Sharing the Journey

An Awful Illustration of an Awesome Truth

2010-12-16T14:58:00.007-06:00

A video recently resurfaced that I saw a few years ago. It's about kids. Wish I could say that it is one of those cute kind of videos that makes you feel warm all over and that gets forwarded to everyone you know, but it's not. In fact, it's quite disturbing. I don't know who made the video. I like to think that they did some editing that didn't require the kids to do all that they are shown doing.

"So, is he going to ask us to watch it?" Yes, I am. In spite of some of the troubling scenes, this video is so marked by truth that I am going to ask you watch it now. You can do so by clicking here.

Now that you have seen it, I wonder how much of who we are and what we do is getting passed on to those young eyes and impressionable minds that follow us. But it's not just true of the negative examples. I'm thinking of:

Children who are already beginning to cherish the Bible
Children in whom servants hearts are being shaped
Children who will someday have families marked by love
Children who are learning that money is a servant, not a master
Children in whose hearts praise for God has become a natural expression
Children who will make an incredible difference in this world
Children who will be adults of compassion
Children who love Jesus

all because of what they are seeing in people like you.
They are watching. Let's show them something worth imitating.

The Reason for the Season

2010-12-10T08:25:00.005-06:00

I'm looking forward to leading a Christmas Eve candlelight service again this year, after a two year hiatus. I think this will be my eighth time. After this service was announced last week, I had so many people tell me how excited they are that "our" church will be having such a service. That has been my experience in other churches too. A lot of our members have had to go elsewhere to participate in what for them is a very meaningful time.

Churches of Christ have historically not been very supportive of religious holidays. The idea behind that was if the Bible doesn't tell us to celebrate them, then we shouldn't. But for many of us, our understanding of the Bible has evolved so that we see the value in such free-will offerings of praise. I just don't read anything in the Bible that would lead me to believe God will be upset with us because we, on our own, do some special things to celebrate the arrival of his son into our world.

It is interesting that Christians who are opposed to Christmas as a religious celebration find themselves unwilling partners with those humanist organizations who want to take Jesus out of Christmas, and out of our world altogether. It doesn't seem quite right to me that someone who belongs to Jesus would put up a Christmas tree, give gifts, maybe even say Merry Christmas to others, but then say, "Let's just leave Jesus out of all this." This might fall into the "what were we thinking" category.

So, over the next couple of weeks, I look forward to taking in all of the reminders of the arrival of Jesus into our world. I'll be drinking coffee from my "Jesus is the reason for the season" mugs that we received from some of our campus ministry students several years ago. I will be reading about the birth of Jesus and preaching from those texts. On Christmas Eve, I'll light a candle and join with others in singing, "Silent Night." And I hope those activities will help me grow in my adoration of the one of whom angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest!"

"Heaven," by Annie May Lewis

2010-12-03T09:15:00.001-06:00

Annie May Lewis was one of the most significant influences in my life. I got to know her initially through my work at Harding Graduate School of Religion in the early 80's, where she was the head librarian. Professors who taught us then, like Jack Lewis, Harold Hazelip and Carroll Osborne demanded that we study, but it was Annie May who taught us how. Later, I was blessed to preach at the White Station church in Memphis, where Dr. Jack was an elder and Annie May was a special encourager. It was an honor to serve as her preacher during that time.

Annie May went home to God in March of 2006. A couple of years before that, in February of 2004, she wrote an article for the White Station church bulletin. I came across it today and wanted to share it with you.

"Heaven," by Annie May Lewis

My first year in college my parents told me that I could join other students for a Thanksgiving bus trip to Washington, D.C. For a freshman with limited travel experience a trip to the nation's capital sounded like a dream come true. The week of the trip, my roommate, whose West Tennessee home was a short distance from mine, said, "My daddy is coming for me at Thanksgiving to take me home. Would you like to go with us?" The fascination of the Washington trip very quickly faded with the prospect of going home to spend Thanksgiving with Mama and Daddy.

I canceled the trip, packed my bag, and was on my way home. To make the event even more exciting, I didn't call home. I knocked at the door. Sixty-eight years later the memory of the initial shock, the open arms, and smiles are as vivid as today's events. What was the nation's capital in comparison with my small hometown? The White House couldn't hold a candle to that white frame house that was home to the two people I loved best in the world.

I have in recent years enjoyed the privilege of travel to distant lands, but I have discovered that whether the distance traveled is ten thousand miles or a hundred miles, whether the absence is nine months or a weekend, I am always eager to return home and inevitably say, "There's no place like home." Scripture uses the literary device, "How much more." So it will be with heaven. If my earthly home holds such affection, how much more will my home in heaven.

As Mama and Daddy made such loving preparation for the homecoming of each child, so Jesus is now preparing for my homecoming. There is so little about heaven that I know, but I do know that running up those front steps on that Thanksgiving morning is a foretaste of the joy that awaits me.

On occasion I return to my hometown for visits with cousins and close neighbors, but the people for whom I made those very frequent trips are no longer there. The house still stands and the memories are still there, but those who made the memories have already gone home. I look forward to an association with them that won't include any goodbyes.

Elizabeth Goudge in her novel, The Dean's Watch, has the dean say to the watchmaker, Isaac, who is afraid of dying, "We shall see many kindly faces. It is a house, remember, a friendly place." It is indeed that and much more. It is home.

Like a Shepherd Lead Us

2010-11-19T07:47:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow morning I will be spending three to four hours with our elders, doing some planning sorts of things. That's three to four hours; on a beautiful fall morning; on a Saturday.

Every Sunday afternoon our ministers meet with our elders at 3:30PM. The meetings usually last an hour and a half to two hours. On a Sunday afternoon. In between teaching, preaching and leading a small group. Do you realize how many ballgames have about 5 minutes to go when it is time for me to leave?

There are two amazing things about all of this. First, I really don't mind spending this time in these meetings. I don't exactly look forward to them--a meeting is a meeting, after all--but I like what we do and I enjoy my time with these people. There is a good spirit (or should that be Spirit) among our leaders, elders and ministers alike.

The other amazing thing to me is that they do it. This is a part of my job; Sunday is a work day for me, which is why I take Monday off. But not for them. At least some of them are working these and other activities into 40+ hour work weeks.

I think I have been involved with church leadership long enough to see a trend: Churches typically will reflect their leaders. When I think of those churches that have struggled a great deal, many of the problems they had could usually be traced back to leadership issues. I also have been a part of what I would consider to be awesome churches. In those churches, the dynamism began with the elders and flowed to the rest of the church.

When I was in the process of looking at churches where I might want to work, there was one determining factor that stood out above the rest. I would not go to a church where I felt the eldership was not the kind that I would want to follow. That was a non-negotiable for me. After a little over two years I can tell you that I am glad we are in Georgetown.

Our elders are not perfect (translation: they don't always do what I want them to do), but what I most appreciate about them is their willingness to continue to let God reshape them in their own faith and in their roles as church leaders. Maybe that is as close to perfection as any of us will ever get, to simply let God move us to the next step he wants us to take.

Paul wrote Timothy that "the elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor. . . " (1 Tim. 5:17). In most churches, including ours, I don't think we do that near as well as we should. Let's try to change that.

A Legacy of Faith

2010-11-12T10:41:00.006-06:00

Our Sunday morning Bible class will begin discussing a book that I am finding to be very challenging, in the best sense. It is Almost Christian, by Kenda Creasy Dean. I encourage you to click on the link, go inside and read the first pages. In addition to what you will find there, here is another quote from the book:

“The problem does not seem to be that churches are teaching young people badly, but that we are doing an exceedingly good job of teaching youth what we really believe: namely, that Christianity is not a big deal, that God requires little, and the church is a helpful social institution filled with nice people focused primarily on “folks like us”—which, of course, begs the question of whether we are really the church at all. . . . What if the blasé religiosity of most American teenagers is not the result of poor communication but the result of excellent communication of a watered-down gospel so devoid of God’s self-giving love in Jesus Christ, so immune to the sending love of the Holy Spirit that it might not be Christianity at all?"

Yeah, I know. A kick in the gut, huh. But I think she speaks truth. I've read about half of it already, and I think she has a message that we need to hear.

One of the things I like about this class is that it is made up of recent empty nesters; people in their late 40's to late 50's (and I think a few in their 60's, but I'm afraid to ask.) In other words, people who do not have kids at home, yet are reading a book about teenagers.

What is driving this for us is a desire to be an influence on those generations who are sharing the journey with us, both parents and the kids themselves. That's one of the things I really like about our church. We share the same passion as the Psalmist: "Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come" (Ps. 71:18).

Hmm, might be a couple of good assignments there for us this week:
First, to express appreciation to someone who blessed us in our own journey.
Second, to think about what those after us learning from us.

* * *

There is an interesting discussion going on in a blog called the Jesus Creed. Scot McKnight is one of the most well-respected evangelical influences in our country. He is not of the Church of Christ, but his book, "The Blue Parakeet" has been very influential in our fellowship. He taught at the Pepperdine Bible Lectures this past year and I very much enjoyed his lessons. Jeff and I got to visit with he and his wife Kris for a bit, although we mostly talked about places to eat in Austin and in Chicago, where they live.

This particular post is about the practice of a capella music in Churches of Christ. Be sure to read the comments. Interesting to see the perspective offered by those from the CofC. Maybe I'll come back to this at some point.

Words That Bless

2010-11-05T09:04:00.000-05:00

In spite of my reluctance to move into the 21st century technologically (cf. this post from the archives) I opened a Twitter account a few weeks ago. I really like it too, as it has provided access to both useful and entertaining information. Here's a tweet I received from Rick Atchley on Monday: "Got tons of positive feedback to services yesterday, and 1 really ugly email. Guess what I'm thinking about today? Satan is cunning."

That is so true, isn't it? I certainly feel it as a preacher, and I would imagine all of us do in some area of our lives. One negative criticism can offset a lot of praises and encouraging words. That doesn't seem quite fair. It's not that we don't need to give and receive criticism, but how and when that criticism is presented makes a great difference in the impact it makes upon us. Those factors also play a major role in whether that criticism is constructive or destructive.

This week, be aware of which side of this equation your words fall. As you interact with your family, church, the people in your workplace, be the one who will praise generously and criticize positively. Bless people with your words.

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

* * *

I nailed my World Series pick. Went 5 games, as I predicted, and I was only slightly off on the winning team. Actually, might have been a long ways off; the Giants were pretty impressive.

* * *

Did you notice the new look of the blog? I thought what I had before was hard to read so I decided to change it. I may do that quite often. Seems that a blog that is about sharing the journey ought to have new scenery from time to time. Change is good.

Hand Raisers of the World, Unite!

2010-10-29T10:24:00.003-05:00

This Sunday I’m preaching on the power of worship to transform the hearts and spirits of the worshipers. I’m not going to get into this too much in the sermon, but I have been thinking a lot about the phrase “comfort zone” that we sometimes hear in the context of worship. I wonder how much our experiences in worship have been hindered by a fear of doing something outside our comfort zone. Implied in that expression is that it’s not something wrong to do, it just makes me feel uncomfortable.

Raising our hands in worship is a good example. I don’t know of anyone who would say that the Bible teaches that to be wrong. If so, I would like to see that passage. But so many people either encourage others to not raise their hands, or don’t do it themselves solely because it is beyond their level of comfort. Why is that so? What is there about outwardly expressing our adoration to God by lifting our hands up to him or clapping that makes us feel uncomfortable?

Now it may be that this or some other outward expression just doesn’t do anything for someone, and that is fine. I would hope no one would ever feel pressure to do something that isn’t from their heart. But it saddens me that some people have a desire to express their hearts through an outward action, but don’t because they know there are people around them who would disapprove.

I have to confess I feel that sometime. There are times when I do feel self conscious about raising my hands or clapping because I know there are people who see me and probably react negatively. But most times, I don’t let that stop me. I would rather deal with that than to hold back in my praise to God. And maybe if more of us did that, those who are timid would be emboldened to let go of their inhibitions. I think that would be a very good thing.

R•E•S•C•U•E Rescue Aid Society

2010-10-22T07:22:00.004-05:00

In spite of my concern that television has taken over way too much of our lives, and has impacted our society in probably more negative ways than positive, I have to admit that I have watched some amazing things through this medium. I saw Neil Armstrong take that small step for man, giant leap for mankind. I was there, electronically, when the Berlin Wall was knocked down. I even got to see the Rangers take the Yankees in six then go on to win the world series, beating the Giants in five. (A little blog prophecy!)

This past week would definitely rank as one of the highlights of television coverage, when over a billion people watched as thirty-three men were pulled from what might have been their tomb some 2000 ft below the barren landscape of Chile. If I would have had the time, I would have watched the entire event. I would like to have watched every single time as that capsule broke through to the air, sunshine, open spaces, and, of course, the embrace of loved ones not seen in sixty-nine days.

From the four or five rescues I did see, it occurred to me that what we were watching each time was, a reenactment of the gospel. A lifeline descended into the bowels of the earth to bring those living in darkness into the light. And each rescue was celebrated as if it was the first; each one made the entire effort worthwhile. Isn’t that what happened to you and me? Isn’t that what Jesus did when he descended from heaven to earth, literally inside the earth, in order to lead us home to God? And every time that happens, there is a great celebration in heaven.

In the days ahead, I hope we learn more about those men who rode the rescue capsule down into the mine in order to bring others out. Who are these guys? What was it like for them to watch as the capsule slipped below the surface of the earth? Can they describe the feeling of looking the trapped miners in the eye once they found them?

The reason I want to know more about them is because I think we are kindred spirits. Not just me, but all of us who have accepted God’s call to be an influence for him in this world (which, by the way, is everyone who has already been rescued). We go into mines. We go into the dark and dangerous places of this world in order to point people to the sun; to the Son. At least, that’s what we have been asked to do.

Here’s what I hope we don’t do. Get dressed up in our rescue clothes and put on our rescue gear, make sure the batteries are strong in our light source. Read up on how to rescue people. Go to a meeting of other rescued people who have become rescuers. But never go into a mine. All the while, people living in darkness are still there, still in need of the light, the air, and the warmth of a compassionate hug.

Who around you, this day, needs you to go in after them?

* * *

Great to be blogging again. My plan is to have a new post each Friday. Hope you will share the journey with me.

Change is Good

2009-06-26T13:35:00.004-05:00

I've been using my TNIV (cf. May 21 & 28 posts) for my own time of personal Bible reading. I am surprised at how difficult it has been to get used to different wording. Even though the TNIV in most places reads the same as the NIV, there are enough passages that are worded differently to throw off my rhythm.

For example, yesterday I was reading the account of the demon-possessed man in Mk. 5. When the man saw Jesus, the NIV has him saying "Swear to God that you won't torture me;" the TNIV reads, "In God's name don't torture me!" It's not a significant change at all, but when you've spent 20 years reading the Bible almost exclusively from the same translation, it can be a little disorienting to hear even a few slight variances.

But I'm going to stay with it, not only because I think the TNIV is a better translation of God's word, but also because I believe much of my relationship with God is about change.

It's interesting to me how, in some circles, "change agent" is used pejoratively; "new" is viewed with suspicion. I remember some of the discussions a couple of decades ago about whether or not it was OK to sing new songs. (In spite of the fact that six times in Psalms we are told to "sing to the Lord a new song"!)

I don't like giving in to the uncomfortableness of change. If we, individually or as churches, had arrived, this would not be such an issue. But, at least in my case, I still have so much growing to do that, actually, I ought to be making major changes every day! Even then, I don't think I would ever get caught up.

I'm glad God accepts us with our imperfections, but I'm also glad he calls us to change in ways that will make us more like his son. I have heard this from several people (but I don't know where it originated, so I can't name the source) and I think it makes a good mantra for the Christian life: "God loves us just as we are, but he loves us too much to leave us there."

Please Pass the Bullhorn

2009-06-19T11:40:00.005-05:00

Here's something from the "Just When You Think It Can't Get Any Crazier" category.

It seems that E.A. Electronics has a new video game called "Dante's Inferno." I think Frogger may have been the last video game I played, so I'm not real up on this sort of thing, but as I understand it, the game requires the player to fight his or her way through various levels of hell, based loosely on Dante's "The Divine Comedy."

A couple of weeks ago a church group, upset by the marketing of hell, decided to picket E.A.'s headquarters. They marched around holding up signs like "Trade in your playstation for a praystation," and even gave out brochures. You can watch a video of their demonstration here.

But hold on. We're not to the crazy part yet, at least not the craziest. It turns out the protesters were fake. According to E.A. spokeswoman Holly Rockwood (hmmm), a marketing firm hired by E.A., who evidently subscribes to the "Negative publicity is better than no publicity" approach to marketing, hired people to masquarade as Christians.

So, now people can actually get paid to pretend to be Christians. Wonder what Dante would think of that?

More on Making Disciples

2009-06-11T18:27:00.006-05:00

I'm a big fan of Dan Kimball. He and I live in worlds that look something like what you might see in a rift in the space-time continuum (That's really different worlds for those of you who need a primer on Star Trek TNG terminology), but what I have read and heard from him rings true to me. His book and video series "They Like Jesus But Not the Church" is eye opening. He addresses the dilemma we face in reaching a post-modern world, but he does so as one of us and as one who is convinced that the gospel is relevant to every age and culture.

A few months ago he shared some of his observations about the missional church that I think relate to what I wrote in my last blog. Here's an excerpt: Another outspoken advocate of the house church model sees it as more missional and congruent with the early church. But his church has the same problem. After fifteen years it hasn't multiplied. It's a wonderful community that serves the homeless, but there's no evidence of non-Christians beginning to follow Jesus.

You can read the full article here.

Kimball isn't knocking house churches, and neither would I. I think they provide a positive way to live in Christian community that works well for a lot of people. But no matter what type of faith community we are in, it still comes down to making disciples.

Show and Tell

2009-06-04T14:06:00.005-05:00

Since that lady sued McDonald's a few years ago because she burned her leg with spilled coffee, it sure has become hard to get a hot cup of coffee. Yesterday I had a cup while meeting someone at Starbucks. It started off on the low end of hot and was lukewarm with about 3/4 of the cup to go. I asked the barista to heat it up. Looking confused, she said, "I guess I could put it in the convection oven." They don't even have a microwave! So I drank lukewarm coffee.

* * *

I've been thinking lately about what we refer to as The Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20):

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (TNIV)

Because of the context of Jesus' words--right before his ascension--and because he prefaces his remarks by calling upon his authority, there does seem to be something significant going on here. THE Great Commission seems to fit. I feel comfortable interpreting this as the marching orders for the church. This is what Jesus wants his people to do; go and make disciples.

I don't hear this language very much; I certainly don't use it much. We tend to talk of our churches (whether large institutional ones or newly planted house churches) in terms of "sharing the love of Jesus" or "helping others find God" or "serving people in the name of Jesus" or "Lifting up Jesus." Those are all good things to do, but the language Jesus uses makes me think those should be means of accomplishing the task of making disciples.

If our goal or the mission of our Christian community is to do something like "Lift Up Jesus," could we be aiming at something that is short of what Jesus asks? Lifting up Jesus is a crucial and mandatory component in making disciples, but people can see Jesus and not necessarily follow that up with "See, here is water..." Perhaps we at times are over-responding to those attempts to get people into the water without first lifting up Jesus, but I wonder if we are substituting the means for the end.

Twenty-five years after reading Michael Green's "Evangelism in the Early Church," I am still struck by these words he wrote (p. 194): "Christianity is enshrined in the life; but it is proclaimed by the lips. If there is a failure in either respect the gospel cannot be communicated."

More on the TNIV

2009-05-28T10:34:00.006-05:00

I appreciate the comments from the last post. (Craig, good to connect with an "old" college chum again.) Would love to hear even more comments.

The first anonymous commenter raised a couple of valid concerns. Would such a switch be a threat to male servant/leadership? Would it be brought on because of an unhealthy acquiescence to culture? Those are both legitimate questions to raise. I don't think I am motivated by either, but I appreciate the reminder. (BTW: June 6 I will begin a series of lessons about living Christian lives in our culture. For those not around, it will be available online here. Just don't listen while driving or operating heavy equipment.)

I see two strong reasons to begin using the TNIV in my preaching. I already mentioned one in the last post. I don't want to place an obstacle to the hearing of the gospel before anyone, especially those who might not have heard it before. The other reason has to do with accuracy.

Here's an example from the text I will use this Sunday, Mt. 6:14,15.

NIV: For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

TNIV: For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

The word translated as "men" in the NIV and "others" in the TNIV is anthropos. The standard Greek Lexicon (BDAG) lists as the first usage: "a person of either sex... a human being." In the language of our day, "men" has come to communicate something to a lot of people that doesn't accurately reflect what Jesus said.

So I guess the question for me is this: IF there is a translation that is more accurate than the one I have used the last 30 years and IF that translation will present the gospel in our time in ways that are less offensive and more likely to be heard, why wouldn't I switch?

Thinking About a Change

2009-05-21T14:46:00.007-05:00

I saw a great bumper sticker on a lady's car in Austin: "Don't make me bring out the flying monkeys." I laughed out loud!

* * * * *

I have two identical Bibles (NIV) that I use for my own reading and for preaching. Both are just about worn out. The first few chapters of Genesis are falling out of one and the last few pages of the concordance out of the other. Does the latter qualify as "taking away"?

Since I am going to have to buy a new Bible, I am thinking about switching translations. For several years I have occasionally used the Today's New International Version (TNIV); I am thinking about making that my "go to" Bible. Even though much of the wording is the same as the NIV, it's still not an easy thing to do. I have been using the NIV since switching from the NASB in about 1975. Here's why I'm thinking about making the switch.

When I preach and publicly read scripture, I am concerned about those listeners who might not be Christians. I have been especially concerned for several years about what women hear. Now, before we go any further, let me say that I do not believe the message of the Bible should be watered down for any of us. The gospel is offensive at times, and that offense, when it is from God, needs to stand. But that offense needs to come from the gospel itself, not from our presentation of it or even our human translations of divine scripture.

The TNIV, when possible, uses gender inclusive language. They do not call God "she" or anything like that, but they do frequently translate passages so that they are not speaking just to men. Here is an example from a text I will use this Sunday, Mk. 8:34

NIV: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
TNIV: "Those who would be my disciples must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

You can read more about this translation at www.tniv.com. The specific section that address gender inclusive language is here. It's very informative, brief and easy to understand. The overview on translating the Bible is also very good. Click here.

I would like to hear from some of you, especially, but not exclusively, from women . Is this an issue for you? Do you think it will be for your daughters and granddaughters? As I said, I'm also concerned about non-Christians. Should we expect them to look past male dominated language?

My mind isn't made up on this switch, so I really do welcome your input. I would suggest you read the above link first, just to better understand the translators' thinking.

It really is amazing that we have inspired documents that were written over two millennia ago, to a culture that was radically different than our own, yet it speaks a relevant word from God today, not just to us, but to people all over the world. I'm thankful that we have access to it.

Back in the Groove

2009-05-19T15:32:00.005-05:00

My one week hiatus from blogging while at Pepperdine turned out to be a little longer. I came down with the flu the Monday after we got back. Not swine, just the common garden variety, but it kept me down most of last week. I'm finally getting caught up.

Speaking of Pepperdine, go to your calendar right now and mark May 4-7, 2010. Those are the dates for next year. It is such an enriching event, and in such a beautiful location; you really ought to consider going next year. It's cheap too. Airfare to L.A. is usually reasonable (cost us $140 non-stop from Austin!), and the cost to stay on campus is inexpensive too. To get an idea of what went on this year, you can click here.

I am always blessed at Pepperdine by the speakers, classes, times of worship, and visiting with old friends, but what I think I enjoy most is just being with kindred spirits. There are no "they's" at Pepperdine, or if they are there, they don't draw much attention to themselves. You know, "they" might not like it; "they" might be offended; "they" can't worship if some else raises their hands. I love the "they's" but, honestly, it's nice to have a break from them every now and then.

Belinda and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary the opening night of the lectures. We spent it in separate rooms on campus! Yes, it's come to that. Actually, we went out early and spent a few days in the Central Coast area (San Luis Obispo). BTW: I've already called dibs on Hearst Castle for my mansion over the hilltop! If you're nice to me, I might let you stay in one of the guest houses.

I'm blessed to have married "above" myself. I keep over my desk a picture, several pictures actually, of times and places Belinda and I have shared, with the words from a Michael Card song, "There is a joy in the journey." Our 30 years have not been without challenges, but every year has been better than the one before. I think it all comes from the fact that we too are kindred spirits in the Lord. If 30 years qualifies me to give advice it would be this: Walk together in the Lord and everything else will come together.

Nicholas Winton

2009-05-03T05:51:00.002-05:00

We are minutes from leaving for the airport. Off to the Pepperdine Lectures.

Since I won't be able to write anything next week, I wanted to get in a quick note about Nicholas Winton, the subject of the video I mentioned in my last post.

I think the most remarkable thing about this guy is that for 50 years, he never told anyone about what he had done. His wife didn't even know the story until she came across a scrapbook of letters and records about the 669 Jewish children who had been rescued.

You can see a video about Winton here.

More later.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

2009-04-23T14:13:00.006-05:00

This past Tuesday was Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. I am proud of our church for hosting a commemoration of that day sponsored by the Georgetown Ministerial Alliance and Havurah Shalom, a local Jewish congregation. A little over 450 people from our community attended.

We viewed the film, "Nicholas Winton: The Power of Good," an award-winning documentary that describes how Winton, a Christian from London, led an effort to rescue 669 Jewish children from Czechoslovakia at the advent of WWII. Winton has been described as a British "Schindler." The story was both touching and inspiring.

Following the movie a local resident who was rescued from Hungary as a child told her story. I believe she was 2 years old when she was smuggled into a convent. She was reunited with her mother after the war ended 4 years later. She had no other relatives survive. All were killed during the Holocaust.

I want to write more about the experience in another post, but for now I have to admit it was a little disorienting to see a Jewish woman standing in a Church of Christ pulpit! I wonder how many of the people there knew how unlikely a scene that was. But no one seemed to mind. In fact, our willingness to host such an event was welcomed by our members who attended and made a positive impression on others who were there.

But I can see how it might be troubling to some. How could we parnter with people who don't believe Jesus is the Son of God? Isn't that a dangerous compromise? Obviously, to me, it was not.

I do indeed believe that Jesus is the only way to God. For that reason, I do not consider those who have rejected Jesus to be saved. I don't mean to sound judgmental; I'm just saying what I believe the Bible teaches to be true. I'm perfectly content to leave the judging part to God. But even though I don't feel a spiritual connection, I do think I can still be nice. In fact, it makes sense to me that we are more likely to be a positive influence upon others if we treat them with respect, honor and love.

Honestly, did the "you think you are the only ones going to heaven" spirit really serve us very well?

The Economy For Dummies

2009-04-20T08:29:00.002-05:00

Sorry to not have written much lately. My limited gray matter has been tied up in other areas.

* * *

I was so disappointed that Kenny Perry didn't win the Masters last week, but so proud of how he played for 70 holes and especially how he handled himself.

I got to play a round of golf with Kenny several years ago, before he won his first tournament. I was the campus minister at Western Kentucky Univ.; Kenny was, and still is, a member of one of our supporting congregations. I like to think that my playing with him had something to do with his later success on the PGA tour. Something along the lines of "I better work hard or I could end up playing like this guy."

* * *

A friend sent me the following explanation for the shape of our economy. Now I get it!

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).

Word gets around about Heidi's drink now pay later marketing strategy and as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar and soon she has the largest sale volume for any bar in Detroit. By providing her customers' freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on security markets worldwide. Naive investors don't really understand the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics. Nevertheless, their prices continuously climb, and the securities become the top-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses who collect enormous fees on their sales, pay extravagant bonuses to their sales force, and who in turn purchase exotic sports cars and multimillion dollar condominiums.

One day, although the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the bank (subsequently fired due to his negativity), decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Therefore, Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy. DRINKBOND and ALKIBOND drop in price by 90 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %. The decreased bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans.

The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment extensions and having invested in the securities are faced with writing off her debt and losing over 80% on her bonds. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 50 workers. The bank and brokerage houses are saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock negotiations by leaders from both political parties. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by a tax levied on employed middle-class non-drinkers.

Great Cloud of Witnesses

2009-04-03T15:37:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Belinda and I attended a performance of Secret Garden by a local middle school. It was very well done, but the main reason we went wasn't to see the play. It was because Jeremy, a friend of ours, was one of the performers. He did a great job.

One of the nice things about the evening was seeing several "older" friends (i.e. older than us!) who also came to watch him perform. I think the presence of those of us from a couple of generations removed from Jeremy will have a bigger impact on his life than he probably realizes right now. You see, after the performance was over, you would have thought Jeremy had just won an Oscar by the way we carried on. Our praise of him was sincere, but I'm sure he thought we made a much bigger deal of it than a middle school play deserved. It wouldn't surprise me if we even embarrassed him a little, but I also bet deep down he very much enjoyed getting such recognition.

What a blessing it is for all of us, but especially young people, to have "fans;" people who support them, cheer for them, tell them they did ok even when they really didn't. It's a good thing for Moms and Dads to do that, but it's also a blessing when others can cheer on and praise kids not their own. When we believe in them it makes is so much easier for them to believe in themselves.

As I think about my own life, I remember older people at church (actually they were younger than I am now!) who always had an encouraging word for me, even when I didn't want to hear it. At the time, I viewed those people as something of a nuisance. Later, however, after I decided to return home to God after being off in a far country, I always felt that they had contributed in some way to my homecoming. Using the imagery from Hebrews 12, I had my very own cloud of witnesses.

It's nice to know that we can impact people from younger generations in ways that may very well shape their futures. It doesn't require some major effort or ability. It's mostly a matter of just giving them positive attention. Be warned, they make look at you like you're some kind of nut when you say something really out there, like, "Hey, I'm glad to see you today." But don't give up. The contribution you are making will likely make more of an impact than you will ever know.

Emotion in Worship Revisited

2009-03-27T08:43:00.004-05:00

There was a thoughtful comment on the post I made about emotion in worship. Since most readers have already read that post and are unlikely to see subsequent comments, I thought I would post it and my response here. I think the anonymous reader (I don't mind comments being anonymous as long as they are in a good spirit) raises a concern shared by a lot of people.

The comment: You said: "I know it is possible for us to be worshiping with our hearts while being outwardly reserved, but why would we want to?"

For some of us clapping, raising of hands, people shouting out is very disruptive to our worship...and there are times when it appears there is no awe or reverence for the Holy God. If you will watch those who may be worshiping in a more reserved manner, you may see tears...of joy, of remembrance, of thanks. There are many songs that I sing through my tears. There are times a message or prayer brings tears.

People are different, and when the atmosphere resembles a football game, I find worship difficult. Outward expressions may not be worship...they may just mean you've been caught up in a frenzy of emotion.

For people whose personalities fit a more expressive style, I understand, and I guve you that freedom...but, please, allow me to worship in my more reserved way without judging.

My response: In asking the question, I don't mean to sound judgmental. The purpose is to make the point that it is a good thing to express outwardly what we feel inwardly.

Using the example from the comment, aren't tears an outward expression of our heart? ( I listed tears as an example in the original post.) It would be a shame if someone felt that he or she should squelch that expression for some reason. I think that same principle can be carried out to other expressions of emotion as well.

It is possible for people to express joy and other emotions without their hearts being in it. It's also possible for people to sing without their hearts being it, or even to sit and not sing, but their hearts be fully engaged. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt. I don't want to assume someone who is outwardly non-expressive isn't worshiping. I didn't mean to give that impression.

It works the other way too. I shouldn't assume that someone who is outwardly expressive is caught up in a frenzy of emotion. It may very well be that their action is not an absence of reverence and awe, but is prompted by reverence and awe. Reverence does not mean quiet; it means being aware of the presence of God.

Quite a challenge.

The Breakfast Song

2009-03-24T11:06:00.004-05:00

Speaking of worship, this may bring tears to your eyes, but not for the right reason! I wonder if there is an a capella version of this song? Let's hope not.

See how long you can watch it. I only made it to about 4 minutes. Although I have been humming it all day.

Reclaiming Emotion in Worship

2009-03-17T13:10:00.006-05:00

I saw a performance by the BYU combined choruses several years ago on PBS and was so moved by it. I'm glad the climax of that performance has recently resurfaced on YouTube. It is an absolutely overpowering rendition of a classic Christian hymn. You will be moved when you watch this.

Pay special attention to a young lady who first appears about 5:15 into the video. It's a shame the resolution of the video is not sufficient for you to clearly make out the tears running down her cheek. Her heartfelt response to what she is singing adds so much to the experience. I want to stand next to her in the heavenly choir!

I actually learned how to imbed a video this week--it's amazing what reading the directions will do--, but I think this one is a little better directly from the YouTube site. Click here to watch it. After you experience the video, you might be interested in some thoughts I have below.

* * * * *

This past Sunday, as part of a series on worship, I preached on the importance of celebration in our worship assemblies. I think it was just in time. One of our members told me a few weeks ago that her 5 year old granddaughter said to her, "You're church is quiet, Grandma. It's good for old people." Too sad to be funny.

I'm thankful for the blessings we have inherited from past generations of Christians. In so many ways we drink from wells we did not dig. But this is one area where I wish we could go back and start over.

The focus of the sermon was that the celebration of what God has done, especially through Jesus, is at the heart of Christian worship. That's why I'm such a proponent of those outward expressions-tears, smiles, hands lifted, clapping, being on our knees. Worshipers have been physically demonstrative for thousands of years in their adoration of God and how he has worked. What a loss it was for so many churches to feel like expressions of the heart should be squelched.

I know it is possible for us to be worshiping with our hearts while being outwardly reserved, but why would we want to? As I said on Sunday, why would we deprive God of the full expression of our gratitude? It would be like someone showing up at my door to share that I won the $10 million prize, only for me to reservedly thank him as I close the door. I guess it's true that we can't experience that level of sensation every time we worship, but surely we can some of the time.

I'm so thankful that throughout our fellowship as well as among other groups of disciples, people have begun to reclaim what we never should have abandoned. Like David said to someone in 2 Sam. 6 who tried to squelch his joy, "...I will celebrate before the Lord!"

A New World

2009-03-10T11:20:00.008-05:00

I enjoyed listening to Dvorak's New World Symphony yesterday. One of my favorites, it was written in 1893, during the Czechoslovakian composer's trip to America. It is amazing how the music captures what I perceive as the essence of discovery, especially in view of the American adventure. You can view a video of the 4th movement here. I liked that President Obama chose a movement from this symphony for his inauguration. It is indeed a new world.

Later in the same day, I read a report in USAToday on the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). You can read the article here. Based on the finding that 15% of Americans claim no religion, compared to 8% in 1990, it looks like religion is losing ground. It is indeed a new world.

As I read the ARIS report, I wasn't as concerned as you might think. In fact, I see a positive side to what seems to be happening on the religious landscape. I am concerned that fewer people seem to claim Jesus as the way to God, but I wonder if religion, as we know it, doesn't contribute to that problem. I have felt for a long time that religion more often than not gets in the way of people knowing God. That's why I want to be a Christian, not religious.

I see a parrallel between what is happening in our economy and what the ARIS results indicate is happeing spiritually. In a lot of areas of life, sometimes things get so askew, so far off course, that there has to be major changes to get us back where we ought to be. In the case of the economy, there were a lot of bad practices that had to be eliminated. That process is very painful for our entire world, but I am hopeful that we are going to be the better for it in the long run.

I can see how the same thing might be going on spiritually. There are a lot of reasons why a church might fail, but ultimately they are no longer able to connect people with God. If they aren't doing that and are unable to make the changes required to do so, why should they continue to exist? Is such a church not salt that has lost its saltiness?

Perhaps we are seeing something of a process of natural selection. The strong survive, or in this case, maybe it's the relevant that survive, those who are able to successfully live between two worlds, bridging the gap between God and people. Last year I heard Leonard Sweet describe our age in terms of the rebooting of a computer. Perhaps God is shutting down some programs that are hinding the work of his kingdom.

I am curious to see what this new world will look like a couple of generations down the road. I suspect those who say that "church" as we know it is going to be radically different are probably right, although I am confident that the kingdom of God is going to continue to advance.

In the meantime, I'm not wringing my hands much about the changes going on around us. I take it as a wake-up call. I just want to be part of one of those groups of disciples who are pointing people to God. If there are traditions, agendas, methodologies, etc. that are hindering his work, I hope we will change before it is too late.

Traditional Innovation/Innovative Tradition

2009-03-02T07:41:00.010-06:00

My son, Jeff, and I went to a University of Texas baseball game over the weekend. (I'm not really a UT fan. I don't dislike them, but my college sports loyalties lie with other schools.) The campus is only 25 minutes from our house and it was a sunny day in the eighties, so we decided to watch them play Penn State on Friday afternoon.

We had a nice time. Texas has a great facility and an excellent team. They're ranked #4 in the Baseball America poll. I think what impressed me most was the precise coordination of their pregame routine. There were balls flying all over the field, but everybody knew where they were supposed to be and when, so no one took a ball off the noggin.

Besides all that, there was something else that impressed me. They, and I think other top level teams, have an interesting blend of tradition and drive. It serves them well.

It's typical of schools to have slogans, mascots, cheers and other practices that have been around so long that they become a part of that school's identity. At UT, one such tradition is the singing of "The Eyes of Texas are Upon You" while everyone raises their right hands with the "Hook 'em Horns" sign.

They sang it twice. The first time was right after the national anthem. (I'm glad it was in that order!) The second time was after the game. We didn't know they would sing it then. We were already on our way out and just kept going. I figured it would give us a jump on traffic. It did feel a little sacrilegious though, kind of like walking out of church during the invitation song.

But I have the impression the goal of the school is not to maintain the tradition; it is to succeed at whatever they do. So they work hard to stay apprised of innovations that will help them. If you visit the training facilities, offices, and video recording rooms of major universities, you will find the latest and best technology. During the off season, their coaches will be exploring how they can do things better. In the case of the UT baseball team, they are not resting on the laurels of six national championships, but are dedicated to winning the next one.

It seems to me that a lot of churches and other organizations have trouble striking that balance. Some of us are prone to living in the past. Although we might not say it out loud, we don't want to do anything that might somehow lessen the value we place on where we have been. We'll sacrifice the future in an attempt to preserve the past. Others of us are continually grasping for the new and exciting. We are so bent on moving forward that we lose out on the strength and wisdom that comes from knowing where we have been.

Not surprisingly, Jesus struck the perfect balance. In his own life, he had the end goal in mind, but he knew who he was and where he had come from. He challenged his followers to see themselves in light of the long history of God's people, but also to be new wineskins. For Jesus, the present was always lived in the context of the past and the future.

I have observed that those churches who appear to be making an impact, whether they be large institutional churches or small house churches, have a pretty good grasp on this. They have roots that run deep in the history of God's people, even if they are new churches, but aren't afraid to send new branches out in areas where there are opportunities for growth. I hope more of us will find that balance.

Poor Me

2009-02-21T21:31:00.007-06:00

Don't you just hate it when someone says or does something so admirable that it makes your own bad attitude or action seem that much worse? Ian Thiermann did that for me this past week.

Did you hear about Ian? He works 30 hours a week as a greeter at a grocery store making $10/hr. Not bad for a high school kid, but Ian is a long way past that. In fact, he is 90 years old! Recently he lost all of his life savings, $700,000, in the Bernie Madoff (or is it "made off"?) travesty.

Ian's attitude is just remarkable. You can see an interview with him here. There is not even a hint of bitterness or "poor me." The guy is just thankful to have the job he has and is committed to being the best grocery store greeter in town. If I lived in that area, I would frequent that store as often as I could just to be around Ian. In doing so, I would hope that some of his attitude would rub off on me.

Isn't it amazing how easy it is to feel sorry for ourselves when things don't go the way we want them to go. That negative energy doesn't serve us very well. Besides robbing us of the joy of life, it also hinders our ability to move in positive directions. Our mental disposition has more of an impact than we might realize.

Ian Thiermann inspires me to do a little soul searching this week. I think I am something of a 'glass half empty' kind of guy. I wonder if I can change some of that.

Probably not. It's not my fault. If only other people...

Hmm. Looks like this is going to be a challenge. Maybe I should watch the video again.

Those Who Stand Beside Us

2009-02-17T12:50:00.013-06:00

I wanted to show this video this past Sunday as part of a sermon I preached on elders, but there wasn't time. Sorry, but I still can't figure out how to embed a video, so you'll have to click here. It's not very good quality, but I think you'll be able to follow it. Once you've watched, come back and I'll share a few observations. BTW: Feel free to forward this to an elder or two that you know.

Now that you've watched the video, here are a few thoughts:

The singer is Natalie Gilbert, who won a local talent search for the chance to sing that night. I can understand being so nervous in that setting that she would forget the lyrics. The fact that Natalie had been sick that week and was running a high fever makes me want to be even more gracious to her. The coach who came to her aid is Maurice "Mo" Cheeks, an NBA legend who as a player had a reputation for being a decent guy. No doubt this was the best assist of his career.

I see such a powerful parallel between what Mo did that night with what shepherds are to do in the church. One of my favorite references to elders in the New Testament is in Rev. 5:1-5. John was distraught to the point of tears ("I wept and wept" v4) because no one was found worthy to open the scroll that he saw in his vision. But then an elder comes along side John and points him to Jesus. I can think of no better description of the role and value of any elder than that.

That's something of what Coach Cheeks did. He saw someone who was having a rough time and he went along side her and did what he could to help. Later he said, "As I saw her stumble on the words, she looked helpless, and I just started walking. I had no idea what I was going to do, what I was going to say. But as I approached her, I just wanted to help her, and I didn't know if I even knew the words."

Did you notice Natalie looking off to the side after she faltered? In a later interview she said she was looking for her father, but was unable to see him. In that moment of panic, she might not have clearly seen her father, but thankfully, someone else was there to help. And just like her father, he was concerned about her and wanted to see her do better than she was at that particular moment.

Don't you think that is what we most need from our spiritual leaders? It may not be all we need, but it is what we most need. It ought to be the highest priority, the one thing that won't be neglected. We need those who will come to our aid spiritually and help out, even when they don't know what to say or do. You know, Mo was a pretty lousy singer, but just his presence and concern helped Natalie turn a defeat into an inspiring victory. Did you also notice how others joined in the chorus? Even players and coaches who have heard the national anthem thousands of times and probably normally tune it out were singing right along with Natalie and Mo.

I hope you are blessed with spiritual leaders who have figured out a way to keep the lesser demands from overpowering the most important ones. I hope they are by your side, pointing you to Jesus. The next time you see one like that, pat him on the rear end and say, "Nice assist." Or maybe you can just send a card.

Declining Churches: Why Are We Surprised?

2009-02-12T06:06:00.013-06:00

I was saddened by the recent article in Christian Chronicle about the decline in Churches of Christ. (You can register at www.christianchronicle.org and view it online. The article probably will be available without registering at some point, but is not at this writing.)

What saddens me is not the decline, although it does to some extent, but that is no surprise. Anyone who is very involved at all in our fellowship has to have known this for years. What bothered me the most were the comments by some of the people who were interviewed. For example, a preacher from Houston described visiting churches where there were few or no children, which is a good indication that a church is on the ropes. His comment: "This should be a wake-up call...to share our faith more actively."

Isn't that a lot like telling people on the Titanic to row faster? The problem I humbly observe with so many Churches of Christ is not a lack of desire to share their faith. I don't mean to sound judgmental, but in my opinion the problem is that their version of the faith is not worth sharing. In so many Churches of Christ there is a fundamental flaw that makes those churches unsustainable.

Having grown up in small rural churches (sometimes rural in mindset even though they were located in cities), I can look back and see that flaw. Before I share my perspective on it, I first want to say that I was blessed to be surrounded by some of the most wonderful people in the world during those years. Seeds were planted in me that later would make an invaluable contribution to my life. But all of those churches fit the category of being in decline. They all are just rowing along, not so merrily. Some are listing so badly that you wonder how much longer they will stay afloat.

The flaw in my spiritual heritage was a misplaced center of faith. We believed that the way to have access to God was through a correct understanding of the Bible. What many churches have thankfully come to see is that the way to have access to God is through a relationship with Jesus. The Bible is a means to that end, not the end itself. Besides being theologically incorrect, one of the reasons I see such an approach as being unsustainable is that it robs the Bible of its purpose and power. I'll give you an example.

I remember enough from those years to recall that the majority of sermons I heard were on doctrinal issues. That makes sense, because if the way we get to God is through correct understanding of Scripture, we need to address the misunderstandings that are out there. So I knew a lot about what the Bible had to say about doctrinal issues. (I no longer agree with a lot of those teachings, but that's another post.) The problem was that when it came time for me to decide what kind of person I was going to be and whether or not God was going to be a factor in those decisions, knowing what the Bible said about baptism, or instrumental music, or a long list of other matters that made up the typical repertoire of sermons had absolutely no impact. I failed miserably, in part because the faith that had been instilled in me didn't do what I needed it to do. It couldn't. So, it's no wonder that such churches are in decline. Who wants a faith like that?

I don't want to give the impression that I think those churches were and are devoid of the presence of God. I can see where you might think that. In my mind, I see it as a journey. Sometimes we got off course and are not traveling in the direction God would have us go. It's not that we're rebelliously running away, we're just off course. Map readers like Ruell Lemmons, Rubel Shelley, and many others helped point this out. Other map readers like Jim Woodroof and Max Lucado helped us get reoriented. A lot of us chose to make course corrections, some of us did not.

So I hope that a lot of those churches that are in decline will find a better solution than "We need to try harder." I'm not anticipating it, but I hope they will look deeper than that and see where they might have veered off course. I also hope that the rest of us are not through making course corrections. I suspect those are going to be required until the journey is over. Perhaps the verse I share in the heading of this blog from Ps. 85 will help us.

Revisiting the "Feminine" Aspect of God

2009-02-09T06:35:00.005-06:00

Based on the thoughts shared in the previous post, I suppose a question that arises is whether or not it is ok to refer to God in feminine terms. Can we pray to Our Mother, who art in heaven...? Should we broaden our references to God by using feminine pronouns like "she" and "her"?

I'm not informed enough about that discussion (and I think it is likely that there is such a discussion somewhere) to outright reject the notion, although I think it would be a tough sell for me personally. I base my prejudgment on the language of the Bible, where God, to the best of my knowledge, is always referred to with masculine names, pronouns and designations. There were female deities throughout the world during both Old and New Testament periods, so it's not like the concept was unavailable. God chose to limit the revelation of himself to masculine language, so I feel that is the language I should use.

What I get from the ideas shared in the earlier post is not that God is male nor female; he is neither. Instead, I see in God all of the best qualities that we usually associate with both genders. God is nurturing, caring, motherly; he is also protective, providing, fatherly. Even more reasons to be in awe of God and to be drawn to him.

BTW: I looked at the lyrics to James Browns "It's A Man's World." That's really a stupid song. But I guess we weren't exactly drawn to James because of his intellectually stimulating messages, now were we?

The "Feminine" Aspect of God

2009-02-04T20:50:00.007-06:00

Here are a couple of interesting links that I recently saw on some friends' websites. The first one is from Lara Noah's blog. This was her post for the quarter. (C'mon Lara, do more writing in ALL that spare time you have.) Lara actually has the YouTube video on her blog, but the best I could do was provide it in the form of this link. It is a preview from a Nooma video titled "She." I have not seen the entire video but would like to.

For those of you not familiar with Nooma, it is a series of thought provoking videos by Rob Bell, a thoroughly postmodern (in the best sense of the word) pastor/theologian. I'm not sure if he is more watched by those who love him or those who think he is a heretic. Personally, I benefit from hearing his perspectives.

Along the same lines of Bell's video, here is another link to the idea of God portrayed as an African/American female by William Young in his very popular book, The Shack. This link is to John Mark Hicks' blog: click here.

New Wine, Old Wineskins

2009-02-02T06:58:00.012-06:00

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins." -Mk. 2:21-22

I wonder how much wine has been wasted over the years by trying to pour it into old wineskins. You see it on a lot of levels. A woman moves into a new marriage because the old one didn't work, only to discover that she brings the same set of problems to the new marriage that contributed to the failure of the old one. A man swears he'll never dance with the devil again, but he sets down to the same computer, in the same isolated room, with the same void in his heart. New wine, old wineskins.

These words of Jesus have been on my mind a lot lately. I have been part of a group of people who have been discussing worship renewal. I'm pleased with how our discussions have evolved; I think it has been a work of the Spirit. A lot of us went into that discussion thinking mostly in terms of the form of worship, the mechanics. Where we ended up was with the realization that the heart of the matter is, well, the heart. A church's worship could be led every week by Zoe, and even throw in Mike Cope for good measure (preaching of course, not singing the classics), but that worship won't connect with God without hearts that are tuned in to him. New wine, old wineskins.

I am wondering what that means practically, especially in the context of a church. Should we just dissolve all churches and start over? Should we leave to themselves those who are locked in to old traditions, old and sometimes mistaken interpretations of what worship ought to look like, old wineskins? That has been the approach of a lot of people, and I think it has been good. I'm thankful for those who have the heart to plant new churches or to even find new expressions of God's kingdom in non-traditional ways.

It's noteworthy to me, however, that Jesus didn't just throw away all of the old wineskins, he remade many of them. He freed them from the ignorance or spiritual tyranny or sin that otherwise would have left them unable to receive what God offered. Considering how many of us have once looked a lot like old wineskins in some area of our lives, I think that is very encouraging. Hearts can be made receptive to the new wine.

For a lot of us, I think this is where our calling is, to help people invite God to remake their hearts. Sometimes we might wish it wasn't so. I confess there is a part of me that likes the idea of starting afresh, and that time might come, but I think some of us have actually become experts on the process of turning old wineskins into new. Not because we are so bright or spiritual that we have figured it out. It is because we have experienced it to such a high degree in our own lives.

I don't want to waste another drop of God's sweet wine, so I'm praying that he will help us see how we might facilitate changed hearts. This is his area of expertise so we need to be solidly convinced that he is the one who will make it happen, but I think it is true that he wants to use us in that process somehow.

What can be done to an old heart like mine? Soften it up, with oil and wine. The oil is you, your Spirit of love. Please wash me anew in the wine of your blood. -Keith Green

XLIII

2009-02-01T14:35:00.003-06:00

Busy day today, but I at least wanted to log in quickly and post my Super Bowl prediction. I thought about waiting until tomorrow to make my prediction, but I was afraid 1 or 2 of you might catch on.

Cardinals by 10!

You can bank on it. Of course, you know the condition of most banks today...

Intervention

2009-01-28T16:20:00.007-06:00

I wonder how many more reality show angles are possible. I've never been much of a fan of that particular genre. I tried to get into Survivor, but it didn't do much for me, although I do like Survivor Man. Even that show is losing its appeal, as is its counterpart Man vs. Wild. There are only so many times you can really get into watching a man eat a frog or swim through an icy river or drink water squeezed from cow dung.

Every now and then when I'm channel surfing I will come across a reality show with an intervention theme. If you're not familiar with those shows, you probably at least know the concept. Someone is ruining his or her life, usually because of an addiction, and the cameras follow the person and loved ones as they go through the process of an intervention. I wonder how sincere it all can be when it happens before a TV camera. (A friend and I once tried something of an intervention with another friend who was struggling with anger. It didn't go well. He got angry.)

I was thinking the other day of the interventions I have been through on the other end, as the one on the receiving end of the intervention. Would that make me the interventee? It's actually happened quite a bit.

At one point, although I wasn't a bad husband compared to a lot of others, I was on a path that would have led me to miss out on the real joy of marriage. I was becoming increasingly distant and withdrawn.

Another time I was on a course that would have led me to treat Jesus as if he were little more than a fire insurance policy for the afterlife. I knew I didn't want to go to hell and he was my ticket out, but that was about all I really wanted from him.

In fact, there was another time where I didn't even want that. Talk about self destructive behavior. Actually, it was self-centered behavior, and that was the problem. God had been moved to the periphery, and barely there.

I'm thankful that I have experienced intervention in all of these situations, and so many more. I'm glad that the One doing the intervening cared enough that he wouldn't be deterred. I'm also thankful for how he stayed right beside me and led me to a much better place. And most of all, I'm thankful that he provided the resources for me to change where it's most needed, in my heart.

I wonder if any of this was captured on film?

Big Prayers

2009-01-25T19:31:00.004-06:00

Some of us at our church have been praying that God will work in and through us in ways so big that everyone will know it is God who is at work.

So recently a guy who had been an agnostic most of his life was flying somewhere. He was seated next to a lady who was reading her Bible. They talked, he became interested, and started reading the Bible himself. He hooked up with a friend from Houston who also shared with him. On Monday, he called our church office wanting someone to baptize him. He was at our worship assembly this morning with his wife and four children.

I wonder when God is going to start answering our prayer?

Should Doctrine Change?

2009-01-22T19:41:00.017-06:00

John Mark Hicks is writing a 3 part series on the history of the "women and silence" issue in Churches of Christ. Click here to reach his website. At the time of this writing he has posted two parts.

Isn't it interesting how doctrinal truths that we frequently attach a "thus sayeth the Lord" to have a way of changing? I've been thinking of some of the shifts I have seen in my lifetime. Issues like instrumental music, attitudes toward other religious groups, the use of alcohol, praise teams, how to treat those divorced and remarried, are a few that come to mind. Most churches with whom I feel an affinity of perspective have changed a great deal in attitude toward these issues; some have even changed in practice.

I find it interesting that underlying these changes has been another shift in how people interpret the Bible, but not a lessening of its authority. In fact, it can be said that the shifts have more closely aligned us with Scripture and away from our own traditions, but I know not everyone feels that way.

In my own case, my spiritual ancestors encouraged me to heed the voice of Scripture even over their own voices. We were frequently admonished in sermons, "Don't take my word for it, read the Bible yourself." I don't think those who encouraged this realized that we might reach different conclusions, but they were setting the stage for where so many of us are now.

It troubles me that there are those within my circle of fellowship who are troubled by me and others who have interpretations that sometimes are radically different than their own. I wish it were not that way, but honestly, when have any of us ever totally agreed? Admittedly, though, the shifts of late are much closer to what many consider to be doctrinal truths.

I hope they will be at least somewhat comforted with the realization that more often than not, the changes that have occurred have been fueled not by a desire to compromise or to become like others, which is often asserted, but by a desire to more closely align ourselves to the will of God as expressed in the Bible. That is a spirit we inherited from them, and I think it is a blessing.

More on the President

2009-01-20T21:19:00.003-06:00

I was able to watch a replay of the inauguration this afternoon. Very stirring speech. At first, being disillusioned with politics as I am, I was pretty cynical. But the more the President talked, the more optimistic I became of how our nation might change.

I voted for Barack Obama. There, I said it. Feels great to come out of the closet. Although, as I said on my earlier post, I don't agree with all of his policies, I am of the opinion that our country needs reform on a level that I did not feel McCain would or could achieve. The changes he talked about today give me hope that America will more responsibly fulfill our place in this world. I was especially encouraged by his call to reach out to the rest of the world and his promises related to environmental stewardship.

I'm thankful that God calls all of us, regardless of who we voted for, to pray for our leaders. I offer those prayers with more hope than I have felt in a long time. I'm also thankful that God calls us to remember that our citizenship lies in another kingdom.

Just imagine what that "inauguration" is going to be like!

A New Day

2009-01-20T07:47:00.002-06:00

I grew up in the segregated South. In the town where we lived during my childhood, there literally was a train track that separated white from black. I grew up in a racist environment and those seeds were planted.

In the 90's, I preached for a racially diverse church in Tallahassee, FL. It was about 70% white, 30% black. Although most of the racism had previously been extracted from my heart by several years of walking with Jesus, it was at that church that I first began to have deeper relationships with people whose skin was a different color than my own. What a blessing it was.

So on this historic day, I join with so many others in our nation in celebrating how far we have come toward being one as a nation. I don't agree with everything that our president wants to do (honestly, I have even more disagreements with the one who is leaving), but I support him as our nations leader.

Blame it on Texas

2009-01-17T06:55:00.002-06:00

Dr. John Mark Hicks, one of my profs at Harding Graduate School, has 2 excellent posts on his blog about the struggle over the direction of Churches of Christ in the 1930s, a struggle that still influences us today. You can read it here.

Want to know why so many churches are so messed up? Blame it on Texas!

Hide It Under a Basket?

2009-01-15T08:18:00.004-06:00

Yesterday at the meeting of the Georgetown Ministerial Alliance, the manager of a local bowling alley shared plans for a Christian, family bowling league. It sounds like a lot of fun, but it led me to wonder how many opportunities there are for us (Christians) to do things that isolate us from them (non-Christians). I can appreciate the rationale, but I just wonder...

It's possible to complete one's entire education, preschool through doctorate (in some fields) in a Christian environment.

Our children can participate in sports through church sports ministries like Upwards. They can go to Christian camps, Christian concerts, even Christian movies.

As adults, besides Christian bowling leagues, we too can participate with other Christians in sports leagues like softball and basketball.

Much of our time can be spent in Christian worship and Bible study assemblies, and in Christian homes through a small group ministry. Sometimes our free time is spent in Christian service and ministry that keeps us in the church building.

And then there are people like me, who work in a Christian environment. For those of us who work in ministries or Christian schools, our day is pretty much surrounded by Christians.

All good things, but I wonder if there is a point where we can be so involved with other Christians that we have isolated ourselves from those who are away from God. I think of what Jesus taught, don't hide your light under a basket, and what he practiced,"He's a friend of 'sinners.'"

Later this year I will be addressing this very issue in a series of sermons from 1 Peter called "Resident Aliens." Of course, we all fully anticipate that these sermons will resolve every question and concern we might have, but what do we do in the meantime? How do we strike a balance between the need to have Christian influences with the need to be Christian influences?

One of the ways I have dealt with this in my own life is to be intentional about finding ways that I can be involved in something that will help me form relationships with people who aren't Christians, or with people whose faith doesn't have much of an impact in their lives. I guess I run the risk that those friends will pull me in their direction, but so far that hasn't been the case. In fact, I find those relationships to be spiritually invigorating.

So here's something to think about, and if we are really serious, to pray about: How can we intentionally place ourselves in positions where God might connect us with people who are away from him?

"Hide it under a basket? No!
I'm going to let it shine....
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine."

New Season of 24

2009-01-12T17:21:00.007-06:00

I thought the first two hours of day seven of 24 were pretty good. Looking forward to the next two hours tonight. I hope they can keep the same storyline for the entire 24 hours. Last year I felt they switched stories on us after about 18 hours.

I'm betting the engineer who is helping the terrorists gets knocked off. What is it with those characters? They always think if they help the terrorists they will be allowed to live, but that never happens. Don't they watch these kinds of shows?

* * * *

I want to recommend the Jan 10 post on my friend Steve Holt's blog. You can find it here. I think this particular post will resonate with many, especially those of us who have backgrounds in conservative churches of Christ. To be fair, I believe, and I think Steve would agree, that there are some positive contributions from our heritage, but there was also a lot of baggage. I'm thankful that for many of us, we are leaving a different legacy for our children.

Steve and I were on staff together at the White Station Church in Memphis for a short time, but before that we met weekly for breakfast and encouragement for about two years, along with John Redden.

I would encourage you to become a regular reader. When I read many of Steve's posts I think of the words of Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding, to his radical younger brother in Jerry McGuire: "You're militant my brother..., but I got nothin' but love for you!"

Food Fairness

2009-01-10T12:03:00.017-06:00

I hope I get to meet Venecia Lonis someday. She has saved me in more ways than one.

A while back I read an article about children in the mountainous regions of Haiti who are suffering and even dying from malnutrition. The problem is especially severe right now because of the multiple hurricanes that hit the region this past year, wiping out crops and killing livestock. You can read the article and see a picture of Venecia here.

At the same time, I was preaching a series on giving from 2 Cor. 8 & 9. In that lengthy section, Paul is encouraging the Christians in Corinth to honor the commitment they had earlier made to help out famine victims in Judea. One of the passages that got my attention was this: "Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little" (2 Co. 8:13-15).

To make matters better (not worse!), I was very frustrated with something going on in my life. Since I had to give up running about 3 years ago after a foot injury, I have slowly been gaining weight. Then, when we moved to TX and people FORCED me to eat so much of the great food in this region, what was a slow journey of putting on pounds has made the jump to hyperspace. Presently I weigh more than I ever have in my life; about 40 pounds heavier than I weighed at the time of my last marathon, which was in October of 2005.

So, here is how all three of these seemingly unrelated forces have come together. When I saw the picture of Venecia and thought about my own experience with food, I was ashamed. Let me stress that I do not apply this to anyone other than myself, but I felt it was morally wrong for me to eat in such excess while there are people in this world like Venecia. That had to change.

But in my mind it wasn't enough for me to just lose weight. I wondered if there might be some way to take the food I was eating and literally give it to those who do not have enough. Here's what Belinda and I have come up with.

I keep three envelopes on our kitchen table. The first envelope has the passage above written on it. Every month I put 30 $1 bills in that envelope. We are good Dave Ramsey-ites, so we already have a cash envelope we use for buying food. The $30 comes directly from it.

The other two envelopes have pictures on them; one has a picture of Venecia from the above article, and one has a picture of me--side view, in a tight T-shirt, close up. It's not a pretty sight. I thought about posting it but I thought Blogger might nail me for putting up an obscene picture.

At the end of every day, I evaluate how I did. Belinda and I are both using First Place as our guide for how we want to eat. I'm trying to eat well, but the part of that which concerns the envelopes is how much I ate. If I overate during the day, I take $1 out of the cash envelope and put it in the envelope with my picture. At the end of the month it goes back into our food envelope so that we can buy more food for me. If I ate in proportion to what I should be eating, I put $1 in Venecia's envelope.

Now here's the good part. The money that goes into Venecia's envelope will eventually be given to a great organization, Heifer International. Heifer doesn't just give food to people, they give them a means to feed themselves. The way it works is that Heifer takes the money donated and uses it to buy animals that will be given to those in need. $500 buys a heifer, $120 buys a goat, $20 buys a flock of chicks, etc. Those are now resources for milk, meat, money, etc. You really ought to look through their online catalog on the website. It's a really neat concept.

I've been at it about a week so far and I am pleased with the impact it is making. Sometimes I still overeat. It really bothers me to take money that otherwise would go to feed a starving child and to put it in the envelope with the picture of the fat guy. My overeating is literally taking food out of the mouth of someone who is starving. And I don't break the rules and put an extra $1 in Venecia's envelope just to soothe my guilty conscience. I want to continue to be reminded of what's at stake. But when I do get to put that $1 where it belongs, there is that great feeling of satisfaction that comes from knowing that you are doing the right thing.

So to Venecia and all of the others like her, I want to say that I am sorry I have been so selfish. I have hoarded too much food for myself and have turned away from you. I don't think that is what Jesus wants me to do, and with his help I will change. And in his name, I am happy to now begin to share with you.

BTW: For $5000 Heifer will provide what they call an "ark," a whole lot of animals going to a community. If you are interested in doing something like this yourself, let me know and maybe we can pool our resources. I'm not sure how that would work but I think we could find a way. I think it would be a great thing to do with kids too. Comment or e-mail me if you're interested.

Dangerous Women

2009-01-08T20:58:00.001-06:00

Saw this quote on my friend Vicki Kinder's facebook page: "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the Devil says, 'Oh crap, she's up!'"

Love it!

Two Funerals, continued

2009-01-07T15:40:00.011-06:00

Another thought about the funeral for Zac Thomas, which I began in my last post:

Zac's parents are members of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, but the funeral was held at St. David's Episcopal, a historic church in downtown Austin. (I have the impression that Redeemer is currently meeting in temporary facilities). Going in, I wasn't sure if this would be a formal, highly liturgical church or one that is more contemporary. As with so many other denominations, there are radically different stripes of Presbyterians. I was hoping for the latter; turned out to be the former. There was a big pipe organ, clergy wearing robes, very formal structure, and a lot of thee's and thou's. Certainly, St David's Episcopal was an appropriate location for their style of service.

I have to confess that I tend to be somewhat condescending toward this sort of thing. I have often wondered how people find meaning in such ritualistic and antiquated practices. It seems to lack a personal and intimate connection with God. But at some point early in the service, I was convicted of how wrong that opinion is. I found the funeral to be very meaningful and the people there to have a deep faith in God.

One of the dominant thoughts I had throughout the hour long service was how ecclesiastical it was. The whole thing seemed scripted by centuries of church tradition, yet I found a lot of power and even reassurance in that. The church, in their perspective, has a long history of speaking authoritatively for God. Whereas I am part of a group that has a greater awareness of "being" the church, I had the impression they view the church as being "over" them, more of a hierarchical force that guides them. That view served them well, and, surprisingly, I found it to be meaningful too.

During this most difficult hour, it was the voice of that tradition that seemed to take hold of those of us who were there and say, "We know this is hard, but as we have for a very long time, we are going to point you to the one who is able to sustain you." Although the minister shared a very personal and appropriate homily, it was the voice of the church that I heard most clearly. That voice stood above us and forcefully directed us to find strength in God. The voice of the church refused to allow us to go where we might otherwise go during such a confusing time. As I told the minister afterwards, the service was very orienting.

I hope I will remember this lesson. I don't think I will ever be in agreement with the doctrine and practices of this church, but neither do I want to be so judgmental; to feel that those who approach God in a different way than I do are limited in their ability to know and depend upon him. I don't agree with all that they might believe, but for that matter, neither do I agree with everything taught by people in the same fellowship of which I am a part. On this day, I am thankful for the faith in God that was manifested by the Christians at Redeemer Presbyterian Chruch. God was honored.

Two Funerals

2009-01-03T17:11:00.009-06:00

On each of the last 2 days of 2008 Belinda and I attended funerals. In some ways the funerals represented opposite ends of a continuum.

One funeral was for Zela Holle, a member of our congregation who was in her late 70's. I'm sure I had met Zela, but one of the problems with being so new in this community is that I really didn't know her. Zela died on Christmas morning following complications from surgery.

The other funeral was for Zac Thomas, the infant grandson of Ray & Marilyn Thomas, also members of our church. Zac, the male half of a set of twins born just twelve weeks ago, died of SIDS just three days after Christmas. Although we have not yet met Zac's parents, we went to that funeral just to stand along side our friends Ray & Marilyn.

I suppose grief itself is the same wherever it casts its dark shadow. Grief is grief, no matter where it is felt or how it is caused; it is the hole left in our lives by the absence of someone we will not see again in this life. But what is mixed in with that grief impacts the toll it takes on us. I saw that in these two funerals.

Zela had led a full life. She left behind an extended family that honored her and cherished her in life. Not surprisingly, her funeral was a time of celebration over a life that was well-lived. Grief was there, but its impact was lessened by the realization that Zela left behind a legacy of love. Although she might have lived for several more years, there was a sense in which it was OK for her to go, because her life had been completed.

Even though I never laid eyes on Zac, the sense of grief I felt as I sat in the church that day was overwhelming. It was the same emotion--grief is grief--but the grief experienced over Zac's death was intensified by the loss of a life that will not be lived. We felt in our hearts a tiny measure of the sense of unfairness and tragedy that caused such agony for Zac's family. It just wasn't right for such innocence to be taken away.

Which makes the sense of peace and even joy that found their way into Zac's funeral even more remarkable. I want to share more about this in my next post, but for now, I will tell you that I am amazed at the hope and confidence that come from people who put their trust in God; the God who raised his Son from the grave and promises to not abandon us there either. When that trust was tested in a way that I can't begin to fathom, faith won out. I know the battle will forever be fought to some degree in the hearts of Zac's family, at least in this life, but the outcome is certain. With this family, God is their champion and his victory is theirs.

That certainty was stated by a hymn sung by a soloist from Zac's church. The words of the hymn are attributed originally to St. Patrick as a prayer when he feared attack on a dangerous but vital journey. They were later composed into a hymn. It is titled, "I bind unto Myself Today." The version sung at Zac's funeral was composed by Charles Villiers Stanford.

What rich imagery! To bind ourselves to something is to anchor oureslves to it, to hold on for dear life. The words of this song are not to be taken lightly. They have sustained Christians in their darkest hours. May the conviction stated by these words encourage and strengthen us.

I bind unto myself this day
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same the
Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever,
by pow'r of faith, Christ's incarnation;
his baptism in the Jordan river;
his death on the cross for my salvation;
his bursting from the spic-ed tomb;
his riding up the heav'nly way;
his coming at the day of doom:
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
his heav'nly host to be my guard.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three;
of whom all nature has creation,
eternal Maker, Spirit, Word;
praise to the God of our salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.

A New Year

2009-01-01T14:03:00.008-06:00

Happy New Year! It's been several years since I've seen the new year in, and this one was no exception. Only made it until 11:00. Why ruin the first day of a perfectly good year by being sleepy all day?

I'm a big believer in New Year's Resolutions. Undoubtedly we should make changes whenever we see the need, but I like the idea of a fresh start. It's remarkable, really. Not much has changed in the past 24 hours; it's only new on the calendar, but there is something about the FIRST day of a year that makes me hopeful I can intentionally make some positive changes.

It can be a downer though, when we fail to reach those resolutions. So this year I am aiming low: My goal is to become more impatient and to gain 20 lbs. It's going to be a great year!

****

Here are my BCS predictions:

Rose: USC over Penn State
Sugar: Alabama over Utah
Fiesta: Texas over Ohio State
Orange: Who cares. Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech?? Bet the Orange Bowl folks are excited about this one.

And the big one: Oklahoma over Florida. Two high octane offenses, but I think OU's defense will fare better than UF's. Plus being an FSU man, I just can't bring myself to pick the Gators.

Preaching Jesus

2008-12-29T22:00:00.010-06:00

One of the blessings of living in Searcy, AR the past 4 years was the opportunity to spend time with Jim Woodroof. For those of you who might not know Jim, he preached in Searcy during the 70s, including the 4 years I was at Harding. He left about 1980, but now is semi-retired there.

I suspect that everyone who tries to characterize Jim would say something similar; his life was and is absolutely wrapped up in Jesus. I have never known anyone whom I perceived to live more closely in the presence of Jesus on a daily basis. And the really good news for those of us who listened to him every week is that his preaching was an overflow of his life. Jim preached Jesus when few within Churches of Christ did.

Occasionally over the past 4 years I would have breakfast with Jim. I don't know if he had any idea how meaningful and enriching those times were for me. We always talked about Jesus, but I remember one conversation in particular. We were discussing some of the challenges of the preaching ministry. As we walked out of the Main Stree Cafe, he looked me in the eye and said, "You just preach Jesus and everything will work out."

To this day, whenever anyone asks me about people who have influenced my life and ministry, Jim is one of the names at the top of that list. I received from him a conviction that the very best I can do from the pulpit is to help people see Jesus. That is one of the foundational principles of what I think preaching ought to do, to help people come face-to-face with Jesus.

All of which makes me even more amazed--frustrated, really--at how little I am doing that these days. Part of it is due to the fact that I am in a new ministry, having moved to Georgetown this past August. Hopefully what we have focused on has been from God--at least from my perspective it has been--and I hope it is making a difference. Looking back over these first few months, though, I am surprised and a little disappointed at the choices I have made about what this church needs to hear from its preacher. I wonder what would have happened if on week 1 I had said something like, "There are a lot of important things I need to tell you about, but none is more important than Jesus, so we're going to spend the first few months just looking at him."

Well, that time is coming soon. There are a few more sermons related to specific ministries or needs, then I am going to what I should have done in the first place, I'm going to preach on Jesus. I can't wait.

Thanks, Jim, for helping me and a lot of other people "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

BTW: In the "Recommended Links" section of this blog, there is a link to a website where you can listen to many of Jim's sermons. If you're not familiar with Jim, for starters I recommend you scroll about half way down and listen to the sermons from "The Four Realities" series.

Techno challenge revisited

2008-12-28T15:33:00.003-06:00

In the spirit of my last post, here's another reason for me to like Bobby Bowden, the head football coach at Florida State University.

One of the gifts players and coaches in this years Champs Sports Bowl received was a $400 Best Buy gift card. A few days before the game, the FSU team went to enjoy their shopping spree. When reporters later asked Bowden what he bought with his $400, he said that he got his wife a Christmas gift.

"What did you get her?" they asked.

Bowden replied, "One of those things you use to heat food."

Uh, that would be a "microwave," Coach.

Still Techno challenged

2008-12-27T06:09:00.004-06:00

Having admitted that I am technologically challenged, yesterday was quite an adventure. The contract was up on our family cell phones, plus we wanted to switch to local numbers, so the day after Christmas Belinda, Jeff and I were the first customers into the AT&T store. My game plan was simple: Go for it. It was time to expand my horizons, to go from a 2 year old basic phone to some level of a smart phone; maybe not a Rhodes Scholar, but at least one that might make the dean's list. When we left 2 hours later, I was hoping my phone could dunk a basketball, because it definitely isn't going to go far with its smarts. In fact, it isn't all that different from what I went in with, except for a few updated features.

When it came time to make a two year commitment, I just couldn't get excited about paying all of that money for features I felt were unnecessary. I'm usually not far from a computer for more than a couple of hours, so the ability to access the internet or to receive e-mail didn't impress me. I see text messaging as an interruption. Honestly, do we need to be that accessible? (I was in a Body Pump class last year when a high school girl was texting between each exercise set. Was it really that urgent for her to know that Heather heard that Kevin might ask Julie out unless Britney breaks up with David?) I already have a 4 year old mp3 player with a whole 1 mb of memory. All of the really good songs ever recorded easily fit on that.

The only feature I was interested in was the ability to sync my calendar with my phone. But why pay $200+ for a phone, plus an extra $20/month added to my plan just for that? Besides, they're making sticky notes in some really cool colors these days. So Belinda and I got cheap, "buy 1 get 1 free" phones that make blurry photos and can be used for texting, if you don't mind spending 5 minutes to write a one-line message. But they do make phone calls, so I'm happy.

However, just to show that I do intend to stretch myself technologically on this blog, as promised, I will post the first photo taken by my new phone.

Now where are those John Denver albums?

My Turn to Write

2008-12-25T16:17:00.001-06:00

It seems appropriate that in my first blog I give something of a rationale for why I'm undertaking this little project. After all, to offer something in such a public forum ought to be done for a reason. One ought to have a cause to promote, or at least an axe to grind. Wish I could come up with one. I just like to write. I'm not much of a talker, which probably seems ironic given that I'm a preacher, but I do like to write. It's like talking, but with backspace and delete buttons. (Don't you wish you had those in some conversations!)

I also enjoy reading blogs, but it seems that the authors of several of those that I have regularly read in the past have come down with bloggers cramp. I understand that and anticipate experiencing that malady too--we only have so much we can say--but hopefully not for at least a week or two. So, I guess it's my turn to take up the pen, or in this case, bang on the keyboard.

Although I have written blogs in the past, they were short-term and related to a couple of ministry emphases. This one will be free-flowing, but hopefully not too rambling. Here's what those of you who care to check in from time-to-time might expect:

-I'm sure I'll talk about God some, since he is at the center of my universe. I may also talk about Christianity, but not religion; not a fan of the latter.
-Will likely occasionally tell you about life in central Texas. But don't worry, I'm too new here to be arrogant.
-I'll try to be brief. Not a fan of long blogs either. My attention span isn't that long. My writing approach is the same as preaching, "Always leave them wanting more."
-I'm going to try to stretch myself technologically. You know, really out there things like put some pictures on, which will require major study for me. I feel I'm in need of an upgrade, so if I can find a way to get some of my instamatics on here...

Feel free to comment (especially if you agree with me), or just to stay in the background (especially if you disagree). I do like the quote from Ps. 84 in the description above, and I guess that makes a good theme for what I envision with all of this. We're on a pilgrimage. I welcome your company and hope that we can enjoy the journey together.