Indigenous Worship in Africa

Recently when Becca and I were in Africa, we went to one village that had several Bible-believing, born-again Christians. Although the village was a Catholic village, these believers' worship took place outside the church building and apart from Catholic rituals. They found places outside to gather, to sing, to study God's Word...to worship. I was able to capture a couple minutes of their music on video. Keep in mind that the only instrument they had was a borrowed hand drum known as a "Djembe" (pr. JEM-bay). If they couldn't use that, they usually found an empty bucket or plastic container of some kind to "play."

Watch and listen to the following video...and let God remind you that worship isn't about all the "stuff" and "fluff" that we've made it out to be. Worship is found in God's people pouring their hearts out to Him in pure, unadulterated adoration. While we worship in our air-conditioned, multi-million dollar facilities...with padded pews and big screens...let's think twice before we gripe about the temperature or the lighting or the music selections or the length of the sermon. Let's just pour our hearts out to God in pure, unadulterated adoration for our King.

Are Women Born This Way?

I'm just asking a simple question, so don't tar-and-feather me...



Hmmmmmm. Beth, Morgan, and Becca...I love you!

(Some days we just need a good laugh, amen?!?)

in•ten•tion•al

[in-ten(t)-shə-nəl]
-adjective
1. done on purpose or by design.

I’ve been impressed by God lately about how intentional I am (we are) about life and faith. I had this illustrated somewhat last week while my family and I vacationed in Destin, FL.

Morgan, Becca, and I were just lazily hanging out in the water at the beach on Boogie Boards. It was so relaxing that I almost went to sleep out there…enjoying the coolness of the water and the motion of the waves. It was great. But at some point I opened my eyes to discover that Beth was no longer sitting on the beach reading her book. She had been there the last time I looked, but now she was gone.

I began to scour the beach scene looking for my wife only to discover that she had moved about 50 yards down the beach. She had moved everything! Our chairs, our towels, our cooler…everything! And there she was, just reading her book as if nothing had changed.

And then the thought struck me—Beth hasn’t moved…we have! Just going with the flow, we had allowed the waves to carry us away from where we had been in the beginning. Being the PastorDad that I am, I brought this out to my girls as a true-to-life illustration of how easy it is to drift away from God and His plan for our lives. We have to find our reference point (at the beach, that was Beth / in life, that’s God’s Word in which Christ is the Centerpiece) and work to stay in line with it.

Beth had not moved; we had. God does not move; we do.

Left to ourselves, we will never drift toward a deeper walk with God…or holiness…or evangelism…or obedience. Left to ourselves, we’ll always drift away from God, not closer to Him! We have to be intentional about everything in the Christian life.

Whoever told us that the Christian walk was the easy way wasn’t being truthful. In fact, Jesus said just the opposite: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

This is what God’s been speaking to me about lately. How intentional are we being in our pursuit of Him and His purpose? Are we demonstrating Christ through our lives on purpose? Are we growing deeper in our worship and walk by design? Are we being intentional about reaching out to the 9-in-10 people in Montgomery County who do not know Christ?

OR, are we just lazily hanging out in life…just going with the flow…allowing the waves to carry us away from where we once were with God? I hope God will speak to you like He’s speaking to me. And may we be sensitive enough to His prompting to obey Him wherever He leads us.

Parasitic sins

I've already shared that I brought back an African souvenir that I didn't mean to. I'm doing much better, by the way. But I've been thinking...

Evidently I picked up some kind of parasite without even realizing it...and it lay dormant in me for some period of time...and then at the "right" time (wrong time for me but right time for it), it manifested itself. How many sins develop in our lives the same way?

A thought or an image finds its way into our hearts, perhaps without us even realizing it at the time...and it incubates within us for some period of time...but then, seemingly out of nowhere (but we know better), we're tempted to commit some sin.

Let's not be so naive, folk. Satan's goal is to destroy you and me (and dishonor God in the process). And he operates in parasitic ways to accomplish his goals, unleashing tempting opportunities that cater to the most base part within us. Oh sure, maybe we don't feel the consequences immediately...but they're coming! Be sure, they're coming.

I've been taking two medications for my "problems"--Flagyl and Cipro. They're designed to kill the parasites and bacteria that have made me sick.

I want to encourage you, in spiritual terms, to enlist the Flagyl of faith and the Cipro of sanctification to fight off Satan's parasitism. We must be vigilant in the fight against our enemy! We must not give him even a place on the doorstep of our lives, much less a foot in the door.

These are my thoughts today...maybe they're only mine, but that's okay. God used my circumstances to remind me of greater issues at hand...

Next Thing You Know Bro. Lyndel Will Be Preaching!

I thought I'd show you another video from our recent mission trip to Senegal, West Africa...

This is the video that would have been shown at Hilldale BC on July 5 IF technology had cooperated with me in Africa

“Souvenir” = French verb meaning “to remember”

I read the other day that 45% of English vocabulary is of French origin. If that’s true, that explains why we use so many French words in our everyday language and don’t even realize it. One of those words is “souvenir.” Did you know that’s French? It is. It’s the verb meaning “to remember.” And if you think about, it makes total sense. Why do we buy all those knick-knacks and trinkets when we travel? Is it not “to remember” our trip?

Becca and I bought some souvenirs in Africa…some artwork, jewelry, wood carvings, etc. But since we’ve been home, I’ve discovered another “souvenir” from my travels to remember my trip by. Every member of our team except Becca is sick with some kind of stomach bug (parasite/amoeba).

I’m on my third day thus far. Sunday was a bad day physically, but God’s grace enabled me to preach the morning and evening services at Hilldale. I wasn’t really “available” before, between, or after the services…but that side of the story can remain a mystery to my readers. ;-)

Someone mentioned to me this morning, “I hate that your trip has ended this way.” But I’ve got to be honest with you…our mission in Africa was worth it! Engaging the precious people in those Senegalese villages and sharing the good news of Jesus in the heart of spiritual darkness far outweighs whatever discomfort I’m now experiencing. Don’t get me wrong…I’m not enjoying this part of the journey AT ALL…but at least it’s happening on this side of the ocean and in my own house.

Just to put things in perspective in terms of how I feel about our time in Africa despite my sickness: I’d get on a plane today and head back to Africa if I could…well, after I pumped myself full of Imodium, of course. ;-)

Thanks for reading...

And as Dorothy said in the Land of Oz...

"There's no place like home."

Of course, I wanted to sleep late and couldn't...unless you consider that in Senegalese time, I slept until 11:00 in the morning! Aaaggghhh! I missed a whole night's sleep on the way home...you'd think I could make that back up somehow...but c'est la vie (they speak French in Senegal, y'know). :-)

Thanks for joining us on the journey through your prayers.

And so our time in Africa comes to a close...

I can't believe it, but this day has come--our last day in Africa. In fact, we just finished supper and are about to load up our luggage and head to the airport.

Today, we hit two villages...the second one is the one where Chief Malick Fay (pr. "Fye") is also the local Islamic Imam. The other pastor and I had the opportunity and freedom to present the truth of the the gospel according to the Bible. While the chief wasn't really receptive to our message, there were about 10 guys from the village sitting nearby listening to every word. My prayer is that if the chief rejects the gospel, perhaps one of those who listened today will hear Christ speaking to his heart. Please join me in that prayer.

I've got to cut my post short tonight since we're getting ready to hit the road. Becca and I catch our flight at 2:30 a.m. (9:30 p.m. Central Time) and will land at JFK in New York at 6:45 a.m. While we're there...and since we don't fly home until 8:00 p.m....we're going to spend the day messing around in Manhattan.

We're so ready to get home...For those of you who are Hilldale folk, I can't wait to see you Sunday!

I can't believe this is Day 9!

I expect that this post will be relatively short since it's late, I'm tired, and we've got to be packed up when we leave our rooms tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Today has been our next-to-last day on the trip and it was a really good day. We were in a Catholic village this afternoon and tonight, and I preached in the village tonight. The message went well, I think, considering it was being translated into one of the Sereer dialects.

We ate dinner in the village tonight (in the dark). It was a different kind of dish than we had eaten thus far and is hard to explain. It didn't taste bad...but I had some texture issues with it. I looked at Becca at one point (now here we were sitting in the dark and eating with all these villagers) and said, "Did you ever think in a million years that you'd be eating a meal in an African village?" I've got to tell you--it's both humbling and adventurous...

Tomorrow we return to the village we tried to visit yesterday (where the 10-year old little girl had just died from malaria). Actually, we're hitting a village before that too...so we'll visit in two Muslim villages tomorrow. But the second one is when we will seek to speak to the village chief/Islamic Imam about the the claims of Christ.

Please join us in praying that God will open a door clearly and miraculously to share the gospel!

On a more personal note, Becca told me today, "Dad, I love Africa...and I really want to come back. But I'm ready to see Mom and Morgan." I'll have to agree. :-)

The Best Laid Plans

If there’s one thing I’ve learned on mission trips through the years, it’s the necessity of flexibility. Oftentimes things turn out very differently than you’ve planned. What did Burns say—“The best laid schemes o' mice an' men”? Well, today was one of those days.

We arrived in the Gowout (pr. ga-WOOT) village at about 10:00 this morning, food in hand to share lunch with the village. But as soon as we got out of the vehicle, we got word that the chief’s nephew’s 10-year old daughter had just died of malaria. Her name was Aïda Diouf (pr. Ida Joof). Our plans were changed immediately. The food we had brought to prepare for lunch became our gift to the grieving family.

The Gowout village is impoverished, partly because of their Islamic beliefs…everything that happens in life—“It is the will of Allah.” Someone is sick with a curable disease? “It is the will of Allah.” Children are malnourished with stomachs protruding? “It is the will of Allah.” Someone has no education, thus stuck in poverty? “It is the will of Allah.” A 10-year old little girl dies of malaria? “It is the will of Allah.”

THEN to hear the women from neighboring villages wailing as they came to grieve with the family…wow! When I say “wailing,” I mean a distinctively African, high-pitched moan…and to hear women from every direction crying out like that…it was deeply emotional. I know that is their tradition, but I wept as I heard the cries.

The chief (whose name is Malick Fay, by the way) welcomed us into his village and urged us to stay. As I’ve said several times thus far, hospitality is huge here. But I told him we knew he was a man of many responsibilities and that if it would please him, we’d like to return Thursday (our last day in-country) and share a meal with his village. He once again urged us to stay, but I said that we wanted to respect him and the personal nature of what had happened. He graciously bid us peace until we return Thursday.

Malick Fay (pr. Fye) is not only the village chief; he’s also the local Imam (Muslim teacher). My heart is so burdened to speak with him about Jesus. I’m going to have to be patient, I know…but I trust that God will open the doors necessary to make Christ known here. We’re going to seek once again to have an audience with Chief Fay and other leaders on Thursday in which we can discuss faith matters.

Please join us in praying toward that end. It’s hard to believe that we only have tomorrow and Thursday, and then we head to the airport! The other members of the team catch a 2:00 a.m. flight to Atlanta on Friday, while Becca and I catch a 2:30 a.m. flight to JFK in New York. In some ways it feels like I’ve been here an eternity, but in other ways it’s like we’ve only just begun.

Thanks again for reading my blog and praying for us! Becca is a natural, and I’m so proud of the job she’s doing.

We miss Beth and Morgan! I can’t wait to see them both Friday night…

It's been a LONG day...thought I'd just show you some pics

This gives you some idea of how difficult their farming task is...

Relaxing just before lunch...notice the teapot near my knee.

Tree Huggers! Not exactly...actually we're seeing how many people it takes to circle the baobab tree. It took all nine of us! They're huge...and ancient.

The team and one of our translators, Charles.

Me and Augustine...I'm the one on the right.

Becca and Alexander...Becca's the one on the right. ;-)

Becca didn't really want me to take this picture or put it on here...but I think it's a great picture. This is just before lunch and we're just sitting with the villagers talking (building relationships).

Becca was a huge hit with her beads with the girls! She helped them make bracelets and necklaces...and she went through (you ready for this?) over 5,000 beads with about 20 girls! I told you she was a hit...

Remember the teapot? This is the strongest, sweetest tea I've ever put in my mouth! But it is awesome! Imagine the tea concentrate you have in a saucepan when you steep your tea. That's what this is, and with A LOT of sugar. Look out Lipton!

Becca separated peanuts for three hours! She says her back hurts. :-)

“I want to eat some giraffe!”

Let me explain today’s title. We travel (Bro. Terry and son Wesley, you’ll be excited to know) in a Toyota Land Cruiser. Becca and I have been riding in the back with two other members of the team…and with windows open and wind blowing, we don’t always hear the conversations in the front part of the vehicle.

Yesterday as missionary Jason Lee outlined our activities for Sunday, he said, “We’ll go to the beach and have our worship service there. After we do that, there’s a wildlife preserve that we can go to…and they have giraffes and alligators and all kinds of exotic animals. We might get to see them. And there’s a restaurant there where we can eat lunch.”

All Becca heard was something about eating giraffe for lunch. She got all excited and said, “Oooh, I want to go there! I want to eat some giraffe!” And we all cracked up! I’m laughing about it right now as I type…“Oooh, I want to go there! I want to eat some giraffe!” Oh, that’s funny. (LOL)

Actually, we did eat lunch at the restaurant but only got to see some alligators, exotic birds, and turtles. Evidently the three rains we’ve gotten lately (including this morning) have enabled the other animals to stay out in the reserve without having to come to the river for water. Otherwise, Jason told us, there would have been exotic animals all over the place. So, it appears that we won’t be able to show Addie Lewis any pictures of giraffes. :-(

On the way out to worship, we stopped in and visited with our translator’s village. While he is a Muslim, he has been a lifesaver for us linguistically and culturally! I’m praying that the Word of God and the testimonies that he translates (not only for our group but for others too) will grip his heart and he’ll be saved. His story is not unusual here, though.

Family honor is so important here that, in the Senegalese Muslim’s mind, to convert to faith in Christ is to bring shame and dishonor upon one’s father and family. They “can’t” say that their ancestors were wrong and are in hell. And for them, conversion is not just about believing and accepting something to be true…it’s about knowing that when you become a follower of Jesus Christ, you will bring dishonor upon every member of your family, be disowned by your family, and lose everything you have (perhaps even your wife).

Puts things in a different light, huh? Conversion here seems so much more consistent with what Jesus talked about when he described following Him in Luke 9:23-24: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”

Pray for the Sereer people here in Senegal…pray that God, who is the only One who can truly reach them, will show them the path of truth. Pray that they will surrender their hearts and lives to Him through Jesus Christ and come to know the peace of eternal life. The evangelism process from a human perspective is slow, but God is the One saves. And as our missionary said in his message this morning in worship, our job is to sow the Word of God just as the sower went out to sow (Matthew 13). Only God can bring about new birth. Join me in praying toward that end…

Day 5 in Senegal

First of all, Happy 4th of July! Obviously there’s no celebration of America’s independence in Senegal today, but we know what day it is and what it means. I seldom think of Independence Day without thinking about how dependent we are on God. There’s a Senegalese proverb that says, “The remedy for man is man” (nit-nit ay garabam). And while I think I understand what they mean by that, the only true remedy for man is God. We are dependent upon Him!

Today we traveled to the Cafac (pr. CHEF-ahk, “ch” as in cheese) village, the village that the men visited the first day. It is a “Christian” village, meaning that it is a Catholic village as opposed to being Muslim. The chief didn’t offer us beer today, though. The Catholic priest did! The village chief took us to his church and introduced us to the priest serving that parish. He was a gentle, kind Senegalese man…about my age. After a moment inside his parlor, he rose to retrieve something for us to drink. Our translator said something that we couldn’t understand, and the priest said surprised, “You do not drink beer?!?” He brought us water, and we had a pleasant meeting. I hope to speak to him again on Monday when we return to this same village.

We had to cut our day in the village short because they were having a funeral at 3:00. While I would love to have witnessed the lady’s funeral, our presence would have been intrusive…not to mention that their funerals can go on for days. But we stayed for nearly five hours and ate lunch with them. The dish was called “ceebuyap” (pr. che-boo-YAP, “ch” as in cheese), and was mainly rice with vegetables and meat. It was FaNtAsTiC! I came to Senegal expecting weight loss, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen with food like that!

We’re returning to the village on Monday in order to do what we’d hoped to do today—pray for the sick and the crops, play with the children, and share relevant Bible stories. The funeral prevented us from doing much more than visit and eat.

Becca and I were talking last night about how hard this trip is in some ways. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful. The food has been surprisingly good…and the hotel is basic but adequate. But the language barrier is so hard. Wolof is unlike any language I’ve ever tinkered with; nothing sounds like any word we have in English. And I’m telling you the depth of lostness and the challenge of getting the gospel to the people is overwhelming. A basic concept like sin, for instance, can’t be taken for granted. And if a person doesn’t have a working knowledge of sin, there can be no repentance. And if there’s no repentance, there’s no lordship/soul surrender. Y’see where I’m going with that? And, further, when dealing with the Muslim villages, we have to be patient in building bridges through relationships in order to establish the context to share the gospel. The process works so much slower here than in other missions settings I’ve been to.

Pray for Jason and Dorothea Lee as they serve God and Southern Baptists here. Their task is big, but God is bigger. Being here and experiencing the work makes me want to pray harder for our missionaries and give more to missions. It makes me also want to share my faith back home more intentionally. There’s no reason, with the culture and language barriers gone, that we shouldn’t be far more deliberate in our evangelism. May God make it so…

I love you and miss you!

A Good Day

Today was a good day. We left at about 9:00 this morning and drove about 30 minutes outside of Thies (pr. “chess”) to a Muslim village. The village chief is also the Islamic Imam (sort of like a Muslim preacher, but not exactly). I discovered upon my introduction to him that my African last name is also his—Fay (pr. “Fye”). The translator laughed and said, “You can ask for anything. You are part of the chief’s family.” Ha!

Incidentally, do you think I ought to get new business cards and update the church website with my new name, Laman Fay (pr. “LAH-mahn Fye”)? Oh well, I digress…back to the story.

The village chief was actually very hospitable. By the way, I’m blown away by the Senegalese people’s sense of obligation to hospitality (“toranga” in Wolof, pr. “tu-RAHN-guh”). It is a matter of honor to them as a people and as villages to respect their guests. And the fact that we are Americans and that we’ve come to THEIR village out of all the villages in the area just adds to the respect. They might not have much in terms of earthly things, but what they have they’ll gladly give to you. Their concept of kindness, even to strangers, sure smacks in the face of our American greed and selfishness.

Becca and a couple other members of our team stayed with the children and played games, while I joined the other two members of our team to pray for people in the village. I explained to the village chief in the time of our greetings that we were Christians and, as Christians, we believe in the power of prayer. Also as Christians, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ and we’d like to pray for any sick people in their village in that same name. HE AGREED! So we had an open door.

I prayed for the first man we came to (Moor Mbang) and he was incredibly grateful. Before I prayed, I told him the Bible story of the blind man Jesus healed by rubbing mud on his eyes and telling him to go wash them. I explained that I do not have the power to heal…but that Jesus Christ does. Then I prayed for him, for his family, for his crops, for his animals, and for rain. When I finished, he immediately began talking and he said, “You have traveled many miles…from another country…across an ocean…to my country…to my village…and even to my home. Thank you for your prayers!” Now keep this in mind…all of these people are dedicated Muslims…and yet we requested and received permission to pray in the name of Jesus Christ to bring healing and hope to the sick. We ended up praying specifically for at least 8 people…all with the blessing of the village chief and Imam.

We’ll be returning to that same village on Tuesday and will spend the day there, including lunch. Please join us in praying that the seeds planted in these trips will bear fruit in days/months/years to come.

In closing, what would you do in the following scenario? The village chief excitedly showed us the Islamic mosque being built in his village. It’s only a shell of a building at this point but he took us inside. THEN, in his thanksgiving for our visit, the chief asked us if there was anything we could give—even if it was very small—to help pay for the building of their mosque. Our translator just translated the words and then the room fell silent. I did the only thing I knew to do…I looked at Jason (our missionary) and smiled. Actually, the mission work Southern Baptists do around the world isn’t about throwing money at people…so the ultimate answer is simple. But in that moment, “awkward” seemed like an understatement to describe a group of Christian missionaries being asked to help build a village’s Islamic mosque!

This trip to Africa is amazing…and I’m so blessed to be here. And Becca too! I love you and thank you for joining us on the journey…

Senegal Update

Today is our third day in-country and I think we’re finally getting acclimated to the time change. Because I don’t want to change the time on my iPod (which I’m using as our alarm clock), I’m waking up at 1:00 in the morning to take my shower and get dressed. Of course, that’s 6:00 here..but my body’s been protesting since we’ve been in Senegal.

I know many of you have been praying for Becca based on my request yesterday, and I want to thank you. She was feeling better by supper time last night and woke up today as her normal self (which is debatable as to whether that’s a good thing or not…I’M JUST KIDDING!). I’m not sure what caused her to feel dizzy and sick yesterday, but I’m so glad she didn’t have some bug (and that could be literal here!) or something.

Today we spent the morning in the marketplace, which allowed us a double blessing. We were able to interact with the Senegalese and get a better feel for their culture. Plus we did a little shopping. Becca got some beautiful African dresses and a skirt, and I got an African shirt (with matching pants). Beth’s going to love me in that outfit; I can just feel it. :-)

We spent the first couple of hours this afternoon at a local restaurant. It was good…in fact, I think even Bro. Mike and Bro. Tony could have found something on the menu to eat (and to think my grandmother thought I was a picky eater). Ha!

We’re heading to a village in a few minutes where we’ll spend 3 or 4 hours this evening. There are actually a couple of believers in this village, so we’ll have the opportunity to worship with them in a distinctively indigenous manner. I’m looking forward to that. Bro. Tim Edwards (pastor of FBC, Highlands, TX) will speak briefly tonight on praying for their friends and family members, and I’m going to speak to these same folk next week about sharing their faith. Pray for me as I prepare. Obviously an American preaching format is out the window when you do something like this, so I need God to fill my heart and mouth with His Word.

We’re getting better with our Wolof (the language used most commonly here). We’ve learned to use basic greetings and questions…and it’s just so neat when the words work like they’re supposed to! Actually, most of the people are so impressed that you’re trying to speak their language that they are very gracious to help you know the right words.

Oh, by the way, God blessed us last night with a thunderstorm—rain, lightning, thunder, the works! Never mind that the power was knocked out 3 or 4 times in the night…the storm was wonderful. Actually we’re on the front end of the “rainy season,” which is a relative term here. Don’t get the idea that it rains a lot during the rainy season, only that this is the season of the year when it rains.

I want to thank you again for keeping up with us and praying. We are powerless here without God at work around us and through us, so your prayers are huge. You’re on mission with us as you pray! We love you and miss you!

Pray for Becca

Let me say, first, thank you for checking in on us. It means a great deal to know that you care enough about us and this mission trip to read these updates.

As I type, Becca lies on the bed sleeping. After we awoke this morning and ate breakfast, we had a Wolof language lesson. (Wolof is a widely-used African dialect.) Becca acted very tired then. But we all loaded up and headed out to our first village (as a group…the men went to one briefly yesterday)--a Muslim village. We were very well-received and the children were ExCiTeD, to say the least. We had so much fun with them. But Becca just seemed lethargic, and anyone who knows Becca knows that’s not Becca. She never complained, though, unless I asked her, "What’s wrong?" The missionary, Jason Lee, ended up bringing us (Becca and me) back to the hotel just before lunch.

I’m not sure if she’s struggling with the effects of jetlag or the food or the heat/humidity or the culture shock or what. I covet your prayers for her, though, as I know she would rather be out there interacting with children in the village! Actually, she was quite the celebrity today since she was young. I know God’s going to use her to be a light to these children who live in such spiritual darkness.

Before we left today’s village, the chief wanted to give us both African names. He named Becca first and called her Mamsey Fay (pr. "MAHM-say Fye." The translator told me that the term "mamsey" has to do with "grandmother," but the chief was using it as a term of high honor and respect. The village chief named me after his father and called me Laman Fay (pr. "LAH-mahn Fye"). We have the chief's last name.

Receiving an African name is an important step in building relationships here. I was humbled as the village chief, speaking through our interpreter, pronounced our names over us. At this point, I’m not sure if this happens in each village or if we’ll just tell them our African names in the other villages.

I cannot describe to you how far out of my element I am here. I feel like such an infant! I mentioned last night at dinner that God has reminded me that I must depend upon Him if I am to be used here. The culture and the language are so different than anything I’ve ever experienced. Plus most of the adults (especially the older ones) are illiterate, so doing anything that requires reading won’t work. That’s why storying is so important.

Today, as the children were coming from every direction, I asked them to sit down because I wanted to tell them a story. I told them of a time when some children wanted to approach Jesus but His disciples told them to go away. Jesus told His disciples not to prevent the children from coming to Him…because Jesus loved children…that children are important to Jesus…and that we all must become like children to follow God. It was a challenge but they were receptive…so I told them another story--Noah and the Flood. So different from preaching but fun!

Well, I’ll stop for now. "Ba beneen yoon!" ("Until next time!")

By the way, the pictures are of:
1. The village chief and me.
2. Becca and some of the children.
3. Becca and her namesake in the village.

Well, we're here!

We arrived in country this morning at about 5:00 a.m. (midnight back home). The beggars at the airport were like flies, literally grabbing your bags out of your hands and even trying to steal your stuff. It was "interesting" to say the least.

Get this--our flight from Nashville to Atlanta only allowed 45 minutes to switch gates...which sounded so simple until we did it. Anyway, when we got to our gate at about 10 minutes 'til takeoff, evidently they had given our seats away. Because when we scanned our boarding passes, new ones printed out...and Becca and I got bumped up to first class from Atlanta to Dakar! Can you believe that?!? What a blessing!

Getting back to the story, though, when we arrived in-country our bodies were saying it was bedtime but the sun was up by the time we got to the hotel. We did get to rest and shower just a bit before lunch, but we're some kind of tired. I don't think I'll have trouble sleeping tonight.

The guys (Pastor Tim Edwards, Missionary Jason Lee, and I) went out to a village this afternoon in order to seek permission to bring the whole group later on this week to share stories from the Bible. They were very gracious and beautiful people. By the way, hospitality is incredibly huge here. To have a guest come to your village is an honor, so they seek to honor you in return. The village chief disappeared for a few minutes and returned with BEER for all of us! Fortunately, our translator was able to explain that we weren't drinkers and, so, we drank Fanta Orange instead...except for the village chief. He went ahead and drank his beer.

Becca and I are chilling until supper in about 40 minutes. Pray that God will give us insight and rapport as we work in a very different, unfamiliar place. The culture and language (primarily Wolof) are nothing like other places I've been.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures tomorrow!

Please PRAY for Becca and Me

As many of you know, Becca and I leave for Senegal, West Africa, today for a mission trip. We're going to be working among villages that are yet still unreached with the gospel. The people group that we're seeking to share Christ with is the Sereer people, whose primary religion is folk Islam. That means that there are strong elements of their traditional religion (animistic and anscestral practices) mixed in with Islam. And their traditional religious practices are greater barriers in full acceptance of the gospel than is Islam. So we've got our work cut out for us, but God's power is greater than any earthly or demonic stronghold!

Pray for traveling mercies and physical protection...but, most of all, pray that God's will be done! His sovereign hand is at work and we are but His vessels. The evangelism of this mission trip will look different than in other places I've worked...slower...more relationship-building...building bridges. We're going to share the message of God through "Storying," which is a technique of witnessing through intentional Bible stories. We're also going to seek opportunities to pray for the people "in the name of Jesus Christ."

So join us on this journey...we need you! I'm going to seek to post updates and photos as the trip unfolds, so "y'all come back now, y'hear?"

Excerpt from this Morning's Message...

...Last Sunday I preached the first part of a two-part message on “Homelife Security,” a play on the words, “Homeland Security.” The Department of Homeland Security, as you know, came into existence after 9/11 because then-President Bush wanted to keep something like that from ever happening again on American soil. He pulled together more than 100 of the federal government’s agencies and unified them under the one goal of protecting the homeland.

There are parallels for us today as we give consideration to the Family. American homelife is under attack, and we have to take measures toward “Homelife Security.” Among the many responsibilities of our Department of Homeland Security, two correspond with the Family (at least the way that I see it)—protecting our nation’s infrastructure…and guarding our nation’s borders.

Last Sunday I preached on the first; today I’m preaching on the second. “Homelife Security: Guarding our Borders.” We’re reading from Exodus 20:14--"You shall not commit adultery"...

Hope to see you in church today!

How Long Before You Feel “Antsy”?

About a month ago (May 28), USA Today reported in one of their “Snapshots” the findings of a 2009 survey by Qwest Communications in which respondents were asked how long they could last before feeling “antsy” about checking E-mail, instant messaging, or other social networking sites. Of those surveyed, 47% said they couldn’t last more than an hour…46% said they could only make it one day…and the remaining 7% said they could probably go a week without checking in.

Now, I understand this sensation…I really do. The first thing I do when I get into the office is check my E-mail. Facebook has connected me to more than 700 of my friends (thus far)…and I enjoy receiving correspondence from them. I don’t IM but I know its appeal. The same could be said about cell phone use, although that wasn’t part of the survey.

But I’m wondering how long we could last before feeling “antsy” about checking to see what fresh word God has for us in His Word. How intentional are we about reading, studying, and meditating upon our Bibles?

I received an E-mail some time back that seems appropriate to this discussion:

Cell phone vs. Bible

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several time a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive “text” messages?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to our kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!

See you tomorrow!

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson Dead

I'm sure you've heard by now that both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died yesterday. My generation especially feels the loss as they were pop icons in the 70s and 80s.

But did you see the footage or pictures of fans gathered outside the hospital where Michael Jackson was pronounced dead…some crying and screaming uncontrollably? I couldn't help but think, "Something is wrong with this picture."

Don't get me wrong...I'm not making light of anyone's death. I would never do that. But I can’t help but grieve that people’s worlds could be so devastated because a musician dies.

Michael Jackson’s family and closest friends devastated? Certainly. But some run-of-the-mill music fan who still secretly dances in his bedroom with “Thriller” playing in the background? Not so much.

Michael Jackson named himself the “King of Pop”…was even married at one time to the daughter of Elvis Presley, proclaimed as the “King of Rock-and-Roll.” But I cannot remain silent about what’s on my mind today! Revelation 17:14 and 19:16 say that Jesus is the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” There is none before Him or beside Him…He’s in a peer group of one! And although Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, He rose again to give us victory over death through eternal life!

Our hopes do not reside in this world...we're to be in the world but not of the world. But those of this world need the hope of heaven found only through Jesus Christ. My heart goes out to the families and friends walking "through the valley of the shadow of death" right now...but I'm reminded once again of our high calling to make Christ known in our world.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,

Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;

Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,

Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,

Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;

Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;

Back to the narrow way patiently win them;

Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,

Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Thanks for reading...

Is Technology My Friend or Foe?!?

First of all, let me apologize for dropping off the planet last fall (blog-wise). The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). But I've got to confess to you...I'm not sure that he was thinking about blogging and trying to maintain a presence on three social networking sites (facebook, MySpace, and ShoutLife) when he wrote those words! ;-)

In all seriousness, as the Nationwide commercial says, "Life comes at you fast." I just haven't felt that I had the time to blog as I had intended. Whether that's the fault of my schedule or my priorities, I'm not sure. But my goal at this moment is to reignite my blog and to be more intentional and regular in my entries.

I hope you'll forgive my digital absence.

One of the reasons I want to get back to blogging is that my daughter Becca and I are leaving next week for Senegal, West Africa...and I want you to join us on the journey (at least virtually). We covet your prayers as we travel to this nation held by folk Islam (Islam mixed with traditional animistic and anscestral practices). We will be seeking opportunities to enter villages where we can share relevant Bible stories and pray for people in the name of Jesus Christ. Our hope is to open some doors and build some bridges that will provide future mission opportunities.

Between now and when we leave on Monday, you can pray that God will give us clarity of thought in our preparations and packing. Until next time, "Jerejef" (Thank You in the Wolof language)...

Blest Be the Tie that...Blinds?!? (Part 4)

Our relationship with Christ should be at the center of every other relationship in our lives! And when Christ is in His rightful place in our hearts and our homes, all our relationships will be better because of it! Unfortunately, many of us know nothing of Jesus being the core of our lives and families. Some people include God in their families only because they think some religious training will be good for their kids…much like piano lessons or braces. Christ is not at the center of their lives; He’s just some peripheral addendum to their already busy lives!

We’ve moved from being families that pray together to being families that play together! If Sunday sporting events or weekend getaways take priority over being in church, maybe we need to take another look at our priorities! No matter how we try to explain it or justify it, it’s hard to get around Hebrews 10:25 that talks about “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some.” Sadly, many of us have been “blinded by good intentions.” We say things like, “But we’re spending time together as a family,” as if time spent together as a family trumps our relationship with God.

Now, folk, listen. I’m not talking about having some legalistic attitude about church…but I am terribly concerned with what I see in today’s culture where Sundays are no longer a day of worship. Sundays have become one of the biggest recreation days on the calendar…and many of our church families will trade worship for amusement in a heartbeat…and feel completely justified about it because they’re doing it as a family.

But when we put family above God in our lives, we’re guilty of idolatry…even the subtle idolatry of family! Listen, don’t get me wrong—I love my family. I would give my life for my family. I treasure time with my family. But a Christ-centered, kingdom-focused family does not devalue God in their hearts and their home!

Let me shift gears for a moment as I seek to land this plane. Perhaps some of you who read this blog are facing hostility from your family because you’re a believer. And as much as that hurts your heart, Jesus’ words in Mark 3 teach you that you are part of a spiritual family that transcends time. That’s not to say that you should love your earthly family any less or that you should stop praying for their salvation. It means, though, that you are not alone. The Bible calls God our Father and Jesus our Brother and Savior. We have a true and eternal family through Christ! Don’t grow weak in your faith because of family pressures. God will honor your obedience!

I love the story that Jim Denison, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, has told from his own personal experience. When he was in college, he served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia. While there he attended a small church. At one of the church’s worship services, a teenage girl came forward to announce her decision to follow Christ and be baptized.

During the service, Denison noticed some worn-out luggage leaning against the wall of the church building. And so he asked the pastor about it. The pastor pointed to the girl who had just been baptized and told Denison, “Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she could never go home again. So she brought her luggage.”

FOLK, THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT…REALIZING WHO HAS THE GREATER CLAIM ON OUR LIVES.

I’m reminded of the man who asked a mail-order company to send him a kit to build a birdhouse. Instead of sending him the plans for a birdhouse, they sent him plans for a sailboat. He had the parts for a birdhouse but the plans for a sailboat. He tried to put it together, but it just wouldn't work. So he sent the parts and plans back to the company with a letter explaining his frustration. They wrote a letter of apology and added this post script: “If you think it was difficult for you, you should have seen the man who got your plans trying to make a sailboat out of a birdhouse!”

A lot of people are trying to do family well, but they’re using the wrong instructions…they’re not using God’s plan…they don’t have God’s priority. And no amount of sincerity or effort is going to ease their frustration. People leave God—especially the supremacy of God—out of their lives and then are surprised at the results!

Adiuva nos Deus!

Blest Be the Tie that...Blinds?!? (Part 3)

I need to clarify that, in no way, was Jesus denying His responsibility to His earthly family. In Matthew 15:19, He criticized the religious leaders for not following the Old Testament command to honor their parents. At the cross, you’ll recall, He provided for His mother’s care after He was gone by entrusting her to His best friend, John. He would have agreed with the apostle Paul—and, in fact, does agree—when he wrote to Timothy, “If anyone does not take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

The question is not whether we should love our families. Of course, we’re to love our families! The confusion comes in how we should love our families. Jesus made a statement on another occasion that’s relevant to this discussion…put your seatbelts on, though. Luke 14:26—“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Matthew put it a bit milder in His gospel and captures the idea more, I believe. Matthew 10:37—“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

When Jesus used the word “hate,” he wasn’t saying what you and I think of when we hear the word “hate.” Hatred, in our understanding, is an “active hostility.” It wishes ill to fall upon the other person. That is not what Jesus was saying! The word Jesus used means something like “to love less.” So, He was saying, “If anyone comes to Me and doesn’t love his family and himself less than Me can’t be my disciple”…or, as Matthew put it—“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

HE WAS TALKING ABOUT PRIORITIES. You see, we have to discern the difference between important and all-important. Our families are important, but they’re not all-important.

You’ll remember when Jesus was asked on another occasion what the most important commandment was. What did He say? “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The first and foremost commandment is to love God. Loving others comes after that.

Don’t misunderstand our Lord! These relationships should not be in competition with one another. They should complement one another! C.S. Lewis said it so well in a letter that he wrote many years ago: “When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving toward the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.”

I ought to be a better husband and father and brother because of my relationship with Christ. Jesus should sweeten every connection and concentric circle in my life!

Blest Be the Tie that...Blinds?!? (Part 2)

Mark 3:31-35 has to be one of the strangest stories from Jesus’ life found in the pages of Scripture. But these verses need to be taken in context with verses 20-21 if they’re to be understood properly:

20-And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.
21-When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

Do you remember the story of Jesus’ parents accidentally leaving Him in Jerusalem when He was only 12 years old? You can read it in the second chapter of Luke’s gospel. They thought he was with other members of the family caravan, but about a day’s journey outside of Jerusalem they discovered He wasn’t. So they turned around, went a day’s journey back to Jerusalem, and then spent a day looking throughout the city for Jesus.

Luke tells us, “…they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.’ And He said to them, ‘Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?’” (2:46-49).

Don’t miss the contrast between “Your father” and “My Father.” Even at 12 years old, Jesus understood that His greatest loyalty lay with His Heavenly Father! Even at 12 years old, Jesus was aware that He had special work to do—“I had to be in My Father’s house.” Even at 12 years old Jesus grasped that He was on mission!

Keep all this in mind as we return to Mark’s gospel. At some point when He was about 30 years old, Jesus laid His carpenter’s hammer down and told His mother, “It’s time.” And He began His earthly ministry. He went about preaching the gospel, and crowds began to follow Him. Out of the masses, He chose 12 men to be His disciples “so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons” (Mark 3:14-15). This brings us to verses 20-21 in Mark 3.

When Jesus’ family heard what He was doing and how the crowds were following Him everywhere He went, they said, “He’s lost His mind! He’s ruining our good name and we’ve got to stop Him!” When they got to where He was, they couldn’t get through the crowd…so they sent word to Jesus that they were there. They were there, of course, to take Him home.

So Jesus was faced with the same decision every one of us is faced with—who has the greater claim on my life? My earthly family or my Heavenly Father? Jesus’ answer was shocking, to say the least. When they said, “Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You,” Jesus asked, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Then he said, “…whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

These words seem awfully harsh to us now, and I suppose they didn’t sit well with his family then. But Jesus knew why they had come, and He wasn’t going to be dragged away from His Kingdom work because His family thought He was crazy. They were seeking to block Him from His mission, and Jesus wasn’t going to let that happen. They meant well, no doubt, but they were “blinded by [their] good intentions.”

So Jesus asked that odd question, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” and made those strange statements: “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” What Jesus was calling attention to was the fact that our relationship with Him precedes every other relationship in our lives!

We sometimes say that “blood is thicker than water.” Well, Jesus was saying that “spirit is thicker than blood”!

Blest Be the Tie that...Blinds?!? (Part 1)

7-out-of-10 adults in America choose their earthly family over their heavenly Father when asked to choose the most important relationship in their lives. That’s what a 2007 Barna study discovered when more than a thousand adults over the age of 18 were surveyed.

* 1/3 said their entire nuclear family is more important than God.
* 22% named their spouse as the most important relationship in their lives.
* 17% said their children were of chief importance.
* 3% identified their parents as the most important relationship in their lives.

70% of American adults have elevated their families above even God in their priorities! In their emphasis upon family, they have devalued God in the process.

I fully expect to be misunderstood in this week’s blog, but I’m going to try to speak as clearly as I can. I’m in the midst of a series of blogs on “American Idolatry” in which I’m addressing subtle ways that we have allowed idolatry to creep in and camp out in our lives…sometimes unnoticed and unaddressed!

Remember, anything that takes our love and loyalty away from the Lord becomes an idol in our lives…and idols are not always evil things. Sometimes the object of our idolatry is, in and of itself, a very good thing. It reminds me of Augustine’s definition of idolatry that we considered in a previous entry: “Idolatry is worshipping anything that ought to be used, or using anything that is meant to be worshipped.” Anything and everything holds the potential to become an idol in our lives…even something as commendable and beautiful as family.

We’ve all heard the classic hymn, “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.” The story behind that song is beautiful, by the way. I hope you’ll check it our when you get a chance. But consider this twist: “Blest Be the Tie that...Blinds?” It’s a valid question…it’s a necessary question.

Can families really expect the pleasure of God upon their homes if His authority and supremacy are downplayed…or even dismissed? And while I have no doubt that every parent reading this blog means well, there is such a thing as being “blinded by good intentions.” And those who put family above God in their lives and in their homes are often blinded to their sin of idolatry. So, knowing full-well my risk of being misunderstood, I rise to denounce the idol of family!

Mark 3:31-35
31-Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him.
32-A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.”
33-Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”
34-Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!
35-“For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

“Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I” (Part 4)

I’ve been writing this week about “Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I.” At the heart of this week’s blogs (and every blog entry on “American Idolatry”) is the challenge from God to “repent and turn away from your idols...” I pray that will be our response as our Lord brings to light any and all idolatrous affections!

Yesterday I addressed the need for daily denial if we’re to forsake the idol of self. Second, forsaking the idol of self requires Daily Death—“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily…” Some try to define this as bearing some personal burden—an angry spouse or a bad case of arthritis or some continuing crisis. But that’s not what Jesus was talking about. The cross meant something very different to the people of Jesus’ day than it does to people today. Crosses today are pieces of jewelry. Crosses then were places of judgment. Crosses today are used for decoration. Crosses then were used for death. We’ve so sanitized and ritualized the cross in these 20 centuries since Jesus, it’s no wonder that we have trouble understanding what He was saying!

Jesus was describing the surrender of our will to God’s will. Do you remember Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was crucified? “…Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done…” (Luke 22:42). Obviously, for Jesus, the cross was a one-time event, yet he calls us to take up our crosses daily. Once again, he’s describing the surrender of our will to God’s will, and that’s a daily experience. It’s allowing our will to die in Christ’s death so that, like a seed buried in the soil, God’s will can spring forth life in us and through us! Daily Denial & Daily Death.

Finally, forsaking the idol of self requires Daily Discipleship—“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The core of the Christian life is following Jesus. Not just a profession of faith…not just a label…certainly more than a fish symbol on our car! The Christian life is about following Jesus.

But if we come to the issue of faith intending to go our own way…and to do our own thing, we’ll only follow Jesus if it’s convenient or comfortable. But the moment it costs us something, we’re out the door! But what we don’t realize is that we’re making the biggest mistake of our lives! “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”

Ask yourself, honestly and biblically, “Am I following Jesus by living my life the way that I am? Is my life a mirror reflection of the Lord Jesus Christ?” If not, why not? Could it be that we’re bowing at the wrong altar in our lives? Could it be that we’re guilty of “Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I”? Could it be that we’ve allowed self to substitute for God upon that throne in our hearts?

All that can change today…right now, right where you are. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

“Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I” (Part 3)

I’m writing on “American Idolatry,” in general, and the idol of self, in particular. I want you to see three things that Jesus said to “anyone who wishes to come after [Him].” And, by the way, no one wishing to come after Christ can continue to worship at the altar of the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I!

First, forsaking the idol of self requires Daily Denial—“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself.” We need to understand, though, that self-denial is more than denying yourself cake on Sundays…it is literally denying self! That word “deny” means to renounce or disown. So literally Christ is calling us to renounce the idol of self …to disown the idol of self!

A Christian writer from another generation, A. T. Pierson, said, “Getting rid of the ‘self-life’ is like peeling an onion: layer upon layer—and a tearful process!” What are those layers? One layer would be self-exaltation…or self-promotion…I’m talking about pride. The sin of pride is a preoccupation with self! And I think it’s very fitting that the middle letter of the word “pride” is the letter “i” because pride is all about “me, myself, and I.” We must be willing to peel back the layer of self-exaltation if we’re to forsake the idol of self!

Another layer that we have to be willing to peel back is that of self-indulgence. That’s when we say, “I’m going to do what I want to do because it makes me happy.” Listen, we justify our wrong-doing sometimes by saying, “But it makes me happy.” Forget what God says about it, “It makes me happy.”

May I tell you today that God’s primary objective for your life is not your happiness?!? His goal for you is His holiness… and His holiness will lead to your happiness, but so-called happiness doesn’t necessarily lead to holiness. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

“Blessed” = “Happy”
“Pure in heart” = “Holy”
“Happy are the holy!”

We must peel back the layer of self-indulgence if we’re to forsake the idol of self!

We could go on and on about the different layers of this proverbial onion, but let me mention one more—self-righteousness. If you read the New Testament objectively, you’ll see that the Pharisees during our Lord’s time on earth were greater sinners (if I can use that idea) because of their self-righteousness…they believed their exterior moral behavior commended them to God, but Jesus came along and exposed them as “white-washed tombs”…cleaned up on the outside but, on the inside, filled with dead men’s bones! The reason those who lived in open sin were attracted to Jesus was that they knew they were sinners. They knew their need for mercy, grace, and forgiveness. The Pharisees, however, didn’t realize how much they truly needed Christ. Their self-righteousness blinded them to their own sinfulness. Isaiah said in 64:6 that “…all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.”

Listen, beware of a faith that is only on the outside. It’s like counterfeit cash; it might look nice but it’s not worth anything. Jesus warned in Matthew 7—“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS’” (21-23).

Forsaking the idol of self includes disowning our own self-righteousness. Listen—it isn’t until we denounce ourselves as sinners deserving God’s judgment that we will throw ourselves upon God’s altar of mercy and entrust ourselves completely to Jesus Christ for salvation!

“Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I” (Part 2)

Regarding the worship of self, look to God’s Word in Luke 9:23-24, “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.’”

Ever wonder where the words “narcissism” and “narcissistic” come from? They come from Greek mythology and are based on the name of a young man named “Narcissus.” There are several variations of the story, but the gist of it is that when Narcissus first saw his reflection in the water, he fell in love with himself. And the more he gazed into his own reflection, the more in love he fell…with himself. In the end, unable to tear himself away from his own reflection, he died from lack of food and water. Some versions of the story say he drowned…others say he took his own life. Regardless of the details, his infatuation with himself ended up destroying him.

Now, we all know that the story of Narcissus is just a myth, but “narcissism” is very real. In fact, about a year-and-a-half ago, a research study spanning from 1982 to 2006 revealed that today’s college students have never been more self-centered! 16,475 college students completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). And what the researchers discovered, they believe, is directly traceable to the self-esteem movement that emerged in the 1980s. We’ve spent the last 25 years teaching kids to sing, “I am special. I am special. Look at me. Look at me.” (to the tune of Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, Dormez vous? Dormez vous?) that we’ve created a culture that fuels and encourages the self-centeredness that already exists within each of us. (source: Associated Press, David Crary, "Study: College Students More Narcissistic," http://hosted.ap.org/ [2-27-07])

The Times of London ran a story early this summer that would be funny if it weren’t so disturbing. The first paragraph read: "The stage was set, the lights went down and in a suburban Japanese primary school everyone prepared to enjoy a performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The only snag was that the entire cast was playing the part of Snow White." The school cowered to the parents who forced teachers and administrators to admit the injustice of selecting just one girl to play the title role. They all wanted their children to have the title role…so everyone was Snow White! No dwarfs…no other characters…just 25 Snow Whites running around. I’d like to have seen that just to see how they pulled it off…I doubt they did.

But Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Talk about cutting cross-grain! Jesus’ words fly in the face of those who wish to worship at the Altar of that Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I! Of course, most people would never admit to such as that…but I did read of one woman named “Sheila” who’s made up her own religion and named it “Sheilaism.” I’m not kidding. She’s had a group on Yahoo Canada since 2002. And it has a total membership of 3…evidently Sheila’s unholy trinity of me, myself, and I are the only ones interested in being “Sheilaists”!

But I was saying that most people—especially Christians—would never admit to worshipping themselves, but behavior says otherwise! Jesus wasn’t speaking in abstract terms when He said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” He knew that in our base nature that we are selfish creatures. And as long as we live as though life were all about us, we’ll never seek God’s grace and forgiveness! That’s why I’m saying that worshipping self is perhaps the most dangerous idolization of all! If anything will keep you from eternal life through Christ, it’s the refusal to forsake the idol of self!

“Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I” (Part 1)

One of my spiritual heroes from the past is Jerome Savonarola. He was a great preacher in Italy in the 15th century…actually a Catholic priest who was excommunicated and hanged for preaching the gospel in language that everyone could understand and for offending the Pope. His life story is fascinating, but I want to tell you about a particular experience he had.

One day he saw an elderly woman bowing before a statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus. On the following day, he noticed the same woman again on her knees before the statue. So with great interest, Savonarola observed that day after day, she came and worshipped before the statue. He whispered to one of his fellow priests, “Look at how she reverences the Virgin Mother.”

But the priest said, “Don’t be deceived by what you see. Many years ago an artist was commissioned to create [that] statue....As he sought a young woman to pose as the model for his sculpture, he found one who seemed to be the perfect subject. She was young and lovely, and had a mystical quality in her face. The image of that young woman inspired his statue of Mary. The woman who now worships the statue is the same one who served as its model years ago. Shortly after the statue was put in place, she began to visit it and continued to worship there religiously ever since.”

That woman wasn’t giving homage to Mary…she was worshipping herself! While that true story might seem a bit extreme, worshipping self is not that uncommon. In fact many are guilty of “Worshipping at the Altar of an Unholy Trinity—Me, Myself, and I.”

Worshipping ourselves—we could call that selfishness—is one of the most serious sins that a person commits. It’s perhaps the most dangerous idolization of all! Because when we place ourselves at the center of the universe…when life is all about us…we become self-serving…and self-sufficient…and self-satisfied! Self is upon the throne of our lives…and may I remind you that there is a throne in each of our hearts? God put it there, because He designed us to be worshippers. But nothing and nobody belongs on that throne except Him! Yet when we give self access to that throne, that’s idolatry…pure and simple.