Oh what a night!

There is a song, whose lyrics escape me except the chorus, “Oh what a night.” This describes my evening last. Quite a night. One I will not soon forget. It all began with youth group, at which the group actually listened. Did it impact anyone? We will have to wait and see. It was followed by “Lost”—gripping, compelling, informative, great. It was followed by the season finale of “Alias.” Also better than I could have hoped for. And it ended with a midnight screening of Star Wars Episode III. Wow. Some night.

The best stories come from the trip to the movie theater. There were of course your hardcore fans with the outfits (the full Darth Vadar Costume was easily the best). There were your dorks trying to duel one another with light sabers. There were your wackos who camped out in front of the theater merely for the fun of it. But none of those things was the weirdest encounter on the night. This award goes to a person whom I will call “hotty bo botty.” She arrives to the Star Wars premiere in stellettos, a super mini-skirt, and a skintight tube top. And I wonder—have you exhausted all the possible booty calls from the bars and clubs that you are forced to come to a Star Wars movie to find possible hook ups. If so, you are scrapping the bottom of the barrel. I mean seriously, when you think Star Wars geek you may think eligible, but you don’t think desirable.

A couple of pet peeves. First, talkers during the movie. One of my buddies shared how 2 rednecks talked the entire movie. From, “Man she has big boobs” to other comments about the princess, to idiotic statements about the movie, these guys all but ruined it for my friend.

Secondly, a non-existent curfew. Why are 9 year old kids out in the middle of the night to watch a movie? You know they are skipping school the next morning. Do you really want to expose your kid to the madness of Star Wars hype? Well, each parent will be accountable.

All in all a great night. I am tired and Elijah doesn’t realize that daddy has only had 4 hours sleep, but I live with my choices. My only regret—I left my camera at home. Let me know what you thought about the movie or either of the great shows on ABC.

Only in East Tennessee Part 2

My world is falling apart. I can’t go anywhere without being struck with the lunacy that is my current situation. First was the tractor. I suppose that the number of tractors in the area might eventually lead to the incident described yesterday. But what happened to me next has no explanation.

I was driving to meet Carrie at school before a Disc Golfing tee time. Shadow and Elijah were in the car. We were leisurely driving along, when I cam around a curve and a chicken jumped out in front of my car. Yes, you read correctly—a chicken. Not wanting to add to the already mounting numbers of road kill consisting of possum, squirrel, muskrat, etc., I locked my car up. I can’t remember the last time I heard the squeal of tires followed by the smell of burnt rubber that comes from slamming on the brakes. But I did anyway. Shadow ended up in the passenger seat. Shaken, but okay. The car barely missed this stupid chicken as it just fluttered on to the other side of the road.

I was forced to pull over to side of the road for a minute to compose myself. I was enraged. I couldn’t be mad at the chicken, after all it doesn’t know that a car traveling at 50 mph will destroy it. But I was still mad. Who is to blame? Hillbilly Jim who decides that he wants to have chickens but doesn’t want to go through the work of making a coup to keep his chickens penned up. How much does chicken wire cost you lazy redneck?

You may think this is an isolated incident, but it happens regularly down here. There seems to be little concept of civility, as people just do what is easy and expect everyone to understand. Maybe it isn’t only in East Tennessee. But I feel like my world is collapsing. If we can’t even keep our chickens from terrorizing the neighborhood what hope do we have for a redeemed society.

Only in East Tennessee

Last night I had an interesting experience that I thought I would share. It was around 11:00 at night. I was shutting down the house for the night. Then I saw a police car with his lights on pull into the parking lot of the church/my driveway. He got out an was examining my cars. I walked out and greeted the State Trooper and asked him what was going on. He said and I quote:
“Do you know anyone who owns a green tractor?”
“No. Why?” I replied.
“Well you see those blue flashing lights down there (pointing down the street)? There is an abandoned big green tractor with a hay bailer parked in the middle of the road. It is there at the curve and we don’t want anyone to hit it.”

I assured him that I did not know the owner of the big green tractor. He thanked me for my time, and went on his way. I share this story not to make a philosophical or theological point, but merely to say, “Only in East Tennessee.”

Decency Laws

I have noticed that our government is spending a lot of time investigating and making laws about things that I have little interest in (steroids in pro sports being a major one). Well I have an idea—let’s make some laws that actually make an impact on the common man. Here’s one based on something I have noticed when I go into restaurants. Let me take you through the encounter:

I walk into the restaurant with my wife at my side and my 9-month-old baby in hand. The inevitable question is asked: “How many?” I reply, “2 and ½.” Chuckle chuckle. The hostess follows up with: “Smoking or non-smoking?” I look at my child and say wryly, “Non-smoking.”

Does anyone else see the problem? Who would expose their infant child to unnecessary smoke inhalation? With all we know about cancer, asthma, emphysema, allergies, and more, one would have to be insane to say, “Smoking section please.” I know parents smoke, but for the sake of the child, could you refrain for an hour?

Thus, I propose that we make a law that if a family has a child under 4 years old, they cannot be in the smoking section. I don’t know what the punishment would be, but in my mind subjecting kids to such abuse is at the very least a crime, and probably is a sin.

Hannah’s Heart—Our Heritage Part 3

Another thing I noticed from Hannah’s story is her amazing sacrifice. Can you imagine going through your entire life, just wanting one thing. All you can think about is that one thing. It haunts your dreams and your waking thoughts. It is your heart’s desire. It is the one thing in life that you think will make you complete. But upon finally getting it after years of hoping, you have give it right back. You barely have time to enjoy it before returning it to the place where you got it. That is the story of Hannah. She finally received what she had longed for—this child. And after he was weaned, she gave him back to God for His service. That is an unbelievable picture of sacrifice.

Mothers are asked to sacrifice quite a bit for the sake of their children. Mothers are willing to lose precious sleep time, their pre-pregnancy figures, often their careers, sometimes even their dreams and aspirations. And they willingly do it for the sake of their children. That picture of sacrifice that Hannah displayed and that many mothers display is the picture of our relationship in the church. Being a part of the body of Christ, being committed to one another takes sacrifice. But this church is built on the sacrifices that have been made by those who have gone before us.

Hebrews 13:15-16 reads: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

You don’t need to be a mother to display sacrificial love. There are many in this congregation who have been spiritual mothers through their influence and teaching. There are many who have given time, money, encouragement, and more for the sake of the kingdom. Carrie and I especially being so far from our families have felt the love that people have poured out. And we do these things because we are united not by blood lines, but by the blood of the Lamb. When we as mothers, or fathers, or children, or neighbors, or friends display sacrificial love, we are merely taking after Jesus’ example and fulfilling His wish that we “feed His sheep.” Our sacrifices will leave a heritage for those who follow after us.

God blessed Hannah with a wonderful son, and an even larger family because her heart was following after God’s. Her faith and sacrifice not just as a mother, but as a worshipper stands as an inspiration for us all.

Thank you Lord for our mothers. We remember today those women who have displayed their loving care and their ceaseless love for us. May we show them by our gifts, our words, and our actions that we love them and care about them too.

God I pray for those who have experienced heartache over motherhood. Whether they have lost a mother, been estranged from a mother, or who have struggled with the inability to be a mother, I pray you instill a peace in them that returns their faith to you. You have the power of healing and restoration in your hand. I pray you extend that hand to the hurting among us.

God we thank you for the family of the church. May we know your blessing and strength as we care for others. Through your mighty name we pray, Amen.

Hannah’s Heart—Our Heritage Part 2

What do I know about being a mother? Not much. But I know a good mother when I see one. When I read instances of women like Hannah I see what it takes to raise a godly child. I think we can learn much from this story. Whether you are a women or a man, a mother, a child, a woman who has known the loss of a child, a woman who has known the feelings of futility that come from an inability to bear children, or someone who has never had the opportunity to have children, this story speaks to all of us. Hannah’s heart gives us an example that if we emulate can leave a lasting heritage.

The first thing I notice about Hannah is her faith. Year after year went by, and though some of her hopes never came to fruition, she refused to cease worshipping God. She would make the trek each year to celebrate with the rest of her family, despite the pain that she endured. And though each year seemed to bring more disappointment, she steadfastly prayed to God seeking His will in her life. She was a woman of faith. Though her circumstances may have dictated otherwise, she continued to keep God at the forefront of her life and believe that He could overcome anything, even barrenness.

There is an illustration that you have probably heard before, but I couldn’t resist:
A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued: "Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer."
"That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch."
A moment of pause, then the man said: "Is anyone else up there?"

God is still in the business of doing things that seem impossible, improbable, and impractical. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. As people of faith continue to pour their entire selves into this God, He responds with gifts of love and blessings. Sometimes those blessings come in a physical form like cures from diseases and illnesses. Other times they are spiritual and help us grow in our faith. And often, he uses our hardship and pain to bring blessings to others. If you are sitting here today, dealing with frustration and disappointment because of a circumstance in your life, God is calling you to keep faith. Whether it is a broken relationship, the pain of the loss of a loved one, frustration over your place in life, or whatever may be disturbing you today, God is calling you back to faith. God’s ways, though hidden to us, are often revealed in the way we he uses our faith in the lives of others. As Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hannah epitomized this kind of faith. May we live that same kind of faith out, and pass it on to those who will come after us.

Hannah’s Heart—Our Heritage

Another annual festival had come and gone. Another year that Hannah was forced to suffer the pain of broken dreams, the ridicule of other women, and her disappointment with God. Her name meant “grace” but she felt very distant from God’s favor. Hannah was barren, and though she and her husband Elkanah had repeatedly tried, she could not give birth to a child. And each year, the trip up to Shiloh that was supposed to be a celebration of God’s blessings was just another reminder that she was not a recipient.

Elkanah constantly told her that he didn’t mind. That he loved her even if she never conceived. He told her that she meant more to him than 10 sons. In fact, he often presented her with gifts and extra portions of the sacrifice in an attempt to appease her. But Hannah saw the way that Elkanah looked at his other children. She observed how his eyes lit up as they ran to him. She knew that children were the joy of Elkanah’s life, and she would never provide him with that joy. It did not help that Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah would flaunt her fertility in Hannah’s face. Peninnah would push her children right up in front of Hannah and say things like, “There is nothing like children to make you feel complete” or “God’s greatest blessing is a child.”

Hannah could normally control her emotions and cordially reply, “Yes, they are beautiful children. You are very blessed.” But inside she was boiling over with anger, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy. And when these emotionally crushing episodes ended, she would run off and cry until she had no tears left.

During this past festival, she ran crying to the temple, fell before the altar of sacrifice, and poured out her soul before God. She let go of her bitterness, her sadness, and her disappointment. She made a vow before God, saying simply: “O Yahweh Sabaoth, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the YAHWEH for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” Hannah was desperate. She was not just asking for a son. She was willing to return that son back to God for His service if only God would bless her.

And she continued to pray, her head bowed, her mouth moving, but no words coming out. The priest, Eli saw her crumpled body lying there and immediately thought that she was some drunk that had staggered up to the temple area. To further her shame, he accused her of being a lush and told her to stop with the booze. She defended herself and explained her situation. At which point, Eli quickly recanted and gave her an offhanded blessing: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” Hannah left, feeling somewhat better, but still unsure as to her future. The festival ended, and their family went back home with no resolution in sight.

But soon afterward, God did the unthinkable. He opened her closed womb; he brought fertility out of her barrenness; Hannah became pregnant. It was a miracle. It was a surprise. It was a blessing straight from God. After 9 months Hannah gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and she named him Samuel, which means “Heard of God.” She prayed to God and asked, and God heard and answered her. And she did not forget her vow. Though it was time to return once again to Shiloh for the festival, she waited until Samuel was weaned. And as hard as it was to let go, she brought him up, offered sacrifices for him, and presented him to Eli the priest. Her words again were simple, but expressed her deepest desire and thankfulness for this blessing from God. She said: “I give him to YAHWEH. For his whole life he will be given over to YAHWEH.”

The son that was given to her, Hannah gave right back to God to use as He saw fit. Hannah’s thankfulness at God’s blessing overflowed into sacrifice. Hannah was so appreciative of finally receiving God’s favor that she was willing to do whatever was required to raise a child who sought after God. And Samuel grew up to be a great prophet among the Israelites. He was the voice of God among the people. He anointed the first king. He helped rear David and anointed him as King.

Hannah had no idea that her baby would be this great man and great leader. She only knew that God deserved him for whatever use he had. And that made it worth giving Samuel over to God.

Birdie!!!

I don’t play much golf. Maybe 5 rounds a year. I am hoping to play more, but with my back and schedule that is about all I can muster. But I did play on Saturday, and I registered my first ever birdie. Let me make it clear — this was a real birdie. No mulligans, no second chances on the putt once I got the read. It was the real thing.

The hole was a 325-yard par four that curves to the left, obscuring the pin from the tee. I blasted the drive down there. Chipped up onto the green nicely, and put home a downhill left to right 20 footer. For a duffer like myself, this was a big deal. It was thrilling. When the ball dropped into the cup, I yelled out, “Birdie!!!”

Though I only shot well on about 4 of the 9 holes we played, it was worth going out and feeling sore in the morning. May the little things in life bring us joy, because for some of us that is all we have.

A Mother's Day Prayer

God our Mother,
You hold our life within you,
nourish us at your breast,
and teach you to walk alone.
Help us to receive your tenderness
and respond to your challenge
that others may draw life from us,
in your name.

Janet Morley

Props

Yesterday was “National Teacher’s Day.” My wife is a 5th grade teacher. I don’t envy her. I couldn’t do what she does. She has been blessed with a gift and is returning that blessing back to the world. There is so much more to teaching than just showing up with a lesson plan and she fills many roles besides “teacher.” She is a counselor, an advocate, an intermediary, an arbitrator, a friend, a confidant, and a minister. She is a shining light in the often dark lives of these kids.

And on a day when she should have been lauded for her efforts, she came home just sick of it all. Administrative BS, Even if she doesn’t get the recognition she deserves from school, she gets my vote for teacher of the year every day.

God is greater than all

There are a lot of great things out there. There are great people, great places, great foods, great cars…the list goes on and on. But most of the time, people are not great in and of themselves. They are given worth. For example, there are certain products that are ignored until someone famous begins to endorse them. Then everyone thinks they are great. Escalades were big and ugly until some rappers started pimping them out. Now they are cool. Trucker hats were worn only by, well, truckers, until a few Hollywood folks started wearing them. Now they are all over the place. The point is, great is relative. What is great one weak is lame the next. And so it is tough to figure out what to follow and believe is worthwhile.

Let me share 2 Scriptures with you:
“I know that the Lord is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.” Psalm 135:5
“But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than man.” Job 33:12

We don’t have a problem with worshipping other gods do we? We don’t sacrifice things to them or bow down to idols. Most of the time, when we think of worship we thinking of singing to God or going to church. But there is more to worship than just that. People may not bow down to idols of gold or silver, but we still worship things. Jesus says where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. In other words, the things in life that are your priorities, the things you put stock in, the things you focus the majority of your life on, those are your gods. Those are your idols. An idol, quite frankly is anything you put in front of God. The number of idols in this world are countless. We always jump to the obvious ones—money and wealth, power and prestige. But it is not just money hungry, recognition seeking people that put their idols in front of God. We put less obvious things in front of God. We put laziness, busyness, and selfishness

Laziness—we don’t want to put the effort into really getting to know God. It is just easier to drift by and float along. Soon, we start skipping Bible reading and praying. And then church altogether goes by the wayside. I see it in families all the time. Laziness leads to absence an absence of God.

Or perhaps it is busyness. School, sports, work, relationships, and other activities become the focal point of our lives, and God is given maybe an hour on Sunday. After all, we don’t have any other time to give him. Our priorities just don’t leave time for God. Busyness leads to an absence of God.

Or maybe its selfishness. The more we care about making sure our lives are good, the less we care about what God thinks about that. When we care more about living to please us than living to please our Creator, God takes a back seat. Selfishness leads to an absence of God.

But all those things that we put in front of God are just worthless idols. They are not better than little figurines of gold. God is greater than all gods, all idols, all men, all things. God is greater than all. Nothing in this world can ever be as good or worthwhile as your relationship with God and with God’s people. Period. No amount of money, cars, prestige, pleasure or anything else can compare with God’s greatness. But you will never know that unless you experience God. And you will never believe it until you attribute to God the greatness he deserves.

The question I want you to leave with is this: “What are you going to spend your life and energy serving?”

If God isn’t at the top of the list, you are missing out. You are serving an empty idol. You are following something that will let you down. God is greater than all things. He and He alone deserves your time, effort, energy, love, and above all, your worship.

Free at Last - Conclusion

I love houses that have lots of big windows in them. The sun can filter in. It gives warmth and a sense of love to the house. But have you ever been to a prison? Not a lot of windows. Very few ways for the sun to get in. It is pretty depressing. And when I read this passage, I think we can expound on Jesus’ parable about building on the rock and not the shifting sand. Of course we all agree that the foundation must be firm. We choose to build on the rock—the foundation is Christ. He is solid.

But what are we going to build on top of that? Will we see our life as merely abiding by some rules that we have made up that seem to be wise? Will we look down on others who don’t seem as spiritual? Will we turn the Christian life from a celebration of forgiveness into a checklist of rules? If so, we are building a prison.

But when we see our lives in the context of grace, realizing that righteousness and purity are not what gets us to heaven, I think we are free to let the light of God’s love in. We are free to revel in his grace. But most importantly, we are free to shine that love back on this world. There are many people who won’t enter into a church because they don’t want to be judged and they don’t feel they are good enough. And until we return to grace as the building material, they probably never will feel comfortable. The house of God is a house of glass that allows us to view the world freely through grace-tinted windows.

Free at Last - Point 3

But after a while, the celebration winds down. We begin to think about what has taken place. And even though we may know that we are forgiven, victorious people, somehow we still try to earn salvation. More than that, we look down upon those who perhaps aren’t as spiritual as us or we make up arbitrary rules that “good Christians” follow. We come up with rituals you should be involved in, and make rules to determine the things that you should not be involved in. But Paul speaks to that as well. He tells us to be Focused on Christ—Free from restrictions (vs. 16-23). Let me read just a couple of snippets from these verses:

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. Why do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

According to the Law, good Jews celebrated the yearly, monthly, and weekly special services. Good Jews kept themselves strictly pure and wouldn’t even touch or go near something that might possibly be defiled. Good Jews would only eat certain foods, considering other foods sinful. They prided themselves in their accomplishments. They made up rules that clearly showed how good of a Jew you were. They set up boundaries. It was called “putting a hedge around the Torah”. You use a hedge to keep things out. But hedges also keep things in. And their boundaries were human commands, not divine ones. Unfortunately, these rules didn’t deal with the heart. They skewed the Word of God. They lost the freedom to be the people of God. They lost the ability to love outside their rules—outside of their hedges.

I think when they started focusing on the extra rules instead of the intent of the original command they were doomed for failure. But we do it too. Why do we change how we speak and act when we walk into the church building as though there are special rules for church? Our speech and conduct should be the same. Or we try to become somebody different through artificial means. For example, how many of you have ever tried to stop a habit by wearing a rubber band on your arm. If you want to quit smoking, every time you think about smoking you snap it. It is sort of like shock therapy. Eventually your body cringes at the thought of smoking and you quit. Or perhaps your house has a swear jar. And every time you use foul language you have to put money in. Makes you watch your language or you can watch your money leave you.

Here’s the problem with that—it doesn’t get to the heart of the habit. You care more about the consequences then you do about the nature of the addiction. You are destined for relapse because you haven’t addressed or solved the problem. We do the same things with kids. We put boundaries on them without telling them why. My parents would never let me mess around with fire or firecrackers, but they wouldn’t tell me why. When I asked, “Because I said so.” But we all know that 10 year olds shouldn’t be messing around with fire—they burn down houses, blow off fingers, cause scarring, perhaps worse. And if we just say, “Don’t do it” with no explanation, it will just cause us to be enticed even more by it. These boundaries will not keep kids from wandering close to flame.

Boundaries are good for the most part, but if we focus on the boundaries and not on grace, we get into trouble. When we obsess about staying away from certain influences, it gives material things more importance than they deserve. And we often overlook the root problem. These self-imposed disciplines seem to be wise and appear valuable, but they do not encourage faith. These things are self-reliance and not Spirit-reliance. They seem good, but they are based on our own power and not the power of God.

God said, “Don’t eat.” Eve added, “Don’t touch.”
God said, “Be holy.” The Jews added “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”
Jesus said, “Go into all the world, preach, baptize, make disciples.” We added all sorts of traditions, rules, and restrictions.

Free at Last - Point 2

But in order to really accept our new life, we have to also understand that we are Forgiven in Christ—Free from Guilt (vs. 13-15):

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Most people like an underdog. We like seeing the losers win occasionally. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than the Boston Red Sox. They were losers for so long. They couldn’t overcome the Yankees. I mean, think about all those years of failure. All those years of defeat. But when they actually won it all, the amount of revelry was unbelievable. They were celebrating their victory. They had parades where millions turned out to celebrate with them. They were celebrating their present and their future. The past was forgotten. And if it was brought up, it was to show how far they had come.

That is the very picture that Paul lays out. We were the Red Sox. We constantly lost. We could never beat our rival—sin. But then Christ came, and the championship was and is ours. He cancelled the written code that stood opposite us. He took our past history, and nailed it to the cross. All our failures are gone. There is no need to bring them up. As the classic by Queen states, “We are the champions, my friends. No time for losers cause we are the Champions...of the world.”
Right? We are the champions. We even have a parade. Paul says that Christ made a public spectacle of them. That references a Roman General when he would enter the city in triumph after a great victory. In such a parade, the Prisoners of War would be displayed as part of the procession. When Paul says that Jesus “disarmed” the powers and authorities, it has the connotation of discarding the enemy like a raggedy garment that you just throw away.

We can’t celebrate true freedom if we carry around those sins with us like a nasty old garment that just needs to be thrown away. Jesus is leading a parade that is celebrating God’s grace. We’ve been forgiven. The past is null and void. The guilt of our sins has been nailed to the cross. We are living a new, free life, no longer slaves to sin. People can bring up your past all they want. They can talk about what a hypocrite you are. How they know the real you and what you used to do. But they don’t understand that you are the current reigning Champion. All that failure before doesn’t matter. You have won because of Christ.

Free at Last - Point 1

I think our passage gives 3 ways we can truly be free in Christ—how we can truly be free at last. The first step is to return to the basics. Paul tells us to be Founded on Christ—Free from Philosophies:

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Paul has in mind a specific worldview when he writes this passage. The people of that day viewed the world as though it consisted of falling atoms. These atoms are very structured, precise, and easy to follow. Unfortunately, what happens is “the swerve.” These atoms sometimes veer off course, and if the hit you, it is bad news. It is very similar to astrologers who look to the stars for guidance. So what do you do to avoid the collisions? Well avoid pain of course. Seek only pleasure. Don’t worry about serving a god or gods. Get rid of any and all agitation in life or things that could lead to any stress.

Popular culture is telling us what we need or don’t need to have a good life—wealth, happiness, a fit body, a certain stance on issues. They try to align the stars in their favor at every chance, hoping to avoid any sort of bad times. But you don’t need to figure out your astrological sign and outlook. You don’t need to get good karma. You don’t need to get your yin and yang straight. Instead, Paul gives us different advice when it comes to living in this crazy world. He says “Be rooted and built up in Christ, not in the traditions and philosophies of man.” It’s that simple he says—be founded on Christ. And he goes on: “The most important thing you need to know is that you have put to death your sinful nature and have been raised a new person in Christ. All the extras that people try to put on aren’t important.” For the Gentiles of that day, the Jewish Christians were encouraging circumcision as a sign of their faith. They sounded intelligent and knowledgeable. We see the same today. Studies come out and professionals tell us how to live. And that sound like they know what they are talking about. After all, she has a degree in psychology, I guess she must be right. But Paul is clear: watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions and practices.

But Paul says such things aren’t necessary. All we need to know is found in verse 12: we’ve been buried and raised again through faith. Our sign of life is our baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. That’s it. We don’t have to be in alignment with the stars. We don’t have to buy into these philosophies that crop up. We just need to be rooted and founded on Christ. Then we will be free from the newest fad or philosophy that comes along.

Free at Last - Introduction

I preached yesturday. This week will contain the points of my sermon. Hope you enjoy.

Free at Last—Colossians 2:6-23

Most of our houses have rules that are laid down from the outset. No running or playing with the ball inside. Brush your teeth after meals. Use a coaster. Be home by 11:00. Call me if you go somewhere. No friends over when we aren’t home. Don’t play in the street. Eat your vegetables. Pick up after yourself. The list goes on and on. All these rules are intended for some purpose—to keep you safe, out of trouble, help you grow, etc. But parents usually don’t convey that information. When asked “Why?” what is the response? “Because I said so!” Not very convincing, even with the paddle in hand.

Some houses are stricter than others. Some houses feel like a prison with all the rules and the things that are not allowed. Of course, most teenagers always feel like they are living in a prison, regardless of how lenient the home may be. They long to break free from these arbitrary rules that really don’t make sense and live with freedom. And at some point, parents have to let them go. Well, at least they are supposed to.

When I go to my parent’s house, I often feel like I have been transported back to high school. They want to know where I am going; when I’ll be back; and it better be by 11:00. Okay, I am a grown man. I don’t need my parents telling me when to be home. Though the rules may have had their place in the past, it is time for them to let go and let me live free. They don’t make sense any longer. These rules that at one time helped keep me from harm are now making me feel like a prisoner—locked up for life with no hope of parole.

Sometimes the Christian life can feel the same way. When we are young Christians, just learning the way, it is good to have structure before we are thrown to the wolves. But when we become more concerned about keeping rules than living free in Christ, we are like a 40 year old with a curfew—destined for frustration.

Jesus is greater than the Temple

"At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:1-8.


Jews also had expectations of what should and should not happen. And what if I told you that Jesus was a bad Jew. He was looked down upon, judged to be a big sinner, and ostracized because he didn’t follow the Jewish religion to the letter. There is a little document called the Talmud. It basically expands the laws and clearly lays out how people are supposed to be good Jews. One aspect is the way in which they celebrate the Sabbath day. No work is supposed to be done. I mean none. They were not allowed to walk more than a mile. They were not allowed to prepare food. That was to be done ahead of time. They were not allowed to light a fire in their homes, but could keep a previously lit fire burning.

So, when the disciples were gathering food on the Sabbath instead of eating already prepared food, they were not practicing Judaism correctly. So the Pharisees let them have it. But Jesus isn’t impressed. He told them they were full of it. He gave an example of David and his companions doing something even worse. They entered into the temple and took the special bread. That is what happens when religion takes over. We loose the ability to be free in Christ. We care more about the ritual than the relationship. The Pharisees didn’t care if the disciples were hungry; they wanted to make sure that their traditions weren’t broken. Their traditions weren’t even from the Bible. They were made up. And many of ours are the same.

We all do things without thinking about it. We drive to familiar places and don’t remember how we got there. We do things without really considering the impact. In the same way, we think that doing a few ritual type things is what makes one a Christian. But that is dead wrong. God doesn’t care a whole lot about the rituals if the rituals aren’t being done to draw close to Him. That I what Jesus means when he says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” It is what Jesus means when he says that He is greater than the temple. A relationship is greater than a religion. God desires a heart that longs after Him, not that just goes through the motions and actions that are expected. God wants a relationship with you, not your religion. If our religions they aren’t done to cultivate a relationship with God, then why are we doing them?

You can spend the rest of your life living a religion—going to church, singing songs, taking communion, offering up halfhearted prayers. But if you are just going through the motions, without any goal of drawing close to God, you are missing out. You are just doing busywork. God desires a vibrant relationship with you. He wants to provide you with a life-transforming, destiny-changing experience. It results in a definite commitment to the crucified and risen Savior, which establishes an ongoing personal relationship between a forgiven sinner and a gracious God. Rituals may help that relationship. But when the fulfilling the rituals becomes the end instead of the relationship, we turn into a bunch of emotionless followers who are aimlessly driving around with no clue how we got there.

Anger Management - Part 2

This is the second part that discusses dealing with pent up anger and frustration that arises from minsitry. Yesturday I was mistaken in the author. It is actually Ed Rowell who is a teaching pastor at The People's Church in Franklin, Tennessee.

Unresolved anger is a spiritual problem that won't get better without a spiritual solution.

Discover why I need to be busy all the time. When I overbook my life, I get stressed. When I get stressed, I get insomnia. When I get insomnia, I get cranky. "So why not just work fewer hours?" some uninformed person might ask. Because I have to, that's why. Why? Because most days I enjoy the work of ministry. Because my staff colleagues are counting on me to help lead our church toward a preferable future. Because there's a whole lost world depending on me to save them. And because there are voices from my past, telling me "You're lazy," or "You'll never amount to anything."

Anger is a byproduct of a life with skewed priorities. Jesus modeled for us a rhythm of periodically retreating from both people and process long enough to recharge. In Mark 6:31, Jesus said to his weary disciples, "Come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest."

Practice what you preach about community. Give more than lip service to the necessity of community. Change happens when we allow others into our lives. We could whine all day about the difficulties of building trustworthy friendships with our parishioners. There are some people either in your church or in your community who are willing to like you in spite of your vocation. As hard as it may be to connect with others, we'll never get our anger under control alone. I can choose to seethe in solitude or to change in community.

Give up the occupation of people pleasing. A friend recently experienced in his ministry a rebirth of sorts. When I asked what had happened, he responded, "After a dozen years in ministry, I discovered it wasn't my job to make or keep people happy." Pursuing purpose instead of popularity allows me to keep focused in spite of criticism. If people don't like me, it makes me sad (after all, what's not to like?), but it no longer angers me. As long as my life is invested in pleasing God, as long as the ones who know me best love me most, I can deal with rejection from the masses.

Let go of unresolved hurts. Forgiveness is the harder road, and one that must be taken intentionally. Living our lives on cruise control will only take us down the Interstate of bitterness. I must consciously forgive even the slightest of slights if I am to maintain good emotional health.

Once I accepted the problem as my own, that put me in control to do something about it. As I enter the middle years of this race called ministry, I struggle to throw off some ugly souvenirs of anger I picked up along the way. I'm more committed than ever to finishing this race with my faith, character, and family intact. I refuse to allow anger to rob me of experiencing joy along the way. And I reject the notion that change is too hard, or that it's optional. With the help of my small group, my family, and the Holy Spirit who resides within me, I'm hopeful that I'll finish the race having set aside the anger that has hindered me thus far.

Anger Management - Part 1

An article about anger was emailed to me from a friend of mine. It is written by Jim Wetterau out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Whether you are in the paid ministry or minister in your church, often with the opposition of people, I think you will find this article insightful about the anger that builds. It is called, "Why am I angrier than I used to be?" I have edited it for length. The first part is aobut identifying the problem. The next will be about the possible solutions. Hope you enjoy.

The anger complex
All agree ministry is more complex than we ever bargained for. People's lives are more broken than even ten or fifteen years ago. The personal cost of doing ministry is higher than anyone ever dared tell us. Petty issues that once would have received only a fleeting thought now get under our skins where they fester. Imaginary conversations with the objects of our anger get nasty or even violent. But the reasons for a growing anger go far beyond these realities.

More responsibility, less support. We feel this awesome responsibility to transform a world increasingly hostile to the gospel, yet the people who are supposed to help us become the very obstacles we must overcome to reach that world. People with a casual or insulated faith and the incipient universalism of our day frustrate anyone called to do the work of an evangelist. We stand alone against the world, and the world appears to be winning by a big margin.

Accumulation of petty anger. Every day we ingest minute amounts of conflict and disrespect. No big deal, we think. Just blow it off. But we don't. Instead it gets buried in our liver and 20 years later, we go ballistic over some kid skateboarding in the parking lot and wonder, Where did that come from?

Midlife realizations. "Midlife is when the skepticism of youth collides with the cynicism of old age." By the time a pastor gets enough experience to be wise, he or she has also picked up enough battle wounds to be angry. Most of us never attain some unspoken goals. Perhaps it's the expectation of a comfortable income, or the dream of a particular size or style of church. The invitations from book publishers and conference planners still aren't coming, and the seminary still hasn't honored us as alumnus of the millennium.

Coming to terms with unrealized hopes is part of our maturation process. Often, when we scuttle our dreams, God gives us a better one.

Luck is...luck

“Everybody’s dealt a hand. Tiger Woods looked at his hand and said, ‘Cool. I can hit a golf ball 400 yards.’ Someone else said, ‘Darn I’m only ever going to be 4’11”.’ And somebody else said, ‘I can’t believe I’m to going to be hit by a bus on my 21st birthday.’ Luck. Luck is luck, its…All that you can do is keep going.” --Scene from “Ed”

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. --John 9:1-3

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” --James 1:17

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.” --Psalm 150:6

Life’s not perfect. We don’t understand why some are blessed in certain ways, and others seem cursed. The combination of the will of God, living in a fallen world, and the unexplainable blessings that come from above lead us to see God in the light of one who overcomes the evils of the world with his love and grace. If something good happens, it is from God. If not, it is a consequence of sin, which God can still redeem. And our response is simple—we should keep going and praise him.