An end to Islam bashing?

Many Christians approach Muslim people with memories of 9/11 resonating in their minds. They see a people bent on the total destruction of other nations and religions, especially Judaism and Christianity. They see hatemongering, warmongering elitists who are bent on jihad. These reactionary Christians even take the time to justify such perceptions with quotes from the Q'uran, citing various extremist views as the normative belief system which is contrary to any hopes of peace or acceptance. As a result, all those of Islamic belief are cast with a broad brush as terrorists who loathe freedom or freedom in Christ.

And yet, I can’t help but see a double standard here. I don’t appreciate being stereotyped and equated with extreme conservative Christianity. I surely don’t agree with abortion clinic bombers, with those who believe that salvation is reserved only for those who have done certain things, with those who handle snakes in worship services, or with televangelists who hawk their wares for profit. And I am offended that people would consider Christianity to consist of such things.

I find it unfair that naysayers of Christianity rip texts from my Holy Book in an effort to justify their problems with my belief system. But such texts exist nonetheless. The Bible, at times, condones ethnic cleansing as much as the Quran. The Bible, at times, condones mistreatment of women and those of differing faiths. The Bible, at times, seems more concerned with rules and regulations than relating with people.

So why is it a personal affront when we are labeled and stereotyped with Christians whom we disagree but okay to do the same with all Muslim believers? Sure their holy book condones violent actions – so does ours. Sure their holy book makes legalistic rule keeping a part of their belief system – so does ours.

Maybe this sort of action stems from our belief that we have the corner market on truth and Islam stands as a false religion. Though there may be some validity to such a statement, it seems that the attacks do not come in the name of false religion but in the name of opening our eyes to the evil ways of those who “threaten freedom.” It is time to separate those who believe in a peaceful religion based on the 5 Pillars brought by Mohammed from those who use the religion to promote extremist views.

Am I wrong here? Is my concern for peace and acceptance clouding my ability to see the dangers of Islam?

Return to New Orleans

Monday night marked the first return of a major sporting event to the hurricane ravaged city of New Orleans. I watched with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it was a far cry from the scenes that are engrained in my mind from just a year ago:

People wading through water with babies in hand
People looting
Dead bodies floating in the water
Dead bodies covered with sheets
Descriptions of the breakdown of society and the horrible things that could be found in the Superdome and the Convention center
People on roofs crying for rescue
People vowing never to go back

The scene Monday was one of jubilation and triumph. Here tens of thousands of people celebrated a victory. The fact that in just over a year the city would be able to hold such an event seems impossible. All the destruction seems like a distant memory.

But then my thoughts turned to a much more somber note. So much energy, money, and time was spent getting a sporting facility ready to host a game while all reports seem to indicate that most of the poorest people still remain homeless. There are entire sections of New Orleans that have not been touched except to clear rubbish out of the roads for vehicles to get by. Why are so many people making this game the benchmark of the return to New Orleans while thousands (if not millions) have not even returned to their previous life? Have such people been ignored for the sake of a stupid game? Has restoring their lives and homes been put further down the list then recreation?

Some justify the effort being put on this event saying that the Saints represent a significant part of the economy. Up to a certain point I may concede the point. But clearly people have to come first. Don’t they?

So I watched the game and the people cheering and waving towels and wondered, “What would I think if was refuge from New Orleans watching from some distance place? Would I be delighted or disgusted? Energized or embarrassed?”

How about you?

New Video Camera

Carrie and I finally got a video camera to capture Elijah's funny and entertaining moments. So, I have posted two such events as an effort to see how transfer and quality go. So, here they are. Hope you enjoy.

Stained Glass Memories

Not knowing what God has planned for our families future, and knowing fully our own desires, Carrie wanted commemorate our time in East Tennessee. The opportunity came to do a stained glass window with a wonderfully talented woman, so we jumped at the chance. After 2-3 days of cutting glass, arranging pieces, soldering, etc., we have the masterpiece below. The picture does not do it justice as Carrie did an amazing job. I did very little.
It is a vision that we frequently see – the river flowing in front of the mountains as the sun shines down. God’s creation is especially beautiful here in East Tennessee. It will be tough to leave when the time comes.

The best laid plans…

I had in mind to continue posting regularly, but life had other plans. Last week was a week which, if ever repeated, may lead to my demise. It was supposed to be a busy week anyway. My teaching responsibilities at King and Milligan began on Wednesday. I was also slotted to preach on Sunday. And, our youth group was going to spend all day Friday and Saturday at the Bristol Motor Speedway selling ear plugs and water to race fans as an attempt at raising money. Was this a full week and weekend? Sure. But it was manageable…until the unforeseen entered into the equation.

I was typing feverishly on my laptop on Monday night. I had spent most of the day crafting a sermon and preparing my notes for OT Survey. So at around 9:00pm, as I paused to reflect on my work, I heard some unfortunate words – “Oh my gosh!! Watch out!!” I lifted my hands from the laptop and looked up just in time to see a bottle of lotion whiz by my head and land squarely on my laptop. Carrie had accidentally dropped this bottle off an overhang and down onto my work area in the family room.

The laptop restarted to the sound of grinding. I knew immediately it was the hard drive that had been damaged. Not wanting to subject it to further damage, I turned the laptop off with the hopes that things could be salvaged. The next morning I tried to start the laptop up but it tried for about 10 seconds and gave me the, “You are screwed. Throw the computer away.” (Note: this was not the actual message, but I am conveying the connotation). So I shut down again and decided to try again later.

In the afternoon I powered up again and after running a battery of diagnostic tests, it did load up, but again the sounds emendating from the hard drive area would make even the most stalwart listener cringe. I quickly threw in a USB drive and started copying files, starting with my sermon, class notes, and irreplaceable pictures of the new baby. Partway through, the Hard Drive locked up and I had to shut down again, but not before getting the most pertinent files.

As it stands today I have replaced the Hard Drive and gotten many of the files off the damaged drive, though I will never get everything off. Some pictures of Elijah are lost. Some pictures of family are lost. Any file over 1 Mb is pretty much toast. But my written down thoughts, lessons, sermons, etc. made the transfer.

I hope to get things back together soon, but am still trying to catch up. Thanks for your patience here at “The Second Call.”

Bizarre Brownie Commercial

I don’t know if you have heard, but Domino’s is running a new promotion where they include fudge brownie bits free with every purchase. You read correctly. Brownie and Pizza.

Let me paint a picture of how it was presented to me on TV. I just got finished watching the trailer for “Crossover” which looks like a combination of “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Bring it on,” and “You Got served” – but I digress. So the next commercial is for these brownie bites, and the delivery guy arrives at the door and “Fudgems” – the brownie mascot – is with him. Of course every time Fudgems touches something, he gets chocolate all over them. It was bizarre to say the least.

However, it reminded me of my time working at “Mail Boxes Etc.” (now The UPS Store) when we would debate on who could “pack the fudge” the best. My brother and Susie Riggs/Finkbiener would usually win the competition. That joke never gets old.

The Calm After the Storm

A storm rolled through last night, and then there was this eerie glow. I wish I had captured it better.

Daily Snapshot

Jaime Wetzel’s blog links to another blog called 10 years of my life that is an experiment in taking and posting a picture every day. I think that is an interesting idea, for a couple of reasons. First, it documents a brief episode from your day. It is history writing in a slightly different way. Second, it makes you more aware of your surroundings, looking for a memorable scene to capture. Finally, it makes you work on your picture taking abilities (or lack thereof).

So, I am going to give it a shot. I am going to try and take more picture of random things. Maybe not every day, but I hope to share a picture with you when I get them in addition to my semi-regular postings.

A Personal Holliday

Today is a special day. It is Elijah’s birthday – 2 years on this planet. Unbelievable that he has been in my life that long. He is an awesome kid – smart, stubborn, funny, full of life, with a touch of OCD for good measure. He has taught me that patience and grace are better teachers than strict discipline. Though he may never read anything I write, he has influenced me more than I or he will realize.

It is also the 2-year anniversary of the inception of this blog. It is hard to believe that I have been posting my thoughts for two years. It is also hard to believe anyone reads them. I enjoy doing it as it forces me to think, to evaluate, to accept criticism, and to be humble when people don’t respond to what I think is brilliance.

Very little has changed, and yet it seems like so much.
I am still serving at the same church, but now with a new minister.
I am still married to Carrie, but now we have two children.
I am still searching for God but am less concerned about finding the “correct” theology.

The journey of life is a journey of faith. Faith that your hopes and dreams will be accomplished. Faith that your life is not a waste but holds a meaning often beyond what you can see. Faith that in the end this is not some cosmic experiment or joke.

This is the faith I hold despite what I see around me. I see a world that is being torn apart by war, hatred, and selfishness. It is not a world that I want my children to see. But I believe in a world that claims God as King. I believe that the reign of God can overcome even the worst evils. And to such end, I will keep searching. Keep journeying. Maybe even keep writing.

Browser Business

The above picture is of course the logo to Mozilla Firefox, which has been stomped out as a crop circle. Firefox is quickly becoming the most used browser in the world. For those who don’t know, it has automatic pop up blocking (Internet Explorer just recently added such a feature). It also has tabbed browsing which means I can have another page loading while finishing the page I am on.

Anyway, this isn’t a promo for Firefox (though if you don’t use it, you should). I work on quite a few computers getting viruses, spyware, and various other annoying features off. And more than likely, if I have to fix the computer, the person doesn’t have or use Firefox. That is pretty annoying and cuts into my productivity, but I make it through.

So, this post doesn’t really have a purpose, except I saw the above picture, thought it was cool, and took the opportunity to voice my opinion about Internet browsers.

***All of you Opera and Safari users need not post how much better you think your browsers are.

Statement of Faith

I may have mentioned that I will be teaching Old Testament Survey at King College in the fall. Since they are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and I am not, they have asked me to include a “Statement of Faith”. Having never written one, I googled it and found some interesting things. Some of which I agreed with, some of which I did not. What follows is a work in progress – a first draft if you will detailing my statement of faith. It is similar in some areas to other statements, but diverges in others. I am looking for constructive criticisms on where it is good, where it is weak, and what is lacking.

Statement of Faith

The basis of my faith is in the revelation of God through His actions in the world, through the Incarnation of his Son, and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.


There is one true God, eternally existing who, out of his love, created the world as good.
Despite sin entering into the world, God seeks the redemption and restoration of His creation to return it to its original state.


Jesus Christ, the living Word, is perfect Deity and true humanity united in one person forever.
He lived a sinless life, clearly displaying and fulfilling the greatest commandment to love God and love others.
He voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him.
He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit down at the right hand of God the Father, where He continually makes intercession for His own.


The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men.
It convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually dwells within them.
Its fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believer's life by faith.


The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace and is not the result of human works or goodness. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ for their salvation, and thereby justified them in His sight.
Jesus proclaimed and instituted the kingdom of God which is good news to the physically and spiritually poor, oppressed, and sick when forgiveness and liberation occur members of the kingdom repent and live out the good news.
Every believer is called to live in the power of the indwelling Spirit that s/he will not fulfill selfishness but will bear fruit to the glory of God.

Stork Mail

She’s here!! My little girl – Sophia Caris. The first granddaughter on either side. It only took 7 tries. Fortunately, my sister is also having a daughter in a couple of months so she will not be alone. Everything went extremely well. For those “in the know”, Carrie went from a 5 to full delivery in 40 minutes. Unbelievably fast.

This baby is quite different than Elijah. Elijah was wide-awake, wanting entertainment and food immediately. Sophia, though she has the biggest lungs in the nursery, has slept a ton and really does not enjoy keeping her eyes open.

We have been teaching Elijah about a new baby, and how to treat it. He helped me roll Sophia into the room to see mom, and then he laid down on the bed with his head against the baby and said, “Nice” with a bit of a lisp. After poking her in the eye and saying, “Baby – eye,” he hopped down and ran around the room for a while. I think things will be just fine. (I have pictures of it all on my website).

A small note on the name selection. I am a big language guy, so the name has to have significance. Sophia Caris is Greek for “Wisdom” and “Grace” – two of the things I love about my wife. Hopefully Sophia will emulate her mother and live up to her namesake.

Carrie and I didn’t say it until after the birth, but we both really wanted a girl. Yes, we would have been fine with a boy and have felt blessed, but something about a girl to go along with our boy is awesome.

Thanks for your prayers and concerns.

An Update

Teen week went well. The students and I both enjoyed the activities. I am looking forward to what the fall has to offer including a renewed commitment to the body of Christ (by both the students and myself) and excitement about the young leaders that are present in the group.

Carrie and I are going into the hospital tomorrow at 6:00am so that she can be induced. That is one day after the due date, and she is more than ready. There have been no complications thus far and we are very thankful. I don’t think Elijah is ready for what is about to enter into our household, but we shall see.

So, I will be posting news of the new baby when they come. Stay tuned.

Full Week

The posts this week will be sporadic, if at all. This week is “Teen Week”. Basically, I planned a different event each day with the youth group leading up to their returning to school on Monday. All credit for the idea goes to my youth minister, Andy Timm, who dedicated a week every year to taking us to do all sorts of things. Sunday was the lake. Monday was a crazy scavenger hunt. And today was Laurel Falls. This, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Hope you enjoy the picture.

Monastic Life

“Either we learn to find our Lord in ordinary, everyday life, or else we shall never find Him.” Saint Josemaria

I read an article that came from Kevin Miller who was asked to advise a Sunday School curriculum company about the following: “What would you recommend for spiritual formation in our time?” His response was simple: “The Monastery.” They didn’t get it. They, like so many of us when pointing to times of spiritual growth look at certain experiences at conferences, worship services, etc. But how many of us consider the impact of personal prayer, service, and biblical fellowship (koinonia)?

Aside: I have wanted to spend time in a monastery for quite a while not. Various people I know have gone and it has been amazing for them. The simplicity. The focus on the presence of God. The destruction of idols and distractions. It would be good for all of us to spend such a week away.

But we don’t need a monastery to grow spiritually. Another quote from Saint Josemaria: “Each day be conscious of your duty to be a saint. A saint! And that doesn’t mean strange things. It means a daily struggle in the interior life and in heroically fulfilling your duty right through to the end.”

With this in mind, Miller then posed the following set of questions that blew me away:
“What would happen to your life if you lived in close geographical community and relationship with other people; if you lived in submission to authority; if you practiced silence and simplicity and discipline; if you regularly read the Bible and prayed and meditated on what you read; if you made study part of your life; and if you worked hard in some daily occupation, seeing your labor as full of dignity and offering it to God?”

I think we would all answer – “Spiritual growth would occur.” Such an atmosphere would be awesome. And it is the biblical model that has been adapted and practiced for centuries. Yes, monasteries are sealed off from the world, but Acts talks about this type of community existing the in the heart of Jewish and Roman culture.

Spiritual growth through committed Christian communities is the best life, but it takes work. It takes practice. It takes dedication. I start today doing as much of above as possible. Who will join me? Who has practical ways to put the above in the practice?

Worship Ministry Vision

As a worship leader, I consistently evaluate what I am doing and what I am accomplishing in the Sunday Morning service. Obviously, facilitating praise and worship of God is at the top. But is that it? And, how tangible is such a goal? I often get frustrated, feeling the need to appease tastes while trying to accomplish said goals.

Then one day I had an epiphany. It was as if God spoke directly to me. Was it a burning bush? Not so much. It was however, a chicken. I was in Zakby’s (you northerners would not know about this restaurant yet). While enjoying a quality plate of chicken strips, I noticed the official mission statement:

“We aim to consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time. In English, that means we do everything humanly possible so that you will come back again and again and again and, well, you get the idea.”

While reading their goal, I was struck – that should be my goal as a worship leader. Is not worship an experience between the God of the Universe and His creation that enriches our lives? Shouldn’t worship be so appealing that we constantly come back wanting more and more of the presence of God?

But with all that being said, accomplishing such a goal is not all that easy. I think it requires a healthy blend of music, Scripture, reflection, visuals, and various intangibles (let’s call this the Holy Spirit). All these things and more work together to bring us into the presences of God where we can’t help but be changed, enriched, and encouraged to want more.

Give 'em the Finger

Church Softball season is over, and let’s just say I went out with a bang. No, I didn’t hit a homer. I got blasted in the pinkie by a forcefully thrown ball from the left fielder while trying to put the tag on at third base. It hit right on the tip and compressed the finger. People around here thought I “stoved” it (if you have any information regarding the origin of this phrase, please share).

Having never heard such a phrase, I assumed I “stubbed” it pretty badly. Well, it had been a week, and the swelling, bruising and pain had not subsided, so I went to the doctor for X-rays. Prognosis—Negative. It is fractured at the joint where the finger and the hand meet. Nothing serious. The treatment—an aluminum and foam splint and ice. I guess I have still never actually broken any bones, just 2 fractures—this one and my collarbone.

So, as it stands, I can still play guitar, type on the keyboard and do most things. However, catching the finger on things, having it kicked when changing diapers, and sleeping on it don’t go so well.

In Other Words...Kingdom

*** I recommend reading Matthew 13 before reading this post***

When we think of “kingdom” our thoughts often go to Camelot, castles, horses, Robin Hood, etc. Or maybe we think of England where the queen just turned 80 years old. Since we live in a culture of democracy where everyone gets a vote and no one is told what to do, we have a hard time understanding what it means for one person to make all the decisions for our welfare. And despite this, the New Testament is full of this talk of “the Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of Heaven.” And since we don’t always understand what a kingdom is, perhaps that is why our churches overlook one of Jesus’ most important teachings.

Over and over Jesus berated the disciples for thinking that he was going to come and establish a physical kingdom. They wanted him to rule from a throne and overthrow Roman rule. But that was not Jesus’ mission and that was not Jesus’ Kingdom. There was to be no throne. No boundaries. No conquest and war. This was not the location of Jesus’ kingdom. He instead places the kingdom somewhere differently:

“Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within (among) you.” Luke 17:20-21

Jesus doesn’t focus on land to talk about the location of the kingdom; he focuses on people. The Kingdom is within you. The kingdom is among you. It is both an internal and an external thing. It is not a way for humans to rule but a way of life that is exhibited in people and in people’s lives. It is not a system of government but a system of living.

So who enters the kingdom? If we are talking about a kingdom that Jesus is instituting, what sort of people do you think might enter into the kingdom?

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

It seems that the kingdom is not full of the most holy people. It is not full of super Christians. It is for anyone who needs it. Tax collectors and prostitutes were some of the most looked down upon people in Jesus’ time. People thought rich people were receiving God’s blessings so they should have made it in. But Jesus said it was hard for rich people to enter. People who say “Lord, Lord” and seem to be following God aren’t as important as those who are actually doing God’s will. The poor in spirit—those who aren’t spiritually great are invited into the kingdom. Those who are persecuted because they do what is right—they enter the kingdom. The kingdom is not for the greatest people whom we think deserve it. The kingdom is for the ones who need it the most. The outcasts, the hurting, the people who will do what is right and follow God’s will no matter what the consequences. Jesus makes this clear when he goes into his home synagogue and describes why he has come and what his kingdom is about:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Entrance to the kingdom is not based on race, social status, gender or any physical characteristic. It is a matter of the heart. As we become like children, trusting in the King to save, we begin to live a rightly ordered life with God as the ruler. The Kingdom of God is the reign of God in peoples’ hearts and lives. Whenever and wherever God is king, there is the Kingdom. Wherever God is sovereign, God reigns. And there is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory.

Bowling Bits

I took the youth group “Cosmic Bowling” Saturday night. For those who have no clue, it is bowling with an ambiance of black lights, strobe lights, other flashing lights, and typically Hip-Hop and R&B piped through the crappy sound system. I don’t know if other cultures have such an event, but it is something if you have never done it. Now, with all that said, I made some observations while there.

First, instead of rap, the manager of this bowling ally decided to play “classic rock”. We are talking AC/DC, Van Halen, Pink Floyd, and other various hair bands. Anyway, I heard two songs that when they came on I thought were the same: “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and “Someone like You” (may be named something else). The guitar riffs at the beginning. The same sort of cadence. They sounded extremely similar. What did I learn? Well, this genre can put out basically the exact same song with just different words and both will be considered classics. AC/DC is pretty guilty of such action.

Secondly, Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit” came on. I started singing along as it was a formative song in my childhood. Then I thought, “That song came out in the early 90’s. My Jr. High Students weren’t even born.” Now I don’t get into yearning for the good old days and seeing how young I can make kids feel by making reference to things they have never heard of. But seriously, now I get it. I’m getting old. Though jamming out to Nirvana in high school seems like it was just the other year, it wasn’t. It has been almost 15 years. Wow.

Thirdly, being gifted with encouragement (that was sarcastic) I tried to high-5 one Jr. High kid after his bowls, even though he wasn’t doing all that well. He was trying to compete with me, but just couldn’t keep up. He is a great kid. Nice. Country. But not a typical “cool kid.” In fact, he didn’t even give high 5s very well. They were awkward. Unnatural. He missed a lot. I can remember times when I was younger and trying to fit in that I went to give a high 5 and completely missed, compounding my self-consciousness. It is amazing that something like a hand slap can be the criteria for determining acceptance.

Finally, this last observation hit home since I am both a dad and soon to have another child. It is 11:00pm in a smoky, loud bowling alley. What is the last thing I expect to see? A few week old baby. And yet, a couple strolling in toting their newborn. I was appealed. I don’t know the criteria for child abuse and I don’t want to compare it with what some people do to their children, but seriously. The late night ruining any semblance of a schedule. The smoke inhalation. The loud, jarring noises. That can’t be good for a baby. But what do you do?

Anyway, bowling alleys are great as you can observe all sorts of things.

In Other Words...Wrath

I love this a far side comic. In fact, for a while I had a shirt with the same comic on it. As if God is just up there dropping pianos on people’s heads for fun. There is also a line from Bruce Almighty, when Bruce says, “Fine! The gloves are off pal! C'mon, lemme see a little wrath! Smite me, O mighty smiter!” He implores God to actually come down and act, because as far as Bruce can see. God is absent. Bruce couldn’t understand why things were happening. He expected to be blessed for his hard work. Instead it seemed like he was cursed. It all comes back to incurring God’s wrath.

Deuteronomy 28 sets up a system of blessings and cursings that most people use to determine the will of God versus the wrath of God.
“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God…However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you…”

Based on passages similar to this one, we begin to think, “As long as I stay on God’s good side, nothing bad will happen. But those gay people better be careful or they will see a new Sodom and Gomorrah.” We see it played out when people suffer the consequences for their sins. Whether they are caught in an illegal act and prosecuted, or cause harm to their physical body because of their actions, most people get what is coming, good or bad. Of course this is not always the case. Many times good people suffer and perpetual sinners get off scott free.

And then there are times when sinners really get what is coming. We see that at times God does act out against sin in a mighty way. The Bible has many examples besides Sodom and Gomorrah.
We see God's anger in many places in the Bible. The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden is the first example. Later in the book of Genesis, the nations gathered to build a tower that reached to the heavens, only to have it destroyed by God and the people scattered. Another example comes in the book of Exodus where the people fashioned a golden calf to worship when they got tired of waiting for Moses to descend from the mountain with the Ten Commandments. Then, the Israelites grumbled in the desert and God sent snakes among them and it killed many. We see in the New Testament that Annanias and Sapphira were skimming off the top and God struck them dead. The source of God's wrath is the common thread running through all of these stories. In each instance, the people turned from trusting and glorifying God to seeking their own way. Those seem like harsh punishments for seemingly everyday offenses. Sometimes God goes way beyond consequences and acts in a mighty way against sin.

So it leads us to ask, “Why would a loving God have to enact wrath?” It seems so mean. So cruel. So ungodlike. Well we have to understand some things about God. God is holy. He is set apart from anything sinful. He can’t be around it. He can’t stand it. Sin stands as the complete opposite of God. So God’s wrath comes about because God’s holiness and love have been violated by the sinfulness of man. If he was not wrathful and warring against sin, God would then, in effect, be saying that sinfulness is not evil and can be tolerated. He would be saying, it is okay. But he doesn’t. He refuses to allow sinfulness to continue. So sinfulness creates certain results and consequences that we call the wrath of God.

The wrath of God is not like the wrath of man. The wrath of man is based on revenge and often petty anger. Someone cuts you off in traffic, so you display your wrath by flipping them off.
Someone ticks you off so you break off the relationship or give them the silent treatment until they learn their lesson.
That is our brand of wrath, and it is pretty lame. Pretty petty. Pretty stupid. And too often God's righteous wrath is credited with the destruction of our enemies when, in reality, it is our human reaction of revenge, conveniently attributed to God, that caused the pain and violence against our sworn enemies. People look around and either take credit for doing God’s wrath or for God enacting his wrath upon the world. People said that AIDS was God’s wrath against homosexuals, that the war in Iraqi is God using America to wage war against the Muslims, that 9-11 was God’s wrath against our greed. Even recently, people said that the hurricanes along the Gulf Coast were God’s wrath.

If you believe these people, then all of these horrible tragedies are God’s wrath. But they aren’t. God is not a terrorist. The wrath of God is not a sudden, passing passion that seeks revenge. The Bible does depict God as getting angry. Not like we get angry but a righteous anger that stems from us rejecting Him and rejecting his commands for us. Most of the time God’s wrath is enacted on God’s people. Why? Because there are expectations that exist for followers of God that do not exist for non-believers:
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.” Colossians 3:5-7
We see God get angry especially at idolatry, sexual sins, and the oppression of the poor and weak. Really, God has every right to enact his wrath. He set up the rules and the consequences. We are the ones breaking them.

When we blame God for enacting his wrath it’s like blaming a cop for arresting you for a DUI. The cop was carrying out his responsibility to maintain order and peace. We broke a law. He was making sure that we did no more damage to ourselves or anyone else. Is he wrong for doing that? No.
God does the same. A lot of consequences we face can be traced back to the choices we make that are contrary to the order of God. Instead of asking “Why would a loving God do such things?” we might ask, “Why wouldn’t a holy God do it more often?”
How many times have you grumbled about what you wish you had?
How many times have you focused on other things than God and put them above serving and glorifying Him? How many times have you skimmed from God? Not necessarily money, but time, effort, or priority?
How many times have you treated someone with cruelty instead of love?

And in all those times, how many of you had snakes come and attack you? How many of you experienced fire falling from heaven? How many of you were struck dead? Obviously none of you. Understand that God has every right to pour out his wrath upon you. To press the “smite” button. But he doesn’t.

God's holiness becomes mercy when it comes into contact with those who seek Him. That same holiness becomes wrath when it comes into contact with those who refuse to seek and acknowledge Him. God is a loving God and he doesn’t enjoy sending his wrath. But sometimes we actually get what we deserve. Sometimes we get the wrath that we have stored up for ourselves through our actions. But that isn’t what God wants. Which is why Christ came. God poured out his wrath for us upon Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 states, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Consider what love God has that He did all he could to spare us from his wrath. Never ignore God’s holiness, because it sets the standard for how we are to live. And never ignore God’s great grace and love because it implores us to live out that holy standard.

Worship 101

I constantly feel like the Sunday worship service is being turned into something it is not. People complaining about styles of music, songs, preacher, they didn't get anything out of it, etc. So, I wrote the following article for our newsletter. It probably won't help, but I needed to get it out of my system.

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When is the last time you walked out of a worship service critiquing some aspect (songs, sermon, communion time, etc.) or bemoaning the fact that you “got nothing out of it”? Or have you ever spoken to someone who didn’t see the need to go to church citing the superiority of their personal relationship with God over that of the body or questioning the spiritual state of the church, assuming that it was full of hypocrites? It seems that we all at some time or another lose sight of why we gather together as a corporate body. I know that I do when I get too caught up on flawless transitions and hitting every note correctly. So I came up with a few reminders that help keep our worship service in perspective.


It’s about the giving, not the receiving
All of us, at least once, have said to ourselves: “Worship is boring and long and irrelevant—what am I really getting out of it?” But that is the wrong question. A better one is: “What am I really adding to the service—am I helping others get something out of this?” We can reflect, meditate, pray, and even study the Bible alone. We can seek to be built up and encouraged by the body. But we can’t expect to only receive at the service. Simply, the church service is not about meeting personal needs, it’s about what we’re offering God and one another as a community of Christians.

God is the audience, not us
We call it a worship service, but a more accurate description for what most of us do today is something like a “spiritual show.” I think many people equate churchgoing with going to the movies. It’s a performance, and their role is to give it a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. We treat our worship service like our favorite TV program. As long as the show is entertaining and the characters and story capture us, we’ll stay tuned. But if it loses its edge, we’ll flip to another channel, another show, another church. In a consumeristic culture, we let us be reminded that God is the audience, not us. The choir, the minister, the instrumentalists, the servers, the audio/visual workers, and the people sitting in the pews are all part of the worship service, for which God is the point. When we become the audience we miss out on the purpose of gathering—to give God glory and praise.

Our commitments define us
Tony Campolo says we’re defined by our commitments. If we believe nothing and support nothing, we’re a part of...nothing. If we commit ourselves to the church, we define ourselves as part of the body of Christ. There, we can feel loved, supported, and part of something much bigger than ourselves. This mentality is far different from “putting in our time” or going to church because we are supposed to. Commit to the church and it will change from a burden to blessing.

We must learn to live with others’ differences and unify around our common commitments
The subtle and overlooked message of the “Wherever two or three of you are gathered...” passage is the directive to simply love one another through our differences by gathering. In this disconnected culture, most people have few opportunities to live and love with people who are radically different in age, interest, and perspective than them. Church offers them a chance to connect with others around a common set of desires and commitments. There is no doubt that this church contains people who have varying tastes in music style, song selection, etc. But why do we let such things cause a rift? If we are committed to building one another up in love and glorifying God why does it matter what songs we sing or what instruments we use?

We need others who can share our load
Central to the Christian life is “bearing one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). If we are to grow into the image of God, we must move toward others whether they’re broken or blessed, through tears and through laughter. And we need others to help us lift our concerns to God. The last half of Hebrews 10:25 advises, “Let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” As we join together, committed to one another and to God, we will receive a blessing and an encouragement from the service.


May we be known not for the quality of singing or music, or for having a blending, traditional, or contemporary service, but for having a service of committed believers that are united in the singular goal of bringing glory to God.

So, I have been doing a lot of various things. Nothing major, but it has kept me busy. In addition, my laptop has been down, so I have not been able to multitask (i.e. watch Elijah and write blog posts). So, as you can see, my last entry has been a few weeks. But never fear - I wrote an article for the newsletter that I will post the next few days. Until then, reread something I wrote in 2004, quote it in the comments of this post, and mock it for its sophomoric viewpoint.

Acoustics—Day 4: The Cries of the Oppressed

Parents often become desensitized to the cries of their children. They are concerned but eventually know that things will work themselves out. So action is delayed, put off onto someone else, or frustration sets in. Yes cries can be tuned out somewhat easily. It is no different with the cries of the oppressed, the weak, the starving, and poor.

All is not well with the world as we would like to think on our best days. People are hungry, epidemic diseases are threatening entire generations in Africa, powerful people use cruel measures to meet their agendas and on and on we go. The troubles are not only a world away, but near to us. People are nowhere cared for as they should be.

Their cries have reached God and as the God of the widow and the orphan he is pained.
But it’s not the troubles that are so shocking. It’s the unconcern shown by those of us not affected. The cries of hurting people are rising to our ears, yet we are not hearing them. And we live on in oblivion. But these cries are God’s cries. It is God who is naked and hungry and diseased and alone. And only in our response of compassion and love can we offer God due reverence. The cries of injustice cannot be silenced save by Christians acting in God’s name to relieve their hurt and reform their oppressors.

It is our responsibility to care for our brothers and sisters. These cries will not work themselves out. It requires action. No amount of ignoring, putting it off onto someone else, or throwing up our hands in despair and frustration will help. And the impetus of our actions is not just to solve a problem, but to respond to the life of Jesus. As we seek to become more like Christ, to live like Christ, and to reflect Christ’s love for the world, only then can we begin to make a change.

“What ever you did for the least of these, you did for me.” –Jesus

Acoustics--Day 3: The Song of Creation (is a lament)

We live in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains. It is a beautiful area of the country. Mountains. Trees. Blue skies. Creation is beautiful. God is good. And often we hear that God has created all of this for our enjoyment. But is that it? Is all of this just to make us happy? What is creation saying to us?

Scripture indicates that creation is more than just a passive pleasing sight for us to take in. The created order is actually making quite a bit of noise. Clapping, singing, shouting, praising and storytelling are just of few of the activities that the trees and forests and oceans are caught up in. And all of this activity has a greater purpose than just to please us. It all works together to bring glory to God. But there is a problem. The song of creation has changed over time. No longer is it this wonderful, beautiful song. The creation is crying out. Paul says in Romans that all of creation is groaning out in pain as if it were in childbirth. The song of creation is no longer a love song.

But the creation is not taking it lying down. The creation is lamenting. It is saying “God save me! I am not how I am supposed to be.” If you think Adam taking the fruit in the garden just affected our relationship with God, you have missed it. The creation feels the effect of the fall every bit as much as we do. It is suffering right along with us. It is wasting away right next to us. And it is seeking restoration as much as we are. It is crying out. Can you hear it?

Just as God heard the cry of the Israelites in their bondage in Egypt and acted, just as he heard the cry of his people in exile and restored them, just as he hears us crying out for forgiveness and brings his grace, God has heard the cry of creation and wants to see it restored. He’s reclaiming creation. He has entered into it and renewed his plans for the world. The day he sent Jesus into the world was the day restoration began—not just spiritual, but physical, complete, whole restoration.

Jesus is God’s way of refusing to give up on his dream for the world.
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus]. And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (col. 1:19-20)

In Jesus God is putting it all back together again.

The creation proclaims the glory of God. Yes, and we praise God for that. Creation also screams in pain as we abuse and rape it in our own selfishness. How can we praise God for creating the world all the while contribute to its destruction. How can we be attentive to the joyous sounds of nature without heading its agonizing cries? In short we cannot. Scripture testifies to God’s great power and beauty, but it also calls us to care for what God has made. Can you hear the song of creation? Can you respond to its lament?

Acoustics—Day 3: The Voice of Others

Consider your response when someone tells you they hear voices. Immediately we assum they are crazy, insane, ready for the nuthouse. It is just not a normal thing to hear voices. In fact, our society encourages isolationism—a removal of self from our surroundings. So even though voices ring out across the world, we only hear what we want to hear. After all, hearing voices makes one crazy.

And yet Christians are told to listen for God but few receive and audible voice. So how do you know when you have heard the word of the Lord? What does it sound like? How do you know for sure? Burning bushes are on short order. Angels aren’t delivering messages. Has the word of the Lord ceased?

And then there are those who think they have heard the word of the Lord. We all know that hearing without doing is worthless. So how do you know when the word of Lord has taken root in your soul? As we look around to those who have made great impact on our world they were listening and responding to the word of the Lord. Their lives reflected an inward appropriation of that word. They lived out what they heard. And we will know when we have heard the word of the Lord when we can’t help but live it out. When it is a fire in our bones. When our heart is united with the heart of God.

But that is just crazy talk. Voices? Words from heaven? Fit for crazy loin cloth garbed prophets. So what do we do with Jesus regularly ending his sermons with, “He who has ears, let him hear”? Jesus encourages listening and hearing voices, and perhaps that is what endeared him to people. He would take time to listen and understand people instead of dismissing and ignoring.

As persons made to live in relationship it is necessary that we listen to the stories of our friends. And as a people with a story to tell and an invitation to extend it is crucial that we pay attention to the stories of those we welcome. We might be surprised at what we hear. There are few challenges as great as maintaining godly interpersonal relationships, and yet it is through other people that God so often chooses to speak to us.

Can you hear the cries of those around you? It’s God speaking.

Acoustics—Day 2: The Clamor of Culture

We are bombarded by messages from our culture. The loudest reverberations in our lives come from the agents of popular culture. Granted many of the messages disseminated thereby are unwholesome and anti-Christian, but many are not. Most are promoting a lifestyle that you should engage in so that you are happy, fit in, and contribute to society. Companies tap into this ideology and sell products that ideally help you accomplish such a lifestyle. And most of us buy into it to some degree.

Sometimes unknowingly the agents of culture can be bearers of the Truth, for, as Arthur Holmes stated, “all truth is God’s truth.” Thus comes the regular debate of Christians: “What do we do with culture?” We can’t ignore it. We can’t just rebel against it. We can’t stop it by protesting. We shouldn’t buy into it. So what do we do?

As Christians we are responsible for sifting through the messages we hear and separating the light from the dark. Or as Paul writes in Thessalonians 5:21 “Test everything, hold onto the good.” Whenever and wherever we find truth, we must claim it; we must also respond appropriately to those messages we deem untrue.

The solution revolves around taking every thought captive and turning it over to God. We develop a filter that can see God’s truth in a variety of cultural places. Truth about God and our place in this world can be found if we just tune our ears to hear it. It may be unexpected. It will also probably not be in the trite Christianized versions of culture (I am talking to you Lifeway and Family Book stores). There is a lot of noise from our culture. It can be redeemed. It can be used to explain the gospel. Or it can be ignored and we can allow it to affect us unaware. What’s your filter like?

Acoustics--Day 1

Today begins camp and begins the task of both discerning and evaluating the influences in my life and the lives of the campers. The theme is “Acoustics.” There is plenty of noise floating through the air—TV, Radio, News, Music, etc. So do we as Christians have a filter for hearing properly what we hear, or do we take it in without another thought? And if all truth is God’s truthm then God’s word can be heard in many places. How are we hearing it? This is the question that will drive the week and challenge us to hear the important messages, discard the worthless ones, and then act accordingly.

An Update

Well, May is almost over, and I have to say, “Thank God!” IT has been a busy month--some expected—some not so much. Let’s run down the list, shall we:

Carrie finished her school year, and ideally two adults around the house full time would have made my load lighter. Instead, she is figuring out all sorts of new things for me to do.

The youth group summer is about to kick into gear, so I have feverishly been finishing up those details. Already we have made the big trip to Cedar point and back. And by the way, driving 9 hours only to find the Millennium Force broken down all day isn’t cool.

I officiated my first wedding this month. It went pretty well. But during the vows, I said to the woman: “Do you take this man to be your wife?” Stupid cut and paste. Everyone thought it would be fine since it gave them a memory. I was pissed at my stupidity.

I preached two holiday sermons—Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. I don’t particularly like “holiday sermons” since I feel tying stuff in seems forced or can become trite. But, that’s the way it goes.

I prepared and led to “praise services” that we call “Koinonia.” They are great times and I love doing them, but they are draining on me mentally and spiritually, which of course causes physical results.

I have been getting ready for the High school week of camp which will be next week (June 4-10). The theme is “Acoustics” and will tackle our ability and discernment when listening to different voices. My day will be Creation, and will focus on how our wastefulness, pollution, and general disregard for creation is causing it to lament.

Finally, I have been asked to teach 2 sections of OT Survey at Milligan College and 1 section at King College in the fall. I am excited about the opportunity, but those will be long Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

So, all this is to say, May has been skimpy on the posts. But hopefully you can give me some grace, and continue to support the blog. Maybe I will do a daily update from camp next week. They do have wireless.

In Other Words...Glory

“Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.”
“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out.”
--Exerpts from Exodus 33 and 34

Like many other words describing God, we throw this word “glory” around without really understanding what it means. We may have a general idea, but it is one of those words that is hard to define. This term “glory” often carries with it the idea of brightness and majesty. But the word for “glory” actually comes from the Hebrew word kavod which means “weighty” or “heavy.” You get the idea that God is full almost to the point of bursting. So what is God full of? I think God is full of awesomeness—another word that we have difficulty describing. We know what awesome is when we see it, but we can’t really define it. God is full of being awesome. I think God’s glory is awesomeness in action. When we see a sunrise or sunset, when we see the magnificence of God’s creation, when we see a baby born, when God helps us do something we never thought we could, and we respond with, “That was awesome” we have just seen God’s glory—God’s awesomeness in action.

The world is full of God’s glory. And we give Him glory by giving Him credit. In the theater, when something is important and deserving of your attention, what do they do? They shine a spotlight on it. There is this visual cue that says, you should focus on this actor, or this part of the stage. It is worthy of your attention. And many people like to be in the spotlight don’t they? People in Hollywood complain about the paparazzi, but they continue to put themselves in positions to be photographed and have stories written about them. They love being the topic of conversation and on everyone’s minds. And we give it to them. We give them the spotlight. We give them glory and praise for things they have done. But giving glory to these weak substitutes is idolatry. They aren’t worth it—only God is.

But before we are too hard on them, we should think about ourselves. Most of us have the intense desire to be recognized, seen, or complimented. We don’t necessarily want the full spotlight, but we want people to tell us verbally and through their actions that we are acceptable, that we are good, that we are pretty, that we are worthy. Here’s the problem—we seek validation from other people when we should be seeking it from God. We are seeking to glorify ourselves when we should be seeking to glorify God. Instead of turning the spotlight on ourselves, it is God who deserves and should receive the recognition.

Here’s what happens. We take God’s glory, that should be evident in our lives, and we put a veil over it, just like Moses. The veil was not a good thing. It showed that the people did not really want to experience God’s glory. Moses had come into contact with God of the universe, and they weren’t interested. And when we divert the glory of God onto something or someone else, we are veiling God’s glory. Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 3:13-15:

“We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when the Law of Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.”

It started with a physical veil—hiding the glory of God on Moses’ face. Then it turned into a spiritual one. Just as God’s glory was hidden from their eyes, then even when God’s Word was read He was hidden from their hearts. They couldn’t see him for who he was. And when Jesus came, they couldn’t see that the glory of God was being revealed in a man. But Paul goes on in verses 16-18.

"But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

We often become like the things to which we give glory. Think about it. You like a certain athlete, so you start wearing his/her jersey, liking his/her team, using the same equipment. When actors start doing something, a lot of people follow. Scientology and Cabalistic Judaism are big because stars in Hollywood have made them such. Certain singers dress and act a certain way, and so you do too. It doesn’t even have to be someone who is popular or well known. It could be a brother, sister, parent, or friend. The more you give glory to someone, the more you become like them. That is Paul’s point. If you are giving glory to God and focusing on Him, you will become more like him. You will be transformed into His likeness. That is what happened to Moses. He experienced God’s glory and he was physically changed. When we experience God’s glory, I don’t think we become shiny happy people, but we are changed on the inside and our actions changes as a result. We reflect God’s glory through the way we act. Jesus tells us to be the light of the world. Really, we are not a lighthouse, we are a mirror, reflecting God’s glory as it shines upon us. Giving God glory and experiencing God’s glory is not just about singing songs. It is about giving God credit for the things in this world, your talents, abilities, and blessings. God’s glory is all around us. Are we giving him the honor he deserves or are we stealing it, and shining the light onto ourselves or someone else?

Mother's Day Sermon Part 2

I want to look at each of those individually to teach us what it takes both to be a good mother and a faithful Christian.

First, a Spirit of Power. I don’t always think of mothers as powerful, but perhaps I underestimate them. They are a powerful influence on the lives of their kids. My mom has been here a few times and some of you have met her. I doubt any of you would term her powerful. She is of modest size, but I would put her in the category of powerful. She has strength that I wish I could emulate. When I was growing up, my mom would get up at the crack of dawn and go into work at 6:00 in the morning to do a job that she didn’t really enjoy, with people who were often lazy and lacksidasical, and then come home at 5:00, cook dinner, clean the house, take me to various practices, get back and work on some project from making clothes to crocheting, throw in some laundry, and then finally go to bed frustrated that she didn’t get more done. That is some strength, people. But it is not just physical strength and power, it is inner strength. My mom went through a lot. We moved quite a bit. There were some tough times as there always are in families. But she stayed strong. She had a faith that was bolstered on the promises of God so that she could live with the confidence that God was in control.

We all need such a faith. The weakest among us physically can be the strongest in the faith. God says it just takes faith as small as a mustard seed to move mountains. That’s power that comes from God.

The second characteristic is a Spirit of Love. My family is not a very affectionate family. You may have noticed that I am not all that huggy either. But all love is not touch. Love displays itself in a variety of ways, and though we weren’t a touchy feely family I always knew I was loved. My mom’s love reminds me of something I once read from John Killinger:
“I believe in the love of all mothers, and its importance in the lives of the children, they bear. It is stronger than steel, softer than down, and more resilient than a green sapling on the hillside. It closes wounds, melts disappointments, and enables the weakest child to stand tall and straight in the fields of adversity.”

That is the kind of love that kids need. And more and more children are growing up into adults still lacking such love. People will go to great lengths, seeking approval and love and they usually end up disappointed. Oh that we would all love one another as a good mother loves her children—mending wounds, encouraging through failure, standing by one another through our faults, forgiving when people offend us. It’s the kind of love that resembles Jesus, laying down our lives, pride, and selfishness for a friend—for a brother, sister, son or daughter in Christ.

The final characteristic is a Spirit of Self-discipline. And I have to say, fewer and fewer of us resemble this characteristic. We often need external motivation to get things done—a paycheck, a threat of punishment, a reward of some sort. Otherwise, we just don’t see the necessity of getting stuff done when it should be or how it should be. Or maybe we just give up. It’s like the mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. "Yes," she replied. "But not the same ones." Sometimes, we just don’t feel like trying anymore.

I am not always self-disciplined, but my mom sure taught me that I should and could be. A lot of kids these days get rewarded for good grades. Say, $10 for an A, $5 for a B, and $1 for a C. That’s pretty good incentive to work hard. But I was expected to get straight A’s. That’s right, expected. There was no reward for getting an A, just punishment for anything less than that standard. This may seem harsh to some of you, but I learned a valuable lesson. Early on, maybe 5th grade, I got a C+. There were extenuating circumstances, as there always are, and when my mom berated me for this failure I replied to her, “But a C+ is average.” Do you know what she replied to me? “You are not average. You are not living up to your ability.” That stuck with me. She was right. God has blessed me with an acute mind, and not excelling in the academic realm was a direct result of a lack of self-discipline.

Spiritually, our world lacks self-discipline. We don’t resist sin like we should. We don’t cultivate our relationship with God like we should. We don’t glorify Him like we should. Plenty of excuses could be made, but it all comes back to us not living up to our ability. God has put a Spirit within us to do awesome things for His kingdom. The only thing that holds us back is us. God has not made us average. He has made us special. May we all live up to our potential.

A lot of things make a good mom—love, kindness, gentleness, patience. But the most important is a faithful witness. The same is not just for moms, but for all of us. As Christians we have a responsibility and a privilege to be a spark in people’s lives and to help fan into flame their faith. The challenge is there not just for moms, but for all of us to be what Eunice and Paul were to Timothy.

Mother's Day Sermon Part 1

Mothers do so much for us. And they are indeed deserving of recognition. But perhaps the most important responsibility of a mother is not just to change diapers or clean up messes, but to provide a spark that encourages and fosters faith in children. In the passage for today from 2 Timothy, Paul implores Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God.” He wants to see Timothy on fire for Christ, sharing the gospel and glorifying God wherever he goes. But in order to do so, he must first fan that flame. The Greek here means literally to “rekindle.” We get the picture of embers or even the very beginning of a fire in its earliest stages. But we all know that a fire can’t start without a spark. And that spark often times is a faithful, loving mother. It definitely was in Timothy’s case. Look at 2 Timothy 1:5
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

The faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother were passed down to him. Paul says it lived in them and now lives in him. A little background on Timothy’s mother can be found in Acts 16:1:
“Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.”

Timothy’s mother, Eunice, was a Jew who had converted and accepted Christ. But her life was not perfect. First, as a Jew, she probably would have been ostracized for marrying a Greek. Such a thing was forbidden. Then, she believed, but her husband apparently did not. We can only imagine the difficulty this caused her. He probably would not have supported her in her spiritual growth. Her life was not enviable. Ignored by her own people, possibly ridiculed and demoralized by her husband, yet her faith lived on and she passed it down to her son. Bruce talked last week about the role of a godly wife bringing salvation to the unbelieving family. Perhaps Eunice did just that. Obviously she did to Timothy. Her sincere faith lived on in her son. It’s a compelling story and a model for many to follow.

Her example and teaching produced Timothy, Paul’s right hand man; an integral part of many churches and in the spreading of the gospel. No matter how difficult her life may have been, her legacy was invaluable. As Abraham Lincoln says, “No man is poor who has had a godly mother.”

Paul goes on in verse 7 to describe just what sort of faith it was that was passed down by Eunice:
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Paul talks of the same spirit that should be present in the lives of all believers. This spirit is not timid. The word translated here as “timid” is often used in battle contexts to mean “cowardice.” In other words, Christians are not cowards. We do not turn tail and run. We are not afraid of conflict because we have a spirit within us that empowers us to boldly live out our faith. And just what is this faith that Eunice clearly portrayed, sparked and passed down to Timothy, and that Paul encouraged Timothy to rekindle? This faith contains a Spirit of power, love, self-discipline.

I'm a Van Guy

Carrie and I finally did it. We joined the ranks of the millions of others in middle class America and got a mini-van. I suppose 2 parents, 2 kids, a 125 pound dog, and parents hundreds of miles away made us great candidates. So, we got a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, 34,000 miles, stow and go seating. We are all pretty happy with the purchase, especially Shadow. He can actually stretch out now. The pics are below.

Gas

So gas prices are over $3/gallon in most places. Most people just want to talk about how atrocious thus situation is and how something needs to be done soon or we won’t be able to gas up our boats, SUVs, 4-wheelers, and NASCARs. And do you know what I say? GOOD! I am one of the few people who am somewhat pleased about this turn of events. No, I don’t like paying out the crack for gas. But I also don’t like state of the environment which is quickly deteriorating thanks to our exhaust and wastefulness. Hopefully, now that people are being hit where it hurts (their bank accounts), they will stand up and demand that the government does something.

The technology exists for cheaper, more efficient fuels and engines.
The technology exists to reduce emissions and exhaust.

And though I am not a conspiracy theorist, it seems very apparent that the government is delaying such technologies from becoming more prevalent because they have vested interests elsewhere. The environment and fuel technologies will be the big issues in the next election. And I hope that people don’t vote based just on the candidate whom they think will make life cheaper for them. I hope they consider what is best for our world.

I don’t know how soon the effects of global warming will really affect our world (as if hurricanes, mudslides, droughts, and flooding aren’t enough). But hopefully we can stop and even reverse possible consequences of our pollution and wastefulness. I am preaching this summer at camp about the creation groaning and the Christian’s responsibility in caring for the rest of God’s creation. There is so much I want to say, but at the same time I don’t want it to turn into a tree hugging ultra liberal rant. So, any suggestions or resources are welcome.

Enacting Change the "24" Way

I have just begun watching 24 this season. Though entertaining, highly interesting, and action packed, I've noticed an ethical and moral problem. Jack regularly puts people in situations that makes them choose the lesser of 2 evils, and if they don't choose the lesser one, they are going to destroy the world. Then there are other times when he switches reverses morality. The right choice becomes wrong, and vice versa.

For example, last night he expected the pilot of a plane to let him out of captivity so that he could save the world. When the pilot refused, Jack took control of some wires and attempted to try to bring down the plane to force the pilot's hand. The pilot said something to the effect of, "Stop that or you will kill us all." Jack replied with his pet saying, "With all due respect, if these people die it will be on your head." What? Did I miss something? Jack is trying to bring down the plane. Jack is forcing the Pilot to do something that is unacceptable by FAA standards, and it is the pilot's fault? What a manipulator. I know he has the save the world. I know he is doing what he thinks is best for the country. But his methods are devious.

I have regularly engaged some on the GLCC Forum about this issue--is something always a sin. An oft-used example is a man stealing bread for his starving family. I sort of waffle back and forth. In a perfect, non-fallen world, such situations would not come about. But that is not the case. There are poor people who should be taken care of but or not. On the other hand, don't such actions just perpetuate sin? And when I see a real example of this ideology in Jack Bauer's actions, I want no part of it, because those he is trying to stop are using the same logic. Both think they are doing what is best for the country. What about the individual they force into a moral dilemma? What about those they force into a life and death decision? Is that better?

But of course we do live in a fallen world that we are desperately seeking to restore. And I wonder if our little attempts to do what is right are enough? Is the Jack Bauer way the only way to enact real change? Or is being salt and light enough?

In Other Words...Gathering

There are clubs, organizations, societies, and groups of all kinds in the world. Some meet once a year, once a month, once a week, or even every day. There is a group called the Red Hat Society. Their motto reads like this: “The Red Hat Society is a social organization where there is fun after fifty (and before) for women of all walks of life.” Basically they all wear these gaudy red hats and go do fun stuff. Carrie and I went to the Barter Theater last year, and they were there with their purple dresses and big red hats. They just get together to have fun because they share a common trait—they are old and bored.

Like I said, there are groups of all kinds that meet together. And so is the church. We are a gathering. We are like-minded people. But here’s the question that I don’t think we always answer well:
Why do we gather together at church? What purpose does it serve?
Is it because we are bored? Is it because that is all we know?
A few answers spring to mind:
Obligation—God commands it, so we obey. But that doesn’t really answer the “what purpose” question.
Fellowship—we like one another and like to have fun with one another and help each other grow. But that doesn’t really answer the “why” question.
Worship and Proclamation—we give God praise and worship because he deserves it. Granted, but couldn’t we just do that at home?

This leads me to a final possibility—Preparation
The retelling and remembering of who God was and what he had done functioned as the means of transformation more than reminding. When we sing praises we say, “This is who God is, and this is who God wants us to be.” These dramatic encounters with God enhanced their memory and transformed their hearts and lives to be the kind of people God wants them to be. Practice generates reality.

The reason why the temple was so important to the Israelites was not because they thought God existed only there. But they knew that the temple gathering was a special experience that could transform them to be the kind of people God wanted them to be.

What happens next? What is the point of all of this? Other groups just gather to waste time, some to further their agenda, still others to accomplish some goal. So what happens when our meetings are over?
There is something about gathering that brings us into the presence and awareness of God. We celebrate together what God has done in all of us. And something amazing happens—we leave transformed into the temple. As the body of Christ we want to function in a similar way. We are now mobile tabernacles. We become the temple.

Now the temple, the place where people encounter the presence of God is within us. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

There is no separation of church stuff and regular stuff. This goes back to the discussion of holy and sacramental living. If we are a traveling, mobile temple, we have some responsibilities don’t we? As the temple of God, we invite people into our lives. We invite them into our gathering.

We see a problem when the gathering becomes an end in and of itself rather than the proclamation that stems from the gathering. We turn into just another club or society and not a group of people that has had their lives changed and wants to see the world changed. We don’t gather just to hang out. We don’t gather just to meet some time quota. We don’t gather just to listen to and sing some music.

We gather to be changed so that we can change the world. Wherever we go, people should see the presence of God in our lives. If we, the body of Christ are the new temple, we should give people the opportunity to see God’s faithfulness and praise him as a result.

In Other Words...Journey

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Life is a journey.” Or “Life is a marathon, not a sprint.” The metaphor of journey fills the Bible. Words like enduring, traveling, and racing all talk about some trip that ends with a destination. Even salvation and faith seem to be part of such a trip, not just a one-time occurrence. And to be honest, I think that many Christians have a skewed idea of what this journey will be like. Many churches paint a picture that the destination is like Cancun, and the trip is a wonderful experience. But let’s be honest—the Christian life is nothing like that. God’s salvation does not guarantee life without hardships.

Take the Israelite’s experience as an example. Here they had the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, but their journey wasn’t all that wonderful. In fact, at the first sign of opposition some wanted to return to Egypt. Did you catch that? They felt that their life of slavery was better then where they were and where they were going. It is because they did not realize a very important fact—the world outside of slavery is also a world with dangers and struggles. And in the face of such difficulties, how did the people respond? They doubted God’s faithfulness and provision. Even with the Promised Land looming in the distance, they wanted to go back to slavery. Eventually they made the Golden Calf in hopes of getting somewhere. But none of these things helped the journey. They failed the test. Eventually, that generation was forced to wander around in the desert for 40 years because of their lack of faith.

Then there was Jesus. His journey was never fun and promising. His destination was the cross. How many of us would intentionally plan on making a trip so that we would die? None of us. Yet Jesus did. On the way, he too faced some tests and trials. There are many comparisons between what Jesus went through and what the Israelites faced. And there are huge differences. Jesus did not falter. He did not fail the test. Despite the difficult circumstances, Jesus remained faithful. Hardship is a given. Our journeys are not going be like a wild and crazy road trip to a Spring Break destination. They are not always going to be fun. It may or may not have a purpose. Faithfulness is the key – both having faith and being faithful.

With all that in mind, where are we going? What is my purpose? I am sure that many of you would respond, “Heaven. Heaven is our destination.” We are traveling to heaven, and we hope to get there with as little pain and suffering as possible. Can I let you in on something? I disagree with sentiment.

This whole “In other words” series has focused on God bringing peace to this earth. Maybe you’ve missed all of that, but all of the things I have been talking about is God’s way of bringing about that Shalom, that peace, that existed in the beginning. Many Christians think that this will only happen when Jesus comes back. I disagree. Jesus talked about how to live so that we could experience peace on earth. He didn’t say, just bide your time until I come back. He said go into all the world, love one another, be perfect and complete. In fact, when Revelation talks about heaven, it talks about heaven coming to earth.

The end is not heaven it is heaven on earth.
The Promised Land is not a street of gold, but the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
The route is not just squeaking by and biding our time, but practicing the Sermon on the Mount.
The reward is not gold or jewels in our crown, but Shalom—peace.

The destination characterizes the journey and dictates actions and attitude. Where you think you are going makes you act and live a certain way. The Israelites thought they were going to this great place, and as a result they couldn’t understand why they had to suffer or sacrifice on the way. If we view heaven as an eternal party, this will characterize our life now. We will live one way now so we can live differently in heaven. So we give up as little as possible so that we can still reap the reward in heaven. We often separate our life here and heaven there. In reality, we should live now as we will live in heaven. Heaven is not the “end” of the journey. It is not retirement. It is the fulfillment of our life on this earth. When Jesus prays, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” he is saying, may this world, this earth be just like it is in heaven. Everything glorifying God. People loving one another. No selfishness. No worrying only about ourselves. But perfect love and peace.

When we don’t live like heaven on earth is the destination, it is not a journey—it is wandering. We become like the Israelites who never really get there and struggle every step of the way.

So we have to wonder: “Are we journeying (living “as it is in heaven”) or wandering (living just to get into heaven)? The destination dictates the journey.

The Storm of God

We’ve had quite a few big storms as of late, complete with strong winds, thunder, lighting, and heavy rain. I personally love storms. Every aspect of them. After all, it is a complete package. Often times people like rain for the refreshment it brings, but don’t like the depressing gray clouds. Others like the beauty of the lightning, but the scary thunder and inherent danger of electrocution. Still other like the sun after the rain, but don’t particularly care for the howling winds that blow the clouds away. But we can’t pick and choose the parts of a storm that we want. They are what they are. It is the natural cycle for them to occur.

And as I lay in bed listening to the pounding rain, seeing the flashes of lightning, and hearing the thunder in the distance it occurred to me that many approach God similarly. We will take the love and mercy but could do without the wrath, judgment, and holiness. But God is a package deal. You can’t have the love with out the discipline. You can’t have the grace without the holiness.

And I don’t always know how to reconcile the paradox that is God, but I have come to understand that I can’t pick and choose what seems best to me. The passages of the Bible I would like to explain away still reside to paint a full picture of God. I think such writings exist because God wanted them to exist—in tension, forcing us to wrestle with them. Forcing us to accept Him not piecemeal, but as an entity that we can’t easily explain or easily acknowledge as the God of the Universe. Forcing us to have faith that the God we believe in, the God we serve, and the God whom we can’t explain entirely has necessary qualities that we must accept as part of the experience of who God is.

House of Selfishness

I am a big “House” fan. The main character (Dr. House played by Hugh Laurie) is a sarcastic, manipulative, egomaniacal jerk who shows glimpses of compassion and kindness when no one is looking. I suppose he reminds me of myself sometimes. This past week’s episode, “Sleeping Dogs Lie,” relay delved into the issue of bio-ethics, which is an increasingly more difficult field to traverse. Consider, what is appropriate to tell or not tell a patient or that patient’s loved ones? What should a doctor explain to the patient or should s/he simply perform procedures since most laypeople won’t understand anyway, and we just have to hope the doctor has our best interest in mind? Such issues are intricate and the gray area abounds.

Back to this past week’s episode. They needed a liver, and a woman’s life partner was perfect. But, the doctors found out some information – the sick girl intended to leave her. In other words, she was just going to use her for her liver. So the question was raised, should we inform the partner before she donates part of her liver? What is our responsibility to her? What is our confidentiality responsibility to the sick girl? House decided not to tell, because it was best for the patient. He is as Machiavellian as they come. For him, the ends do justify the means, and he will stop at nothing to cure his patients. On the one hand, his concern for the patient is laudable. On the other hand, curing the patient at the cost of hurting others just so he can be successful is condemnable. Over and over house struggles with his “inner demons” that make him the most lovable and hateable character on the show. He regularly butts heads on ethical decisions with Cameron. She portrays a real sympathy for the patients and acts as a balance to House’s apathy.

In all that there is a great exchange between the two that clearly contrasts a Kingdom mindset over a worldly one:

House: “You continue to be flabbergasted every time someone actually acts like a human being. Foreman did what he did because it works out best for him. That’s what everyone does.”
Cameron: “That is not the definition of being human. That’s the definition of being an ass.”

Selfishness is the anti-thesis of the human experience for which God created us. And until we all get that, our lives on this world will never enjoy the full life that Jesus promised.

A Lesson from a Mower

I decided to buy a mower this year. I have been using hand-me-down mowers since I left home, and I am tired of it. It usually takes me an hour to get the stupid thing started, then something breaks partway through and I have to deal with fixing it. I just want a mower that starts when I pull the cord. Period. So, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase my first mower. I had in mind just going to Wal-mart, getting some cheap mower for about $125, and going on my way. But then I read this article.

Basically the article is an excerpt from a book called The Man Who Said No To Wal-mart describing the unwillingness of Snapper (the lawnmower manufacturer) to “sell out” to Wal-Mart. Often selling out means diminishing quality in order to produce more quantity. They take pride in their product and would rather a customer keep a quality mower for 15 years rather than be forced to buy a new, shoddy mower every couple of years. Yes, you will have to pay a little more – the bottom model starts at $299 – but you are paying extra for longevity and the reputation of a company that refuses to sell a product that does not meet their high standards.

It really struck me that we have such a disposable society. We buy crappy products for cheap, and we expect too much from them. When a $100 mower breaks down after one year, why should we be upset? As the adage goes, “You get what you pay for.” But our culture has become so commercialized and shaped by an ebay mentality (get what you want for whatever price you want) that the thought of spending hundreds of dollars on a product when a much cheaper knock of exists would be ludicrous. And we get mad thinking that someone would expect us to pay for quality. As a result, we have all this crap that people buy, and many companies that have the quality product are going out of business because few have the foresight to see that paying extra will benefit in the long run.

My dad has a mower that he purchased at Sears – 36 years ago!! And he still uses it each weekend to cut his lawn. When I used it as a teenager I thought it was so lame. It wasn’t self-propelled. It didn’t include mulching capabilities. It had a choke!! But that old gray mower did the job and still does today. They just don’t make them like they used to. They make them with cheaper materials and build from a mentality of engineered obsolescence.

So what to do? Boycott Wal-mart? I haven’t gone that far but I have seriously reconsidered how I approach purchasing “big” items (mowers, cars, electronics, etc.). And, I am yet to fully institute such an ideology. I did not buy a Snapper for $300. I bought a Bolens 21" Cut Mulching and Rear Bag Push Mower with a 4.5 HP Briggs and & Stratton Engine from Lowe’s for $169. Hopefully it will last more than 3 years. I am hoping it will last until Elijah can learn to mow.

Victory in Jesus

Yesterday was of course Easter and ended the season of Lent. I gave up pop, soda, and coke (depending upon what part of the country you reside) as well as online poker. I really wanted to give up most online activities, but I am getting free high-speed internet service, so I decided to wait until that ran out. I learned a few things from the experience.

First, I was addicted to sugary sweet carbonated beverages. I loved drinking Strawberry Fanta for breakfast, Mountain Dew for lunch, and IBC Cream Soda with dinner. And for the first few weeks it was tough to refrain. There was still pop in the house, and not just the nasty diet stuff that Carrie drinks. There was a 12 pack of Strawberry Fanta sitting in the cupboard. I was tempted regularly to have one. And even though technically, Sundays are not included in the fast (they serve as a day of celebration), I decided to resist and be committed to a strict fast.

Secondly, as it went along, a strange thing started to happen—I began to stink. Literally, I had BO for no apparent reason. I wasn’t sweating. I was maintaining good hygiene. But I stunk. I suppose it was all the impurities oozing out of me. It taught me a spiritual lesson as well. Ridding ourselves of sin and addictions take a while and we though we may be pure in God’s eyes, we still deal with the consequences of our actions.

Finally, I need to give up more trivial activities. Instead of playing poker, my time was better used. Perhaps when my free internet runs out I will do just that. But don’t worry, I will still post here, because it makes me continue to think and process things. Yes, my one faithful reader will be pleased.