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 to God. Or some people reject the biblical teaching that those who engage in sexual relationships outside of marriage are “fornicators and adulterers” whom “God will judge” (Heb. 13:4). So they look for a teacher who says that the sexual standards in the Bible are not binding in today's world. This reminds us, incidentally, that the most popular preachers aren’t necessarily the most faithful preachers.

No, “Anonymous,” I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you didn’t read the whole article…that you didn’t mean what your words seem to indicate that you were saying. We’re called to preach the Word. And I pray that God will give me strength to fulfill that calling until He calls me home…even when I don’t even like what I’m preaching! ;-)

The Danger (?) of Practical Preaching, Part 3 of 3

I’m on day three of three days in which I’m sharing an article that I recently read by Lee Eclov, Senior Pastor of Village Church of Lincolnshire in Lake Forest, IL. This is not my custom, as you know, but this brother’s thoughts so affirmed core beliefs that I have held for a long time that I thought it sensible and acceptable to share them with you. The title of the piece is “The Danger of Practical Preaching: Why People Need More than the Bottom Line.” Warning: This commentary could change your perspective on preaching forever!

The Ready Mind

It may seem to us sometimes that the Christians to whom we preach are not interested in the truth trails of Scripture; or worse, that they won’t get it. We hear so much about the postmodern mind that we assume our postmodern people will reject the absolute logic of the Bible. It is true that our listeners are susceptible to relativism. It is true that we must not only make clear what is true from the Word, but also demonstrate that other ideas they may hold are not true. But we may forget that converted people have transformed minds. Preaching biblical truth to unbelievers (in a seeker service, for instance) is an entirely different matter than preaching to believers. The truth isn't different. The capacity of the listener is.

God promised Jeremiah that in the New Covenant he would “put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” New believers, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, almost immediately begin to understand spiritual realities that eluded them before. It is like a gifted child. Sometimes, even before a child starts school, we realize “that kid has a mind for numbers,” or music, or science. We say that because when they are introduced to something new in that sphere they understand it much more quickly than other children. It is like they are already wired for that kind of information. Christians are, from the moment of their new birth, wired for spiritual, biblical information. We “have a mind for it.”

Thus, when a preacher stands and opens before them the logic of the Scriptures—the contemplations of a psalmist or the doctrinal logic of an epistle—they understand it, like a gifted child. And the logic of that text gradually becomes the logic of their own minds.

Truth trail preaching, the careful and persuasive exposition of Scriptural thinking, shapes ready Christian minds for the everyday decisions unscripted in Scripture. When we face an ethical dilemma at work or a discipline problem at home, our minds walk the truth trails we have learned and we are able to reason our way, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to a biblical conclusion, even when no verse of Scripture directly addresses our situation.

When we preach only the principle, the bullet points, the bottom line, or when we try to make every sermon about an everyday problem, we may set truth in the minds of our hearers, but we do not set the logic and pulse of God into their minds and hearts. On the other hand, biblical exposition that lays out the Lord's own logic and heartbeat shapes “doers of the Word and not hearers only.”

Thank you, Bro. Lee Eclov, for such a thought-provoking article on preaching the whole counsel of God!

The Danger (?) of Practical Preaching, Part 2 of 3

I’m on day two of three days in which I’m sharing an article that I recently read by Lee Eclov, Senior Pastor of Village Church of Lincolnshire in Lake Forest, IL. This is not my custom, as you know, but this brother’s thoughts so affirmed core beliefs that I have held for a long time that I thought it sensible and acceptable to share them with you. The title of the piece is “The Danger of Practical Preaching: Why People Need More than the Bottom Line.” Warning: This commentary could change your perspective on preaching forever!

Bottom Line Fallacy

When our goal is to “bottom line” our preaching, we look in our text for the “so” and preach that conclusion. For example, our sermon drives home the truth that we need not be afraid. If we have been effective, our brothers and sisters go home with this outpost of truth established or enlarged in their thinking. But here's the rub. On Tuesday, when some frightening crisis looms in their lives, they may remember, “the Bible says we are not to be afraid,” but they don't know how to be strong. They don’t know the trail, the process the mind and heart follow to fearlessness. We exposed them to the conclusion without the thinking that makes that conclusion work.

Perhaps you have read an abstract of an article—a short summary of a longer work. After you read it, you know what the article is about. You know what the point is. But you haven't been exposed to the careful reasoning, to the illustrations, to the step-by-step logic and careful writing of the author. The abstract may interest you, but without the author's careful development, it is not likely to convince you. Nor is it likely to be important or memorable in your thinking. And you can be sure the author will not think you know what he wrote.

Sermons that are abstracts of Scripture may properly summarize a biblical truth, but they are unconvincing. They do not reorient our thinking. We may know the bottom line, but we don't know how to live what we know. Without a truth trail, people cannot find their own way to the outposts of truth in their own hearts. Sometimes laying down that truth trail, showing the step-by-step thinking of a text, simply cannot be done in 20 minutes.

Practical Fallacy

I only vaguely recall the world of geometry—axioms, theorems, conclusions. I do remember the inevitable question: “Why do we need to know this stuff?” And I remember Mr. Cermak's answer: “Whether or not you use these formulae, geometry teaches you to think logically.”

Some preachers are afraid of the question, “Why do we need to know this stuff?” so they try to make every sermon “practical,” meaning it is about everyday issues like money or kids. Doctrinal preaching, or the week-by-week exposition of a biblical book appears not to scratch where people itch. People want sermons about things they can use on Monday. Like the sophomores in my geometry class.

But Paul tells us, “All Scripture...is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” All Scripture. All Scripture is practical. It is practical, not because it all addresses everyday concerns, but because it all “civilizes” our thinking.

As I preached my way through Colossians, for example, we gradually tromped out a wide path to the truth that simply trusting Christ equips us with greater wisdom and righteousness than any counterfeit wisdom can offer. Put that way, it seems like an esoteric, impractical truth, far removed from the water cooler and van pool. But it was Paul’s purpose, and therefore mine, to show just how practical this is for the believer. How freeing, simple, and safe. When we eventually arrived at the "practical" passages later in the epistle—“clothe yourself with compassion,” for example—we could see not only the command but we had come to better understand the spiritual thinking that makes Christian compassion possible.

The Bible spends much more time on shaping the spiritual mind than commanding particular behavior. We need far more training in the ways of grace, of spiritual perceptions, and of what God is really like, than we do in how to communicate with our spouse. Understanding the glory of Christ is far more practical than our listeners imagine. Properly preached, every sermon based on a passage of Scripture is fundamentally practical. Every author of Scripture wrote to effect change in God’s people. It is our job as preachers to find the persuasive logic of that author and put that clearly and persuasively before our people through biblical exposition….

[Continued tomorrow]

The Danger (?) of Practical Preaching, Part 1 of 3

For the next three days I want to share an article that I recently read by Lee Eclov, Senior Pastor of Village Church of Lincolnshire in Lake Forest, IL. This is not my custom, as you know, but this brother’s thoughts so affirmed core beliefs that I have held for a long time that I thought it sensible and acceptable to share them with you. The title of the piece is “The Danger of Practical Preaching: Why People Need More than the Bottom Line.” Warning: This commentary could change your perspective on preaching forever!

Rob, a stockbroker, thought sermons should be 20 minutes. No longer. To him, a good sermon was what others call the conclusion. “Cut to the bottom line,” he said. “That's what I expect at work, and that's what I want at church.”

Stan, a preacher, didn't see length as the issue, but he was determined every sermon be “practical.” He preached on five principles of friendships, six secrets of managing money, and four ways to win over worry. He believed in sound doctrine, but he felt he had to give people something they could take to work on Monday morning.

We may expose people to a conclusion without the thinking that makes that conclusion work.These men illustrate two fallacies about biblical preaching: The Bottom Line Fallacy and the Practical Fallacy. Both reveal a misunderstanding, not merely of preaching, but of the workings of Scripture.

Picture a wilderness. A pioneer carves out a path, chopping away brush, felling trees, marking the way to a new outpost. As years pass, that path is traveled a thousand times till it becomes a wide, paved road. From it, other trails branch off, leading to other new outposts. Trails intersect, becoming crossroads. More outposts become towns. More trails become roads. More links are made till what was once wilderness is civilized.

Preaching is the work of spiritually civilizing the minds of Christian disciples. Preaching—especially expository preaching—cuts truth trails in the minds of our listeners. Our task is not only to display God's “point,” but to instill God's logic—how he gets to that point.

For example, we do not simply preach the conclusion of 1 Corinthians 13 — that “the greatest of these is love”—but we move people through the dimensions and definitions of love in that great chapter. We show that Paul intended such love be not only at weddings but also at church meetings as well. In other words, we not only establish the outpost—“the greatest of these is love”—but the truth trail as well.

But here is where we confront the fallacies….

[Continued tomorrow]

The Christmas Dinner That Almost Never Was

Not that this is completely atypical for the Robertsons…but we came close to eating little more than peanut butter sandwiches, Frosted Flakes, canned tuna, kidney beans, lasagna noodles, and mandarin oranges in heavy syrup for Christmas dinner (basically the contents of our pantry). And we’re going to have a total of twelve people here in a few hours!

The story goes something like this. Yesterday was so hectic. It probably shouldn’t have been, but it was. While Beth was doing housework and wrapping presents, I was uploading pictures to Walgreens to be developed and baking unleavened bread for our Christmas Eve service at church. Beth was running errands for me and I was running errands for her. In between, we were making our lists and checking them twice. Our plan was simple—we were going to buy food for our Christmas dinner after the Christmas Eve service.

Did I mention that Wal-Mart, Food Lion, and Kroger all close early on Christmas Eve?

We were panicking! I started laughing but Beth didn’t think the situation was funny. She was about to play hostess for eight other people and we hadn’t even started buying groceries for Christmas dinner! (It’s about 7:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve at this point, by the way.) Walgreens is always a good place to pick up whatever you need…unless what you need includes ground beef and a variety of cheeses for Beth’s famous lasagna (we go non-traditional for Christmas dinner).

About that time my phone rang. It was my older brother, James. Man, I hated to tell him our dilemma but I had to. “Brother,” I said, “you’ll never believe what we’ve done…”

After he stopped laughing…he told me that my niece had done the same thing, but she had found Martin’s Food Store on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard open until 9:00. I’ve never been so glad to see a store open in my life. I actually said, “It’s a Christmas miracle!” Okay, so I overreacted a little…but you’ve got to put yourself in our shoes.

$105 later, we were on our way home. Crisis solved. Whew!

Our story makes me think about people who are so busy with life that they don’t take time to think about the One born on that first Christmas night. Maybe they’ve planned to deal with God later on in life…maybe they haven’t. But what happens if and when they look up and realize that it’s too late…that their plans were terribly flawed?

We would have survived the embarrassment of our Christmas dinner quandary we almost created; but missing Jesus involves far more than embarrassment. Make room for Jesus today…

Merry CHRISTmas!

He Knows My Name (Updated 01/03/07)

UPDATE: Regarding the following post, I've received information on the organization who accepts letters on behalf of ill or wounded soldiers at Fort Cambell. Operation Home Front works with other military supporting agencies to review all the letters to ensure their appropriateness and safety. You can send your cards and letters to:

Wounded or Ill Soldier
c/o Operation Home Front
P. O. Box 20295
Clarksville, TN 37042

Thank you, Laura Boyd, for the info!

I was just reading an article on FoxNews.com entitled, “U.S. Refuses ‘Any Wounded Soldier’ Mail.” The title initially aggravated me because I thought it was like the recently reversed decision by NBC not to air a conservative group's television ad thanking U.S. troops. But as I read the article, I began to understand.

Long story short…in the wake of 9/11, the Pentagon and the Postal Service have agreed no longer to deliver cards and letters addressed simply to “Any Wounded Soldier” because of the fear that terrorists or our enemies might seek to inflict further suffering (physical or emotional) by way of toxic substances or disheartening messages. It’s sad, but that’s the world in which we live.

Also sad is that all those acts of kindness by well-intentioned people will never fulfill their purpose. But, once again, that’s the world in which we live.

My mind drifted to Christmas…that first Christmas…when God put on the garment of human flesh and was born as a tiny, helpless baby through the virgin womb of Mary. The angels announced to the shepherds that the good news of His birth was for all people! In fact, Acts 10:36 reminds us that Jesus isn’t just the Lord of Christians—“He is Lord of all.”

But with all our emphasis upon God’s love for everyone, how often do we forget the personal nature of God’s love gift in Jesus’ birth? I love Jesus’ words in John 10 to this effect: “The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out…I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me” (vss. 3, 14). And then there are David’s words in Psalm 139:17-18—“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.” And, of course, Jeremiah 1:5—“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

My point in all this rambling is that when God sent Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, He didn’t address His birth to “Any Wounded Soldier.” Jesus didn’t come to us like junk mail, addressed to “Resident” or “Occupant.” God knew (knows) my name and your name! There’s not a one of us who’s anonymous to God!

This thought is going to make Christmas even more special for me…He knows my name!

They Did What!?!

Okay…I’m still rubbing my eyes, trying to see if what I’ve been reading is really there. The first sentence of the Baptist Press article reads, “Members of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, voted Dec. 2 to delay a decision on whether to include homosexual members as couples in a church pictorial directory.”

If I understand the issue correctly, Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, started allowing practicing homosexuals to become church members at some point in the past. Now the church is struggling with whether to allow gay couples to be presented as such in the church directory.

Wow!

Here’s an excellent example of why Southern Baptists needed to update their confession of faith in 2000. Southern Baptists adopted similar confessions of faith in 1925 and 1963. Unfortunately, the 1963 version has been used time after time to justify sinful behavior such as homosexuality. There’s a phrase in the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message that I agree with 100%...sadly, some who want to call themselves Southern Baptists highjacked it from its context and have used it to validate their immorality. It’s the phrase, “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.”

Sounds harmless enough, right? In fact, it’s not at all hard to agree with it. The problem with that little phrase is that some wayward Southern Baptists who have wanted to justify virtually any aberrant behavior have consulted the gospels and concluded that if Jesus didn’t address an issue, it must be acceptable behavior. Case in point—homosexuality.

Please hear my heart on this. I’ve said it repeatedly as I’ve preached—“Sexual sin is sexual sin is sexual sin!” God doesn’t view homosexuality any differently than He does fornication and adultery. They’re all sexual sin, whether the orientation is heterosexual or homosexual.

But when we receive members into our churches, we make certain assumptions and seek to operate within certain guidelines. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is that the candidate for membership has forsaken all known sin and placed his faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. We call that having a “regenerate church membership.”

That a church which has a quasi connection with Southern Baptists would be struggling with whether to allow gay couples to be presented as such in their upcoming church directory is absolutely inconceivable to me. But when you deviate from the Word of God and begin to equate the pseudo-wisdom of men with the timeless truths of Scripture…well, this is the kind of thing that happens.

“Lord, I want to pray for Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And, Father, I pray for those in homosexual bondage who've been admitted into Broadway's church membership and encouraged to continue their lifestyle. Somehow...through someone...deliver them through the life-changing power of the gospel. Lord, I don't pray that You'll give them heterosexuality...that's not their greatest need right now. But I pray for Your holiness to be poured into their lives by grace through faith. In Jesus' name, Amen.”

I Still Do

Today I will perform a wedding ceremony for a great couple--Eric Robson and Sara Burkhead. Sara came into our church family not long after I became the pastor, and she's become a friend to my family. In fact, I've threatened to break both of Eric's legs if he doesn't treat Sara right. I'm just kidding...sort of. Seriously, I think Sara's found a great guy...and I know Eric's getting a great girl. If he ever forgets that, though...legs, kneecaps, walking, rehabilitative therapy. ;-)

I don't perform a wedding ceremony that I don't think of my own marriage. That's a good practice, by the way...reevaluating your own marriage everytime you watch another couple say, "I do." You know, couples spend so much time, energy, and money on the wedding ceremony that sometimes they don't think nearly enough about the marraige. The ceremony lasts but a few minutes...the marriage is to last a lifetime.

Beth and I stood on the platform of Calvary Baptist Church in West Memphis, Arkansas, almost 20 years ago and said, "I do." I meant those words with all my heart...but you want to know what my wife wants to know now...19 1/2 years later? She wants to know that "I still do." She's never asked me to say those words, I want you to understand. But I tell her from time to time (not nearly enough, though), "I still do."

What does that mean? It means that all the promises and commitments I made to her on our wedding day are just as significant...just as real now as they were then. As a pastor I often hear couples say, "We just don't love each other like we did in the beginning." I want to say to them (and sometimes do), "I don't love my wife the same as I did in the beginning. I love her MORE!"

I love to say that there's nothing more beautiful in this life than old love. By that I mean older folk showing their affection for one another. I see it when they hold hands as they walk through the mall. I see it when a husband opens the door for his wife. I see it when a wife shows up everyday at the nursing home to care for her husband with Alzheimer’s. He doesn't know who she is...but she knows who he is...and she remembers the vows she made to him on her wedding day. That's old love, and it's beautiful.

But I assure you, old love doesn't just sprout out of nowhere; it's homegrown. Old love has to begin somewhere, such as with young love. I do long for heaven because God has placed eternity in my heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). But I also want to grow old with my wife. In some ways I feel like we've been together our whole lives...I barely remember life without her. In other ways, I feel like our relationship is just getting started. I'm still learning her...coming to love her more.

So as I sit here putting the finishing touches on Eric's and Sara's wedding ceremony, I'm also thinking about my wife downstairs. I'm thinking about how "I still do." I think I'll go tell her...

Evel Knievel Dead at 69

I was taken back more than 30 years this afternoon when I read that one of my childhood heroes died today. I was born in March, 1967, and one of Evel Knievel's most defining jumps took place later that year when he flew his motorcycle 151 feet over the fountains of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas...only to crash and break a few bones. My brothers and I grew up trying to imitate Evel Knievel by jumping our bicycles on our homemade ramps. It's a wonder that we didn't break a few bones, too.

I have no moral lessons to give based on Evel Knievel's life, although I'm sure I could. He was a wild child, you know! I just wanted to pay tribute to one of my childhood heroes.

Too big for your britches

My mother used to warn us boys about getting too big for our britches. I don't know if you've ever heard that phrase...but it has to do with people exaggerating their maturity. The apostle Paul dealt with that very problem with the Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, he wrote:

"And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?"

What the Corinthians had come to understand as being spiritual and mature were, in fact, exaggerations and misunderstandings. In other words, the Corinthians weren’t nearly as spiritual as they thought they were; and, they weren’t nearly as mature as they thought they were.

I'm reminded of the time a few years ago when my family and I attended the Southern Baptist Convention in Pheonix, AZ. We went a few days ahead of the meeting so that we could participate in the evangelistic activities going on all over that part of the state.

We handed out free, cold water on a popular hiking trail...I believe it was called "Camelback Hiking Trail" or something close to that...the water enabled us to show God's love in a tangible way and to connect people to a local Phoenix church by building bridges through kindness and service. I wish you could have seen my daughters (who were a bit younger then) with bottles of water in hand asking, "Would you like some free, cold water?"

As people traveled up the trail, most of them would say, "No, I’m fine." But on the way back down, most of them desperately took the water! Each bottle had labels containing contact information for the church we were working with—Mountain View Baptist Church—and John 4:14 that says "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

I was privileged to talk with one man who received a bottle of water. He asked who we were and why we were doing what we were doing. I explained that we were with Mountain View Baptist Church and that we were giving away water as a tangible expression of God’s love. He was very complimentary and talkative. If you can believe it, I didn’t do most of the talking...in fact, he talked 95% of the time in our 20 minute conversation.

As the gentleman talked, it was apparent that he was familiar with Christian terminology, but he had different definitions for the terms. He talked about Christ, salvation, creation, peace, faith, love--all good Christian terms and concepts. Knowing that Arizona is a breeding ground for New Age beliefs, I asked him, "What’s your path?" In other words, I was asking him where he was headed with his beliefs?...What did he hope to realize in the end? He replied immediately that he was a "Zen Christian."

I wanted to speak his language as I sought to clarify what he had said, so I asked him, "So you’ve merged the Zen Buddhist and Christian philosophies? How’s that working for you?" He went on to explain that Zen Buddhism and Christianity are one and the same.

I don’t have time to detail our conversation completely, but when I turned our focus back onto the historical, factual, biblical "Jesus Christ and Him crucified," he became so angry that he began using profanity. He said, "I’m old enough to be your father. I’ve trained men to kill on the battlefield. I’ve watched as men died in war. I’ve had broken marriages. I was a 'Jesus Freak' in the early-70s and traveled all over the country evangelizing. Don’t even begin to think you understand where I’m coming from."

So I said, "So you were a 'Jesus Freak' in the early-70s...you’ve evangelized all over the country...so how did you or why did you move from the simple message of the historical, biblical Jesus to Zen Buddhism?"

You might be wondering why I’m telling you this story, but I tell it now because of the answer the man gave at that point. I asked "How did you or why did you move from the simple message of the historical, biblical Jesus to Zen Buddhism?" He said, and I quote: "Because I grew up!" He said, and I quote (except for the profanity): "You’re just a kid...and if you’ll ever grow up and give up your doctrines and whatever else it is that you think you believe, you’ll understand what I’m saying."

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I was hearing the very same argument that Paul had to contend with and that precipitated the writing of 1 Corinthians. "The message of Jesus is fine...for beginners; but when you grow up, you move on to higher thoughts and higher things!" And in the belief that people become more "connected" to God through nature worship or philosophies such as Zen Buddhism, people are functionally "disconnected" from God because they’ve moved away from "Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

The same happens inside local churches sometimes...as professing Christians get too big for their britches, believing they have a direct line to God that others aren't spiritual enough to have. One of the ways that such a spirit is detectable is by the results of their presence and involvement. Paul said, "For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?" When professing Christians get too big for their britches, they bring strife with their presence like a garbage truck brings stink down the street.

In Proverbs 6:17-19, Solomon named seven things that God hates: "Haughty eyes [that's pride], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” Did you catch that last one? "...and one who spreads strife among brothers." Once again, one of the ways that such a spirit is detectable is by the results of their presence and involvement.

You know, I think my mother was right...again.

Beware of God?

I guess we should have seen it coming…

“Parenting Beyond Belief” is a book published in April by Amacom, a wing of the American Management Association (not sure what their stake is in all of this) to help parents raise their children without religion or God. As Lisa Miller wrote in her Newsweek review of the book this summer: “It raises more serious concerns about how to bring up ethical, confident, nonbelieving kids in a culture saturated with talk about God.”

Regarding explaining the concept of death to a child when one doesn’t want to suggest the possibility of an afterlife, the Unitarian minister Kendyl Gibbons recommends such phrases as “No, honey, Grandpa won't come for Christmas. He died and is dead for always.” Boy, that’ll set the mood for the holidays, won’t it?

Never mind that most Americans say they believe in God. A 2006 Newsweek poll revealed that “Americans said they believed in God by a margin of 92 to 6—only 2 percent answered, ‘don't know.’” Now, don’t misunderstand me. I will defend an atheist’s right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression…I’m just saddened that people can be so blind. I believe Pastor Adrian Rogers was right when he said, “An atheist can't find God for the same reason a thief can’t find a policeman.”

It makes me think of a story I read once and tucked away for just a time like this. In Our Greatest Gift, Henri Nouwen tells an intriguing parable. He imagines twins—a brother and a sister—talking to each other in their mother's womb:

The sister said to the brother, “I believe there is life after birth.”

Her brother protested vehemently, “No, no, this is all there is. This is a dark and cozy place, and we have nothing else to do but to cling to the cord that feeds us.”

The little girl insisted, “There must be something more than this dark place. There must be something else, a place with light where there is freedom to move.” Still, she could not convince her twin brother.

After some silence, the sister said hesitantly, “I have something else to say, and I'm afraid you won't believe that, either, but I think there is a mother.”

Her brother became furious. “A mother!” he shouted. “What are you talking about? I have never seen a mother, and neither have you. Who put that idea in your head? As I told you, this place is all we have. Why do you always want more? This is not such a bad place, after all. We have all we need, so let's be content.”

The sister was quite overwhelmed by her brother's response and for a while didn't dare say anything more. But she couldn't let go of her thoughts, and since she had only her twin brother to speak to, she finally said, “Don't you feel these squeezes every once in a while? They're quite unpleasant and sometimes even painful.”

“Yes,” he answered. “What's special about that?”

“Well,” the sister said, “I think that these squeezes are there to get us ready for another place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother face-to-face. Don't you think that's exciting?”

The brother didn't answer. He was fed up with the foolish talk of his sister and felt that the best thing would be simply to ignore her and hope that she would leave him alone.

“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I was out and about this morning and was reminded everywhere I looked that Christmas is coming. Actually, I love this time of year like no other...it's not the commercialization of the holiday I like, I assure you, but I do love the decorations and the carols and the spirit.

I've been thinking this morning about Christmas because I'm beginning my Christmas sermon series this weekend. As challenging as preaching on Christmas is (i.e. staying fresh), I love the whole process--planning, preparing, and delivering the messages. It seems that people are especially open to hearing about Jesus during these days, so we shouldn't miss the chance to share the good news.

I heard the story recently of the little girl who came home from Sunday school waving a paper for her mother to see. “Look Mommy,” she exclaimed, “Teacher says I drew the most unusual Christmas picture she ever saw!”

Her mother took one look and had to agree with the teacher. Hoping her daughter could explain her creation, the mother asked, “Why are all these people riding in the back of an airplane?”

“Well, Mommy, that's the flight into Egypt.”

Accepting that, the mother asked another question: “Who is this mean-looking man in the front?”

Her daughter answered quickly and knowingly: “That's Pontius, the Pilot.”

Looking at the picture even more closely, the mother said, “I see you have Mary and Joseph and the baby. But who is this large man sitting behind Mary?”

“Can't you tell?” the little girl asked, beginning to shake her head in disappointment. “That's Round John Virgin.”

That story reminds me that people don’t always get the details of the Christmas story right. Maybe they’ve never read the Bible or maybe we’ve never told them. Either way, they’re missing out on the greatest news ever given to mankind! Let’s make it our purpose this Christmas to share the greatest Christmas gift ever…Jesus.

They're watching!

Did you hear about the two gas company service men—a senior training supervisor and a young trainee—who were out checking meters in a neighborhood? They parked their truck at the end of the street and worked their way to the other end. At the last house, a woman looking out her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her gas meter.

Finishing the meter check, the senior supervisor challenged his younger co-worker to a foot race down the street back to the truck to prove that an older guy could outrun a younger one. As they came running up to the truck, they realized that the lady from the last house was huffing and puffing right behind them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong. Gasping for breath, she said, “When I see two gas men running full speed away from my house, I figure I'd better run too.”

Even when we don’t realize it, people are watching us. And to make that point even more somber, many of them will do exactly what we do . . . which causes us to ask ourselves, “How are we influencing and where are we leading those who are watching us?”

Perhaps our first thoughts drift to our family relationships or our neighborhood relationships or our workplace relationships. In any case, each of us influences someone, directly or indirectly.

The apostle Paul wrote: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). After warning the Ephesians about giving in to flesh-centered living, Paul coached: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (5:1). But Paul equally exhorted the believers in Corinth to “be imitators of me” (1 Corinthians 4:16).

Maybe you remember the comment that NBA star, Charles Barkley, uttered a few years ago: “I’m not a role model.” Certainly we could debate the wisdom of Barkley (among many others, by the way) influencing the attitudes and actions of our children, but Barkley was dead wrong to believe that he could just absolve himself of his influence!

How often do church members say, “I’m no saint!” Yes, you are. Do a casual search of the Scriptures to see how often Christians are called saints. Or how about when church members say things like, “I’m no preacher!” Where are we ever instructed that there are two sets of ethics or expectations—one for ministers and one for “normal” people? Sure, ministers should set a high standard of holy living, but that’s only to set the example for all Christians to follow. The point is that true believers in Christ can never absolve themselves from their influence. We’re all walking, breathing, living billboards. The messages we’re all advertising are steering people toward Christ or away from Him . . . thoughts to ponder.

"...and, NO, he's not my uncle"

I should have written this weeks ago.

If you've heard me speak on politics at any point, chances are you've heard me say that I don't believe the hope of our nation's future rests with a particular political party, per se. I am involved in the political process, though; I VOTE. But I was shocked recently when a leading religious leader (albeit becoming a bit Alzheimer-ish) gave his full endorsement to a leading, socially-liberal, Republican presidential candidate. Pat Robertson put his stamp of approval on former NYC mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm glad Rudy Giuliani did such a good job as mayor of New York City. I love that place. I'm glad he responded with such good leadership after 9/ll. He jumped in and led with all the world watching. BUT...BUT...BUT...I'm not so certain I want him at the helm of the most powerful nation on earth. And I'm alarmed that Pat Robertson, a still revered leader of the Religious Right, would endorse the thrice-married, abortion-supporting, pro-gay, and anti-gun candidate.

Robertson claimed that terrorism trumps the social issues that have fueled the conservative Christian movement for more than 20 years. He said, "Our world faces deadly peril...and we need a leader with a bold vision who is not afraid to tackle the challenges ahead." Robertson said that one of the main reasons he's supporting Giuliani is "judges, judges, and judges." He said that Giuliani "has assured the American people that he's going to appoint justices in the likeness of Scalia and John Roberts, et cetera...and I believe him."

Now let's get this straight...Giuliani disdains the sanctity of marriage vows. He supports killing babies while they're still in their mother's wombs. He's an advocate of the gay agenda. He supports squelching the Second Amendment. And he's the guy Pat Robertson wants in the White House because he's going to appoint conservative judges. [Imagine me shaking my head in disbelief with a sarcastic grin on my face.]

Pat Robertson has done enough damage to the Christian cause already through his foolish, injurious rambling about world affairs. Remember him calling for the assasination of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president/dictator? As a result, Chavez booted out about half of the Christian missionaries, claiming they were in cahoots with the CIA. I have no doubt that Chavez is mentally imbalanced and an evil man. I have no doubt that Venezuelans are being oppressed. I have no doubt that Chavez hates America. But Robertson's flippant comments about killing Chavez were irresponsible, unacceptable, and inappropriate.

Do I think terrorism is a real threat to US security? Absolutely. Most of Washington and the presidential candidates don't, though, or we'd be doing something about securing our borders! (That's a topic that'll have to wait for another day.) But do we actually have to choose between national security and national morality in the upcoming presidential election? I don't think so.

I wish I could say that Pat Robertson's voice were obsolete and irrelevant. Unfortunately, however, millions still watch him every day on CBN.

On another yet related note, it's going to be interesting to see what happens if the Republican presidential nominee is, in fact, Rudy Giuliani. How will those who believe the GOP is "God's Own Party" respond? Will they continue to tow the party line? I know they'd never cross the party line to vote Democratic, but what will they do? And what will they tell America to do? We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Remember this, though: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).

"Lord, thank you for my toothbrush"

In The Bible and The New York Times, author Fleming Rutledge writes:

"The life of thankfulness—biblically speaking—is lived in view of the hard things of existence. As the life of thanksgiving deepens, we discover that the more mature prayers of thanksgiving are not those offered for the obvious blessings, but those spoken in gratitude for obstacles overcome, for insights gained, for lessons learned, for increased humility, for help received in time of need, for strength to persevere, for opportunities to serve others."

That makes me wonder how thankful I am for less obvious blessings. When my family and I went to Venezuela in the summer of '06 on our first "family mission trip," part of that experience was traveling out to the jungle to minister among the Warao people. "Jungle" is probably not the best term to describe where we were, because where we went was only accessible by water...but it's the best word I have. Anyway, we were among people who live in huts, sleep in hammocks, and travel by canoe. Clothing was minimal (some of the kids were "naked as a jaybird," as we say where I grew up) and hygeine was questionable. Because of their unvarying diet, evidence of vitamin deficiencies was obvious.

What I'm getting at is that I was reminded then (and I'm reminded now) that some of our blessings are things we normally take for granted. When's the last time you thanked God for clean water or a bar of soap or a loaf of bread or a toothbrush?!? How about electricity? On a different note, when's the last time you thanked God for painting a sunset or dotting the night sky full of stars? See where I'm going with this?

May this Thanksgiving Day be filled with gratitude for the obvious and the not-so-obvious blessings! "Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns" (Philippians 1:3-6 NLT).

...but do we love Jesus?

You've seen the commercial advertising insurance or something, haven't you, that says, “Life comes at you fast”? Well, I'm ashamed and embarrassed that I haven't posted since the 5th of last month...but life just seems to be so busy!

I've got a thought on my mind this morning. I heard the story from a few years ago about a man who found himself in an elevator with Chrysler’s CEO. Wanting to be pleasant, he asked, “You’re Lee Iacocca, aren’t you?” The CEO acknowledged that he was.

The man said, “Mr. Iacocca, I want to tell you how much I enjoy your television commercials advertising Chrysler.” To this compliment Iacocca replied, “Sir, I couldn’t care less what you think of my commercials. What I want to know is what kind of car do you drive?”

The bottom line in faith, in all honesty, is not what you think of the preacher or the music or the church or the carpet or the lights or…

The bottom line in faith is whether you’re a follower of Christ (or, at least, are in the process of coming to know Him personally)! We can admire certain aspects of religiosity, but do we love Jesus?

Until next time...and hopefully it won't be a month and a half!

The Politically Incorrect Jesus

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Jesus were born and lived among us today? Joseph Girzone wrote a book a few years ago entitled Joshua that explored that very question. That book spawned a series of books about Joshua (which, by the way, is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek name Jesus). I read a couple of them…I’m not sure how I feel about them to be honest with you…but one valuable insight that I gained was how unprepared we (not just we as individuals but we as a society) would be to respond to Jesus if He showed up in our town…because we have our preconceptions much like the Jews had theirs.

I suppose this journey into the hypothetical could go in a lot of directions, but one thought I have is how politically incorrect Jesus would be today if He showed up in most any American city. In our current climate of so-called “hate speech” and “hate crimes,” political correctness has gone crazy! Now, just in case you’ve been away on a trip to another planet for the last 20 years or so, political correctness is the belief that any thought, word, or action that could be deemed offensive should be eliminated and, equally, only the so-called politically correct viewpoints should be tolerated and allowed to prevail.

In today's politically correct environment where you have to be so careful to keep from offending anyone, we might all have to give reports like this fourth grader who reported on the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. “The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of you know what. When they landed, they gave thanks to you know who. Because of them, we can worship each Sunday, you know where.”

The reason I mention how politically incorrect Jesus would be today if He showed up in most any American city is how politically incorrect Jesus was when He showed up on the scene almost 2,000 years ago. The Jewish leaders wanted desperately to assassinate Jesus for what they would have called “hate speech” if they had known our terminology. He came speaking words and espousing ideas that flew in the face of what Judaism had become, and the Jewish leaders were determined to stop it.

The apostle Paul asked the Galatian believers, “Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16). Jesus became an enemy of the Jewish population because He dared to demonstrate and declare the truth of God.

The erosion of truth in today’s American culture should terrify us. Truth has become an endangered species…but do you know the difference between truth and the endangered Ozark big-eared bat or the endangered gray wolf? It’s open hunting season on truth! Our culture is so confused that up is down/down is up, black is white/white is black, good is bad/bad is good, right is wrong/wrong is right!

At the heart of my thoughts today is this: a fundamental question that every non-believer must ask himself or herself is: “Am I looking for reasons to believe or am I looking for reasons not to believe?” The answer is not a trivial issue! Thomas Aquinas put it well: “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

Do People See the Real Me...?

It's that time of year...when leaves change their colors. We're not seeing the change in Tennessee yet, but it can't be far away. But have you ever thought about what really happens when the sea of green becomes a bright rainbow of yellows, oranges, and reds?

We normally think of green leaves changing colors in the fall, don't we? But that's actually not what happens. In short, chlorophyll covers the true color of leaves and makes them green. That's actually very important for the trees...because without the chlorophyll in leaves, trees wouldn't be able to use sunlight to produce food.

But the point I'm making is that leaves don't change their colors, per se, in the fall...they simply return to their true colors. And when do people stand and stare in awe at trees' foliage? In the fall, of course! We're far more attracted to the eclectic mix of colors than the standard shades of green. We prefer to see leaves in their true colors more than when they're all the same color. There's a message in there for us.

How much time do we spend trying to be something that we're not...trying to be like someone else? Has it ever intrigued you that we'll spend big bucks to wear somebody else's number and name on our backs? We'll take a picture of someone else's haircut into the beauty shop and say, "I want to look like that!" We'll see a celebrity wearing a certain style of clothes or sunglasses, and we have to go out and buy the same.

Why can't we just be ourselves...our true colors? David wrote in one of his psalms that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). God made each of us as unique individuals. Surely He did that for a reason.

So, I'm left with the uncomfortable question, "Do people see the real me or am I influenced so much by the chlorophyll of culture that I'm just like everyone else?" Ouch...

Understanding the Times

This past Sunday I preached a message that has been on my heart for years. I preached about our need to reach this generation. Oswald J. Smith said, “The only generation that can reach this generation is our generation.” Keith Green said something similar when he declared, “This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth!” But how do we do that?

There's an obscure but appropriate verse that challenges us to reach our generation...1 Chronicles 12:32--“Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command.” The part that's of special note is that phrase, “...men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do...”

I’m always fascinated when I hear the story of how at the end of World War II, Robert Woodruff declared, “In my generation it is my desire that everyone in the world have a taste of Coca Cola.” Today, Coca-Cola is sold from here to the farthest reaches on planet earth…all because one man had a vision of what could be.

If a soft drink company could set their sights on reaching their generation with their product, shouldn’t we have all the more motive to set our sights on reaching our generation with the gospel?!?

If we're going to understand our time:

• We have to understand the time in which we live. We can appreciate and learn from the past without living in it. We have to embrace the present. The past is behind us. The future is before us. But the present is upon us!


• We have to understand that times change. I'm continually amazed at how different the world is from when I was a kid. We want to believe that we still live in Mayberry, but Mayberry was taken up by the bypass! At any given moment when we put our feet into the stream of our society, we are touching fresh people. The past is water under the bridge, as the saying goes. Every generation has to be evangelized afresh and anew! Along with this, we have to accept generational differences. Perhaps I'll discuss that in another post.


• More specifically, we understand that while we’ve never had more resources at our disposal to make Christ known, our culture has never been more lost! Where I live and minister, We have 126,000+ people within the Clarksville city limits and 162,000+ people in Montgomery County…86% of whom are not going to be in any church on any given Sunday. That means that almost 9 out of 10 people you meet anywhere you go has no meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.
  

Until we can get our hearts around these truths, we’ll never understand the times…

And then we come to the question of knowing what we should do in the 21st century as Christians. We must be real, relevant, and relational.

Real because my generation (I'm a Gen-Xer) needs to see authenticity. Generations before us told us about the American Dream, but they gave us an enormous national debt to pay and a broken social security system that we fully expect never to receive a dime from. We’re inheriting political parties that aren’t really about solving America’s problems but securing America’s power! Factor in the explosion of broken marriages, HIV/AIDS, and a host of other global issues…and you can begin to see life though younger eyes.

Of course, my generation has sought to build relationships and find intimacy…but we haven’t been very good at it. We’d rather meet in virtual places online with virtual friends and have virtual conversations. But all of this just leads to further isolation.

Relevant because we have to touch people where they are. One of the great dangers of churches in this generation is irrelevance. But I want to tell you, being relevant isn’t preaching on “10 Ways to Improve Your Golf Score” or “Overcoming Boredom in the Boardroom.” Being relevant isn’t singing Beatles songs in church. Being relevant isn’t compromising the message of the gospel.

Being relevant is about practicing and proclaiming the good news of Christ within the context of our current culture. What good is salt that never leaves the shaker? What good is a light that never gets turned on? What good is a church that never connects with its culture?

Relational...bottom-line, we have to talk to each other…and walk with each other…across racial lines…across socio-economic lines…across generational lines. Truth is…people in my generation and younger really are interested in what those older than us have to say. But we want them to be interested in what we have to say, too. We can learn from each other…and in the context of real relationships, we can share Christ effectively.

“…men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do…” Wow! Oh, Lord, let me be like the sons of Issachar...

Six Years Later...

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the day that changed America forever. I remember vividly where I was when I first heard of the World Trade Center attacks. I was driving north on I-65 (from Franklin to Brentwood) on my way to work when I heard on the radio that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I called my wife, Beth, and I told her that I didn’t understand how, with all the air traffic control measures in place, that a plane could just fly into a New York City skyscraper. Keep in mind that at this point the thought of terrorism had not entered my mind.

While Beth and I were talking, she turned on the television to catch the live coverage of the first tower burning. Suddenly, Beth screamed out, “Another plane just flew into the other tower! I just saw another plane fly into the other tower!” I knew at that precise moment that something was wrong…something was terribly wrong.

That day was one of the most somber days as the attacks in Lower Manhattan, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and on the Pentagon in Washington were the topic of every discussion…everywhere you went. Still, though, we didn’t know of the origin of the attacks at that time. I preached that evening in a revival in Columbia, Tennessee, and I couldn’t help but address the issue. I remember preaching from Amos 4:12—“Prepare to meet your God.”

According to George Barna’s research, only 12% of Americans admitted that 9/11 had any impact on their faith. One reason why this may have been true was that barely half of the nation's churches acknowledged or addressed the attacks in any way during the following year, according to church attendees. I’m not sure how a pastor could remain silent in light of 9/11, but…

Let me encourage you to see these days of uncertainty…these days in which our security blankets have been ripped away forever by Boeing bullets piloted by self-proclaimed martyrs…these days in which even children are conversant with the word “terrorism”…I want to encourage you to see these days as great opportunities to share hope in Christ. Hope doesn’t come from the White House or the Pentagon or the United States Capitol. Only God can make sense out of nonsense, and only He can bring hope out of hopelessness. Share Jesus with someone today!

How Will They Know...?

I just began teaching a discipleship class at my church on witnessing, and I’m using a book to which I contributed a chapter—The Complete Evangelism Guidebook, edited by Scott Dawson. One of the great values of this book is that the reader discovers how to define, demonstrate, declare, and defend faith with almost anyone from virtually any background.

I’m convinced that we can weave the essence of the gospel into practically any conversation. That’s why we need a variety of tools in our tool box. But I must confess to you that I’m not one of those loquacious people who finds it easy to talk to anyone anywhere. By nature, I’m an introvert. Most people laugh when I tell them that because the only time they see me I’m talking in front of lots of people.

Evangelism has never come easy for me, though. Yet I’ve known clearly for the last twenty-five years that I have a story to tell. I came across a definition of witnessing a number of years ago that set me free: “Witnessing is being faithful to share Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”

For the first time, I discovered that my job in evangelism is to be faithful to share Jesus Christ…and that my introverted personality is a non-issue since I am to rely upon the Holy Spirit’s power…and that I’m not responsible for what people do with the gospel once I’ve given it to them.

We sometimes use a term that I understand and even use, but I’m afraid it leads to confusion more than clarity. The term? “Soul-winner.” By that term, obviously, we mean someone who shares the gospel and leads people to faith in Christ. But what happens when the lost person says “No” to the gospel? Does that make the witness a “soul-loser”? Of course not. Yet I’ve seen far more than my share of witnesses who hold to an “ends-justify-the-means” mentality in evangelism…which leads to tactics that might lead to decisions but not necessarily disciples! Perhaps I’ll write about that more at a later time…

I’ve read that at the end of World War 1, there were many French soldiers who were shell-shocked to the degree that they didn’t know who they were. The French responded by hosting what was called an “Identification Rally” in Paris. Multiplied thousands of people gathered in the designated area, and one-by-one each of the soldiers mounted a platform, looked out at the crowd, and said: “Please someone tell me who I am.”

What a privilege we have to tell people in our circles of influence who they are. They are people created in the image of God and loved beyond degree by Him. But how will they know that if we don’t tell them…?

“I’m walking in your shadow, Daddy!”

I missed my first day yesterday since beginning my blog. Just couldn’t get to it…sometimes life’s just that way.

I just returned to my office after addressing our church’s first official MOPS meeting. MOPS—Mothers of Preschoolers—is an international ministry of encouragement and equipping for, as you might guess, mothers of preschoolers. I love one tagline that I found on the MOPS website: “MOPS keeps building on 34 years of gathering moms to become better moms…for our families, communities, and the world…because better moms (really do) make a better world.”

In my words to these precious mothers, I shared a story that I’ve rarely ever told (I think because it’s so personal). You see, I used to pastor in South Mississippi in a place called Poplarville. Beth and I had both of our children while I was pastoring Steep Hollow Baptist Church; so you can only imagine the feelings I have for that church. We lived in the church parsonage within spittin’ distance of the church (not that I ever spit on the church, you understand. That’s just a country form of measurement!). In the yard/parking lot between our home and the church was a street light. Considering how far out of town we lived, that light was a welcomed sight every night.

One night after church…I was walking home…and Morgan was with me. She’s now my 13 year old, but she couldn’t have been more than 2 or 3 when this happened. I was walking and she was walking right behind me. I turned around to grab her hand and I said, “Come on baby.” And she said—remember it’s night and there’s a street light in the yard/parking lot between our home and the church—she said, “I’m walking in your shadow, Daddy!” She was playing a game…but those words penetrated my heart as I considered what she said. “I’m walking in your shadow, Daddy!”

That’s a thought that’ll keep a dad up at night…“I’m walking in your shadow, Daddy!” Am I living my life in such a way as to lead my children in the ways of righteousness? If my daughters practice their faith like I do…view the world through similar eyes to mine…grow up to be like me…will I be pleased with who they've become? Wow! That makes me want to be a better dad. It also makes me want to be a better husband…a better Christian.

“Lord, help me to be that man.”

So, I was in Starbucks this morning...

Some of you have joked about my affection for Starbucks, and it’s true…I do love Starbucks. But I’m afraid many folk have a misconception about my favorite coffee house. I’ve even heard it called “Six-bucks” (although it doesn’t really cost that much). The misconception, I think, is in the idea that Starbucks sells coffee.

Now it’s true; they do sell coffee (my favorite is a Triple Venti Soy Latté). But they sell more than coffee; they sell community.

I’ve stated on several occasions that the days of Mayberry are long-gone. Many of us remember growing up sitting on front porches sipping sweet tea or coffee and chatting with our friends and family. But the urbanization of our society has robbed us of those “good ole days.” Yet our need for community remains the same. We need relationships; God made us that way.

Starbucks has touched a delicate part of the American life—the need for community. I’ve often thought how the church ought to be more like Starbucks. Not that I want us to sell coffee, but we certainly should be a place where people (lives) connect. I can’t tell you how many times Beth and I have sat at a Starbucks by ourselves or with friends and just talked…sometimes for 3-4 hours. My girls even love to hang out with us.

Shouldn’t church be that way? Shouldn’t church be a place where friends meet and community (koinonia fellowship) happens? I don’t necessarily mean hanging out in the church foyer that long but connecting with people and building friendships that will literally last a lifetime.

Why don’t you give these ideas some thought…perhaps over a cup of coffee at Starbucks? :-) See you there!

"Would Jesus Be a Republican or a Democrat?"

Well, it's already started.

You see, I had our church sign updated this morning to announce the next and final sermon in my "Hot Potatoes" sermon series. This Sunday, Lord-willing and the creek don't rise, I'll be preaching a message entitled "Would Jesus Be a Republican or a Democrat?" Someone called our church office within a few hours of the announcement to express her extreme displeasure with my sermon title.

I find that rather interesting..."that" meaning her extreme displeasure at a title...expecially when I haven't even answered the question yet! :-) Nevertheless, the title's doing what I hoped it would. It's piquing interest.

Some may say, "But, Pastor, are you sure you want to deal with that question?" Let me tell you what's on my mind without stealing the thunder from Sunday's sermon. I recall reading in my studies in the history of evangelism that chaplains on both sides of the Civil War--Union and Confederate--preached of God's favor for their respective causes. In other words, God was on their side. I'm not weighing in one way or the other on the Civil War; I'm just pointing out that everyone seems to think God's on their side...and not on the side of those who have differing opinions. Republicans demonize Democrats and deify their own party, and vice versa.

I understand the necessity of politics, and I am personally involved in the political process by voting. However, the hope for America doesn't lie in politics. I grow weary with people, even many preachers, who believe blessing or judgment falls on our nation exclusively based on who gets in the White House...and it all depends on who's talking as to what the future holds.

It reminds me of living in Alabama. People would ask if you were an Alabama or Auburn fan before they asked your name! It was like your eternal destiny depended on your favorite football team, and where you would spend eternity always depended on who you were talking to!

"Would Jesus Be a Republican or a Democrat?" I think that's a question worth asking...and a question worth answering. May He be glorified with the results!

Isaiah 55:9
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Laughing Out Loud!

It’s Labor Day and I don’t plan on being on the computer much today…but I want to tell you about a movie my daughter Morgan and I saw on Friday night--"Mr. Bean's Holiday"!I realize that you have to appreciate the comedy of Mr. Bean, in general, if you’re going to enjoy the movie…but I laughed so loudly in the theater that I embarrassed my daughter.

I’ve been a fan of Mr. Bean since my college days, or at least that’s when I remember discovering him. It’s so refreshing to see comedy that is truly funny and that doesn’t have to resort to profanity and crudeness in order to get a laugh. I highly recommend "Mr. Bean's Holiday."

On another yet related note, the funniest Mr. Bean skit that I ever saw was “Mr. Bean Goes to Church.” It can reveal a lot about when newcomers visit our churches. Check it out, but be careful. You might blow coffee out your nose while you watch it, so take small sips.

Proverbs 17:22
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

Guarding Against "Koinonitis"

God is so good, isn’t He? As that great hymn goes, “There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place; and I know that it’s the spirit of the Lord.” I was so blessed by worship this morning, and the sermon I dreaded preaching went okay...at least I didn't get punched in the face! Ha! (If you haven't read Friday's blog, I preached on divorce). Seriously, I have the wonderful privilege of pastoring the greatest church in the world--Hilldale Baptist Church, Clarksville, Tennessee. We're not perfect because we're made up of imperfect people...but we worship and serve a perfect God!

I've been thinking. We have lots of responsibilities as Christian congregations, one of which is biblical fellowship or koinonia. True Christian fellowship is based upon and built around Jesus Christ. Because our lives are connected to Him, we should be connected to each other. We love one another, help one another, and encourage one another. Koinonia in Christ’s church is a non-negotiable if we’re going to honor Christ in our fellowships. But, as with so much in growing churches, we must be intentional about koinonia if it’s going to happen.

We must also guard ourselves, however, against Koinonitis—the disease of becoming too inwardly focused as a church and getting out of balance in the area of fellowship. The church is called to nurture those within the Body of Christ and reach those outside the Body.

Beth and I have a couple of Blue Mountain College friends—Jeff and Nell Ginn—who were missionaries in Columbia for a number of years. While they were on the mission field, their daughter coined a phrase that may help us fight off the tendency toward Koinonitis. One morning Jeff entered his home study to find his world map had fallen off the wall. In the process of falling, it became torn. His then-two-year-old daughter, Anna, assisted Jeff in the repair of the map.

Nell noticed the unusual quietness of her daughter, so she called out from another room, “Honey, what are you doing?” Quickly and matter-of-factly, Anna answered her mother, “We’re fixin’ the world, Mommy.”

I think that if we will stay busy “fixin’ the world,” then our church will enjoy rich and healthy koinonia while staying immunized against Koinonitis. Nothing brings a church together like working together to make Christ known in their community and within their culture.