Stumbling About for Truth

Where Does Authority Reside in God's Kingdom?

2012-01-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

I am reading "What's With Paul and Women?" by Jon Zens. He is advocating for women to be free from male domination and free to perform all tasks in church that they are gifted for.

In the midst of reading that and following his argument, I ran across a short section on who really has authority in God's Kingdom. As is true with the rest of his book concerning women's roles in the church, his view of authority flies in the face of what we think of when we think about how churches are set up and who assumes authority. Running across this section is somewhat ironic in light of a facebook post I authored earlier today that read:

"If any religious leader ever tries to claim any kind of spiritual authority over you, put that person out of your life. You have but one Person to give account to and that is God Himself."

The reason I say it's ironice is listen to what Mr. Zens says on page 69 of his book:

"We must remember that our Lord taught us that in his kingdom "authority"—who's in charge—is to be a non-issue (cf. Matt. 20:24-28; 23:11; Mark 9:34; Luke 9:46; 22:24). The idea of one person having dominion over another or others is the essence of all that is antichrist; it is clearly how the world operates and, as a pattern of behavior, is one which we are encouraged to diligently avoid, based on the life and teachings of Jesus, the Christ. No one is to be the top-dog, and there are no positions of authority. I don't know how many times I've heard, "women shouldn't be in positions of authority." The truth is, neither males nor females are to be in positions of authority! There is no human chain-of-command in Christ's domain. The greatest position is at the bottom of the ladder. Those with the most spiritual influence will live as those with no authority. They will live as slaves and children—who had no status in first century culture. The greatest in Christ's kingdom lays down his life for others—which is precisely what Jesus did as the servant par excellence."

Now I doubt he will deal with my obvious questions about the repetition of elders (leaders, teachers, those tasked with leading the affairs of the church) in scripture in the context of this book. I'd love to read what he has to say about how the early church was set up with leaders (elders, deacons). But this is still a good reminder for those God has gifted with leadership abilities in the church to exercise caution and true servanthood.

BTW: Click here. for more info on the author and book...

Am I willing to imitate Jesus by hanging out with "scum"?

2011-12-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Am I willing to imitate Jesus by hanging out with "scum"? Do I live with the conviction that sinful people aren't scum at all to Jesus, but rather those to whom he and his followers (including me!) have been sent?

For more from this challenging essay at The High Calling blog, go here.

'Prostitute' is Our Name for Them, not His.

2011-12-23T17:12:00.000-08:00

I sometimes wonder if Heaven’s walls are pitted with holes left by Jesus’ head as he watches how we try to be his Body on Earth. The more I learn about my faith the more I realise that I am getting it wrong, taking it too far or not taking it far enough.

One example that I’ve been thinking about recently is the way we talk about Jesus hanging out with prostitutes. As a speaker and mentor, I’ve talked about this a lot as well as hearing many other speakers and pastors do the same. And we all seem to emphasise the same thing: How amazing it is that God with skin on would spend time with someone who sells their body for money.

It’s amazing to me how I can be so right and so wrong at the same time.

If the writer of this got your attention, read the rest of his essay here.

He Always Thought He Would Just Melt Away

2011-12-20T14:37:00.001-08:00

Oklahoma Sooners Wallpapers

2011-12-20T13:44:00.001-08:00

I don't have so therefore I want to take yours

2011-12-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

Since when did hard work, good business decisions, taking risks and using God given talents and abilities turn into "economic inequality" for those who didn't do any of the aforementioned??? We are our own worst enemy when it comes to greed and wanting what others worked hard for. If we can't attain it ourselves, then we want to take it from others. This is simply not right nor is it moral (to use some of the same rhetoric being used in the economic equality wars).

Animated Trudy

2011-07-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Click on the white box below!

Oklahoma Sooners=31, Utah State Aggies=24, Paul Family=Great Time!

2010-09-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

It was my son, Chris' birthday on Saturday and we traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to watch the season opener game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Utah State Aggies. We have some friends that live in the area that have tailgate parties at every home game and we were fortunate enough to be able to join them again as we did last season 3 times.

Chris is a rabid OU fan and we had great seats for this game - 3 rows up from the field in the home end zone. Both he and I made some memories there and I don't think either of us will forget that game and what it felt like to be so close to the action. When DeMarco Murray broke open down the left sideline for one of his touchdowns (63 yards on this one) he was running right at us. It was awesome! Chris was going wild! It was well worth the extra funds we spent to get the seats.

There was another blessing though that will make this trip memorable. My wife Trudy and other son Zachary came with us to the Norman, but were not planning on going to the game. My wife isn't that big on football and Zachary isn't quite old enough to care all that much about the game itself. He wanted to go to the game, but as I learned last year, he doesn't really pay that close attention to the game - so they were just going to stay behind and watch the game on TV at the tailgate party.

Chris and I had already gone, so we had no idea of what was about to happen. When Zack's friends started leaving one by one to go to the game, he had a friend who offered him a ticket. Unfortunately though, Trudy didn't know the parents and they only had one ticket so she told Zachary she didn't feel comfortable sending him with them without her going. He was crushed that he had this ticket but couldn't go!

This is where it gets good... as Trudy was consoling him, a lady - a complete stranger - was standing off to the side waiting for something. Trudy was making conversation with her and mentioned what was going on with Zachary and why he was upset. She then told Trudy that if her parents, who were about an hour late, didn't show up, she could have the 2 tickets her parents were going to use! Trudy was shocked! She told the lady she didn't have to do that and that surely her parents would show up - I mean, who in their right mind has tickets to an OU game and then doesn't go, right? Well as it turns out, her parents never showed, she couldn't get a hold of them, and she just walked back up to Trudy some time later and handed her the tickets! What a blessing that lady was to Trudy and Zachary - and to top it off, they were great seats! So while Chris and I were cheering on the Sooners in the first quarter, they were just one section over and 20 rows up doing the same thing! I didn't know about it because I didn't hear my phone ring or get the text Trudy sent me because the circuits were so busy from everyone in the stadium using their phones at once.

Once Trudy finally found us and showed up - and I got over the shock of her story of the lady giving her the tickets - we traded places a few times, ate dinner together at half time, and had a great time! AND, the Sooners won! I said a prayer of thanks for that lady and prayed also that nothing was wrong with her parents AND that she didn't regret giving those tickets away. She made Zachary a happy camper and Trudy actually enjoyed the game!

And now for some game wrap up stuff... Running back DeMarco Murray ran for a career-best 218 yards and two touchdowns and Ryan Broyles had 142 yards receiving with two scores. Landry Jones looked great at times but overall, inconsistent and indecisive. The secondary is atrocious. I saw one post on the Oklahoma Sooners Football Facebook page that quipped, "My grandmother could provide better coverage than the Sooner secondary." The Utah State QB, Diondre Borel, is awesome. Without him, they would not have had a chance. He ran all over the field avoiding sacks and piling up passing yards - 341 to be exact - the vast majority of their total yards came through the air. Utah State's total yards were only one less than Oklahoma's at 421 yards. For a team to hang that many yards on OU is saying something (mainly that the secondary sucks). The Sooners had a more balanced attacked with almost equal amounts of passing (17-for-36, 217 yards, 2 TDs, 2 ints) and rushing (218) yards. A more balanced attack (and a few turnovers and missed passes from Utah State) usually wins the day.

Can't wait until we can go again!

Consequences of War

2010-07-20T12:56:00.001-07:00

A few years ago I posted a story about Kim Phuc, the little Vietnamese girl pictured in the now famous photo running down the road after being Napalmed in Vietnam. The naked girl in the video is Ms. Phuc.

Here is some video of the same event. The consequences of war are harsh and unforgiving even to innocent children.

BTW: Here is a video of Kim telling her story. Here is another one of forgiveness.

America Converses with Jesus

2010-05-01T23:02:00.000-07:00

"Well Hi Jesus! How are you?"

"Fine, fine. I am blessed," Jesus said.

"So what do you think? How are we doing? We have worked hard, made shrewd investments, taken care of ourselves... I mean... pretty good huh?"

Jesus said, "Yes. Yes. Very impressive. You have done quite well for yourselves. You are a great country. I have admired you from afar."

Refuge?

2009-09-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

As Christians (or the church as we're sometimes thought of) we're suppose to be a group for those looking for refuge. You know, a place where those in need come to find help. We're suppose to care about others before ourselves right? There's no greater way to show your love and care for someone in need than to give of yourself to them. Jesus said we should follow His example and love one another as He loved us: sacrificially and unconditionally.

I recently found that a friend of mine experienced the opposite in her hour of need. I don't know all the details. But then again, I don't need to know them. What I do know is that she found no refuge when she needed it. She found only that those she thought would walk with her were too busy to stop and listen and realize that she was hurting and in need of their friendship and compassion.

This is not good. If we can't slow down enough to care and be the refuge for those we say we love, then what good are we to God or anyone else?

I had my eyes opened anew because of this. I have been driven down new paths of thoughts concerning the church and how we treat each other and whether or not we really care about each other or about God lately. (The two are extremely closely related - see Mt. 25:35) This instance is just the latest in a long line. I have some folks in my life that have a mantra: "Love God. Love Others. Anything we involve ourselves in other than those two things is a distraction." I am beginning to see some wisdom in those words.

What if my friend's friends had operated under those two principles? Maybe she would know a little more of the intimacy of the love of Christ. But instead, I sense she has lost a little of her faith... maybe not in Christ... but certainly in His body - us, the church.

American Christianity

2009-08-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

Ahem... La La La La... Mi Mi Mi Mi... okay I'm ready...

I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the father except by me... and if he's a republican... and only if he's pro-life... oh wait! No gays either. They're an abomination. And they must be American patriots. No sissy pacifists either! Also, he better have voted for "W" and he'd best not have voted for that heathen Obama! And low taxes! he's gotta believe in low taxes! Also, if you're a woman, you need to know your place if you want in to my kingdom - no woman leaders allowed in my kingdom! My peep Paul said it straight and he meant it! And you must be pro-israel. Screw the muslims! They are eeeeviiiilllll!!! You help a muslim, forget it. You're not getting in. No catholics either. They follow some guy in a big white shiny hat. They're idolaters. They ain't allowed!

Hey God... did I miss anyone. You think them Americans will be happy? What was that? Socialists? Oh! Yeah! Socialists! No socialists either people.

And no one who takes this post seriously.

Amen.

A Conversation with My Daughter

2009-08-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

While I was walking tonight, I had an almost hour long texting conversation with my daughter. She is in Wyoming (though texting from Salt Lake City where she is visiting) and I am in Texas. She is coming back to Texas and the heat in a few days though and we are excited!

I thought there was something special about the convo, though I am not sure what. Our conversation consisted of the mundane, the seriously spiritual, and some memories all wrapped up in a little humor. I don't know... Maybe it was just that we were sharing our lives with each other without the weight of the baggage that has been plaguing our relationship the last few years. Anyways, send me your thoughts after you read it...

Note: I kept the bad grammar and punctuation as it appeared to preserve the essence of the brevity of texting. We still did some good communicatin' though!

Dad: What doin?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Huh?
Dad: Well?
Dad: ...

[Later]

Daughter: Haha I was in barnes and noble reading a book:)
Daughter: I left my phone in the truck! Sorry!!!
Dad: No prob
Dad: I'm walking at the track
Daughter: Fun fun! I want to go!
Dad: U can when you get back
Daughter: Awesome! How hot is it?
Dad: Not hot its 9pm here
Daughter: Did it get pretty hot today though?
Dad: Yes 97
Dad: Tomorrow and sun same
Daughter: Wow it's pretty hot here in salt lake it was 89 i think
Dad: Thats not hot. Its 81 here now
Daughter: idk how I'm gonna survive when I get there lol
Dad: You'll adjust
Daughter: Yup! So how are you? Trudy? The boys?
Dad: Fine. Same O
Dad: Trudys not at UPS anymore so she's happy
Daughter: We went to famous daves for dinner and I am stuffed! And I bet she's happy! Back to regular sleep schedule after what? 4 years or so?
Dad: 6 i think
Daughter: Wow longer than I thought. She was working there when I was in middle school?
Dad: yes
Dad: Time flies
Dad: Make it count for somethin
Daughter: Well I have a bad memory! Time does fly by! Coming to slat lake reminded me of all the crazy traffic! I'll have to adjust to that too
Dad: Yep
Daughter: That's what I plan to do! Life is only so long
Dad: Course eternity is just that: eternal
Daughter: True. I'm scared to die though
Dad: Most r. Whats your reason?
Daughter: idk like sometimes I;m just sitting there thinking and reality smacks me upside the head and it hits me, were only on this earth so long. And I have no idea what its going to be like when I die. I just know I won't be walking this earth anymore, the thought just freaks me out. Then I stop thinking about it because it scares me so much.
Dad: Yeah. Know that. Knowing Christ helps me.
Daughter: I think if I get involved in church and really stick with it, praying and whatnot, I won't be as scared.
Dad: Knowing Christ is more about being with him than doing anything.
Dad: Most make it into a set of rules to be performed in front of a mean ruler.
Dad: Not so.
Dad: Spend time with him just having a conversation
Dad: Bible is simply the story of him making a way for us to be able to talk and spend time with him
Dad: Church is suppose to b a place for encouragement from fellow travelers
Dad: Sadly some don't understand that
Dad: Charlie does tho
Daughter: I know I'll understand all of that someday. It can't happen overnight.
Dad: Nope. Takes time spent with the savior
Daughter: Definitely. You are full of wisdom!
Dad: Same as it takes time to get to know anyone else
Daughter: But you can never know everything about anyone. There's not enough time.
Dad: 43 years of trial and error tends to wise ya up!
Daughter: Whoa!!!! Last time I remembered, you were like 40. Time needs to stop flying, seriously.
Dad: Ur right. U never fully understand God who is infinite. Think if ants tried to understand humans.
Dad: Same with us and god
Daughter: That's impossible. Not because they're ants, just cuz were huge and they're tiny.
Dad: BUT god makes us a way thru christ for us to commune with him
Dad: listening to iron maiden. Up the irons!
Dad: Heavy metal...
Dad: Was listening to old big band music earlier
Dad: different huh?
Daughter: I've never listened to them before. I'm watching school of rock lol
Daughter: I like heavy metal...you should look up seasons after on myspace
Dad: Look up iron maiden aces high
Dad: On itunes on ur phone
Daughter: Mmkay
Dad: Also download pandora app for free music streamed. U can choose a singer and it will play them and simgers from same genre
Daughter: I have pandora and slacker radio
Dad: Never heard of slacker. Punch iron maiden on pandora
Daughter: I like that song aces high and slacker is like pandora but you can search an exact song and it will pop up and play, then after that, it will play similar songs like pandora
Dad: Oh. I will have to check it out.
Daughter: Mmkay it's an app, its free
Dad: Downloading it now
Daughter: Awesome! You might like it, I like it better than pandora, but opinions differ.
Dad: Goin to ihop later for midnight dessert
Dad: Yum
Daughter: Haha with the fam?
Dad: Yep
Dad: We'll need to go when ur back
Daughter: Fun fun!:) I don't even want to think about food right now
Daughter: And yes we will! I remember when me you and Marissah would go to whataburger like at 2 in the morning
Dad: Yep. Boys and i have done that 2
Dad: We went and 8 a full dinner 1 time. Felt blech! afterwards
Daughter: Lol I like their breakfast burritos yummm
Daughter: That tend to happen in the early morning idk why
Dad: This was like 1 am. I was up til 4 feelin blech
Dad: Done walkin. Gettin in the shower. Gnight
Daughter: I would be too!
Daughter: Goodnight:)

The Authentic Christian Nation.

2009-08-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

"The ascended christ reigns over the church and all societies but in different ways. In truth, the only "Christian nation" is the body of Christ as it is dispersed throughout all peoples and in all times. Confusion on this point has resulted in far-reaching consequences."

Read more here.

Happiness.

2009-08-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

I think most times, God is busily stripping us of the idols we have clothed ourselves in. I don't think He cares much about what we want that we think will make us happy. There are many more imminent issues concerning our lives in relation to the Kingdom of God than our pipe dreams of wealth, health and happiness.

I'm Not Here Much, but I am I on Facebook All the Time.

2009-06-16T10:25:00.001-07:00

I like Facebook. So therefore you'll find me commenting and dialoguing there more than just writing a static piece here. So if you have a Facebook account, "Friend" me and let me know you found me here and I will accept you as a friend even if I don't know you. If you have no idea what "friending" is, don't be too alarmed. Go to facebook.com and open an account and then look me up.

You can also click the facebook badge over there on the right side of this page.

I will still write from time to time here - maybe once every other month or so. Maybe more, maybe less. So if you care to keep up with me, facebook is the place. You can email me as well. My address is over there to the right.

-Alan

P.S. I am also on Twitter @apcreative.

Are We Really Known By It?

2009-03-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

“You must rail against an immoral society. By this all men will know that you are my disciples.”

“You must be a part of the “right” political party. By this all men will know you are my disciples.”

“You must point out others’ sins. By this all men will now you are my disciples.”

“You must agree with me on all doctrinal issues – especially those pesky controversial ones. By this all men will know you are my disciples.

“You must believe the Bible is inerrant. By this all men will know you are my disciples.”

Some of those are actually good things. I wonder why Jesus didn’t say any of those instead of saying we would be known by our love for one another? You’d think He did say many of them by what we focus on sometimes.

We are intent on becoming the world’s moral and spiritual police. We want to be the Holy Spirit in everyone’s lives. We want to tell others how to vote, what to believe and how to live their lives. We are the first to point out doctrinal errors in their belief systems and we LIKE it! We argue about everything under the sun when it comes to doing life together in church. We enjoy power struggles and beating up on one another verbally (and in a few cases, physically) when they get in our way. We scheme against and seek to discredit and destroy one another to get or keep control. We are not doing the things we need to be doing so that people will know we are Christ’s. We are not loving one another. We are trying to control each other instead. This should not be. If it's true in your life, stop. Repent. Love.

Now consider these words of Christ:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

This passage talks of easy love versus real love. It's easy to love those we already care about. It's easy to love those who we know are fellow believers - those who are safe. We can do it and so can unbelievers according to this passage.

Yet this verse talks of loving those who hate us – those that are diametrically opposed to us. And if we are really honest, we’ll admit that we hate them back just as much. Our words and actions show this more often than not. Oh, we can talk all day long about how we don't hate the sinner, just the sin he's committing. But come on - that's a cop out. It's an easy out. It's a way to justify our continued hatred towards those we feel are damaging us, our society and dishonoring our Lord. It's no wonder we are hated. We are spending way too much time being outraged and too little time loving.

So what is our correct response? Well, sin is sin. We should be heartbroken over it in our lives and in the lives of those we see it ruining. And yes, we should be outraged and righteously angry over it. We know the damage it will do if left unchecked. But we should be on our knees for them pleading God’s mercy and conviction upon their lives. We should be begging Him to change them, not on our bullhorns screaming in their faces. We should never sin in our anger… ever. We are held to a higher standard. We are to love those who hate and persecute us.

We also need to repent for our attitude towards those we have hated. It is never right to hate anyone. I can’t think of a single passage in the Bible where God says it’s okay to hate anyone. And once we repent, we then need to find ways to love them and show them the love of our Father. God loved us and drew us to Him while we hated Him. What makes us think we can do any different?

Further, note that it says we are to love our enemies, "that we may be sons of our Father in heaven." Boy that puts some pressure on us. Sound familiar? Our love for our enemies confirms that God is our Father. So if we don’t love our enemies, then what does that prove about us?

So why these two passages together?

Because they deal with how God wants us to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ, and how we are to treat our enemies – meaning those that are lost. That pretty much covers the bases. If we love both groups of people, we have it covered. Now how cool would it be to put this kind of love into practice? Somehow I think that if we indeed loved the way God wants us to, we could just stand back and watch God use our obedience to change lives for eternity. After all, what is more important than that?

Take My Life.

2009-03-06T07:53:00.001-08:00

You Never Let Go... For Eternity.

2009-02-25T11:45:00.001-08:00

A few posts ago, I told the story of David Lipscomb, a friend of Ronne's. He was dying of pancreatic cancer. I posted a video of a song that spoke to me about him and the fact that once God has a hold of us, He never let's go.

Well... David is now in his Lord's arms and Jesus will indeed never let him go.

Please be praying for his family and friends as the celebrate his life and grieve together.

A Lesson in Heresy 101

2009-02-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

I don't know much about Miguel De La Torre, but this article tells me a couple of things:

1. He gives lip service to Jesus' divinity and humanity in this article, but doesn't really believe Jesus is divine because a divine Jesus is a sinless Jesus and Dr. De La Torre believes He sinned in the passage of scripture he is basing his argument on.

2. I haven't seen such a blatant use of a straw horse argument in a long time.

Control.

2009-02-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

I have spent the last few days with an under current of simmering anger. I have learned in the last year or so to keep it under control - anger has always been a huge issue with me for various reasons - but I have literally been set free from that in the last year. Doesn't mean I have been necessarily perfect, but being set free creates peace in your life and I can truly say it has done this for me.

I have also learned to explore the "why" of simmering anger. There is usually something I can learn about myself when I can gather the courage to look into my soul where anger resides. And I usually can, with the revelation of knowledge about the "why", evict it from my soul, replacing it with peace and satisfaction.

What I found during this excursion to my soul was a control issue. I had lost control of a situation - or had perceived I lost control and became angry about it under the surface. I recently assumed a leadership role with an organization - something I always hesitantly do - I don't think of myself a good leader - and quite frankly, this bothers me. It probably bothers me because society (church included) puts great value on leaders. They are enshrined to the pedestal of highest regard. And of course, I, selfishly, want to be on that pedestal. I want to be valued and highly regarded.

In my situation, I had a person come in and take over. He took over not because he wanted the glory or recognition, but because he saw a need I was not fulfilling. And that's true - I am not the best person to fulfill the role he is fulfilling. And, even with all of my negative feelings of anger, I can see that his contribution is going to really help our organization - he is perfect for the role. But that means me giving up control and I don't like that.

I have to tell you that after I went through all the different things that I rejected as the source of my anger - things like my wife being gone all weekend, like my kids not listening to me, like the house being trashed and I have to clean it - things that were only annoying me because I was already angry. When I realized that my anger entered the minute I lost control of the organization, I immediately tried to deny it to myself. But you can only do that so long - and I had to come to the conclusion that I was mad about losing control. I also had to come to the conclusion that it is good for the organization and my own soul that I lost some of the control. Both will benefit.

No one likes to lose control. you know why I know this? Because when someone loses control, they usually "lose it" and will do anything to regain it - and usually to the destruction of those around them. I have seen it played out many times in every kind of venue you and I can think of. It is never a pretty situation.

But, not surprisingly, this is not God's will for us. His will involves things like dying to self, loving others before ourselves, submitting to His will and acting with careful wisdom and discernment in the situations we face in our day-to-day lives. It calls for setting aside anger, malice, pride, arrogance, crass language, insults, greed - the things that do not produce the kind of Christian He wants us to be. They are to be replace by the fruit of the Spirit:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. -Galatians 5:22-25

Everyone who has been a Christian for any amount of time have heard of the fruit of the Spirit. But I need to actually put them into action instead of dismissing them as cliché with a polite nod in agreement of their necessity. That's what I have done - at least in this situation anyways.

I can honestly say that once I realized the predicament I had put myself in with my misplaced anger, I dealt with it in honesty and transparency before God and my own conscience and it evaporated. Now I fully expect it to tweak me now and then - and actually, I will be grateful for the tweaks. I need them. They are God's way of reminding me there is more at work in my life and those lives around me than my own wants and desires.

You Never Let Go

2009-02-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

We were singing a song in church tonight that reminded me of Ronne's friend. It's called "You Never Let Go."

Her friend, David Lipscomb, is someone I don't know, but he is suffering and has been on my mind since Ronne posted about him on her facebook. He is suffering through a reoccurrence of pancreatic cancer that has also spread into his liver. The thing is, not only did this song remind me of him, but as I listened to the message tonight about being mad at God, he came back to my mind. I wondered if David was mad at God for not healing him - for allowing this suffering in his life at all. I am sure he has probably asked the big "why" question - we all do. But as I read Ronne's note on facebook about David's situation, something jumped out at me about him. She says he wants more than anything to see Jesus' fame spread because of his story. How incomprehensible to me this is! Of course, the fact that this is incomprehensible to me says a few things about where my faith is at, but that is for another posting.

I don't understand the "why" in situations like this. And to be honest, it breaks my heart and really tests the veracity of my faith when I consider the impact of suffering that happens in this world. Yes, I know that Jesus warned us that we would suffer. But why? I mean really, WHY?

To bring the question a little closer to my own experience: Why does he allow little girls to be violated by their fathers repeatedly? This is a question I have had to consider and answer in my family with, "I don't know." It's a helpless feeling to know that I have a supposedly loving and merciful God, but can't understand nor answer why this loving and merciful God would allow this to happen. I begin to consider that this God whom I love may not be so trustworthy after all. But then I also find myself in Peter's place when the Lord asked him if he too wanted to desert Jesus. He said, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" In other words, who else can we turn to? In reality, we have nowhere else to go. If we do, I haven't found that person.

I wish I could say that when I realize this, I run back into God's arms, but I don't. I kinda just stand there and stare (figuratively speaking of course) into God's eyes, knowing I have nowhere else to go. I do believe He is trustworthy. And that trustworthiness comes from His grace, forgiveness and mercy in my own life throughout the last 12 years or so of being His disciple. And plus, remembering the point of the song: He never lets go. I can't get away from Him and deep down, no matter the doubts, I don't really want to either. So I continue to believe, sometimes grudgingly, but I believe.

David, Ronne's friend, is an example to follow for me. The rubber has hit the road so-to-speak in his life in a hard way. But God seems to be drawing him closer to Him. And he is trusting Him and using his suffering to make Jesus known.

I plan pray for him and help them financially. I pray you would consider praying and helping him and his family as well. Below is the note from Ronne where you will find the rest of his story (as written by Geoff Moore) and ways to encourage and help them.

Friends,

As many of you know, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working alongside David Lipscomb for the past ten years. We have shared many victories and challenges together as we focused our efforts on providing management and mentorship to artists and ministries. David has been has been a dear friend and a great source of encouragement to me. He and his precious wife Robi now allow me to do the same for them.

I reflect back on this time a year ago, when David received the news that he had pancreatic cancer. The journey through surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation was a long and difficult one. Throughout this journey, I have had the hard blessing of walking with my dear friend. I have seen first-hand the pain and suffering, but much more than that, the Herculean courage that he has demonstrated. David Lipscomb’s faith is the real deal. In those hard, quiet moments when, to be perfectly honest, doubt has washed over me, he has never, ever wavered. He may say otherwise, but I am an eyewitness.

A few weeks ago, the doctors confirmed David’s cancer had returned, and was present not only in his pancreas, but his liver as well. We would ask you to pray specifically that God would heal David in a way that would let him remain here with us. However, if God chooses a different road for David to walk, we ask that you would pray for peace and courage for the Lipscomb's. David wants most of all for Jesus’ fame to spread from his story.

I think most of us might have a hunch about the cost of fighting a disease like cancer. In fact, some of you have had first-hand experience. While I knew the treatments were expensive, I honestly had no idea just how financially overwhelming the illness could be. Though David has health insurance and has continued to work to provide for his family, living with this illness for over a year has devastated them financially. Co-payments alone for the doctors’ visits, treatments and procedures have run into the tens of thousands of dollars. The cost of medications is staggering. The Lipscomb's made the difficult decision to sell their home, and Robi is now working two different jobs in an effort to make ends meet. Unfortunately, David is now at a point where he will no longer be able to work while he battle's the cancer.

These are wonderful people who have given so much to so many of us. I ask you now to step in and give back. A special website allows you to give a financial gift to the Lipscomb's and share your personal messages of hope and encouragement. And there is good information about pancreatic cancer. It’s my prayer that we can all work together to help eliminate the medical debt they are carrying and provide financial support so that Robi can focus her energies to caring for her husband and best friend.

Most of all, by ministering to them financially, you help bring peace to an area that I know is a very real concern for David - that his family will not be provided for while he wages this personal war.

I would ask you to forward this email and link to anyone you feel would reach out to the Lipscomb family. I know many may receive it multiple times from different sources. I hope you will only see it as a confirmation that people are responding to this need.

Please give whatever you can, as soon as you can.

On behalf of these dear friends, thank you.

Geoff Moore
http://www.carefordavid.com/

A Great Story.

2009-02-12T13:52:00.001-08:00

I will let this story speak for itself. It's worth the time to read and watch the video.

The Use of Influence

2009-02-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

I was thinking... it is popular for Christian leaders and pastors to try to parlay the influence of a person into building the Kingdom. You know... someone has power, influence, money - he/she is looked upon as a source from which the church or maybe a Christian organization can pull something they want or need.

For instance, consider Jason Castro and Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas (which by the way, is my church). We all know Jason from American Idol fame. He has quite a bit of influence - especially since he is from Rowlett (next door to Rockwall where Lakepointe Church is based) and was/is a member of Lakepointe from before his newfound celebrity status.

Here is my hypothesis (since I wasn't involved in the planning of it): This past Christmas, knowing that many non-members and many non-Christians would be darkening the doors, the leadership at Lakepointe invited Jason to perform the opening song at the Christmas eve service. They also did a purposely cheesy kind of skit where the senior pastor and teaching pastor came out on stage with fake dreadlocks on mimicking Jason's. I thought it was kinda funny myself. Now I am not necessarily disagreeing with Jason performing, I see alot of good in his being there. But for my purposes, I want to use it to make my point just the same.

Now I am sure the leaders at Lakepointe used Jason's influence to draw people to the church. They did it in a tasteful way. There were no billboards, newspaper ads, etc. to my knowledge. Just word of mouth. Their intentions were good. People do need to have the opportunity to hear the Word of Christ and the opportunity to submit their lives to Him. That's a good thing. I wholeheartedly endorse their intentions and why they did what they did. They were using Jason's influence. Much like other leaders use influential people for other reasons: money, their standing in government (the Christian conservative right wingers come to mind with that statement), their standing with other influential and wealthy people, they were thinking they could harness all the influence Jason has to bring people to Christ.

But as I was reading through this passage, I wondered why Jesus didn't use the influence this rich young man probably had. After all, he had a lot of money that Jesus could have used to further His Kingdom. This young man probably had a lot of influence with other rich, young men who, in turn, have money and power to use to further the Kingdom. He could have traveled with Jesus, paid the expenses and gathered his rich friends together to help Jesus spread the Word.

But Jesus didn't do that. He told the man to sell everything he owned, and the man was unwilling to do that. The scripture says he went away sad. As a side note, it's interesting that though he really wanted to attain salvation, he still stuck by his money - and he wasn't happy with his money - he was sad. Apparently, misery loves money.

Why didn't Jesus use this man's influence and wealth like so many Christian leaders seem to do?

Looking at this situation from another angle, perhaps Jesus did use this man and his wealth to His purpose. Once the man left, Jesus turned to his disciples and, as if in closing comments to the illustration His followers had just witnessed, said:

"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."

He was clearly teaching them a lesson about what's important and what's not. Kingdom stuff is important. Money is not. Don't confuse money, power and wealth with God's Kingdom purposes. He is not dependent on them.

Perhaps the corporate style leaders in today's Churches and Christian organizations could consider this lesson as they seek to bring people to Christ.

Addendum: For everyone coming to this site looking for a video of Jason, here is the video of the performance at Lakepointe.

Godless and Contented

2009-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting story about Scandinavians, their Godless culture and their contentedness. The book that is reviewed compares Scandinavia's contented irreligious society and America's religious discontented society.

In my view, Scandinavians are extremely religious. In fact, not only does their society practice this religion, but so does their government. Their religion? Socialism.

That being said, America needs to rediscover Paul's words from Philippians 4:

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Ted Haggard

2009-01-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a good article on the upcoming movie on Ted Haggard. I won't be watching it as I do not have HBO, but I thought the last quote by the director of the movie to the CT's author when he said he would watch the movie and then write the sidebar was interesting seeing as how it comes from a self-described "cultural" Catholic. (BTW: What IS a cultural Catholic? Why would someone want the culture and not really believe in it?)

Just don't make God look bad. Let God win.

Just a Simple Christian

2009-01-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

I was just at another blog reading comments and noticed that there was a commenter who made sure to point out that they were a calvinist. The blog in question, which is Wade Burleson's blog, has often been the site of many a debate (let me translate that word for you: knock down drag outs) on the validity of folks' various viewpoints - of which none of them would budge no matter how much bickering took place. I often wonder why people try so hard to convince someone to switch sides in the midst of an argument... I have never seen it happen.

I long for the day when we identify ourselves and one another as simply "Christian" or "Christ-follower" rather than "Baptist", Calvinist", "Dispensationalist", "Pre-Millenialist", etc.

When I see a Christian referring to another as "my brother" or "my sister" it's a fresh breath of air and takes me back to the simplicity of the gospel message. We need to open a giant trash can and chunk all these titles out the door and follow Christ. who, if my memory serves, told us to have faith like a child.

When's the last time you heard a child outlining the finer points of Calvinism?

Jesus Lies?

2009-01-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

John 7:1-10:

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet[a] going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." 9Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.

Hell.

2009-01-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

I have gotten back into walking a couple of miles each day after work. I always listen to something while walking so I stay interested. Today I was listening to an abbreviated version of Jonathon Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" sermon.

Some thoughts I came away with:

1. Church and secular folks hated the idea of hell back then as much as we do now.

2. The Great Awakening, resulting in untold numbers of people converting to Christ, was the result of this sermon back then. Today, it would have the opposite effect - and I am not just talking about secular world either. People in and out of the church would not only reject the idea of hell, they would ridicule Edwards. There probably were some who ridiculed him then, but I can't help but think that the force of our overwhelming secular world we live in today would squash his sermon like a bug.

3. These days, do we accept the gospel because it saves us from hell? Do we really accept Christ's ultimate sacrifice for us so we can stay out of hell? Or do we accept it because it offers us a better life? Or maybe because it offers us emotional healing. Or maybe because we just want some fire insurance.

4. The reality of hell needs to be studied and preached in church again. When was the last time you heard a sermon about hell?

Women, Culture and the Bible

2009-01-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

The headline makes it sound like I am about to write a pretty involved piece huh?

Not.

This is just a thought on paper. Not well thought out. Not researched. Just a thought.

As I approached the open elevator door after a long day at work, a woman came rushing around the corner to catch it as well. I automatically stopped my approach to the door, stepped aside and allowed her to get on first. You see, as a man, I have been conditioned by the culture we live in. By the American culture at large. By corporate culture. By my family's culture. It has all played a role. Because it is so ingrained into me, I cannot, without at least feeling guilty, go ahead of a woman in amy situation.

Now think about the famous passage in 1 Timothy 2:12 and beyond about women and their role compared to men. The picture Paul paints of a woman's role is, at the very least, one of submission and 2nd place to her husband.

Among other reasons, I have always heard the argument that the reason Paul wrote this into his instructions was because of the over arching culture that already placed women (as well as children) 2nd behind men. I wonder if Paul wrote what he did much like I might write to my sons to always allow a woman to go ahead of you? To always treat her with the utmost respect. To always defend the honor of a woman.

Like I said, just a thought...

Baptism Last Night at Church

2009-01-11T22:07:00.000-08:00

There was boy who was getting baptized last night who looked to be about 4 or 5 years old. He also might have been special needs, but I am not sure. Here is the exchange (Johnny is not his real name):

Pastor: Johnny, is it true that you have accepted our Lord Jesus as your savior?

Johnny: unintelligible screech

(The pastor took that as a 'yes' I guess as after he was taken aback by the screech, he plowed on ahead)

Pastor: Johnny, have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins?

Johnny: Ummm, I don't know... maybe!

(Long pregnant pause... pastor is not sure what to do...)

Johnny's Dad (who was standing by him in the water): Psst! Say,"Yes sir!"

(Johnny smiles a big grin and says nothing)

Pastor awkwardly says: I now baptize you Johnny, in the name of the father, son and the holy spirit...

It was hilarious! Everyone was laughing. It was one of God's children at his finest!

Anonymous from Wade's Blog...

2009-01-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

... You can post here and I will dialogue with you. Seriously. I'm not kidding nor am I playing with you.

Christmas... The 2nd Thanksgiving

2008-12-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help thinking, as my family gathered both last night and today in celebration of Christmas, that it really should be known as The 2nd Thanksgiving. Or maybe Thanksgiving 2.0 or something like that. The reason for this thought is how thankful I am to have my extended family, my health, my job, my beautiful wife, my kids - and my God in my life. It's really too much to expect and really, incomprehensible the amount of blessings I enjoy because of all that God has provided for me. I am so thankful and so full of joy when I think about it.

I pray that no matter your station in life, that God blesses you this Christmas and in the coming year.

To Saturn Owners: You Must... Get... A (Real) Life

2008-12-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

These folks really do need a life other than one built around plastic, metal and wheels.

Surprising Act of Grace and Courage

2008-12-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Click here and be amazed!

The Best Article I Have Read on Homosexuality

2008-12-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

Now wouldn't it be nice if we could disagree as agreeably as these two do?

Not holding my breath though... generally there is too much fear being propagated on both sides of the issue.

The Exuberance of Internet Stocks, Homes and Obama's Cookies

2008-11-29T06:57:00.000-08:00

The last paragraph of an article I read last November about Obama cookies someone put on the market around election time (the article I read is a dead link now) said:

"I think everybody just ... thought, 'Oh, great cookie, great president — the world is a happy place. Barack's going to fix all the problems and if I have a bite of this cookie it's going to make me feel good,'" Maxfield said.

As I read this story and in particular, the last paragraph, I couldn't help of a couple of other things:

• The internet boom when internet companies were WAY overvalued and every Tom, Dick and Harry was opening one and going public in hopes of making millions. And everyone was buying any stock related to a hi-tech, internet-based company. It didn't matter that none of these companies had shown a profit - and it turns out, most never would. They crashed and burned in mid 2000.

• The housing boom when everyone was buying way more house than they could afford. People working as grocery store clerks, delivery drivers, etc. were being given credit for some reason still unknown to me to buy $200,000 and 300,000 houses in the Dallas market when the most they could expect to afford in the way of a house in the past was a $50,000 house in an old, used up neighborhood in East or South Dallas - if they could even afford a house. Most rented. And now? They've lost their houses. The reality set in as the economy tanked and they lost their jobs and found themselves unable to sell their houses. And many of them took out interest only loans - so they were upside down - IN THEIR HOUSE! You expect that with a car, boat or something like that. But your house is always suppose to increase in value. Right? Apparently not.

And now, we have Obama's cookies making some feel like he is the latest "savior" that's going to make everything alright. If we would just all own wildly successful stocks, a giant house and elect a president that will solve all the problems that the aforementioned unreasonable expectations brought on, then we'll be happy.

Check out the video below for some of this irrationality:

Now come on people! When will we learn that all these things we run after hoping they will make us happy is futile thinking? No, really. When? Probably never this side of heaven.

The deal though is that there IS all that happiness to be found this side of heaven and more. There was this guy who said:

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Now just for grins, think of the thief as those things or people or ideas (i.e. security, safety, assurance, etc.) that hold out all that promise for your happiness. Those are the thieves.

Now think of Christ - the "guy" who said the above. He can really deliver on that promise He makes. The issue is, are you willing to trust Him? Are you willing to see that "things", ideas and even people are not nearly as important as we believe them to be?

Now Christ will certainly not give you everything you want. But He will give you more than you ever imagined possible in the way of happiness and fulfillment - even and especially in the bad times when you think everything is going to come crashing down around you. Those are the times when Christ comforts and encourages you the most. And He reminds you that He has always provided for you. Maybe not in the ways you would have liked, but He provides nonetheless. I have learned this lesson many times (which means, in my stress and anxiety over those bad times, I have forgotten those lessons as well).

Think about what would make you truly happy. Truly safe, sound and secure. Does it involve Christ? It should. He's waiting for you to ask for His help. All you have to do is say the word.

If you do choose the rich and satisfying life Christ offers, let me know. I will be glad to help you in any way in your new life.

Contrast.

2008-11-27T07:18:00.001-08:00

Here is an excellent example of Jesus.

And here is an example of selfishness.

2, Count 'em, 2 Posts in One Day!

2008-11-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's not that exciting, but this post on Corrie Ten Boom and being thankful in all circumstances is good.

Thankful.

2008-11-26T11:23:00.003-08:00

Being it's Thanksgiving, I thought I would write a little about those who are a constant presence in my life.

God.
How could I not be thankful for a Person who gave His life so I could live? Plus He gives grace, mercy and forgiveness every day of my life - 3 things I really couldn't live without.

My Wife.
She is beautiful, smart and caring and committed to our relationship and our family. I love her dearly.

My Kids.
Their ages range from 6 to 17 and I love everything about all 3 of them! Plus, as anyone who had kids knows, they teach me alot about myself (i.e. they're built in accountability partners).

My Mom.
I am thankful for my mom and her influence in my life. I wouldn't be where I am at personally or professionally without her guidance and her support.

My Friends.
I am not sure I could do life without my friends. They encourage and uplift me when I am down and provide me a sounding board for decisions that I need to make. You know who you all are and I am thankful for every one of your presences in my life.

What are you thankful for?

Jason Castro Sings "Clumsy"

2008-11-24T16:38:00.001-08:00

He used to be part of the worship team at the church (Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, TX) my family attends... then a little thing called American Idol happened and I haven't seen him on stage since. This is one of my all-time favorite songs - not because of the music, but because of the words about what it's like to walk with Christ.

I'm Just Happy My Family is Healthy and Safe...

2008-11-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

...as opposed to the turkeys behind Governor Palin in this classic video shown from a couple of different perspectives. you gotta watch the whole video on the first link. It is hilarious.

Just When I Was Feeling Sorry For Myself...

2008-11-20T13:19:00.001-08:00

... I see this photo of kids in their neighborhood in Peru. Notice the "houses" in the background. Makes my little house look like a castle.

Ronne, What Were You Doing at 7:30ish This Morning?

2008-11-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

This morning on the way into work, I was praying through some issues and for various people in my life. The organization I work for is going through some rough changes and reorganizing. Jobs have been lost and there may be more. It's not a fun time at work these days. I prayed quite a bit about that and for my attitude in relation to that situation.

I was also praying for my family and a few friends that I had purposed to pray for. As I was praying and discussing them with God, some other names popped into my head unexpectedly - at least from my perspective.

So I prayed for the people behind the names and asked God to encourage them right as I was praying for them. I checked with one of them already just to see if anything was going on and there wasn't. He did say that he had just finished running a very "inspirational" 6 mile run - so maybe that was the form of encouragement God used in answer to my prayer. I haven't checked with the other person yet, but I plan to.

As a matter of fact...

Ronne... What were you doing at 7:30ish this morning? I prayed for you and asked God to encourage you and to remind you that you are "one in a million".

I am not normally a person who is curious about the mysteries of prayer - at least not from a superstitious standpoint. I know God leads people all the time to pray for others - I have heard many stories. It has only happened to me a few times in the past - the distant past. Perhaps this is due to the fact that my prayer life is sporadic at best. But with the events of this past Saturday night, I have purposed to pray daily in some form or fashion. So maybe I will experience more of what I experienced this morning and God will use me to intervene in another's life in a good and powerful way. Wouldn't that be cool.

Repenting, Rebooting, Reorganizing.

2008-11-16T16:42:00.000-08:00

I walked into the church building last night like I always do to go to church. We were running late, so while I parked the car, Trudy got the boys checked in to their classes. We met in the large hallway that led to the sanctuary. Once I had the night's program guide in hand, I remembered that this was going to be a worship-only service. I expected to be singing most of the night and maybe having some devotional-type words, some scriptures relating to the music and prayer in between songs. Boy was I wrong. And boy was I caught off guard. I was completely unprepared for what God was going to do in my heart last night.

Turns out, we ARE singing worship songs, but that's not all. There will be no sermon. Instead, as God's family at Lakepointe Church, we are focusing on where our relationship with God is - where we have put Him in our lives. What we are allowing sin to do to our lives. What we are allowing worry, stress, jealousy, you name it do to our relationships with our family and with God.

There were 4 opportunities to do this as we reflected on where we are at. One was the Lord's Supper. One was writing a confession on a card and laying it at the foot of a simple wooden cross. One was lighting a candle for someone we are hoping and praying will come to Christ. And one was writing a praise on a white board that showed our gratitude to God.

Repenting.
The Lord's Supper is always a time of repentance for me. Not because the pastor stands up their and threatens me that I should not be taking communion if I haven't repented, but because it is a time for me to reflect on what a horribly awesome sacrifice my God made so I could be in His presence. It always brings me to my knees - and I am not talking about prayer here - I am talking about deep and abiding grief over His suffering and my own selfishness in how I have been living my life - how truly far away I have run from this Person who gave everything He had to see to it that I could live with Him in eternity.

This time though, was different. I feel as though God may have finally woken me up. I have often found myself repenting and rededicating my life to Christ. And that's a good thing because it stops you from doing some really stupid things. But this time, He laid bare before my eyes, just what I was doing to Him when I chose to sin even as I knew what I was doing was wrong. It's a simple as that. But it's also complex and hard to describe. When you have a million and one things swirling through your brain like I do most of the time, it's hard to focus on just one thing - one moment. But it became crystal clear to me that simply rededicating my life once again was not where it was at. I just simply wrote the sin I was most upset and embarrassed by on the card, and I went and laid it at the foot of the cross and I let it represent the rest of my sorry life I have been busy living lately. I didn't really utter a "sorry" or anything. I just acknowledged that I knew what I had done was wrong and that I knew God knew as well. And I asked Him to help me overcome it. I have never felt so broken and alone as I did at that moment for some reason. I was in anguish and in tears as walked over to the table to pick up my communion elements. My wife and I took communion together, she prayed over the "body" - I over the "blood". She was eloquent, I in my aguish blathered something short about being thankful for Christ sacrifice. It was at once a very awkward time between my wife and I and a very heart-wrenching time between God and I. But it was necessary.

Rebooting.
As I think back on last night, I realized that after I had went through the heart-wrenching experience of repentance, that the next 2 "activities" (for lack of a better term) were the beginnings of a rebooting process. A rebooting of a life with the right priorities spiritually-speaking.

My wife and I made our way back to the white boards so we could write on them something we were grateful for. I have been experiencing some fear and anxiety lately about what has been going on at work. I wrote that I thanked Him for the fear and anxiety of the process of wondering whether or not I would be employed or not after the first of the year. It's not a very comfortable process, but it's a necessary process to remind me that everything I am, that I have, that I get to do - it's all from God and all dependent on God and His Will for my life. I also thanked Him for the fact that no matter what, I would always have Jesus - He would always be there - unchanging and eternal. From an emotional standpoint - it was very freeing.

We then made out way up to the front to light a candle. The point of that candles are to ask God to change the heart of those we are praying for that are lost. I lit two candles: one for a wayward family member, and one for a friend who is not currently in God's family.

Both of these activities were the first steps, I realized, to regaining my spiritual feet. To be thankful for something God has given me (the white board praise) and to be praying for another's salvation (the lit candles). I am not sure there are 2 more important activities in your day to day life as a Christ-follower than to be thankful and to be praying.

Reorganizing.
The reorganizing part of this doesn't have much to do with what happened last night - at least on it's surface. My wife and I are beginning the process of making plans for our family's future. The plans are for where we will be at in any given category in 3, 5 and 10 years, The categories range from education, career and money to college, our walks with God and our health. Until last night though, the category labeled "Spiritual" was just that: a category. Not now. Not since last night. Now it will be THE category that every other category revolves around. It just goes that if we are dependent on God for our very breaths that we take, we need to make sure our walks with Him our thriving. By thriving, I don't mean successful. By thriving I mean we are plugged in to God - living every moment in His presence - and living as if every moment may be the one He chooses to be our last one on earth. That means much prayer. Much knowledge (Bible). And being a light to those around us - a light that draws them to God.

Result.
I am still working through all that I experienced last night. But I do know one thing - He was trying to get a hold of me - as He has all along - and He finally did it last night. This I cannot deny. My prayer is that somehow this experience will resonate with me like never before and become a lasting remembrance for God to use to send me back to when I get off track.

Obama and Dissenters

2008-11-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

I thought of Wade Burleson and his many posts on those in leadership allowing dissent in the SBC (here's a hint: it's not allowed) when I read this. Southern Baptists could learn a few things from Obama about dissent. I hope he appoints those who disagree with him - not because they disagree with him, but because they are the best person for the jobs and they'll offset any sycophants he might have on his staff.

Living by Faith

2008-11-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

From Bob Cleveland:

Far too many believers never really, and I mean REALLY, have to live by faith, IMO. I feel the blessed ones are the ones that do.

How apropos for the economic times we live in now. I wonder how many of us really do live by faith in this country. I am afraid Bob is right on - not very many. How strange an idea that must be to God - to know we don't live by faith in Him.

He commented on Wade Burleson's excellent post about a boy who knew more about living by faith than most of us combined ever learn.

Science is Not THE WAY

2008-11-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

Check this out.

Now if it took science 200 years to figure out how ordinary bleach works, then how in the world is it that people think science (humanism) is the more intelligent choice than God?

One of Chelsea's Senior Photos & One of Her Early Photos

2008-11-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

That's Sadie with her - she was a Christmas present from her step-mom and I this past Christmas. Amy Seale, a good friend of mine took the shot as well as many others. I will post more later.

And the below photo is so you can see she hasn't changed that much! She's still the cutest little girl I have ever met! (I know - that's kinda corny - but hey, I'm the proud dad!)

Billy Graham Nails It

2008-11-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

From "Preaching the Minority View," January 14, 1991. In response to the question, "What motivates you to keep going?"

"I care less and less how many people come forward—whether anybody comes forward or not. The important thing is whether I have made clear the Gospel and the cost of following Christ."

Too many "Christians" consider their work done when they invite Christ into their lives. This is not so and Billy Graham said in a few words what I have tried to explain a million times to various people. There is a cost involved in following Christ. The true life of discipleship is not for the faint of heart or the weak in faith. It is hard, strenuous work - and that's just the intellectual side! The true work comes in serving others consistently and over time the way Christ would serve them.

The way Christ would serve them you say?

In a word, the answer is without condition, boundaries or disclaimers. Total abandonment to His cause is what is required.

What would that look like for you?

The Good Side

2008-11-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I published a post named, "Be Careful What You Say". It was a call to watch what we say because it affects others' perceptions of who we are. I used Scott Wilder and some negative stuff he said about Gary Busey after having him on his radio talk show.

I was thinking about that post and how others would in turn see me in a negative light because I used him and his failings in that particular case to illustrate a point. So in fairness, I also thought of a really cool thing Scott did right around the time his show went on the air.

I don't remember all of the details, but I remember a woman, who was a stripper or worked in some other capacity in the adult entertainment industry and was hurting. As she told her story, Scott began ministering to her in a way I have never heard anyone do on the radio - at least anyone who wasn't specifically there to counsel people. As I recall, once he was finished, he followed up and made sure she had the opportunity to get out of that world and begin healing. He followed up that she was getting help, but I don't recall much more detail than that. His actions that day on the radio show made me proud to call him a brother in Christ and I think, demonstrated the best a Christian has to offer a hurting person trying to make sense of her world.

In "Be Careful What You Say", I called for being aware of not doing anything to negatively affect another's perceptions of who we are as Christians. I will end this post by exhorting you to be watchful for people that you cross paths with that are hurting and need your help. Don't walk away from them. Help them. Christ may just want to use you to shine His light into their dark lives.

At Least Minnesota Didn't Drink the Whole Glass of Kool-Aid

2008-11-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

Al Franken lost! Woo-hoo!

Be Careful of What You Say

2008-11-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

I was watching some show on MTV that I usually don't watch - not much, if anything at all, is worth watching on that channel - but I was bored and watching some celebrity addicts in recovery. They are all under the care of some high dollar shrink. It's all pretty smarmy - the has-been celebs are doing it for one last gasp of a chance at continuing their careers. The doctor is doing it for the chance to make even bigger bucks through the publicity the show generates.

One of them is Gary Busey the actor - and he claims - a born again Christian. He is in complete denial that he is an addict and he is acting as if he is in charge of all of the rest of the celebs there at the recovery center. He's in pretty sad shape and looks to be on his last go around with his addiction. You get the sense when you see him that if he doesn't beat it this time, he's gonna die.

Every time I see or hear of Garey Busey, I am reminded of Scott Wilder. And tonight was no exception- I was reminded of him again tonight. Scott Wilder is host of his own talk show on a local FM station - the WORD FM here in the Dallas market. I used to listen to him all the time. He is one of those run of the mill conservative talk show hosts - only he has an explicit, conservative Christian angle to his material. Think Rush Limbaugh adding Jesus to the list of conservative politicians and issues he usually talks about.

The reason I remember him is because one time, many years ago, he had Busey on his show for some reason or another. Chances are, Busey was probably either in or promoting some Christian-themed movie or something like that. I don't remember much about the interview, but I do remember how much Scott ripped into Busey once he was gone. Busey apparently did something that Wilder didn't like and he just ripped into him. I don't even remember what he said,other than Busey not being a very pleasant person to be around. I thought at the time that it was pretty inappropriate that Wilder would speak of this on the air at all. I also remember that was probably the beginning of the end of my listening to his show.

To cut to the quick, be careful of how speak of others. I wonder what I would have remembered had Scott not said a word. I probably wouldn't remember a thing.

I Did My Duty!

2008-11-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

I voted today. I voted straight republican ticket. I was joking earlier that I did my duty to offset my bosses vote and my wife cast hers to offset my mother's vote. Both are diehard democrats... and both wanted Hillary instead of Obama. My brother and his wife put us ahead in our family with 2 more republican votes. Not sure of my sister though... last I heard, she was also republican.

As a side note, I almost voted for my first democrat today. Mike Anderson, republican, who is running for state senate here in Texas and former mayor of my hometown, really annoyed me. I swear he has sent a mailer to me every other day for the last few weeks, called to bother me at home with robocalls a couple of times, and his election signs, with his big, warm, fuzzy family shots were blatant propaganda (God, family, country, apple pie, etc.). You can see the shot here. Plus, he's a complete clown when it comes to higher education. He says college hasn't gotten more expensive. I wonder what planet he was on while his clone was running our fair city here in north Texas.

To be somewhat fair, here is his competition's site. The photo isn't as nice, but then again, he probably didn't spend big bucks like Anderson did. Anderson must have some big-bucks friends who expect return favors once he's in office.

But in the end, he is a conservative. He seems to believe that government is just some huge feeding trough for those who don't want to take care of themselves, and he upholds my Christian values (though I wouldn't necessarily consider that a qualification for office - just makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over!). Plus, my conscience won't allow me to vote for anyone in a party that is so blatantly anti-life - and is set to become even more so with Obama seeming to be a shoe-in. SO I included a yes vote for Anderson. I held my nose.

The Essence of Jesus

2008-11-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

"Which ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Matthew 19:13-30

Purpose and Peace

2008-10-23T17:27:00.001-07:00

I was all set to write a post telling you the story of how even though I wrote the below post on Peace for an Advent Guide the organization I work for publishes, I have very little peace in my life. And, somewhat hypocritically, I don't follow my own prescription for peace that I wrote about. But a funny thing happened today. This was perhaps one of my more busy and stressful days I have had in the last few months. You'd think I would just implode with stress and crack under the pressure seeing as how I already don't have much peace in my life. It really shouldn't take much to put me over the edge into anger, frustration and despair.

Not so. At least this time.

I had a new, if only temporary, purpose at work today. I had to get a 2-3 day project done in one day. Plus I have more of the same coming up due on Monday that I haven't even gotten copy on yet. Once I got rolling, I work pretty hard all day to get the project done. I was extremely focused. And I was at peace - even under pressure. This peace didn't come from deep down. I have no secret for handling the pressure - or maybe I do. Hard work. It created purpose and required me to focus. I didn't have time to think about my struggles. I was too busy to care about them.

Maybe I am on to something...

Our Peace is Not of This World

2008-10-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

I was asked to write a devotional about Peace - one of the weeks in the Advent season. I was to write for an Advent guide that the organization I work for, Buckner International, publishes each year. I was pretty excited about it as I had the chance to write for something other than my blog and its 4 or 5 readers! Well I wrote my it and it is now being used as a bible lesson rather than a devotional. The text of it is below. More tomorrow on why I am posing it here.

Our Peace is Not of This World
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Peace is hard to come by in this world. It seems like there is always something just around the corner – some event that can alter our lives forever. Some unknown medical condition come to light. A sudden accident. A lost job – especially in the current economic situation we find ourselves in these days. Those are things we cannot control. We can only respond to them – usually with anxiety and stress.

If those worries aren’t enough, it also seems that we are our own worst enemies in trying to attain peace. We continuously seek to build things into our lives – strive after the things our world has to offer to find comfort. To find the peace that will satisfy our souls. Yet what we find is fleeting at best. Even the good times – times spent with our families and loved ones. Time spent doing the things we love. Time just resting and relaxing. Further, we have the tendency to spend a lot of time building up our financial reserves so we can “buy” the peace we so desperately need. But none of those things last and we are forced to return to reality. Peace, we think, shouldn’t be so hard to come by.

But the Bible says otherwise about this world we live in:

For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:16-18).

Good News
But there is good news – news we need to hear. In the passage for today’s devotion (John 14:27), Jesus is offering us his peace. But note that it’s not of this world though. It’s from him, and the Father.

In the larger context of this passage, Jesus has just finished washing his disciples feet (John 13:1-17), and is beginning to tell them he is going to be leaving them (John 13:18-14:16). As you can imagine, after spending so much time and devotion on this man they have been following so long, they are perplexed and upset. They don’t want him to leave. They want to follow him. In John 13:37 peter says, "Lord, why can't I follow you now?"

But he says they can’t – at least for now. But he offers them His peace instead – in a promise to return (John 14:1-1) and in form of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

In John 14:1-4, Jesus tells them of His plans to go and prepare a place for them and promises them he will return for them one day.

But the point I want you to get is in verse 26. He says to them, “…the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” This promise is for your life now. If you are a child of God, then you have the source of peace living within you! No need to run after the things of this world to find peace. It, or rather, he, the Holy Spirit, the source of peace Jesus left behind, has been with you the whole time. He will teach you how to have peace – despite your circumstances... if you’ll let him.

Ask the Spirit within you to provide you with the peace you have spent so much time and treasure seeking after. Take the time right now to allow Him to speak to you. Then, for the rest of the day, continue watching and listening for the Holy Spirit speaking to you and working within you to bring you to the place that you have always longed for – to the peace only He can provide. Make this a daily practice, and before long, you will be changed and you will find, as Philippians 4:7 so beautifully says, “the peace of God which transcends all understanding” will be yours, even in the midst of your trials and tribulations.

The Times, They Are Uncertain

2008-10-07T17:32:00.001-07:00

I was reading through Romans 8 just now and ran across this in vs. 35-37:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he know longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Overwhelming victory in Jesus! Careful now! I might begin to sound like a raving charismatic! Seriously, there is nothing more comforting to read and understand that no matter the trials we are faced with, Christ loves us. He says He is always with us - he has left us a seal to guide us - namely the Holy Spirit. We are not alone.

Limiting Salaries

2008-10-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

There is a discussion going on at Christianity Today about whether or not executives at Christian organizations should limit salaries. I have a friend there who strongly disagrees with me. In the unlikely event he shows up at my blog, he might try this article I wrote last year on why I believe what I believe: that we should not seek to limit salaries - that would be the wrong focus. Usually, when people want to limit salaries, there is jealousy on their part involved.

We should instead, challenge each other to look at what we believe about money and whether or not Christ would approve of what we believe in principle and in practice.

Quote of the Week

2008-09-04T06:09:00.001-07:00

I usually don't do this on my blog, but I am a rabid news follower and I usually have a "headline of the week" or "quote of the week" in my mind or one that I tell or send to my friends... this week its:

"The reporting of the past few days has proven tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert,"

Mike Huckabee said this in his speech commenting on the news medias blatant bias against Sarah Palin, McCain's choice for VP.

He's wrong though, the media sunk to a new low. A Madonna concert is not tacky enough for the level of reporting that has taken place in the last week. Tacky really isn't the word I would choose - disgusting bias are the 2 words I would use.

Trading One Sin for Another

2008-08-26T10:38:00.001-07:00

From James Hoffa on unifying the Democratic Party behind Obama:

"There are people who are not going to vote for him because he's black," said James Hoffa, president of the Teamsters union. "And we've got to hope that we can educate people to put aside their racism and to put their own interests No. 1." He spoke in an Associated Press interview

Dysfunction

2008-08-18T00:42:00.000-07:00

This story has severe family dysfunction written all over it.

The parents it seems to me, are more interested in the world knowing how disgusted they are with their daughter and how "righteous" they are than they are about loving their daughter. How many of you really believe that calling your child out in the media is really the best way to lovingly confront them on an issue? Strict "Christian" upbringings have always concerned me. They seem to work against the very thing you want for your children: to follow the God you follow.

But the quote of the story for me is this:

"I'm not ashamed of it," she said. "Everyone's looking for me to be, 'Well, I'm so ashamed of it and that's why I kissed a girl!' No way! I still have 'Jesus' tattooed on my wrist. And I still have faith and a foundation of my own."

"A foundation of my own," she says. That may just be her problem. Any time we build our lives on a foundation of our own, we are in danger of collapse. We are building on sand. And our "foundation" will eventually be washed away. It's a lesson I have to continually learn over and over again. I pray that she learns sooner than I have...

It Takes Strength

2008-08-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

My blog has somewhat become a reactionary commentary to what I have observed in my own life and others'... and the latest thing I have observed is that it takes strength for a parent to make the right choice for their children. But sadly, most of us fail because we are selfish and really, we're looking out for our own good... our own comfort - even as we act as if we are making decisions based on their own good. Let me say that though I have not been perfect in making decisions for my children, and will never be perfect, it still stands as truth that we become cowards when we, in the midst of our own pain, make decisions regarding our children, not for their own good, but to give us some measure of comfort in the midst of our own pain. This I have seen happen time and time again. And because I can see into the future because of what's happened in the past, I feel sad and frustrated that while we consider ourselves independent, we really aren't and we continuously flail around looking for something to give us peace and calm - even to the detriment of those we love. Even our children.

Pretenders Among Us

2008-08-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

"Remigus had a brisk, efficient manner of moving and speaking which gave him an air of competence entirely at variance with his true character. Closer observation revealed clues to what was beneath the facade: his rather prominent blue eyes shifted about rapidly in an anxious way, his weak-looking mouth worked hesitantly two or three times before he spoke, and his hands clenched and opened repeatedly even though he was otherwise still. What authority he had came from arrogance [some times passed off as a healthy degree of ego by those who look to explain away arrogance], petulance and a dismissive way with subordinates."

– From "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett
[except bracketed comment by me]

When I Get Where I'm Going

2008-07-21T06:23:00.001-07:00

Church Discipline. Hmmm...

2008-07-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

...maybe it should start with itself.

Church discipline troubles me. I am well aware of the Matthew passages and even agree with them. Problem is, the church has so screwed up its influence and place in society with believers and non-believers alike, I am pretty sure I would tell a pastor or church deacon or elder board who likely doesn't know me, but wants to correct me, to take a hike.

Further, the church has no business in my personal life - it doesn't even have its own personal life in order. Church authoritarians many times just want you to know they have "power" over you. Because of its failings, the church has long since been stripped of any authority God gave it - it has suffered the natural consequences of its own lukewarmness in failing to to be salt and light in the world. It is no longer the center of life. And don't blame the secular society for this. Blame the church - and uncomfortably, this means blaming the leaders and ourselves. It has been said many a time that if you want respect as a leader in the community, you have to be a servant of all and live the life you preach at others. The church hasn't done this... not even close.

But a friend who tries to set me straight? Him (or her) I would listen to. If my wife were to confront me? I would listen to her. My kids? Yep. I would listen to them. As a matter of fact, I can't live the Christian life without many friends and family who are also accountability partners in my life. I would fail miserably without them.

The church, in its current state? That, sadly, I can live the Christian life just fine without ever darkening its doors again.

You Want Brutal Honesty About the Church?

2008-07-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

Check these buzzards out.

Mad as Hell, But I Still Love Him

2008-07-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in church last night - well, actually, I was standing since we were singing. We were singing "Your Grace is Enough" and as usual, when I sing a song about one of God's immeasurable attributes, my mind begins processing what I am singing a million miles an hour. So I quickly wrote a few notes down right after the song - thinking I would blog about it later.

The whole concept of God's grace has become such a cliché in Christianity today. We throw it around pretty easily. We say, "Grace and peace be with you." or "Go in God's grace." Or "But by the grace of God, there go I." Or we say "Grace" at meal times. And then in the larger secular world, we hear about a celebrity's "grace and style" or her "graceful mannersisms", or how she dances with such "grace and power". It's actually quite easy to forget what grace means in God's economy.

When I looked up the word in the dictionary, there were many different definitions and amazingly, I found the one I was looking for:

freely given, unmerited favor and love of God

I also found this one:

the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect.

That definition brings to mind that there is a part in the song that beckons God to "remember your people, remember your children, remember your promise..."

But the part of the song that got my mind going in a different direction is actually the chorus and the name of the song: Your Grace is Enough.

As I was singing, I thought about my own life and my continual seeking after some sort of comfort to get me through the rough times. Always seeking to control as much as possible, any catastrophe big or small, so as to protect myself from pain. Then there are those times I have sought to do something - to accomplish something - asking God to bless what I was about to do. I put so much personal equity in my big plans - and then I fail. And I get angry - angry at myself, angry at God - and I want to give up.

Really what I am angry about is that I think everything should work out - that somehow I am exempted from rough times and from troubles and hassles as I try to succeed in life. Especially when I am trying to do something for God. Sometimes, as a last gasp at trying to somehow salvage what has gone so wrong, I beg God to help me succeed - to make it all right. And of course He doesn't - what I was trying to do was never in His plans for me. And of course, I get mad, pack up my toys and I go stomping off - cursing Him, myself and whoever was involved with my failure.

I can be pretty immature at times. Instead of throwing a temper tantrum, I need to learn that God's grace is enough for me. I doubt very much He is affected by my pathetic behavior. I am sure He is content to wait for me to grow up - though I know he won't tarry forever, waiting for me to submit to him. He is after all, God, One who really has no NEED for me or anyone else. But he WANTS ME - much like I want my own children - only more intensely (which is a whole other post for me to contemplate).

Here is the lesson in maturity that I need to learn: I may have nothing. I may not accomplish anything I want to accomplish. But I MUST learn the lesson that God's grace is enough for me. I suspect that every pastor or leader or anyone who has stepped out in faith has had to learn that God's grace is enough to see them through. I wonder if He had to strip everything away from them as He seems to be doing to me... in slow motion... to get their attention?

Don't misunderstand me, I haven't lost much materially - I haven't lost many people that are close to me. Compared to others, my life is pretty easy. What I am talking about really is my expectations of following Christ. Expectations that remain unfulfilled. Expectations that had me teaching, leading, mentoring - showing others that there is peace to be found in God. Problem is, I don't have much peace. It's hard to pass along what I don't already possess. But I suspect that more than anything, at least this side of salvation, that understanding fully, and grasping completely, God's grace is enough to follow Christ and His will for my life. I suspect that accepting that God's grace is enough for me will lead to peace and contentment in my life, no matter the storms that are blowing through.

I remember reading Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala and his story of the broken down, beaten church he inherited and how he had to finally surrender the church and its future to God - trusting in Him and His grace, through fervent, honest prayer. The church became the Brooklyn Tabernacle. And it was built back up by God, using His grace through those that had come to the understanding that if it would be accomplished, God would do it and He would choose only those willing to surrender their wills to His. Jim Cymbala, his wife, and the rest of the church needed to come to the conclusion that God's grace was going to be enough for them.

If I am unsure about many things along the path of following Christ, I am sure of one thing: I can be mad as hell at God, but I still love Him and will never leave Him. I know it's wise to never say "never" - but I have had so many chances to pack it up and walk away, but I can't. I have to stay. Not only am I afraid to walk away from someone Who says, "I am the way, the truth and the life..." but I HAVE to see what God has in store for me. And I think maybe that a step in that process that I can't skip over (as if we can skip any of the steps God has ordained for us) is to come to the realization AND put it into operation in my life is to really believe that God's grace is enough for me.

Innocent Baby, Guilty Criminal, No Contradiction

2008-07-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

I am in the midst of reading The Appeal by John Grisham. I don't feel like typing a synopsis of the book - it's not really pertinent to what I am about to say anyways. Grisham slipped in a line in the book saying that opposing abortion and supporting the death penalty are contradictory. The headline of this post says everything you need to know about my argument that there is no contradiction..

I challenge anyone to prove me wrong...

Brotherly Love... NOT!

2008-07-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

Not sure if you've seen this or not... how in the world does a kid get to the place where he thinks that this is not only okay, but funny?

Finally...

2008-07-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

... someone who is doing something good for the right reasons. This man exemplifies Jesus' teaching - His whole teaching.

Click here to read the story.

I'm Thinking This Guy Should Move...

2008-07-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

... maybe to Iraq.

Click here. Read the story.

Then email him at csatullo@phillynews.com to let him know what you think.

Forgiveness is Powerful

2008-07-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

Remember the photo from the Vietnam war era of the little Vietnamese girl running naked down a road after being napalmed by I assume American forces. It's one of the most famous and well-known photos from that war. Well, here's the rest of the story.

Here is a link to her foundation.

Husbands Abuse Their Wives Because Why?

2008-06-28T19:38:00.001-07:00

Check this out. Debbie Kaufman has a link to the actual sermon down in the responses to the post - you have to listen to it for about 10 minutes or so - but he says it here.

In essence he says that one of the reasons a husband abuses his wife is because she won't submit to him.

[Insert stunned silence here.]

Dr. Bruce Ware, professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., is responsible for this incomprehensible little tidbit of knowledge. It's not the main point of the sermon by any stretch, but I am just flabbergasted that he would say this. He certainly isn't helping the cause he's preaching for.

I suppose he would also say one of the reasons parents abuse their children is because the children just won't listen to the parents.

Always nice when a professor exhibits such ignorance on a subject... maybe sticking to the Biblical text instead of his misguided opinions would help.

Maybe.

You Gotta Walk Before You Can Talk Continued

2008-06-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Here is where you start The Walk, continue The Walk, and end The Walk. Most just say, "Here is the starting point." But that assumes there is a jumping off point - or you just do what Jesus says at the start and then "grow" into a more important position.

Not true.

You take these verses up, pack 'em in your backpack and take 'em along for the whole journey. That way you can pull 'em out and use them to remind you of the essence of leading others.

Note that Jesus doesn't say anything about telling anyone what to do or where to go or how to do something...

Which is the True Party of Black Americans?

2008-06-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

I found this article quite interesting...

You Gotta Walk Before You Can Talk

2008-06-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

Armchair quarterbacks usually talk and judge a pro quarterback's performance as if they played the game themselves. The problem is, they usually haven't. They haven't been practicing since they were old enough to walk - training to be a quarterback. They haven't had to face a linebacker or defensive end that outweighs them by 100lbs coming at them like an out-of-control freight train. They haven't felt the weight of responsibility that comes with being the leader of a multi-billion dollar franchise. But they sure do have an awful lot of advice to offer. Check out any football blog during the season to see all this in action. Shoot, check out any sports blog for pretty much any sport to see this in action right now.

Armchair theologians are usually the same and they consider the blogosphere their pulpit to the world. You can tell the ones that haven't experienced much in their walks or haven't walked in obedience to God in certain areas of their lives. They have a lot of book knowledge about what the Bible says, but have hardly any real world experience. Their answers are usually oversimplified, pat answers - the only answers immaturity and lack of experience can offer.

And they are usually the first one to chastise you for something you've done or said that they consider wrong and then offer a couple of proof texts to prove what you've done or said is wrong. THEN they offer you the "right" way (i.e. their way) to avoid whatever grievous sin you've committed in the future. And they do it with "authority" - more like stolen authority - which of course is no authority at all.

I was listening to Crawford Loritz (see the transcript here) on the radio earlier this evening and he told of a friend who mentioned to him that it was interesting how most babies walk long before they can talk. Many (if not most) Christians want to talk long before they've experienced any time "walking" with Christ.

The lesson here is obvious: Walk the walk before you talk the talk.

New Life

2008-06-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

I just watched an incredible video over here. It makes the cares of this world fade into the background when you consider another 2 people have crossed over from death to life...

George Carlin Meets the Maker He Refused to Believe In

2008-06-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

See the story of his death here here.

See him pontificate on religion here (profanity warning)

Chelsea

2008-06-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of my 17 year old daughter when she was around 2 years old. It's one of my favorite photos - again, because it illustrates her personality at the time: rambunctious and happy.

Zachary Too!

2008-06-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Zach is 6 years old and is going into 1st grade in the fall...

Present Day Chris

2008-06-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

I posted some photos yesterday of Chris when he was 4 years old or so... today I am posting a photo of him I took at VBS earlier this evening... he's 8 years old and will be starting 3rd grade in the fall.

He's growing up too fast. Way too fast.

SWINGING!

2008-06-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

Chris is 8 now - but he was probably 4 when these photos were taken... he's a sweet, inquisitive kid. He likes to experience life to its fullest and he's curious about everything. These photos - illustrate those traits about him perfectly.

You Just Never Know...

2008-06-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

I was reading through some sent emails earlier this evening and ran across an email I had sent back before Christmas 2006. I was asking my mother to let me know what she wanted and some ideas for Oz - her husband. Funny how things changes in an instant - and there's no going back. Oz, at that time, though none of us knew it, only had about 6 months to live. He inexplicably fell 15 feet to his death the following April. No more requests for Oz's christmas wish list necessary. Christmas - and everything else changed in an instant for our family.

Back in 2004, we celebrated Christmas with my sister and her family. What we didn't know was that 2 months later,we would all find out that my brother in laws actions finally caught up with him - and he eventually ended up in prison for what will probably be the rest of his life. That day in February when my mom called me and gave us the startling and shattering news that Travis was not at all who he held himself out to be changed all of our lives forever. Again, Christmas - and everything else would never again be the same.

There is a lady in our church that just found out that her daughter is dying of cancer. They are praying for a miracle. I hope they get it. Regardless of the outcome, their lives will never be the same.

About the only thing that remains the same is that God is still on the throne - presiding over life and all the troubles it brings. Everything else is up for grabs when it comes to change. Dwell on this too long and you become fearful and wonder what's in store for you. What will happen tomorrow, next month, in six months, in a year?

The better course is to hand that fear to God, understand that He already has our days numbered -nothing surprises Him. We may not understand Him - why He does the things He does. But we can trust Him.

Bad Joke of the Day

2008-06-11T17:05:00.001-07:00

What do you get when an artist get's mad?

a frosted flake.

(cue groans here)

No Habla White-Trashese

2008-05-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

I had the distinct displeasure of experiencing first hand, a small dose of what being discriminated against because of skin color must feel like.

I was parked at a gas station off of Interstate 30 in the Dallas-Ft. Worth tonight waiting for my sister's boyfriend to pick up 2 of my nieces who had spent the weekend with my family. One of my nieces is a mixed race child. Her father is african-american and her mom, my sister, is white.

As we were sitting in the driveway of the gas station close to the frontage road, enjoying the music on the radio and minding our own business, I suddenly hear a loud car horn behind me. There was a van behind me in the center of the driveway (I was parked off to the left so as not to impede anyone who might want to have access to the frontage road) that was honking at me. I couldn't figure out why as he looked like he wanted past me. There was plenty of room for him to pass. I was unsure of what he wanted me to do, so I sat there and rolled my window down, hoping he would pull forward and I could find out what he wanted.

He did and in his most indignant way, he says, "We would like to turn there, but your in the way". As he said this, he indicated with his hand that he wanted to go left into an adjoining parking lot. I wasn't aware that I was blocking it. But because he was obviously being a jerk about it, I sat there for a split second and just looked at him thinking about what to say. He had gotten my anger up with his tone. I decided to say nothing and then began to put my vehicle in reverse.

Well... he noticed my niece, who to the untrained eye, could be mistaken for being hispanic because of her lighter brown skin tone. He then said to me in a mocking tone, "What's the matter, no habla english?" He was obviously making fun of my niece who he thought looked hispanic.

That set me off. I was now so angry I was physically shaking and the adrenaline was pumping and I sat there, not moving, again contemplating what I was going to say. I was angry and thought of a few choice phrases for him. But, of course, knowing that returning belligerence for belligerence was not the right thing to do. So I simply said, "Sure, I'll move. But you can be nice about." Not much of a comeback. But then again, in an attempt to control my anger, it was probably the best thing I could have said save saying nothing.

He looked immediately embarrassed and looked like he couldn't believe I said anything back to him and he went on his way once I cleared the way for him.

This guy was probably around 65-70 and his wife was with him. Once they passed, I thought about his poor wife and hoped he was having a bad day and that wasn't the way he was all the time.

And.. of course, I thought of a few good comebacks - only one of which I can name here (trying to keep this a family-friendly blog!). I should have said something like, "I habla english just fine, it's white-trashese I don't habla very well!" But that would have been wrong and the God I love would not have been pleased. He says to love the unlovable. To love your enemy. TO be patient and kind. This guy may not be that unlovable all the time and he probably wouldn't be classified as an enemy going by the traditional definition, but he sure felt like both at the time.

As I was processing this event in my mind, I thought of my niece, who did nothing to him - yet he was poking fun at her simply because of her color. That made me sad. It made me feel a sense of injustice for my niece.

On the positive side, I handled myself pretty well considering if he had met me 6 months ago, before I began working on my propensity to become angry so easy, he would have gotten an earful, most of which would have been extremely incendary and belligerent. It would not have been right or a good example to my niece, my other 6 year old niece, nor for my 8 year old son - all of whom were in the car with me.

For that I am thankful to God - He is the one Who got a hold of me and began working with me on being so angry, cynical and negative all the time.

I pray this man, who seems to be angry and racist, wakes up one day and realizes how much damage he can do with words.

Therefore...

2008-05-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

I was reading a paper over the section of 2 Corinthians that this verse falls within. The thing that stuck out to me is that we are new creations - our old lives, ways of doing and thinking, spiritually and practically, are gone.

When Christ was crucified and then raised on the 3rd day, do you think his followers viewed him differently? You bet they did! Not only did they see that he was indeed risen and he had a body (he wasn't just spirit) - but that suddenly, his resurrection had consequences for their own lives. If he could die and then rise again, so could they - through His power of course.

So is that power still available to us? It is and we need to access it.

That means we no longer see ourselves in the same way. God sacrificed His only son for us. While we shouldn't use it to justify self-serving attitudes and practices, we are of unimaginable value to God. We need to see ourselves as God sees us: His children whom he loves.

We leave the past (and its baggage) behind us. We all were in sin, separated from God. We all made mistakes... Rebelled against God... Made wrong choices and did stupid things to hurt others and ourselves. But now, thanks to Christ and His sacrifice, we can leave that behind and live a life of righteousness, through the power of the Holy Spirit that God put within us.

We no longer act the way we used to. We live as though God is living with us - because he is! We no longer live for only ourselves and what we want. We live out God's will for our lives and allow him to provide for our needs and desires within the framework of his will for us. No more worrying about the future. No more striving to be number one. No more searching for meaning in all the wrong places (i.e. Our stuff, money, power, prestige).

We also no longer see others through our old eyes, but through that of our new eyes - the eyes of Jesus. That means no condemning, backbiting, complaining, gossiping with one another. No more requiring others to live up to our standards. It means loving others as God loves them: right where they are at. It means inviting others to come discover what it's like to be a Christian - what it's like to follow after Christ. It means living out our faith in a genuine and honest way before an unbelieving world - so they might see what it looks like to be a Christ-follower.

2 Corinthians seems like such a short, simple verse. But those few words carry a lot of impact and consequences.

I hope this post motivates you to not only memorize this verse, but also consider how God might use it in your lives - how he might change the way you think or speak or what you do with your time on earth.

Getting Back to Basics

2008-04-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our small group has been going through a book taking us through some basics of living a life following after God. We have been reminded of the importance of the scriptures and prayer over the last few months and are about to embark on a 4 part tour of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are also beginning to develop and re-develop scripture memorization using Navpress' Topical Memory System. We just focused on Galatians 2:20 and are focusing on 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Romans 12:1 over the next few weeks.

For me, all of this brings back some sweet memories of when I first became a Christian. Especially the memory verses as I memorized the same verses back then. Mostly I remember my new found relationship with Greg and Donna Herrick, who mentored and discipled my wife and I for 4 years. I wouldn't trade those 4 years for anything. Personally, I credit them with giving me a good foundation in following Christ. Had it not been for that foundation, I would have left the sometimes hard-to-understand-and-live Christian life behind (assuming God would have let me go - which I doubt!)

I can't begin to tell you the importance of finding someone to help you establish that foundation. Start with your church. If there is no help for you there, be intentional at observing those you consider mature in Christ and once you find someone who you think you can "click" with, ask them to mentor you. If it doesn't work out, persevere until it does. Though God speaks directly to our hearts in many ways, He most often uses others to speak to us. We all need someone to be Jesus with skin on in our lives.

Can you tell I am passionate about discipleship?

I now have the privilege of joining the other members of our group in re-learning these verse. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do with these verses as they memorize them and commit to apply them to their lives. They have brought me so much wisdom and understanding about who God is and how he works. Memorization, though it is a difficult discipline to undertake, is worth every effort we can invest in it. God's Word always pays multiple dividends in our lives.

Pray for our group. Ultimately, we want it to be a group that we can invite our unchurched friends to where they can see and learn what it looks like to follow after God - all the ups and downs and struggles and victories. My prayer is that these folks, whom I imagine thinking the church and Christ irrelevant, will find peace for their lives and a safe place to work out their issues with God. A place they can finally come to an understanding of who God is what His plan for their lives are. But first, we have to establish a spiritually healthy and thriving group - one that perseveres through the hardships our busy schedules sometimes put on our meeting schedules. And we have to be diligent in practicing the disciplines of reading our Bible, meditating on what we have read, applying it to our lives, prayer and memorization. That way we can pass that along to others and testify to the great things God has done through our commitment to Him and His ways.

Church

2008-04-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article over at Christianity Today about the 20-somethings generation being disillusioned with the church.

You can read it here.

I am no 20 something, but I have been disillusioned lately. So instead of posting a response on their website, I wanted to post here.

I have been guilty of throwing the baby out with the bath water. I have written off the church in frustration more times than I care to remember. Each time though, God reminds me that if it's good enough for Him, it should be good enough for me.

Of course, then I tell Him it's too messy and people can be so hard to deal with. Funny thing though, I haven't really had that many negative interactions with the church if I am being totally honest. My problem is seeing what others have gone through and thinking to myself, "I am not even going to put myself in that position so I don't have to deal with that pain and anger and frustration." So I throw stones at the church. Calling it irrelevant, pointless and a waste of time. Seems like nothing more than a place where people can gain power to build their own little kingdoms and create messes that split apart not only churches, but the very soul of those involved.

As I read the article though, a thought came to mind: "How about focusing less on the institution (though it may be a necessary evil) and more on what does God want from me in regards to the church? What does that look like? I have found myself focusing on what the church does wrong so often that I gave up and began to look for other avenues of serving and worshipping and being in God's will. One problem though, God keeps tweaking me about my relationship with the local church - really my church FAMILY. He won't let me get away with just finding some likeminded people and creating a community with them wherein we can worship and serve God in the ways we want to (without having to deal with that silly church and it's traditions, hangups, etc.). He wants me in church, amongst those that maybe don't always agree with me (and vice versa), where I can see what He's doing and be a part of it. It is sure to be messy, but then again, name one part of life that isn't? Life is always messy. So why expect it to be any different at church?

So I have purposed to become more involved in church, allow the messiness to enter my life, and we'll see what God has in mind for me.

Hopefully He has a huge quantity of patience, strength and perseverance in mind for me.

Missing God's Best

2008-04-14T10:05:00.001-07:00

I sat in devotion this morning (since I am just now writing this, the actual day was 4-14) listening to Geoff Moore, the talented Christian singer/songwriter talk about the process by which his family convinced him to adopt his daughters from China. From the beginning, he wasn't in the mood to discuss adopting - he wasn't on the same wavelength as his wife or his children. But eventually he came around and they ended up adopting from China. He spoke of the fact that he was glad God pushed him to change his mind through his family, otherwise he would have missed God's best for him. He said if it were left up to him, he would have missed what God wanted him to do.

The question here is obvious: How many times have I missed God's best for me? How many times have I shut down any thought of doing something that God was trying to get me to do? It reminds me that I should be open continuously to what God wants me to do - even if I don't want to think about doing something He may want me to do.

Praying that you also are continuously open to God's best for your life...

Add a Caption Friday!

2008-04-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

Grateful

2008-04-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

My wife and I just returned from our small group meeting tonight. And I have to say, it was a great time of looking into prayer and our need to be constantly connected to Christ through it. It's our lifeblood. But another thing happened. We took our openness and honesty in our struggles to a new level of trust. We shared our fears and struggles and prayed for one another. We prayed for God's strength and peace amidst the storm and for God to show us what He wants us to do in our given circumstances.

I for one am grateful for a group that cares about me and for a group which I can care about and pray for. I believe we are close to God's heart and original intentions on which he established the church when we are intentionally in a community that cares for us, encourages us, exhorts us and never condemns us, but gently challenges us to persevere in living our lives with God's purpose in mind.

Thank you Lord for my brothers and sisters in our group. For their willingness to be honest about their struggles and having the courage to seek your will despite their fears and apprehension their frustrations with their situations. Lord, nothing encourages me more than to know I am not alone - that you have placed people in my life to keep me keeping on.

I pray that you would vanquish Satan from darkening our thoughts and attitudes as we all deal with our struggles and remind us all that we can have joy in You and experience freedom in your love for us. I lift your name up on behalf of our group and hold you up as the reason we continue on in our relationships with each other and You, for your glory and for your kingdom. I pray you would draw those you want us to influence and lead us to help them find you through our group. Thank you Lord that you are ultimately in control of all of our lives and we worship you for that fact. In your Son's name we pray to you, Amen.

No More Religion

2008-02-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

“What I’m noticing is when we stop preaching Christianity as a religion…and we start inviting people to be followers Jesus and present Jesus and His way as part of this beautiful story of the Kingdom of God, a lot of our Christians who have left are drawn back.” -Brian McLaren on the way Post Modern Christians are responding to the church.

Oh that we could learn this lesson

2008-02-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

I found this quote on Rick Thompson's blog (http://roadwetravel.blogspot.com/). I thought it was worth repeating here:

True, grace-filled Christianity does not gloat in the face of disagreement. The result of grace is a love that points out truth but never points down. You know you have the gospel when you have reached a point in your life when you can passionately love people who you do not agree with.

Think about that quote for awhile and put your own relationship with God, your family and the people of your church family in the context of it.

What needs to change?

Issues

2008-01-31T16:43:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I have had some issues come between us lately.

That got me to thinking how many times God and I have had issues come between Him and I. We have had many. And of course, the issues in this relationship are not a two way street. When it comes to my daughter and I, we're both at fault. When it comes to God and I, I am at fault. It's amazing how He uses my relationship with my daughter to show me how He feels when I grieve Him. It never fails. I always find myself thinking: "This is how God must feel when I rebel against Him."

He also uses my relationship with my daughter when it comes to who she is and the good things she does. When I look at her and things are going good and think about how beautiful and talented she is, I think: "This is how God must feel about me when He looks upon me." He, after all, chose me to be His child when I didn't want much at all to do with Him. Why would he do that except that He loves me? It's hard for me to understand why I don't think like this much of the time. Probably because I have been taught that God is Holy - not to be taken lightly or trifled with - and to think of Him as my Savior and King - He is to be reverently thought of and spoken about. That's all true, but the problem is, that would be an incomplete picture. In the Bible, he says we are his friends. Friends like each other. They spend time with each other. They seek out each other's advice in times of indecision. They seek each other's comfort in times of distress. Friends might respect one another, even revere each other, but certainly they don't think of each other as a kind of untouchable figure. But with God, we do - or at least I do.

Father, while you indeed are my King and Savior; You are to be revered because You are Holy. But you are also my friend. Remind me of that. Often. Thank you for Your love and Your sacrifice for me. I exalt you before men and raise your name for all to see. You are my only hope, not only here on earth, but for all eternity.

Can't They Clean Up Some Before We Let Them In?

2008-01-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

I was listening to a friend earlier today talking about how the church tends to not want to deal with those that aren’t like them - those that might not have enough money to dress the same as church folks do, or if they don’t have all their ducks in a row personally - maybe they are addicted to something - maybe they’re addicted to many somethings. Or maybe they’re not the right color - or maybe we just don’t understand them because they come from a different background or culture. No matter the reason, many times we just keep those people at arms length. The gist of his comments were that if we are going to do that, then we have forgotten from whence we came. We have forgotten that we were dirty before God. That we were unacceptable before God. That we were rebellious against God. That we had no business coming before a God Who is perfect expecting anything. Heck, even as Christians, we’re still sinful and unacceptable but for the fact that Jesus took brunt of punishment for our sin. And that’s the point. That God accepted us right where we were at - sin and all. We stunk, possibly literally, to high heaven to Him - we smelled REALLY bad. Because we were stuck in the rubbish of our sin. And we were unable to do anything to improve our standing with Him. But He still accepted us. In fact, the Bible says that while we were still in willful rebellion against Him, Christ died for us.

So... what makes us think we can treat those that "smell" bad to us any differently?

God give us courage to step forward to lend a helping hand to someone we really don’t want to help. They “smell” to us - we don’t like them. Yet you LOVE them. Empower us to show that love of yours that we are unable to show on our own. After all, You Lord, hung out with those that the establishment religion abhorred - and you chastised them for being unwilling to help the sick - those that needed you. Let us not be the modern day version of that religious establishment. Let us take Your love to those that need it - regardless of their station in life and regardless of the barriers that we create to keep us from doing what you would want us to do.

The Truth

2007-12-01T18:23:00.001-08:00

I have responded a few times to a couple of Bruce Tomaso's posts over at the Dallas Morning News' blog. Each time he has chastised me for not allowing for others' beliefs - not being "tolerant" of those who don't agree with me. Those who don't believe like I do. I haven't responded to him yet and probably won't. He seems to be a pretty cynical creature from reading his snide remarks when he posts something or replies to those he doesn't agree with. Considering that I am a pretty stubborn cynic myself who isn't likely to have his mind changed by someone whom I already disagree with, it's not worth my time and effort to debate him about his intolerance towards me (and those he disagrees with).

Still, I find it personally necessary to remind him of one verse in the book of John:

John 14:6

This statement does not support diversity of beliefs nor does it depend upon anyone agreeing or disagreeing with it. As a business associate of mine likes to say, "It is what it is."

The Church: Size, or Lack Thereof is Not the Problem

2007-10-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

I was reading a blog the other night discussing why there are so many myths about mega-churches. The responses seem to be saying it's jealousy amongst the small church crowd.

I thought the whole discussion was an exercise in futility no matter the real answer.

The problem with church isn't about size. It's about relevance to our "post-post-modern-I-don't-give-a-!@#%-about-church" world. How is it that we seemingly have a church on every corner in this country, but a recent study, according to a friend of mine, shows that within the next X number of years (I don't remember the amount) less than 20% of us will be in church?

The reason? I have found that some in the church try to blame the lost for not wanting to come to church - or when that doesn't work, they claim the old "church people are just sinners saved by grace so don't blame us" argument.

Whatever makes you feel good I suppose. But I am more interested in reality.

The real answer is because we can't seem to show each other enough love to stick together through thick and thin. Instead we split apart and start new congregations right next door to each other, thinking we have the truth while no one else does. The fact is, why would anyone want to join such a group? Most can get that at home. They don't need to travel for dysfunction.

How dare the church pretend to say anything about how the lost world conducts itself! It has NOTHING to say to anyone until it cleans itself up and realizes that there are more important things than what kind of worship music is proper, or who is qualified to serve as deacons or elders or pastors, which convention is the right one to belong to (while at the same time condemning that "evil, nasty, liberal or fundamentalist competing convention"), who we should allow to grace our doorsteps, what color the carpet is or why did the pastor say that? how dare he! or what others wear or don't wear or what version of the Bible is the "right" version... and on and on and on it goes.

We worry about the incidentals when the real problem lies within ourselves. We don't care about the lost. If we did, why are so many churches completely irrelevant? Why can no one give me more than anecdotal evidence of the church actually making a difference in the world? Why, with the thousands upon thousands of churches in our country, we should be a "nation after God's own heart" right?

Wrong.

Why am I even bothering talking about this? I really am not sure. Most who really know me, know I have very little commitment to the local church. Right or wrong, it's where I am at because I fail to see the reason I should be spending time on an institution that doesn't seem to care about anyone but itself. Somewhere deep inside of me, I must care, because if I didn't, I would behave like the lost world who REALLY don't care. They ignore the church. They don't even react to it - unless it's to laugh at the latest headline about what those crazy [fill in your denomination here] are doing.

Really, the only discussion we need to have about the church is what the church needs to do to get back to being relevant to an unbelieving and cynical world.

We could start off with the following:

The most important thing: loving God in the most honest, non-churchy way you can think of. Forget about church (and the color of the carpet) for awhile and focus on loving Him - seeking His will - finding out what church should really look like and how it should act - and your responsibility in it. You'll find that church is actually God's idea, but making it Keeper of the moral standards and crowning it King of our lives was not. If you don't love God, then you are lost

The second most important thing: loving one another despite the fact that you can't stand some of them because they don't believe like you do. Or despite the fact that you think they have too much power in the church. Or despite the fact that they said something that really offended you. Or despite the fact... well, you get the picture.

The third: loving the lost enough to not only take the time to tell them about the real Jesus who loves them right where they're at, but demonstrate it for them in the way you act. Be willing to walk alongside them while they try to figure out what life is all about. Be Jesus with skin on. That's our calling, remember? And it also means we don't condemn them or require them to meet our standards before we allow them into our lives (and our churches) so we can show them what it looks like to walk along the path of the better way.

The question is: Do we, as the local body church in America even know what the better way is anymore?

We sure don't act like it.

News Flash: Mother Teresa Was Human!

2007-08-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

I recently saw the following headline for a story on Mother Teresa and her doubts about God's existance: Did Mother Teresa Believe in God?

Essentially, Mother Teresa didn't feel God's presence the last 50 or so years of her life and came close to questioning His very existance. The story is essentially a PR piece for a new book about Mother Teresa.

The headline to this story is a commentary on the unbelieving society we all inhabit. The headline supposes that those of us who believe do so without question or struggle.

How silly that assumption is - especially coming from a jaded and cynical world - a world that struggles to make sense of every bit of information it comes by. This story (and others on this subject) also seems to "dance on her grave" at finding out that she may have had doubts. Nothing like finding out that those we have mounted on a high moral pedestal are really just human after all and that they are fallen like the rest of us. We celebrate the failures of those we aren't as good as in this society. Plus it helps that these kinds of stories sell better than "feel good" stories.

I think this whole story says more about the character of the world - our society - than it does of Mother Teresa and what her weaknesses may be. Sad, but understandable coming from an unbelieving world.

Here is the link to the story.

Unity and Community

2007-08-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

As I continue to read through the book of Ephesians at least once in its entirety each day, I am continuously looking for something new God may be speaking to me about. As I read through the book again tonight, I noticed a couple of things running like a winding stream through Paul's letter: community and unity.

Paul, even though he was in chains for the Gospel in a different location than the Philippians, considered himself to be a part of their community with them. he also wrote to them, exhorting and encouraging them to stand in unity.

Consider the following verses:

...your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now... (1:4)

...all of you share in God's grace with me... (7)

for I know that through your prayers... what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. (1:19)

...it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again... (1:24,25,26)

...I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel... (1:27)

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ... then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (2:1,2)

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. (2:19)

...Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh (3:2,3)

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. (3:17-18)

But our citizenship is in heaven. (3:20)

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! (3:20-4:1)

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel... (4:2-3)

...it was good of you to share in my troubles...you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. (4:14,16)

There's a lot of give and take going on. The Philippian church supporting Paul from afar... Paul praying for and encouraging them in turn. Sending "loyal yokefellows" back and forth between them with the latest news from one another. Sharing in struggles and victories - sufferings and joy. Sounds like a good long distance relationship to me.

How do we put what Paul was telling the Philippians into practice in our churches today? How do we support one another like Paul and the church at Philippi? Does it mean merely showing up each Sunday or Wednesday and just enjoying the company of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Does it mean serving on committees and teaching classes? Perhaps leading a small group? Mentoring someone? Sharing in the work of evangelism with each other to grow the family?

Probably all of the above.

One thing I do know: it takes more than just showing up and warming a pew every once in awhile to sing a few songs and listen to the preacher preach his latest and greatest sermon. It takes getting involved, getting messy sometimes and loving one another with, "...the affection of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:8).

Perhaps, knowing my own struggles with getting involved at church, I should take a little of my own advice...