EXPELLED!

I'm anxiously awaiting the release of a new movie/documentary this weekend entitled, "Expelled." I don't know if you've heard of it or not, but it exposes the blatant fear and intimidation among academic elitists regarding the possibility that God exists. Evolution, as I've often said, is atheism veiled in academic garb. Basically what the "theory" (get that, "theory," not fact) of evolution says is, "Since there is no God, how did we get here?" WHAT AN ASSUMPTION! "Since there is no God..."

You know, we were taught in elementary school the scientific method. You remember:

• You begin with a research question
• You form a hypothesis (i.e. an "educated guess" as to what you're going to discover)
• You collect data
• You analyze collected data
• You report the findings

And a cardinal rule of pure science is that your research is repeatable by other scientists operating under the same conditions. Evolution fails the test of science on several fronts, yet the scientific community is so committed to atheism that they aren't willing to concede that data do not support their hypotheses. Accordingly, I'm shocked at the intellectual dishonesty that pervades the scientific community...although there are some good scientists and academicians out there...they're just not the ones who get the media attention.

I'm looking forward to this movie/documentary. I hope you'll go see it, too...

"Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

Did you hear the story about the mother who ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream? She found her two-year-old daughter pulling her brother's hair. She gently released the little girl's grip and said comfortingly to the boy, "There, there. She didn't mean it. She doesn't know that hurts." He nodded his acknowledgement, and she left the room.

As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, "What happened?"

The little boy replied, "She knows now that it hurts."

How quickly we seek revenge against those who hurt us. Yet, as believers, revenge is never an option that is part of God's will. "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse....Never pay back evil for evil to anyone....Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord....Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:14,17,19,21).

Black Holes and Belief

Today’s USA Today has a brief article that references a NASA announcement that the “smallest known black hole [has been] discovered.” The article caught my eye this morning primarily because I said in my sermon last night (I’m preaching a series of revival services outside Chicago, by the way) that black holes are only theoretical. In other words, scientists believe they must exist but actually observing a black hole is an altogether different issue.

I was preaching on the issue of doubt’s relationship to faith, and I concluded my message with an observation on Carl Sagan. He was a world-famous American astronomer and astrobiologist who died in December, 1996. Sagan was fascinated with educated adults, with all the wonders of science around them, who held to religious beliefs. He never wavered in his agnosticism.

Newsweek carried a story about Sagan in March of ‘97 in which his wife, Ann Druyan, said about his last hours: “There was no deathbed conversion. No appeals to God, no hope for an afterlife.” She was asked, “Did he want to believe?” to which she replied, “Carl never wanted to believe. He wanted to know.”

The interesting thing about Druyan’s comment is the theoretical nature of black holes, especially in 1996. It is true that NASA released a report this past fall that they had “unmasked hundreds of black holes hiding deep inside dusty galaxies” using their Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes. Incidentally, what they’ve “seen” are nine to eleven billion light-years away. A light-year, of course, is the distance that light travels in one year in a vacuum or about 5.88 trillion miles.

Caveat—think about this. Pluto, which was classified as a planet more than 75 years ago, has lost its planetary status. Do you know how far from earth Pluto is? A mere 2.66 billion miles (minimum). Compare 2.66 billion miles with a single light-year. Then compare 2.66 billion miles with nine to eleven billion light-years. What’re you saying, Larry? I’m saying that scientists can’t even agree on what they observe at a minuscule fraction of the distance away from us that these latest reports are discussing. To make definitive, irrefutable claims about objects observed nine to eleven billion light-years away isn’t as easy as writing and publishing papers in academic journals.

Personally, I believe that black holes do exist and that we’ll continue to discover ways to prove their existence. Up to this point, however, the sciences of astronomy, physics, and quantum mechanics are limited to educated guesses. This was especially true in Sagan’s lifetime. So Carl Sagan, who “never wanted to believe” but only “wanted to know,” chose to place his faith in black holes even though he couldn’t see them and couldn’t prove them.

The Christian life is one of faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Carl Sagan had faith…just not in God…and that grieves my heart.

“Well, are black holes only theoretical or have they been proved?!?”

That’s a great question....Scientists operate with confidence that black holes exist, but they still haven’t actually seen a black hole. They’ve seen what must be the effects of black holes through complex computer imaging using infrared and X-ray technologies. But the black holes themselves are still yet to be observed.

One of the reasons that “seeing” a black hole is difficult, to say the least, is that light itself can’t escape the gravitational pull of a black hole. And without light, we’re blind.

May I repeat—I believe in the existence of black holes, but I must do so by faith because I’ve never actually seen one. People often say that God doesn’t exist because they’ve never seen Him. But, as I’ve said before, an atheist doesn’t want to find God any more than a thief wants to find a police officer. If God does indeed exist, then He is the final Authority and deserves our absolute allegiance. That, my friend, means life-change…and most people don’t want Someone else calling the shots.

Until next time…

April 1

In an effort to be more politically correct, I am acknowledging today as National Atheist Day.

Psalm 14:1

Evan-jelly-whatie?

Sorry it's been so long since my last post...life's busy.

I had a lady call the office a couple of days ago--not a church member, but someone who watches our TV ministry--who wanted to know if I could explain to her what the word "Evangelical" means. She'd heard the word so much in the news in connection with the current presidential election that she figured she needed to know what the media were talking about.

I thought there might be others who share her confusion.

The short answer to the question “What is an Evangelical?” is “a more socially conservative born-again Christian.” But since I’m not prone to give short answers, here’s more information—

“Evangelical” is a term that describes a sub-category of Christianity. The word “Christian” doesn’t mean the same thing to everybody who uses the term. What Catholics believe differs considerably from what Protestants believe. But the beliefs of an Episcopalian differ considerably from the beliefs of a Baptist.

We sometimes distinguish between “Christians” and “born-again Christians” because not everyone who calls himself/herself a Christian believes in the necessity of conversion for salvation. Catholics and Lutherans, for instance, believe in more of a “community of faith” than a “conversion of faith.” In other words, you’re Christian if you belong to their faith community.

“Evangelical” actually describes the smaller, more socially conservative subset of born again Christians. Evangelicals represent about one-fifth of all born again Christians, according to George Barna. He defines “Evangelical” in this way:

“Born-again Christians,” for the sake of clarification, are Christians who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their lives today and who believe they’re going to heaven when they die because they have confessed their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. “Evangelical Christians” are Christians who are born again plus seven other conditions. Those include:

1. saying their faith is very important in their life today;


2. believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians;


3. believing that Satan exists;


4. believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works;


5. believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth;


6. asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches;


7. and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today.

Naturally, there are some people who call themselves “Evangelicals” who are not and some Evangelicals who reject the label.

And just so we're still on the same page, "Evangelical" doesn't mean the same thing as "evangelistic." "Evangelistic," "evangel," "evangelist," and "evangelism" are English words that come from the Greek word for gospel, "euangelion," which literally means "good news."

I hope this helps...and, by the way, the TIME Magazine cover image that I used is from the February 7, 2005, issue.

Stephen King, Starbucks, and American Christianity (Part 4 of 4)

[This is an article that I've chosen to break up into several days due to its length.]
We demonstrate genuineness in our faith by loving God and loving people. Stop right there and think about that statement. Loving God and loving people. It’s the Great Commandment (see Mark 12:30-31). Jesus gave it when asked, “What’s the greatest commandment of all?” In other words, the man was asking “What’s the most important thing I can do with my life?” Jesus told him, “Love God and love people.” Do we somehow think Jesus was merely making a suggestion? Do we think He was kidding? Why are loving God and loving people not guiding principles for our lives and our churches? I assure you, they’re not for many of us…not when we treat one another the way that we do. I often say (and I’m ashamed to repeat it here) that the meanest people I’ve ever met in my life have been church folk. I’m serious.

We’re authentic when our lives line up with our lips. Regardless of what we might hear these days, truth matters. And truth matters because truth and experience are related. Some would argue against that premise, saying that our experiences exist independent of truth. But in the end, truth and experience always intersect. A guy falls from the twentieth floor of a building. All the way down, he shouts to people through open windows, “I’m okay!” He can say that…He might even—in some strange delusion—believe it…but in the end, the truth intersects with his experience.

So, since the truth—specifically the truth of God’s Word—will have ultimate bearing on our experience, then it is more than important—it’s imperative—that we come to terms with the truth. And that truth must be fleshed out in our daily lives…in our church ministries…in our interaction with the culture in which we live.

Starbucks did the right thing…refocused on their purpose and passion as a coffee shop. American Christianity (and all expressions of the Christian faith, for that matter) must return to its roots if we’re going to connect with our culture for the cause of Christ. How long will we wander in the wilderness of our worldliness while convincing ourselves that there’s ease in Zion!?!

When Americans are watching more than four and a half hours of television per day, we must ask ourselves whether our lives as believers are being shaped by culture more than by Christ. Think about it…most of us spend—what?—five hours a week in church activities, if we’re “there every time the doors are open”? Throw in our personal devotion lives. How much time each week are we talking about? I’m guessing it wouldn’t be as much as the 32+ hours per week we spend in front of the TV! And if our lives look and sound more like the world than our Savior, why does it surprise us when the influence of our lives for Christ is negligible?

We are the key to spiritual awakening in America. God said, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Like the old saying goes, “If the gold rusts, what shall happen to the iron?”

I've got to tell you...when the church stops living out the demonstrable difference of knowing Christ, “organized religion gives me the creeps.”

Stephen King, Starbucks, and American Christianity (Part 3 of 4)

[This is an article that I've chosen to break up into several days due to its length.]
Just this week (Tuesday, February 26), Starbucks closed all 7,100 of their stores across the country for three hours in order to re-train their employees. From the massive publicity generated in the media beforehand by such a move, I assumed that the training had to do primarily with coffee. Yet when I spoke with Starbucks employees here in Clarksville and in Nashville on Wednesday, I discovered that the training was more about connecting with the customer…returning to their roots of being a friendly, neighborhood coffee shop.

Howard D. Schultz was recently appointed (or anointed, whichever way you want to look at it) as the CEO of Starbucks. In February of last year, Schultz wrote a (now well-publicized) memorandum complaining of the Starbucks experience being “water[ed] down” from the company’s former (and smaller) days. The idea behind the unorthodox move on Tuesday was to return to the company’s purpose and passion for the customer. Even though unsuspecting customers complained outside locked doors and to newspaper reporters, I suspect that Starbucks will be glad they did what they did…as will we.

So what?

The “so what” is that maybe that’s what we ought to do. “Close and lock the church doors!?! Keep potential church members on the sidewalks to complain?!?” Not exactly, but certainly we should give some serious thought to the “watering down” in America of the Christian experience…and we should do whatever it takes to return to Christ’s purpose for His church. We must protect the “saltiness” of the church!

Surely we have to take some ownership of the problem when the largest religious shifts in America are away from affiliation with any religion or faith tradition. Whether we like it or not, we are “guilty by association” (in the eyes of outsiders) when Christians, church leaders , or churches dishonor the Lord. Every pedophile priest has an impact on what people think of the Christian faith. Every rogue pastor is a bad advertisement for our faith. Every hypocritical “Christian” paints a picture of Christianity in someone’s understanding.

“But I can’t be responsible for what everyone else does!” And that’s true, but it means that we have to be all the more intentional about demonstrating integrity in our lives consistently.

As to churches and denominations, believe it or not we’re facing struggles these days with “church leaders” (if you can call them that) who’re challenging the idea that a person must be a follower of Jesus Christ to be a member of a local church. I have no doubt that many people sitting on the pews of our churches week after week are unregenerate, but do we really want to openly suggest that conversion is a dispensable part of our faith?!?

Stephen King said, “Organized religion gives me the creeps.” But was he talking about the structures and pillars of authentic faith…or the people who’ve forgotten to practice what they preach? We must possess what Bill Hybels calls “high potency” in our faith! If there’s one trait of my generation (I’m a Gen-Xer) and those coming behind me, we can spot a fake a mile away. Much of what parades itself around as Christianity is a deplorable distortion of biblical faith and hardly “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3).

To be continued...

Stephen King, Starbucks, and American Christianity (Part 2 of 4)

[This is an article that I've chosen to break up into several days due to its length.]
Numbers like these should concern us, and rightfully so, but not for the reasons some people might think. Outsiders might accuse someone like me (the pastor of a local Southern Baptist congregation) of fearing that I might lose my audience or, even worse, my financial base. But I must tell you that my concern is far more substantive than that. If almost 8 out of 10 American adults consider themselves Christians while the largest net gains in religious affiliation among American adults were among those who claim no affiliation with any religion or faith tradition, we have bigger issues on our plate than the next Sunday School picnic or stewardship campaign!

Besides the fact that the American Protestant majority—which has been in place since the founding of this nation—is quickly ebbing away, churches are losing their relevance in today’s culture. Some, of course, will argue that this is impossible…but I remind you of the warning Jesus gave in His Sermon on the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matthew 5:13).

Now, if we were being true to our spiritual nature and calling, why did a new study of unchurched Americans (conducted by LifeWay Research, in partnership with the North American Mission Board’s Center for Missional Research) find almost 3 out of 4 adults (72%) said they think the church “is full of hypocrites”? Yet, 64% of the respondents said they think “the Christian religion is a relevant and viable religion for today” and 71% of them said they believe Jesus “makes a positive difference in a person’s life.” Also, 78% said they would “be willing to listen” to someone who wanted to share what they believed about Christianity.

So where’s the problem? It seems that unchurched people have a greater problem with the church than with Jesus. 86% of those surveyed said, “I believe I can have a good relationship with God without being involved in church.” Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay research, said about the survey’s findings, “People on the outside see the church as candles, pews and flowers, rather than people living out their love for God by loving others.”

Don’t get me wrong…I don’t think all hope is lost…nothing even close to such doom and gloom. But I am suggesting that we (Christians, churches and denominations) need to conduct serious self-analysis and ask ourselves if all that we’re about and consumed with is really what Jesus died for.

Come on…what did Jesus tell us to do? “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). This is our mission…but is it what we’re about? I’m afraid we don’t really want to answer that question, but we have to....

To be continued...

Stephen King, Starbucks, and American Christianity (Part 1 of 4)

I know I’m going to shock some of you when I tell you this, but I think Stephen King is an amazingly gifted writer. I don’t like everything he writes, I assure you, but it’s hard to argue with his ability to tell a tale.

He’s known primarily as an author of horror stories (like Carrie, Cujo, Misery, Salem’s Lot, etc.), but he’s written some remarkable works in non-horror genres (like The Green Mile, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, and On Writing [non-fiction]). The pinnacle of his writing accomplishments is a seven book series called The Dark Tower, written across a time period spanning almost 25 years.

Most of my friends, I’m guessing, wouldn’t read a Stephen King novel if it were given to them for free. He’s not my favorite author; Dean Koontz is. I have, however, read the entire Dark Tower series and found it to be the most fascinating work of fiction I’ve ever read.

The reason King is on my mind this morning is because of something he said recently. In the February, 2008, edition of “Citizen,” King is quoted as saying, “I'm not a vampire type, when somebody shows me the cross....But organized religion gives me the creeps.” Not that I was unaware of his aversion to “organized religion”…he discussed it in some detail in his non-fiction work called On Writing, which is slightly autobiographical as well as what he calls “A Memoir of the Craft.”

King’s comment that “organized religion gives [him] the creeps” has me thinking. On the surface, it would be easy to dismiss his comment as sacrilege…blasphemy. But before we go off half-cocked on King, let’s think about what thoughts might be behind his words.

Just this week, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released its “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey” findings. According to the survey, 78.4% of Americans call themselves Christians of some sort. Evangelicals are the largest particular group of Christians (26.3%), while Roman Catholics follow at a close second (23.9%).

One of the most intriguing yet troubling findings of the survey, at least in my opinion, is the number of people who have switched from the faiths (notice my use of the word “faiths” and not “churches”) in which they were raised. More than one out of four American adults are no longer affiliated with the faith in which they were raised, having chosen in favor of either another religion or no religion at all. If switching from one Protestant denomination to another is included, 44% of American adults have switched religious affiliations.

Can you guess, however, where the biggest gains in religious affiliation have taken place? Among those who claim no affiliation with any religion or faith tradition. “Overall, 7.3% of the adult population says they were unaffiliated with any particular religion as a child. Today, however, 16.1% of adults say they are unaffiliated, a net increase of 8.8 percentage points. Sizeable numbers of those raised in all religions—from Catholicism to Protestantism to Judaism—are currently unaffiliated with any particular religion.”

To be continued...

CONFESSION: "I'm addicted!"

Just as the title for this blog indicates, I'm confessing my addiction here, today, for all the world to see. Trust me, I know what most people think when others make such a confession--"Well! I've never!" And that's okay. I've come to accept my addiction as a part of my life. In fact, I have to admit that I don't want to stop!

Merriam-Webster.com defines "addicted" as "to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively." Yep, that's about right. I'm addicted.

I've gone for weeks without feeding my addiction...but I always come back. And, honestly, I experience awful withdrawals every minute I'm not immersed in my addiction. You can't "help" me...You can't change me...So, don't even try. I'm addicted and I'm not ashamed!

I'm sure there are some who could coach me through withdrawals. They would probably say things like, "I've been where you are, brother. I've felt what you feel. But I broke away...and you can too!" To which I would have to reply, "Why? Why would I want to do that? This is who I am...and this is who I want to be. I don't have a problem--you have a problem! I could walk away at any moment, but I don't want to...and I'm not going to."

Please don't pray for me to be delivered from my addiction. I'm telling you right now, I don't want to be delivered. And (this'll rock your world), I believe God approves of my addiction. Say what you will...be offended if you will...but I believe God wants this addiction to be in my life. I think my addiction makes me better and wiser and stronger, regardless of what anyone else might have to say about the matter.

What? I haven't told you what I'm addicted to? My family, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. "My name is Larry, and I'm addicted to my wife and daughters." There, I said it...but I'm not changing. ;-)

Beth, Morgan, and Rebecca...I love you! It's been so good to come home this weekend. What a shot of Vitamin B12 does for the body, this quick trip home from Canada has done for me in every way. One more week, and then I'm home, home...

I'm coming home for the weekend!

I've been in Canada for almost two weeks, and I'm having such a fulfilling experience...but I've got to tell you, I'm missing my family. I told Beth today in an E-mail, "If absence makes the heart grow fonder, I'm really, really fond of you right now!" But I fly out of Calgary Saturday morning and will be home in the late afternoon! Can't wait to see Beth and the girls!

I've had the privilege to hang out with some great folk since being here. I've eaten in the homes of Aaron (and Alicia) Scofield and Jeremiah (and Mindy) Pierson, both seminary students. I ate lunch today with Paul Johnson, director of evangelism for the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists (their national convention). I'm eating dinner with Cesar (and Mary) Parra tomorrow night. God's given me the opportunity to forge some relationships that I pray will stay intact for many years to come. I look forward to watching how God uses these folk I've had a chance to serve as Professor.

My trip home allows me to preach the morning and evening services at Hilldale, then I'll fly back to Canada on Monday. I'll finish my third week of teaching and then will come back home. My students, on the other hand, will be busy for a month after the class sessions are over finishing up the assignments I've given them. Of course, now that I think about it, then I'll be the one who'll be mighty busy since I'll have to grade all those assignments! Uh-oh. :-)

I'm rambling, but I wanted to bring you up to speed on how my Canadian Adventure is going. Thank you for praying...please continue to do so!

By the way, we got snow yesterday. It was wonderful!

HP + CP + CC = MI

“Aaaaagggghhhh! Not algebra again! I thought I left that behind in high school!” Maybe that’s what you think when you see a formula like HP + CP + CC = MI…but that’s actually “A Formula for Impacting Your World.”

One of the textbooks that I’m using in my evangelism class here at the seminary is by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg and entitled, Becoming a Contagious Christian. It’s been around for nearly 15 years but is right on the money when it comes to principles of sharing one’s faith.

At the heart of the book is what Hybels and Mittelberg call “A Formula for Impacting Your World.” HP + CP + CC = MI looks daunting until you break it down…

HP stands for “High Potency.” In other words, Christians have to be the real deal if they’re going to impact people around them for Christ. There’s no substitute for authenticity, and most people can spot a fake a mile away.

CP is short for “Close Proximity,” which means that Christians’ lives have to actually touch lives around them if they’re going to be contagious as Christians. It’s pretty difficult to spread a disease without some human interaction. It’s like that idea regarding being “the salt of the earth”—salt that never gets out of the shaker never makes a difference.

CC represents “Clear Communication.” Christians can be genuine in their faith and in the company of unsaved people continuously; but at some point, Christians have to communicate the good news of Jesus in terms and concepts that irreligious people can understand if they’re going to impact people for Christ.

MI stands for “Maximum Impact.” Impacting people for Christ doesn’t just happen by accident. It’s intentional and is the result of “high potency” Christians being in “close proximity” to lost people and engaging in the “clear communication” of the gospel.

So…if we want to impact our world for the cause of Christ, this is a wonderful and effective formula for doing so: “High Potency” + “Close Proximity” + “Clear Communication” = “Maximum Impact.” Let us make it so!

I went to world-renown Lake Louise and Banff today...

Dr. Kevin Peacock and his wife, Brenda, took me to places today that are difficult to describe in words. As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

When Contextual Clues Fail You

Let me tell you how I embarrassed myself on Monday, my first day on campus. Dr. Kevin Peacock, Acting Academic Dean and Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, found me setting up for class and asked, “Have you met Dr. Blackaby yet?” I said, “No, but I’d love to.” So he took me upstairs where Dr. Blackaby was gathered with students and faculty after having given his State of the Seminary address.

Parenthetical Thought: One of the greatest gifts to the church of this age has been Dr. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God and too many other titles to mention here. His son Richard Blackaby served as President of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary from 1993 to 2006. Dr. Rob Blackaby succeeded Dr. Richard Blackaby as President of the seminary last year. Now, back to my story…

Kevin said, “Dr. Blackaby, I want to introduce you to our evangelism professor for the next three weeks, Dr. Larry Robertson.” Wanting to make a good impression, I said, “Dr. Blackaby, it’s an honor to meet you. I spent a week with your dad in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a few years ago and just fell in love with him.” Dr. Blackaby gave me a puzzled look and then said, “You think Henry Blackaby’s my dad, don’t you?” to which I said, “Uh, yeah?” He laughed and said, “I get that all the time. He’s my uncle and Richard’s my cousin.”

I started backpedaling, trying to explain…but to no avail. I had officially embarrassed myself, no question about it. But in the end, we all just had a good laugh and moved on. Whew! I was glad of that.

Dr. Blackaby and I spent time together Wednesday eating lunch and swapping seminary and ministry stories. I found out a few things about him that I didn’t know. He’s only 41 years old. His Ph.D. is in the study of Christian ethics. And his wife is from Springfield, Tennessee! They were married in First Baptist Church of Greenbrier. Let’s sing it all together: “It’s a small world after all. It’s a small world after all…” He and his wife, Jo Susan, met while both were students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

God has given this seminary a leader with a fresh vision for his home country…and He’s given me a new friend. I’m grateful for both…

Please continue to pray for me as I prepare, lecture, model and preach. This Sunday morning I’ll be preaching at Cambrian Heights Baptist Church in Calgary. On Sunday evening I’m planning to attend a house church in the area. Real estate is so enormously, incredibly expensive in the Calgary vicinity that churches have had to “rethink church.” They can’t focus on buildings or properties…they have to concentrate on people. Wow! What a concept. ;-)

Canadian Adventure Update

Let me update you on my Canadian adventure.

I've taught two class sessions thus far, and they've been great. I think I've been preaching as much as I've been teaching, though, but hey...! Seriously, I'm getting to know the students. Every member of the seminary faculty has been so gracious to me. It's kind of strange being called "Dr. Robertson" all the time by everybody. Ha! I'm used to (and prefer) being called "Bro. Larry," but this is an academic community...and when in Rome...

I preached in chapel this morning. It went okay, I suppose. But I'm more of a 35-45 minute preacher and to condense my thoughts down to 25 minutes proved a real challenge. Anyone who knows me knows that if I only preach 25 minutes, I must not feel well. Ha! Thank you to those of you who prayed for me as I preached!

On another note, we prayed especially for Tennessee/Union University this morning in chapel regarding the tornadoes that came through Tennessee yesterday and last night. There are several Union connections here at the seminary, including Dr. Steve Booth (the CSBS academic dean) who is missionary-in-residence at Union University this semester. He will be filling the pulpit at Hilldale in my absence this Sunday...I hope! :-)

Please continue to pray for me. I'll be preaching at an area church tonight on the subject of evangelism. Then I'll also be preaching Sunday at an area church. Of course, I'll be teaching my evangelism class along the way, too. Pray that God will give me clarity of thought and speech. I don't know that I've ever been any busier on a mission trip...this is just a different kind of busy...but WOW I'm worn smack out!

Until next time...

How’s it goin’, eh?

In case you don’t know, I’m in Canada for three weeks teaching an “Introduction to Evangelism” class at the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary. Dr. Roy Fish, well-known evangelism professor from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was scheduled to teach, but he got sick and had to bow out.

I received a call from the acting academic dean two weeks ago from today asking if there was any way that I could pinch hit for Dr. Fish. After talking it over with my wife and my pastoral staff, I decided to take the plunge…er, actually that’s not the right analogy. It’s -16 degrees Celsius right now, which translates into 1 degree Fahrenheit! Brrrr…

Back to the story of my Canadian adventure…I had my first class session today, and it was wonderful. I have 17 students, and I already know that I’m going to enjoy getting to know them.

I covet your prayers as I prepare my lectures and teach my class.

Teaching an evangelism class is as much about inspiration as it is information, even at the graduate level. I told my students today that although we’re studying evangelism in an academic setting, evangelism is not primarily an academic pursuit! Evangelism is a NATURAL activity for every believer…every follower of Jesus Christ! Matthew 4:19—“And [Jesus] said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

I know that I have the privilege of teaching this evangelism course…I’m going to grade the students’ work…I hope somewhere along the way to inspire them toward greater evangelistic endeavors. BUT Jesus is the only One who can make them “fishers of men.”

Thank you for praying…

Super Bowl Weekend!

You know what’s on people’s minds this weekend, right? The Super Bowl! I have to confess, though, that I don’t really care about who wins because none of my teams made it (Titans, Saints, Packers, Cowboys). But if I have to choose one or the other, I’ll choose the Giants because I like those Manning boys.

But regardless of what you think about the New England Patriots, you have to concede that their quarterback Tom Brady is outstanding. During the 2007-2008 NFL regular season, Tom Brady set the record for most touchdown passes in a regular season, paving the way for his winning the MVP award. At the age of 30, he has already won three Super Bowls—an accomplishment that sets him apart as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. His many records and accomplishments are too numerous to list here. He’s reached the dream (several times, I might add) that millions of little boys (and a lot of big ones, too) have as they’re growing up…playing NFL football…making it to the Super Bowl…WINNING the Super Bowl. All of this for Tom Brady by the time he’s 30 years old.

In 2005, however, Brady was interviewed by 60 Minutes journalist Steve Kroft. Despite the fame and career accomplishments he had achieved already, Brady told Kroft that it felt like something was still lacking in his life:

“Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what [it's all about].’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me? I think, ‘It's got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn't—this can't be—all it's cracked up to be.”

Kroft pressed Brady as to what the right answer was, and Brady added:

“What's the answer? I wish I knew… I love playing football, and I love being quarterback for this team. But at the same time, I think there are a lot of other parts about me that I'm trying to find.”

By Tom Brady’s own words, he’s still searching…even after reaching the mountaintop of football! You want to know why? Because there’s a hole in each of our hearts…a God-shaped hole in each of our hearts that only He can fill. And no amount of money…or fame…or Super Bowl rings can fill that void.

I’ve heard all my life that you can’t put a square peg in a round hole. That’s not exactly true. You can put a square peg in a round hole…if the hole is big enough and the peg is small enough. But you have a whole lot of space left over.

I’m reminded of the words of Jesus in John 10:10—“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus gives not only life in quantity (eternal life), but the life He gives to those who trust Him is quality. Another translation of that verse puts it this way: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (New Living Translation). I like that…“a rich and satisfying life.” That’s what I have in Christ, and that’s what Tom Brady can have, too.

Perhaps God will cause Tom Brady’s path to cross with Christians from the Patriots organization or from the Giants organization with whom he can connect and from whom he can hear about Christ. I’ll pray toward that end…

You Know...

A lady was walking past a pet store when a parrot said, “Hey, lady! You're really ugly!”
The lady was angry but continued on her way.

On the way home, she passed by the pet store again, and the parrot once more said, “Hey, lady! You're really ugly!”

She was enraged now, so she went into the store and said that she wanted the bird disposed of. The store manager apologized profusely and promised he would make sure the parrot didn't say it again.

The next day, she deliberately passed by the store to test the parrot. “Hey, lady!” the bird said.

“Yes?” she replied.

“You know.”

What do you do when you hear some truth that you don’t like? Ignore it? Deny it? Silence it? The Bible tells us in James 1:23-25 that the truth of Scripture is a mirror—“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

Whenever I get up in the morning, I sometimes laugh at how crazy my hair can look. (It’s not uncommon for me to look like death warmed over in the morning.) But I can’t imagine getting mad at the mirror for showing me what I look like. It’s just revealing the truth, right? Why then do people get so angry with Scripture when it reveals what we look like to the eyes of God?

The problem is our pride—our self-sufficiency. You see…when we put ourselves in the place of judging which Bible verses are true and which ones should be disregarded, we’re seeking to commandeer God’s unique place of authority. One of my mentors used to say, “There are two things that God will not share—His vengeance and His glory.” I’m convinced (from personal experience) that only in the vain conceit of sinful pride would a person seek to usurp God’s authority.

The only proper response to seeing ourselves in the mirror of Scripture is to address the problem (i.e. repent). If and when you look in a mirror and see your hair disheveled or a spot on your shirt, wouldn’t you seek to correct the problem immediately? Why? Because you’re embarrassed for other people to see you looking like that?

Consider this—“God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He can see a spot on our hearts. He can see when our motives are out of place. He sees who we are on the inside. We might not like His assessment of our condition, but we need to know the truth about ourselves. “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

To Do List

I just wrote out a "To Do List" for the rest of my week. Listed are three funerals to prepare for...THREE! I've preached many funerals through the years, but I must confess that it never gets any easier. Death is always a kick in the gut that just knocks the breath out of you. Obviously, it's different when it's your loved one who's died instead of being the one preaching the funeral. But it's never easy.

These funerals (and all funerals, really) remind me that life has a beginning and it has an end. As strange as it sounds, death is a part of life. The writer of Hebrews put it this way--"It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (9:27).

One of the most probing prayers that I find in Scripture is one by Moses. It reminds us that our days are numbered. Psalm 90:12--"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." Our days are numbered, so what are we doing with the time we have? Amy Carmichael, an Irish missionary to India a century ago, said, "We will have eternity to celebrate the victories, but only a few hours before sunset to win them."

Some friends and I went to see the new movie this past weekend starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, "The Bucket List." The idea of a bucket list, as I discovered through the film, is a list of things you'd like to do before you "kick the bucket." Except for some language, the movie was pretty good and had a good message. As we were walking out, someone in the group--Jeff Williams, I believe--suggested that perhaps Christians should develop a spiritual bucket list...a list of everything you want to do for the Lord before you meet Him. I think that's an awesome idea.

In the movie, as you discover from the previews (so I'm not spoiling the film for you), it takes the two main characters battling cancer to do those things they'd always wanted to do but had never gotten around to it. Why is that how we live our lives? Should it really take knowing we're dying to jolt us into living?!? Because I've got news for us all--we all have a terminal condition known as sin. And as a result, we're all going to die. So, now that we have settled the question of our deaths, what're we going to do with the time we have left?

Realizing that this particular blog may be a downer for you...let me shift gears as I close:

Some friends were hanging out one day, and the conversation grimly turned to the issue of death. One of the friends asked the others, "What would you like people to say about you at your funeral?"

One friend answered, "I would want people to say, 'He was a great humanitarian who cared about his community.'"

A second replied, "I would want people to say, 'He was a great husband and father, an example for many to follow.'"

The third friend gave it some thought and answered, "I would hope someone says, 'Look, he's moving!'"

Thanks for reading...

Echo, Echo, Echo, Echo

Karen Watson, a modern-day martyr, was a Southern Baptist missionary killed in Iraq on March 15, 2004. Karen wrote her own epitaph in a letter that she left behind with her pastors. The envelope said “Open in case of death,” and the letter said in part:

Dear Pastor Phil and Pastor Roger,

You should only be opening this in the event of death.

When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn't called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward, His glory my reward . . .

The missionary heart:

Cares more than some think is wise
Risks more that some think is safe
Dreams more than some think is practical
Expects more than some think is possible.

I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience. . . .

There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him. I love you two and my church family.

In His care,

Salaam, Karen

Such a heart humbles me and causes me to cry out to God, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” I’m reminded of Soren Kierkegaard’s words when he said, “When one preaches Christianity in such a way that the echo answers, ‘Away with that man from the earth, he does not deserve to live,’ know then that this is the Christianity of the New Testament. Without change since the time of our Lord Jesus Christ, capital punishment is the penalty for preaching Christianity as it truly is.”

I wonder what the echo of my life is saying…

Dangerous Thinking, Huh?

The following is a recent comment I received from “Anonymous” regarding Bro. Lee Eclov’s article I posted last week. To be honest, I can’t find the quote this person is addressing (and then again maybe I’m blind or have Alzheimer’s)…but here it is: “When the people of the church (or community) start dictating the things the Holy Spirit is directing, fallacies ensue.”

“Anonymous” wrote, “This is dangerous thinking, please don’t forget that the Holy Spirit dwells within the church body too.”

With all due respect to “Anonymous,” I think he (I’m using the male pronoun for simplicity’s sake) misunderstood the substance of the article…perhaps he didn’t read the piece in its entirety. I’m not sure. But his comment prompted me to ask myself, “Is ‘Anonymous’ suggesting that what a pastor preaches should be the result of a majority opinion of the members of a church?”

Can you envision what Noah would have proclaimed if the message he proclaimed were left up to popular vote? How about Micaiah? Jeremiah? John the Baptist? Jesus?!?

I agree with “Anonymous” that the Holy Spirit indwells believers in a congregation…but that’s not even remotely close to the issue discussed in Eclov’s article. His comment was a challenge to pastors to preach the whole counsel of God (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) instead of giving pop psychology pep talks in the pulpit.

Can you imagine what the preaching would be like in an average church if the content of the sermons was left up to church members to decide? Hey! Can you imagine what my sermons would be like if I just preached what I wanted to preach?!? That’s not to disparage myself or my spiritual siblings, please understand. My point is that, by our human nature, we’re going to shy away from subjects or passages that contradict our lives in some way.

When we commit to “preach the word; [and to] be ready in season and out of season; [to] reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2), we’re guarding the prophetic voice of the church. We’re protecting the continued purity and viability of God’s message. We’re ensuring that true men of God stand to declare with holy boldness the true word of God with God-honoring, Satan-defying, sin-killing power on their lives and their lips! That means that we preach what the Word of God says…whether we like it or not.

Sometimes the most uncomfortable thing a pastor can do is to preach the Bible. I’m reminded of a cartoon from a few years ago in which a preacher had prepared the pulpit area like a fortress. He was peering through the crack of a machine gun nest. The caption read something like, “Today I’m preaching from 1 Peter 3:1—“Wives, submit to your husbands.”

That cartoon reminds us that people are not always going to like the taste of every sermon we preach. But regardless of the popularity or the response to a message, still the truth must be spoken.

The Apostle Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:3-4—“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” Left unto themselves, people will drift away from truth…never toward it. That’s why we must continue to call people back to the ever-constant standard of Scripture!

Peter James Lee was one of the 60 Episcopal bishops who voted in 2003 to approve the consecration of an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. In the midst of that controversy, Lee made the statement: “If you must make a choice between heresy and schism, always choose heresy.” Never mind that such heresy causes divisions…the African and Asian branches of the Episcopal church want to expel the U.S. branch unless it promises to change its stand on moral standards and teachings!

There are some people who hear a pastor and a church declare that Jesus is the only way to God, so they go looking for a pastor who says there are many ways