Diary of a reformed poser

Helping your pastor

2011-11-19T21:44:00.001-05:00

I know last month was Pastor Appreciation Month, but let me offer another idea for all of you who want to help your pastor. Pray that he/she will find a good friend and confidant in whom they can talk and be honest. It's hard to do that with parishioners, and most pastors don't want to bring the church "stuff" home to their spouse and weigh them down with it.

Pray for a Godly friend to come alongside your pastor so that he/she can have someone they trust to confide in. It makes a huge difference in the lives of clergy members.

Communion

2011-05-20T11:01:00.001-04:00

I have never understood the devotion some people have to the plasticized wafers that pass as communion bread in so many churches. There are times, such as large General Assembly-type gatherings where it makes sense. But for the typical church of less than 100 congregants, why on earth would you use the chiclet-type bread instead of baking a real loaf of unleavened bread and cutting it up?

I just don't get it.

Happy Birthday to the King James Version of the Bible

2011-05-19T08:55:00.000-04:00

Here is a nice, brief history of the King James version. It's worth a listen.

I guess I should prepare for this

2011-05-14T19:39:00.000-04:00

They have figured out something that even Jesus didn't know. I guess I will hold next month's mortgage payment.

I don't know how to reconcile this with "“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father…” [Mark 13:21]"

But it must be true. I saw it on the internet.

A shaming book and television show

2011-05-13T18:21:00.001-04:00

This article speaks about one of the sins of the church that goes largely unpunished and most practitioners of it are unrepentant.

GOSSIP

It is no wonder that the secular media believes that Christians are fair game. We provide them with both the target and the ammunition. And we wonder why they take shots at us?

Why are we punishing the poor and middle class here?

2011-05-11T08:37:00.000-04:00

This article has a good take on the current energy policy of the United States. Interestingly, the author is a Democrat who is taking the current administration to task for their tightened regulations on deep water drilling. The rise in energy prices punishes those at the bottom of the economic ladder the hardest, since they have the least amount of flexibility in their budget to deal with sudden spikes in gas prices.

I really don't understand why we are refusing to harvest our own resources and insist on importing oil from countries that do not have our best interest at heart. I'm sure this will be a presidential campaign issue,

Things I love about Kansas City

2011-05-10T12:37:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend I was in Kansas City for the commencement exercises at Nazarene Theological Seminary, where I received my Master of Divinity degree. Kansas City is a neat city with a lot going for it. Here is my list of things that I love about Kansas City

10. McGonigles Market on Ward Parkway - Good BBQ and meat at reasonable prices

9. The friendly folks and open air feeling of the city.

8. Smokestack BBQ.

7. Christ Church Anglican - I went there for my worship class and was hooked.

6. Jacob's Well - same story. I love the evening worship there.

5. The faculty at Nazarene Theological Seminary - they made me feel like a part of the community even though I as an in-service student.

4. Jack's Stack BBQ - fine dining and BBQ. What more could you ask for?

Country Club Plaza

3. Country Club Plaza in downtown Kansas City. It is a wonderful mixture of shopping, dining and scenery that I truly enjoyed.

2. Oklahoma Joe's BBQ- great BBQ served in a gas station. Need I say more?

1. Nazarene Theological Seminary - I am a bit wistful thinking about completion of my degree. I made some great friends there and greatly enjoyed the interaction with students and faculty. I will honestly miss being there.

This is a merger well worth considering

2011-05-09T23:43:00.002-04:00

As a former member of the Wesleyan Church and a current member of the Church of the Nazarene clergy, I would love to see this idea explored in great depth. I know there are some governance issues, and some college overlap issues, but it is worth a look.

A tax on people who are bad at math

2011-05-09T21:32:00.000-04:00

Yep. he got that one right

Mixed emotions

2011-05-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

Osama Bin Laden is dead. I heard that news right before I went to bed last night. It caught me

by surprise and created a number of conflicting thoughts and emotions. My first visceral reaction was to celebrate. The man who ordered the murder of thousands of Americans is dead. He finally got what was coming to him. And that is true.

I also wondered if this will trip some wire in the Al Qaeda organization that will bring on a new series of attacks set in place in the event of his death. Do we really want to go through that again? Endless lines at the airports. Gas prices climbing through the roof (even more than they already have).

As a Christian, I find the conflicting emotions to be more troubling. I don't think we should celebrate the death of one of God's children. But I do understand the reaction of those who have lost loved ones in the attacks and ensuing wars who may be finding relief, closure, and even some joy in this event. The advent of terrorism is just a reminder of how fallen our world is and how we need to continually say "Come Lord Jesus Come" in our own hearts and minds as well in the world around us.

Bin Laden is gone. I pray that this marks the unwinding of the terrorism activity that has dominated our country's thoughts for the past 10 years. I hope it does, but I suspect the battle will go on.

NY Daily News

NazNet Discussion

Fox News Headline

More on why we flagellate ourselves

2011-03-31T11:50:00.000-04:00

Why do Christians naturally assume the worst about ourselves? Read this article. It is an eye opener.

Future NFL Halftime Acts

2011-01-01T20:58:00.000-05:00

Since the NFL has decided to use AARP members for its halftime shows at the Superbowl, you might hear some of these songs in the future.

Why do we like to think the worst about ourselves?

2010-09-30T10:43:00.002-04:00

What is it about American Christians that causes us to think the worst about ourselves? Do we have some kind of innate inferiority complex that causes us to believe any statistic that comes down the pike if it expresses a negative view of Christianity?

Take a look at this piece in Christianity Today. The author makes a valid point that the statistics we love to go around quoting are all negative statistics, and many of them are flat out misleading if not fabricated falsehoods. I remember sitting in a meeting watching a video of a prominent teen evangelist who was breathlessly telling us that only 4% of American kids will be Christians in the next generation. I leaned over to the pastor sitting next to me and said "I know how to lie with statistics too" and we both smiled. That number comes from an informal survey (read nonscientific) done by a seminary professor more than 10 years ago with a sample size of just over 200 people. More on that here. Yet people keep running around repeating it as if it were inscribed on stone tablets found found on Mt. Sinai. It's wrong people! Get over it! Stop repeating the lie.!

Maybe Christians should try this form of therapy.

Let's try something new for a while. Let's only say positive things about the church that are true. Let's declare a fast from criticalness. Let's speak positively about the Body of Christ, and see if it becomes more attractive to people. How about that for a change.

I realize this will crimp the fundraising plans of many who make their living out of scaring Christians into thinking they are under siege. But this too shall pass. And the world may just be a better place afterward.

It's worth a shot, don't you think?

Memorial Day

2010-05-30T22:51:00.001-04:00

Take a look at this clip and remember those who gave all for our country. I tear up every time I watch it, specifically at the scenes of soldiers loading into their landing crafts. It reminds me of my dad, who was a landing craft driver during the Normandy invasion. I cannot imagine the terror, the chaos, or the valor required to do that job. Those were amazing men.

The other scene that just tears me up is the two WWII vets in the cemetery, one missing part of a leg. I can't imagine standing there where brave young men who you went through training with are buried. Why did you live and they die? Fate? Luck? Divine intervention? We may never know.

Watch the clip and remember those who gave all for our freedom.

How do you celebrate Pentecost?

2010-05-21T11:11:00.000-04:00

For Christians there are four major religious holidays:

Christmas

Good Friday

Easter

Pentecost

The first three receive quite a bit of attention, but the last one receives scant attention outside the church, and not much more inside the church. Pentecost celebrates the arrival of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. This was the Comforter that Jesus had promised to the disciples. It was the fulfillment of the Emmanuel - God with us - idea. Jesus was the incarnation of God and walked with us on the earth. But he was limited by time and space and the human body. The Holy Spirit is not limited by time, space and the human body. The Spirit can be with all of us at the same time,and he can, and will, indwell in our soul and shape our character into the Christlikeness that we are called to.

This Sunday, take some time to celebrate Pentecost. If your church doesn't celebrate Pentecost, encourage your pastor to do so. The Spirit of the Living God dwelling with us gives us the power of God in our lives. It is the greatest gift of God this side of heaven. The Spirit is there to guide us, comfort us, encourage us, enlighten us and so much more.

Celebrate Pentecost and thank God for his Spirit who lives with us. It is the greatest gift we can receive until we see Jesus face to face.

Existential Questions for Christians

2010-05-11T11:16:00.001-04:00

Admiral James Stockdale's opening questions during the 1992 Vice Presidential debate are good questions for all of us to consider as we travel through our journey of this life as we prepare for the next life. Who am I? Why am I here? These are great existential questions for us to consider as we live each day.

Who am I? Am I the person I born to be? Am I the person who had bad things happen to them previously in their life? Am I the person who did many bad things to myself and others? Am I a child of the King? Am I a victorious Christian? Am I a guilt-ridden Christian lamenting my life and the way it has turned out? Am I someone who looks forward to what each day brings? Or am I someone who looks forward to each day as a way of getting one day closer to the end and receiving my eternal reward. Am I someone people turn to for guidance and comfort? Am I someone that people don't turn to unless they have to?

I don't have easy answers because each of us is in a different place. But, for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, we know that we are brothers and sisters of the King. In Mark 3:35 Jesus said "whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." Emotionally we may not be there, but that is the reality of what Christ has given to us.

Why am I here? I'm not going to list all of the possibilities for this, just meditate on the question. Why am I here? Do I have a purpose? Has God shared with my my raison d'etre? Go read the beginning of Exodus or Isaiah 6 to see examples of God-given purpose. Read Mark 3 where Jesus calls his disciples. Read the accounts of Jesus and his mission. Ask God what your purpose is. Pray, and sit quietly and listen as he speaks to you. Let the Lord speak to your soul and it may help you answer some of these questions.

What to do about illegal immigration

2010-04-30T21:18:00.001-04:00

The recent Arizona law allowing police to check the status of illegal immigrants has once again brought a vexing issue to the forefront. What should we do about the flood of illegal immigrants that are in our country and continue to pour over our borders? The federal government response has been feckless at best, and Arizona is taking steps to secure its own borders and get some kind of control over the people who are overwhelming.

Last summer I wrote this paper on the issue, and I think it is worth revisiting.

When Doing Good May Be Breaking The Law -

Christians are in a particularly difficult spot with this issue. We are commanded to look out for the "least of these" and we are also commanded to obey the law.

I encourage you to read the paper and offer your thoughts here. It's not that long and an easy read. But is is a vexing issue for our country.

Sitting with Job

2010-04-27T19:14:00.001-04:00

This has been a very trying 14 months in the life of my family. We have experienced the usual ups and downs of life as well some very unusual events that just have me scratching my head.

My business has been battered by the disaster that is the Michigan economy. I'm still waiting for the recovery that has been talked about some time. But it is what it is. I knew there was a risk when I went out on my own. There is a high risk and a high reward in a venture such as self employment, and I'm in the risk phase right now. I'm praying that the reward phase is just around the corner.

But the real struggle has been in the health of our family. Last year I tore my rotator cuff and labrum in an unfortunate incident. The recovery from the surgery has taken many months and much hard work. Today is the first day I have been able to throw a tennis ball without any tightness or hitch in my motion. It's a small victory, but I need a victory.

My kids have both had their share of issues. One has developed POTS, and the other has a spinal malformation that has just come to light. I know you never want to ask the question "What else can go wrong" but I'm about there. I know that my issues are not life-threatening but they are potentially serious medical issues that have turned our lives upside down in the past year. I long for the days when I awoke and assumed that everything was going to be OK that day. I say this not to evoke sympathy or pity, but to bring up a point.

I have gained a great appreciation for people who have been through periods of suffering. I have had a taste of what it is like to have the concerns of life just grind you down and suck the joy out of your day. I've seen the depressive effects of losing hope that things will return to normal. I've seen the bills that chronic illnesses can generate.

If you have been suffering and I have been indifferent to you, please accept my apology. Sadly it has taken some ugly life events to open my eyes to the suffering of others. I pray that God will use this with me in ministry to help others during their time of sitting with Job. If you haven't read Job lately, open your Bible and take a look at a story of suffering and redemption. It's a good, but difficult at times, read. You will also learn that good, Godly friends are invaluable because Job's friends were next thing to useless.

How is this even a good idea?

2010-03-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

I can't begin to tell you how wrong this story is. And sadly, they use the same hymnals that we use. Memo to self - do not purchase used hymnals.

In Hoc Anno Domini (So the light came into the world)

2009-12-25T07:54:00.000-05:00

This is printed every year on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal. It is a powerful testament to what this day is about.

When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.

Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.

But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression—for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?

There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?

Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.

And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.

So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.

But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter's star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

This editorial was written in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster and has been published annually since.

At the end of Slavery

2009-12-03T09:59:00.005-05:00

I am really looking forward to showing this at church. I think it will be an eye-opening experience for the community and all of us who do not see what is happening around us.

Slavery in our time

2009-12-02T10:46:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen the movie, At the End of Slavery, I encourage you to do so. Slavery is alive and well across the globe, and here in the United States. Here are some links to stories about the problem here in the United States:

Forced labour and rape, the new face of slavery in America

Sex trafficking: An American problem too

CNN has been running a series on human trafficking and the issue is gaining more attention in the media and among law enforcement agencies. But it is still around, and we can help. Our church is planning a showing of the movie soon, and we have asked federal law enforcement to send a speaker to address the issues as they pertain to us locally. I'll keep you posted on when that will happen.

In the meantime, I encourage you to visit the International Justice Mission, which addresses this issue across the globe. Learn, then get involved, Encourage your church to become involved in this fight. This is an issue that is very close to the heart of God - the protection of the innocent and powerless.

Did Christianity Cause the Crash?

Quoting from the Simple Dollar:

First of all, if the prosperity gospel were true, every single person of faith would be showered in material wealth. I know some well-off people of faith. I also know some very poor people of faith. At the same time, I know some very financially poor atheists and some very well-off atheists.

Second of all, it implies a nonsensical quid pro quo. The entire idea of a prosperity gospel is based on an idea of direct reciprocity – if you believe in God, you will directly be given material wealth. This implies that God is some kind of spiritual ATM – deposit some faith and you can withdraw some cash.

This implies a very direct connection between our spiritual choices and the material world. Yet, if that direct connection were true, people of faith would have all the material wealth and people without faith would have none of the material wealth. As I pointed out above, a cursory examination of the world shows this not to be true.

Do not be seduced by these false teachers. Heed the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6:

³If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, ⁴he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions ⁵and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. (emphasis added).

Do we make Christianity too easy?

2009-11-29T11:44:00.001-05:00

I'm not talking about putting obstacles in people's way, but is the "raise your hand and say a prayer" process too easy? Does it help create a generation of shallow Christians? I've been giving that some thought lately. I'm not one to add to the requirements of the Gospel, but the Desert Pastor brings up some good points in his most recent post.

He talks about baptismal preparation, and the practices of the ancient church. Take a look at this list and see how many of them we still use today:

To varying degrees, the role of the “sponsor” was important.
A screening interview became common prior to admission into the catechumenate in order to assure sincerity.
An emphasis on the “Two Ways” during pre-baptismal instruction.
A preference for baptizing in natural or “living” water sources, with exceptions allowed.
Immersion as the preferred mode, with allowances made for pouring.
Baptism is in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Baptisms are primarily held on Easter/Easter Eve.
Lent is reserved for final catechesis and preparation for baptism.
Repeated exorcisms, signing with the cross, and laying on of hands were common for catechumens.
Catechumens were expected to purify their lives and engage in good deeds within the community.
An affirmation of faith and renunciation of the devil occurred at the time of baptism.
Partaking of the Eucharist is reserved for baptized believers only.
Though sometimes quite brief, after-baptism mystagogy occurred

There aren't too many of these that I see practiced in evangelical Christianity today. Triune baptism, immersion (and there are those who make that their hill to die on) are about it. I honestly believe that we have so tried to be liked that we have made the process about as meaningful as the frequent shoppers club at our favorite store at the mall. Consumerism is the culprit in many ways. The church is competing for leisure time and attention with so many other things. But is this really the way to build the kingdom? To have people raise their hands when their eyes are closed, go through a nominal vetting process and then make them members? Jesus spent 3 years teaching his disciples. Most of us didn't spend 3 weeks prior to our acceptance into the body as full-fledged members. Without that deep acceptance, there is no hope of church discipline of maintaining conduct within the body. People just leave and go to the next religious store.

I don't mean to sound bitter, but I am chewing on this. And as we enter Advent and look forward to the return of Christ, I fear that many people who are part of our "frequent worshipers club" will be unhappy when they go to redeem their membership points card. And we will have done them a disservice.

The First Sunday of Advent

2009-11-28T22:12:00.001-05:00

The truth about social networking

2009-11-19T20:29:00.001-05:00

I preached on this same subject on Sunday

2009-10-29T20:22:00.000-04:00

In my sermon on Tradition, I hit upon what Piper calls an abomination in the clip above. I called it a heresy, but the effect is the same. Those who misuse the Gospel to feather their own nest are contradicting Scripture. And at is basic core, the Prosperity Gospel is spiritually destructive. If God wants you to be rich and healthy, and you get sick and go broke, what does that mean?

Does God lie?
Is there something wrong with you?
Are you not good enough?

How do you explain that to a broke 35 year old dying of cancer? It is an abominable heresy that is so destructive. Please, avoid any of the Prosperity Gospel folks on television and radio. They preach a false gospel, and one that you should avoid.

Words of Affirmation

2009-10-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

That comic speaks a stark truth that doesn't apply to men only. When I read it the first time I chuckled, then cringed, realizing the truth behind the statement. A sad commentary on our society is that many men do go outside looking for affirmation. Some do it in their work, where their success provides the positive feedback they desire. Others do it in sports or other activities. Some do it in the arms of other women (and men).

But men are not alone. Women who do not feel affirmed will bury themselves in other activities looking for the positive reinforcement they crave. Some find that in their children, their vocation, groups and clubs. And sadly, some find it in the arms of another.

Children are the same way. If a child does not feel affirmed by his or her parents, they will seek out some way receiving that affirmation. The ways that they choose are often not the means their parents and family would choose for them.

The human need to be loved is universal. We know that God loves us, but sometimes we just want someone with "skin" to love us and affirm that we have value. We in the church know this, and the Apostle Paul made a special note of it: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29.

As we look forward to Advent and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons, let's make a special effort to affirm and encourage each other. The world does enough to tear us down.

Mr. Wesley's quadrilateral

2009-10-07T22:24:00.001-04:00

We are in the midst of a four-week sermon series on the Wesleyan Quadrilateral - a method of doing theology that John Wesley gave to the followers of Methodism. The quadrilateral is often thought of as a 4-legged stool, though one of the legs must be considerably larger and stronger than the others. The legs are Scripture, reason, experience and tradition. It is the interrelatedness of each of these legs that allow us to better understand and interpret scripture.

Scripture is the dominant leg, and is the only one that possesses a "trump" card. If scripture deals with an issue, we should closely follow it's lead. If it does not, or if we need to interpret the scripture, the others come into play. Reason is our God-given capacity for thinking and asking the question "Does this make sense?" When we are interpreting scripture we have to ask if what we think it means makes sense and passes what my Trigonometry teacher called "the plausibility test." Is the answer plausible?

Experience is the Holy Spirit's interaction with the individual believer and the church as a corporate body. How has the Spirit illumined us on this particular issue? How has our life experience helped us understand what the scripture might be saying?

What does Christian tradition teach us about the scripture? Where have the ancient commentators fallen on the issue? How has the Church of Jesus Christ treated the issue in the past? Those are all good questions to ask as we look at difficult passages and issues.

This article offers us a fascinating look at the quadrilateral through the lens of one of my favorite foods - biscuits. I encourage you to take a look at the quadrilateral with fresh eyes and see how it can provide a balanced way for interpreting scripture and providing guidance in life situations.

I'll be preaching on experience this Sunday if you want to come hear my thoughts.

A very neat picture of a father's grace

2009-09-19T10:13:00.000-04:00

There is a little glimpse of the Kingdom in the reaction of the dad in this video.

The law of unintended consequences strikes again.

2009-09-15T12:43:00.000-04:00

It appears that our headlong rush into "clean energy" without thinking through how the transition will be managed is creating havoc on the electrical grid. Evidently the wind doesn't blow at a uniform speed and tends to blow more when the demand is lowest. This phenomenon will create the possibility of higher electricity rates because we will have to use the more expensive natural gas peaking plants to produce electricity since nuclear and coal plants can't be turned on and off easily. So, during a severe recession we decide to launch a strategy that will raise the cost of production and living for air quality benefits we could achieve with nuclear power plants. Never mind the thousands of birds being shredded, and threatened species being killed. If ExxonMobil were killing 50 Golden Eagles per year at one of their sites, can you imagine the outcry and the fines that the environmental regulators would hand down? This is almost Alice in Wonderland-esque at times.

The road to hell sometimes is paved with good intentions.

There are days I feel like the second one

2009-09-11T13:54:00.002-04:00

Actually, both of them ring true at times.
The imagery in the second clip is so vivid though.

Remembering a Very Surreal Day

2009-09-11T00:21:00.002-04:00

Unspeakable grief

2009-09-09T18:51:00.003-04:00

For the second time in the past three months I will be going to the funeral of one of my neighbor's children. And for the second time it will have been caused by an apparent drug overdose. I cannot imagine the pain that the parents are bearing right now. To lose a child is a tremendous loss. To lose a child to the scourge of street drugs that run rampant in our country would be something that I don't know how to process. My heart and prayers go out to the families during this time.

I really don't know what to make of the drug issue. I praise the Lord that it is foreign to me. I have no experience with family members being addicts, and I praise God for that. But I have friends who have conquered the addiction, and others who are still struggling mightily with it. I know it is a powerful addiction and one where your body is at war with your mind. I also know that God can, and has, delivered people from the clutches of addiction. Why do some make it and others don't? I don't know the answer to that. I don't know why some people are delivered in an almost supernatural manner from addictions, and others grind it out slowly - two steps forward, one step back - for their entire lives. It's not fair, that is for sure. But life isn't fair and we know that.

I pray for people who struggle with this. I know sometimes I get short with them and wonder why they aren't farther along than they are. But then God will remind me of how long some things in my life have taken, and others that are still a work in progress. God is pretty good that way. Just when you think you can be "all that" and pass judgment, He will remind you of who you once were. He will also remind you that it was His grace, not your power that changed your situation. Praise God for his mercy.

Listen to the clip below. It is a song written by a friend for someone who cannot shake a drug addiction. Right now this lyric just sticks with me:
If I could through myself
Set your spirit free
I'd lead your heart away
See you break, break away
Into the light
And to the day

Say a prayer for those stuck in addictions tonight. Lord knows they need Divine Intervention

Love Wins

2009-09-02T19:59:00.003-04:00

I had the pleasure of a presentation from this pastor during a class in January. It is a fascinating ministry they have. Ministering in strip clubs wouldn't work for everyone, but they are reaching the lost, which is what we are called to do. Click on each of the three videos to hear the way they are ministering in their community. Thanks to the Emergent Nazarene site for the links.

Video #1

Video #2

Video #3

Reclaiming the lexicon

2009-09-01T21:27:00.005-04:00

Kudos to the Desert Pastor for this piece on the process of catechesis. Last year when I implemented a catechism curriculum with my 5th and 6th grade class, I received so many cross-eyed looks from people it wasn't funny. If I had a dollar for every person who said something to the effect of "Isn't catechism a Catholic thing?" I could take a weekend trip somewhere. For the record, Catechism is a Catholic thing, and a Lutheran thing, and a Presbyterian thing, and an Anglican thing and.......

Take a look at the article on the formational process that is catechism. He makes a statement that "among evangelicals, salvation is commonly viewed more as an an event than as a process, and baptism as merely an "outward sign" of an inner conviction. This is a travesty - a point of view that contributes to the hollowness that has only recently been called into question by a new generation of evangelicals."

I guess I am among that new generation of evangelicals. I see the crying need for formal, systematic (NOT dry, boring and ritualistic) training of new believers in the faith. We as the church need to emphasize the journey of catechism, not the sprint-like race that so many have embraced.

More on this later as the Desert Pastor continues his thoughts.

More on the theology of Sacraments

2009-08-30T22:00:00.003-04:00

This is an interesting post on the theology of sacraments that I discussed a week or so ago. I encourage you to take a look at it.

The Good Samaritan

2009-08-29T23:31:00.002-04:00

The story of the Good Samaritan is one of those biblical stories that has been interpreted so many ways that it is kind of like tofu – you can make it into whatever you want it to be. That is a dangerous thing to do with Scripture. Interpreting scripture is one of those things that can be done well or it can be done in ways that do violence to what the text actually means. I learned that in hours of hermeneutics lectures, where Dr. Hahn pounded the thought that we have to begin with this question: What did this mean to the original readers or hearers? None of the authors of the Gospels or any other bit of scripture were writing to us in the 21^st Century. They were writing to the audience of their day, and anything in the text has to make sense to the readers of the day. Our task is to try to understand the hearers of that day and as best we can put ourselves into their situation as we read the text.

That is really more difficult than you might think. When the adult life group was studying Revelation, one of the points the author made was that for a white American, Revelation makes little sense. But for someone on the underside of power, someone in an oppressed minority, someone who might live in fear of the law such as undocumented aliens or escaped slaves, Revelation makes much more sense. It was written to an oppressed people being hunted by the government. We, who enjoy the top side of power and protected rights, have a hard time understanding the message of hope that John put in that letter. The same can be true of the Good Samaritan.

To give you some background, Jews hated Samaritans, whom they considered heretics. Does anyone know what the basis of their disagreement is? {ask the congregation for input}. Their main issue was over the temple. The Samaritans had built their own temple on Mount Gerazim, and counted the Pentateuch as scripture, but not the other Old Testament books. To say that there was a lot of built up hostility would be understating the issue by an enormous amount. Jews viewed Samaritans as “half-Jews” and would not allow them to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. This hostility went all the way back to the Assyrian exile in the Old Testament, when the Samaritans were placed there by the Assyrian king and intermarried with the Assyrians and Babylonians. This is the setting in which we find ourselves today.

Turn in your Bibles to Luke 10: 25-37. Hear the word of the Lord:

²⁵Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.^j “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” ²⁷He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii,^k gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

This story should be familiar to many of us. It is so familiar, in fact, that Samaritan has become a common noun like Kleenex, Xerox, Coke (in the south). It stands for an entire category or genre of things, not just the thing it originally stood for. But if we stopped at reading this as a prescription for how to be a person willing to help others, we would be missing so much in this story. Also, if we, as so many have done, make this into a giant allegory where everything stands for something else, we will shortchanging the text. This is a fascinating look at Jesus taking the religious rules and conventions of the day and giving them the Alice in Wonderland – up is down and down is up- treatment.

Let’s dive into this thing.

Our story opens with Jesus being confronted by a lawyer. It seems that in the past 2000 years, the stereotype of a lawyer hasn’t changed much. J This lawyer is trying to pin Jesus down on some matters of faith. So he asks him a somewhat loaded question “What must I DO to inherit eternal life? Has anyone here ever received an inheritance from an earthly relative? Did you have to do anything to receive it? Wash the car? Clip toenails? Seriously, you don’t have to do anything to inherit. You typically inherit because of who you are not because of your works. Jesus, sensing the trap, throws the question back and asks “What does the Law say?” The Lawyer, then starts looking for a loophole. So he drops in the question “Who is my neighbor?” He seems to be saying “who do I have to be nice to in order to merit favor from God? You could look at it as him asking what the minimum is. He could be viewed as self-righteous “I did this therefore I deserve eternal life.” Or you could look at it as him trying to trap Jesus, this guy who has a habit of eating with tax collectors, sinners, talking to Samaritan women at wells, and other unsavory types. Regardless, I don’t think we can say that the lawyer was honestly looking for some religious guidance that would make him a better human being.

‘Who is my neighbor?’ the lawyer wants to vindicate himself to the teacher, wants to show his cleverness, he wants to manage his responsibility. And who is my neighbor? The way the lawyer asks this question puts him in the driver’s seat. He is in control. He is the one who loves. He is the one who decides if another person is truly his neighbor or not. This is his game. With his question to Jesus, he’s just trying to estimate the size of the pitch and identify his teammates.

In answer to this question, then, Jesus’ story becomes quite odd indeed. One of the two main characters, the man set upon by robbers, is passive and unconscious for virtually all of the story, left half dead in a ditch. He doesn’t even have a speaking part. We know almost nothing about him other than that he is most likely an Israelite, like the lawyer. And we know that throughout this story he is passive, exposed, vulnerable. In answering the lawyer’s question, Jesus effectively turns it on its head: who is my neighbor? Is not a question that we answer out of our own power, by our own decision, through our own control. Determining who our neighbor is not a matter of carefully vetting likely candidates and finding some who are really worth bothering with. No; in the event, our neighbor is who we are given.

And what a neighbor this man is given. A priest and a Levite both see the man, half-dead, and pass by on the other side of the road. These fellow Israelites are most likely afraid that this man is not half dead but all dead, and in that case coming into contact with him would render them unclean. So his countrymen and co-religionists pass him by. Instead, a Samaritan comes upon him and helps.

But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii,^k gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

This is where Jesus’ story starts to get really dicey with his audience. As we said before, Samaritans were looked down upon in that society. But Jesus makes the Samaritan the hero in the story. The Samaritan pays the equivalent of 2 days wages to the innkeeper, which would have been enough for several days in an inn of the era. The Samaritan bandaged his wounds, put him on his animal, took him to the inn and paid for his care with the promise to pay for any more care that the man may incur.

Now here is where we ought to be careful and try to bracket out our contemporary notions about Samaritans. To an Israelite of Jesus’ day, a Samaritan would have been repugnant. There had been hatred and animosity between the Jews and Samaritans for centuries, as the Israelites held the Samaritans to be idolaters and betrayers of the faith. And the Samaritans gave as good as they got. Roughly 25 years before Jesus would have told this parable, a group of Samaritans entered the Temple in Jerusalem and scattered human bones around, desecrating the place. In our story today, once the Samaritan comes on the scene, the lawyer most likely would have thought that he would come upon the half-dead Israelite and finish the job. To the lawyer, the Samaritan’s help would have been shocking, even scandalous. And that, of course, is just why Jesus used him in the story in the first place.

What’s more, the help that the Samaritan gives is extravagantly over the top. He doesn’t just give first aid, but takes him to an inn. He gives the innkeeper an amount of money that, at that time, would have sustained a person for three weeks. And he doesn’t even stick around for a thank you. In fact, there is no sense at all that this half-dead Israelite ever even knows who saved his life.

Jesus, in one story, has just offended the religious sensibilities of all of his hearers. He has constructed a scenario that none of them would have even considered, and he took a group of people that may have been as hated as the Romans, and made them the hero. During Frog Club this summer, the kids took a stab at recontextualizing this story in terms they could understand. We rewrote the story using characters from TV shows and movies familiar to them and switching the roles around. In one of them Darth Vader was the Samaritan. In another, Squidward was the Samaritan. I think you get the idea of how this story is so important

How might that look for us today? I’ve take a stab at rewriting the story for a 21^st century conservative, evangelical audience.

A man was driving from Auburn Hills to Toledo through the inner city of Detroit, and fell into the hands of a gang of thugs, who carjacked him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead in the street. ³¹Now by chance a minister was going down that same road; and when he saw him, he drove by went home, and called 911. ³²So likewise a church board member, when he came to the place and saw him, drove by, went home and also called 911. ³³But a Mormon church member, while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and administered first aid, bandaged his wounds, having treated him with Neosporin. Then he put him in his car, drove him to the hospital, and checked him in. ³⁵After ensuring the man was being cared for, he took out his credit card,^k paid the hospital finance officer, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the gang members?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Who is our neighbor? Suddenly, in the logic of the parable, we’re not calling the shots; we are not so sure just who our neighbor is. Suddenly we’re not so sure just who our self is. If I’m to love another as my ‘self’ then the upshot is that I’m not even totally familiar with who I am, as I seem constantly to find that self facing me in others. And here we find the most radical challenge, for in this we see that no boundary will finally stand in the way of us and our neighbor, if we are to love them as our self. There are certainly distinctions: yes; love doesn’t seek to make everything else the same. But boundaries? No. There are no boundaries to our neighbors, no limits to whom we are to find our very selves in, no restrictions to whom we are to love unstintingly in God.

Sisters and brothers, in this day of the internet, international travel, and globalization the world seems to grow smaller; it is clearer now more than ever that any line we draw to limit our neighbors will simply be arbitrary. And so we discover that we have neighbors far and near: your family who sits at the dinner table with you, the young woman across the counter at the Coffee Beanery, the Baptist or the Muslim or the atheist who lives down the street, the unemployed young man who lives across town, the politician we disagree with so ardently, even the worker in a different country who picked the fruit you ate with breakfast or who sewed the shirt you’re wearing right now. Who is my neighbor, who I am to love? Who isn’t my neighbor?

We might even be surprised to find, in fact, that God is our neighbor. That’s not to parrot the words of that song from the nineties that God might be ‘one of us’. What I mean is that the story of the Good Samaritan is also a parable of God’s grace. The man who is half-dead and abandoned, who is unable to do anything on his own encounters a freely given and extravagant healing love from a surprising source, without conditions. This love gives him back his life and allows him to be a neighbor to others. This is the mercy and love of God that we meet through Christ, and that empowers us to love our neighbor. And so here we find that love of God and love of neighbor meet.

We don’t love God because it is a commandment. It is ‘written in the Law’ because God loves us first. God’s love elicits love from us. We respond to that love with love; and we find that even the love we respond with is a gift from God. This responding love is then worked out in loving our neighbor. Loving God and loving neighbor are not two different projects, for love begets love. The love we receive is the love that we love those around us with; and it is with that same love that we graciously receive from our neighbor, who is also beloved of God.

We know how the lawyer in today’s story answered Jesus’ question, but we don’t know what he did after that. Was his life changed? Did he ‘go and do likewise’? Or was he so turned off that he went and looked for a different venue to plead his case in? Or did he, perhaps like most of us, walk away convinced that Jesus was right, yet also knowing how far he was from it, nevertheless trying to love others with the love that he had found in Christ? Of course, we can only speculate about him. But I hope that as we go out in the wake of this story we will be both challenged and comforted by what we find here: by the surprising Samaritan, by the neighbor in our life we do not choose but are given by God, and most of all by the extravagant love and grace of God. In that way, may we better grasp this story, better love this story, and above all, be better grasped by the love we find in it.

Folks, we have neighbors we didn’t choose right here by the church. Some of you have noticed them, others may not have. I don’t want to focus on the neighbors and their various needs, misdeeds and the like. I would rather focus on Jesus’ admonition to the lawyer to go and do likewise. What kind of neighbors do we want to be to these people? What kind of neighbor do we want to be to the people who live near our homes? To the people we work with, come in contact with at Kroger, the gas station, at high school sporting events, in school? In many ways the point of this story is about the lawyer. How do we take the extravagant love that has been given to us and share it with the world around us? That is the question we as a congregation need to wrestle with. There is no easy answer that I can give you other than to love extravagantly .

I think he is on to something here

2009-08-20T12:09:00.009-04:00

The Internet Monk has a fascinating post on his views of post-Evangelicalism in America. As I have moved through seminary and my ministry process, I have had a growing realization that many (NOT ALL) evangelicals have a very low view of the sacraments. In the evangelical church, we have two sacraments - Eucharist (communion) and Baptism. Maybe it is the influence of the Lutheran school my children have attended for the past 9 years. Maybe it is all of those "radical" ideas that seminary puts in the head of "God-fearing young men and women." Maybe, just maybe, it is the still, small voice of the Spirit of God whispering to us and calling us to move away from the "experiential" emphasis that we seem to be racing headlong into, and back to a quieter, more contemplative, emphasis on the timeless things that have bound our faith together with other believers for the past 2000 years.

Quoting the Internet Monk:

"But evangelicals are in sacramental chaos, and the results are quite obvious. Evangelicals are “re-sacramentalizing” in an uncritical and unbiblical way. The Planetshakers article was good evidence, but you can see and hear it everywhere.

What are our evangelical sacraments? Where will evangelicals defend the idea that “God is dependably at work?”

-We have sacramentalized technology.

-We have sacramentalized the pastor and other leaders.

-We have sacramentalized music. (i.e. the songs themselves and the experience of singing.)

-We have sacramentalized leaders of musical worship.

-We have sacramentalized events. (God is here!)

-We have sacramentalized the various forms of the altar call.

-We have sacramentalized the creation of an emotional reaction.

We’ve done all of this, amazingly, while de-emphasizing and theologically gutting baptism. (I’m not buying everyone’s baptismal theology here. I’m simply saying the standard approach now is nothing more than could be accomplished by having someone jump through a hoop.)

We’ve done this while reducing the Lord’s Supper to a relatively meaningless, optional recollection. (And being deeply suspicious of anyone making it more than a glorified sermon illustration.)

We’ve done this while removing any aspects of sacramentalism from our worship and even our architecture. (Public reading of scripture, hymns, tables/altars, baptisteries, pulpits.)
And we’ve given over to whomever wants to speak up the power to say what God is saying, what God is doing, what God is using, what God thinks of whatever we’re doing, what the Spirit is up to and so on.

For example, in the next three months, you can bet your remaining life savings that someone will tell us that God is NOW using church X or method Y or person Z because the official discernment squad said so. (And ditto for saying what God is not doing, who God is not using, etc. from the discernment squad on the other side of the street.)"

As I read that I felt the sting in my own heart of the truth of what he is saying. Those of you who know me know that I am a firm believer that function should always lead form the church. Why we do what we do should always be more important than what we do. When you read that list, many of the items are forms, not functions. Yet they have become so important to us that they have become de facto sacraments. Some churches have a ratio of altar calls to communion services of 8:1, 10:1. But communion is one of the great unifying acts of the Body of Christ, instituted by the Lord himself. But we don't practice it often because it is "more special" when we do it less frequently.

I hate to burst your bubble on this one, but communion isn't there to make us feel good. It is there to bind the believers together in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is an incredibly intimate individual, AND corporate act that allows us to join together in the presence of Christ to build his Kingdom on earth. Yet we spend far more emphasis and time on the type of music we play than we do on binding our souls together in a common cause.

This Sunday I will be preaching on Joshua 1:1-9, which is the call of Joshua to lead Israel after Moses' death. And we will be having communion as a unifying act for a congregation that has lost its leader and is in search of a new leader. We have a common purpose, mission and Lord. And the act of taking communion is a reminder of that, as well as a means of grace for us who are struggling during this uncertain time. Join us if you can, but please pray for us during this time.

For Such a Time as This

2009-08-18T15:17:00.002-04:00

Recently, the founding pastor of our church left to pastor a church in Florida. Sam was a great shepherd of this congregation and led them from a NewStart church to one that is stable and occupying its own space here in Dundee. With his departure, Ken Papenhagen and I have been named as the co-interim pastors. It's a different role for us, and one that will surely test us in ways that being associate pastors did not.

This week, we will be looking at God's charge to Joshua in Joshua 1:1-9. It is a great story of the faithfulness of God and how He promised to lead the people of Israel and never leave them or forsake them. For some reason, the word forsake has jumped out at me. I'm not sure why, but I'm going to be spending some time on it.

Joshua had an enormous task in front of him and his people. The only leader they had known was gone, and the work was unfinished. That is where we are. We are poised to take the land that God has given us, but we are in transition. The promise that God will not leave us or forsake us is one that I cling to.

Pray for us during this time. It is a challenging time, a time of uncertainty. But it is also a time of great promise and hope.

If I could sing

2009-08-03T15:42:00.001-04:00

This is how I would do children's church. Musical theater to cover the entire story.

Signs there might be something wrong with your children's ministry

2009-07-31T08:11:00.002-04:00

If something like this happens in your church, you may want to reassess your approach to children's ministry. This seems like an extreme attempt to avoid going somewhere he didn't like.

Little-known, but often-experienced laws of nature

2009-07-27T10:34:00.005-04:00

1. Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to use the bathroom.

2. Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, or screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

3. Law of Probability - The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

4. Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.

5. Law of the Alibi - If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

6. Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

7. Law of the Bath - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

8. Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

9. Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

10. Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

11. Law of the Theater and Hockey Arena - At any event, the people whose seats are farthest from the aisle arrive last, and they are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for food, drink, or the bathroom and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over.

Those in the aisle seats come early, never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies, and stay to the bitter end of the performance and beyond. The aisle people also are very surly folk.

12. The Starbucks Law - As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something that will last until the coffee is cold.

13. Murphy's Law of Lockers - If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

14. Law of Physical Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

15. Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

16. Brown's Law of Physical Appearance - If the clothes fit, they're ugly.

17. Oliver's Law of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet.

18. Wilson's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy - As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

19. Doctors' Law - If you don't feel well and make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. Don't make an appointment and you'll stay sick.

This a great piece of worship satire

2009-07-25T10:35:00.001-04:00

Sadly, there is enough truth in it to make it sting: The mark of any great satire.

I'm sure this says something about me

2009-07-24T20:44:00.002-04:00

Exactly what it says, I am not sure. But I love this style of music. The older I get the more I realize how much I like the New Wave Music of the late 1970s and the 1980s.

As you think about Michael Vick's release from prison

2009-07-20T21:41:00.001-04:00

Remember his victims and his crimes.

I wish I were as graceful

2009-07-18T22:57:00.004-04:00

As the guy in the picture. I feel like a juggler with too many balls in the air, and someone just threw in a chainsaw for fun. But that, in so many ways, is the way life is.

God is preparing new things for us, and me, all the time. The co-interim pastor title here in Dundee is the latest new thing, and one that I look forward to. This is a wonderful congregation and I count it as a privilege to help shepherd them through this transitional period. It will probably be a little bumpy, as people process the loss of the Mullens and begin praying, fasting and looking forward to who God will bring to lead this church in the coming decade. But God is faithful, and he will be here with us as we step out on faith like the juggler in the picture. The amazing thing is that he is our safety net when we are pursuing the Kingdom. As I think about this, the lyrics to an old hymn come to mind:

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"
by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

That is my prayer during this season of transition. Let our hope be only in the one who can deliver us. Let it not be in our strength, wisdom, or desires. Let it be in the God who loves us.

Celebrating what God has done

2009-07-17T13:11:00.005-04:00

Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds for humankind! He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot-
come, let us rejoice in him.

— Psalm 66:5-6

Our church is entering a new phase of life. The founding pastor is leaving and taking a church in Deltona, Florida for reasons that escape me. Not him leaving, but why Florida? That is someplace that God would have to use the modern-day equivalent of a burning bush to make it clear to me that he wanted me to go there. Be that as it may, here we are moving forward and seeing new things.

But during the next few weeks we will have the opportunity to review what God has done in our congregation. We will have the time to offer praise for lives changed, for prayers answered, for ministry calls that have been extended all during Sam and Ann's ministry. It is an opportunity that we need to avail ourselves of. It will be part of the celebration that will accompany the sadness of seeing our only shepherd move on to a new flock. God does wonderful things through different people with different skill sets. Sam has a great pastoral skill set. I trust that the person God has in mind for us has the skill set that we need as we enter the next decade of our church's existence

But as we look forward, we need to take a moment to take in the grandeur of what God has already done. Not that we have arrived, or that we are "all that," but to reassure ourselves that the God who got us here, is with us now, and will be with us as we go forward. The Lord will continue to walk with those who worship Him and follow his commandments. Now is a good time for us to remind ourselves of how he has been faithful as we embark on a new phase of life. We would be wise to heed the command given to Joshua following the death of Moses, the only true leader Israel had ever known. Joshua 1:9 says:

"I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989, S. Jos 1:9

The Message makes it a little more emphatic: "Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

Peterson, Eugene H.: The Message : The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, Colo. : NavPress, 2002, S. Jos 1:8-9

Let the song in the clip above play as you reflect on this thought. Then let us share the stories of what God has done for us in our lives, in our church, and what we pray that he will do for us in the future.

Contest

2009-07-15T13:43:00.001-04:00

Who will be the 20,000th visitor to the blog? We are perched on the verge of the milestone. There is no prize, other than bragging rights. Hurry and you can be the winner.

Being light in the darkness

2009-07-08T09:29:00.005-04:00

This has been a week where the Lord has been challenging me on this very issue. How can I be light in darkness? There is so much darkness in the world, and it swirls around us unnoticed most of the time. But occasionally it rears its ugly head and announces its presence, and we are forced to deal with it.

This past weekend my neighbor's son died from a drug overdose. He was a young man with problems, but he seemed, at least from my perspective, to be making some headway in dealing with them. But the darkness that surrounded him eventually consumed him, and his grief-stricken family is left wondering what they could have done to prevent this.

Deb and I have spent some time with the family since his death, and it is hard. Drug abuse is so pervasive in our society that it is sickening. Prescription drugs, street drugs, and home-grown and home-made drugs are readily available and are evidently very affordable. I have to confess that I am at a loss as to what to do about this scourge.

Pray for me as I seek God's face on how I can be light in this darkness. What does my candle look like in my neighborhood. With this death, I have heard from others about their neighbors who have children hooked on drugs and bouncing in and out of rehab. I always knew it was there, but it has really hit home for me. We (I) need to be a light to show the love and truth of Christ in this pervasive darkness. I'm just not sure what God is asking me to do. I appreciate your prayers.

Happy Independence Day

2009-07-02T11:52:00.000-04:00

One of my favorites from way back in the day.

A Historic moment for the Church of the Nazarene

2009-07-01T13:14:00.003-04:00

Eugenio Duarte, regional director for Africa and a native of the island of Brava in the Cape Verde Islands, became the first citizen from outside the USA/Canada Region to be elected general superintendent on Tuesday. He is the first General Superintendent who is not from North America.

His acceptance speech is in the clip below:

This is a significant moment in the life of our church. Praise be to God.

Want to keep up with the news at General Assembly 2009?

2009-07-01T13:07:00.001-04:00

#gacorlando

That is the TWUB from the unofficial site.

For all you Trekkies out there

2009-06-29T14:06:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the Good Clean Funnies List for this next bit of Blog Fodder.

Things That Never Happened On Star Trek

1. The Enterprise runs into a mysterious energy field of a type it has encountered several times before.

2. The Enterprise visits a remote outpost of scientists, who are all perfectly all right.

3. Some of the crew visit the holodeck, and it works properly.

4. The crew of the Enterprise discover a totally new life-form, which later turns out to be a rather well-known old life form wearing a funny hat.

5. The crew of the Enterprise are struck by a mysterious plague, for which the only cure can be found in the well-stocked Enterprise sick-bay.

6. The Captain has to make a difficult decision about a less advanced people which is made a great deal easier by the Starfleet Prime Directive.

7. The Enterprise successfully ferries an alien VIP from one place to another without serious incident.

8. An enigmatic being composed of pure energy attempts to interface to the Enterprise's computer, only to find out that it has forgotten to bring the right leads.

9. A power surge on the Bridge is rapidly and correctly diagnosed as a faulty capacitor by the highly-trained and competent engineering staff.

10. The Enterprise is captured by a vastly superior alien intelligence which does not put them on trial.

11. The Enterprise is captured by a vastly inferior alien intelligence which they easily pacify by offering it some chocolate.

12. The Enterprise visits an earth-type planet called "Paradise" where everyone is happy all of the time. However, everything is soon revealed to be exactly what it seems.

13. A major Starfleet emergency breaks out near the Enterprise, but fortunately some other ships in the area are able to deal with it to everyone's satisfaction.

14. The Enterprise is involved in a bizarre time-warp experience which is in some way unconnected with the Late 20th Century.

15. Kirk (or Riker) falls in love with a woman on a planet he visits, and isn't tragically separated from her at the nd of the episode.

16. Counselor Troi states something other than the blindingly obvious.

17. The warp engines start going haywire, but seem to sort themselves out after a while without any intervention from boy genius Wesley Crusher.

18. Spock (or Data) is fired from his high-ranking position for not being able to understand the most basic nuances of one in three sentences that anyone says to him.

Looking for a seminary scholarship?

2009-06-29T13:23:00.004-04:00

Then check out this site!. Logos Bible Software is offering a $1000 scholarship and a copy of their software for the lucky winner.

Sometimes you just have to say "Wow"

2009-06-23T15:59:00.005-04:00

Check out this a Capella version of Africa. I was never a fan of the Toto version of the song, but this is just an amazing rendition.

Put your hands together

2009-06-23T13:54:00.001-04:00

Click on the link and watch the new video from Jars of Clay. Imagine how the church and world would be different if we all had 2 hands doing the same thing for the Kingdom of God.

Is there room at the table?

2009-06-17T11:06:00.006-04:00

The Church of the Nazarene, like so many denominations is struggling to deal with the fact that the world has changed in the past half-century, and the truisms that applied then are no longer applicable in all situations.

This White Paper was written by a group of Nazarene pastors and theologians to help the church start to have a constructive dialogue on how to deal with the changing world around us. There have been several comments made by church leaders that are condemning of the Emerging Church. What is disturbing is that people seem to be unwilling to address the elephant in the room, which is that the ground has shifted under our feet.

If we aren't willing to realize that the people we are trying to reach have dramatically different thought processes than their predecessors, we are dooming ourselves to irrelevance, IMHO.

Take some time to read the white paper please. I'll post more on this next week.

White Paper

Here is a link to the White Paper for you.

Measuring effectiveness

2009-06-16T12:53:00.005-04:00

This article has some interesting thoughts on how we measure the effectiveness of a congregation. Traditionally, measurement has focused on attendance and giving. Those are still useful numbers but they can be misleading in some instances. The author is advocating the idea that we should try to measure more qualitative things, such as congregational health, rather than quantitative this such as attendance and giving.

I have been a part of two churches that have had significant additions to their congregational health by subtracting numbers from their attendance. Mercifully, I was not part of the congregations when this happened, but I have enough contact to know what was going on. In one instance, the folks that left were impediments to growth. After they were gone, the church enjoyed a significant period of growth with new converts and personal spiritual development in the life of the congregants. Previously, that development was stunted because of the constant turmoil that had been present. The Kingdom advanced, and the church grew in numbers and faith in their absence.

My caution here is to not just focus on attendance and giving when assessing a church. Nor should we use our spiritual development for our laziness in sharing the Gospel. We can engage in navel-gazing and so focus on our own "Jesus and Me" conversations that we do not share the Good News with a dying world. It is a dynamic balance between these measurements, and one that is often difficult express quantitatively. But that balance is where ministry happens, and where lives are changed. Jesus had big crowds during his ministry, and at his death, it was a pretty small group there with him. But we don't judge his effectiveness based on the numbers at the end of his ministry. We judge it based on the change in the lives of his followers and the way they changed the world. We would be well-served to follow that model.

What on earth?

2009-06-15T16:00:00.001-04:00

This is not a SNL spoof folks. Click on the video below to watch the commercial.

My theme for Sunday

2009-06-14T09:43:00.001-04:00

Click on the link below and enjoy. I love the song. The pictures are so-so.

Let her grieve

2009-06-08T10:42:00.003-04:00

Amid the discovery of what is believed to be Nevaeh Buchanan's body, the attention has turned to potential suspects. Amid this speculation, it seems that some are blaming the mother of this girl for her tragic death. We have no idea who did this, and if her mother was involved. I don't believe that blaming the mother without all of the facts being in is productive at all. This woman and her family need to grieve. If any of them were involved, there will be ample time for accusation, scorn and recrimination when that is announced and proven. If they are not involved, we have added to their grief and denied them the space they need to grieve the loss of a precious little girl.

My advice is to wait until the facts are in before we start pointing fingers, rendering judgment and condemning people. Until then, let's share in their grief and show God's love to this family that is experiencing unbelievable pain.

A sad ending to this story

2009-06-04T22:39:00.003-04:00

It appears that the body of Nevaeh Buchanan has been found. Local news is reporting that she was found along the River Raisin, more than 10 miles from where she disappeared. God rest her soul. Now the hunt for the perpetrator intensifies. Our prayers go out to her family and friends during this awful time.

Want to help stop global warming?

2009-06-02T12:38:00.004-04:00

Reduce your methane gas production.

Character tests

2009-06-01T10:29:00.003-04:00

Our community is being tested right now. Nevaeh Buchanan, a 5 year-old girl, has been missing for a week. The police and volunteers have conducted a massive search of the community, processed hundreds of tips, and are continuing to search for this precious little girl. For more on the searches and news, go here.

But there also have been a number of rumors spread through the community about persons of interest in the case. I'm not entirely sure what a "Person of Interest" is other than to say that he/she is not a suspect. But the media seize on these individuals and then all sorts of fun begins.

Monroe is inundated with TV trucks from Detroit and Toledo, and helicopters fly over the city, especially near the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts. Maybe it's just a human reaction that, in the absence of new information, to start to let our minds run wild. But some of the rumors that have appeared in this case are appealing to our baser instincts, not the better angels of our nature.

Don't misunderstand my thought please. I'm not saying we should be like Pollyana. But we should withhold judgment until the facts are in. In the mean time, prayer is needed. Pray for the police for wisdom. Pray for the searchers. Pray for Nevaeh. Pray for her family. And most of all pray that God's will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. This world is sick with sin, and Nevaeh's disappearance is one symptom of that sickness. It is a spiritual battle as well as a temporal issue to stop things like this from happening.

May we be known as a community that fought that fight on our knees. Not one that turned on itself with recrimination and accusation.

Bullies in the Home

2009-05-27T12:33:00.005-04:00

This article is a follow up to an article published in Holiness Today last year. The previous article was about bullies in the church. This one is about bullies in the home, which happens in more of our congregational homes than we would like to acknowledge.

The author offers some practical advice I want to share here (I encourage you to read the entire article). For those of us in the ministry, and most of us who have friends and family, we will have someone we know who is 1) a bully or 2) being bullied. I like his thoughts on how we can minister in these situations

Once again, our first essential task is to comprehend the bully's annoying, and even deadly, game. Afterwards, led by the Spirit of God, we are equipped to prayerfully devise effective, Christian countermeasures. Consider these:

As Augsburger advises, we must learn to "carefront." To stand up to the bully in a loving—rather than harsh and retributive—way. Being firm, but also fair and compassionate. Never retaliating with "overkill." As Holiness people, this response should come natural to us.
It is imperative that we seek to protect, defend, encourage, and minister to the bully's victims. In war, despite the risk, soldiers rescue their wounded. Can we be less committed? It's no secret that fear of abandonment is overpowering to the victimized.
It behooves us to cultivate special skills in recognizing and dealing with bully tactics. There are superb books, seminars, and 12-step groups focused on such things as conflict resolution, empathy training, and coping skills.
We must resolve to be role models, never succumbing to the devious and destructive tactics of the bully. Make no mistake, we shall always be tempted to use our clout to superimpose our will on others in an intimidating way. Even those of us who embrace the scriptural admonition of holiness. If not careful we can come across as harsh, judgmental, and self-righteous, all of which are interpreted as hurtful put-downs to others. Authentic holy living requires us to take a different pathway.

I love the imagery of standing up to a bully without overreacting. In some ways I see movies where Amish men confront those who seek to torment them because of their beliefs. They don't strike them, don't shout, but do not back down either. I like that image here. I also like the image of rescuing our wounded. How do we help people who have a bully in their family? That is something we as congregations should pray about and develop a system/plan to deal with. The sad reality is that we will come across it. How we deal with it is where the rubber meets the road.

The last image is in the article of the dethroned sparrow. It brings a smile to my face.

Edit - As I was reading the E-edition of the Detroit News, I came across this beauty:

Maybe I should just post this every year

2009-05-25T09:52:00.001-04:00

This Memorial Day tribute brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it.

This is a really iffy call

2009-05-23T12:20:00.001-04:00

Check out the story here and then watch the video clip below. It seems that the refs overreacted to the home crowd on this one.

A great article on Church Fights

2009-05-23T10:44:00.006-04:00

Eight years ago Holiness Today ran this article on "No One Wins A Church Fight." The words are maybe more timely now than they were then. Stress - physical, economic, spiritual - seems to bring out the worst in people, and this is a time of national stress. I pray that you will read these words and heed the wisdom in them. It is a terrible witness of the body of Christ when Christians engage in this type of activity. It always gets out because people talk, so don't think it can be contained within the walls of the church building. The author gives some very sound advice on how to avoid the situation.

Nobody Wins a Church Fight

As my wife and I drove away from our church, we promised each other that we would never return. Although both of us were raised in the Church of the Nazarene we concluded that we couldn’t remain where we so strongly disagreed with the pastor. Several other lay families left at the same time. Soon, the pastor left too. The laity who remained behind were left with a small congregation, a large mortgage and the task of convincing another pastor to come be their spiritual leader. My wife and I found another Nazarene church, but after more than 30 years some of the others remain alienated from our denomination.

Unfortunately, this scene is repeated in other Nazarene churches many times every year. When unresolved conflicts exist between the pastor and members of the congregation, the lay members leave the church, the pastor moves or both. Long after the combatants are gone, the scars of battle remain. Many times the innocent bystanders are hurt the most. They are the ones left with the task of helping a wounded church survive. Nobody wins a church fight.

Church fights are avoidable. Over the past 30 years, I have been blessed to belong to stable, growing churches. I have attempted to identify what is different about these churches that never have church fights. This list of “do’s and don’ts” is a summary of my observations. Where pastors and laity act this way, there are no church fights.

Build a relationship of trust. When a pastor has a relationship of trust with the members of his or her congregation, small differences tend to be overlooked and the large ones are resolved more easily.

A relationship of trust is built by doing things together. Worshiping together is important, but simply being in public worship services together isn’t sufficient. Time and energy spent in Christian fellowship is essential. Praying and playing together has lasting benefits. Pastors who become personally involved in the lives of the congregation tend to enjoy enough goodwill to be given the benefit of the doubt when conflicts arise.

The same holds true for laity becoming involved in the life of the pastor. I once heard a layman say, “I don’t get close to my pastors because I know they will be moving in a year or two.” That kind of attitude causes the statement to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

1 Peter 1:22 describes the kind of relationship that should exist between a pastor and members of the church, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.”

People who truly love one another will have differences of opinion, but the relationship of trust helps them find their way past disagreements.

Seek consensus before making changes. Many church fights arise from changes. The Manual establishes the minimum legal requirements for making decisions in the church, but implementing changes with the support of a simple majority is rarely successful. Those who attempt to implement changes in a church without consensus invite conflict.

Consensus means a) that most people support the proposed change, b) those who don’t support the change feel that their views have been fairly considered and c) all are willing to accept the decision of the majority. Changes implemented when even a small minority are strongly opposed are often the cause of long-lasting conflicts.

Pastors and church leaders who learn to seek input from all of those interested in important decisions find that implementation of the changes is much easier. Churches where decisions are made in a secretive way by a small group of people are ripe for conflict.

Sincerely seek to understand others. There is a natural tendency for one to spend energy trying to convince others to understand his position. Throughout the educational process, students are taught to present ideas effectively; however, few have been trained to listen.

When it comes to avoiding or resolving conflicts, energy spent in understanding the views of others is often more productive than energy spent perfecting one’s own arguments. Churches where people sincerely seek to understand one another rarely have unresolved conflicts.

Take the initiative in resolving differences. In Matthew 5:23, Jesus said to take the initiative in resolving differences. He said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Some have suggested that being the first one to actively seek resolution of a dispute is a sign of weakness. That idea has caused people to fight for years over issues that could have been easily resolved if either of them had been willing to make the first attempt to be reconciled.

Discuss differences face to face. Matt. 18:15, states, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you…” Most people completely ignore “just between the two of you.” It is an essential part of the scripture.

In this day of technology, there is often a temptation to call on the telephone, or send an email. Electronic communication is great for transferring information, but is ineffective when dealing with emotions. Being in the physical presence of another person is still the most effective way to communicate when there is conflict. Making the effort to visit with a person face to face demonstrates that you value them as a person and are sincere in wanting to reach agreement with them. There is no better way to resolve a dispute than to look another person in the eyes and say, “I am here because I want to hear what you have to say.”

Don’t involve others in your conflicts. In addition to the suggestion to meet face-to-face, the “just between the two of you.” language of Matthew 18:15 instructs not to involve additional people in your conflicts until you have made a reasonable effort to seek resolution. The wisdom of not involving additional people in disputes is obvious, but the temptation is strong to seek advice, request special prayer, or just share with a friend. Every time one discusses his or her conflict with another person, the conflict is escalated to another level. Each additional person who becomes aware of the conflict makes resolution more difficult.

Don’t spiritualize differences. There is often a temptation to assume that conflicts are due to the other person’s carnality. While a person may sin as a result of conflict, it is also true that saved and sanctified Christians can have emotion-filled differences of opinion. Assigning evil intent to those who have different opinions is inappropriate. Focus on the merits of the arguments and the importance of the relationship, not on the motives of those who differ with you. Only God knows a person’s heart.

Don’t take extreme positions. Because litigation has become so much a part of society, some people tend to take litigation-like extreme positions. In litigation it is typical for the parties to take extreme positions then bargain back and forth to reach a compromise somewhere between the extreme positions.

Because of the insincerity involved, the back and forth bargaining process doesn’t work well in resolving disputes in the church. Even when involved in a conflict, a Christian should express positions in a sincere and an honest way.

Don’t confuse positions with principles. Many people think they have “principles” while others have “positions.” Positions are subject to change, principles shouldn’t be. One should constantly reexamine his or her positions and change them when there is fresh insight. Compromising one’s position is often wise and appropriate. Those who compromise their principles have no integrity, but those who consider their positions to be beyond compromise are destined to live with conflict all of their lives.

Don’t flee. Several years ago, the Commission on the Call of the Pastor, took a survey of Nazarene pastors. A majority of pastors who answered the survey admitted that they had left at least one pastorate to avoid a conflict.

Fleeing puts distance between the combatants, but it does not resolve the conflict. One who flees without making a sincere attempt to apply the conflict resolution principles described in Matt. 15 leaves a trap of unresolved issues to faced by those who follow. Some Nazarene churches change pastors every year or two over the same unresolved issues. Some laymen move from church to church creating conflicts everywhere they go. When people flee, a church fight may be postponed, but it is rarely permanently avoided.

Churches that have a history of stability and growth are not the ones where people never have differences of opinion. Every church has conflicts. The stable, growing congregations are the ones where the pastor and laity have worked together to prevent their difference from becoming church fights. When conflicts in a church rise to the level of a church fight, no one wins.

Author – J. David McClung, attorney and chairman of Triton Marine Construction Corp., Gig Harbor, WA.

Truth in Comic Strips

2009-05-22T18:48:00.005-04:00

There is so much wisdom to be gained from reading the comics. Here are today's gems that caught my eye. I think I know the delicatessen guy. And Dilbert is prescient as always.

Jumping to conclusions

2009-05-20T22:24:00.005-04:00

I should remove this exercise from my fitness regimen. I'm really good at it and it usually gets me in trouble. Whether it is making a decision based on incomplete information at home, church, or work, I'm learning to wait before drawing conclusions.

Last weekend I had a humorous example of this. I went to my local Kroger store. As I exited my car, near the cart corral, I heard someone talking loudly. As I walked toward the store, I saw a disheveled man gesturing wildly and talking loudly. I thought "Great, crazy guy in front of the store hassling people." I gave him a wide berth and headed toward the door. I noticed his clothes were torn, he hadn't shaved in days, and he was ignoring everyone around him as he did his thing.

But as I passed him I noticed that he had a bluetooth device in his ear. He wasn't the crazy guy in front of the store. He was the really loud phone talker who seemed to think that if he shouted it would make his phone work better. He may have still been a little nuts, but he certainly what I thought he was on first glance.

I'm getting ready to preach this Memorial Day weekend. I'm spending more time with my text, because I kind of jumped to a conclusion when I first read it. I'm pretty sure the Holy Spirit is telling me to alter my direction with the text. Preaching is like life in so many ways. We accomplish so much more by listening than we do by talking and rushing into things. This is an area where God is still working on me.

Pray for me.

This is pretty amazing

2009-05-11T18:23:00.003-04:00

Olivet Nazarene University students + beer pong - beer + copious amounts of time = this. Click on the video link above to view. It is amazing.

High School

2009-05-07T10:19:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I had the great privilege to sit and share a meal and some great conversation with a friend from high school. It's been many years since we have seen each other, but that didn't put much of a damper on our time together. I have great memories of some fun times with Pete, and he and his family are some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

As we sat and talked, the conversation turned to people we know and where they are now. We were both wracking our brains on some folks, but Facebook has helped with others. One of the things we noticed was that some of the prominent, high-achievers in high school seemed to have peaked a bit early. Others, who were under the radar, have done quite well for themselves, and some of our classmates, well, let's just say their life is a train wreck (think incarceration.)

As I sat there I realized that I would not want to go back to high school. And I thought of my daughter who starts this fall. There is so much peer pressure and social dynamics that I'm pretty sure that, despite the fun I had, I wouldn't want the hassle.

My advice to those in high school? Remember that this is a fleeting phase of your life. Stay true to your beliefs, don't go knucklehead, and realize that in 20 years, the world will look very different.

The video clip below captures that thought pretty well for me.

Check this out

2009-04-30T14:26:00.003-04:00

This is an interesting marriage of Google Maps and the Bible. Select your version, book and chapter, and it will display the location for you. It might be a fun addition to your bible study routine.

Thanks to the Gadget Pastor for this.

Heroes

2009-04-29T14:55:00.002-04:00

Recently we marked the sad anniversary of the Columbine shootings in Colorado. Columbine is but one of many, granted it was the largest, of the high school shootings. It's a sad phenomenon when adolescents feel so persecuted that their recourse is to kill others or injure themselves.

The video clip is a song by Superchick, and the message is one that each of us should take to heart. We all have a role to play in helping the disaffected, the bullied, the "unlovely" in the world see their value in Christ. That is how heroes are made.

Do I need to elaborate?

2009-04-24T12:13:00.002-04:00

Changes

2009-04-23T09:32:00.003-04:00

This week was the 60th District Assembly of the Eastern Michigan District of the Church of the Nazarene. I attended as a delegate from our congregation and have several observations from the proceedings.

1. Without belaboring the obvious, it has been a tough year. Many churches have seen significant declines in their giving, and attendance. Some reported an exodus of people leaving Michigan for states where jobs are more plentiful. But the tone was one of optimism in the face of adversity, which truly embodies the Christian message. We have hope in Christ as we are aliens in this land.

2. New Birth. We officially organized a new congregation in Flint. It was encouraging to hear testimony from the believers in that nascent congregation about the power of God in their lives and the redemption that He has brought them. Praise be to God!

3. Passages. We said goodbye to some saints who have gone on to their eternal reward, and authorized the closing of a congregation in Detroit. My heart goes out to Sister Vera during this time. She has been a ray of light for her community, and I applaud her for the dignity with which she has handled this process. God Bless you Vera!

4. Mission. Despite all of the struggles, we heard numerous reports of lives being reclaimed from sin, of people finding hope in Jesus, and of the Kingdom of God advancing during difficult times. Praise God for his faithfulness and for the faithfulness of his people during difficult times.

I came away energized and raring to go. Come Lord Jesus, Come in your fullness.

Here is your chance to get a free book!

2009-04-22T14:35:00.000-04:00

Bible Study Magazine and Eternal Perspective Ministries are giving away 40 signed copies of Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven. Not only that, but they're also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Randy Alcorn page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!

Faith Like a Child

2009-04-19T22:32:00.013-04:00

This past weekend I took temporary leave of my senses and hosted a lock-in for the children of the church. We had 14 kids, ages 4-12, spend the night and party with us. It was a great time. We made pizzas, played games, watched movies, fired up the DVD version of Family Feud, and baked the communion bread for Sunday. I was preaching on Sunday, and the kids administered the communion elements to the congregation. It was a powerful moment, and one that I am proud to have been part of.

I love these kids, and I love God for putting them into my life. Pray for them as they continue their journey of faith, with Faith like a Child.

Click on the video to see a little glimpse into our activities. I'm still tired, but I have a smile on my face. :)

The Hound of Heaven

2009-04-11T10:09:00.001-04:00

Take a minute and read Francis Thompson's classic poem "The Hound of Heaven" on this Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. Think about the Lord who laid in the grave, and then, when resurrected, pursues each of us out of love.

The Hound of Heaven
Francis Thompson (1859-1907)

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat--and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet--
"All things betray thee, who betrayest Me."

I pleaded, outlaw-wise,
By many a hearted casement, curtained red,
Trellised with intertwining charities
(For, though I knew His love Who followed,
Yet was I sore adread
Lest having Him, I must have naught beside);
But if one little casement parted wide,
The gust of His approach would clash it to.
Fear wist not to evade, as Love wist to pursue.
Across the margent of the world I fled,
And troubled the gold gateways of the stars,
Smiting for shelter on their clanged bars;
Fretted to dulcet jars
And silvern chatter the pale ports o' the moon.
I said to dawn, Be sudden; to eve, Be soon;
With thy young skyey blossoms heap me over
From this tremendous Lover!
Float thy vague veil about me, lest He see!
I tempted all His servitors, but to find
My own betrayal in their constancy,
In faith to Him their fickleness to me,
Their traitorous trueness, and their loyal deceit.
To all swift things for swiftness did I sue;
Clung to the whistling mane of every wind.
But whether they swept, smoothly fleet,
The long savannahs of the blue;
Or whether, Thunder-driven,
They clanged his chariot 'thwart a heaven
Plashy with flying lightnings round the spurn o' their feet--
Still with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
Came on the following Feet,
And a Voice above their beat--
"Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me."

I sought no more that after which I strayed
In face of man or maid;
But still within the little children's eyes
Seems something, something that replies;
They at least are for me, surely for me!
I turned me to them very wistfully;
But, just as their young eyes grew sudden fair
With dawning answers there,
Their angel plucked them from me by the hair.
"Come then, ye other children, Nature's--share
With me," said I, "your delicate fellowship;
Let me greet you lip to lip,
Let me twine with you caresses,
Wantoning
With our Lady-Mother's vagrant tresses'
Banqueting
With her in her wind-walled palace,
Underneath her azured daïs,
Quaffing, as your taintless way is,
From a chalice
Lucent-weeping out of the dayspring."
So it was done;
I in their delicate fellowship was one--
Drew the bolt of Nature's secrecies.
I knew all the swift importings
On the wilful face of skies;
I knew how the clouds arise
Spumèd of the wild sea-snortings;
All that's born or dies
Rose and drooped with--made them shapers
Of mine own moods, or wailful or divine--
With them joyed and was bereaven.
I was heavy with the even,
When she lit her glimmering tapers
Round the day's dead sanctities.
I laughed in the morning's eyes.
I triumphed and I saddened with all weather,
Heaven and I wept together,
And its sweet tears were salt with mortal mine;
Against the red throb of its sunset-heart
I laid my own to beat,
And share commingling heat;
But not by that, by that, was eased my human smart.
In vain my tears were wet on Heaven's gray cheek.
For ah! we know not what each other says,
These things and I; in sound I speak--
Their sound is but their stir, they speak by silences.
Nature, poor stepdame, cannot slake my drouth;
Let her, if she would owe me,
Drop yon blue bosom-veil of sky, and show me
The breasts of her tenderness;
Never did any milk of hers once bless
My thirsting mouth.
Nigh and nigh draws the chase,
With unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy;
And past those noisèd Feet
A voice comes yet more fleet--
"Lo naught contents thee, who content'st not Me."

Naked I wait Thy love's uplifted stroke!
My harness piece by piece Thou hast hewn from me,
And smitten me to my knee;
I am defenseless utterly.
I slept, methinks, and woke,
And, slowly gazing, find me stripped in sleep.
In the rash lustihead of my young powers,
I shook the pillaring hours
And pulled my life upon me; grimed with smears,
I stand amid the dust o' the mounded years--
My mangled youth lies dead beneath the heap.
My days have crackled and gone up in smoke,
Have puffed and burst as sun-starts on a stream.
Yea, faileth now even dream
The dreamer, and the lute the lutanist;
Even the linked fantasies, in whose blossomy twist
I swung the earth a trinket at my wrist,
Are yielding; cords of all too weak account
For earth with heavy griefs so overplussed.
Ah! is Thy love indeed
A weed, albeit amaranthine weed,
Suffering no flowers except its own to mount?
Ah! must--
Designer infinite!--
Ah! must Thou char the wood ere Thou canst limn with it?
My freshness spent its wavering shower i' the dust;
And now my heart is a broken fount,
Wherein tear-drippings stagnate, spilt down ever
From the dank thoughts that shiver
Upon the sighful branches of my mind.
Such is; what is to be?
The pulp so bitter, how shall taste the rind?
I dimly guess what Time in mist confounds;
Yet ever and anon a trumpet sounds
From the hid battlements of Eternity;
Those shaken mists a space unsettle, then
But not ere him who summoneth
I first have seen, enwound
With blooming robes, purpureal, cypress-crowned;
His name I know, and what his trumpet saith.
Whether man's heart or life it be which yields
Thee harvest, must Thy harvest fields
Be dunged with rotten death?

Now of that long pursuit
Comes on at hand the bruit;
That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:
"And is thy earth so marred,
Shattered in shard on shard?
Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!
Strange, piteous, futile thing,
Wherefore should any set thee love apart?
Seeing none but I makes much of naught," He said,
"And human love needs human meriting,
How hast thou merited--
Of all man's clotted clay rhe dingiest clot?
Alack, thou knowest not
How little worthy of any love thou art!
Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee
Save Me, save only Me?
All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms.
But just that thou might'st seek it in my arms.
All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for the at home;
Rise, clasp My hand, and come!"

Halts by me that footfall;
Is my gloom, after all,
Shade of His hand, outstreched caressingly?
"Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am He Whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me."

Francis Thompson (1859-1907)

Some Good Friday videos to ponder

2009-04-10T12:28:00.003-04:00

Just click on the videos and contemplate about Jesus' mission on this fateful day.

Here is one in English :)

An artsy look

And a beautiful, older song

This is different

2009-04-09T15:00:00.001-04:00

Here is a link to Glenn Beck reading the arrest, trial and crucifixion narrative of Jesus Christ with Pink Floyd music in the background.

It's different.

Maundy Thursday

2009-04-09T11:48:00.003-04:00

Today is the day when we remember the Last Supper, and the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. What a night that must have been for Jesus and the disciples.

It's Passover, so Jerusalem is filled with people from other towns coming to Jerusalem for the Passover services. Jesus and the disciples are relaxing, having a meal, and then Jesus rolls a grenade into the party when he announces that one of them will betray him. He also tells Peter that he will deny him three times before dawn, and none of them can believe it.

They leave, go out to pray, and Jesus is arrested and the disciples scatter. In the span of just a few hours everything went from hunky-dory to a train wreck in the disciples' eyes. Their emotions had to be just whip-sawed by all that was taking place. And I'm pretty sure that Jesus' words about his impending trial and death began to make a lot more sense to them

This Maundy Thursday, take a moment to reflect on the interaction between Jesus and the disciples. Imagine yourself in their shoes, as all of this swirled around them. Imagine their, joy, confusion, agony, guilt and regret.

Then thank God for Jesus dying on a cross for you, and them.

Some good advice about Gossip

2009-04-07T14:20:00.004-04:00

No, this isn't a how-to article. It's more of a how-not-to article that cuts into motivation, especially among Christians.

It's great advice for those who feel the need to pass along every internet rumor they come across.

A thought for Holy Week

2009-04-07T13:32:00.002-04:00

This video clip brought me to tears again today as I watched it. As we move through Holy Week, the visual of Christ holding back the enemies of our soul is one that chokes me up every time I see it. There have been a lot of ugly things in our lives the past few months. Brain injuries, overdoses, cutters, and people in distress have all crossed my path. So many things are the enemy of our soul, and every so often I need to see Christ the Victor to remind me of that.

As you prepare for Good Friday and Easter, let this thought dwell in you. "What do you need Christ to keep away from you?" Then bring that to God.

Sometime God just amazes me

2009-04-06T22:42:00.003-04:00

This has been a strange semester for me. While I was away at Nazarene Theological Seminary in January, a couple body-blows landed pretty hard in just a couple of days. The first was news that an elderly neighbor that we have known since we moved to Monroe in 1996 had fallen, hit her head, and ruptured a blood vessel in her brain. At that time she had brain surgery and was on life-support with a very uncertain prognosis.. The other was that the economy here in Michissippi had caught up with one of my largest clients and they were giving up on the state, PR-wise. And would no longer need my services. The combined weight of those staggered me pretty hard while I was in Kansas City.

I felt so helpless being 800 miles from home and unable to minister to my neighbor and her family. I prayed, and asked my classmates to pray as well, but I so desperately wanted to be there. But I could not. Needless to say I was a bit distracted during class.

What I am excited to say is that in just 2 months, my neighbor has recovered enough to be out of the hospital and living in her daughter's home. I pray that she will recover enough to come back to our neighborhood, but if not, God has been exceedingly gracious to her thus far. She still has a ways to go with her speech and mobility, but she could have easily ended up like Natasha Richardson who died from a similar injury.

I can't say why God heals some people and not others. That is a decision made way above my pay grade. But I am grateful for the mercy he has shown my neighbor. And I am grateful for the prayers of my fellow students and my church in praying for a dear lady who has been a part of my life for quite a while.

This Holy Week I have something to celebrate beyond the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I am so grateful for that.

The times in which we live

2009-03-30T10:19:00.003-04:00

Watch the video link first. It is an amazing presentation about the times in which we live. We do not have the luxury of choosing the times we live in and the challenges they present. But we do have the task to taking a timeless message from God into each new challenge.

We have a lot of work ahead of us.

Breathing again

2009-03-27T22:10:00.002-04:00

I just finished my exegetical paper on Philemon. It seems strange to write 4500+ words on a book that has only 355 words in its original Greek language. But that is the joy of seminary.

I love Philemon. It's a fascinating story about a runaway slave, the Apostle Paul, the slave's master and Paul's attempt to get Philemon, the slave master, to take back Onesimus, his slave and cancel the debt. It is applied Christian ethics in a nutshell, and the background of slavery appeals to my love of history. I encourage you to read Philemon when you have time.

Here is my concluding paragraph from the paper:
Paul’s intimate and extraordinary letter to Philemon allows us to glimpse the view of the kingdom of God that Paul held. In this kingdom, we are called to forgive as we are forgiven, and there is no distinction based on gender, class, slave or free. Just as we have been set free from spiritual bondage, Paul is asking Philemon to free Onesimus from his physical bonds, and to do it in the Lord so that the church may benefit. Paul is not making a political statement and attacking the institution of slavery outright. Rather, he is counseling a believer on how to handle a former slave who is now a brother in Christ. And he is implying that the “proper” thing to do is to set Onesimus free so that he can minister to Paul. It is an extraordinary request from an extraordinary man. And we benefit by having it available to us.

If you want to have a little fun with hermeneutics, then go here. (thanks Signe for the tip)

He's back

2009-03-25T18:20:00.001-04:00

Justin Laiply is back with the Evolution of Dance 2 video.

Here is the original if you haven't seen it.

Just click on the links and enjoy.

It is a little out of season...

2009-03-17T15:11:00.001-04:00

But pretty funny. Just click on the link and enjoy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T12:40:00.002-04:00

This prayer is often called "St. Patrick's Breastplate" because of those parts of it which seek God's protection.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

___________________________

How to tell nothing is going on in your town

2009-03-16T12:53:00.002-04:00

When this is what dominates a local government meeting.

Sheesh

The excitement in our neck of the woods this week

2009-03-15T08:51:00.003-04:00

Click on the link to see some of the flooding in Dundee, Monroe, and the surrounding areas. Beginning at the 1:20 mark, my office is just off the screen on the right side of the image. Thankfully our church and my office were spared, but many in the area have flooded basements and sewers that backed up into their homes.

Say a prayer for those folks who have been damaged by this. It's a big mess.

A moving version of Amazing Grace

2009-03-12T11:25:00.004-04:00

Click on the player below and enjoy a performance at the Coliseum in Rome.

Some provocative thoughts on North American Christianity

2009-03-11T08:28:00.002-04:00

Thanks Roxann for the tip. Click on the links below to Hear Drew Marshall's appearance on a Canadian Christian show. He is spot on in many of his diagnoses of the state of the church, especially as a place where the spiritually struggling can find peace. Cultural Christianity is killing us is a statement we should wrestle with especially during Lent. There is a lot we need to repent from in our churches, and I am part of the problem. Lord forgive us for taking your sacrifice and making it into something that does not reach out the the people that you died for. God help us to see the people as you see them.

Here is part 2 of the interview

You can find Drew's response to the interview here. I encourage you to listen.

The coming evangelical collapse?

2009-03-10T22:40:00.002-04:00

I don't buy everything this article says, but I do agree with a couple of his points.

We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we've spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures.

Evangelicals have identified their movement with the culture war and with political conservatism. This will prove to be a very costly mistake. Evangelicals will increasingly be seen as a threat to cultural progress. Public leaders will consider us bad for America, bad for education, bad for children, and bad for society.

The evangelical investment in moral, social, and political issues has depleted our resources and exposed our weaknesses. Being against gay marriage and being rhetorically pro-life will not make up for the fact that massive majorities of Evangelicals can't articulate the Gospel with any coherence. We fell for the trap of believing in a cause more than a faith.

There is a lot of truth in what he says. What are your thoughts?

The problem with American Christianity

2009-03-10T14:14:00.005-04:00

This excerpt from this article, encapsulates much of what is wrong with the American church:

However, I remain unconvinced that the right question is, "What's the most important thing you want from your church?" This emphasis on an individual's expectations and preferences reveals a core problem in American Christianity—the unchallenged assumption that people can accurately evaluate their church based on whether or not it meets their needs. How does this prevailing attitude alter the biblical purpose of the Church in the world? We are a culture of Christ-followers who pay far too much attention to whether or not our needs are being satisfied. And we have become a culture of church leaders who spend far too much time orienting our ministries around the ever-changing preferences of our people.

A few years ago I was listening to WMUZ FM in the afternoon. The host of the show was asking for a full hour what people looked for in a new church. I heard the entire hour, and never once did a person talk about what the church was doing in the community, how it was fulfilling the Great Commission, or how it was meeting the needs of the dispossessed. It was all about how it met their needs, entertained their kids etc. It was a full hour of narcissism, and it drove me crazy. Side note - I have not listened to that show since.

The consumerist mentality that is rampant in the American church is horribly destructive. It is what leads people to shop for a church like the pick a television. Does it look good and make me feel good? We roll through pastors because they "aren't meeting my needs." Could it be possible that your needs are contrary to the Kingdom of God? Could it be that your pastor is trying to fulfill the Great Commission, not massage your ego?

I have precious little time for people who continually voice this objection. By and large, the people who aren't having their needs met are treating the church like a lawn service- once a week is good enough. A better metaphor might be that of the gardener, who is out there every day looking for bugs, pulling weeds, training plants, straightening crooked stems, watering, feeding and tending. Not someone who shows up with a bunch of flashy machinery and is done in an hour.

I'll step off my soapbox now.

Only 10?

2009-03-07T16:36:00.002-05:00

Read this list and shake your head. It's no wonder our state is in a fiscal crisis. The largest city is governed by the gang that couldn't shoot straight and a collection of folks who just can't seem to stay out of the news, for all the wrong reasons.

And the Band Played On

2009-03-06T12:41:00.002-05:00

If you wonder why Detroit is in decline, read this. Remember, Barbara Rose Collins was a member of Congress from Detroit who was voted out of office largely because she didn't show up for the job. In one year, she had the third-worst voting attendance record in Congress.

I guess you do get the government you do elect. God help the City of Detroit.

Political thought for the day

2009-03-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to
public office." --Aesop