"The Rev. Jim Siegel of Round Rock usually starts his discussion with teens by asking them what they think they can wear all the time that will protect them from pregnancies and STDs. 'The usual answer from them is a condom,' he said. 'We say, 'No, it's actually your pants.' " (from the July 14 edition of the Austin-American Statesman. I was in the Caribbean when this story went to print, so I'm featuring it this week. Jim is our minister to students at Hillcrest.)
Randall James is the Texas Banking Commissioner and a member at Hillcrest. He was featured on local news channels last week, calming fears of banking instability. Pray for Randall during this stressful time.
“My Reformed friend, can you move among other Christian groups and really enjoy them? Do you admire them? Even if you disagree with them in some ways, do you learn from them? What is the emotional tilt of your heart – toward them or away from them? . . . Take your Reformed theology to a deeper level. Let it reduce you to Jesus only. Let it humble you. Let this gracious doctrine make you a fun person to be around. The proof that we are Reformed will be all the wonderful Christians we discover around us who are not Reformed. Amazing people. Heroic people. Blood-bought people. People with whom we are eternally one – in Christ alone.” (Ray Ortlund, “Truly Reformed”)
“Girls Gone Wild?” Not in these families, according to the NY Times.
“Murphy’s Law” was coined by a Baylor alum. Who knew?
5 Creative Ways to Teach Your Kids About Faith
“Democrat Barack Obama may have wanted to sound reasonable on the issue of abortion during a recent interview with Relevant Magazine, but legal experts say his statements conflict with both his current positions and his past actions on the issue. The interview with the Christian magazine has caused a stir in both the pro-choice community -- which has expressed concern about the interview -- and the pro-life community, which has responded by saying Obama is being (to put it mildly) disingenuous.” (Michael Foust)
The Steven Segal Emotion Chart.
“John Lennon famously claimed the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, even predicting that Christianity would ‘vanish and shrink.’ But 28 years after his death, in an interview being broadcast for the first time, he claims that on the contrary, he hoped to encourage people to focus on the Christian faith.” (From “Bigger than Jesus? The Beatles were a Christian band” in London’s Telegraph).
You can’t tell me that an Aussie editor didn’t have a little fun with this headline: “Mormons Make Missionary Position Clear.”
London’s Independent writes: “Christian protests may leave Philip Pullman's trilogy as one of a kind.” Protesters tanked the trilogy? Nah. How about the real reason: few cared to see the film. I thought the film was well done, but it failed at the box office. Had it sold tickets, no amount of protest would have stopped the trilogy from being completed. My take on the book series on the eve of the film premier here and here.
“Are you tired of country music stations that play a treasure one minute and trash the next? Or how about artists who try to cover all the bases on morally inconsistent CDs? Frustrating, isn't it? Fortunately, we now live in an era of digital downloads that lets us feast our ears on a hearty helping of homegrown values à la carte. To get you started, here's a playlist of 20 country songs you can feel good about” (Read “Pedal-Steel Progress”).
“He just transformed in amazing ways,” [Lee] Strobel says [of Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil who died in November 2007. Knievel says Strobel’s book The Case for Christ was instrumental in his conversion from atheism to Christianity]. “I know his last interview was with a macho men's magazine, and he broke down crying, talking about his newfound relationship with Christ. He was so grateful. He knew he had lived a very immoral life and regretted that. He told me many times how he wished he could live his life over for God, and yet God reached down in his last days and dragged him into the kingdom. He was so overwhelmed by God's grace. Here was this macho daredevil who became this humble, loving, and sincere follower of Jesus. It was an amazing thing to behold.” (story)
God Is Not Dead Yet. How current philosophers argue for his existence. And check out the recommended reading list from this article.
Budgeting for Lazy People: Follow the advice from The Motley Fool.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Song of the Week: "Texas" by Chris Rea
Diane and I are back in Texas from our Caribbean break. Here's Chris Rea's 1989 song about the Texas mystique:
Lyrics:
Lyrics:
Warm winds blowing
Heating blue sky
And a road that goes forever
Been thinking 'bout it lately
Been watching some TV
Been looking all around me
At what has come to be
Been talking to my neighbour
And he agrees with me
It's all gone crazy
Well my wife returns from taking
My little girl to school
She's got beads of perspiration
As she tries to keep her cool
She says That mess it don't get no better
There's gonna come a day
Someone's gonna get killed out there
And I turn to her and say Texas
She says What?
I said Texas
She says What?
They've got big long road out there
Warm winds blowing
Heating blue sky
And a road that goes forever
I'm going to Texas
We got to get out of here
We got to get out of here
Well I got a little brother
Several meters high
Yea his built just like a quarterback
And he swears he'll testify
he says he's been to Texas
And that's the only place to be
Big steaks, big girls, no trouble there
That's the place for me
I'm going to Texas
I'm going to Texas
Watch me walking
Watch me walking
Thursday, July 17, 2008
LeaderLines: “Three ‘Aches’ of Ministry, Part 3”
The Bible calls the Christian leader a “workman” (2 Timothy 2:15). There’s nothing elegant about the word. The Greek word didn’t refer to a CEO in French cuffs on the top floor of an office building. Instead, the word referred to a blue-collar grunt, a working stiff who wiped sweat and grime from the back of his neck.
In 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Paul discussed how hard it is to be a “workman” for God. He outlined three “aches” he got from ministry:
Paul clearly loved his Corinthian church members. He said he had spoken “freely” to them. The emotions run so high that he calls them by name—“Corinthians.” In all of Paul’s letters, in only 2 places other than here does he address his readers by name. It’s almost as if he’s trying to reach through his letter across the miles and draw them into a hug: “We have spoken freely to you, my Corinthians.”
In verse 12, he says he did not withhold his affection from them. With all the problems and the opposition in the Corinthian church, he was not going to allow anything to squeeze out his love for them.
But did the Corinthians reciprocate that love? Just the opposite. He let nothing drain out his love for them, but they were letting vicious rumors and false gossip crowd out their love for Paul.
Out of all the headaches and backaches that Paul described in verses 1-10, I expect it was the heartache of rejected love that was the most painful for him. His words in verses 11-13 are wrenching.
It’s hard work to keep loving unlovable people. It’s hard work to keep working with people who dislike you or—at best—are disinterested in you. Rejection hurts. Yet Christian ministry requires that we open wide our hearts time and time again despite the hurt that rejection brings.
The words of 2 Corinthians 6 that we’ve looked at in these 3 editions of LeaderLines are sobering, aren’t they! We must simply be prepared for hard work in Christian ministry. The headache of Christians who refuse to mature, the backache of sacrificial efforts, and the heartache of rejected love: these are the liabilities of kingdom employment.
But we can be sure that we’ll be more than compensated by the God we serve. Besides, the “retirement plan” for Christian ministry is “out of this world”!
_____________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
In 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Paul discussed how hard it is to be a “workman” for God. He outlined three “aches” he got from ministry:
The headache of Christians who refused to mature (verses 1-2),I’ve taken three editions of LeaderLines to talk about those aches. Across the last two weeks we’ve looked at verses 1-10. Now let’s look at how Paul described the heartache of rejected love in verses 11-13:
The backache of sacrificial efforts (verses 3-10), and
The heartache of rejected love (verses 11-13).
We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.Oh my. Have you experienced this reality of ministry yet?
Paul clearly loved his Corinthian church members. He said he had spoken “freely” to them. The emotions run so high that he calls them by name—“Corinthians.” In all of Paul’s letters, in only 2 places other than here does he address his readers by name. It’s almost as if he’s trying to reach through his letter across the miles and draw them into a hug: “We have spoken freely to you, my Corinthians.”
In verse 12, he says he did not withhold his affection from them. With all the problems and the opposition in the Corinthian church, he was not going to allow anything to squeeze out his love for them.
But did the Corinthians reciprocate that love? Just the opposite. He let nothing drain out his love for them, but they were letting vicious rumors and false gossip crowd out their love for Paul.
Out of all the headaches and backaches that Paul described in verses 1-10, I expect it was the heartache of rejected love that was the most painful for him. His words in verses 11-13 are wrenching.
It’s hard work to keep loving unlovable people. It’s hard work to keep working with people who dislike you or—at best—are disinterested in you. Rejection hurts. Yet Christian ministry requires that we open wide our hearts time and time again despite the hurt that rejection brings.
The words of 2 Corinthians 6 that we’ve looked at in these 3 editions of LeaderLines are sobering, aren’t they! We must simply be prepared for hard work in Christian ministry. The headache of Christians who refuse to mature, the backache of sacrificial efforts, and the heartache of rejected love: these are the liabilities of kingdom employment.
But we can be sure that we’ll be more than compensated by the God we serve. Besides, the “retirement plan” for Christian ministry is “out of this world”!
_____________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Winning Ways: “Are You Ready?”
Years ago, I was idly channel-surfing and landed briefly on the game show, Family Feud. As host Ray Combs was getting acquainted with his contestants, he pointed to a lapel pin that one man was wearing. He asked, “What do those two question marks stand for?”
I immediately put the clicker down and sat up. I had a lapel pin just like it: a simple brown pin with two gold question marks. I used to wear it to start conversations like the one that had just started on national television.
“Well,” the contestant began, “The lapel pin represents the two most important questions anyone could ever ask you.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Combs joked, “But what are they?”
“The first one is, ‘If you died today, do you know for certain that you would be welcomed into heaven?’”
Combs laughed and said good-naturedly, “I’m not going to answer that on national TV!”
He continued to introduce the other contestants, but then suddenly returned to the man with the pin and said, “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the second question?”
“The second question is, ‘Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and he asked, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ What would you say?’”
Combs, a stand-up comedian, said, “Because I’m the host of Family Feud and everybody loves me!” The audience laughed, the applause sign came on, and the game began.
I wonder if Ray Combs thought any more about those two questions before his suicide a few years later. They really are two of the most important questions in life, because they center on what it takes to pass our biggest test.
The Bible tells us that one day we will stand before God as our life is reviewed. At that moment, we’ll be glad for a Savior: Jesus has already taken upon himself the punishment we deserved for our sins. We believe in the forgiveness of sins, and so we lift up the poet’s relieved praise (Psalms 130:3-4 CEV):
If you kept record of our sins, no one could last long.
But you forgive us, and so we will worship you.
Join with us this Sunday and let’s celebrate together what God has done for us at the cross! We meet at 9:30am and 10:45am.
(Note: The story of Ray Combs is taken from my book, The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. If you live in the Austin area, you can check out a copy for free at our church library. I will lead another small-group study of The Anchor Course in September.)
_______________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
I immediately put the clicker down and sat up. I had a lapel pin just like it: a simple brown pin with two gold question marks. I used to wear it to start conversations like the one that had just started on national television.
“Well,” the contestant began, “The lapel pin represents the two most important questions anyone could ever ask you.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Combs joked, “But what are they?”
“The first one is, ‘If you died today, do you know for certain that you would be welcomed into heaven?’”
Combs laughed and said good-naturedly, “I’m not going to answer that on national TV!”
He continued to introduce the other contestants, but then suddenly returned to the man with the pin and said, “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the second question?”
“The second question is, ‘Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and he asked, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ What would you say?’”
Combs, a stand-up comedian, said, “Because I’m the host of Family Feud and everybody loves me!” The audience laughed, the applause sign came on, and the game began.
I wonder if Ray Combs thought any more about those two questions before his suicide a few years later. They really are two of the most important questions in life, because they center on what it takes to pass our biggest test.
The Bible tells us that one day we will stand before God as our life is reviewed. At that moment, we’ll be glad for a Savior: Jesus has already taken upon himself the punishment we deserved for our sins. We believe in the forgiveness of sins, and so we lift up the poet’s relieved praise (Psalms 130:3-4 CEV):
But you forgive us, and so we will worship you.
Join with us this Sunday and let’s celebrate together what God has done for us at the cross! We meet at 9:30am and 10:45am.
(Note: The story of Ray Combs is taken from my book, The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. If you live in the Austin area, you can check out a copy for free at our church library. I will lead another small-group study of The Anchor Course in September.)
_______________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Links to Your World, Tuesday July 15
The youth mission trip to Grand Cayman is over, but Diane and I stayed behind and we're taking a little vacation with friends on the island. So, I'll have more links next week. Until then, check these out:
"An evangelical vote for Obama requires a large mental adjustment: 'I like his views on poverty or torture or climate change, even though he cannot bring himself to oppose the most brutal form of abortion.' This may work for some, particularly more loosely affiliated evangelicals. But for most pro-life people, the protection of innocent life is not one issue among many, it is the most basic, foundational commitment of a just society. . . . In today's environment of discontent and reassessment, a Democratic presidential candidate might achieve a historic political breakthrough with religious voters. Obama has great advantages in this attempt -- except on the issue that matters most." (Read Michael Gerson, "A Tactical Leap of Faith")
I found this article absolutely fascinating. I never noticed how the line of Herods flows in Scripture.
James Choung has found a great new way to explain the gospel to college students. It's called "The Big Story." Christianity Today wrote about it, and you can learn more at Choung's website. Here is his explanation in two YouTube clips:
Part One:
Part Two:
"An evangelical vote for Obama requires a large mental adjustment: 'I like his views on poverty or torture or climate change, even though he cannot bring himself to oppose the most brutal form of abortion.' This may work for some, particularly more loosely affiliated evangelicals. But for most pro-life people, the protection of innocent life is not one issue among many, it is the most basic, foundational commitment of a just society. . . . In today's environment of discontent and reassessment, a Democratic presidential candidate might achieve a historic political breakthrough with religious voters. Obama has great advantages in this attempt -- except on the issue that matters most." (Read Michael Gerson, "A Tactical Leap of Faith")
I found this article absolutely fascinating. I never noticed how the line of Herods flows in Scripture.
James Choung has found a great new way to explain the gospel to college students. It's called "The Big Story." Christianity Today wrote about it, and you can learn more at Choung's website. Here is his explanation in two YouTube clips:
Part Two:
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Song of the Week: Joey Ryan's "Light On"
I recommended the sweet independent film, Bella, here. Here's Joey Ryan's song from the film, "Light On." It's about friendship:
You can learn more about the soundtrack at this weblog.
You can learn more about the soundtrack at this weblog.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
LeaderLines: “Three ‘Aches’ of Ministry, Part 2”
Ministry ain’t for sissies. In 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Paul outlines three “aches” he got from ministry:
The headache of Christians who refused to mature (verses 1-2),The backache of sacrificial efforts (verses 3-10), and
The heartache of rejected love (verses 11-13).
I’m taking three editions of LeaderLines to talk about those aches. Last week we looked at how Paul described the headache of Christians who refused to mature. Now let’s look at the backache of sacrificial efforts. Paul describes this reality of ministry in verses 3-10:
We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
What sobering lines! It’s almost as if he was singing a hymn of Christian ministry in four stanzas:
Stanza One: The External Circumstances. In verses 4-5 he explained that as a Christian minister he endured certain external circumstances. He entitles his list “endurance” and then lays out 3 groups of 3:
“troubles, hardships, and distresses”“beatings, imprisonments, and riots”
“hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger”
Stanza Two: The Inward Marks of Character. In verses 6-7, he moves from his outward troubles to his inward efforts at purity. As church workers, what we do either amplifies or drowns out what we say. Paul said he aimed for a ministry done . . .
. . . “in purity.” Our lives must be marked by integrity.. . .“in knowledge.” We need to know our Bibles.
. . . “in patience.” We need to be patient with God, waiting on his timing, but we also need to be patient with others. The Greek word we translate “patience” is makrothumos. You can see the word “macro,” which means “long,” and “thumos,” which refers to “temperature.” So a patient person is long-tempered rather than short-tempered.
. . . “in kindness.”
. . . “in the Holy Spirit.” Why do we insist on “working for God”? We’d be so much more effective if we let God do his work through us.
. . . “in sincere love.” Our love for God should result in love for those we serve and lead.
. . . “in truthful speech.”
. . . “in the power of God.” Work hard in your ministry, but remember that it’s only as you do your ministry in the power of God that any abiding fruit develops.
Stanza Three: The Means and Circumstances. In verses 7-8 he describe the means and circumstances of good ministry.
First, the means: “with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left.” Paul was so dedicated to living a life that pleased God that both his right hand and his left hand were filled up with righteousness. In his left, his righteousness acted as shield to ward off attacks that people would make on his character. In his right hand, his upstanding life was like a sword to go on the offensive for ministry.
Second, the circumstances: “through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report.” Sometimes Paul received honor and approving recognition for his labors, and sometimes slander and false gossip undercut his ministry. But regardless of the circumstances, he pressed on.
Stanza Four: The Ironies. You know what an irony is: it’s when something achieves the oppose result that was intended. In verses 8-10, Paul listed off some ironies of ministry.
The first two ironies are somewhat sad:
“genuine, yet regarded as impostors.” Though he was sincere, some people looked on him as an imposter with impure motives behind the things he did.
“known, yet regarded as unknown.” Though he was known by God and cared for, many people did not respect his work or his lessons.
The last five ironies are sweeter:
“dying, and yet we live on.” As he put it in 2 Corinthians 4, though he was outwardly “wasting away” in hardship and persecution, inwardly he was being renewed day by day.“beaten, and yet not killed.”
“sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” There was no circumstance severe enough, no setback devastating enough to make Paul lose confidence that God causes all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28).
“poor, yet making many rich.” His material possessions were meager but his message of salvation made many spiritually rich.
“having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” He had everything he needed through the gracious provision of a watchful God.
I’m humbled when I examine this list of the things Paul went through. To many of us, the work of God is little more than a hobby, something we do if we can squeeze it in between all our other projects. To Paul, expanding the kingdom of God was his very life; it consumed him to the point of fanaticism. The reality of coming judgment and the good news of Christ’s cross gave him an impetus that could not be snuffed out by any hardship that life or people could throw at him.
So, don’t be surprised when you face some tough times in church leadership. Until you and I endure the kind of things that Paul endured, we have no room for complaining!
__________________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Grand Cayman: Places to Visit
In this week's "Winning Ways" I used Hell, the Grand Cayman tourist attraction, as an illustration. I was never a fan of Hell, but there are many many beautiful attractions to see on Grand Cayman. With so many people traveling to my former island on cruises out of Galveston, I am often asked the "must see" places there. Here's a short and incomplete list, but keep in mind that I've been away for 5 years, so details have likely changed since my life there:
- Stingray City. If you can only choose one stop (off a cruise ship, for example), make it this one. This is a sandbar in the middle of the North Sound, about 4-5 feet deep and sandy. Imagine a giant swimming pool. Stingrays come in for the squid that tour boats provide, and the tour operators will show you how to feed a stingray and hold one in your arms. Most tour operations will supply the snorkel gear for a stop at Coral Gardens, too. This is about 10-feet deep, over coral formations with colorful fish. You may even see a moray eel. The North Sound is protected by a barrier reef and so it is usually as smooth as lake water.
- The Turtle Farm. When I was on the island, the Turtle Farm had one of the largest gift shops. Grand Cayman was known for green sea turtles in years past. The Turtle Farm keeps the tradition alive. You will see turtles at all stages of existence, from eggs to babies to huge 4-and-5 feet "breeder" turtles.
- Pedro St. James. Also known as "Pedro's Castle." I'm a history fan, and this was one of the best ways for tourists to get acquainted with Cayman history. There's a show in the theater that will introduce you to Cayman's past, and the doors open up to allow you to walk on the beautiful grounds overlooking the Caribbean Sea to the south. There's a 3-story house on the grounds with many items of life in Cayman's past.
- Seven Mile Beach. Clear blue-green water gently lapping white sand: what more can I say? Swim out to Governor's Reef or Cemetery Reef from the beaches in front of these snorkel spots, or find covered picnic tables and public restrooms at Public Beach. You may also find the parasail operations along here, as well as jetskis and other watersport rentals.
Winning Ways: “Hell? No, We Won’t Go!”
As you read this, our youth mission trip to Grand Cayman should be half done. In addition to 8 hours a day teaching biblical skills and basketball drills to kids, we’ve scheduled some time for Caribbean fun, too.
One place that’s not on our list, though, is Hell.
Yep, there’s an actual spot on the map in Cayman called Hell. It’s an acre of black rock that looks like it’s been blasted with intense heat. There’s even a post office there where outgoing mail is postmarked from Hell. When I served as pastor in Grand Cayman, tourists always wanted to see Hell. So, I’d take them down Hell Road (which I always thought should have been named “Good Intentions,” but I digress). I’d always sigh as we pulled into the tacky tourist trap complete with a dude in the parking lot dressed in a red devil outfit and shops selling T-shirts branded with bad puns on divine punishment.
Yuck.
Really, I’m not humorless. It’s just that the more you read the Bible, the harder it is to make wisecracks about hell. The Bible says that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, ESV). There is urgency in these words.
Death is an inevitable reality for us all, and after that comes the judgment, where some “will wake up to have life forever” while others “will wake up to find shame and disgrace forever” (Daniel 12:2 NCV).
But “shame and disgrace forever” does not have to be our future. Back in the 1920s in the U.S. Senate, an argument between senators became particularly ugly and one man told a colleague to go to hell. The astonished senator appealed for a sanction from Vice President Calvin Coolidge, who was presiding.
Coolidge, who had been idly leafing through a book, looked up and said to the offended senator, “I have been checking the rules manual, and you don't have to go.”
Indeed.
In the Apostles Creed, the believer celebrates: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins” and therefore “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” It’s the truth of the one line that opens us up to the truth of the other line.
“I have set before you life and death,” God said. “Now choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19, NIV).
(Note: To learn more about the topic of heaven and hell, purchase a copy of my book, The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. If you live in the Austin area, you can check out a copy for free at our church library. I will lead another small-group study of The Anchor Course in September.)
______________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
One place that’s not on our list, though, is Hell.
Yep, there’s an actual spot on the map in Cayman called Hell. It’s an acre of black rock that looks like it’s been blasted with intense heat. There’s even a post office there where outgoing mail is postmarked from Hell. When I served as pastor in Grand Cayman, tourists always wanted to see Hell. So, I’d take them down Hell Road (which I always thought should have been named “Good Intentions,” but I digress). I’d always sigh as we pulled into the tacky tourist trap complete with a dude in the parking lot dressed in a red devil outfit and shops selling T-shirts branded with bad puns on divine punishment.
Yuck.
Really, I’m not humorless. It’s just that the more you read the Bible, the harder it is to make wisecracks about hell. The Bible says that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, ESV). There is urgency in these words.
Death is an inevitable reality for us all, and after that comes the judgment, where some “will wake up to have life forever” while others “will wake up to find shame and disgrace forever” (Daniel 12:2 NCV).
But “shame and disgrace forever” does not have to be our future. Back in the 1920s in the U.S. Senate, an argument between senators became particularly ugly and one man told a colleague to go to hell. The astonished senator appealed for a sanction from Vice President Calvin Coolidge, who was presiding.
Coolidge, who had been idly leafing through a book, looked up and said to the offended senator, “I have been checking the rules manual, and you don't have to go.”
Indeed.
In the Apostles Creed, the believer celebrates: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins” and therefore “I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” It’s the truth of the one line that opens us up to the truth of the other line.
“I have set before you life and death,” God said. “Now choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19, NIV).
(Note: To learn more about the topic of heaven and hell, purchase a copy of my book, The Anchor Course: Exploring Christianity Together. If you live in the Austin area, you can check out a copy for free at our church library. I will lead another small-group study of The Anchor Course in September.)
______________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Links to Your World, Tuesday July 8
My body could feed 16: How many cannibals can your body feed?
Find the lowest gas prices in your ZIP Code area.
"The real place where discussions of global warming belong is in the realm of belief, and particularly the motives for belief. I see three mutually compatible explanations." Read Bret Stephens' three explanations in "Global Warming as Mass Neurosis."
At HollywoodJesus.com, learn about “pop culture from a spiritual point of view.”
SonScape was a wonderful retreat for Diane and me a few years ago. Learn about this ministry to ministers here.
Precept Austin is a great website for Bible study tools.
I'm off on a youth mission trip to Grand Cayman, so the "Links to Your World" are a little thin this week. Here's one more: If worship was like sports--
Find the lowest gas prices in your ZIP Code area.
"The real place where discussions of global warming belong is in the realm of belief, and particularly the motives for belief. I see three mutually compatible explanations." Read Bret Stephens' three explanations in "Global Warming as Mass Neurosis."
At HollywoodJesus.com, learn about “pop culture from a spiritual point of view.”
SonScape was a wonderful retreat for Diane and me a few years ago. Learn about this ministry to ministers here.
Precept Austin is a great website for Bible study tools.
I'm off on a youth mission trip to Grand Cayman, so the "Links to Your World" are a little thin this week. Here's one more: If worship was like sports--
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Song of the Week: "Killing the Blues" by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss
This duo has received a lot of positive buzz: Alison Krauss of Americana and bluegrass fame, and Robert Plant of Led Zepplin fame. Here they are singing "Killing the Blues." Oh, to find the weapon.
Lyrics:
Leaves were falling, just like embers,
In colors red and gold, they set us on fire
Burning just like a moonbeam in our eyes.
[Chorus:]
Somebody said they saw me, swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues.
Now I'm guilty of something...
I hope you never do
Because there is nothing
Sadder than losing yourself in love.
[Chorus]
Now you ask me just to leave you
To go out on my own
And get what I need to.
You want me to find what I already had.
[Chorus]
Lyrics:
Leaves were falling, just like embers,
In colors red and gold, they set us on fire
Burning just like a moonbeam in our eyes.
[Chorus:]
Somebody said they saw me, swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues.
Now I'm guilty of something...
I hope you never do
Because there is nothing
Sadder than losing yourself in love.
[Chorus]
Now you ask me just to leave you
To go out on my own
And get what I need to.
You want me to find what I already had.
[Chorus]
Friday, July 04, 2008
Of Rolling Stone and Flag Pins
So I'm sifting thru the mail and run across the latest cover of Rolling Stone (my eldest is a subscriber):
It will be interesting to see what the bloggers and pundits say about the presidential candidate grinning as he seems to glance down at his flag pin. In case you've missed the news item, Obama has begun to wear a flag pin after his response to a question last year about why he didn't wear an American flag lapel pin:
I remember some famous statement about a picture and a thousand words.
It will be interesting to see what the bloggers and pundits say about the presidential candidate grinning as he seems to glance down at his flag pin. In case you've missed the news item, Obama has begun to wear a flag pin after his response to a question last year about why he didn't wear an American flag lapel pin:
The truth is that right after 9/11 I had a pin. Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we're talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security.
I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest. Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testament to my patriotism.But now there it is on his chest, and Rolling Stone seems to have him grinning at his concession.
I remember some famous statement about a picture and a thousand words.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
LeaderLines: “Three ‘Aches’ of Ministry, Part 1”
“Churches are like parking spaces,” a young pastor friend told me after a long period of looking for a new church.
“Okay, I’ll bite,” I said. “How are churches like parking spaces?”
He said, “The good ones are taken and the rest are all handicapped!”
In truth, the Apostle Paul never met a church that wasn’t “handicapped” in some way. The Galatian church was filled with legalism, the Thessalonian church had screwy notions of the Second Coming, the Philippian church endured self-centered members, and the Corinthian church was filled theological and ethical knots Paul had to untangle.
So why should those of us on staff and in lay ministry positions think church work is any different today?
In 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Paul outlines three “aches” he got from ministry:
- The headache of Christians who refused to mature (verses 1-2),
- The backache of sacrificial efforts (verses 3-10), and
- The heartache of rejected love (verses 11-13).
As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.For he says,“In the time of my favor I heard you,and in the day of salvation I helped you.”I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.In reflecting on that text, some people have thought that Paul was urging unbelievers to receive the gospel. But the problem he wrote about was not unbelievers who had refused to receive the gospel; the problem was believers who seemed to have received the Gospel in vain. There had been no effective change in their lives; they had not let the Gospel produce the desired results.
There are four “desired results” that we can expect when a congregation lets the gospel do its great work in their lives. When these are not evident, church workers have to endure the “headache” of spiritual immaturity:
First, mature people honor the Lord of life. They trust God’s promise: “Those who honor me I will honor” (1 Samuel 2:30, NIV). So, they honor God with worship, prayer, stewardship, and lifestyle:
- They love to worship with other believers, rejoicing whenever the Word of God is preached and the Name of God is lifted up in praise.
- They have an active personal prayer life.
- They “honor the Lord with their wealth” in faithful stewardship (Proverbs 3:9).
- Their lifestyle reflects their awareness that they are Christ’s representatives.
Second, mature people invite their world to life. They build relationships with nonbelievers, patiently working with the prejudices and misconceptions that their friends have of Christ and his Church. They look for opportunities to invite those who are spiritually curious to join them in worship services (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). They communicate their faith to others, and eagerly take courses that will equip them to witness more effectively.
Third, mature people love the fellowship for life. The Bible says, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6, NIV). Just as we should build witnessing relationships with those outside the faith, we should improve our connections with those inside the faith. Many of the New Testament letters are filled with commands to sacrifice for each other, encourage each other, serve each other, tolerate each other’s idiosyncrasies, and forgive each other’s faults.
Fourth, mature people live the Word in life. The Bible says, “God chose you to be his people, so I urge you now to live the life to which God called you” (Ephesians 4:1, NCV). The Bible has guidance about money management, parenting, finding a marriage partner, getting along with others at work, and many other practical things. It is not enough simply to learn the facts of the Bible, but we need to put into practice the things we learn.
Honor. Invite. Love. Live. At Hillcrest we call this the H.I.L.L. of Christian discipleship.
But in the first two verses of 2 Corinthians 6, Paul wrote about people who seemed to have “received God’s grace in vain.” They didn’t exhibit the kind of results you would expect from people who had been gripped by divine grace.
If Paul faced it in the Corinthian church 2000 years ago, don’t be surprised to face it as a church worker today.
Of course, there are two operative phrases in that sentence: “don’t be surprised” and “face it.” On the one hand, church workers can’t be disillusioned when they see spiritual shallowness in the church. On the other hand, it’s not right to simply shrug our shoulders and resign ourselves to the immaturity that we find. We have to employ the same tools that Paul used to build people up: prayer, encouragement, patient teaching, and even authoritative reprimand.
It takes a lot of spiritual aspirin to put up with the headaches of Christians who have failed to mature. Ministry ain’t for sissies, and from what I read in 2 Corinthians 6, it’s always been like that. Next week we’ll look at verses 3-10 to discover the backache of sacrificial effort.
_______________________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Winning Ways: “Neighborhood Connections”
What lengths would you go to connect with your neighbors? How about sleeping on their living room floor for a night or two?
That’s what Peter Lovenheim decided to do, and he wrote about his project in the New York Times. A tragedy in a nearby house awakened him to the fact that he really didn’t know his neighbors that well. “Did I live in a community,” he asked himself, “or just in a house on a street surrounded by people whose lives were entirely separate?”
He thought about the childhood sleepovers he used to have at friends’ houses and the insight into those families he gained, and that gave him an idea. He decided to ask his neighbors if he could bring his sleeping bag over to their houses and spend the night on their living room floor.
Of the 18 or so neighbors he asked, more than half said yes. “There was the recently married young couple, both working in business; the real estate agent and her two small children; the pathologist married to a pediatrician who specializes in autism.” And then there was a neighbor seriously ill with breast cancer. “My goal shifted: could we build a supportive community around her — in effect, patch together a real neighborhood?” People in the surrounding houses ended up taking turns driving her to doctors’ appointments and watching her children.
“Why is it,” Lovenheim asks, “that in an age of cheap long-distance rates, discount airlines and the Internet, when we can create community anywhere, we often don’t know the people who live next door?”
Good question.
I probably won’t go so far as to sleep on someone’s living room floor, but I’m slowly getting to know my neighbors. There’s Joe, a single man and former pro football player. There’s Russ and Kathy and their son: they’ve taken us out on their boat and tried to teach me how to stand up on a wakeboard. There’s Steve and Jean: we saw them frequently during the lacrosse games that our youngest sons played. I stood in the yard with a couple across the street to watch fireworks one night, and I’ve shared gardening tips with a empty-nester, but those relationships still need development. Today, I waved at a man who just bought a house near us: I’ll have to carve out some time to welcome him to the street.
How are you doing at connecting with those around you? Jesus commanded us to love God love our neighbors, adding, “There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30).
That’s what Peter Lovenheim decided to do, and he wrote about his project in the New York Times. A tragedy in a nearby house awakened him to the fact that he really didn’t know his neighbors that well. “Did I live in a community,” he asked himself, “or just in a house on a street surrounded by people whose lives were entirely separate?”
He thought about the childhood sleepovers he used to have at friends’ houses and the insight into those families he gained, and that gave him an idea. He decided to ask his neighbors if he could bring his sleeping bag over to their houses and spend the night on their living room floor.
Of the 18 or so neighbors he asked, more than half said yes. “There was the recently married young couple, both working in business; the real estate agent and her two small children; the pathologist married to a pediatrician who specializes in autism.” And then there was a neighbor seriously ill with breast cancer. “My goal shifted: could we build a supportive community around her — in effect, patch together a real neighborhood?” People in the surrounding houses ended up taking turns driving her to doctors’ appointments and watching her children.
“Why is it,” Lovenheim asks, “that in an age of cheap long-distance rates, discount airlines and the Internet, when we can create community anywhere, we often don’t know the people who live next door?”
Good question.
I probably won’t go so far as to sleep on someone’s living room floor, but I’m slowly getting to know my neighbors. There’s Joe, a single man and former pro football player. There’s Russ and Kathy and their son: they’ve taken us out on their boat and tried to teach me how to stand up on a wakeboard. There’s Steve and Jean: we saw them frequently during the lacrosse games that our youngest sons played. I stood in the yard with a couple across the street to watch fireworks one night, and I’ve shared gardening tips with a empty-nester, but those relationships still need development. Today, I waved at a man who just bought a house near us: I’ll have to carve out some time to welcome him to the street.
How are you doing at connecting with those around you? Jesus commanded us to love God love our neighbors, adding, “There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30).
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Links to Your World, Tuesday July 1
“It seems that ”sex in the suburbs” is a new trend among young Christian women. Is this the result of feminism breaching the church such that equality with men means sinning against men in the stereotypical ways that men have sinned against women? Is this the result of a divorce culture or women with unhealed “daddy issues?” I’ve been talking to ministry leaders from around the nation and many have noted the same trend. No one can seen to put their finger on the root of the problem. Are women reacting to fact that the evangelical church generally raises boys to be passive? While it’s true that passive, ”nice guys” make great boyfriends because they are often servile and easy manipulated, passive men become the sad husbands that many women eventually grow to resent.” (Anthony Bradley)
“Within the church, parents who readily discussed their struggles with toddler tantrums, mischievous children, or even rebellious teens find it more difficult to open up about adult children who make poor choices and stray from God’s plan. The topic brings pain, disappointment, guilt, and embarrassment. By the time children have reached adulthood, we expect them to embrace the values we’ve tried to convey. When their choices contradict the morals we’ve taught, we question our parenting. Not wanting others to think badly of our children, or of us, we resort to silence — and carry the burden of regret and feelings of failure alone.” (“When Wedding Bells Don’t Ring”)
“Many people throughout the years have criticized Saddleback for using seeker sensitive services. Being seeker sensitive is just about being polite. It’s thinking of people who don’t know Christ before yourself.” (Rick Warren, “Seven lessons from Paul on how to last in ministry”)
Read about our church member, Sherwood Moffett, and his latest trip to Japan with Austin-area high school students.
What Every American Should Know About the Middle East
I forgot to thank Eileen Flynn last week: the religion reporter for the Austin-American Statesman featured my sermon, “The Church of Oprah,” on her blog. Listen to “The Church of Oprah” here.
“Two men who converted from Islam to Christianity went on trial Wednesday on charges that they illegally promoted the Christian faith in Algeria.” (Washington Post story)
Reports on China:
This dude has chalked up the air miles. I’ll get in line with the other bloggers posting the best feel-good clip on YouTube:
“Within the church, parents who readily discussed their struggles with toddler tantrums, mischievous children, or even rebellious teens find it more difficult to open up about adult children who make poor choices and stray from God’s plan. The topic brings pain, disappointment, guilt, and embarrassment. By the time children have reached adulthood, we expect them to embrace the values we’ve tried to convey. When their choices contradict the morals we’ve taught, we question our parenting. Not wanting others to think badly of our children, or of us, we resort to silence — and carry the burden of regret and feelings of failure alone.” (“When Wedding Bells Don’t Ring”)
“Many people throughout the years have criticized Saddleback for using seeker sensitive services. Being seeker sensitive is just about being polite. It’s thinking of people who don’t know Christ before yourself.” (Rick Warren, “Seven lessons from Paul on how to last in ministry”)
Read about our church member, Sherwood Moffett, and his latest trip to Japan with Austin-area high school students.
What Every American Should Know About the Middle East
I forgot to thank Eileen Flynn last week: the religion reporter for the Austin-American Statesman featured my sermon, “The Church of Oprah,” on her blog. Listen to “The Church of Oprah” here.
“Two men who converted from Islam to Christianity went on trial Wednesday on charges that they illegally promoted the Christian faith in Algeria.” (Washington Post story)
Reports on China:
“The next 30 years will be the age of the gospel.” Take 25 minutes to watch the PBS Frontline/World report, “Jesus in China” online. It’s in 2 segments, with 3 additional 2-minute segments from the journalist discussing the report. (And link to my “Jesus in Beijing” review)
Read the lengthy piece in the Chicago Tribune on Christianity’s rapid rise in China: “After centuries of foreign efforts to implant Christianity in China, today's Christian ascension is led not by missionaries but by evangelical citizens at home. Where Christianity once was confined largely to poor villages, it is now spreading into urban power centers with often tacit approval from the regime. It reaches into the most influential corners of Chinese life: Intellectuals disillusioned by the 1989 crackdown at Tiananmen Square are placing their loyalty in faith, not politics; tycoons fed up with corruption are seeking an ethical code; and Communist Party members are daring to argue that their faith does not put them at odds with the government.” This is a neat piece.
“The country's three decades of iron-fisted population planning coincided with a binge in sex-selective abortions (Chinese traditionally favor sons, who carry on the family line) and a rise, even as the country developed, in female infant mortality. After almost 30 years of the policy, China now has the largest gender imbalance in the world, with 37 million more men than women and almost 20 percent more newborn boys than girls nationwide. . . . The one-child policy was instituted in an attempt to hamper the wild growth of the Chinese population. But, in the process of plugging one hole, the government may have left another open. The coming boom in restless young men promises to overhaul Chinese society in some potentially scary ways.” (“No Country For Young Men,” in the New Republic)
Also, read my review of David Aikman's remarkable book Jesus in Beijing (from a September 2007 blog post).
This dude has chalked up the air miles. I’ll get in line with the other bloggers posting the best feel-good clip on YouTube:
Friday, June 27, 2008
LeaderLines: “Who Stole My Church?”
Lifeway asked me to write a book review for their Let’s Worship magazine. I’m sharing it with LeaderLines readers. Stop by our church library to check out a copy of the book.
Tom
_________________
“All I know is that someone stole my church and I’d like to get it back.”
That was the frustrated outburst of Yvonne Padula, a fictional character in Gordon MacDonald’s newest book, Who Stole My Church? What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century (released in January 2008).
Anyone who has tried to introduce change in an established church--and anyone who has struggled to accept such changes--will identify with MacDonald’s insights. Drawing on forty years of pastoral experience, MacDonald said he wanted to help longtime church members understand “why many things about the way we have made church work must change and reflect new realities.” Conversely, he also hopes that younger generations of church leaders can be more sensitive to the resistance that their changes bring.
The book was written as a narrative instead of a “how to” manual. MacDonald created an imaginary church in New England and populated it with fictional characters from the “Builder” and “Boomer” generations who became frustrated over the changes that younger leaders made to their church. MacDonald imagines what he would do as their pastor to help them navigate the changes. Most of the book’s chapters describe the weekly meetings that the pastor set up with his frustrated church members, and the topics they covered in those meetings.
Those who struggle with changes in their church will benefit from “overhearing” the conversations in these meetings. MacDonald introduced his fictional church members to transitions in church music, characteristics of younger generations, and adaptations required for evangelizing, among other subjects.
At the same time, those who introduce changes to their church will benefit from the book as well. In his story, MacDonald demonstrates a pastoral quality that is too often disregarded by church leaders in the midst of change. Either from insensitivity or defensiveness to the criticisms against our changes, we aren’t always willing to listen, be patient, and walk with those who struggle. MacDonald imagines himself tolerantly listening to the complaints of the fictional characters resistant to the changes, and he provides them with training to help them gain a fresh perspective on the issues.
Despite the pastoral investment and the group’s slow adoption of the changes, not every character gets on board. One man eventually leaves with a dramatic flair of hostility that, sadly, most pastors will recognize. Most of the characters in the book, however, eventually work through the process of change and gain a new appreciation for their church.
Discussion questions are included in the book for those who may want to take a group through the same process of discovery as MacDonald and his fictional church.
________________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Tom
_________________
“All I know is that someone stole my church and I’d like to get it back.”
That was the frustrated outburst of Yvonne Padula, a fictional character in Gordon MacDonald’s newest book, Who Stole My Church? What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century (released in January 2008).
Anyone who has tried to introduce change in an established church--and anyone who has struggled to accept such changes--will identify with MacDonald’s insights. Drawing on forty years of pastoral experience, MacDonald said he wanted to help longtime church members understand “why many things about the way we have made church work must change and reflect new realities.” Conversely, he also hopes that younger generations of church leaders can be more sensitive to the resistance that their changes bring.
The book was written as a narrative instead of a “how to” manual. MacDonald created an imaginary church in New England and populated it with fictional characters from the “Builder” and “Boomer” generations who became frustrated over the changes that younger leaders made to their church. MacDonald imagines what he would do as their pastor to help them navigate the changes. Most of the book’s chapters describe the weekly meetings that the pastor set up with his frustrated church members, and the topics they covered in those meetings.
Those who struggle with changes in their church will benefit from “overhearing” the conversations in these meetings. MacDonald introduced his fictional church members to transitions in church music, characteristics of younger generations, and adaptations required for evangelizing, among other subjects.
At the same time, those who introduce changes to their church will benefit from the book as well. In his story, MacDonald demonstrates a pastoral quality that is too often disregarded by church leaders in the midst of change. Either from insensitivity or defensiveness to the criticisms against our changes, we aren’t always willing to listen, be patient, and walk with those who struggle. MacDonald imagines himself tolerantly listening to the complaints of the fictional characters resistant to the changes, and he provides them with training to help them gain a fresh perspective on the issues.
Despite the pastoral investment and the group’s slow adoption of the changes, not every character gets on board. One man eventually leaves with a dramatic flair of hostility that, sadly, most pastors will recognize. Most of the characters in the book, however, eventually work through the process of change and gain a new appreciation for their church.
Discussion questions are included in the book for those who may want to take a group through the same process of discovery as MacDonald and his fictional church.
________________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Winning Ways: “What If God Responds?”
If you consider yourself a seeker after God, you should seriously consider if you’re ready to meet the God you say you want to know.
I remember an experience on a fishing trip from many years ago. I must have been only 9 or 10 when it happened, but I still re-member how weak my knees got and how hard my heart pounded.
My uncle had baited my line and dropped it over the railing of a walkway that ran along a Gulf coast causeway in Pensacola, Florida. The bridge had been decommissioned for anything but foot traffic, and it was a rickety old thing. The wooden planks were weather-beaten and rough under my bare feet, and the whole contraption shuddered with every footfall. My uncle had walked ahead of me, trolling his line over the handrail as he went. Soon he was a hundred yards away, and it was quiet enough to hear the rhythmic slapping of the seawater upon the pylons twenty feet below.
Little boys love to “go fishing” but they can quickly get bored without any action on the line. I had fallen into that bored state, dully letting my bait sway upon the surface of the rolling swells.
Suddenly, a huge fish emerged from the murky waters and shot toward my line. Fearing that such a magnificent fish would pull me off that old wooden walkway and into the wild, deep sea far below, I panicked and yanked my line out of the water. The fish disappeared into the deep as quickly as it had appeared, and I was left alone again with unsteady legs and a thumping heart.
While many of the people I’ve talked to are on a sincere spiritual search, others merely “troll” for God. They have no anticipation of finding what they say they’re searching for. If God’s presence actually welled up from out of the mysterious deep, they would abandon their search for fear of being pulled away and overwhelmed.
In your spiritual search, it’s important to settle the question of what kind of “fisherman” you are. What will you do when what you’ve been searching for actually responds?
Tom
P.S. Thank you for you kind comments about last Sunday’s message, “The Church of Oprah.” If you missed it or want to review it, you can pick up a CD this Sunday or listen online at www.HillcrestAustin.org/sermons.
I remember an experience on a fishing trip from many years ago. I must have been only 9 or 10 when it happened, but I still re-member how weak my knees got and how hard my heart pounded.
My uncle had baited my line and dropped it over the railing of a walkway that ran along a Gulf coast causeway in Pensacola, Florida. The bridge had been decommissioned for anything but foot traffic, and it was a rickety old thing. The wooden planks were weather-beaten and rough under my bare feet, and the whole contraption shuddered with every footfall. My uncle had walked ahead of me, trolling his line over the handrail as he went. Soon he was a hundred yards away, and it was quiet enough to hear the rhythmic slapping of the seawater upon the pylons twenty feet below.
Little boys love to “go fishing” but they can quickly get bored without any action on the line. I had fallen into that bored state, dully letting my bait sway upon the surface of the rolling swells.
Suddenly, a huge fish emerged from the murky waters and shot toward my line. Fearing that such a magnificent fish would pull me off that old wooden walkway and into the wild, deep sea far below, I panicked and yanked my line out of the water. The fish disappeared into the deep as quickly as it had appeared, and I was left alone again with unsteady legs and a thumping heart.
While many of the people I’ve talked to are on a sincere spiritual search, others merely “troll” for God. They have no anticipation of finding what they say they’re searching for. If God’s presence actually welled up from out of the mysterious deep, they would abandon their search for fear of being pulled away and overwhelmed.
In your spiritual search, it’s important to settle the question of what kind of “fisherman” you are. What will you do when what you’ve been searching for actually responds?
Tom
P.S. Thank you for you kind comments about last Sunday’s message, “The Church of Oprah.” If you missed it or want to review it, you can pick up a CD this Sunday or listen online at www.HillcrestAustin.org/sermons.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Links to Your World, Tuesday June 24
Will advocates of gay rights stop at demanding that homosexual unions be recognized by the State, or will they demand that private citizens and religious organizations be punished for failing to get on board, too? NPR presented an important piece on this last week. Chilling stuff. Maggie Gallagher and Marc Stern also provided some interesting comments on the concern.
William Saletan of Slate predicts that parents will soon have a chance to abort based on tests that predict homosexual orientation much like parents who now abort based on gender selection. Now that will become an interesting cultural clash among liberals: Will prochoice forces soon meet one choice they will prohibit?
A Spanking Might Beat Ritalin.
“Promises of chastity don't seem to sway the screaming girl-fans, of course, it just makes them scream harder because boys-who-wait seem even dreamier than boys-who-don't, from the look of things for the Jonas brothers.” (story)
Eric Gorsky of the Washington Times reports on young leaders in Southern Baptist Convention churches.
“Plants have a secret social life.”
If you need a ransom note for your upcoming kidnapping, someone created a free online Ransom Note Generator just for you.
Hilarious headlines, ads, and classifieds.
Here's a 7-1/2 minute interview with Adrian Warnock and Ed Stetzer. Ed says there are two different camps in the evangelical world today: the 'theologically minded' and the 'evangelistically effective'. Many see these streams as mutually exclusive. But according to Ed, 'he wants it all'. Good stuff, as usual with Stetzer:
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epbis3kugW8
William Saletan of Slate predicts that parents will soon have a chance to abort based on tests that predict homosexual orientation much like parents who now abort based on gender selection. Now that will become an interesting cultural clash among liberals: Will prochoice forces soon meet one choice they will prohibit?
A Spanking Might Beat Ritalin.
“Promises of chastity don't seem to sway the screaming girl-fans, of course, it just makes them scream harder because boys-who-wait seem even dreamier than boys-who-don't, from the look of things for the Jonas brothers.” (story)
Eric Gorsky of the Washington Times reports on young leaders in Southern Baptist Convention churches.
“Plants have a secret social life.”
If you need a ransom note for your upcoming kidnapping, someone created a free online Ransom Note Generator just for you.
Hilarious headlines, ads, and classifieds.
Here's a 7-1/2 minute interview with Adrian Warnock and Ed Stetzer. Ed says there are two different camps in the evangelical world today: the 'theologically minded' and the 'evangelistically effective'. Many see these streams as mutually exclusive. But according to Ed, 'he wants it all'. Good stuff, as usual with Stetzer:
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epbis3kugW8
Thursday, June 19, 2008
LeaderLines: “When Leaders Pray, Week Eight”
Today we’ll wrap up an eight-week series in LeaderLines. We’ve been going through some of the prayers the Apostle Paul expressed for his people in his letters. These prayers can serve as a valuable guide in your own prayers.
But in Ephesians 6:19-20, the man who prayed for others asked others to pray for him:
Ephesians 6 isn’t the only place he asked for Christians to pray for him:
There was something about intercessory prayer that actually created a partnership between Paul and the person who prayed for Paul. It’s true between you and me, too: You may not know the details of my work, and I may not know that you are even praying for me. But in the spiritual world there is a partnership between your prayers and my work.
What should you pray for when you pray for me? For my physical health? Yes, but there is something more important than that. For faith and emotional strength and the ability to fight back the demons of depression? Yes. For financial discipline? Yes. For moral purity? Yes, that too. For the stability of my home and the commitment to be a good husband and father? Yes, but there is something even more important than that. Paul said to his people: “Pray for me that words will be given to me and that boldness will be given to me.” I need those same things: I need God to give me the words and the courage to say exactly what God wants me to say.
First, he wanted words. He wanted to say exactly what God wanted him to say. The NASB and KJV translates it “utterance”—“Pray that I may be given utterance.” That’s an old-fashioned word that we don’t use much today, but it just might be the best way to help us understand what Paul was getting at. He had in mind more than just words--he wanted God to give him divine words. He wanted God to give him words that would convict and convince. He wanted otherworldly conversation. He wanted “utterance.”
So, when you pray for me, pray that words from God’s Word will be given to me. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Notice what he calls a person whose job is to correctly handle the word of truth. He calls that person a workman, a laborer, a hired hand, blue-collar worker, an ordinary grunt. Far from taking a pastor’s time in the Word and shoving it off into whatever spare time a pastor has left after the “real” work of ministry is done, Paul said, “Timothy, here is the real grunt work of ministry, here is where you should labor until you’re wiping grit and sweat from your brow like a plowboy: Timothy, do your best to be a workman who correctly handles the word of truth.”
I’ve spent time as a grunt on construction crews, and I’ve stocked warehouse shelves, and I’ve operated forklifts, and I’ve drawn pay as a plumber. But I can tell you that nothing exhausts the body and mind like extended study in God’s Word. You need to pray that I be given time to listen to no other voices but the voice of God as he speaks through the Scripture.
So pray that I might have the time to be a workman who correctly handles the word of truth. And pray that the time I spend with God’s Book will he productive times. Pray that during those times of study God will feed me and shape me and enliven me so that when I speak on Sundays or counsel in my office or offer leadership on the direction of this church--when I open my mouth to speak, it will be exactly what God wants me to say.
Second, he wanted courage. Paul wanted the Ephesian Christians to pray not only that God would give Paul the words to speak but also that God would give Paul the courage to speak those words.
His concern for courage was so much on his mind, he mentions it twice--once in verse 19 and immediately again in verse 20. In verse 19 he says, “Pray . . . that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” Then in verse 20 the thought comes to his mind again: “Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
It’s hard to imagine Paul worried that he might lose courage in sharing the gospel, isn’t it? But anyone who seriously considers what is at stake has this concern. Chuck Colson wrote:
So, when you pray for your pastor, pray that he be given words and courage.
Several years ago, college football coach Bill McCartney began the phenomenal men’s movement called Promise Keepers. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Christian men pledged to keep seven vital promises, one of them being to honor and pray for their pastor. Pastors experienced powerful personal revival because Promise Keepers reminded Christian men to honor and pray for their pastors.
In a 1993 conference, Coach McCartney said to the men: “I see us going home to our churches and asking our pastors for permission, praying fervently for the favor of God, to stand before the congregation and say, ‘We’re going to start to lift up our pastor. We are going to stand in the gap for our preacher. We’re going to pray around the clock! We’re going to build this man up. We’re going to take him where he has never been before!’”
All around this nation churches were different when hundreds of thousands of men took up the coach’s challenge and prayed. Ephesians 6:19-20stands as instruction for every Christian, not just Promise Keepers. Like Paul asked his people, I ask you: “Pray for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”
_________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
But in Ephesians 6:19-20, the man who prayed for others asked others to pray for him:
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.Just a sentence earlier he had written, “Always keep on praying for all the saints.” Now he says, “Pray also for me.” He seems to be saying that every Christian needs to be on someone’s prayer list, but every prayer list ought to include someone’s pastor.
Ephesians 6 isn’t the only place he asked for Christians to pray for him:
In 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 he writes, “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.”In fact, he even regarded the prayers of others as a sort of partnership with him. He writes in Romans 15:30, “I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”
In Colossians 4:3-4, he writes almost the same thing that he writes in Ephesians 6: “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”
In 1 Thessalonians 5:25 he says simply, “Brothers, pray for us.”
There was something about intercessory prayer that actually created a partnership between Paul and the person who prayed for Paul. It’s true between you and me, too: You may not know the details of my work, and I may not know that you are even praying for me. But in the spiritual world there is a partnership between your prayers and my work.
What should you pray for when you pray for me? For my physical health? Yes, but there is something more important than that. For faith and emotional strength and the ability to fight back the demons of depression? Yes. For financial discipline? Yes. For moral purity? Yes, that too. For the stability of my home and the commitment to be a good husband and father? Yes, but there is something even more important than that. Paul said to his people: “Pray for me that words will be given to me and that boldness will be given to me.” I need those same things: I need God to give me the words and the courage to say exactly what God wants me to say.
First, he wanted words. He wanted to say exactly what God wanted him to say. The NASB and KJV translates it “utterance”—“Pray that I may be given utterance.” That’s an old-fashioned word that we don’t use much today, but it just might be the best way to help us understand what Paul was getting at. He had in mind more than just words--he wanted God to give him divine words. He wanted God to give him words that would convict and convince. He wanted otherworldly conversation. He wanted “utterance.”
So, when you pray for me, pray that words from God’s Word will be given to me. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Notice what he calls a person whose job is to correctly handle the word of truth. He calls that person a workman, a laborer, a hired hand, blue-collar worker, an ordinary grunt. Far from taking a pastor’s time in the Word and shoving it off into whatever spare time a pastor has left after the “real” work of ministry is done, Paul said, “Timothy, here is the real grunt work of ministry, here is where you should labor until you’re wiping grit and sweat from your brow like a plowboy: Timothy, do your best to be a workman who correctly handles the word of truth.”
I’ve spent time as a grunt on construction crews, and I’ve stocked warehouse shelves, and I’ve operated forklifts, and I’ve drawn pay as a plumber. But I can tell you that nothing exhausts the body and mind like extended study in God’s Word. You need to pray that I be given time to listen to no other voices but the voice of God as he speaks through the Scripture.
So pray that I might have the time to be a workman who correctly handles the word of truth. And pray that the time I spend with God’s Book will he productive times. Pray that during those times of study God will feed me and shape me and enliven me so that when I speak on Sundays or counsel in my office or offer leadership on the direction of this church--when I open my mouth to speak, it will be exactly what God wants me to say.
Second, he wanted courage. Paul wanted the Ephesian Christians to pray not only that God would give Paul the words to speak but also that God would give Paul the courage to speak those words.
His concern for courage was so much on his mind, he mentions it twice--once in verse 19 and immediately again in verse 20. In verse 19 he says, “Pray . . . that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” Then in verse 20 the thought comes to his mind again: “Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
It’s hard to imagine Paul worried that he might lose courage in sharing the gospel, isn’t it? But anyone who seriously considers what is at stake has this concern. Chuck Colson wrote:
When I was a Marine lieutenant, I was conscious that I had fifty lives in my hands. I didn’t dare show it, but I was frightened. A 747 pilot knows that he is responsible for three hundred or more lives. But can there be anything more terrifying than to know that you are actually speaking for God—the holy, majestic ‘I Am’? Can there be any greater responsibility than to shepherd the church of God which Jesus purchased with His own blood? Even with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the charge is terrifying, considering our own frailty.Pray that I will be given boldness to say exactly what God wants me to say—in the pulpit, one-on-one, and as I lead this church.
So, when you pray for your pastor, pray that he be given words and courage.
Several years ago, college football coach Bill McCartney began the phenomenal men’s movement called Promise Keepers. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Christian men pledged to keep seven vital promises, one of them being to honor and pray for their pastor. Pastors experienced powerful personal revival because Promise Keepers reminded Christian men to honor and pray for their pastors.
In a 1993 conference, Coach McCartney said to the men: “I see us going home to our churches and asking our pastors for permission, praying fervently for the favor of God, to stand before the congregation and say, ‘We’re going to start to lift up our pastor. We are going to stand in the gap for our preacher. We’re going to pray around the clock! We’re going to build this man up. We’re going to take him where he has never been before!’”
All around this nation churches were different when hundreds of thousands of men took up the coach’s challenge and prayed. Ephesians 6:19-20stands as instruction for every Christian, not just Promise Keepers. Like Paul asked his people, I ask you: “Pray for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”
_________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Winning Ways: “The Church of Oprah”
"It's the best summer school class you'll ever take!”
That’s the banner on Oprah.com, promoting an online class with Oprah Winfrey discussing the new book A New Earth with author the author, Eckhart Tolle. A new semester began last Sunday night.
At Hillcrest this Sunday, June 22, we’ll examine what they’re learning.
The more research I do for this message, the more impressed I get with Oprah. She’s generous, informative, and inspiring. One of her associates referred to Oprah as “a serial sharer,” and she’s shared her life with millions each afternoon. Her childhood abuse, her favorite purchases, her struggles against weight gain, her charitable causes, and even her spiritual search have become topics for her shows.
But when it comes to her spiritual search, she has chosen the wrong guides to help her. Most recently she’s been attracted to the esoteric lessons of Eckhart Tolle, a writer who presents New Age concepts in Christian language. Even the title of his latest book--“A New Earth”--comes from a verse in the Revelation, the last book of the New Testament. When she picked his book for her popular “Oprah’s Book Club” in January, she exclaimed, “I think this can change the world!”
After her recommendation, sales of his book skyrocketed to 4 million in a matter of weeks. Then, when she announced that she and Tolle would join together to lead an online seminar through the book in March, half a million people from 139 countries tried to log on the first night, shutting down the server. Two million people experienced the first 10-week semester and, as I said, a new semester began last Sunday evening.
"There is the Church of Oprah now," her longtime friend said to Newsweek with a laugh. "She has her own following."
The Bible can help us evaluate the concepts that Tolle has introduced to Oprah and, through her influence, to millions of others. Our lesson on June 22 will help you develop discernment.
Join us this Sunday at 9:30am or 10:45am!
___________________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Links to Your World, Tuesday June17
You MUST read or watch the Commencement Address of J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter book series. It’s called “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination.” Read it or watch it here.
Bored with ironing? Here are some ways to make it more exciting.
“I was talking to a friend today who used to work in the marketplace but now works at a church. She was challenged by the transition. It struck me that for many folks, their jobs are stress-producers, but the church is a stress-reliever. So they think to themselves, "If I could just work at a church, I'd get rid of my stress-producer and be forever at my stress-reliever!" What happens, of course, is that the church (when it is a job) becomes their stress-producer. Not only that, they've lost their old stress-reliever, since even when they come to church on Sunday they're coming to the job site.” (John Ortberg)
Calvin’s dad (of Calvin and Hobbes) always had great advice for his son. Read some of his sage comments here.
Last week I commented about articles showing that America is becoming the last Western nation to defend free speech. The New York Times’ Adam Liptak examines the issue here.
“The country’s moral guardians are forever looking for decadence out of Hollywood and reality TV. But the most rampant decadence today is financial decadence, the trampling of decent norms about how to use and harness money.” Read David Brooks concerns that America is losing sight of the moral dimension of money, especially in our runaway indebtedness.
Five Reasons Muslims Convert to Christianity
Read about the “100 Thing Challenge.” What would you keep if you decided to whittle down your possessions to just 100 things?
I’m reading more and more articles like the two following. These articles have something to say about reaching our church’s surrounding neighborhoods, and how the future is city-center, not suburban: “Is America's suburban dream collapsing into a nightmare?” (CNN); “Suburbs a Mile Too Far for Some” (WSJ).
Anxious? Larry Crabb says, “Go deeper.” “Beneath everyday nervousness; most panic attacks and phobias; worries about health, money, and children; and anxiety disorders lies a core terror, a consuming fear that lives in secrecy. Until it is brought into the light of consciousness where the reality of God can strip its power, that core terror will continue to reign as a hidden tyrant.” (article)
Bored with ironing? Here are some ways to make it more exciting.
“I was talking to a friend today who used to work in the marketplace but now works at a church. She was challenged by the transition. It struck me that for many folks, their jobs are stress-producers, but the church is a stress-reliever. So they think to themselves, "If I could just work at a church, I'd get rid of my stress-producer and be forever at my stress-reliever!" What happens, of course, is that the church (when it is a job) becomes their stress-producer. Not only that, they've lost their old stress-reliever, since even when they come to church on Sunday they're coming to the job site.” (John Ortberg)
Calvin’s dad (of Calvin and Hobbes) always had great advice for his son. Read some of his sage comments here.
Last week I commented about articles showing that America is becoming the last Western nation to defend free speech. The New York Times’ Adam Liptak examines the issue here.
“The country’s moral guardians are forever looking for decadence out of Hollywood and reality TV. But the most rampant decadence today is financial decadence, the trampling of decent norms about how to use and harness money.” Read David Brooks concerns that America is losing sight of the moral dimension of money, especially in our runaway indebtedness.
Five Reasons Muslims Convert to Christianity
Read about the “100 Thing Challenge.” What would you keep if you decided to whittle down your possessions to just 100 things?
I’m reading more and more articles like the two following. These articles have something to say about reaching our church’s surrounding neighborhoods, and how the future is city-center, not suburban: “Is America's suburban dream collapsing into a nightmare?” (CNN); “Suburbs a Mile Too Far for Some” (WSJ).
Anxious? Larry Crabb says, “Go deeper.” “Beneath everyday nervousness; most panic attacks and phobias; worries about health, money, and children; and anxiety disorders lies a core terror, a consuming fear that lives in secrecy. Until it is brought into the light of consciousness where the reality of God can strip its power, that core terror will continue to reign as a hidden tyrant.” (article)
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
LeaderLines: “When Leaders Pray, Week Seven”
We’re taking a few weeks in LeaderLines to go through some of the prayers the Apostle Paul expressed for his people in his letters. These prayers can serve as a valuable guide in your own prayers. The prayer recorded in Ephesians 3:14-21 is so rich that I’ve meditated over it for four weeks in my LeaderLines articles—
Posture: When you pray for other believers, you must kneel with the shamelessness of a beggar. We looked at this in detail three weeks ago.
Petitions: When you pray for other believers, ask that they might experience God’s power and God’s love. Two weeks ago we looked at Paul’s prayer for power, and last week we looked his prayer for love.
Praise: When you pray for other believers, know that you are bringing your requests to a great God! In verses 20-21, Paul concluded his prayer in this way:
This word demolishes most of our prayers! Most of us calculate the risks, assess the data, consult the experts, determine the probabilities and then formulate a request that we feel is practical enough to lift up to God. When we look at Paul’s robust confidence in God, J.B. Phillips was right: our God is too small!
I challenge you to voice this prayer on behalf of a beloved believer today. Below, I’ve provided a blank wherever “you” shows up in the text. Replace the blanks below with the name of the person and then forward this e-mail to him or her:
________________________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.If you want to learn how to pray for other believers, this beautiful heartcry gives us training in the right posture, the fitting petitions, and the worthy praise of intercessory prayer.
Posture: When you pray for other believers, you must kneel with the shamelessness of a beggar. We looked at this in detail three weeks ago.
Petitions: When you pray for other believers, ask that they might experience God’s power and God’s love. Two weeks ago we looked at Paul’s prayer for power, and last week we looked his prayer for love.
Praise: When you pray for other believers, know that you are bringing your requests to a great God! In verses 20-21, Paul concluded his prayer in this way:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.Notice that the God to whom you pray is a God who can do immeasurably more than all we ask for even imagine asking. The Greek word we translate “immeasurably more” is huperekperissou. It’s a lively combination of four words: huper means “above,” ek means “out of,” and peri means “around.” So Paul is saying that God is able to do “above, out of, and around” all things which we ask or even think to ask.
This word demolishes most of our prayers! Most of us calculate the risks, assess the data, consult the experts, determine the probabilities and then formulate a request that we feel is practical enough to lift up to God. When we look at Paul’s robust confidence in God, J.B. Phillips was right: our God is too small!
I challenge you to voice this prayer on behalf of a beloved believer today. Below, I’ve provided a blank wherever “you” shows up in the text. Replace the blanks below with the name of the person and then forward this e-mail to him or her:
I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen ________ with power through his Spirit in ________’s inner being, so that Christ may dwell in ________’s heart through faith. And I pray that ________, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that ________ may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.God’s richest blessings on your prayer life!
________________________________________
Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Prophecy Bomb
Dang. I thought I wouldn't have to write my LeaderLines article today because Yisrayl Hawkins said nuclear war would begin today. He's the House of Yahweh church leader in Abilene, Texas who has instructed his followers to set aside 60 truck trailers full of survival rations. Considering that we're all still here, guess I'm gonna have to finish that article after all. Will post LeaderLines in a bit. YouTube:
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Winning Ways: “A Parent’s Lesson Plan”
What are the most common things parents say to their children?
Two family-life specialists surveyed hundreds of children and published the top three comments. Delmar Holbrook and his wife reported that the three most-said things were:
We squander too many opportunities to teach our kids, but this Sunday we can recommit to that sacred task. This Father’s Day, June 15, I’m going to talk about the “lesson plan” we must follow as parents. Just as school teachers follow lesson plans to ensure that our kids get the curriculum they need to learn, parents have a lesson plan, too. In Proverbs 4:20-27, the wise father guides his son to . . .
Also, spread the word about our special study the following Sunday, June 22. It’s called “The Church of Oprah,” and we’ll conduct a biblical critique of Oprah Winfrey’s spiritual search.
The more research I do for this message, the more impressed I get with Oprah. She’s generous, informative, and inspiring. She’s honest about her frailties, from her childhood abuse to her struggles against weight gain to her spiritual search.
But she has chosen the wrong guides to help her on her spiritual search, most recently Eckhart Tolle. And, since she is incredibly influential, millions of women are getting the same bad advice.
The Bible can help us evaluate Tolle’s teaching. Our lesson on June 22 will help you develop discernment.
Join us this Sunday and the next at 9:30am or 10:45am!
___________________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
Two family-life specialists surveyed hundreds of children and published the top three comments. Delmar Holbrook and his wife reported that the three most-said things were:
“I’m too tired.”We can’t let those become our most memorable phrases when our kids think of what we’ve said to them! God has given us parents the responsibility to mold our kids into God-honoring adults—and we’ve only got about two decades to get the job done. As one writer said, the finger marks on the hallway wall get higher and higher and then, suddenly, they disappear.
“We don’t have enough money.”
“Keep quiet.”
We squander too many opportunities to teach our kids, but this Sunday we can recommit to that sacred task. This Father’s Day, June 15, I’m going to talk about the “lesson plan” we must follow as parents. Just as school teachers follow lesson plans to ensure that our kids get the curriculum they need to learn, parents have a lesson plan, too. In Proverbs 4:20-27, the wise father guides his son to . . .
. . . guard his heart from corruptionJoin us this Sunday and recommit to teaching this “lesson plan” to your kids. If you don’t have kids, or your kids are all raised and gone, come to prayerfully support the parents who will be sitting around you!
. . . discipline his mouth from irresponsible words
. . . fix his eyes on worthy goals, and
. . . set his feet on roads that won’t disappoint.
Also, spread the word about our special study the following Sunday, June 22. It’s called “The Church of Oprah,” and we’ll conduct a biblical critique of Oprah Winfrey’s spiritual search.
The more research I do for this message, the more impressed I get with Oprah. She’s generous, informative, and inspiring. She’s honest about her frailties, from her childhood abuse to her struggles against weight gain to her spiritual search.
But she has chosen the wrong guides to help her on her spiritual search, most recently Eckhart Tolle. And, since she is incredibly influential, millions of women are getting the same bad advice.
The Bible can help us evaluate Tolle’s teaching. Our lesson on June 22 will help you develop discernment.
Join us this Sunday and the next at 9:30am or 10:45am!
___________________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Links to Your World, Tuesday June 10
Thabiti Anyabwile lays out “Seven Reasons Conservative Whites and White Evangelicals Should Stop and Enjoy Obama's Nomination.” Thabiti is an African-American pastor serving at my former church, and he has a point. I admit that Obama's atrocious voting record on behalf of abortion advocates has kept me from taking a moment to "rejoice with those who rejoice" over the historical significance of Obama's nomination. This is gonna be an interesting General Election . . . .
“My marriage ended because John McCain didn’t want to be 40, he wanted to be 25.” Carol McCain, who is more tolerant of John McCain’s adultery and divorce 30 years ago than the others quoted in an unflattering piece on John McCain in London’s Daily Mail. (story) As I said, this is gonna be an interesting General Election . . . .
Happy Father’s Day: “A few days ago, I came across a draft of a memoir my father was working on before he entered immortality in 1999. After reading it carefully, I realized that I knew almost everything in it except for one huge thing: how hard his work — his “business,” as one might say, for it surely kept him “busy” — had been for a number of years in middle age.” (Ben Stein, on his father)
“If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?” And review 35 more questions to ask before you send your next e-mail.
Value your First Amendment freedom of speech, because the U.S. is becoming the last place among Western nations to exercise this right. Last week a French court convicted Brigitte Bardot of provoking discrimination and racial hatred for writing that Muslims are destroying France, and in England two pastors handing out gospel leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area were threatened with arrest and warned of being beaten for committing what a police officer called a "hate crime."
“In the last decade, even during the seven-plus years of the Bush presidency, the center of American politics has moved considerably to the left. Whether Obama or McCain wins the White House, liberalism has already won the national debate about the future of the country.” I’m a conservative, but I found this article by Michael Lind in Salon absolutely intriguing.
You should read Time’s coverage of the violence against Israel’s messianic Jews and pray for the Ortiz family. And I send you to this article despite the fact that editors let a horribly-worded phrase from reporter Tim McGirk slip in: “Orthodox Jews view [messianic Jews] as traitors for joining the Christian faith, which for centuries has persecuted Jews.” What a contrast to how McGirk carefully nuanced his presentation of the violence: “Lately, the outrage among extremist orthodox Jews has spilled into violence.” So let me get this straight: Christians persecute Jews, but its only “extremist” orthodox Jews who blow up the children of messianic Jewish pastors. I’m sure that’s not what McGirk meant, but it was lazy reporting nonetheless.
“Card-carrying members of the intelligentsia like Mr. Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris would surely be doubtful, even incredulous, if a politician who had illegally seized power claimed that his motives for doing so were purely patriotic; or if a CEO of a drug company explained a sudden drop in prices by professing her undying compassion for those unable to afford her company's products. Discerning a difference between people's professed aims and their real aims is just what intellectuals do. Yet when someone does something nasty and claims to have done it in the name of religion, our leading atheists suddenly become paragons of credulity.” (“Too Much Faith in Faith” by Alan Jacobs)
“A computer spell-checker run amok christened several Pennsylvania high school students with new — and in some cases unflattering — last names. Middletown Area High School's yearbook listed Max Zupanovic as ‘Max Supernova,’ Kathy Carbaugh as ‘Kathy Airbag’ and Alessandra Ippolito as ‘Alexandria Impolite,’ just to name a few.” (story)
Can you use “compunicate” in a sentence? How about “defriend” or “moofer”? Advertising agency Cramer-Krasselt has compiled a 2008 Cultural Dictionary of new words and phrases culled from magazines, web sites, blogs and conversations. Check it out.
How to Get More Than 40 Miles Per Gallon Without a Hybrid
“Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts — and with no more brains than you have. But! They have one thing you haven’t got! A diploma!” (“The Wizard of Oz”)
The stress from deepening debt is becoming a major pain in the neck — and the back and the head and the stomach — for millions of Americans. (story in Time magazine)
“A rich 80-year-old Indian widow has spent thousands of dollars on a feast for 100,000 people in the hope it would please the gods and open the doors of heaven for her, local officials said.” (story)
“For just $40 a year, believers can arrange for up to 62 people to get a final message exactly six days after the Rapture, that day when -- according to Christian end times dogma -- Christians will be swept up to heaven, while doubters are left behind to suffer seven years of Tribulation under a global government headed by the Antichrist. ‘You've Been Left Behind gives you one last opportunity to reach your lost family and friends for Christ,’ reads the website.” From Wired magazine, which smells a possible scam.
What’s the solution to the worldwide environmental, obesity, and food crises? Eat more bugs, or, as they are euphemistically called, “mini livestock” and “land shrimp.” Yum.
“My marriage ended because John McCain didn’t want to be 40, he wanted to be 25.” Carol McCain, who is more tolerant of John McCain’s adultery and divorce 30 years ago than the others quoted in an unflattering piece on John McCain in London’s Daily Mail. (story) As I said, this is gonna be an interesting General Election . . . .
Happy Father’s Day: “A few days ago, I came across a draft of a memoir my father was working on before he entered immortality in 1999. After reading it carefully, I realized that I knew almost everything in it except for one huge thing: how hard his work — his “business,” as one might say, for it surely kept him “busy” — had been for a number of years in middle age.” (Ben Stein, on his father)
“If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?” And review 35 more questions to ask before you send your next e-mail.
Value your First Amendment freedom of speech, because the U.S. is becoming the last place among Western nations to exercise this right. Last week a French court convicted Brigitte Bardot of provoking discrimination and racial hatred for writing that Muslims are destroying France, and in England two pastors handing out gospel leaflets in a predominantly Muslim area were threatened with arrest and warned of being beaten for committing what a police officer called a "hate crime."
“In the last decade, even during the seven-plus years of the Bush presidency, the center of American politics has moved considerably to the left. Whether Obama or McCain wins the White House, liberalism has already won the national debate about the future of the country.” I’m a conservative, but I found this article by Michael Lind in Salon absolutely intriguing.
You should read Time’s coverage of the violence against Israel’s messianic Jews and pray for the Ortiz family. And I send you to this article despite the fact that editors let a horribly-worded phrase from reporter Tim McGirk slip in: “Orthodox Jews view [messianic Jews] as traitors for joining the Christian faith, which for centuries has persecuted Jews.” What a contrast to how McGirk carefully nuanced his presentation of the violence: “Lately, the outrage among extremist orthodox Jews has spilled into violence.” So let me get this straight: Christians persecute Jews, but its only “extremist” orthodox Jews who blow up the children of messianic Jewish pastors. I’m sure that’s not what McGirk meant, but it was lazy reporting nonetheless.
“Card-carrying members of the intelligentsia like Mr. Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris would surely be doubtful, even incredulous, if a politician who had illegally seized power claimed that his motives for doing so were purely patriotic; or if a CEO of a drug company explained a sudden drop in prices by professing her undying compassion for those unable to afford her company's products. Discerning a difference between people's professed aims and their real aims is just what intellectuals do. Yet when someone does something nasty and claims to have done it in the name of religion, our leading atheists suddenly become paragons of credulity.” (“Too Much Faith in Faith” by Alan Jacobs)
“A computer spell-checker run amok christened several Pennsylvania high school students with new — and in some cases unflattering — last names. Middletown Area High School's yearbook listed Max Zupanovic as ‘Max Supernova,’ Kathy Carbaugh as ‘Kathy Airbag’ and Alessandra Ippolito as ‘Alexandria Impolite,’ just to name a few.” (story)
Can you use “compunicate” in a sentence? How about “defriend” or “moofer”? Advertising agency Cramer-Krasselt has compiled a 2008 Cultural Dictionary of new words and phrases culled from magazines, web sites, blogs and conversations. Check it out.
How to Get More Than 40 Miles Per Gallon Without a Hybrid
“Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts — and with no more brains than you have. But! They have one thing you haven’t got! A diploma!” (“The Wizard of Oz”)
The stress from deepening debt is becoming a major pain in the neck — and the back and the head and the stomach — for millions of Americans. (story in Time magazine)
“A rich 80-year-old Indian widow has spent thousands of dollars on a feast for 100,000 people in the hope it would please the gods and open the doors of heaven for her, local officials said.” (story)
“For just $40 a year, believers can arrange for up to 62 people to get a final message exactly six days after the Rapture, that day when -- according to Christian end times dogma -- Christians will be swept up to heaven, while doubters are left behind to suffer seven years of Tribulation under a global government headed by the Antichrist. ‘You've Been Left Behind gives you one last opportunity to reach your lost family and friends for Christ,’ reads the website.” From Wired magazine, which smells a possible scam.
What’s the solution to the worldwide environmental, obesity, and food crises? Eat more bugs, or, as they are euphemistically called, “mini livestock” and “land shrimp.” Yum.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Thursday, June 05, 2008
LeaderLines: “When Leaders Pray, Week Six”
We’re taking a few weeks in LeaderLines to go through some of the prayers the Apostle Paul expressed for his people in his letters. These prayers can serve as a valuable guide in your own prayers.
Two weeks ago we began to look at the prayer recorded in Ephesians 3:14-21. Paul asked God to give the Ephesian believers two things: God’s power and God’s love. Verses 16-17 record his request for power, and we looked at those verses last week. Now take a look at his request for God’s love in verses 17-19:
It’s the same thing church leaders must pray for those we serve:
First, pray that those you serve gain a deeper appreciation of God's love. If we want to pray for our people as Paul prayed for those he led, we’ll pray verse 17 for them: "I pray that you . . . may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."
What made him think of those measurements of Christ’s love? Maybe Paul had in mind Psalm 139:
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
So, maybe Paul was saying, “I pray that every day you live you will grasp the profound truth of Psalm 139. You can rise on the wings of the dawn and race at the speed of light to the far side of the sea, and you will not outrun the width and length of Christ's love. You can go up to the heavens and not rise above the heights of Christ's love. You can make your bed in the depths and not dig below the reach of Christ's love.”
Or maybe Paul had in his mind an image of the cross, stretched out to cosmic dimensions. The width and length and height and depth of Christ's love was demonstrated in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Maybe Paul was saying, "I pray that every new day, every new crisis, every new experience, you can more firmly grasp just how much Jesus loves you."
Second, pray that those you serve will gain a better appropriation of God's love. To pray like Paul, you’ll want those you serve not only to meditate upon God’s love but to live in the joy and freedom it brings. And so he prays, "God, let them not only grasp it but also know this love that surpasses knowledge!"
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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Two weeks ago we began to look at the prayer recorded in Ephesians 3:14-21. Paul asked God to give the Ephesian believers two things: God’s power and God’s love. Verses 16-17 record his request for power, and we looked at those verses last week. Now take a look at his request for God’s love in verses 17-19:
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.Take note of two words in those verses: to grasp and to know. He prayed that they would grasp God's love and know God's love. He prayed that they would appreciate it with their minds and appropriate it with their lives.
It’s the same thing church leaders must pray for those we serve:
First, pray that those you serve gain a deeper appreciation of God's love. If we want to pray for our people as Paul prayed for those he led, we’ll pray verse 17 for them: "I pray that you . . . may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."
What made him think of those measurements of Christ’s love? Maybe Paul had in mind Psalm 139:
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
So, maybe Paul was saying, “I pray that every day you live you will grasp the profound truth of Psalm 139. You can rise on the wings of the dawn and race at the speed of light to the far side of the sea, and you will not outrun the width and length of Christ's love. You can go up to the heavens and not rise above the heights of Christ's love. You can make your bed in the depths and not dig below the reach of Christ's love.”
Or maybe Paul had in his mind an image of the cross, stretched out to cosmic dimensions. The width and length and height and depth of Christ's love was demonstrated in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Maybe Paul was saying, "I pray that every new day, every new crisis, every new experience, you can more firmly grasp just how much Jesus loves you."
Second, pray that those you serve will gain a better appropriation of God's love. To pray like Paul, you’ll want those you serve not only to meditate upon God’s love but to live in the joy and freedom it brings. And so he prays, "God, let them not only grasp it but also know this love that surpasses knowledge!"
For the Christian struggling against some sin, know this: "Jesus loves you, and will forgive you and raise you up when you fall."As your pastor, my prayer is that every new day, every new experience, every new crisis will simply be a way for you to more firmly grasp and more deeply know the divine love that surpasses knowledge. As someone who serves Hillcrest with me, join me in that prayer for our church!
For the perfectionist who secretly believes that acceptance comes only by achievements, know this: "Jesus loves you; he chose you before the foundation of the world, let alone before you ever achieved a thing for him. He will never let you down."
For the person working through some crisis, know this: "Jesus loves you, and he will walk you through this."
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Each Thursday I post my article from "LeaderLines," an e-newsletter for church leaders read by over 300 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "LeaderLines," sign up here.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Buttprints in the Sand
Who really wrote the "Footprints" poem? You know, the one shared around the world on posters, plaques, and coffee mugs. The one about the single set of footprints in the sand where Jesus carried us in our darkest moments.
According to the Washington Post last Sunday, three contenders are duking it out for the claim of authorship.
It got me to thinking about an updated version of the famous poem. Though it was sent to me long ago as an anonymous work, I'm thinking about being the first to file a copyright for it. It's lovingly entitled, "Buttprints in the Sand," and at various moments in my life I've need its truth as much as "Footprints in the Sand."
One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some strange prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet."
"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you along.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."
"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So to discipline, I said, "Time's up!"
And there I dropped you on your butt."
And so in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.
According to the Washington Post last Sunday, three contenders are duking it out for the claim of authorship.
It got me to thinking about an updated version of the famous poem. Though it was sent to me long ago as an anonymous work, I'm thinking about being the first to file a copyright for it. It's lovingly entitled, "Buttprints in the Sand," and at various moments in my life I've need its truth as much as "Footprints in the Sand."
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some strange prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet."
"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you along.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."
"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So to discipline, I said, "Time's up!"
And there I dropped you on your butt."
And so in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.
Winning Ways: “Risk’s Rewards”
Have you ever suffered from the “Wallenda Factor”?
Thirty years ago, Karl Wallenda, patriarch of The Flying Wallendas, fell 75 feet to his death while walking a high wire in Puerto Rico. His widow felt that a new fear of falling actually contributed to his fall. In the months leading up to his death, she watched Karl transition from courage to precaution. The aerialist who once loved walking the high wire became a man obsessed with the fear of falling.
This fear of failing is today known as the Wallenda Factor. It refers to people and situations where the fear of failure overwhelms what used to be the joy of daring.
A few years back there was a sociological study done of 50 people over the age of 95. They were all asked the question, “If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?” The second most-repeated response was, “I would risk more.” I wonder if they were not thinking back over chances they missed because they were unwilling to lay it all on the line. Life had taught them that sometimes the only way to get life’s best is to risk.
We know this instinctively, because the books we love to read, the movies we love to watch, and the sports or business stories we love to hear all have one thing in common: they all involve people who were willing to risk. Our heroes tend to be people who were willing to lay it all on the line in order to achieve.
If you have a short list of heroes like that, Caleb should be on your list. Whenever we find Caleb in the pages of the Bible, he’s acting boldly. If you could sit down with Caleb and talk with him about the decisions you’re facing, what advice do you think he would give you? This Sunday, I will share with you seven things I believe he would say about how to take a risk.
Maybe you’re considering a big decision right now. May God give you wisdom to make the right decision—and may he give you courage to see it through!
___________________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
Thirty years ago, Karl Wallenda, patriarch of The Flying Wallendas, fell 75 feet to his death while walking a high wire in Puerto Rico. His widow felt that a new fear of falling actually contributed to his fall. In the months leading up to his death, she watched Karl transition from courage to precaution. The aerialist who once loved walking the high wire became a man obsessed with the fear of falling.
This fear of failing is today known as the Wallenda Factor. It refers to people and situations where the fear of failure overwhelms what used to be the joy of daring.
A few years back there was a sociological study done of 50 people over the age of 95. They were all asked the question, “If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?” The second most-repeated response was, “I would risk more.” I wonder if they were not thinking back over chances they missed because they were unwilling to lay it all on the line. Life had taught them that sometimes the only way to get life’s best is to risk.
We know this instinctively, because the books we love to read, the movies we love to watch, and the sports or business stories we love to hear all have one thing in common: they all involve people who were willing to risk. Our heroes tend to be people who were willing to lay it all on the line in order to achieve.
If you have a short list of heroes like that, Caleb should be on your list. Whenever we find Caleb in the pages of the Bible, he’s acting boldly. If you could sit down with Caleb and talk with him about the decisions you’re facing, what advice do you think he would give you? This Sunday, I will share with you seven things I believe he would say about how to take a risk.
Maybe you’re considering a big decision right now. May God give you wisdom to make the right decision—and may he give you courage to see it through!
___________________________________________
Each Wednesday I post my article from "Winning Ways," an e-newsletter that goes out to over 900 subscribers. If you want to subscribe to "Winning Ways," sign up here.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Links to Your World, Tuesday June 3
“The producers of a Mormon version of the popular "Bachelor" television program were dealt a rude surprise when their lead man got down on his knee and proposed to all six finalists.” (story)
For those of you who just can’t ignore bubblewrap . . .
"Despite the fact that religion is always in the news, visits to religious websites in the U.S. are declining rapidly. They dropped over 30% within the last year, down 35% the last two years, while visits to online entertainment, in the form of video sites and social networks like MySpace and Facebook, continue to soar. Does the erosion of online interest in religion translate to a major shift away from spirituality? Are we losing our religion?" ("Looking for God Online")
“Critics must be more careful about their use of the terms topical and expositional when used of preaching. What some mean is that the preaching in the new churches is topical as done in liberal churches, where often the message is on a topic that may not even be found in the Bible or the preacher ignores the Bible. Again this may be true of a handful of new-model churches but by no means all. Many of us who teach preaching at a seminary level divide expository preaching into several areas, all of which are based on preaching the Bible. Three such areas are book exposition, biographical exposition, and topical exposition. Book exposition involves preaching through various books of the Bible. Biographical exposition is preaching the lives of biblical characters, based on what the text says about them. And topical exposition is preaching on various topics addressed in Scripture, for example, what the Bible says about worry, money, abortion, capital punishment, and such theological topics as angels, salvation, sin, the Trinity, and so on. Thus it is okay to preach a topical sermon, as long as it is topical exposition. How else might we preach systematic or biblical theology or some other subject of the Bible?” (Aubrey Malphurs)
Cathy Lynn Grossman's recent USA Today article on William Young's surprise bestseller The Shack is her second in a month, this one shifting attention to the long-developing and growing backlash against the book coming from a number of influential voices concerned about the book's implicit theological claims.
“The argument that government is often a flawed instrument to improve social conditions has merit. There are limits to take-a-number-and-wait bureaucratic compassion -- and tremendous advantages to the commitment and sacrificial love of volunteers. Which is precisely why compassionate conservatism looks first to the expansion of private, community responses to poverty and need. But the scale of these needs is sometimes overwhelming. Private compassion cannot replace Medicaid or provide AIDS drugs to millions of people in Africa for the rest of their lives. In these cases, a role for government is necessary and compassionate -- the expression of conservative commitments to the general welfare and the value of every human life.” (Michael Gerson)
For those of you who just can’t ignore bubblewrap . . .
"Despite the fact that religion is always in the news, visits to religious websites in the U.S. are declining rapidly. They dropped over 30% within the last year, down 35% the last two years, while visits to online entertainment, in the form of video sites and social networks like MySpace and Facebook, continue to soar. Does the erosion of online interest in religion translate to a major shift away from spirituality? Are we losing our religion?" ("Looking for God Online")
“Critics must be more careful about their use of the terms topical and expositional when used of preaching. What some mean is that the preaching in the new churches is topical as done in liberal churches, where often the message is on a topic that may not even be found in the Bible or the preacher ignores the Bible. Again this may be true of a handful of new-model churches but by no means all. Many of us who teach preaching at a seminary level divide expository preaching into several areas, all of which are based on preaching the Bible. Three such areas are book exposition, biographical exposition, and topical exposition. Book exposition involves preaching through various books of the Bible. Biographical exposition is preaching the lives of biblical characters, based on what the text says about them. And topical exposition is preaching on various topics addressed in Scripture, for example, what the Bible says about worry, money, abortion, capital punishment, and such theological topics as angels, salvation, sin, the Trinity, and so on. Thus it is okay to preach a topical sermon, as long as it is topical exposition. How else might we preach systematic or biblical theology or some other subject of the Bible?” (Aubrey Malphurs)
Cathy Lynn Grossman's recent USA Today article on William Young's surprise bestseller The Shack is her second in a month, this one shifting attention to the long-developing and growing backlash against the book coming from a number of influential voices concerned about the book's implicit theological claims.
“The argument that government is often a flawed instrument to improve social conditions has merit. There are limits to take-a-number-and-wait bureaucratic compassion -- and tremendous advantages to the commitment and sacrificial love of volunteers. Which is precisely why compassionate conservatism looks first to the expansion of private, community responses to poverty and need. But the scale of these needs is sometimes overwhelming. Private compassion cannot replace Medicaid or provide AIDS drugs to millions of people in Africa for the rest of their lives. In these cases, a role for government is necessary and compassionate -- the expression of conservative commitments to the general welfare and the value of every human life.” (Michael Gerson)
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Song of the Week: Bonnie Raitt's Cover of "Hear Me Lord"
Bonnie Raitt covered "Hear Me Lord" from Zimbabwe's Oliver Mtukudzi on her 2002 project Silver Lining:
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