graduation Address

They Say: Unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes.

Ever wonder what Jesus would have to say about that? Well it just so happens that we know.

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. 21 And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said* to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left." 22 But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said* to Him, "We are able." 23 He said* to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."

24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 "It is not this way among you, but whoever, wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever, wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Matt 20:20-28 (NASB)

When a politician is misunderstood, they always appeal to context insisting that their comments were taken out of their proper context. As much as I hate to admit it, from time to time they are right. The context of this conversation is important.

After being a sovereign nation under its own king for hundreds of years Israel suffered defeat at the hands of the Persian empire. After a time they in turn were run out by the Greeks, who in time were cast out by the Romans. Although there had been brief periods of freedom (like the times of the Maccabean revolt) the Jews were under the heel of Rome and like any occupied people they wanted to be free.

Furthermore, the Jewish people expected a deliverer, a conqueror to come. Someone like David or Solomon who would run the Romans out of town and set up Israel in her rightful place as the center of the worship of God (cf Is 2, 52, & 61-66). As far as the disciples were concerned, Jesus’ resume’ placed him in the top running to be the one they had been waiting for.

We then have to ask the question, “what mother doesn’t want to secure a future for her children”? So then, believing that Jesus was going to rule in Jerusalem and fulfill their wildest dreams, she was hoping to get her sons the best seats in the house. However, the fact that she asked for preferment itself showed that she didn’t understand a thing about who Jesus was and what He had come to do.

22But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said* to Him, "We are able." 23 He said* to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."

Jesus’ answer falls into two parts:

1. Are you really ready to reign with me?
2. I can’t grant your request.

Firstly, He asks if they are willing to “drink the same cup”. This cup is the cup of wrath that will be poured upon Him at the cross. It is a round about way of his reminding them that He did not come to establish an earthly kingdom, but an eternal one. Furthermore, it was a warning that following Jesus could be costly and indeed it was, and is. “Yes”, is their answer, but then at the Cross, these two are no where to be found. However, they will drink the cup Jesus says (more on that later).

24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 "It is not this way among you, but whoever, wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever, wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

So then, the disciples get a bit self-righteous and begin to grumble among themselves. Noticing their dissention, Jesus turns it into a teachable moment, calling them together, and settles the matter by comparing the kings and kingdoms of the world to His eternal Kingdom to Come.

In the Kingdoms of this age, people rule by force, by wrestling their way to the top. The sad truth is that while it is not impossible, it is very difficult to find our way as the lead dog AND stay on track with Jesus. That is to say that many who are great in this age most often get there are the expense of others. Christians must always be on guard at the lure of success. We have to read the fine print to be certain that climbing the next rung on the ladder will not put us in a place of spiritual compromise.

So then, what does success look like for a follower of Jesus?

Listen to Jesus again:

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 "It is not this way among you, but whoever, wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever, wishes to be first among you shall be your slave…

What we read here runs contrary to almost everything that our culture tells us about success. Remember, the world says that unless you are the lead dog, the view never changes. Yet Christ insists that if we are striving to be at the head of the pack, that we have missed the point. In fact, those who are striving with all that they are to be at the head of the pack will, in the end, find themselves at the bottom of the heap. You see, the big dogs in this life will be the bell boys in the age to come.

Now, I’ll admit this is a tough pill to swallow. Regardless it is the truth.

I mean seriously, how does someone become first without trying to get there? According to Jesus, that is exactly how it happens.

1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped , 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:1-11 (NASB)

The apostle James puts it even more simply.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:10 (KJV)

And James is surely echoing Jesus who said:

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 14:11 (NASB)

So, does it work? It worked for Jesus. It has worked for me. It will work for anyone who humbly submits to the will of God. If you offer yourself as a water boy, a hired hand, a busboy in the house of God, you will find yourself blessed in ways that you cannot imagine.

Peter once approached Jesus saying:

28 Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You." 29 Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 "But many who are first will be last, and the last, first."
Mark 10:28-31 (NASB)

We can apply this many ways. We need to be servants: in our homes, our marriages, our churches, our schools, our government, our place of employment, … This command ties directly into the greatest commandment:

'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' 31 "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:29-31 (NASB)

Remember what Jesus said:

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

The world tells us that he who dies with the most toys wins. The Bible tells us that it doesn’t matter how many toys you have, one day you are going to die and stand before a holy God and give an account for what you did with yourself and He doesn’t care how many toys you have.

A last word:

We hear a great deal in commencement addresses about chasing our dreams, following our heart, going for the gold, and all that. While I admit that dreams are a powerful force, we have to remember that beating within our chest is a faulty compass. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that

“the heart is deceitful above all things, who can trust it’s ways?”

So, if we can’t follow our heart, and we can’t follow the world, what are we to do?

Follow Jesus.

My life verse, which is a fancy way Christians say “my favorite verse in the Bible is…”, Matthew 6:33. It is found at the end of the sermon on the Mount. After Jesus has given the Beatitudes, given commandments on how the disciples are to conduct themselves in the world, and how we are to treat each other, taught about prayer and fasting he the centers in on the needs we all have and do you know what He says? The capstone of his entire sermon seems to be this statement:

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you as well.

What are these things? Whatever you need.

You see, you may have taken my comments out of context and heard me say that if you are going to be a Christian that you cannot be successful in life. In fact, the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 9:10 that "whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" just don't sell your soul in the process. You see: The selling of a soul is often more subtle than sudden. The transaction takes place through a series of small compromises, of saying "My will be done" instead of "Thy will be done", until one day we look into the mirror and we don't recognize who we see.  

This life is full of opportunity, but I warn you (and many of you already know) that it is full of sucker punches and raw deals. Everything changes, but JESUS is the same today, yesterday and forever… you can always count on Him.

Healing for Broken Hearts

Last night a terrible accident took the life of a dear woman in our community and put a friend of mine in the hospital (it is a wonder he survived). These folks are both members of the church I pastor. 

I got home at 4:30 AM last night, I am so tired, but I know that my weariness pales in comparison to the sorrow those who knew Dianne are feeling right now. All last night, and all day today, this song has been repeating in my head, over, and over, and over, and over... It has helped me so much. My hope is that wherever you are, and whatever life has thrown at you, this song will help lift you up. 

Please pray for the familes effected by these tragic events, and for our community and church to wrap our arms around them. As I am so often reminded, the Gospel is more than something we read, it is something that we are, and that we do. 

Amen.

Learning What This Means:

9 But he said to me, ?My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.? Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor 12:9-10 (ESV)

Grace

You see, grace is funny like that. She invites people to the party that you never would.

Everything I Needed to Know About Grace...

I learned from Carrie Prejean (and Micheal Phelps):

What do the almost winner of Miss America and the man who snagged the most ever gold medals in the OlympReicst have in common?

The same thing we all do... are you ready? A PAST. (*cue eerie music...*)

Prejean brought more attention to herself with her (in)famous comments about same sex marriage (a surprise answer if the transition on the questioner's face tells us anything) than from her ascethic qualities. 

But recently has found herself in the eye of a storm for apparently violating contest rules by not disclosing a set of semi-nude photos she took as a budding model.

Not too long ago, parents all over the world were freaking out when photos of Micheal Phelps with a bong surfaced. He had more integrity than Slick Willy when he confessed to having inhaled, but still, this stained his image as a role model.

My point? Well, I have a few:

#1 No one should be put on a pedestal: I am surprised at the number of Christians who cheer on Prejean for her anti-same sex marriage stance and ignore that she makes her living taking semi-nude photos.

Seriously, could we call the "sports wear" portion of the competition anything other than "semi-nude"?

So now that something from her PAST has been revealed, will the WMU ladies jettison one who was heralded as a woman brave enough to speak her mind instead of taking the easy road of political correctness?

#2 Get over it. Raise your hand if you don't have an embarresing photo of yourself somewhere that you hope NEVER SURFACRES. (Now, the other two of you, go repent for lying.) On the other hand, maybe no one was slick enough to catch you in the act, BUT... everyone makes mistakes. That is why Christ died for us.

Romans 3:23 puts it out plain as day: "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

It doesn't take a Greek scholar to know that 'all' in that passage means "ALL". So then, why does it surprise us if someone makes a gaffe, a fumble, or gets caught in downright sin (now there's a word you won't likley find in the PC lexicon...)

So then when do we do?

We can:

A: point our finger and take the focus off our own shortcomings

B: forgive and restore.

I will pick option B. And here is why.

The world sees forgiveness as being equal to being a sucker, a pushover. Yet GOD sent his SON JESUS CHRIST to RECONCILE us to Himself. In other words, GOD IS IN THE RESTORATION BUSINESS.

When we fail, Paul says that we are to:

    5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent--not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 Thereason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven--if there was anything to forgive--I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

2 Cor 2:5-11 (NIV)

So Carrie, and Micheal. Seeing as we now live in the PRESENT and what you have done was in the PAST, we forgive you. The punishment inflicted by the majority is more than enough. Since I know you are both avid followers of my blog, you are absolved. But don't ever do something that stupid again.

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

What!? Me Worry?

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:34 (NASB)

Although I know what Jesus said about worry, about anxiety, I continually find myself trimming my nails with my teeth. Every move I make, every step I take, every word that I speak... it is constantly scrutinized, sifted through, raked over. Somehow, the warmth of a hundred compliments is chilled by the fear of one criticism. The Enemy prowls around like a lion, crouching at my door, waiting to strike, or has he already struck? Is this constant unsettlement his greatest weapon against me? Fear, reticence. Holding me back. 

What if they don't understand what I say?

What if they don't like my appearance?

What if they shoot the messenger?

Well... I have another question...

WHAT IF I BREAK FREE?

What glory have I missed on the field of battle by rehashing my strategy?

What gain have I missed while counting the cost?

What moments have fluttered by as I have fretted away?

Can I shake these fetters?

I just did. 

Amen.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; 

therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.  

Gal 5:1 (NASB)

And if We Know Him...

In The Problem of Pain C.S. Lewis wrote, "And if we know Him, we shall in fact fall on our faces."

Indeed. One way that my relationship with God differs from all other relationships is that in most friendships, the more I get to know someone, the more comfortable I am with them. The more approachable they seem. Not so with God. 

While on one level He indeed becomes more approachable through Christ; the alternate aspect is evident that the more I know about Him the following occurs. First, I find that I know much less than I thought. Secondly, I wonder how He would even have fellowship with me at all (What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Ps. 8:4) And indeed, who are we? We are nothing, that is, nothing of merit. We are only special because by God's soveriegn design we are the capstone of Creation. He has set us apart as His own. He has redeemed us. He has allowed us to come to Him by making a Way through His Son Jesus. Oh what a great God we serve. 

So then, when we wish to draw near to Him, we are to do so humbly. To confess as Isaiah that we are undone, that we are unclean, except that He was bound up our wounds, and the has cleaned us with His holiness. So we stand in the tension between two great truths, our depravity and His mercy that makes us acceptable before Him. 

And here I stand. Amen. 

Twilight : The Post You've Been Waiting For...

The Birds

After 30 years of clunking around this world I finally saw Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". I laughed so hard at one point that I almost cried. I am sure that in 1968 this movie was "the bees' knees" as far as suspense films go. The sodium screen process used was tremendously innovative at the time and creates some believable moments. You can also see the influence of Hitchcock in Shalmylan, King, and other suspense/horror films of the day (and I dare say in Lost as well). And that got me thinking...

What Hitch gave us was innovation. He was truly progressive in his use of film, camera angles, score and dialogue (or the lack thereof, The Birds for instance hardly has any music at all), and postmodern in his tendency to have entirely open ended endings. I'm afraid however that he may have opened Pandora's Box in another sense.

Psycho deals with a cross dressing murdered who keeps the corpse of his mother in her bedroom upstairs, Rear Window centers in part around a voyeuristic neighbor, Marnie is about a girl with suppressed memories of killing a man who tried to physically assault her mother (who was a prostitute), North By Northwest was edited to remove steamy dialogue, I wonder at times, did Hitchcock introduce much of what I detest about modern cinema. In Hitch's case, it would appear that most of these subjects were dealt with for the sake of the story, but still in their day, many of these topics were risque' (he was not ashamed to use eye catching cleavage for instance), and still are not entirely kosher today (which in my humble opinion is a good thing).

More Programs to Make Your Life Easier

PC Decrappifier: Yes, that is the real name. WONDERFUL for ridding your computer of all the pre-loaded garbage and trial software. WARNING: you can mess this up if you are not careful. Rule of thumb, don't delete anything that is manufacturer specific, for instance, my Toshiba had several programs for the trackpad and the nifty buttons that let you open Media Player automatically.

Avast! Anti virus: a great alternative to AVG which has been made less effective in its recent release.

Malware Bytes: an extremely thorough spyware/adware/trojan detector. Does what Spy Bot Search and Destroy and Hijack This used to do in a more user friendly way.

CleanUp!: the name says it all. If it's not malware and preloaded bloatware goofing up your machine, it is usually the enourmous cache of files your pc saves everytime you visit a website. This takes care of that, and can even empty your recycle bin for you.

Open Office 3.0 (et. al.): Why spend as much as you did on your computer to write papers? Sure, the early versions were WAY unstable, but now you can even save in Word formats so you can actually print in the computer lab. You'll love the interface if you cut your teeth on Word Perfect.

K-Lite Codecs Pack: Every codecs you could ever want and many that you did not even know existed (because they are from other planets).

D Ban: Completely nukes a hard-drive. Mind you, it really, REALLY, does clear it. As opposed to just scattering data like Windows reformatting, this overwrites all your data with 1's and 0's. We used it on my fossil of an HP (read some of my xanga/myspace posts about that saga) and re-installed XP and it runs like a new computer.

I did not include links, but you can go to Download.com or just use you Googleing skills.

Have fun, and if you break something, blame Brent because he showed me most of these!

WW II Art

You may have heard the blurb today that some of Adolf Hitler's art sold at an auction today. I have to admit that as an armchair historian, this peaked my interest and whilst trolling the search engine I came across a collection of WW II art that was not done by Hitler. Furthermore, I was unaware of the vast amount of work done in response to the war, i.e. not propaganda. Here you will find a link to a blog featuring some of this fascinating work.

Didn't know I was into art did you? :)

Carrie Prejean: the Face of Intolerance

I usually have derogaroty comments for people from Caliofornia (bunch of Birckenstock wearing liberal-commie-tree huggin'-latte' sippin' freaks!... just kidding) but I am impressed by the answer Carrie Prejean, also known as Miss California gave this past week. While not particularly articulate, she gets points for honesty for an answer that is almost certain to sink her chances at being Miss America and will likely lead to pies in the face and other torment from those in more "tolerant" circles. 

You can see the whole thing here.  

(note the abject horror of the crowd! oh wait, they are actually clapping? was this held in like Northern Arkansas?

The whole thing is really a circus though. I mean, of all the people to pop the question. But it was random.

Anyhow, Mr. Hilton has been relentlessly roasting Prejean since her answer was given. I guess that it didn't meet his expectations, but hey, what do you expect from a blonde right ;)




AUTHORS NOTE: The author has a blonde daughter himself sports a pate of strawberry blonde hair, his comments were made in irony. No beauty queens or fundamentalists were harmed in the authoring of this blog.

An Unlikely Friend

I have recently discovered the joys of Wal-Mart.com. We have a set of storage tubs that we use for recycling our kids clothes that went out of circulation in stores, but Wal-Mart still had some left so we were able to order them on-line and have them shipped to a local Wal-Mart for free. Then, this morning I found a $79 Targus laptop backpack for $39 that shipped to my house for 97 cents! 

I am not the biggest fan of Wal-Mart, but that is awesome!

As the Ruin Falls

Some years back, my friend Chris was immersed in C.S. Lewis at OBU and uncovered the little known fact that Lewis was not only a brilliant scholar, theologian, and fiction author, BUT was indeed quite the accomplished poet. One of his more challenging and revealing works is the following work. I know it cuts me to the bone every time I read it.

********************


As the Ruin Falls

All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through:
I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.

Peace, re-assurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek,
I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin:
I talk of love --a scholar's parrot may talk Greek--
But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.

Only that now you have taught me (but how late) my lack.
I see the chasm. And everything you are was making
My heart into a bridge by which I might get back
From exile, and grow man. And now the bridge is breaking.

For this I bless you as the ruin falls. The pains
You give me are more precious than all other gains.

C S Lewis

Media Spin & Fearmongering Caused Unnecessary Social Damage: CNN.com

Posted by: readysteadys // 1 day ago // viewed 200 times
San Diego, California // embed media

Ten years ago, I was in my senior year of high school. A week before my eighteenth birthday, the Columbine incident happened. I went through a wave of emotions and could not get enough of the news coverage. I was one of the "goth" kids at school and already had gotten enough flack for the way I dressed and my differently colored/styled hair. I felt so terrible for the kids and teacher who had lost their lives and could not believe that anyone could be so callous, but at the same time, based on the reports that they were picked on for listening to a certain type of music and wearing certain clothing, I also felt bad for the perpetrators.

Shortly following Columbine, I was interviewed for Teen People magazine, to provide my outlook as an "outsider" in high school - how I was treated, how I handled it, and my views on how judgmental my peers (and adults) could be. Once I received a proof copy, I realized that my story was drastically edited and words were attributed to me that I did not say. This frustrated me, but there was not much I could do about the situation other than hope that some portions of my original message would be seen by those who needed to see it.

Just before the issue hit newsstands, I was invited to take part in a special program that Dateline NBC & Teen People were putting together. It was a panel of teens from around the country who would give their insight on school security, bullying, parental involvement, internet socialization, cliques, and other issues we faced. I agreed to participate, as I felt that it could be a more real & open outlet to say what I had to say, where it would be more candid and less censored.

To prepare for the show, I started doing research on the Columbine incident itself. Many facts had come to light and had not actually been reported by the major media outlets. The media had blamed rock music and violent video games; claimed that Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold always wore trenchcoats and all-black clothing; that they obsessed over Nazi literature and carried out the attacks on April 20th due to that being Hitler's birthday; that they were regularly picked on; had a list of enemies/targets; and that they shot Cassie Bernall for saying she believed in God.

This is what I found out: Yes, they listened to rock music. They didn't frequently wear trenchcoats. They were not racists, they were sociopaths who disregarded everyone, no matter what their heritage. They were actually the bullies, according to Eric Harris' own journal writings, frequently picking on freshmen and other people who seemed weaker. Their "enemies" list was mostly made up of people who had already graduated from Columbine. And poor Cassie Bernall, who was allegedly killed for professing her faith? She lost her life because she was in the wrong place, at the wrong time - and investigators have since stated that they do not believe that the now-mythical verbal exchange took place. I went to New York, armed with these and many other bits of information that I had collected both from trawling through volumes of both direct and media accounts, as well as from acquaintances who witnessed the incident for themselves or knew people who did.

The special was hosted by Katie Couric, who - in person - seemed rather shocked by a lot of what was said by a few of us. Those of us who knew better denied that video games, music, or being part of a clique had anything to do with what Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold carried out at Columbine. We assured her that there was no real Trenchcoat Mafia, based on what people who attended the school had to say, and that there was nothing to fear from people who chose to dress in all black or people who listened to songs that weren't about puppy love. Much of what we had to say was edited to make it seem like we blamed the jocks for what happened and like we were playing the victims in our own experiences with bullying and being ostracized. This was far from the truth.

My experience of being on the panel mirrored how the media handled the incident as a whole. They were fearmongers that created an even more intolerant environment for teens to deal with, by grabbing onto every senational nuance they could find and pushing their stories as fact. The rumors that were filtered through or created within production offices & newsrooms were almost all based on falsehoods and exaggerations. As a result, the public were afraid of the "goths" and "punks" and "metalheads" at school. Parents - often successfully - lobbied to get trenchcoats and all-black attire banned in their local schools. School administrators started considering these groups to be "gangs" and harassment of students was rampant, with unwarranted backpack searches, detainment in the hallways by security guards, and being called into the administrative offices for questioning. All of this simply because of the students' clothing and/or chosen music preferences. Teens learned that if they didn't like someone, they could simply report to administrators that the person had an "enemies list" and the school would quickly swoop in to rectify the situation - even when it wasn't the truth - and since there was no stopping the local rumor mill, the accused would forever be known as "the kid with the list" and ostracized. This continued for a couple years, until the media and the country, as a whole, had 9/11 on which to shift their focus.

School shootings seemed to have tapered off since then or at least the reporting on them has. I'm not sure if it's because we've created a generation of kids with entitlement issues, due to parents mollycoddling their children in the hopes that they wouldn't flip out, or if it's a variety of factors, potentially including the events surrounding 9/11 and giving the current generation something to focus upon and fight against. Personally, I lean more toward assuming the latter. And look at the things that are prevalent in the preferences with the current youth: "emo" and hard rock music; clothing that is an amalgamation of the goth, punk, and metal styles from the 80s and 90s; tatooos/piercings; wild hair colors and styles - all of the things that were looked down upon around the time of the Columbine incident. It's like the generation following mine has almost done a complete 180 degree turn. They're self-aware and far more likely to embrace creative expression.

Two things definitely remain the same, though. The media is still sensationalizing every story it can dig its talons into and - sadly - teens still tend to shun those who are different than they are, rather than having an eclectic mix of friends from different backgrounds. I doubt either one of these will ever change, as people enjoy the entertainment aspect that the "news" provides and teenagers will always be awkward & unsure of themselves, searching to belong until they realize that life is about pursuing happiness, rather than homogeneity.

Ice Cream

Easter 2009: Doubting Thomas?

John 20:19-29

How would you feel if your name was an epithet, an insult? If people walked around saying, “Oh stop being such a J.P.!” or “You’re such a Vicki!” Some people throughout history have that undistinguished distinction. This is easy since people seem to always recall failures more readily than successes. To name a few: Benedict Arnold, Brutus, Jezebel, Judas… Today I want to go a step beyond the empty tomb and talk about a man who’s name is synonymous with doubt, Thomas.

I don’t think about Thomas all too often. Honestly, what got him back into my head was the only TV program I follow (Lost). During an episode a few characters go to a church (not to pray) and there is a massive canvas of Caravaggio’s “Thomas”.

According to John, after the Resurrection, Jesus makes a few appearances to select almost as if he is giving them one more opportunity to “get it”; another chance to some of those who had not entirely comprehended his mission and ministry. He appears to Mary Magdalene at the Tomb, then to the disciples (except Thomas), then again to the eleven all-together, and finally to Peter, James, John, Thomas, and Nathaniel at the Sea of Galilee (where we have the “do you love me” discussion).

I feel that Thomas’ story is important in our age of exceptional skepticism. Just this morning I was reading a post where someone simply said, “JESUS… who is he…”, the tone echoing “and why should I care about Him since He doesn’t seem to care much about me?” Much of our skepticism may be well deserved. Recent polls suggest that people trust the government less, have little faith in the financial system, feel the world in general is getting worse, and have less interest in the church. Wars and rumors of wars, decaying infrastructure, a general depreciation of life and the quality of life; the lines are being drawn… sounds almost, apocalyptic... It is easy to despair, to doubt.

The decline of Empiricism (five senses, scientific method, etc.) has left a vacuum, filled partially by a strand of post-modernity which refuses to make declarative statements on anything except that it refuses to make declarative statements… So then, it appears that we are left to the mercy of cynics, skeptics, and talking heads.

19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said* to them, "Peace be with you." 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said* to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."

So there, Jesus just simply appears. Instantaneously He is among them. Barrett notes that just as he passed through the grave clothes (and perhaps the stone; I mean do you really think the stone was rolled away so that Jesus could get out?) he walks through or materializes right there among them! Hard to believe? Perhaps. Fully awesome to be sure.

While there, he breathes upon them, which should sound familiar. He’s done it once before, when He breathed life into us all. (There is a tradition that I follow where into the breath of every newborn child is whispered 1 Jn 5:12, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (NASB)” in hopes that the child will one day come to know the Source of their life (Jn 1:1-14), and of eternal life).

Here, just as He has breathed the breath of life into us all, He breathes power into the lives of the disciples. This power is to accomplish the work He has given them, to go to the world and proclaim forgiveness. It has been said that God is not so much in the business of calling the equipped (the intelligent, lovely, etc) but in the business of equipping those whom He calls. Perhaps that is the case here, He first commissions them, then, conditions them for service through the Holy Spirit. The cryptic statement at the end seems to be similar to the declaration Peter received at the Mount of Transfiguration, that he (and by extension the Church) would hold the keys to the kingdom (Mt 16). We can either open the door with them, or lock them tight through indifference.


24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus , was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless, I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

We don’t know where Thomas was, but we must to be certain that Jesus does. Whatever we may say about the ante-Resurrected Christ, we have to know that by now He is glorified and knows exactly where Thomas was. It caused a stir. Thomas doesn’t buy it. Simply put, he says seeing (and touching) is believing. But before we are too hard on Thomas lets look at his record a bit.

Thomas has some things going for him. First off, he made the cut, Jesus chose him along with eleven others to share three years of ministry with. That is something else. But he’d had doubts in the past. In Jn 11, while Jesus is headed to raise Lazarus from the dead, Thomas quips “Let us go to that we may die with Him…” Now folks have taken this different ways. It may be a matter that Thomas simply thinks it is time for the end, that he misinterpreted Jesus’ words to mean that it was time. But one can’t help but hear the slightest bit of cynicism in his voice. “Fine then… if He wants to go within arms reach of the people who want to kill Him (v.17), we might as well all go along…”

Thomas comes up at almost every funeral. In Jn 14 Jesus has just told the disciples that He will be handed over to the bad guys and killed (and will raise up again). To which Thomas replies, “Lord, we do not know the way where you are going, how can we go with you?” Now, surely Thomas knew the way to Jerusalem, so then, he must be talking about the way to where Jesus will ultimately be going, the Inaugurated Kingdom of God. Jesus’ reply is famous. “[Thomas], I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”.

Perhaps these two events are what moved Jesus to give Him another chance, a chance to change (has God ever given you another chance?).


26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came* , the doors having been shut , and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then He said* to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said* to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

This passage says so much about Jesus. God has more patience with skeptics than we might imagine. He understands our doubts, but expects us to overcome our fear and place our trust in Him. The fact that Christ came at all proves that God is willing to go great lengths for us to come to a saving faith in Him. For instance, when is the last time you stopped to ponder just that fact, that GOD came to Earth? And remember, He came twice for Thomas. Judas had made his choice, but Thomas was not yet a lost. Jesus had heard/known what Thomas asked for, and so, the opportunity was presented to Him.

This is particularly interesting considering that Jesus expressly told Mary to keep her hands off of Him (although for reasons that make little sense to those of us who are not Jesus, cf. 20:17). So then, He appears to be making an exception. This is what we might call an act of extreme grace. Jesus wasn’t very complimentary toward signs (cf. Jn 4:48), yet out of His great grace He would give many, and would give this one, and He still gives many today.

For me, one of the most fascinating things about this story is that we don’t know if Thomas ever actually followed through. Did he touch Jesus? We don’t know. It would appear that simply seeing Him in His resurrected state was enough to cut through the fog of disbelief.

30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
John 20:19-31 (NASB)


I have a soft spot for skeptics because I have a lot in common with Thomas. Two hours after I was born I stopped breathing, I was resuscitated and spent the first three months of my life in the neo-natal ward of a Detroit hospital. Throughout my life I had many health problems, in my adolescence I had mental health issues, family strife, and came dangerously close to destroying my life.

Even though I had seen God, that is, I grew up in and out of church, and had never fully abandoned the kernel of faith planted in me, I was living a wholly Godless life. At the age of fifteen, I challenged God, I gave Him an ultimatum (or so I thought, it was really a desperate cry for deliverance). I told Him that He had a week to show Himself to me or I would never believe in Him. Well, the next day I was brought to my knees, and then to my face during a worship service, and I have never been the same.

We may not be able to prove the ministry of Jesus. But that is actually a good thing according to Jesus who said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

You know, I’d hope to one day be an epithet, a byword, but of a different sort. I’d like demons to use my name like a cussword. I’d like to be an Enoch, or an Elijah, a Lazarus or a John the Baptist, A Timothy or a Paul, one known for great faith and trust in God. Not for my glory, but for His.

Jesus has risen. The proof? Billions of changed lives throughout history. People whom Christ has irrevocably changed… including Thomas.

One of the things that the Bible does not do for us is tidy up all the loose ends. However, sources close to the times of Jesus and the Disciples that tell us what happened to most of the disciples. All but two were martyred, including Thomas who after preaching the Gospel in Parthia and India angered the priests of the local sun gods and was ran through with a spear around 70 AD.

So, I guess that encounter really made an impression. Perhaps we should find another name for “Doubting” Thomas.

How about you? Do you doubt? The power of God to raise His Son from the dead, to work in your life in some way? Have you trusted the Risen Christ?

A Little Cash for Easter :)

Testing

1,2,3...

What Would it Be Like

Many moons ago during a student retreat at Glorietta New Mexico a drama team was performing a skit featuring a trapezist and his apprentice. The apprentice; in character, a young girl was trying to comprehend how she was supposed to let go of one rung and await the arrival of the other rung. "So, it will just come?" "Yes," came the reply, to which she shuddered...

What would it be like for the disciples, waiting. Watching the door. John tells is that they were afraid that the Jewish leaders would be breaking it down any moment looking for Jesus-sympathizers. And lying there in the tomb were all their expectations, everything they thought they understood about how God worked. More than once, Jesus had told them this was coming, and there they were, and it had happened. And they wondered. Would the other rung really come?

A (Not-so-)Good Friday Meditation

It has been aptly stated that “Fear is the thief of dreams”.

I would suggest that of all the forces that caused Jesus to be ground up in the gears of history that fear may have been the greatest part of it all.

Now, the most astute among us have already caught me, “It was not the forces of the age, not even of nature that brought Jesus to the Cross, it was God’s divine design from the foundation of the world” or the sentimental might say, “Nails didn’t hold Jesus to the Cross, love did…”

I feel it in my bones, fear nailed Christ to that Cross. Fear of the unknown caused Adam and Eve to crumble. Fear caused the backsliding of the children in the Exodus. Fear brought Israel into alliance with lesser kingdoms. Fear caused the “spiritual” to kill the prophets. Fear plugged the ears of the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees. Fear moved the people to cry out, “CRUCIFY HIM!” Fear moved Pilate to do nothing while a good man was sentenced to death. Fear drove the disciples away.

The Bible exhorts us time and again to not be afraid. Men better than I have reported that the most common commandment in the Bible is “be not afraid”. Perhaps we should take that to heart this Friday.

Unlearning What You Have Learned

You know, the longer I have followed Christ... the more I have learned, I have found out how little I know.

Romans 12:1-2 urges us to be transformed, to be renewed in our minds, to look at the world differently. It seems like every time that I think I have a moment to rest, that I have been formed, transformed enough for awhile, another issue comes to the forefront.

Will this ever end? Absolutely not, and that is wonderful.

So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt?

It is amazing, the people of God wanting to go BACK to slavery? We read the complaints of those stinking sheep on the back-side of Israel (thank you Bro. Keith Wigington) and we are in awe. BUT YOU JUST SAW THE RED SEA PARTED! YOU JUST ATE BREAKFAST THAT FELL FROM THE SKY! WHAT IS YOUR DEAL!?!?!?

Today is a day that I identify, at least a bit, with those sheep.

Paul warns us against being burdened by a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1), and yet we not only allow this, but often place the yoke upon our own shoulders.

There is a great song by Keith Green that hits the nail on the head. Admittedly, the music sounds a but goofy today, but in his time he was in step with mainstream pop like the BeeGees and Beach Boys. Check it out:



Grace and Peace,

Rev.

Leeland: Tears of the Saints

Freedom of Carnage Act

Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalms 100:3 (NASB)

Every life is a precious creation of God.

For many years, I had taken the stance that abortion rights, pro-choice and pro-life were none of my business, because I am male. Since I could not have a baby, it was not my business to say anything about the issue. During my first years as a Youth Pastor three events changed my mind, indeed my heart, concerning this issue.

1. I read a book by John Ankerberg called “Facts on Abortion”, simple straightforwardly titled. In this book was testimony from a woman who had undergone a “saline” abortion (a procedure developed by the Nazis for population control in concentration camps). She described how she was told that there was nothing to worry about, nothing to be ashamed of, that the procedure would be little more than a regular “lady appointment” and that she would be able to return to life as normal very soon.

What she tells is a different story. She said: The moment that the doctor injected the saline into her womb, she knew she had made a terrible mistake, and there was no turning back. Her child kicked violently, churning in her womb as she tried to comfort her until kicks gave way to flutters and gradually faded. Twelve hours later she delivered dead child, in earshot of a woman nearby who was giving birth to a healthy baby boy. She was then led to a small room with a couch where she was left to recover from the procedure, but says she has never fully recovered.

2. My pastor loaned me a video called, “The Hard Truth About Abortion”. You may have heard of it. It is exceptionally graphic, and truth be told, although it had a good effect on me, I’m not sure I would ever recommend anyone else watching it. The film shows in graphic detail the effects of abortion on the child, a side too often ignored in the Pro-Abortion or “Pro-Choice” camp. I can still see the images, pieces of tiny human beings tossed into 5 gallon buckets, freezers, and dumpsters.


3. The moment of solidification came when a young girl from our youth group came to talk to me one Sunday. She had been saved that summer at youth camp and she had moved away for a time. While she was gone she had met a boy, an older boy with a job and a car, and his own place. She had found out after she got back from visiting him that she was pregnant. Her grandmother, who was her legal guardian, said she would “help” her. She had the money, and she knew where she could do and this girl had two choices. Have an abortion, or find somewhere else to live. In a panic the girl did what her grandmother wanted. She has never had life in her eyes since that day.

They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.
Psalms 106:38 (NIV)

Since Jane Roe (Norma McCorvey) was manipulated into being used as a test case thirty-five years ago, more than 40,000,000 abortions have taken place in the US. About 1.25-1.6 million each year, or one every 22 seconds.

It is illegal to step on the egg of a sea turtle in FL, it is illegal to kill an American Eagle, but it is perfectly legal to snuff out the flame of the life of an unborn child.

Even more appalling is the reality that in almost any case where a pregnant woman is murdered, the case is considered a double homicide. Why? Because the life inside that woman is considered to be sentient, viable, and protected under the law, unless you are inside a Planned Parenthood office. “There is a difference”, the abortion lobby says, “the woman in the clinic has chosen to have a procedure…” And there is the rub: it is a choice, it is a procedure. There is painful little consistency here.

I contend that it is not a choice, and it is not a procedure. It is a child, and it is murder… premeditated murder.

The case of the girl I mentioned above is unfortunately less than unique. Many girls, and women, have had the same fate. Often scared, confused they are lured, or even pushed, into making decisions that cannot be reversed. In such cases abortion serves as a form of emergency contraception. Providers say they are helping the girl out, saving her future, giving her a new lease on life… but is this so?

I recently watched a documentary film called Lake of Fire. At two and a half hours it leaves few stones unturned. One interview that will last forever is one of an abortion provider. Standing over a sink, sifting a pan of tissue that moments before had been a child. Casually, while he pulls a leg out of the pan, measuring the foot of the baby to approximate its age as he remarks:.

“Its just a matter of us basically piecing the fetal tissue back together to make sure that we have all of the fragments. [and as he pans for body parts]. All the media attention is always directed for the fetus and the gory parts if you will of providing the, the procedure, when the really important thing is that we’ve been able to help this young lady get on with her life. She‘s planning to go on to school and she doesn’t have to take over the responsibilities of parenting and here in just a very few minutes we’re able to facilitate her decision to not be a parent at this time.”

Are these girls being helped? Are they receiving proper, legal help? A current article in World Magazine says “no”. Recently an undercover journalist posed as a minor and visited “many” Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. At two stops in Indiana the woman claimed to be 14 and that she had been with a man more than twenty years her age, a felony in Indiana. Employees “brushed off” the girl’s statements and instead was counseled her on how to keep the situation quiet, how to avoid the entanglements of parental notification, even how to get an out of state abortion if she were to encounter obstacles in state. Even after repeatedly bringing up the fact that something illegal had happened, the girl was coached to lie saying the father was a kid from school. One employee stated, “I don’t care how old he is.”

It appears that far from helping young women “plan” their parenthood, some clinicians feel obliged to make the plan for these girls.

Christians, this is not a political issue, or a bioethical issue, or a question of medicine. This is a moral and spiritual issue. We have to do something.

Admittedly, my message today relates primarily to young ladies who are considering abortion because they feel their back is against the wall and they see abortion as the way out. I realize the issue is more complex for many women. I realize that this issue cannot be condensed to a bumper sticker or slogan, as we so often want to. Yet, many abortions are simply the product of fear. You must fight it with love. I am convinced that if we can help girls know that they are not alone, that we can reduce abortion across the board. I know this because I have seen it with my own eyes. There are ways we can effect positive change for both mother and child.

Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psalms 82:3-4 (NASB)

Teach: a consistent ethic of the value of human life. Being pro-life is more than being anti-abortion. Life at all stages matters to God. We have to be consistent.

Vote: your conscience. With Roe v. Wade, an abortion free-for-all ensued. There were little if any restrictions on abortion. In any state, a woman could have an abortion at any point of pregnancy, even without the knowledge of the father. Since then, many laws have been passed to restrict abortion. Several states require one or both parents to be made aware of their daughter’s desire to have an abortion. Mandatory counseling and ultrasounds as well as 24 hour waiting periods have been established. All of these steps have produced marked reductions in the abortion rate. A prime example is Mississippi where currently only one abortion clinic is in operation. However, all that could change as early as next week.

President elect Barack Obama said in a 2007 fundraising speech for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (the organization’s lobbying and political action wing) that the first thing he would do as president is sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act. The FOCA would effectively overturn any progress made to reduce abortions in America. If he keeps his word to Planned Parenthood (who gave him piles of money during his campaign) the ink will be dried on that Act before we have yet finished sweeping up the ticker tape. All the while abortion providers will set up shop all over the country. Years of Pro-Life efforts will be undone.

Pray: Last year I appealed to you to prayerfully select leaders that exemplify the ethics and character of the Bible. Today, I ask you to recall that:

The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever, He wishes.
Prov 21:1 (NASB)

Please pray for our President. Pray that God will change his heart on this crucial issue. Pray also for others in leadership that they will have the courage to defend the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves.

Pray for women and girls in trouble, for their families. Pray that you will know how you can be not just a voice, but also a support in a time of need.

Act: There are two facets to this: First, you live in a country where you can speak your mind. So do it! www.congress.org.

Second, the Pro-Life movement has learned many lessons in the last thirty-five years. One of them is that you catch a lot more flies with sugar than you do with vinegar. Believe it or not there was a time when the abortion rate was even worse than in the 70s, 80s, or 90s… the 1860s. In that period the abortion rate was actually higher per capita than it is today. This was due mostly to the growing pains of urbanization: namely, poverty and high rates of prostitution.

Today, we should thank God for groups like Care Net, which has over 1100 resource centers nationwide, and the hundreds of independent assistance centers across America. These facilities are often staffed by women who have been hurt by abortion and hope to help others avoid their fate. They offer education, adoption referrals, and other services to women and girls in crisis. The church must complete its movement from condemnation to provision. We may not be able to stop abortion through legislation, but through honoring the Great Commandment we can give options to girls who feel they have no where to go and in so doing, if history will repeat itself, we will again see a precipitous drop in the number of abortions in America.

Finally, we must resist the temptation to demonize the women exploited by abortion. It was, and remains, Christ’s mission to redeem. So to the woman who has had an abortion, to the man who has been a party to one, to the young couple who was scared and didn’t know what else to do… Please hear this, there is light in the darkness. There is forgiveness and freedom to be found in Jesus Christ. There is hope for the future; there is grace for you.

All you have to do is ask. If you are out there, or know someone who is, consider this a helping hand stretched out to you.