Holiday Travel=Blog Sabbatical

This will probably be the last entry for the year 2005.I am leaving soon to visit my in-laws in Kalkaska, MI. For those who don’t know much about Northern Michigan, imagine Siberia. Now think of the most desolate spot. Now add 3 feet of snow. Now drop the temperature about 15 degrees. That’s where I am heading. To say that there is no high speed internet is an overstatement. At times, my in-laws’ dial up connection transfer speed was measured in bytes. Not kilobytes. Definitely not Megabytes. So, unless I find a Starbucks where I can hook into their wireless, I will be cut off from the world of the web for at least a week. But, I am looking forward to it. All this is to say, check back next year for all new perspectives that will hopefully be fresh and full of insight. Merry Christmas. Happy Chanukah. Happy New Year.

Manna from Heaven

I like to have substance on my blog and not talk about the silly events of the day, but I can’t help myself. I went to McDonalds today because I saw an add on TV that promoted 2 McGriddle sandwiches for $2. I love getting deals at fast food places, so I bit. Let me tell you, I have found manna from heaven, and is in the McGriddle sandwich. Seriously, they were amazing. They combined the spicy sausage with the sweet taste of pancakes with pockets of syrup. I know, most of you couldn’t care less, but I had to share. So get out there and get some McGriddles while the deal lasts.

Seeing God Through Different Eyes

My newest favorite artist is Matisyahu. He is a Hip-hop/Reggae musician who just happens to also be a Hassidic Jew. He has a great flow, good beats and music, and his words are very thought provoking. You can check out a video of him on the Jimmy Kimel Live show here (stick around for the interview afterward).

And I think the reason I like him so much is because of his lyrics. They remind me or even reveal to me aspects of God that I don’t normally focus on. As a Christian, my approach to God is often framed by the cross, which is not a bad thing. However, the cross which clearly depicts God’s grace, love, sacrifice, and forgiveness just tells part of the story. God has been acting and revealing himself to humanity since the beginning, and the cross is just one part. Granted, as Christians we would probably say it is the largest part, but we still cannot discount the other qualities of God’s character. Perhaps this is why I am so adamant about studying the Old Testament (which, especially in this discussion, might better be termed “The Hebrew Scriptures”).

All this is to say, God is so big that he breaks out of the boxes we try to put Him into, and defies any of our definitions. Yet, we continually try to describe Him, and should continue to. After all, He is a personal God.

From Matisyahu’s "Aish Tamid" (Perpetual Flame)

Aish tamid eternally
A fire burns continuously
Wondering where you been
Won't you come on home to me?

Lesson Learned

Today was the last day of my Old Testament Survey class. The students took the final and left. As I reflect over the semester, I can’t help but be reminded of the third day of class when there was quite a confrontation between a couple of students and myself about the historical accuracy of the Genesis creation account, specifically did Adam and Eve actually exist. It was a pretty good discussion, but it taught me a valuable lesson. Though I think I am making myself clear, sometimes people still don’t understand what I am talking about. Some of the students went from the discussion about this historicity to saying, “So the Bible is not true.” Which of course is far from my point of view. Of course I think the Bible is true, but does not have to be based purely on historical accuracy in order to be so. But that is a separate topic I have covered previously and ad nauseam on the GLCC board. Again, just because the words I speak or even write sound good in my head, they may not in other’s heads. So, I recommit to clarity and precision as much as possible. At the same time, I wish people would seek clarification if they are confused instead of just assuming that what they are hearing is correct. Such patience and attempts at understanding would go a long way in getting people on the same page.

Wasting Time...even faster

I got a cable modem installed about a week ago. I will have it free for 6-months. It was the settlement from a class action lawsuit against Charter (our monopolistic cable company) for hidden and unnecessary charges. I also hooked up a wireless router so am surfing and multi-tasking like crazy. I would like to say I am getting more accomplished, but I sort of doubt it. To be honest I feel like the guy on the commercial that has surfed the whole internet, and finally reached the end. Though I haven’t I have seen more sites that I have been avoiding since they took too long to download. Songs, videos, flash animations, you name it, I have finally been able to see all the cool things in store for me. As the title of the post says, I think I am wasting time, just at faster speeds.

But I have noticed that I am just looking and not actually contributing. I have ceased doing things like updating my blog, updating my website, updating the church website, making intelligent comments on the GLCC Forum, etc. It seems that most of my time lately is just looking and not doing. Sure, I have been busy with church, work, baby and more, but my spare time is spent checking out a website or playing online poker—both of which are a waste of time. But, I am going to go through an internet fast beginning on December 18th for at least a week. I will be in Kalkaska, MI and will have no good/easy internet access (unless I stop by Starbucks or something). Hopefully, I can churn out something to contribute to society. Perhaps not, as I have other big plans (reading “Velvit Elvis” by Rob Bell and watching past seasons of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Either way, I have some things in the hopper, so don’t go too far.

Candle of Peace

A group of academics and historians has compiled this startling information: Since 3600 B.C., the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have been 14,351 wars large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed.

I am an idealist and believe that peace is attainable, but perhaps not. Perhaps greed and selfishness will always cause enmity, fighting, and war. But there is a peace that surpasses understanding. There is a peace that gives assurance even in the face of an attacking enemy. The peace is between humanity and their Creator:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For Jesus himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
Ephesians 2:13-14; 17

I have often equated peace with safety. But safety does not exist in the absence of danger but in the presence of God. Peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always. His arrival in this world was the first step towards world peace first with the Creator, then with one another.

Candle of Hope

***This is the first in a series of Advent Meditations***

We’ve all heard the quote, “The light at the end of the tunnel.” That phrase signifies hope after a long period of despair. After a time of struggling through, relief finally arrives.

And in a world filled with darkness, we all need a little light.
Whether it’s a great flame that shows us how to win back what we lost,
Or a powerful beacon intended to scare away potential monsters,
Or a few glowing bulbs that reveal to us the hidden truth of our past,
We all need something to help us get through the night,
Even if it’s just the tiniest glimmer of hope.
(from Desperate Housewives)

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
Isaiah 9:2

“In Jesus was life,
and that life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness,
but the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:4-5

Hope is a light shining in a dark place. As we begin the Advent season and begin lighting candles, we light the first candle and celebrate the light and hope we have at the end of the tunnel. Jesus is our Light and our Hope in this dark world.

Prevaliling Prayer Sermon Part 5-Conclusion

Prevailing Prayer means that prayer permeates our lives. That prayer is a constant from the time we get up until the time we go to sleep. Praying without ceasing is being able to pray in the moment.

I believe that much of the power of prayer is that your heart is changed as much as the heart of God:
When you praise him you begin to understand your place in this world
When you seek His healing your realize that only His power can make you whole again
When you come to Him hurting, you are fully relying on Your heavenly Father to make things better.

Prayer should change us as much if not more than it changes God.

I talked about how prayer is cyclical—that you end up at the beginning again. So I ask you, “Where are you in the cycle?”
Maybe you need to begin looking around at the good in life instead of dwelling on the bad. Offer up praise to the God who is so deserving of it.
Maybe you need a fresh start both physically and spiritually. Come to the Great Physician for the healing that only He can bring.
Maybe you are just hurting so badly from the pain of life. Come to the cross and be comforted. Be reminded of God’s faithfulness in the past and in the future.

The closer we are to God in our prayers, the further we are away from the concerns of the world. God waits to hear from you.

Prevaliling Prayer Sermon Part 4

Psalm 13
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

Prayers of Hurting:

There are also times when we are just hurting more than words can express. Maybe it is physical pain or maybe it is emotional pain. A nagging pain that just won’t go away. The loss of a loved one. Disappointment with where you are at in life. Ridicule of your faith by coworkers or family members. A general feeling of futility or worthlessness. A feeling that you are always on the short end of the stick. A loss of faith because of your situation. The Psalmist knows what that is like. He cries out, “How long?” How long must I suffer like this? How long must I always be the loser? How long must I go about hurting? How long?

I hurt my back about a year ago. Elijah was only a couple of months old, and as I bent down to pick him up, my back just gave out. It hurt so much that I almost dropped him right there. Fortunately, I didn’t. I fought off the pain and laid him back on the floor. It hurt so badly. I had to call Brett Morton over to help me. I could not walk, pick up a 15 lbs baby, or do anything except lay on the couch. I was in agony, but looking back, I don’t think the pain was the worst part of that whole ordeal. The worst part was how it affected my psyche. I felt useless. For a while, I really felt like I was good for nothing except for keeping the couch from blowing away. I have succeeded in most everything I have tried (except golf), so this was a new experience for me. I like to think that if I am not good at something, I will leave it to those that are. But what was I going to do? Stop being a father and a husband? It was depressing. The pain and hurt was not just physical, but emotional as well. While I was laid out on my back, I had a lot of time to think. And a lot of time to put into practice what this James passage tells us.

James encourages us to pray when we hurt. The psalms teach us to pray what we are feeling. If you are angry, shout to God. If you are depressed, express those feelings to Him. If you think that God is to blame for your state in life, confront Him. God can handle it. He can handle our doubts. He can handle our pain. He can handle our hurting. God is not afraid of our suffering. He will not turn away. Though we might not get answers, I believe that we will get comfort. We will get reassurance. We will be reminded of His faithfulness.

It’s cyclical. Notice it ends right where it starts—giving back praise to God. At the end of that psalm after crying out to God, after asking how long, the psalmist writes: “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.” We can ask “How long” but we might not get an answer. Instead, I believe God gives us that peace, that “Shalom” that surpasses all understanding.

Prevaliling Prayer Sermon Part 3

Psalm 6
O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in anguish.
Turn, O LORD, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.
I am worn out from groaning;
all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.

Prayers of Healing:
I can only remember one or two occasions when I was so sick that I could have been speaking those words. One time while I was in college I got extremely sick with plenty of vomiting and diarrhea. I couldn’t hold anything down and I didn’t really want to try. I laid around a lot, well, in between trips to the bathroom. Unfortunately, this happened right during the soccer season. We had a game to play. So I sucked it up, and went out there and gave it a shot. I wish I could say that it was a Michael Jordan experience like when he overcame the flu in the NBA Finals to drop 38 points on the Jazz including the tie-breaking three-pointer with 25 seconds left. But it wasn’t. I played terribly. The team played terribly. We lost 5-0. But I can remember saying, “God, heal me. I am weak and I need your strength.”

I am sure we have all had times when we were so very sick that we just called out to God for healing. That is after all what we are told to do. The James passage says:
“Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.”

But notice that the sickness talked about is not just physical—this sickness also includes the need for forgiveness and restoration. We do a lot of offering up prayers for the sick in body. Our prayer list is full of those who need physical healing, and there is no doubt that God can and will heal them. But what about the sick at heart? Many prayers are lifted up for various illnesses and bodily failures, but how about our spiritual health? Why don’t we pray more for sickness of the heart? Our own stubbornness and pride? Our hard heartedness? Our selfishness? Our fear? Our judgmental attitudes? Why don’t we bring these sorts of things up during prayer request time?

I am sure the reasons may vary, but this passage makes it clear that confession of sins is directly linked to healing and wholeness. I don’t think sin or lack of faith causes sickness, but I think that at times there is a correlation. When our spirits are burdened with sin, that causes stress on our minds and our bodies. The result often times is sickness. Have you ever noticed that you get sick at the exact wrong time? When things are the busiest, most stressful, most complicated—those are the times our bodies choose to let us down. It is no coincidence that when we are depressed or weighed down by guilt or plagued by broken relationships that this impacts our bodies. But when our spirits are refreshed, often our bodies follow right along. When there is healing of the soul, the flesh usually doesn’t follow too far behind.

The Jews call this concept “Shalom.” We often translate that word “peace,” but it means so much more. It is wholeness—wholeness of self, between you and God, and between you and others. Peace is just a result of being complete and free from impurity. Such a state only occurs when we offer up prayers of healing, which include repentance, petitions for forgiveness and restoration, and then following up such prayers with action. There cannot be peace if there is animosity between people. Pray for healing. Work for peace.

Prevaliling Prayer Sermon Part 2

Psalm 8
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Prayers of Honor
Sometimes you just feel like singing, or humming, or at the very least smiling. Perhaps you see a child do something entertaining. Or maybe you hit that perfect shot on the golf course. Or maybe you finally finish a project you have been working on for a while. Or maybe you just feel good and can’t explain it. There are just times when you feel like you are about to overflow. That golf illustration hits a little too close to home for me. I decided to start playing a couple of years ago. It has not been that great. 99% of my time on a golf course is spent being frustrated. But boy, when that 1% comes, there is jubilation. When I got by first birdie, I was smiling the rest of the round, even if I did finish with a very poor score.

I think life is often like my gold experience for many of us. The majority of it is full of drudgery, frustration, and disappointment. Or at least we perceive it to be that way. The Pediatrician told Carrie and I to compliment Elijah when he was doing something well. The whole positive reinforcement thing. The more I do it, the more I realize that it is good not just for him, but for me too. Yes, it encourages right behavior for him, but it also allows me to see the good in him. No one likes to dwell on the bad all the time. I don’t want to continually say “No” to Elijah. It gets frustrating and wears me down. I get burdened from always being around him just to discipline him. So praising him helps me as much as it helps him.

I think the same could be said for our relationship with God. If we are always looking at the negative and bringing that before God, it will affect our relationship with Him. That is where prayers of thanksgiving, praise, and honor come in. I once heard a proverb: “The man who looks on the bright side can find his way in the dark.” The James passage says, “Do you feel great? Then sing.” What a great use of our prayer time—taking time out and just offering up a prayer of praise for the times when you see God working in the world.

That psalm outlines just what a prayer of honor entails. The Psalmist looked out and just the sight of the world around him caused him to break into song. He says, “Look at the glory of the heavens. Look at the stars. Even look at humanity. God’s wonderful acts are all around us if we would just take time to look and to lift up our praise to God.” It doesn’t have to be poetic. A simple “God you are great. You change the seasons. You got me up this morning. You kept me from harm. God you are majestic. You are great.” It’s that easy.

And I firmly believe that the more we see God’s grace, then the more we give God the honor he deserves, and the more we become grateful people. God does not need it. We do. As we speak, our hearts are changed. Dwelling on God’s actions in the present strengthens our faith for what he will do in the future.

Prevaliling Prayer Sermon Part 1-Intro

I preached on Sunday about prayer. The next few days will include exerpts from that sermon. Hope you enjoy.
_________________________________________________

“Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.
Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
James 5:13-16 (MSG)

What kind of prayer is being talked about? I think most of us would look at the prayer offered by Frank in the movie and think, that wasn’t effective. That wasn’t even a prayer. So what is an effective, powerful prayer? Is it any old prayer spoken by someone who goes to church? Is it a special memorized prayer? Do certain words have to be used? From what we read in the Bible, there are no secret words or tricks that should be used. In fact, using formulaic prayer is often looked down upon rather than celebrated. And as we think about this passage in James, he doesn’t tell us what to say. He just tells us to do it, in whatever form we feel led to use.

I believe that prayer is the link between the spiritual and the physical. It unites the heavenly with the earthly. And when we think about building a spiritual temple, it cannot be done without prayer. It is through prayer that we grow in faith, in trust, and in our relationship with God. When we consider prayer, I think it is important to distinguish the occasion and reasoning for different types of prayer. Though there may be more, but I want to really hone in on 3 types of prayers today—prayers of honor, healing, and help. We will be hearing examples of each type of prayer taken right from the Psalms. May our faiths and prayer lives be bolstered as we encounter the God that hears our prayers and acts.

Health Care Reforms

I just happened to turn on “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch” on CNN the other night, and the one and only Ted Nugent was on the show to talk about various topics from gun control to his desire to run for governor of Michigan in 2010. Now most people outside of the Michigan Militia consider him a right wing wacko whose ideas are impractical and at times downright dangerous. I clearly disagree with his views on gun control and so I was expecting to be angered by his comments, but he brought up a concept that I found very intriguing.

Basically he stated that smokers should not receive government-funded health care. The logic follows that if people are going to intentionally and continuously damage their health, why should the taxpayers fund their self-imposed destruction? After all, we all know what cigarettes do to the body. There is nothing redeeming from smoking. But the effects of smoking—cancer, emphysema, asthma, etc.—cost millions and billions of dollars to treat even though most are incurable. And if such people knowingly engage in actions that contribute to the overwhelming cost of medical care, they are taking advantage of the system and wasting valuable money—my money.

As I consider such a proposal I think, “That makes perfect sense. Stop the waste. Increase the health of America. Everyone’s happy.” But here’s a problem with the whole setup. If we agree that people who intentionally hurt their bodies should not receive government funded health care, where does this logic end? Should gluttons get heart surgery after they have clogged their arteries? Should drug abusers get detoxed when their bodies are addicted? Should those who go to tanning booths get chemotherapy when they get skin cancer?

I want to say sure they can have it—if they pay for it. Why should I pay for their terrible decisions? Why should those of us who live wisely underwrite an effort to make their lives better when they don’t deserve it? Of course, such questions fly in the face of grace, but I can’t help it. I suppose these questions bring up the concept of justice vs. grace, holiness vs. love, and consequences vs. forgiveness. Can we make such decisions? Should we draw such lines? Or should we just live lives of love and let God deal the rest?

Interpretive Lens

I had an epiphany/revelation/breakthrough of some sort on Friday. Perhaps it is nothing new to you, but it was something to me. I have been wondering for some time now why people do not grow spiritually. Or, to put it more specifically, why don’t people’s understanding of the Bible go beyond a surface level reading? Many people have been in the church for a long time. They have heard countless sermons and lessons. And yet, when a question is asked in a small group all you hear are standard sorts of answers that don’t really mean much—“religions fluff.”

As I considered it, it seems that much of what people are taught in churches is morality. They Bible seems to be little more than a book that contains a blue print of how to live. Though this may be true, it is so much more than that. I think as I look at it that the depth of the Bible is not being taught. In other words, the interpretive lens that is being used by most church people revolves around figuring our right and wrong instead of cultivating a vibrant relationship with God.

So what’s the solution? I’m not sure, but I think it involves giving people a different lens with which they can read and interpret the Bible. Too often people run to the Bible looking to justify their own preconceived notions instead of letting the Bible speak on its own. And at those times when they do come seeking, often they can’t break through the surface of the text to something deeper because they have no concept of context. I guess I am proposing that the church needs to do more education in exegesis. Every church member should be equipped with the tools to understand the background, context, and genre of any given passage. This includes historical stuff. This includes rituals and practices of the people involved. This includes original language information.

At this point you may say, it will never work. Most people don’t care about such things. I disagree. I see how the people respond when someone puts a passage in context by giving just a tiny bit of extra biblical information. Granted, I have also seen preachers ramble on and lose their audience. But when the context is presented well, it opens up minds and illuminates passages. I also know firsthand that people are interested. I teach a small group of Jr. High and High School boys. We have been going through the book of John. I don’t bring awesome hooks and games to our group. I bring a good understanding of background and they eat it up. The ask questions, seek clarification, and desire more. I even have used Greek and they don’t think it’s boring!

But I am doing all the work in that situation. The goal is to get each person to the point where s/he can do the work him/herself. Teaching and applying exegesis is like getting a new lens prescription. It makes things so much clearer, crisper and more enjoyable. Now comes the hard part—making such a dream reality.

Skydiving Adventure

I went skydiving this past weekend. Yes, you read correctly. If you don’t believe me, you can see the full set of pictures on my website. I didn’t tell many people because I didn’t want to hear, “That is so stupid. You are going to die. Why would you jump out of a perfectly good plane?” And so forth.

It was pretty amazing. People ask if I was scared, and I reply, “Not really.” Truthfully, I was not. There were times of fear, but overall it was pretty exhilarating. I was most fearful as the door to the plane opened up, and 2 other guys jumped out on their own. I did not have a parachute on at the time so being 10,000 feet in the air with only about 2 feet between me and a freefall was definitely a scary situation. But they jumped, the door was closed, and I was hooked onto the guy with the parachute.

It was a tandem jump, meaning that I was harnessed to another person who had the parachute on his back. I learned a lot about trust and faith through this experience. Though the guy has had over 2000 jumps, I still didn’t know him from any other stranger. I had to trust him to teach me the correct technique, to pull the rip cord (though there was a backup computer failsafe that would pull the rip cord at 2500 feet), to guide us back to the drop zone, to keep me from breaking my leg on landing. My life was literally in his hands. So, Bob, thanks for delivering me back to the ground safe as can be.

The actual experience was incredible. Free falling was great. That probably took 45 seconds. Then the chute opened, and we gradually fell to the earth for probably 5-10 minutes. I lost track of time as I looked around and admired God’s creation from a completely new and different vantage point. To be honest, it was quit surreal. It didn’t even feel like I was flying since there was little in the way of perspective. Until we were about 500 feet from the ground I didn’t realize how fast we were approaching the earth.

Would I do it again? Definitely, but I think I would like to go on my own. I also think I might enjoy hang gliding as well.
Would I recommend it? Sure. Though putting your life in unneeded danger might be considered foolish, it makes life interesting. I just taught Ecclesiastes to my OT Survey class, and perhaps Qoheleth was right that we should just find enjoyment amidst our toil (Ecclesiastes 2:24).

Finally, on a humorous note, I lost my shoe as we deplaned. As my fellow jumper cleverly put it, “Going skydiving cost you your sole.”

Leave the cases cold

While watching CNN yesterday, I saw a story about a new Justice Department office that would investigate and prosecute ''cold case" murders from the civil rights era. The goal of this office would be to investigate and then attempt to prosecute unsolved homicides motivated by racial hatred that occurred before 1970. The annual budget is $5 million.

The bill was inspired by efforts to reopen the case of Emmett Till, a 14-year old black youth who was murdered in 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi.

Senator Jim Talent, Republican of Missouri stated, ''We want the murderers and their accomplices who are still living to know there's an entire section of the Department of Justice that is going after them. We need to unearth the truth and do justice, because there cannot be healing without the truth."

I disagree with a few things. First, I don’t think that unearthing the truth will go very far in the healing realm. In fact, all I see it doing is bringing back feelings of racism and cruelty. I can see picketing by the KKK at these trials, and more confrontations that will stem from these prosecutions.

In addition, most of the men who have perpetrated these heinous crimes are over 60, many in their 70s and 80s. There the story highlighted a man who had just been found guilty of a crime, and he could barely stand up. He received 60 years in prison. I will be surprised if he makes it 5. I am all for justice, but it seems ludicrous to attempt to meet out justice in this way.

Finally, I am concerned with the waste of money and effort that this new branch in our government will cause. Really, all that money for what? To really prove how far we have come as a society? I don’t buy it and I wish there was something I could do to stop it. How about we use that money to deal with modern problems? It is time to move forward and stop trying to rectify the past.

Racism Overreaction

So I hear that the Air Force Football coach, Fisher DeBerry, made some “inflammatory” remarks after their big loss to TCU. To sum up, he basically said that black athletes by and large seem to exhibit more speed on the football field. As he looks at it, his team needs more speed (i.e. more black players), especially based on the thrashing his team had just taken. He didn’t say that other races weren’t fast, indeed he made a point to say that they too had good athletes. But by and large, black athletes seem to be faster.

As I watched “Around the Horn” on ESPN yesterday, 3 of the journalists were incensed that the coach said something like that. They were calling for his head and his immediate firing. They said he was a spokesperson for not just the university but for the country. The only one who stood up for him was Michael Smith—an African American journalist.

Now I am what you might call sensitive to political correctness. I think that refraining from using words that disparage races and people is vital to fostering peace and unity among people groups. But give me a break. This coach just put to words what every coach thinks, what scouts look for, and what fans have accepted for years. Though he may be politically incorrect, he is still correct.

Let’s look at the speed positions in football
Name one wide receiver that isn’t black. I thought of Jason Seahorn. That’s it.
Name one running back that isn’t black. I thought of Alstot. That’s it.

There is a reason why there is a movie called “White Men Can’t Jump.” There is a reason why white farm boys freak out when they play a team of black players. There is a reason why it is tough for you to name white “speed” players. Black players dominate those positions.

So were DeBerry’s statements racist? I guess, BUT HE WAS COMPLEMENTING THE RACE!! There are times when people say things to disparage a race, especially the African American race. This is not one of those times. Give the guy a break. He was only speaking what everyone was thinking.

Busy Bee

Well, it has been a crazy last few weeks. The number of activities I have been in charge of or involved in has almost been overwhelming. But, we got through, and now have a short respite with only the normal responsibilities.

This past weekend was our annual youth retreat. I thought it went well. The students seemed to grasp the concepts. I made it a point to really challenge them this year.
I challenged them in regard to their selfishness as it comes out in their spending and possessions.
I challenged them in regard to their relationships, reminding them that God has given them a fresh start and they should treat one another in the same way.
Finally, I challenged them in regard to their purpose in life, encouraging them to find God’s will for their lives and then live it out.

Hopefully the seeds have been planted. Now I leave it in God’s hands to produce the growth.

Sacrificial Worship

I was teaching my Old Testament class this week from 1 Kings, and came across the story regarding the split in the Kingdom. Rehoboam was unwilling to ease off the people’s labor and caused the Northern Kingdom, led by Jeroboam, to begin a separate monarchy. But what is most intriguing is Jeroboam’s shrewdness in keeping the people from returning their allegiance back to the Southern Kingdom and Rehoboam. The law required all religious activity to take place in a central location in Jerusalem. Thus, people from all Israel were supposed to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem 3 or 4 times a year to offer up their worship.

Jeroboam realized that if the people returned to the Southern Kingdom they might waver. So he set up 2 golden calves in Bethel and Dan as worship centers for the Northern people. This way they would have no affinity for the South or reason for returning. He made worship convenient. Much of the sacrifice was taken out of the equation. The result was apostasy and idolatry.

As I read that story, I began to wonder: “Is our worship too easy? Where is the sacrifice? Have churches made worship too convenient?” I made it personal and tried to list the elements of the Sunday morning worship service that are sacrificial. I came up with very little. We talk about offering up a sacrifice of praise, but it seems to be a bit of a misnomer.

Instead of sacrifice, we do the exact opposite. We put time limits on the service. We try to appease everyone as much as possible. We make the service as convenient as possible. It seems wholly unlike the Old Testament or the few snippets we get from the New Testament. So I wonder, should our worship services be more sacrificial or is what we are doing satisfying to God? If you agree that there is not enough sacrifice, how can we make it more sacrificial?

In Memorial

I’ve been meaning to write this all week, but have not had the time. Our church suffered a huge loss this past Saturday. The chairman of our eldership, Larry Smithson, passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack. He was only 61 years old and was the catalyst for much of the growth and positive activity that occurred in at Central Holston Christian Church. He was committed in so many ways and was one of the hardest workers I have ever met. His presence, influence, sacrifice, and work will be thoroughly missed by the Kingdom.

Resume

You may have seen this floating around the internet. Maybe not. EIther way, it is both humerous and telling in light of the many people who lie on their resumes. This is an actual job application a 17-year-old boy submitted at a McDonald's fast-food establishment in Florida. They hired him because he was so honest and funny. Enjoy some humor on this Friday.

JOB APPLICATION
NAME : Greg Bulmash

SEX : Not yet. Still waiting for the right person.

DESIRED POSITION : Company's President or Vice President. But seriously whatever's available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn't be applying here in the first place.

DESIRED SALARY : $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz style severance package. If that's not possible, make an offer and we can haggle.

EDUCATION : Yes.

LAST POSITION HELD : Target for middle management hostility.

SALARY : Less than I'm worth.

MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT : My incredible collection of stolen pens and post-it notes.

REASON FOR LEAVING : It sucked.

HOURS AVAILABLE TO WORK : Any.

PREFERRED HOURS : 1:30-3:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS : Yes, but they're better suited to more intimate environment.

MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER : If I had one, would I be here?

DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM LIFTING UP TO 50 LBS : Of what?

DO YOU HAVE A CAR : I think the more appropriate question here would be "Do you have a car that runs?"

HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION : I may already be a winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.

DO YOU SMOKE : On the job no, on my breaks yes.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS : Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb sexy blonde super model who thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I'd like to be doing that now.

DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE : Yes. Absolutely.

SIGN HERE : Aries.

Unfettered - Francis of Assisi

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

From the USA Today:
“Todd Marinovich was born on the Fourth of July and programmed to be a great quarterback. His father Marv, a former Oakland Raiders offensive lineman and assistant coach, drilled him from infancy with NFL stardom as the goal. For a while, Todd responded. The 1987 All-USA Offensive Player of the Year racked up a national-record 9,194 passing yards High School. His decision to play college ball at Southern California was preordained: his dad was co-captain of USC's 1962 national champion.

Marinovich led the Trojans to the Rose Bowl as a redshirt freshman, but by his sophomore year, there were bugs in the program. The young man who never had touched a Big Mac or watched cartoons was arrested on drug charges and suspended from the team twice. Marv Marinovich said at the time that his son's problems were just part of growing up and "Todd will come back with a vengeance."

Marinovich would have many downfalls and attempted comebacks in the ensuing years. He left USC, entered the 1991 NFL draft and was a first-round pick of the Raiders. He signed a $2.27 million, three-year contract, became a starter in his rookie year and played in one postseason game. His continuing drug problems ended his NFL career the next season. He has since bounced around the Canadian Football League and, most recently, the Arena League. He spent 90 days in an Orange County, Calif., jail in 1998 for a marijuana cultivation conviction and was arrested a year ago after Los Angeles police found heroin in a car he was driving. He was placed on probation but violated the terms and was ordered into a drug treatment program.”

So what happened? How could this guy be destined for stardom and yet fall so hard? He couldn’t live up to his dad’s expectations of him. He faltered in the face of the overwhelming pressures of living up to his father’s wishes.

And though his situation was extreme, we need to understand that our parents have expectations and desires for our lives. Most of them probably want you to experience the middle class suburbia life—a husband or wife, 2 kids, 2 car garage, shed for the riding lawn mower, a porch swing, etc. In other words, your parents want what they think is best for your life. They don’t wish harm on you. They equate a comfortable and successful life with the best thing for you.

Luke 9:57-62 contains some expectations, both from family and from Jesus:

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.
He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”
Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus expects people to follow his leading regardless of their situation in life. But the people may not be ready. The second man had to bury his father. There is no indication that his father necessarily was dead. What he means is that he can’t leave and quit his job in the family business until the father does die. He is expected to stay home. The third man felt obligated to go back and explain things with his family. He was torn between Jesus’ calling and his families expectations, and as a result his path was wavering.

So here’s the big question—At what point does it become faithful to go away from your parents’ expectations? When should you tell your parents, “I love you, but I can’t live up to the life you have envisioned for me?”
Though your parents want what is best for you, their idea of “best” may be different than “best for the kingdom.” God may have other plans for you. Parents want us to contribute to society. We think that we accomplish this concept by being good citizens, voting, helping out the economy, having a nice family, etc. But God doesn’t want us just to contribute to society. God wants us to change it and improve it.

There once was a guy named Francis of Assisi. Francis was born in Italy into a family of moderate wealth and grew up in a comfortable lifestyle. He spent all the money he had. He enjoyed the romantic adventures of a young nobleman. He was kind and considerate and faithful to the church, but for the most part he pursued his own pleasure and thought little of the needs of others. He was living the life that was expected of him.
This lifestyle began to change through a long and odd series of events. For one thing, he was captured during a brief battle between the cities of Perugia and Assisi. While a prisoner he endured a long sickness and when he recovered he was a much more serious person. Soon after this, while on his way to participate in the wars of Southern Italy, he received a vision calling him to “serve the Master rather than the man
His first major ministry came after he received a vision which he understood to be calling him to a ministry of rebuilding churches. His first attempt was to take goods from his father’s warehouse and sell them to pay for the repairs of a local church. He also asked the priest if he could stay and live at the church. His father did not appreciate being robbed or his son’s new home. In response, he found Francis and beat him and chained him up, even though Francis was twenty-five years old at the time. Francis was released and returned to the church. His father came again, confronted him and told him to come home or renounce his inheritance. Francis decided that he would rather serve God than be wealthy, and he gave up all that he had from his father. He even took off the clothes he was wearing since even they had come from his father’s money. Fortunately one of the church workers present gave him something to wear.

Talk about dropping your nets. Here is Francis dropping a huge net—his parents expectations. A life of luxury. All just to serve. Will that be the life for all of us? No. But we should at least consider what God might be calling us to. There is a difficult tension of your parents wanting you to live a good life, but perhaps God calling you to something different. Understand that you are not bound by the way your parents have lived out their faiths. You may be called to live your faith a different way. God may be calling you to drop the net of your parent’s expectations so that you can follow Him unfettered and without looking back.

Unfettered Part 1

I started a new series last Wednesday in Youth Group called “Unfettered.” The goal is to subvert culture’s dictating who we must be by following the example of other faithful people. Then we can live unfettered by the world’s story prescribed for us, and follow Christ freely. This first lesson focuses on Jesus and His true calling for us.

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“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Matthew 4:18-22

What if Jesus decided to change your story and replace it with a different one? In other words, if Jesus called you to drop your net (the future that you envision) and do something different, how would you respond? Would you immediately drop your nets like the disciples?

Jesus’ message seems so encouraging. Here we have someone promising us such great blessings. So when he calls us out of our boats to follow Him, it seems like a pretty good idea. It was for the apostles. It is not as though their future was all that exciting. They left a life of fishing for the chance to follow the Messiah around. We wonder why they so quickly dropped their nets. And the answer is obvious: following Jesus was a step up for many of the disciples. They were pretty well stuck in their lives. They would never be rabbis, scribes, Pharisees, or anyone important. So when Jesus comes to call them to something different, they readily dropped their nets. Perhaps this is the same reason few Pharisees responded to Jesus’ message—it was a step down for many of them.

Just as disciples were given a story, so are we—Jesus’ calling. For some it will be a relief. For others it will be very distressing. In our culture, we are told there is no other way out than buying into the story they are offering. You have to live a certain way, act a certain way, do certain things in order to succeed. But Jesus’ calling breaks the world’s mold of what is acceptable. His calling encourages us to live life unfettered by the world’s expectations. Yes, it will be uncomfortable if you take seriously the call of Christ. But he calls us to lay down our nets—some good, some bad. Some will find laying down their stories easy. Others will be very hesitant to leave the security in which they find themselves.

But it is not Jesus’ initial calling that is so difficult. It is the continued discipleship. Jesus’ promise of food and drink quickly changes to something very unappetizing:

“I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Basically Jesus is saying, “Unless you are willing to give up everything and suffer as I will suffer, don’t stay. You aren’t worthy. My food is my broken body. My drink is my spilled blood. My sustenance comes from suffering.” It is no wonder many left him after this. It is a hard teaching. It is a far cry from “Follow me and I will improve your life.” Yet the apostles stayed by His side, because they knew where the words of eternal life were.

The question is not, “Will you accept Christ’s story in addition to your current story?” The question is, “Will you give up the other story for Christ’s story? Will you drop your net? Will you drop your story?” For many of us, we are not in the position of the disciples. We are in the position of the Pharisees. The life he calls us to is not better by the world’s standards. You give up the things you like. You take on things you may vehemently dislike. Whoever comes to Jesus will never be hungry or thirsty because we will feast on Jesus’ body and blood—his very sufferings. Pursuing the Christian story promises many things, with suffering being near the top of the list.

Thank you for all of the responses to my last post. That entry easily had the most posts under it in the history of this blog. The response reminded me of a few things.

Theodicy (in my opinion) is the most difficult question for any faith to answer. We can try to explain away the trinity, the incarnation, and various other theological quandaries. But trying to reconcile a loving, all-powerful God with our experience of evil and hardship is extremely difficult, if not impossible at times.

But we are called to struggle nonetheless. And the responses show me that there are a variety of ways that we reconcile the question. Our struggles produce views that console, comfort, and encourage us. But others are bothered by the same views, and must work it out on their own.

Perhaps there is no “right” answer in determining how to combine God’s judgment, God’s grace, Nature’s power, humanity’s sinfulness, and a fallen world. Though it seems a mixture of all, each of us has different amounts of each in our explanations. And so it should be.

May God use our feeble attempts at grasping the unknowable to comfort those in dire need.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Theodicy

I have been slow in getting a secondary response out regarding the Hurricane tragedy and its aftermath. The coverage has been difficult at times for me to watch. I feel so helpless, and so frustrated by the state of the world. I have been asked a couple of times various questions by people (teenagers especially) seeking to come to grips with theodicy (figuring out how the existence of a benevolent God can reconciled with the existence of evil).
One girl in the youth group said, “If everything happens for a reason, then why did God allow this?” I have heard various responses, the worst of which was, “Because he doesn’t want Mardi Gras to continue.”

And the more I grapple with that question, the more I realize no answer will suffice because the question is flawed. The question not just assumes that everything happens for a reason, but it is God’s reason that things happen. I totally disagree with such logic. The Bible is clear that humans must live with the consequences of sin. We inherit the sins of those who have gone before us and will deal with the consequences of our own sins. Everything does happen for a reason, but it isn’t God’s reason.

Let me lay out the reasons that such a tragedy might befall our nation. They all come under the heading of arrogance/pride/selfishness. For example, why is New Orleans under water? Because a levy broke. Why did a levy break? First of all, we as humans decided that we could harness nature, and reroute rushing rivers to where we wanted them to flow. And we accomplished this feat through a system of dams/levies that were built to withstand a fierce storm (category 3), never imagining that nature would have the audacity to bring anything stronger.

Then, when a stronger storm did come, we thought that we were safe in our finely constructed buildings. A little wind can’t destroy our technology can it? After all, we have overcome anything nature can throw at us. So we stay put, expecting this little nuisance to just blow over.

But it didn’t just blow over. Nature wreaked havoc. It snubbed its nose at our reinforced concrete. It laughed at our levies. And in the end, it reminded me who I am compared to the power of God:

“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,
when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness,
when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place,
when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?
Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?
Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?”

“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.
Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

--Job

From Bad to Worse

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?”

I’ll tell you why I am so disturbed. My heart is sad this morning. As I have watched the devastation along the Gulf Coast I have grown increasingly unsettled. The damage is massive. The casualties will be high. The cost is incalculable. And if that were the worst of the situation, that would be bad enough. But then I hear about the continually deteriorating situation in New Orleans:

Residents are looting stores, not for necessities, but for shoes, watches, and weapons.
During an evacuation from the Super Dome someone fired gunshots at rescue helicopters.
There is general lawlessness and residents walking around armed and angry.

I can’t even put words on the situation. The impact is being felt across the country. But the impact is not what I expected. I expected sadness, frustration, anger, even inspiration to help. But most of what I hear is worry about gas prices. I walked into youth group last night and all the talk went something like this:

“Oh my gosh! Have you seen how much gas is?”
“Yea. Most of the gas stations are out of gas and won’t get anymore in until next week.”
“Oh my gosh! What are we going to do without gas?”

What are you going to do? Who cares what you are going to do? You at least have a car to put gas into. You have a home to drive that car home to. You aren’t using your gas to try and find missing loved ones. I get so pissed at our selfishness. We dismiss this catastrophe with an, “Oh, it’s so terrible,” and then immediately put the focus back on ourselves. It is too much to even write about.

My prayer for this situation comes from the Psalms:

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.”

Trivial Pursuits

I read a quote today that was quite startling and goes along with a previous post about why the church doesn’t seem to care about learning the Bible (OT especially):

“For centuries, theologians have been explaining the unknowable in terms of the-not-worth-knowing.” - HL Mencken

Of course people aren’t interested in learning more about the Bible—they haven’t been shown why it matters or what the benefit is. They see knowledge dispensed with no real impact on their daily lives. In a “me first” culture, people must first come to a realization about why studying the Bible for its depth affects them positively. They don’t care about a bunch of interesting (at least in our minds) factoids. They want convincing that studying the Bible is worth the time and energy. I think deep down people do want to grow, but they need a reason to try.

It is like someone who becomes overweight and doesn’t care until they have a heart attack. Then they realize the need for proper diet and work. Or it is like a senior in high school who does not pay attention in algebra class, missing the formulas and concepts needed to balance equations, thinking that there is no need to know these things since s/he is exempt from the final. Only to find out a week before said final that s/he will be forced to take it, and failure on the test will result in failure to graduate.

Our churches are full of spiritually overweight and uninterested people. Blissful ignorance like that found in the student permeates our sanctuaries. But leaders do little to correct such faults if we dispense the truths of the Bible like Trivial Pursuit answers. And the result is church full of people whose spiritual pursuits are just that—trivial

The First Day

Well my first day of teaching came and went without incident…well, mostly. They seem to be your average college freshman—not wanting to do a lot of work, figuring they will be bored out of their minds, etc. Perhaps the most tell-tell thing of what I am dealing with came from a young lady who thought that sunglasses were appropriate indoors. I had put the question out there, “Why haven’t you had much interaction with the Old Testament?” I assumed a variety of answers would come, and they did. But she was the first to speak:

“Ugh. We’re all human and the Old Testament is b-oring. Right? (looking around)”

Ah yes. I can’t wait until we tackle the Kings. She will be loving it. Another girl stated that her interaction with the OT was limited because at church they learned mostly about Jesus and the NT. I responded, “So you attribute it to a deficiency on the part of your churches?” She was quick to tell me “No.” But in reality, that is the root of the problem. Our churches fail to give the whole picture of God’s interaction with humanity. It is so easy for preachers to rip a Pauline saying out of context, or retell a parable of Jesus, and we congregations miss the richness of the entire Bible. Well, my major goal is to convey the OT to at least these students in a new, exciting, and hopefully long lasting way that will stick with them.

With Fear and Trembling...

“I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”
1 Corinthians 2:3-5

It is with a decent amount of trepidation that I begin this day. It is the first day of the Fall Semester at Milligan College. And this is not just any semester, but one in which I have been conscribed to mold young Christian minds in the faith. I have been charged with teaching Old Testament Survey to incoming freshmen students. It will be their first class and for many it will be the first taste of thinking outside the conservative, Sunday School box of Christianity.

It is my charge to set the foundation for the rest of the students’ learning while at the school. A lofty task if you ask me. And perhaps what scares me the most is not that I will be unable to answer a question, or that I do not know everything about the Old Testament, but that I will not properly convey the information, causing a crisis of faith in these spiritually immature minds, leading them down the dark road of apostasy.

I am indebted to many who have shaped me and patiently worked with me through the difficulties of the Old Testament. I think of Dr. Paul Kissling who would not let me leave GLCC with the same stubborn pride that I came in with. I think of Dr. Chris Rollston who could explain the contradictory, difficult material of Old Testament in such a way that I could wrap my brain around it.

May God use me to be the first step on a stairway that leads closer to Him, and not further away.

The Apprentice

**Adapted from a Reality TV lesson series for my youth group this summer**

“If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me.” Matthew 10:38 (Msg)

Jesus calls us all to be His apprentice. To follow after Him. To learn from Him. To be His disciples. He says that if you want to be called a Christian, you must be a disciple—an apprentice.

Accepting Christ is like accepting a job in Trump’s Corporation. You are committing to Jesus’ organization—the kingdom of God. You say that you believe in what Christ stands for, in the goals He is trying to accomplish, in expanding the kingdom of God. It isn’t about making money, or building huge skyscrapers. It is about spreading love. It is imitating Christ’s example. It is about using what you learn and who you are to change the world.

But Jesus doesn’t just choose one person or a few people. Jesus’ kingdom is made up of thousands and millions of apprentices. Every person who believes in Christ is an apprentice. Jesus doesn’t want some apprentices and some people who just file paperwork. He wants every one of us to make an impact in His kingdom by becoming more like Him.

Being a Christian doesn’t end when we accept Christ and are baptized. Being a Christian isn’t just about obeying the 10 commandments. Being a Christian is about becoming like Christ. About learning from Him to become who He wants us to be. Being a Christian is about being His apprentice. May we seek out ways to become more like Christ in everything we do so that we may see His kingdom expand and grow.

Baby Dedication

Yesterday for Elijah’s 1st birthday party we had a baby dedication service included in it. I am not overly big on them, but it was nice nonetheless. The following are some snippits from it with some thoughts to follow:

To Sam & Carrie: We are so glad that you bring Elijah today, sharing your joy with us! You are parents! This child=s life indeed reveals God=s gracious blessing. As Samuel was to Elkanah and Hannah, so Elijah Samuel is to you.

Your heavenly father entrusts Elijah to you. This child=s physical and emotional care matter deeply to God, but his spiritual nurture is even more significant! Will you, as believers, choose to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength?
Sam & Carrie: We will.

To Sam & Carrie: The Lord commands believers to impress the love of God upon their children, talking about God=s commandments at home, teaching God=s grace. As parents, will you live in such a way that Elijah understands both holiness and forgiveness?
Sam & Carrie: We will.

To Sam & Carrie: Do you pledge that you will prepare Elijah=s spirit so that he may one day choose Christ as his own Savior?
Sam & Carrie: We will.

To Elijah:
Welcome, baby Elijah! Sam and Carrie chose this name specifically because of its meaning. Elijah means “My God is Yahweh.” Samuel means “Asked of God.” May this be your heritage as well. May serving God always be your life’s goal and may you have such a strong relationship with Him that you can come before him in confidence and be willing to respond to His calling.
_____________________________________________________________

There are a few things that struck me from it. First, the calling to “live in such a way that Elijah understands both holiness and forgiveness” struck me as profound. The paradox of perfection and grace has always intrigued me. But now with a child it is even more interesting. How do I teach my child to strive for holiness and at the same time be willing to forgive and be forgiven? I guess that is something I will figure out.
The second thing was the call to “prepare Elijah=s spirit so that he may one day choose Christ as his own Savior.” Too many Christians just inherit their parents’ faiths. At the same time, I can’t force my child to believe and live out his faith. Instead, I can just prepare the soil, and let God do the growing.
Finally, the last thing with the names. That is the only part that Carrie and I wrote. It meant the most to us because his namesake was involved. If he can live up to his name, I will have done my job as a parent.

An Anniversary

Today is a special day in my household. Though some of you may realize that it is the 1-year anniversary of this blog, an even more important event has taken place—my son turns 1 year old today. I am not sure how the beginning of my blog and his birthday coincided, but that is just the way it goes.

I started this blog with the hopes of ironing out some of my theological quandaries and questions. I termed this blog “Second Call” because I wanted to reexamine my relationship with the Savior. It was as if God was calling me a second time to follow Him. But I never thought that “Second Call” or even my first calling would mean taking care of a baby. I grew up thinking I would have an office job somewhere, put in my 9 hours, and then go home to see my family. But life doesn’t always turn out as we think it will—sometimes it is better.

It has been my privilege and honor to take care of Elijah. He’s something else. As he grows and his body and personality change, I see him take on various qualities and his mother and me. And through this little baby, I learn new things about myself too. I haven’t ironed out all the rough spots in my theology. In fact, I haven’t written much on this blog for quite a while. I guess I haven’t had the time or desire. Spending most of my time with this little guy seems to far outweigh being viewed in the ranks of Calvin, Luther, or Augustine.

I hope to keep thinking about spiritual things—it keeps me sane most of the time. But I hope that God uses this time with Elijah to reveal new mysteries about Him—ones I could not comprehend by just reading His Word and thinking upon it, but by experiencing His Creation, both great and small.

I am taking the youth group to Carowinds for Son Fest. Won’t be back until late Saturday night. Have a delightful weekend.

Father's Day Sermon - Part 2: The Point

I love this story because it is more than just a good story. This story is the story of the Bible. It is the story of our heavenly father and His relationship with His children. It is an example of how earthly fathers should deal with their own children. It is not just a nice story. It is our story.

And I think we can learn 2 important things about ourselves and about our heavenly Father through this story whose themes pervade the Bible. First, it is the story of God seeking to redeem his creation despite our tendency to stray from his set boundaries. He redeems us by adopting us as His sons and daughters. Listen to parts of the Galatians passage again: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of children. You are no longer a slave, but a child; God has made you an heir.” We were slaves to sin, but God came down to earth to find us, to redeem us, and to make us his children and heirs. Early on God set the boundaries. He told us to stay within the walls for our own good. God gave the laws as clear boundary markers to show us what was good and what we should stay away from. But we chose to go outside the walls. We chose to ignore God’s design for our life. We went through the hole in the wall.

We need to understand something about God—He desperately wants to keep us from harm. He has done everything he can short of putting us in a padded room completely sealed off from the world. But he also knows what tough love is. He knows that we have to make the choice to stay within the confines of his will for us. He will not put us in a padded room, but will allow us to make our own decisions. God has set the boundaries, but he is willing to let us cross those boundaries because he desires children who love Him because they want to, not because they have to or know no differently.

I think that is the hardest part about being a parent—showing tough love. We long to protect our kids at all costs. Having a baby has made me realize how treacherous our house is. There are sharp corners at every turn. Live electrical sockets on every wall. Dog bones and bone chips under every table. And I can do all I can to keep the temptation out of Elijah’s reach, but all that seems to do is to spur him on to exploring even further. We must set boundaries for our kids, but we can’t force them to abide by those boundaries. We can protect our children from outside influences, but we can’t protect our children from themselves. It is a tough balance between setting up boundaries for right living, and then letting them ignore those boundaries if they so choose. But we have to allow them to make their own choices and as a result their own mistakes. Tough love means that we, as fathers or parents have to allow our children to make their own free choices. And that is what God has done for us. He loves us and calls us his own. We are His kids. He has set the boundaries and leaves it up to us to decide whether we will abide by them or not. And though this freedom goes against our natural instinct to protect our children, we have to let our children make decisions and love them anyway.

That leads to the second thing we learn about God—nothing can separate us from His love. No matter what we do, and no matter how far we go outside the walls God has set up, he still loves us and comes to find us. This story displays the stark contrast of God’s clear boundaries with his unending grace. It would have been the right thing if God made the wall, allowed us to go through the hole, and then never let us back in; never came out to find us. After all, he told us in advance that leaving the safety of the walled village would make us lost and we might never get back in. But God’s grace and love could not allow that. The love of a father drives him out to find the prodigal child. Not even a wall could separate the love of the father from the child. And not even the wall of sin could separate God’s love from His creation. The Romans passage read earlier reminds us of this fact.

Will trouble separate us from God’s love? Will hard times? Will danger? Will war? Will death? Will the present circumstances? Will the future events? Will distance? Will anything we have done? Will anything else in all creation be able to separate us from the love of God?

That’s right—nothing can separate us from His love. That is the graceful nature of God. No circumstances can change God’s love for us. He loves us no matter what we do and no matter what is done to us. He seeks to redeem us and make us whole again. That is what it means to be a father—that you love your kids no matter how they turn out. If we let our children make their own decisions, we will have to help them through the consequences. I see so many fathers who set boundaries and then when the child crosses them, they turn their backs on their children as though keeping the boundaries is what makes them special and worth loving. But that is not the case. They are worth loving because they are yours. And God loves us because we are His.

There is no doubt that fathers have a difficult task. Somehow they must balance love and discipline, boundaries and grace, holiness and forgiveness. And in a world where good fathers are few and far between; where many have suffered abuse from fathers, abandonment from fathers, a lack of love from fathers, or worse—it seems impossible for them to believe in a heavenly father that loves unconditionally. But that is the God who has left the warm village and ventured over the walls in search of us. He is the one who has come down to redeem you. He is the God who is faithful.

Father's Day Sermon - Part 1: The Story

"Because I Love You" By Max Lucado

Long ago in a land far away and unlike you’ve ever seen, there lived a wise man named Shaddai. Shaddai was a large man with a tender heart. He had bright blue eyes and a long, thick beard. When he laughed, which is something he often did, his cheeks would lift until his eyes because half-moons of joy. When he sang, which is something else he often did, everything stopped to listen. Tall aspens would bend. Squirrels, butterflies, and birds would pause. Even the children would turn when they heard his voice. And well they should. It was for them he sang.

And for the children, Shaddai had built a wonderful village. It was more than any child could dream. The children plunged into the sky-blue pond. They squealed as they soared high on the swings hung from the apple tree branches. They scampered through the meadows and giggled in the orchards. The sun never seemed to set too early, and the cool night sky always brought a quiet peace. And most of all, Shaddai was always near. When Shaddai wasn’t in the meadow or orchard with the children, he was in the workshop—with the children. They loved to be with him while he worked. They loved to smell the sawdust, hear him sing, and watch him carve a chair out of a log or make a table out of a tree. They would gather around him and take turns pressing their tiny hands flat against his great big one.

Every night he would gather the children on the grassy meadow and tell them stories. Fascinated, the children would listen as long as Shaddai—or their weary eyes—allowed. The children loved Shaddai and Shaddai loved the children. He knew each one by name, and he knew everything about them. He knew Lucy’s love of birds. He knew Roland’s fear of darkness. He knew Daphne was friendly and Spencer was shy. He knew Paladin was curious. When one of them called his name, he dropped whatever he was doing and turned. His giant heart had a hundred strings—each held by a different child. And Shaddai loved each one the same. That’s why he built the wall.

The wall was a high stone fence surrounding the village. Shaddai had built it, rock upon rock. The wall was so tall it stood high above Shaddai. Even if he stretched his arms as high as he could, he still couldn’t touch the top of the wall. He spent days building it. And as he built, he did not sing. A deadly forest stood outside the village. As Shaddai built the fence, he would often pause and look into the shadows beyond. Cruel thorns and savage beasts and hidden pits filled the dark forest. It was no place for the children Shaddai loved. “Beyond the wall is danger,” he would tell the children in solemn tones. “You were made for my village, not for the terrible land beyond. Stay with me. It’s safe here.” But in his heart he knew it was only a matter of time.

The day he placed the final stone on the wall, he returned to his shop, took a long aspen branch, sat down at his bench, and carved a staff. Shaddai stood the staff in the corner and thought, “I’ll be ready.” Sometime later a boy ran into Shaddai’s workshop. The sandy-haired child with searching eyes and restless energy brought the Maker both joy and concern. “Shaddai!” In one motion the Maker dropped his hammer and turned. “What is it Paladin?” The boy spoke in spurts as he gasped for air. “The wall…I found a…hole. It’s a big opening sir.” They boy’s hands stretched to show the size. “Someone could crawl through it.”

Shaddai pulled over a stool and sat down. “I knew it would be you, Paladin, my child. Tell me, how did you find it?” “I was walking along the walls searching for—” “Holes?” Paladin paused, surprised that Shaddai knew. “Yes I was looking for holes.” “So you could see out into the forest?” “I was curious Shaddai. I wanted to know why you won’t let us go out there. Why is it so bad?” Shaddai motioned for the boy to come to him. When Paladin came near, the Maker cupped the small face in his hands and lifted it so the boy would look directly into his eyes. The urgency of the look caused Paladin’s stomach to feel empty.

“Paladin, listen to me. The lands out there are not for you. They are not for me. A journey into the forest will hurt you. You were not made for those lands. Let your feet carry you to the many places you can go—not to the one place you can’t. If you leave here, you will not find the way back.”
Paladin spoke softly, “You will fix the hole then?”
“No, Paladin, I created the hole because I love you so much.”
“But you just said that you don’t want us to leave.”
“I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay with me, but I did make the opening when I built this wall.”
“But if you don’t fix it, the children might leave.”
“I know Paladin. But I want the children to stay because they want to, not because they have to.”

Paladin didn’t understand. Uncomfortable, he turned to leave. He needed to think about what Shaddai had said. As he entered the sunlight, he looked back into the shop. There sat Shaddai, leaning backward, still watching. Paladin was confused. Part of him wanted the safety of Shaddai’s shop, while another part drew him toward the fence. He looked again into the shop. Shaddai was standing now—not moving, but standing. His large hand stretched out to the boy. Paladin turned quickly away, as if he hadn’t seen. He walked fast as he could, aimlessly at first, then purposely toward the fence. “I won’t get too near,” he said to himself. “I’ll just peek out.” Questions came as quickly as his steps. Why do I want to do what Shaddai doesn’t want me to do? Why am I so curious? Is it wrong to want to see beyond the fence?

By now Paladin was at the hole. Without stopping to think, he lay on his stomach and squirmed through just far enough to stick his head out the other side. “I’ll just take a quick look,” he told himself. “What could be wrong with that? Shaddai said he made the hole because he loved us. I wonder what he’s keeping from me.” As if his knees were moving on their own, Paladin crawled farther. Soon he was through the hole and on the outside of the wall. He rose slowly to his feet. For several moments he didn’t move. He wondered if something would come out of the trees to hurt him. Nothing did. He relaxed his shoulders and said out loud, “Hmmm…it’s not so bad. It’s nice out here. What was Shaddai worried about?”

Paladin began walking into the forest. Twigs snapped beneath his bare feet. Sweet flowers scented the air. “I don’t seen any scary creatures,” he thought. The trees were so thick he could barely see the sky. “Just a few steps into the woods, to see what it’s like” he said. After a dozen more steps, he stopped. He liked the wilderness and thought there was nothing to fear. For the first time in his young life, he believed that Shaddai was wrong. “Just wait until I tell the others.” And he turned to go back through the hole, but the hole was gone!

He stopped and stared. He only saw a solid wall. Paladin ran to the wall. Was this the spot where he had crawled through? Or was it somewhere else? He couldn’t remember. He ran a dozen steps one way and then a dozen steps the other. Nothing. Suddenly he heard a strange sound in the woods behind him. He swung around, but he saw nothing. Paladin looked into the forest. Now it no longer seemed friendly. It was dark and threatening, as if it were about to destroy him. Desperately Paladin searched the wall. He couldn’t climb over; he couldn’t break though. There was no way home. “If you leave here, you will not find the way back.” Shaddai’s words rang in his mind.

The boy’s eyes were wide with fear. He sat on the ground, hugged his knees to his chest, and began to cry. As Paladin huddled there, lonely and afraid, he remembered something else Shaddai had often said. “I love you so much.” Does he love me enough to come and find me? Wondered the boy. Will he hear me if I call to him? “Shaddai, Shaddai! I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you! Please, come help me.” Paladin’s plea had been heard by the one who loved him, even before it was spoken. For as the boy left Shaddai’s workshop, the Maker had watched him as long as he could. When Paladin was out of his sight, Shaddai turned, not to take up his work but to remove his apron. He hung his tools on the wall. Then he reached into the corner and took the staff, the one he carved after he finished the wall.

Even before Paladin had reached the wall, Shaddai had left the shop. Even before Paladin had asked for help, Shaddai was on the way to give it. Even before the hole in the wall had closed, Shaddai had opened another. His strong hands pulled away the rocks until he could see into the forest. With his staff at his side, Shaddai crawled through the hole. He left the village he’d made and set out in search of his child.

Nothing for you today or tomorrow. I am preparing a sermon for Sunday which I will post on Monday. I also have in mind a special Father’s Day tribute for Sunday if I can get it together. Have a great weekend. Honor your fathers.

Camp Experience Part IV

I am not an emotional man. Few things bring me to tears, anger, exuberant celebration, etc. But there are some things that one experiences that draw out our innermost emotions. And unless you possess a heart comparable with Pharaoh’s, you have a reaction.

Such was the case after watching “Hotel Rwanda” while at camp. I am thoroughly changed to say the least. Here I am over a week after the fact, and I still have trouble putting words to what I am feeling. But my emotional outpouring could be at an all time high. Words such as anger, shame, frustration, and sadness begin to describe my state of mind.

I have known for a long time that atrocities have been going on in the world, especially in Africa. But to see it so vividly painted was almost too much. The most distressing phrase from the movie that encapsulated the average American mindset was the following (paraphrased from memory): “You hear about what happens and you say ‘What a shame.’ Then you go on eating your supper.” I can’t tell you how profound and accurate that is. We see some stories reported on the news and go, “Well that sucks, but I can’t do anything about it.” Dammit all, people are being slaughtered for arbitrary reasons, and we bitch about gas prices. It is just too much sometimes. Too much. Maybe when I get a better handle on it I will write more. I guess that is it for now.

Camp Experience Part III

On Friday of camp, each family contributed something to the worship service. My group was in charge of the "Afirmation of faith." Thus, we came up with our own creed. The ideas are all theirs - I just organized and reworded it for clarity. Big props go out to Whitney, Angela, Logan, Tsedeye, Sam, Jordan, Robby, Oliyad. We call it the Malaria Creed because we called our family "Malaria." Hope you enjoy.

Malaria Creed
We believe in the Lord God Almighty, the One and only true God
The Maker of the Universe—even spiders, gnats and mosquitoes.

We believe that God helps us when we are weak
And that his tough love overcomes our stubbornness.

We believe that God is the Protector of the weak
And the Forgiver of sins.

We believe that God is faithful and answers prayer
Without Him we are nothing.
With Him we are precious.

We believe that God makes miracles happen.

We believe that God is the Giver of joy and happiness.

We believe that we died in Christ,
that Baptism washes away our sins,
that the Spirit is our conscience and our strength,
and that we have been gifted to build up the body.

We believe that we are assigned to be caretakers of God’s creation
and that Praise and Worship is our calling and our life’s end.

We believe that it is our goal to ameliorate all situations.

We believe in the Fellowship of Christians
We believe the church is made up of all who believe in Christ.
We believe we are called to commune with one another and Christ to remember His sacrifice.

We have assurance that Christians will make it into heaven
We look forward to everlasting life with Christ.

Amen.

Camp Experience Part II

Parents tell kids not to stare at people’s imperfections. Why is that? We don’t want them to make people feel uncomfortable about their past. But our pasts are often uncomfortable. We try to hide our scars—our past failures. We don’t want people to look at us differently. But they do.

Our pasts are always with us, whether we want them there or not. You can’t escape your past. It shapes and forms you so that you react and behave in certain ways. Though your context has changed, your past is still relevant. And most of us are frantic to hide our pasts so people don’t stare. So the question is this: “So how can your past be redeemed and utilized for good.” How can all the things that you have experienced, the good and the bad, the best and the worst, help you be a better person, be a better Christian, love God and others more?
There is a great scene from Lost:
Kate: “I want to tell you what I did.”
Jack: “I don’t want to know. It doesn’t matter who we were, what we did before the crash. 3 days ago we all died. We should all be able to start over.”

That is the picture of redemption. If we were stranded on an island we would get a fresh start. No one would know anything about you unless you told them. God has the same attitude, even though he does know everything about us. He accepts us despite what we have done. There ‘s a little story in John 8 about this.
Jesus stands among a crowd, and they bring her in. She’s known throughout the town as a slut, and they finally caught her in the act. They caught her having sex with some guy she barely knew. So they bring her before Jesus and start in on her.
“We caught her Jesus. This whore was caught having sex, and she’s not married. We can’t have this sort of stuff in our synagogue. What would people think? Let’s get rid of this filth. What do you think? Beating? whipping? stoning? Hello? Jesus? Are you going to play in the dirt all day or are you going to get up and help us execute the law?”
Jesus finally rises and says: “I’ll help you. Let’s head down to the stoning pit. Everyone who doesn’t have a past grab a stone and let’s get going. That’s right—all of you who haven’t done anything wrong or worthy of punishment can join me. We’ll get her good.”
As he stoops back down the people look around in amazement that he would say something like that. Their past’s were nothing compared to this sluts, but there it was. How could they pick up a rock, after all that had done some things. So they went home, embarrassed, angry, frustrated that they could not enforce their brand of justice.
Jesus looked at the woman and said simply—“I guess you aren’t going to die today. I’m not going to stone you. I care more about forgiveness than justice. But let me make it clear. If you leave here today having accepted my forgiveness and you go back to your promiscuous way of life, you’re trashing my grace. Live new. Live free. Live forgiven.”

This is the story of God’s faithfulness compared to our sinfulness. It was completely within Jesus’ right to execute that woman. It is completely within God’s right to press the smite button for us. But he doesn’t. God is faithful to his character of love and holiness no matter what we do. Psalm 107 contrasts God’s faithful past against our sinful past. The point of the psalm is clear—God’s faithfulness can redeem our unfaithfulness.

No matter what the people did, no matter how often they turned their backs on God, God would still restore them. God’s faithfulness overrides our unfaithfulness. No matter what we have done, no matter what we will do, God can forgive. And until we get that, our pasts will haunt us, control us, and dictate how we live, and we will never get past them. We can either accept God’s forgiveness or return to the life of sin. But if we choose to live a life of gratitude because of God’s faithfulness, he is calling us to be the voice of light in the dark world. He is calling us to learn from our pasts and build up the body through our experiences. May we live like those who have been given a fresh start and may we treat one another in the say way.

Camp Experience Part 1

The theme for this past week of High School camp was “Lost.” The idea was to vividly portray Peter’s concept in his first epistle that we are resident aliens in a strange and foreign place, but that our lives should still be exemplary.

To that end, we staged a plane crash and went the week simulating life on a deserted island. Let me say, the plane crash was awesome! I was sort of the head pyro for that. We had a crashed plane fuselage that we put napalm on top of. We dug a couple of trenches and put pans of kerosene with wreckage on top of. Then we lit it all on fire, dropped a couple of smoke bombs, and the crash was believable.

Of course blowing things up was not the point of the week. Rather, we wanted the students to ask questions and hopefully receive an answer. Questions like:
How will we survive? What will we do for food?
How will I interact with the rest of the people stranded with me?
What about the unknown on this island? Are there natives? Are they friendly?
What will the future hold? Should I seek rescue or try to thrive here?
What about my past? Does it matter? Can it be redeemed?

It was a very unique and experiential week both for the students and staff. Life as a Christian was presented in a different way that encouraged us as Christians to approach our relationship with Christ and others in a much different way. This week I hope to unpack some of the theological themes found throughout the week. You are welcome to browse through the over 300 photos from the week at the camp’s website.