An Awful Illustration of an Awesome Truth

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

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

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

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

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.

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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

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


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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.

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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!

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

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?

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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

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

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

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

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.

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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

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

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!

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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

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

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

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

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

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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."

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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

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

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.