Intervention

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 I was becoming increasingly distant and withdrawn.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

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?

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

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

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

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?

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."