The Christmas story starts with angelic visits to Mary and Joseph. To each of them the angel said, "Do not be afraid" (LK 1:30 & MT 1:20). Indeed, it can be scary to have God work in and through your life. I know that experientially. It can put you in places where you do not understand what is going on or how things will work out. People around you (family, friends, and associates) typically understand even less.
Let's embrace this Christmas message: We don't have to give in to fear. We can trust God and His plans. In the chaos of this world, God is working. Let’s join Him without fear.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
October 2009 - A Test!
This has been an unusually stressful month for me and my wife. Both of our mothers have not been in good health for quite awhile. Downturns in either could hardly be unexpected.
Kathy’s mom has been struggling for months with declining health. We had, therefore, planned a long weekend trip to see her Mom on October 16th through the 19th. On Wednesday, the 7th, however, we received a call from the care center that Mom Hebner had been taken to the ER; she was not responding well to staff. We headed for Iowa the next morning.
Kathy’s brothers and their wives all came to the care center, too. The eldest brother arrived on Saturday around 1 p.m.. Mom had been kind of in and out of consciousness and was somewhat communicative when conscious. She was able to be roused when Kathy’s brother and sister-in-law arrived Saturday afternoon. Around 4 p.m. that afternoon, she went into a state somewhere between conscious and unconscious. She could not open her eyes or speak, but would often have facial expressions or head nods that let you know that she was hearing things said to her. We spent precious family time huddled together in her little room.
Kathy spent the night with her mom Saturday. On Sunday, her oldest brother and his wife spent the night with her. We all knew she could slip away anytime. At about 1 a.m. that night, she did. Kathy’s brother called us as soon as she passed. We got up, got dressed, and drove to the care center. We stayed until the funeral home guy came to get her body. Somewhere around 3 a.m. we were back in bed.
I had planned to return to Tulsa on Monday. We had car trouble near Kansas City on our trip to Iowa and had to rent a car. I needed to return the rental and pick ours up from the repair shop. I also had appointments I felt I needed to keep at work. So, I came home and worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Through this week, Kathy and her brothers made funeral plans and took care of things like clearing Mom’s belongings out of her care center room. Friday, I drove back to Iowa. That evening we had the visitation at the funeral home.
The graveside service was in the morning and the memorial service in the afternoon on Saturday. Our children headed back home on Sunday afternoon. We returned on Monday.
We had just arrived home, had not even unpacked our car, when we received a phone call from a care center in our area. It was about a long-time elderly friend. Hospice had just informed the family that they expected her to pass within 24-36 hours. We hurriedly unpacked our car and rushed over to the care center. Our friend was barely responsive. She hung on until late Friday night.
I passed over another hugely significant experience in this week. Tuesday evening just after finishing my last appointment at 6:30, I received a call from a dear friend of ours. She was crying uncontrollably; I could hardly understand what she was saying. In fact, had it not been for caller ID, I might not have known who was crying out to me. I did hear this, “please come over; Kevin has hung himself.” Kevin was Sherry’s 41 year old son.
Kathy and I rushed to the home. As we approached the house, we saw the emergency vehicle lights. Wow! This must have just happened, I thought. It had happened sometime that afternoon. Sherry had just heard about it when she called me. She was rushing home from work as she called me, and only beat us there by minutes.
Sherry’s sister-in-law who lives with them found Kevin not long before this frantic phone call. He had hung himself in a shed in the back yard. It is hard to describe the scene of this devastated family. I was in shock myself. Investigators were all over the place. They did not remove the body for a long time. Kathy and I prayed for people. We hugged people. I made calls for the family to notify other family members.
Through the rest of this week, besides taking care of regular work responsibilities, we were going back and forth between the care center where our elderly friend was dying and our friends who were already devastated by death.
I was asked to perform both of these funeral services. It was an honor to serve. Both funerals were on Monday, October 26th. Two funerals could hardly be more different. The morning one involved such anguish. An untimely death is always difficult; suicide magnifies the pain considerably. The afternoon funeral was for a dear old lady who had outlived her only child and most of her friends at 93. It was a fun time of remembrance, mixed with the natural sadness of loss. This was a loss for which everyone had had years to prepare.
One more disturbing thing was stuck in the middle of all this drama. My own mother, as I indicated in my opening paragraph, had not been well for some time. On October 15th, the day before I headed to Iowa for my mother-in-laws funeral, Mom was taken to the ER with a heart rate of 134. She was admitted and many tests were run. Talk with the nurses over the next few days was not encouraging. She was mentally out of it much of the time. Sometimes she was her normal sweet self, expressing appreciation for the help of the hospital staff. Then, they said, she had times of “being mean to them”.
They got her stabilized and discharged her to a nursing home on the 20th. She will not return to her home, which upsets her greatly when she is mentally aware of the fact. We decided that we needed to go see her a.s.a.p., so we went to Indiana the last weekend of October.
That was a mixed-bag. For the most part, she was pleasant and mentally with us. I took my guitar, sang and played for her. She enjoyed it and expressed it.
There were disturbing things about the visit. For instance, when we first arrived, she was so happy to see us. She was in her wheelchair by the nurses’ station with a male resident sitting in front of her; they were sitting face-to-face. A nurse was standing nearby. Mom proudly and loudly introduced me to the nurse as her “#2 son.” That was cool.
But then, she pointed to the old fellow in front of her and said, “and THIS is my #1 son.” I tried to make light of it by saying, “So, Mom, did you adopt him?” She was not humored. She sternly ordered me to “go give your brother a hug and a kiss.” When I went to the old gentleman and extended my hand to introduce myself, Mom let it be known, in no uncertain terms, that “that’s no way to greet your brother.” Again, she ordered me to give him a hug and a kiss. Kathy rescued me by saying something like, “let’s go see your room, Mom.” I had nothing against the old gent, but I really wasn’t looking forward to hugging and kissing him. I don’t think he was looking forward to it either.
Well, we had some other disturbing experiences with her over the weekend. She was sometimes very confused and disoriented. It is hard to see my mother so mentally messed up. And it is getting visibly worse by the week. I expect to experience relief when I hear that she has slipped into Jesus’ everlasting arms.
It is out of our tests that we develop a testimony. I will conclude by telling you that through this month I have experienced God in a precious way. I have had strength to serve others that I knew was not my own. I have felt carried by the Spirit through several days. This is the grace of God at work. Grace is, fundamentally, Heaven’s resources to meet our earthly needs. You have heard that, “it is by grace that we are saved”; and I tell you that it is also by God’s grace that we live this Christian life.
Kathy’s mom has been struggling for months with declining health. We had, therefore, planned a long weekend trip to see her Mom on October 16th through the 19th. On Wednesday, the 7th, however, we received a call from the care center that Mom Hebner had been taken to the ER; she was not responding well to staff. We headed for Iowa the next morning.
Kathy’s brothers and their wives all came to the care center, too. The eldest brother arrived on Saturday around 1 p.m.. Mom had been kind of in and out of consciousness and was somewhat communicative when conscious. She was able to be roused when Kathy’s brother and sister-in-law arrived Saturday afternoon. Around 4 p.m. that afternoon, she went into a state somewhere between conscious and unconscious. She could not open her eyes or speak, but would often have facial expressions or head nods that let you know that she was hearing things said to her. We spent precious family time huddled together in her little room.
Kathy spent the night with her mom Saturday. On Sunday, her oldest brother and his wife spent the night with her. We all knew she could slip away anytime. At about 1 a.m. that night, she did. Kathy’s brother called us as soon as she passed. We got up, got dressed, and drove to the care center. We stayed until the funeral home guy came to get her body. Somewhere around 3 a.m. we were back in bed.
I had planned to return to Tulsa on Monday. We had car trouble near Kansas City on our trip to Iowa and had to rent a car. I needed to return the rental and pick ours up from the repair shop. I also had appointments I felt I needed to keep at work. So, I came home and worked Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Through this week, Kathy and her brothers made funeral plans and took care of things like clearing Mom’s belongings out of her care center room. Friday, I drove back to Iowa. That evening we had the visitation at the funeral home.
The graveside service was in the morning and the memorial service in the afternoon on Saturday. Our children headed back home on Sunday afternoon. We returned on Monday.
We had just arrived home, had not even unpacked our car, when we received a phone call from a care center in our area. It was about a long-time elderly friend. Hospice had just informed the family that they expected her to pass within 24-36 hours. We hurriedly unpacked our car and rushed over to the care center. Our friend was barely responsive. She hung on until late Friday night.
I passed over another hugely significant experience in this week. Tuesday evening just after finishing my last appointment at 6:30, I received a call from a dear friend of ours. She was crying uncontrollably; I could hardly understand what she was saying. In fact, had it not been for caller ID, I might not have known who was crying out to me. I did hear this, “please come over; Kevin has hung himself.” Kevin was Sherry’s 41 year old son.
Kathy and I rushed to the home. As we approached the house, we saw the emergency vehicle lights. Wow! This must have just happened, I thought. It had happened sometime that afternoon. Sherry had just heard about it when she called me. She was rushing home from work as she called me, and only beat us there by minutes.
Sherry’s sister-in-law who lives with them found Kevin not long before this frantic phone call. He had hung himself in a shed in the back yard. It is hard to describe the scene of this devastated family. I was in shock myself. Investigators were all over the place. They did not remove the body for a long time. Kathy and I prayed for people. We hugged people. I made calls for the family to notify other family members.
Through the rest of this week, besides taking care of regular work responsibilities, we were going back and forth between the care center where our elderly friend was dying and our friends who were already devastated by death.
I was asked to perform both of these funeral services. It was an honor to serve. Both funerals were on Monday, October 26th. Two funerals could hardly be more different. The morning one involved such anguish. An untimely death is always difficult; suicide magnifies the pain considerably. The afternoon funeral was for a dear old lady who had outlived her only child and most of her friends at 93. It was a fun time of remembrance, mixed with the natural sadness of loss. This was a loss for which everyone had had years to prepare.
One more disturbing thing was stuck in the middle of all this drama. My own mother, as I indicated in my opening paragraph, had not been well for some time. On October 15th, the day before I headed to Iowa for my mother-in-laws funeral, Mom was taken to the ER with a heart rate of 134. She was admitted and many tests were run. Talk with the nurses over the next few days was not encouraging. She was mentally out of it much of the time. Sometimes she was her normal sweet self, expressing appreciation for the help of the hospital staff. Then, they said, she had times of “being mean to them”.
They got her stabilized and discharged her to a nursing home on the 20th. She will not return to her home, which upsets her greatly when she is mentally aware of the fact. We decided that we needed to go see her a.s.a.p., so we went to Indiana the last weekend of October.
That was a mixed-bag. For the most part, she was pleasant and mentally with us. I took my guitar, sang and played for her. She enjoyed it and expressed it.
There were disturbing things about the visit. For instance, when we first arrived, she was so happy to see us. She was in her wheelchair by the nurses’ station with a male resident sitting in front of her; they were sitting face-to-face. A nurse was standing nearby. Mom proudly and loudly introduced me to the nurse as her “#2 son.” That was cool.
But then, she pointed to the old fellow in front of her and said, “and THIS is my #1 son.” I tried to make light of it by saying, “So, Mom, did you adopt him?” She was not humored. She sternly ordered me to “go give your brother a hug and a kiss.” When I went to the old gentleman and extended my hand to introduce myself, Mom let it be known, in no uncertain terms, that “that’s no way to greet your brother.” Again, she ordered me to give him a hug and a kiss. Kathy rescued me by saying something like, “let’s go see your room, Mom.” I had nothing against the old gent, but I really wasn’t looking forward to hugging and kissing him. I don’t think he was looking forward to it either.
Well, we had some other disturbing experiences with her over the weekend. She was sometimes very confused and disoriented. It is hard to see my mother so mentally messed up. And it is getting visibly worse by the week. I expect to experience relief when I hear that she has slipped into Jesus’ everlasting arms.
It is out of our tests that we develop a testimony. I will conclude by telling you that through this month I have experienced God in a precious way. I have had strength to serve others that I knew was not my own. I have felt carried by the Spirit through several days. This is the grace of God at work. Grace is, fundamentally, Heaven’s resources to meet our earthly needs. You have heard that, “it is by grace that we are saved”; and I tell you that it is also by God’s grace that we live this Christian life.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Freedom From Religion
A few days ago I parked next to a red car with a bumper sticker that espoused love for “Freedom from religion.” For years, I have heard about the official organization of atheists by this name.
Here is what I would like to say to the owner of that car and everyone who would be inclined to purchase such a bumper sticker for their car: You do have freedom from religion in America. No one forces you to be Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or anything in America. You are, in fact, free to be an atheist and even free to be evangelical in your atheism as your stupid bumper sticker indicates.
The framers of our Constitution, however, DID NOT guarantee “freedom from religion”, but rather “freedom of religion.” No nation can equally guarantee both. If you were to have your way, it would mean require our government to restrict my ability to express my religious convictions to ensure your freedom.
Since you don't seem to know much about our Constitution and don't appear to think very deeply on these matters, you may not know this: There are countries that offer you “freedom from religion”. Therefore, I respectfully suggest that you consider moving there. Perhaps you would be happier. But I doubt it.
Here is what I would like to say to the owner of that car and everyone who would be inclined to purchase such a bumper sticker for their car: You do have freedom from religion in America. No one forces you to be Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or anything in America. You are, in fact, free to be an atheist and even free to be evangelical in your atheism as your stupid bumper sticker indicates.
The framers of our Constitution, however, DID NOT guarantee “freedom from religion”, but rather “freedom of religion.” No nation can equally guarantee both. If you were to have your way, it would mean require our government to restrict my ability to express my religious convictions to ensure your freedom.
Since you don't seem to know much about our Constitution and don't appear to think very deeply on these matters, you may not know this: There are countries that offer you “freedom from religion”. Therefore, I respectfully suggest that you consider moving there. Perhaps you would be happier. But I doubt it.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Devil's Schemes
In the little letter to the Ephesian believers, the Apostle Paul spoke of the “armor of God.” There he encouraged us to put it all on in order to be prepared to "stand against the devil’s schemes.”
Jesus identified the devil as “a liar”, in fact, “the father of lies.” The devil was the thief Jesus was thinking about as He said, “the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have life . . .”
This week, I found myself thinking about that lying thief and his sinster schemes. Here is what came to me: “The true thief, Satan, works in us to cause us to view the Creator – the Giver of ever good and perfect gift – as a thief. Thus, when he is successful, we resist full surrender to God out of fear of what He will take from us.” God is not denying things in my life because He wants to TAKE from me. He is not denying things in your life because He wants to TAKE from you. He wants to give us the best. Lord, You are my truth; deliver me from that liar.
Jesus identified the devil as “a liar”, in fact, “the father of lies.” The devil was the thief Jesus was thinking about as He said, “the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have life . . .”
This week, I found myself thinking about that lying thief and his sinster schemes. Here is what came to me: “The true thief, Satan, works in us to cause us to view the Creator – the Giver of ever good and perfect gift – as a thief. Thus, when he is successful, we resist full surrender to God out of fear of what He will take from us.” God is not denying things in my life because He wants to TAKE from me. He is not denying things in your life because He wants to TAKE from you. He wants to give us the best. Lord, You are my truth; deliver me from that liar.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
My New Philosophy of Life
Thanks to an e-mail from an old high school friend (make that, former high school friend), I have adopted a new philosophy of life. Here is my adaptation of the philosophy she sent: Drink, Steal, Swear & Lie.
DRINK - Every day I will drink from the everlasting cup of truth and grace.
STEAL - I will steal a moment to help someone in worse shape than I.
SWEAR - I will swear to be more like Jesus today than I was yesterday.
LIE - And, I will lie down at night, thanking God for the many blessings that I enjoy.”
Actually, this philosophy is not new to me; it's just a new way of expressing the one I attempt to live by, one day at a time. If you think this philosophy is good, I invite you to join me today.
DRINK - Every day I will drink from the everlasting cup of truth and grace.
STEAL - I will steal a moment to help someone in worse shape than I.
SWEAR - I will swear to be more like Jesus today than I was yesterday.
LIE - And, I will lie down at night, thanking God for the many blessings that I enjoy.”
Actually, this philosophy is not new to me; it's just a new way of expressing the one I attempt to live by, one day at a time. If you think this philosophy is good, I invite you to join me today.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday Morning Going Up
Back in 1970, Johnny Cash recorded a Kris Kristofferson song about a hung-over guy experiencing Sunday morning. It was titled, Sunday Morning Coming Down. In 1970 I was neither in church nor in Christ. (If you don’t know the difference, I would be happy to explain.) So, I could relate to those lyrics, especially these from the chorus: “I’m wishing, Lord, that I was stoned, ‘cause there’s something in a Sunday that makes a body feel alone . . .”
But then, I got saved. I came to Jesus. I came to church. Now, on Sunday mornings I am typically going up.
For over 35 years, I have been an active participant in church life. Unless I am sick or something really unusual is going on in my life that prevents it, you would find me in church somewhere each Lord’s Day. It is not religious devotion. It is relational devotion. My highest priority is to know, love & serve the God who made me and my Lord who saved me.
I will admit, every Sunday is not a fantastic experience for me. In fact, I have experienced Sundays in which I am inclined to feel that I would have been better off to have slept in. I have resisted the temptation to give into that line of thought.
You see, the church life is life maintenance to me. It is a spiritual discipline that has helped me mature, find and live-out my purpose, and build strength to face and overcome destructive temptations. Because church attendance is habitual for me, I didn’t miss church this week. I am so glad.
First, the worship team led us to exalt our God, the One who created this magnificent world in which we live, the One who created me, the One who loved me and brought me back to Himself. There I experienced moments of genuine connection with the Creator.
At communion time, one of our elders gave a meditation inspired by a leadership conference he had attended last week. He spoke about repentance. He first mentioned our typical thinking about repentance – repenting of the wrong things we have done. Then he called us to think of something else. How often have I repented for my motives when doing right things? Do I ever do right things with motives that are less than pure? Oh yes. It was an excellent reminder. It provided a moment of needed honesty between this creature and his Creator.
The preacher spoke about the compatibility of Scripture and science. It was an excellent message, excellently presented. It created no great shifts in my belief system; but my belief system certainly received some solid structural support. I am sure I need this regular stimulation. It helps keep my thinking sane and sober as I live in a world that is not.
Thank you, God, for the gift of The Church. Thank you, God, for my church.
But then, I got saved. I came to Jesus. I came to church. Now, on Sunday mornings I am typically going up.
For over 35 years, I have been an active participant in church life. Unless I am sick or something really unusual is going on in my life that prevents it, you would find me in church somewhere each Lord’s Day. It is not religious devotion. It is relational devotion. My highest priority is to know, love & serve the God who made me and my Lord who saved me.
I will admit, every Sunday is not a fantastic experience for me. In fact, I have experienced Sundays in which I am inclined to feel that I would have been better off to have slept in. I have resisted the temptation to give into that line of thought.
You see, the church life is life maintenance to me. It is a spiritual discipline that has helped me mature, find and live-out my purpose, and build strength to face and overcome destructive temptations. Because church attendance is habitual for me, I didn’t miss church this week. I am so glad.
First, the worship team led us to exalt our God, the One who created this magnificent world in which we live, the One who created me, the One who loved me and brought me back to Himself. There I experienced moments of genuine connection with the Creator.
At communion time, one of our elders gave a meditation inspired by a leadership conference he had attended last week. He spoke about repentance. He first mentioned our typical thinking about repentance – repenting of the wrong things we have done. Then he called us to think of something else. How often have I repented for my motives when doing right things? Do I ever do right things with motives that are less than pure? Oh yes. It was an excellent reminder. It provided a moment of needed honesty between this creature and his Creator.
The preacher spoke about the compatibility of Scripture and science. It was an excellent message, excellently presented. It created no great shifts in my belief system; but my belief system certainly received some solid structural support. I am sure I need this regular stimulation. It helps keep my thinking sane and sober as I live in a world that is not.
Thank you, God, for the gift of The Church. Thank you, God, for my church.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Kudos to President Obama
I don’t agree with President Obama very often. His idea that it is the federal government’s job to provide healthcare for everyone is certainly a point of disagreement. His idea that it is government’s job to “spread the wealth around” is another point of disagreement. In spite of strong, serious disagreements with the man, I recently read a quotation of our president that made me want to give him a standing ovation.
In a recent article on Time.com, entitled Is there Hope for the American Marriage?, author Caitlin Flanagan quoted our president. She stated that Obama, like Bush and Clinton before him, holds strong views of supporting marriage. This is likely due to mounting evidence that divorce generally harms children. Divorce always disrupts the relationship of children with their parents to some degree. It often disrupts the relationship of fathers with their children profoundly. Here is what she said Barack Obama said regarding the need of fathers in the lives of children: "We need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one."
It is true that many fathers choose not to be involved in their children’s lives after divorce. Sometimes that diminished involvement is chosen for them. That is, many mothers do not want anything to do with the father of their children, and therefore, assume that their children feel the same or will come to feel the same in time. We really need mothers and fathers that will work at being husbands and wives. We need couples who realize that their real task begins after the wedding, after the honeymoon. And they must have the courage and skills to build a strong marriage. Sometimes, they need the humility to admit that they don’t have the skills necessary to do this.
In a recent article on Time.com, entitled Is there Hope for the American Marriage?, author Caitlin Flanagan quoted our president. She stated that Obama, like Bush and Clinton before him, holds strong views of supporting marriage. This is likely due to mounting evidence that divorce generally harms children. Divorce always disrupts the relationship of children with their parents to some degree. It often disrupts the relationship of fathers with their children profoundly. Here is what she said Barack Obama said regarding the need of fathers in the lives of children: "We need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one."
It is true that many fathers choose not to be involved in their children’s lives after divorce. Sometimes that diminished involvement is chosen for them. That is, many mothers do not want anything to do with the father of their children, and therefore, assume that their children feel the same or will come to feel the same in time. We really need mothers and fathers that will work at being husbands and wives. We need couples who realize that their real task begins after the wedding, after the honeymoon. And they must have the courage and skills to build a strong marriage. Sometimes, they need the humility to admit that they don’t have the skills necessary to do this.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Obama a Racist?
President Obama found it necessary to express condemnation of police officer James Crowley’s arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. Officer Crowley is a mere Sergeant with the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department. Mr. Gates is a Harvard history professor. Sergeant Crowley is Caucasian. Mr. Gates is Black. Admitting that he did not know all the facts, President Obama publicly stated that Sergeant Crowley acted “stupidly” in the line of duty. It was clearly a “black and white” issue to our president.
Sergeant Crowley responded to a report of two black men apparently trying to break into a home. According to news reports, upon returning from a trip, Mr. Gates discovered his front door jammed. With the help of his cab driver, he “broke into” his own home. This “break in” by two black men was observed by someone who called the police to report it. Minutes later, when Sergeant Crowley arrived, Mr. Gates was inside his home. The cabby had gone. The details are not all clear, but the officer ordered Mr. Gates to step outside and show ID that would verify that he was, in fact, the homeowner. Something then transpired between Gates and Crowley which led to Mr. Gates being arrested for “disorderly conduct” by Officer Crowley.
I heard Sergeant Crowley interviewed about the situation. He was adamant that he had precisely followed protocol in the incident, that he had done nothing wrong. This was supported by the fact that his actions were approved in a police department investigation of the incident.
In that interview, Sergeant Crowley explained that he was responding to a reported break in by two black men. He did not know the home owner, did not know if the black man who represented himself as the homeowner was, in fact, the homeowner or perhaps one of the men who had reportedly “broken into” this home. Furthermore, if the man who represented himself as the homeowner was, the homeowner, Sergeant Crowley did not know if the man was aware that thieves were perhaps inside his home. For his own safety, the officer asked Mr. Gates to step outside. Sergeant Crowley was careful in his interview not to reveal details of what went on between him and Mr. Gates. Apparently, Mr. Gates got mouthy with the officer and resisted his instructions.
I assume this because of an Internet article I read which was as against the police officer as President Obama was in his remarks. The author stated that “you have a right to talk back to a cop.” Apparently, that author knew more detail about what went on that led to Mr. Gates arrest than I do.
Personally, I am sick of the racist remarks that come from blacks like our president. For him to jump to the conclusion that the white guy was out of line, that this is somehow related to “racial profiling”, is the product of a racist mindset. For the past 40 years, I have heard innumerable references to racism and prejudice. About 99.9% of these references have suggested or implied that these were exclusively Caucasian sins. Well, they are not. They are human sins, sins as practiced by blacks as any race. I think our president’s statements serve as case in point.
I was raised to respect authority. I was raised not to talk back to authorities. In my mind, if Mr. Gates had respected the authority of the officer, done what the officer asked, this could have all been resolved without incident. I wonder if Mr. Gates carried a prejudice that affected how he responded to the orders of a WHITE officer. No one would dare suggest that an esteemed black professor from Harvard would be prejudiced. Well, no one but me, perhaps.
Our police officers put themselves in harms way for us everyday. We should expect them to behave rationally and legally. We should also expect citizens to cooperate with officers in their line of duty. If they show up at my front door for no known reason and ask me to step outside, I will step outside. If they tell me to get on the ground, I will get on the ground. This, I think, is the responsibility of the law-abiding, law-respecting citizen. I wonder if anything close to this is taught in our public schools. Or, are our kids taught, “You have a right to talk back to cops”?
Mr. President, you owe Sergeant Crowley an apology. I am waiting.
Sergeant Crowley responded to a report of two black men apparently trying to break into a home. According to news reports, upon returning from a trip, Mr. Gates discovered his front door jammed. With the help of his cab driver, he “broke into” his own home. This “break in” by two black men was observed by someone who called the police to report it. Minutes later, when Sergeant Crowley arrived, Mr. Gates was inside his home. The cabby had gone. The details are not all clear, but the officer ordered Mr. Gates to step outside and show ID that would verify that he was, in fact, the homeowner. Something then transpired between Gates and Crowley which led to Mr. Gates being arrested for “disorderly conduct” by Officer Crowley.
I heard Sergeant Crowley interviewed about the situation. He was adamant that he had precisely followed protocol in the incident, that he had done nothing wrong. This was supported by the fact that his actions were approved in a police department investigation of the incident.
In that interview, Sergeant Crowley explained that he was responding to a reported break in by two black men. He did not know the home owner, did not know if the black man who represented himself as the homeowner was, in fact, the homeowner or perhaps one of the men who had reportedly “broken into” this home. Furthermore, if the man who represented himself as the homeowner was, the homeowner, Sergeant Crowley did not know if the man was aware that thieves were perhaps inside his home. For his own safety, the officer asked Mr. Gates to step outside. Sergeant Crowley was careful in his interview not to reveal details of what went on between him and Mr. Gates. Apparently, Mr. Gates got mouthy with the officer and resisted his instructions.
I assume this because of an Internet article I read which was as against the police officer as President Obama was in his remarks. The author stated that “you have a right to talk back to a cop.” Apparently, that author knew more detail about what went on that led to Mr. Gates arrest than I do.
Personally, I am sick of the racist remarks that come from blacks like our president. For him to jump to the conclusion that the white guy was out of line, that this is somehow related to “racial profiling”, is the product of a racist mindset. For the past 40 years, I have heard innumerable references to racism and prejudice. About 99.9% of these references have suggested or implied that these were exclusively Caucasian sins. Well, they are not. They are human sins, sins as practiced by blacks as any race. I think our president’s statements serve as case in point.
I was raised to respect authority. I was raised not to talk back to authorities. In my mind, if Mr. Gates had respected the authority of the officer, done what the officer asked, this could have all been resolved without incident. I wonder if Mr. Gates carried a prejudice that affected how he responded to the orders of a WHITE officer. No one would dare suggest that an esteemed black professor from Harvard would be prejudiced. Well, no one but me, perhaps.
Our police officers put themselves in harms way for us everyday. We should expect them to behave rationally and legally. We should also expect citizens to cooperate with officers in their line of duty. If they show up at my front door for no known reason and ask me to step outside, I will step outside. If they tell me to get on the ground, I will get on the ground. This, I think, is the responsibility of the law-abiding, law-respecting citizen. I wonder if anything close to this is taught in our public schools. Or, are our kids taught, “You have a right to talk back to cops”?
Mr. President, you owe Sergeant Crowley an apology. I am waiting.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
A Report Card From God
When I was in graduate school back in the 80’s, some of the most important lessons I learned were not a planned part of the curriculum. One of these lessons happened at the end of a semester after I had finished all of the course work and taken all the final exams.
I went through grad school at the rate of two courses per semester (six credit hours). I worked a full-time job and was married with four children at the time. This particular semester I had chosen to take three courses (nine credit hours) in order to be able to finish the degree program in one more year. I knew it would be a stretch, but felt confident that I could handle the additional load.
At this point I had managed to keep a 4.O grade point average. My GPA had not been a major issue to me, at least consciously. In one of my courses this semester I got a “low B” grade on a major assignment. Immediately, my GPA became a conscious concern. I knew that I would have to work hard to keep the grade on that assignment from costing me an “A” in the course. So, the rest of the semester I poured in extra effort in hopes of preserving my perfect GPA.
So, when all the work was done, I hoped that I had done enough. I knew it would be close. Waiting for the grades to be posted was difficult that semester. It surprised me to realize how much I thought about those grades. Finally, the grades were posted. I got a “B” in that class.
I felt moderate disappointment. I had prepared myself not to be greatly disappointed. Then, I encountered a totally unexpected experience. God spoke to me. Now, I am not one who boasts of hearing God speak to me personally very often. This was one occasion.
While I was contemplating the dinged GPA, I heard God ask me three questions. First, He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a husband this semester?” Then He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a father this semester?” Finally, He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a minister this semester?” The questions pricked my heart. I knew immediately what He was getting at. I had cut corners in each of these areas in order to devote more energy into preserving that GPA that I had previously thought didn’t really matter to me. He didn’t give me the grades. He didn’t need to. The questions were sufficient.
We both knew I wouldn’t be getting “A’s” there. Now, I wouldn’t be getting “D’s” or “F’s” either. I was being fairly responsible in these three areas. No one was complaining that I remember. Not my wife, not my children, not my parishioners. Still, I honestly knew I was slacking off in those areas in order to invest elsewhere.
God was not shaming me in this interchange. He was showing me my heart. I would work hard for the tangible affirmation of a professor’s grade. And that was much easier to pursue in the academic world than at home or at work. Sometimes in my marriage, in my role as a father, and even in my work I wonder about the grade people would give me. I think I’m passing, but not always sure I’m doing really well. Sometimes I think a syllabus with specific objectives and a concrete grading system for each of my roles would be advantageous. I might know where I stand. But then, I might not like where I stand. I am grateful for the grace of God. Though He sees things about my heart that no others see, He loves and accepts me still. And I had a powerful refresher course in that great truth as God spoke to me by His Spirit that day. It remains a precious memory to this day.
I went through grad school at the rate of two courses per semester (six credit hours). I worked a full-time job and was married with four children at the time. This particular semester I had chosen to take three courses (nine credit hours) in order to be able to finish the degree program in one more year. I knew it would be a stretch, but felt confident that I could handle the additional load.
At this point I had managed to keep a 4.O grade point average. My GPA had not been a major issue to me, at least consciously. In one of my courses this semester I got a “low B” grade on a major assignment. Immediately, my GPA became a conscious concern. I knew that I would have to work hard to keep the grade on that assignment from costing me an “A” in the course. So, the rest of the semester I poured in extra effort in hopes of preserving my perfect GPA.
So, when all the work was done, I hoped that I had done enough. I knew it would be close. Waiting for the grades to be posted was difficult that semester. It surprised me to realize how much I thought about those grades. Finally, the grades were posted. I got a “B” in that class.
I felt moderate disappointment. I had prepared myself not to be greatly disappointed. Then, I encountered a totally unexpected experience. God spoke to me. Now, I am not one who boasts of hearing God speak to me personally very often. This was one occasion.
While I was contemplating the dinged GPA, I heard God ask me three questions. First, He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a husband this semester?” Then He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a father this semester?” Finally, He asked, “Would you like to see the grade I would give you as a minister this semester?” The questions pricked my heart. I knew immediately what He was getting at. I had cut corners in each of these areas in order to devote more energy into preserving that GPA that I had previously thought didn’t really matter to me. He didn’t give me the grades. He didn’t need to. The questions were sufficient.
We both knew I wouldn’t be getting “A’s” there. Now, I wouldn’t be getting “D’s” or “F’s” either. I was being fairly responsible in these three areas. No one was complaining that I remember. Not my wife, not my children, not my parishioners. Still, I honestly knew I was slacking off in those areas in order to invest elsewhere.
God was not shaming me in this interchange. He was showing me my heart. I would work hard for the tangible affirmation of a professor’s grade. And that was much easier to pursue in the academic world than at home or at work. Sometimes in my marriage, in my role as a father, and even in my work I wonder about the grade people would give me. I think I’m passing, but not always sure I’m doing really well. Sometimes I think a syllabus with specific objectives and a concrete grading system for each of my roles would be advantageous. I might know where I stand. But then, I might not like where I stand. I am grateful for the grace of God. Though He sees things about my heart that no others see, He loves and accepts me still. And I had a powerful refresher course in that great truth as God spoke to me by His Spirit that day. It remains a precious memory to this day.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
On Being a Father
I first became a father at the age of 28. I remember the experience very well. While my son was being born on one floor of the hospital, I was trying to pass a kidney stone on another floor. After he was born, the hospital was gracious enough to wheel me up or down to his floor. I was allowed to see him and his mother at what hospital staff deemed a safe distance. Because I was a patient, they would not risk me getting close enough to give either of them a kidney stone.
I recall the distinct feeling of disappointment when I first saw Stacy. He was the first newborn I had ever seen. He was probably less than half an hour old and not totally cleaned up from the birthing experience. He didn’t look cute at all. Thankfully, the next time I saw him, he had morphed into the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. He is still a pretty handsome guy.
When Stacy was just two years old, his mom divorced me. Soon after the divorce, his mom moved to another part of the state. With about a three hour drive – each way – between us, a lifelong strain on our relationship was created. Most of the visits for the first couple of years were pretty short and fairly infrequent. What do you do with a two or three year old for a few hours?
In 1979, I became father to two more awesome kids. In November of that year I married Kathy. She had Steve and Kris, her two children by her first marriage. Their dad had died in an accident on the mission field in Brazil in 1973. As we planned our marriage, we also set in motion the legal process whereby I would adopt these two kids. That was official on December, 7th of that year.
I had had a close friendship with Kathy and her children for a couple of years before we became family. The kids were ripe for a dad and I was glad to be theirs. It didn’t take long before they were comfortable calling me “Dad” instead of Dane. And today, almost 30 years later, I can’t imagine feeling any closer to Steve and Kris if they were my natural children. We are family. And the bonds of family are relational bonds of love rather than mere genetic bonds.
So far, I have introduced three kids who know me as Dad. I have one more. Kathy and I had our son, Adam, in 1981. I affectionately refer to him as the caboose of our family. Between the time when Stacy was born and when Adam was born, a lot of changes had taken place in the medical world, especially regarding birthing. In the 80’s, Dad’s were encouraged to be in the actual labor room to participate in the birth process. I remember Dr. Sholl receiving our little boy from the womb, handing him to a nurse who cleaned him up, wrapped him up, and handed him to me! Wow! What a wonderful, indescribable, joyful experience!
Being a Dad is not easy. I can remember feeling the weight of responsibility to provide for my family. I also remember feeling like there wasn’t enough of me to go around to fill the various roles of my life as a minister and a family man. My kids have at times wanted me to provide them more and better stuff than I did. I, at times, wanted to provide them with more and better stuff than I did. I was far from perfect as a dad, but I made an earnest effort to provide my children an active, involved, caring dad. Kathy and I worked together to give them a reasonably wholesome, stable home life. And we have released our children to be their own persons. They are each in our daily prayers.
Regrets? Sure. I wish I had spent more one-on-one time with each of my children. I wish I had handled challenges to my authority more graciously. I wish I had been able to figure out how to further reduce the losses divorce brought to me, to Stacy, and to our relationship.
In spite of the presence of these regrets, I am thankful for the love of three sons, one daughter, five granddaughters, and two grandsons. Being a father is one obvious aspect of the grace of God in my life. Not only has this blessed me, it has served to mature me. Scripture affirms that children are “a reward from [the Lord]” and grandchildren “are a crown to [their grandparents]" (PS 127:3; PR 17:6). Amen!
I recall the distinct feeling of disappointment when I first saw Stacy. He was the first newborn I had ever seen. He was probably less than half an hour old and not totally cleaned up from the birthing experience. He didn’t look cute at all. Thankfully, the next time I saw him, he had morphed into the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. He is still a pretty handsome guy.
When Stacy was just two years old, his mom divorced me. Soon after the divorce, his mom moved to another part of the state. With about a three hour drive – each way – between us, a lifelong strain on our relationship was created. Most of the visits for the first couple of years were pretty short and fairly infrequent. What do you do with a two or three year old for a few hours?
In 1979, I became father to two more awesome kids. In November of that year I married Kathy. She had Steve and Kris, her two children by her first marriage. Their dad had died in an accident on the mission field in Brazil in 1973. As we planned our marriage, we also set in motion the legal process whereby I would adopt these two kids. That was official on December, 7th of that year.
I had had a close friendship with Kathy and her children for a couple of years before we became family. The kids were ripe for a dad and I was glad to be theirs. It didn’t take long before they were comfortable calling me “Dad” instead of Dane. And today, almost 30 years later, I can’t imagine feeling any closer to Steve and Kris if they were my natural children. We are family. And the bonds of family are relational bonds of love rather than mere genetic bonds.
So far, I have introduced three kids who know me as Dad. I have one more. Kathy and I had our son, Adam, in 1981. I affectionately refer to him as the caboose of our family. Between the time when Stacy was born and when Adam was born, a lot of changes had taken place in the medical world, especially regarding birthing. In the 80’s, Dad’s were encouraged to be in the actual labor room to participate in the birth process. I remember Dr. Sholl receiving our little boy from the womb, handing him to a nurse who cleaned him up, wrapped him up, and handed him to me! Wow! What a wonderful, indescribable, joyful experience!
Being a Dad is not easy. I can remember feeling the weight of responsibility to provide for my family. I also remember feeling like there wasn’t enough of me to go around to fill the various roles of my life as a minister and a family man. My kids have at times wanted me to provide them more and better stuff than I did. I, at times, wanted to provide them with more and better stuff than I did. I was far from perfect as a dad, but I made an earnest effort to provide my children an active, involved, caring dad. Kathy and I worked together to give them a reasonably wholesome, stable home life. And we have released our children to be their own persons. They are each in our daily prayers.
Regrets? Sure. I wish I had spent more one-on-one time with each of my children. I wish I had handled challenges to my authority more graciously. I wish I had been able to figure out how to further reduce the losses divorce brought to me, to Stacy, and to our relationship.
In spite of the presence of these regrets, I am thankful for the love of three sons, one daughter, five granddaughters, and two grandsons. Being a father is one obvious aspect of the grace of God in my life. Not only has this blessed me, it has served to mature me. Scripture affirms that children are “a reward from [the Lord]” and grandchildren “are a crown to [their grandparents]" (PS 127:3; PR 17:6). Amen!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Our Economy and Our Government
There is no doubt that our economy is in serious trouble. Now, I am by no means an economist. I’m just a biblically-thinking citizen. Furthermore, our economy is in its current mess with all those real economists having done their thing; so, don’t expect me to be intimidated by your degree in economics, if you want to argue with what I have to say here.
Here are the problems that I see. Back in the 60’s women entered the workforce full-force. Like never before, women planned careers, if only as a clerk at a retail store. Thus, we had the launch of the two-income family as the dominant form. Remember, this was the “baby boomer” generation. That meant unusually large numbers of people became adults and adopted this new lifestyle. A wave of prosperity followed. As young families we had more funds available than the previous generation. And we had credit available.
Throughout my adult life, living on credit has been a way of life. We have not asked if we could afford to buy something; we asked, “can I afford the payments?” Lenders of money have worked to make sure we could “afford the payments.” Over the past 40 years, we have seen the proliferation of stores of all kinds – places to spend money, in many cases money we didn’t have to spend. Now, if you think me wrong, you should look at the bankruptcy rates of the past several years. Look at the growing amount of credit card debt the average American has carried in the past several years.
All of our earning and spending has obviously had a positive effect on the economy. We have had the means to buy stuff, so companies have had incentive to make stuff. When I was a young man, I could tell you the make, model and year of almost every car on the road. Today it's a challenge to get the make right on most of them. And the amenities available for our vehicles have exploded. And, of course, we need all these things. So, we have gone into debt to get them.
Our government likes a booming economy. It means there is a lot of money in the system – all the more to tax. And our government, over the past four decades, has spent like the proverbial “drunken sailor” just like much of the American citizenry. Elected officials keep coming up with more neat stuff they should do for us (with our money). And we keep electing them to do it.
Our federal government has manipulated the economy for many years. When the economy was struggling, they just gave it a dose of medicine: lower the interest rates. For several years, we all heard about mortgage interest rates at 30 and 40 year lows. Well, that made buying our dream home more feasible. And, just like our automobiles, the amenities available for our homes have multiplied. Of course, we have needed as many of those as we could afford (meaning, as much as we can afford the payments on). Now, all of that interest rate manipulation did stimulate the economy. The housing market was booming. That meant that furniture and appliance businesses were booming. Other related businesses prospered, too.
Not everyone has been financially irresponsible, of course. But a sizable percentage of us have lived paycheck-to-paycheck (make that paychecks-to-paychecks) with little-to-no margin in the budget. When the unexpected happens (that is, what would have been expected if we had been living in reality), we are not prepared. A large car repair bill hits us; a storm causes us to have to have a big tree cut down and hauled off; our sewer line has to be replaced; we have to pay an insurance deductible and co-pay; one of us loses his/her job – then we are in major financial trouble.
The people we send to represent us in our local, state and federal governments have depended upon an ever-expanding economy. They want to do things and figure a way to do them. Increase taxes. Add or increase a fee for something. Just print the money if you have to.
At least three violations of Scripture are attached to our current problems. Let’s look at these.
1. Jesus said: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (LK 12:15). Through my adult life, it appears that we Americans do not agree with Jesus. Our lives are very much rooted in the “abundance of [our] possessions”. It seems to be an American right. We are entitled to really nice homes, really nice cars, and really nice STUFF. On the Christian scene, we find a whole theology that supports our desire for stuff that suggests wealth. Name it; claim it; charge it!
2. Jesus said: “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (MT 6:28-33). Even in the Church, it seems to me that “seeking God’s Kingdom” is displaced by worry over what we will eat, wear, drive, where we will eat and shop for our clothes, and where we will live and vacation.
3. A Proverb says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (PR 22:7). The Apostle Paul penned these challenging words: “Owe no one anything except to love one another . . .” (RM 13:8). The Bible looks at debt as bondage or at least potential bondage. Our culture, on the other hand, has looked at it as a great blessing. “Buy now, pay later” say the rich to the poor. And many of us have not realized that we are slaves while we sit in the midst of all our stuff. Surely slaves don’t have this kind of stuff, do they?
In closing this piece, I will just encourage you to make wise and godly choices with the resources God has given you. It is time to make debt-free living a real goal. It is time to assess our values and priorities. How different are they from “the pagans”? How should they be different. It is time to seek God’s Kingdom as our real and highest priority. I believe that very tough economic times are ahead of us, not just in spite of the current administration’s spending frenzy, but actually because of it.
Here are the problems that I see. Back in the 60’s women entered the workforce full-force. Like never before, women planned careers, if only as a clerk at a retail store. Thus, we had the launch of the two-income family as the dominant form. Remember, this was the “baby boomer” generation. That meant unusually large numbers of people became adults and adopted this new lifestyle. A wave of prosperity followed. As young families we had more funds available than the previous generation. And we had credit available.
Throughout my adult life, living on credit has been a way of life. We have not asked if we could afford to buy something; we asked, “can I afford the payments?” Lenders of money have worked to make sure we could “afford the payments.” Over the past 40 years, we have seen the proliferation of stores of all kinds – places to spend money, in many cases money we didn’t have to spend. Now, if you think me wrong, you should look at the bankruptcy rates of the past several years. Look at the growing amount of credit card debt the average American has carried in the past several years.
All of our earning and spending has obviously had a positive effect on the economy. We have had the means to buy stuff, so companies have had incentive to make stuff. When I was a young man, I could tell you the make, model and year of almost every car on the road. Today it's a challenge to get the make right on most of them. And the amenities available for our vehicles have exploded. And, of course, we need all these things. So, we have gone into debt to get them.
Our government likes a booming economy. It means there is a lot of money in the system – all the more to tax. And our government, over the past four decades, has spent like the proverbial “drunken sailor” just like much of the American citizenry. Elected officials keep coming up with more neat stuff they should do for us (with our money). And we keep electing them to do it.
Our federal government has manipulated the economy for many years. When the economy was struggling, they just gave it a dose of medicine: lower the interest rates. For several years, we all heard about mortgage interest rates at 30 and 40 year lows. Well, that made buying our dream home more feasible. And, just like our automobiles, the amenities available for our homes have multiplied. Of course, we have needed as many of those as we could afford (meaning, as much as we can afford the payments on). Now, all of that interest rate manipulation did stimulate the economy. The housing market was booming. That meant that furniture and appliance businesses were booming. Other related businesses prospered, too.
Not everyone has been financially irresponsible, of course. But a sizable percentage of us have lived paycheck-to-paycheck (make that paychecks-to-paychecks) with little-to-no margin in the budget. When the unexpected happens (that is, what would have been expected if we had been living in reality), we are not prepared. A large car repair bill hits us; a storm causes us to have to have a big tree cut down and hauled off; our sewer line has to be replaced; we have to pay an insurance deductible and co-pay; one of us loses his/her job – then we are in major financial trouble.
The people we send to represent us in our local, state and federal governments have depended upon an ever-expanding economy. They want to do things and figure a way to do them. Increase taxes. Add or increase a fee for something. Just print the money if you have to.
At least three violations of Scripture are attached to our current problems. Let’s look at these.
1. Jesus said: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (LK 12:15). Through my adult life, it appears that we Americans do not agree with Jesus. Our lives are very much rooted in the “abundance of [our] possessions”. It seems to be an American right. We are entitled to really nice homes, really nice cars, and really nice STUFF. On the Christian scene, we find a whole theology that supports our desire for stuff that suggests wealth. Name it; claim it; charge it!
2. Jesus said: “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (MT 6:28-33). Even in the Church, it seems to me that “seeking God’s Kingdom” is displaced by worry over what we will eat, wear, drive, where we will eat and shop for our clothes, and where we will live and vacation.
3. A Proverb says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (PR 22:7). The Apostle Paul penned these challenging words: “Owe no one anything except to love one another . . .” (RM 13:8). The Bible looks at debt as bondage or at least potential bondage. Our culture, on the other hand, has looked at it as a great blessing. “Buy now, pay later” say the rich to the poor. And many of us have not realized that we are slaves while we sit in the midst of all our stuff. Surely slaves don’t have this kind of stuff, do they?
In closing this piece, I will just encourage you to make wise and godly choices with the resources God has given you. It is time to make debt-free living a real goal. It is time to assess our values and priorities. How different are they from “the pagans”? How should they be different. It is time to seek God’s Kingdom as our real and highest priority. I believe that very tough economic times are ahead of us, not just in spite of the current administration’s spending frenzy, but actually because of it.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Sabbath Rest
My wife and I hosted our small group last Saturday. A Swiss couple is a part of our group. Somehow in our discussion of the material in our chapter from Mere Christianity, Doris – our Swiss friend – asked why in America (especially here in the Bible Belt) we do everything on Sunday just like every other day. She said, for instance, in her homeland they would not mow their lawns on Sunday. In their culture, if your neighbor were to mow his yard on Sunday, and you giving him a dirty look did not cause him to put the mower up until another day, you could call the police and they would encourage your neighbor to put the mower up. Doris and Adrian are obviously annoyed in our culture with the fact that on any given Sunday they are likely to have the tranquillity of the day broken multiple times as different neighbors choose different times of the day to mow their lawn.
We had a very interesting discussion about Sabbath observance. We talked about “blue laws” from my youthful years that have mostly been repealed. It was hard to find a restaurant or other business open on Sunday when I was growing up. I don’t remember any prohibitions about mowing the lawn. It seems that we mowed in the evenings or on Saturday, but I don’t remember that having any religious basis.
I remember being convicted about shopping on our day of rest (Sunday) a few years ago. It seemed to me that we Christians had come to treat Sunday like any other day. The Hebrews had a practice of preparing themselves for the Sabbath (Saturday). The day before the Sabbath was called “The Day of Preparation”; that is, the day to prepare for observing the Sabbath. If you are not going to shop or mow your yard or wash your car or . . ., you would need to think ahead, plan ahead. That is what Preparation Day was.
I suggested to my wife back then that we have a mental “Day of Preparation” so that we would not have to make a trip to the store on Sunday. We have made that effort for some time. We often go out to eat on Sunday, with or without friends and family. I’m aware of the fact that that makes someone else have to work on Sunday.
The Chick-fil-A chain closes on Sunday. Frankly, I haven’t figured out if they are not being very good servants or if I am not being very consistent in my theology. I definitely avoid working on my day of rest, but like it that others (at least in restaurants) don’t share my convictions.
It was an interesting experience to look at our culture through the eyes of outsiders. I do think that most of us Christians have dumbed-down our ideas about Sabbath observance.
We had a very interesting discussion about Sabbath observance. We talked about “blue laws” from my youthful years that have mostly been repealed. It was hard to find a restaurant or other business open on Sunday when I was growing up. I don’t remember any prohibitions about mowing the lawn. It seems that we mowed in the evenings or on Saturday, but I don’t remember that having any religious basis.
I remember being convicted about shopping on our day of rest (Sunday) a few years ago. It seemed to me that we Christians had come to treat Sunday like any other day. The Hebrews had a practice of preparing themselves for the Sabbath (Saturday). The day before the Sabbath was called “The Day of Preparation”; that is, the day to prepare for observing the Sabbath. If you are not going to shop or mow your yard or wash your car or . . ., you would need to think ahead, plan ahead. That is what Preparation Day was.
I suggested to my wife back then that we have a mental “Day of Preparation” so that we would not have to make a trip to the store on Sunday. We have made that effort for some time. We often go out to eat on Sunday, with or without friends and family. I’m aware of the fact that that makes someone else have to work on Sunday.
The Chick-fil-A chain closes on Sunday. Frankly, I haven’t figured out if they are not being very good servants or if I am not being very consistent in my theology. I definitely avoid working on my day of rest, but like it that others (at least in restaurants) don’t share my convictions.
It was an interesting experience to look at our culture through the eyes of outsiders. I do think that most of us Christians have dumbed-down our ideas about Sabbath observance.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Where’s the Justice?
It seems that the law schools of our nation have failed to prepare people to serve in our justice system. The justice system exists to serve people who suffer because of unjust, unlawful treatment. It does not exist to merely provide jobs for law school graduates. When the lawyers and judges fail to provide justice for the violated, they have failed their mission.
One of these colossal failures happened this week in McAlester, OK. A 64 year old man who was charged with 1st degree rape and forcible sodomy of a five year old girl, was given a ONE YEAR sentence by the judge. Because this little girl was afraid to testify in the courtroom with the creep who violated her present, the judge and prosecutor apparently did not feel they could get a conviction. And in America today, they might not! So, they accepted a plea deal offered by the defendant’s lawyer. The pervert would plead guilty to the charges if only required to serve one year of time.
I wonder how many combined years of law school the prosecutor, defense lawyer and judge have. Surely it would be enough education in law and justice to realize that the ONE who was served in this deal was the perpetrator. I think all three of them should be immediately unemployed. I’d like to see them all on a street corner with cardboard signs that say “Will work for food.” They obviously don’t work for justice. They didn’t work for that little girl. She deserved better from a system that would claim the modifier “justice”.
This is admittedly especially offensive to me. In my ministry work, I have seen many victims of childhood sexual abuse. It’s a horrible thing for a child’s innocence to be stolen. I have heard many stories of little girls who went to mom or dad to reveal what was happening to them, only to be told something that made them feel like the abuse wasn’t really all that bad (ie, “Just stay away from Uncle Bill when he comes around.). The little girl in McAlester has been told this, not by a weak parent, but by the court. “Honey, we’re sorry about what happened to you, but it wasn’t really all that bad; we’re just going to send the man to prison for a year.” Damn this!
One of these colossal failures happened this week in McAlester, OK. A 64 year old man who was charged with 1st degree rape and forcible sodomy of a five year old girl, was given a ONE YEAR sentence by the judge. Because this little girl was afraid to testify in the courtroom with the creep who violated her present, the judge and prosecutor apparently did not feel they could get a conviction. And in America today, they might not! So, they accepted a plea deal offered by the defendant’s lawyer. The pervert would plead guilty to the charges if only required to serve one year of time.
I wonder how many combined years of law school the prosecutor, defense lawyer and judge have. Surely it would be enough education in law and justice to realize that the ONE who was served in this deal was the perpetrator. I think all three of them should be immediately unemployed. I’d like to see them all on a street corner with cardboard signs that say “Will work for food.” They obviously don’t work for justice. They didn’t work for that little girl. She deserved better from a system that would claim the modifier “justice”.
This is admittedly especially offensive to me. In my ministry work, I have seen many victims of childhood sexual abuse. It’s a horrible thing for a child’s innocence to be stolen. I have heard many stories of little girls who went to mom or dad to reveal what was happening to them, only to be told something that made them feel like the abuse wasn’t really all that bad (ie, “Just stay away from Uncle Bill when he comes around.). The little girl in McAlester has been told this, not by a weak parent, but by the court. “Honey, we’re sorry about what happened to you, but it wasn’t really all that bad; we’re just going to send the man to prison for a year.” Damn this!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
I Am Not a Tiller Killer
Last Sunday in Wichita, Kansas, Scott Roeder killed Dr. George Tiller in the foyer of Tiller’s Reformation Lutheran Church with a single gunshot. Tiller was one of a very few doctors in the US whose practice specialized in late-term abortions.
This was not the first time that radical anti-abortionists had attacked Tiller. In 1986, Tiller’s clinic was bombed without human injuries. In 1993, he was shot by an abortion activist who remains in prison for the attack. His clinic has been an ongoing scene of protests. Tiller was radically committed to the practice of abortions. He was among those who had no conscience against the despicable practice of “partial-birth abortion.” In my view, he was a mass murderer, a high-tech hit man. For $5000 he would kill any baby in any woman’s womb. It would probably shock us to see the number of not-yet-born people he put to death.
Last Sunday, Dr. Tiller met someone who was as radical as he, another killer. The difference is that Kansas law approved Dr. Tiller’s acts of murder; it did not approve Mr. Roeder’s. I have no complaint regarding Kansas law regarding Mr. Roeder. In my opinion, he should be tried, convicted, and punished for his act of murder. My problem with Kansas law is that it approved Dr. Tiller’s acts of murder.
Obviously, I am absolutely opposed to Dr. Tiller’s work. I have no respect for the man. I have no respect for his kind of Christianity. I wonder what it was like for him to meet his Maker. Did Heaven view him as a hero coming home?
Thankfully, we do live in a land of law and order. Thus, Mr. Roeder had no right to take the law into his own hands. I would never advocate or support this. I do believe, however, that the state of the law in America regarding abortion is a very real factor in the death of Dr. Tiller.
Law only defines what is legal versus what is illegal in a society. It does not necessarily define right and wrong. Unfortunately, many people do not realize this; they assume that anything that is legal is also right to do. When there is substantial difference between that which is legal in a society and that which is truly right, conflict can be intense. In such situations, radicals are naturally attracted into the fray. If the law were on the right side of this issue, Dr. Tiller would probably not have been performing abortions. He could have employed his skills in a constructive manner, to serve life rather than destroy it. And, if Dr. Tiller insisted on performing abortions anyway, he could then be put in prison.
Already underway is an attempt to connect Mr. Roeder with people like me. Mr. Roeder and I evidently shared a common view of abortion, but we didn’t share a common view of life. Trust me, if even one percent of us who are pro-life activists reasoned like Mr. Roeder, we would be hearing of abortion clinic attacks, and assaults on abortionists weekly. And the fact that Mr. Tiller was killed in his own church, shows that there would be no safe place for abortionists from determined killers like Mr. Roeder.
I honestly believe that part of the blame for Tiller’s death can be placed on the many Americans who have right opinions about abortion, but lack real convictions about it. The pro-choice, actually pro-abortion, crowd has convictions. They have pushed for the laws that exist. If you are pro-life, don’t do what Mr. Roeder did; but by all means, do something for the unborn. Get informed. Peacefully protest. Contact your government representatives. Vote.
Have you put this blog in your favorites yet?
This was not the first time that radical anti-abortionists had attacked Tiller. In 1986, Tiller’s clinic was bombed without human injuries. In 1993, he was shot by an abortion activist who remains in prison for the attack. His clinic has been an ongoing scene of protests. Tiller was radically committed to the practice of abortions. He was among those who had no conscience against the despicable practice of “partial-birth abortion.” In my view, he was a mass murderer, a high-tech hit man. For $5000 he would kill any baby in any woman’s womb. It would probably shock us to see the number of not-yet-born people he put to death.
Last Sunday, Dr. Tiller met someone who was as radical as he, another killer. The difference is that Kansas law approved Dr. Tiller’s acts of murder; it did not approve Mr. Roeder’s. I have no complaint regarding Kansas law regarding Mr. Roeder. In my opinion, he should be tried, convicted, and punished for his act of murder. My problem with Kansas law is that it approved Dr. Tiller’s acts of murder.
Obviously, I am absolutely opposed to Dr. Tiller’s work. I have no respect for the man. I have no respect for his kind of Christianity. I wonder what it was like for him to meet his Maker. Did Heaven view him as a hero coming home?
Thankfully, we do live in a land of law and order. Thus, Mr. Roeder had no right to take the law into his own hands. I would never advocate or support this. I do believe, however, that the state of the law in America regarding abortion is a very real factor in the death of Dr. Tiller.
Law only defines what is legal versus what is illegal in a society. It does not necessarily define right and wrong. Unfortunately, many people do not realize this; they assume that anything that is legal is also right to do. When there is substantial difference between that which is legal in a society and that which is truly right, conflict can be intense. In such situations, radicals are naturally attracted into the fray. If the law were on the right side of this issue, Dr. Tiller would probably not have been performing abortions. He could have employed his skills in a constructive manner, to serve life rather than destroy it. And, if Dr. Tiller insisted on performing abortions anyway, he could then be put in prison.
Already underway is an attempt to connect Mr. Roeder with people like me. Mr. Roeder and I evidently shared a common view of abortion, but we didn’t share a common view of life. Trust me, if even one percent of us who are pro-life activists reasoned like Mr. Roeder, we would be hearing of abortion clinic attacks, and assaults on abortionists weekly. And the fact that Mr. Tiller was killed in his own church, shows that there would be no safe place for abortionists from determined killers like Mr. Roeder.
I honestly believe that part of the blame for Tiller’s death can be placed on the many Americans who have right opinions about abortion, but lack real convictions about it. The pro-choice, actually pro-abortion, crowd has convictions. They have pushed for the laws that exist. If you are pro-life, don’t do what Mr. Roeder did; but by all means, do something for the unborn. Get informed. Peacefully protest. Contact your government representatives. Vote.
Have you put this blog in your favorites yet?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Death Sucks
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”, according to Psalm 116:15. That is a view of death from heaven’s perspective. Now for a view from down here on planet earth: death sucks!
For about 10 days now I have been adjusting to the death of a friend, just five years older than me, who died suddenly of a heart attack. Ted had had heart trouble for about 15 years. In fact, just over two months ago he was talking with me about the fact that the doctors originally told him that he MIGHT live another 10 years with his serious heart condition. In March, it seemed he would live several more years. It has been hard to believe that he is gone for good.
Now, I believe that my friend is in a better place, an incredibly better place. But I am not. I am still in THIS place, and now with one less friend.
I’m glad to know that my friend, Ted Self, lived to honor Jesus with his life. I just wish he could have stayed here honoring Him with us much longer.
I’m really glad he didn’t have to suffer long in his parting. I just wish he could have parted without much suffering in 2014 or so.
We can try to see things from God’s perspective. We should try to see things from God’s perspective. It is the most healthy perspective. Still, it is not our only perspective, nor even our most impressive perspective. As I honestly attempt to view my friends passing as a “precious” occasion, I must honestly admit that his death on May 16th, 2009 sucked to me. I know that heaven gained; but we certainly lost. And I know that heaven’s gain is more important than our loss. But our loss is not, therefore, unimportant. I lost a real friend. And that sucks!
Someday, perhaps sooner than I hope and sooner than my friends and family expect, I will experience what God views as precious. I will come home – home to the Land of Friends. You see, I am a friend of God. So was Ted. I hope to see you there someday.
For about 10 days now I have been adjusting to the death of a friend, just five years older than me, who died suddenly of a heart attack. Ted had had heart trouble for about 15 years. In fact, just over two months ago he was talking with me about the fact that the doctors originally told him that he MIGHT live another 10 years with his serious heart condition. In March, it seemed he would live several more years. It has been hard to believe that he is gone for good.
Now, I believe that my friend is in a better place, an incredibly better place. But I am not. I am still in THIS place, and now with one less friend.
I’m glad to know that my friend, Ted Self, lived to honor Jesus with his life. I just wish he could have stayed here honoring Him with us much longer.
I’m really glad he didn’t have to suffer long in his parting. I just wish he could have parted without much suffering in 2014 or so.
We can try to see things from God’s perspective. We should try to see things from God’s perspective. It is the most healthy perspective. Still, it is not our only perspective, nor even our most impressive perspective. As I honestly attempt to view my friends passing as a “precious” occasion, I must honestly admit that his death on May 16th, 2009 sucked to me. I know that heaven gained; but we certainly lost. And I know that heaven’s gain is more important than our loss. But our loss is not, therefore, unimportant. I lost a real friend. And that sucks!
Someday, perhaps sooner than I hope and sooner than my friends and family expect, I will experience what God views as precious. I will come home – home to the Land of Friends. You see, I am a friend of God. So was Ted. I hope to see you there someday.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
It's not About Your Paygrade!
Our President dodged questions about abortion craftily during his campaign. I don't get paid even as much as Senator Obama did at the time he made that statement. At a recent press conference, a reporter asked him if he had an opinion on the beginning of life in the womb now that his pay had increased. He craftily dodged that question, too. I have written an article on abortion that I think is worth reading for every American with the slightest concern over the practice of abortion in our land, and the fact that Obama's administration is determined to expand the practice.
Don't be deceived by the double-talk. "We want to reduce the need for abortions." If there is nothing wrong with abortion, why worry about how many are performed? Conversely, if there is something wrong with the practice, why do we sanction it? I hope you take time to read my article at http://searchwarp.com/swa481510-Its-No-Fairytale.htm
It's really not about your paygrade; it's about facing the truth.
Don't be deceived by the double-talk. "We want to reduce the need for abortions." If there is nothing wrong with abortion, why worry about how many are performed? Conversely, if there is something wrong with the practice, why do we sanction it? I hope you take time to read my article at http://searchwarp.com/swa481510-Its-No-Fairytale.htm
It's really not about your paygrade; it's about facing the truth.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Consider the Birds
We feed birds at our house. Have for years. Lately, I have been thinking about these birds as well as feeding them and watching them.
First, they are marvelous little creatures. What I have found somewhat perplexing is that these birds have no awareness of the fact that I am feeding them. I go to the feed store and buy the 50# bags of seed. I go to the garage and get one of the five gallon buckets I store the seed in, carry it to the feeders, and refill them when needed. The birds are apparently clueless that they have someone looking out for them - me.
I know that I can’t expect these birds to thank me. If I could make one request, however, it would be this: "After you have eaten the nice food I put out for you, please don’t go sit on the branches of that tree over my car and relieve yourself." Seems like the least they could do.
As long as I have been feeding the birds in our neighborhood, I do wish they would recognize me as a friend, not a threat. Every time I walk around the corner of the house where the feeders are, they fly off. Sometimes I talk to them as they fly away. I say, “Don’t you know that I am the one who put the feeder there, the one who puts those delicious seeds in it? You don’t need to fly away!” They, of course, never get it.
God has been speaking to me lately in these experiences. It goes something like this: “You don’t get it, either, son. I take care of you and the birds. Are you not as oblivious to my provision at times as they are of yours?”
The Spirit brought to my mind these words of Jesus recently, too: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (MT 6:25-27 emphasis mine).
In this day of economic uncertainty, I am choosing to “look at the birds”, remember that they are not sweating where their next meal is coming from or how they will make it through their remaining years. I am choosing to believe that I am “much more valuable” than those birds are to my heavenly Father. Want to join me?
First, they are marvelous little creatures. What I have found somewhat perplexing is that these birds have no awareness of the fact that I am feeding them. I go to the feed store and buy the 50# bags of seed. I go to the garage and get one of the five gallon buckets I store the seed in, carry it to the feeders, and refill them when needed. The birds are apparently clueless that they have someone looking out for them - me.
I know that I can’t expect these birds to thank me. If I could make one request, however, it would be this: "After you have eaten the nice food I put out for you, please don’t go sit on the branches of that tree over my car and relieve yourself." Seems like the least they could do.
As long as I have been feeding the birds in our neighborhood, I do wish they would recognize me as a friend, not a threat. Every time I walk around the corner of the house where the feeders are, they fly off. Sometimes I talk to them as they fly away. I say, “Don’t you know that I am the one who put the feeder there, the one who puts those delicious seeds in it? You don’t need to fly away!” They, of course, never get it.
God has been speaking to me lately in these experiences. It goes something like this: “You don’t get it, either, son. I take care of you and the birds. Are you not as oblivious to my provision at times as they are of yours?”
The Spirit brought to my mind these words of Jesus recently, too: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (MT 6:25-27 emphasis mine).
In this day of economic uncertainty, I am choosing to “look at the birds”, remember that they are not sweating where their next meal is coming from or how they will make it through their remaining years. I am choosing to believe that I am “much more valuable” than those birds are to my heavenly Father. Want to join me?
Thursday, May 14, 2009
From a PRINCE to a FROG
I was changed from a PRINCE to a FROG, and this by a kiss. It may sound like a fairytale run backwards, but it’s not. It describes a real-life transformation I experienced over 35 years ago through Jesus Christ.
At 26 years old I was a PRINCE, a Pompous, Rebellious, Ignoramus, Not Considering Eternity. That year, however, I met (and more than met) Jesus, the Son of God. I became a FROG, one who Fully Relies On God.
As a PRINCE, I was not an especially evil person. I had never committed any crime worthy of even the threat of prison. I had a reputation as a good worker, a pleasant neighbor, and generally a pretty nice guy. No one, including myself, knew how pride-filled I was.
Though I battled low self-esteem, I hid the battle with various masks. It’s a mistake to think that, because we think lowly of ourselves, we do not think too much of ourselves. Indeed, one can think too much of himself quantitatively as well as qualitatively. And I did. As an example, I typically treated others with kindness and deference, not because I viewed them especially worthy of honor, but rather that I hoped they would think well of me.
Though compliant by nature, I had become an accomplished rebel by age 26. I was like the son Jesus spoke of in a parable whose father asked him to go work in the field. This son said, “sure, Dad”, but he never went(MT 21:28). Social scientists call this “passive-aggressive behavior”. It is the behavior of choice for nice rebels.
For years I have been discovering what an ignoramus I was. At 26 I thought I knew plenty, but discovered that I was mistaken about so much and ignorant about much more. I had no clue that my personal struggles were as common as they are. I didn’t know who God was or even who I was. I knew hardly anything about world history, philosophy, theology, psychology and sociology. I had never read more than a few verses of the Bible. I had heard my country’s experience referred to as a “democratic experiment.” I didn’t know then that the Soviet Union, which most Americans feared in that day, was an even younger experiment, an experiment in atheistic communism. I couldn’t even imagine we would all see it collapse within two decades.
I still don’t know much, but I believe a few things with a deep and abiding conviction; and these faith-tenets have profoundly altered the course of my life over the past three decades and offer a remarkable hope for eternity.
Where at 26 I had lived NOT CONSIDERING ETERNITY, I have since lived with eternity on my mind. I discovered that “God has put eternity in our hearts” (Eccl 3:11), and have come to believe that the devil works diligently to keep it out of our minds. There in my mid-twenties, I adopted a radically new and thoroughly biblical orientation to life; I began to “submit to God and resist the devil” (Jas 4:7). I became a FROG – Fully Relying On God.
I choose to rely on God, not myself, not a job, not a nest-egg, neither church nor state, neither professor nor politician. I rely on God to save me, heal me, teach me, lead me, provide for me, and protect me.
Let me tell you about the kiss that wrought this transformation. Psalm 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son lest he be angry with you and you be destroyed in your way . . . blessed are all who take refuge in him” [emphasis mine]. One of the clear claims of Christ was that He was and is the Son of God. He was the Word of God that “became flesh and lived among us” (JN 1). He was the Son who said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (JN 14:9). This Son was the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (HEB 1). He is the One in whom “[dwelt] all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).
The kiss in the second Psalm is metaphorical rather than literal. It is a kiss of the heart, not of the lips. Thus, it is a kiss of devotion and affection. Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, kissed him, but his was a deceptive kiss. Judas kissed with his lips but not with his heart. The kiss which transforms is not deceptive. Though it may be done publicly it is not done essentially for others to see; it is a pure act of devotion between the one who kisses and the Kissed One.
I first kissed Jesus in public. I attended a revival meeting where my heart had been touched by the evangelist’s words and I responded to his plea. It was a very emotional time, for me and for many others. The next day, however, driving to work in a very non-emotional contemplation of my revival-night decision, I kissed the Son again. I told Him that I really wanted to be fully His – not half, not even mostly, but fully His.
My life in Christ has not been blissful, but it has been blessed. The truth is, some of my most painful life experiences have happened in the past three decades. Following Jesus has not been easy. I have endured trials that formed such dark oppressive clouds over my life that the Son’s Light was blocked from me, yet I have lived to see His Light overcome that darkness and shine on me again. I have been despised, rejected, and abandoned. I have been misunderstood, maligned, and marginalized. None of that, however, matters as much as this: I have been accepted, embraced, and found useful to the Master.
If you have not understood my point, let me make it clear. I am glad to be a Christian. And when I suffer as a Christian, I’m grateful to bear His name (1 Pet 4:16). Here in the 21st Century, Jesus is still calling people. His call is simple: “Come, follow Me.” I encourage you to get acquainted with the Son and kiss Him with your heart.
At 26 years old I was a PRINCE, a Pompous, Rebellious, Ignoramus, Not Considering Eternity. That year, however, I met (and more than met) Jesus, the Son of God. I became a FROG, one who Fully Relies On God.
As a PRINCE, I was not an especially evil person. I had never committed any crime worthy of even the threat of prison. I had a reputation as a good worker, a pleasant neighbor, and generally a pretty nice guy. No one, including myself, knew how pride-filled I was.
Though I battled low self-esteem, I hid the battle with various masks. It’s a mistake to think that, because we think lowly of ourselves, we do not think too much of ourselves. Indeed, one can think too much of himself quantitatively as well as qualitatively. And I did. As an example, I typically treated others with kindness and deference, not because I viewed them especially worthy of honor, but rather that I hoped they would think well of me.
Though compliant by nature, I had become an accomplished rebel by age 26. I was like the son Jesus spoke of in a parable whose father asked him to go work in the field. This son said, “sure, Dad”, but he never went(MT 21:28). Social scientists call this “passive-aggressive behavior”. It is the behavior of choice for nice rebels.
For years I have been discovering what an ignoramus I was. At 26 I thought I knew plenty, but discovered that I was mistaken about so much and ignorant about much more. I had no clue that my personal struggles were as common as they are. I didn’t know who God was or even who I was. I knew hardly anything about world history, philosophy, theology, psychology and sociology. I had never read more than a few verses of the Bible. I had heard my country’s experience referred to as a “democratic experiment.” I didn’t know then that the Soviet Union, which most Americans feared in that day, was an even younger experiment, an experiment in atheistic communism. I couldn’t even imagine we would all see it collapse within two decades.
I still don’t know much, but I believe a few things with a deep and abiding conviction; and these faith-tenets have profoundly altered the course of my life over the past three decades and offer a remarkable hope for eternity.
Where at 26 I had lived NOT CONSIDERING ETERNITY, I have since lived with eternity on my mind. I discovered that “God has put eternity in our hearts” (Eccl 3:11), and have come to believe that the devil works diligently to keep it out of our minds. There in my mid-twenties, I adopted a radically new and thoroughly biblical orientation to life; I began to “submit to God and resist the devil” (Jas 4:7). I became a FROG – Fully Relying On God.
I choose to rely on God, not myself, not a job, not a nest-egg, neither church nor state, neither professor nor politician. I rely on God to save me, heal me, teach me, lead me, provide for me, and protect me.
Let me tell you about the kiss that wrought this transformation. Psalm 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son lest he be angry with you and you be destroyed in your way . . . blessed are all who take refuge in him” [emphasis mine]. One of the clear claims of Christ was that He was and is the Son of God. He was the Word of God that “became flesh and lived among us” (JN 1). He was the Son who said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father” (JN 14:9). This Son was the “radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being” (HEB 1). He is the One in whom “[dwelt] all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).
The kiss in the second Psalm is metaphorical rather than literal. It is a kiss of the heart, not of the lips. Thus, it is a kiss of devotion and affection. Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, kissed him, but his was a deceptive kiss. Judas kissed with his lips but not with his heart. The kiss which transforms is not deceptive. Though it may be done publicly it is not done essentially for others to see; it is a pure act of devotion between the one who kisses and the Kissed One.
I first kissed Jesus in public. I attended a revival meeting where my heart had been touched by the evangelist’s words and I responded to his plea. It was a very emotional time, for me and for many others. The next day, however, driving to work in a very non-emotional contemplation of my revival-night decision, I kissed the Son again. I told Him that I really wanted to be fully His – not half, not even mostly, but fully His.
My life in Christ has not been blissful, but it has been blessed. The truth is, some of my most painful life experiences have happened in the past three decades. Following Jesus has not been easy. I have endured trials that formed such dark oppressive clouds over my life that the Son’s Light was blocked from me, yet I have lived to see His Light overcome that darkness and shine on me again. I have been despised, rejected, and abandoned. I have been misunderstood, maligned, and marginalized. None of that, however, matters as much as this: I have been accepted, embraced, and found useful to the Master.
If you have not understood my point, let me make it clear. I am glad to be a Christian. And when I suffer as a Christian, I’m grateful to bear His name (1 Pet 4:16). Here in the 21st Century, Jesus is still calling people. His call is simple: “Come, follow Me.” I encourage you to get acquainted with the Son and kiss Him with your heart.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Calling on Jesus
On its landing approach to the airport in Buffalo on February 12th, Continental Connection Flight 3407 stalled and crashed into a residence. All 49 on the plane and one person on the ground died that day. The National Transportation Safety Board released the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder today. An Associated Press report on that transcript says that the pilot’s last words were “Jesus Christ!”.
As I read this, I could not help but wonder about the meaning of that utterance from a man who knew he was about to die. Understand this: I am making no judgment of the man or his faith. I do not know anything about him beyond what was reported.
I see two possible meanings to this utterance with a world of difference between them. The first meaning would be that of a believer crying out to his Lord in a moment of crisis. I have contemplated a crash of a plane upon which I was a passenger. I imagined that, if I had a few seconds before I would die, I would passionately cry out to my Lord Jesus. The second meaning is terribly unfortunate and terribly common. That “Jesus Christ” is an expletive. If that was the pilot’s meaning, he might as well have shouted, “holy sh_ _!”.
Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” For the name of the Lord to be a strong tower, a place of spiritual safety, that name must be properly used. It cannot be used in just any manner. If I don’t like what is on my TV, I can pick up the remote control and change the channel (well, I’m a man, so I probably don’t have to pick it up; I’m already holding it). I could also eliminate the objectionable content on the TV screen by throwing that remote through the screen. Just as how I use the remote can make great difference, how I use the name of the Lord makes an even greater difference.
Jesus Christ is not a curse word; He is Lord of all. The Bible tells of a day when “every knee shall bow” at that Wonderful Name (Phil 2:10). If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to get to know this Lord Jesus and call on His Name in the way that saves. By all means, don’t wait until your final few seconds to cry out to Him. Desperation is now! The Savior awaits the earnest cry of your heart.
As I read this, I could not help but wonder about the meaning of that utterance from a man who knew he was about to die. Understand this: I am making no judgment of the man or his faith. I do not know anything about him beyond what was reported.
I see two possible meanings to this utterance with a world of difference between them. The first meaning would be that of a believer crying out to his Lord in a moment of crisis. I have contemplated a crash of a plane upon which I was a passenger. I imagined that, if I had a few seconds before I would die, I would passionately cry out to my Lord Jesus. The second meaning is terribly unfortunate and terribly common. That “Jesus Christ” is an expletive. If that was the pilot’s meaning, he might as well have shouted, “holy sh_ _!”.
Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” For the name of the Lord to be a strong tower, a place of spiritual safety, that name must be properly used. It cannot be used in just any manner. If I don’t like what is on my TV, I can pick up the remote control and change the channel (well, I’m a man, so I probably don’t have to pick it up; I’m already holding it). I could also eliminate the objectionable content on the TV screen by throwing that remote through the screen. Just as how I use the remote can make great difference, how I use the name of the Lord makes an even greater difference.
Jesus Christ is not a curse word; He is Lord of all. The Bible tells of a day when “every knee shall bow” at that Wonderful Name (Phil 2:10). If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to get to know this Lord Jesus and call on His Name in the way that saves. By all means, don’t wait until your final few seconds to cry out to Him. Desperation is now! The Savior awaits the earnest cry of your heart.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Fix the Family
One day I was listening to the Glen Beck radio program. Here is what I heard Glen say that day, “Fix the family and you fix almost everything that is wrong with America.” Glen often jokes about having A.D.D., and it may not be a joke. At any rate, within a sentence or two, he was off to a different subject. My mind, however, was fixed on that insightful comment.
My oldest son turned 40 this past week. Yes, that makes me feel my age. Through Steve’s whole life, the institution of the family has been under assault in America. First, divorce has broken most marriages in his lifetime. And most of these broken marriages involved children. Many, if not most, of the people from the broken marriages with children eventually remarried. Thus, blended families (made up of children that are yours and mine, or yours, mine, and ours) have become commonplace over this 40 years.
Add to this social change the massive move of women into the workplace. When I grew up, it was common that moms were at home when the children were there. For the past decade or more, that situation has reversed. Now it is the exception rather than the rule that there is a stay-at-home parent. Don’t get me wrong here: I intend no assault on women who choose a career and children. Some parents juggle the responsibilities of two careers and family life pretty well. I personally know some who do. Still, it is no small challenge; and frankly, a high percentage of parents in these situations fail to adequately address the needs of their children. As a result, these children muddle their way through childhood and carry the damage of emotional malnutrition into their adult lives.
Thus, woefully ill-prepared for the challenges of marriage and parenting responsibilities, these young adults try to build their own families nonetheless. The adults from my son’s age down are generally skeptical about marriage. They have seen too many marriage vows broken, if not by their own parents, by aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and others. The state of family in America is worse than even divorce statistics suggest. We speak of the awful 50% divorce rate that has remained pretty steady for the past two or three decades. These divorce statistics do not factor in this fact: more and more people have chosen to just cohabit through these recent decades and the rate of demise of these relationships is not factored in (when there is no marriage, there is no divorce).
Consider another dynamic of the breakdown of families over these recent decades. The children from these broken homes were often given “stuff” by parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to compensate for the fact that they weren’t given what they really needed – a secure, loving home. Many of these young people have been conditioned to be materialistic in this process. Contrary to the words of Jesus, these people actually believe that life does consist in the abundance of things.
All of these circumstances have become so common that a high percentage of young people are directly affected. Because of that high percentage that are directly affected by family breakdown, most young people are indirectly affected. That is, even in solid families where divorce will not likely ever occur, children may experience fear that their parents might divorce. If Mom & Dad had an argument and are still not happy with each other a day or two later, divorce is not a bizarre thought for their child. So, I assure you that the security of what are in fact secure homes has been shaken by the fact that most of us have seen people divorce that we never thought would.
We have also witnessed an alarming rise of youth gangs. Though we don’t often hear it mentioned, this is a result of family breakdown. Many kids don’t feel like they belong at home, so gang membership seems to offer what they need but can’t find at home. Many of these kids have little or no relationship with their dad. They live with an exhausted and frustrated single mom. These kids may feel unloved and unwanted at home. Sometimes, they feel like a burden to the people who have to provide for them. They easily resent the adults who seem only to have demands of them, but are prepared to give very little of what matters most to the kid. Many kids from broken homes feel like nothing more than a poker chip in a hostile game between the parents.
The woes of public education are related to the breakdown of families, too. Politicians and educators like to tell us that the educational system needs to be fixed and that with more funds, but I tell you that it is the family that most needs to be fixed.
It is true that some students from strongly dysfunctional families actually flourish in the world of academia. These are some of the intellectually gifted kids who find in the school environment a place to shine and gain affirmation via performance. It is not unusual to find some of these kids named valedictorian or salutatorian of their classes. In contrast to these high-performing kids, however, are many other kids from these chaotic and painful families who struggle in the school environment. They struggle in both performance and motivation. I can tell you from personal experience that it is difficult to care about and apply oneself to the work required at school when you are stressed by stuff happening at home. Trust me, our schools are heavily populated with kids whose home-lives are so drama-filled that they have little motivation to do what, for them, naturally requires extra effort. We can keep throwing money at our schools, but we shouldn’t expect to see much positive change until we get as serious about fixing the family as we are about fixing the schools.
To “fix the family” in America is a huge task, in fact, too huge for you and me. It seems sufficiently challenging for me to “fix” my family. The task is beyond the role of government, too; although government certainly has a role in fixing the family. They could start by ceasing doing stuff that messes up families and perpetuates messed up families. For instance, they could stop siding with the people who want to make our public schools religion-free zones (except for secular humanism). They could allow students to be exposed to ideas like creationism and intelligent design. They could actively oppose the idea that men are only needed for their seed and their funds.
Fixing the family in America is a God-sized problem. What really is needed is a great revival among young people, a serious turning to the Lord and His ways. I keep hoping to see a host of young people who are ready to say “enough” with the social experiments of secularists. These would be young people who renounce the lie that all sex between “consenting adults” is acceptable. They would take courting very seriously, and marital vows even more seriously. They would seek godly wisdom for making a marriage and family work. And they would depend on God for strength to implement wisdom as they attempt to build a wholesome family. Fixing the family in America is really done one family at a time. I pray that you will invite God to help you build or rebuild a strong family. If America does not fix the family institution, at least you can participate in fixing of yours. And, if America does not fix the family, things will get worse in our land; but you will engage those worse things better in a better family. And therein lies real hope.
My oldest son turned 40 this past week. Yes, that makes me feel my age. Through Steve’s whole life, the institution of the family has been under assault in America. First, divorce has broken most marriages in his lifetime. And most of these broken marriages involved children. Many, if not most, of the people from the broken marriages with children eventually remarried. Thus, blended families (made up of children that are yours and mine, or yours, mine, and ours) have become commonplace over this 40 years.
Add to this social change the massive move of women into the workplace. When I grew up, it was common that moms were at home when the children were there. For the past decade or more, that situation has reversed. Now it is the exception rather than the rule that there is a stay-at-home parent. Don’t get me wrong here: I intend no assault on women who choose a career and children. Some parents juggle the responsibilities of two careers and family life pretty well. I personally know some who do. Still, it is no small challenge; and frankly, a high percentage of parents in these situations fail to adequately address the needs of their children. As a result, these children muddle their way through childhood and carry the damage of emotional malnutrition into their adult lives.
Thus, woefully ill-prepared for the challenges of marriage and parenting responsibilities, these young adults try to build their own families nonetheless. The adults from my son’s age down are generally skeptical about marriage. They have seen too many marriage vows broken, if not by their own parents, by aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and others. The state of family in America is worse than even divorce statistics suggest. We speak of the awful 50% divorce rate that has remained pretty steady for the past two or three decades. These divorce statistics do not factor in this fact: more and more people have chosen to just cohabit through these recent decades and the rate of demise of these relationships is not factored in (when there is no marriage, there is no divorce).
Consider another dynamic of the breakdown of families over these recent decades. The children from these broken homes were often given “stuff” by parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to compensate for the fact that they weren’t given what they really needed – a secure, loving home. Many of these young people have been conditioned to be materialistic in this process. Contrary to the words of Jesus, these people actually believe that life does consist in the abundance of things.
All of these circumstances have become so common that a high percentage of young people are directly affected. Because of that high percentage that are directly affected by family breakdown, most young people are indirectly affected. That is, even in solid families where divorce will not likely ever occur, children may experience fear that their parents might divorce. If Mom & Dad had an argument and are still not happy with each other a day or two later, divorce is not a bizarre thought for their child. So, I assure you that the security of what are in fact secure homes has been shaken by the fact that most of us have seen people divorce that we never thought would.
We have also witnessed an alarming rise of youth gangs. Though we don’t often hear it mentioned, this is a result of family breakdown. Many kids don’t feel like they belong at home, so gang membership seems to offer what they need but can’t find at home. Many of these kids have little or no relationship with their dad. They live with an exhausted and frustrated single mom. These kids may feel unloved and unwanted at home. Sometimes, they feel like a burden to the people who have to provide for them. They easily resent the adults who seem only to have demands of them, but are prepared to give very little of what matters most to the kid. Many kids from broken homes feel like nothing more than a poker chip in a hostile game between the parents.
The woes of public education are related to the breakdown of families, too. Politicians and educators like to tell us that the educational system needs to be fixed and that with more funds, but I tell you that it is the family that most needs to be fixed.
It is true that some students from strongly dysfunctional families actually flourish in the world of academia. These are some of the intellectually gifted kids who find in the school environment a place to shine and gain affirmation via performance. It is not unusual to find some of these kids named valedictorian or salutatorian of their classes. In contrast to these high-performing kids, however, are many other kids from these chaotic and painful families who struggle in the school environment. They struggle in both performance and motivation. I can tell you from personal experience that it is difficult to care about and apply oneself to the work required at school when you are stressed by stuff happening at home. Trust me, our schools are heavily populated with kids whose home-lives are so drama-filled that they have little motivation to do what, for them, naturally requires extra effort. We can keep throwing money at our schools, but we shouldn’t expect to see much positive change until we get as serious about fixing the family as we are about fixing the schools.
To “fix the family” in America is a huge task, in fact, too huge for you and me. It seems sufficiently challenging for me to “fix” my family. The task is beyond the role of government, too; although government certainly has a role in fixing the family. They could start by ceasing doing stuff that messes up families and perpetuates messed up families. For instance, they could stop siding with the people who want to make our public schools religion-free zones (except for secular humanism). They could allow students to be exposed to ideas like creationism and intelligent design. They could actively oppose the idea that men are only needed for their seed and their funds.
Fixing the family in America is a God-sized problem. What really is needed is a great revival among young people, a serious turning to the Lord and His ways. I keep hoping to see a host of young people who are ready to say “enough” with the social experiments of secularists. These would be young people who renounce the lie that all sex between “consenting adults” is acceptable. They would take courting very seriously, and marital vows even more seriously. They would seek godly wisdom for making a marriage and family work. And they would depend on God for strength to implement wisdom as they attempt to build a wholesome family. Fixing the family in America is really done one family at a time. I pray that you will invite God to help you build or rebuild a strong family. If America does not fix the family institution, at least you can participate in fixing of yours. And, if America does not fix the family, things will get worse in our land; but you will engage those worse things better in a better family. And therein lies real hope.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Reflections on 30 Years of Kingdom Service
Thirty years ago today, at the age of 32, I was ordained into the Christian ministry. The elders of my church who had watched my life through three of the toughest years of it, affirmed that they saw the call of God on me. They laid hands on me, prayed for me, and officially set me apart as a servant to the Body of Christ.
Even at that point, I did not suspect that God would use me in the specific way He has over the past 25 years. The elders of that ordaining church called me on staff as a part time associate minister to Jim Garrett, our beloved pastor. Within a year, Jim and I had switched roles. He was part time and I full time. God was
re-assigning Jim to another church in the area. After several months, Jim was gone altogether and the congregation asked me to assume the role of pastor.
In that new role, I experienced something I did not expect. People came to talk to me privately about their personal problems. Frankly, it was surprising to me to see what was beneath the surface of people’s lives, some of whom I had “known” for a few years. I thought everyone was as fine on the inside as they appeared on the outside.
I was blessed to receive some training from Jon Eargle, a minister who specialized in inner healing. He provided a basic skeletal structure upon which I could add learning in this arena. An opportunity to go back to school and get some grad school training in counseling presented itself and I seized it. I eventually earned a masters degree in counseling psychology.
For my first 15 years, I served as pastor of that local church. I could preach adequately, but my strongest gifts were clearly in teaching and counseling. So, 15 years ago, my wife and I took a grand step of faith. I resigned my position with the church and we launched a Christian counseling ministry called Home Improvement Ministry. Our mission was to help churches in our area address the great needs of families more effectively.
My wife and I have had our membership in three different churches over the past 15 years. We have been actively involved members. I served as an elder in one of these churches. I taught classes and led small groups in each of them.
I caught the vision for small group ministry back in the early ‘70’s. The church where I was ordained had begun small group ministry while I was doing my college work. Though it was an innovative ministry style, actually held suspect by many at the time, it was a style that fit me perfectly. It still does.
It has been a delight to see many lives changed for the better over the past 30 years. At the same time, it has been a point of grief that so much has not changed at all, and much of what has changed is not for the better. The church structure has changed dramatically in these 30 years. In most churches where my wife and I have been involved, mere song leaders have been replaced by true worship leaders. New songs have replaced old songs. Small group ministry has become common. Specialty support groups have multiplied. Jesus has been exalted above denominational loyalties. Practical, relevant preaching and teaching has become typical in churches. Christian schools have flourished as has the home-school movement.
In spite of all the good changes that exist, our culture continues to spiral downward. The church in America has not grown in the past 30 years. In spite of the emergence of mega churches, there are no traffic jams on Sunday mornings where I live. Consider this heartbreaking reality: The parking lots of casinos in my city – seven days a week – reveal a sad reality when compared to the parking lots of churches. Only one day a week can we give them a run for their money, and this only if we put together a worthy performance.
Let us not be deceived. And let us not be content with the way things are. Jesus was not into crowd building or building “buildings”, but rather people building. He was absolutely committed to the truth and obviously content for truth to thin His crowds. At one point, because of some “hard teachings” Jesus had preached, “many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him” (JN 6). Jesus didn’t go running after them. In fact, He actually turned to the Twelve and asked if they planned to leave, too. Peter responded for the group, saying in effect, “We don’t have anywhere else to go. You’re the only one with the words of life for us.” I fear that sizable percentages of the membership of churches of which I have been a part lack such loyalty to Jesus. And, if true revival should come, as has been preached and prayed for repeatedly over the past 30 years, this would change.
It is my intent to continue to fight the fight of faith throughout my remaining years. I shall invest the resources of my life in God’s Kingdom in Christ. I invite you to join me. Though we are not responsible for the return on these investments, it is our responsibility to make them. You see, the return on Kingdom investments is never fully seen in this life, and sometimes hardly visible at all here and now.
Even at that point, I did not suspect that God would use me in the specific way He has over the past 25 years. The elders of that ordaining church called me on staff as a part time associate minister to Jim Garrett, our beloved pastor. Within a year, Jim and I had switched roles. He was part time and I full time. God was
re-assigning Jim to another church in the area. After several months, Jim was gone altogether and the congregation asked me to assume the role of pastor.
In that new role, I experienced something I did not expect. People came to talk to me privately about their personal problems. Frankly, it was surprising to me to see what was beneath the surface of people’s lives, some of whom I had “known” for a few years. I thought everyone was as fine on the inside as they appeared on the outside.
I was blessed to receive some training from Jon Eargle, a minister who specialized in inner healing. He provided a basic skeletal structure upon which I could add learning in this arena. An opportunity to go back to school and get some grad school training in counseling presented itself and I seized it. I eventually earned a masters degree in counseling psychology.
For my first 15 years, I served as pastor of that local church. I could preach adequately, but my strongest gifts were clearly in teaching and counseling. So, 15 years ago, my wife and I took a grand step of faith. I resigned my position with the church and we launched a Christian counseling ministry called Home Improvement Ministry. Our mission was to help churches in our area address the great needs of families more effectively.
My wife and I have had our membership in three different churches over the past 15 years. We have been actively involved members. I served as an elder in one of these churches. I taught classes and led small groups in each of them.
I caught the vision for small group ministry back in the early ‘70’s. The church where I was ordained had begun small group ministry while I was doing my college work. Though it was an innovative ministry style, actually held suspect by many at the time, it was a style that fit me perfectly. It still does.
It has been a delight to see many lives changed for the better over the past 30 years. At the same time, it has been a point of grief that so much has not changed at all, and much of what has changed is not for the better. The church structure has changed dramatically in these 30 years. In most churches where my wife and I have been involved, mere song leaders have been replaced by true worship leaders. New songs have replaced old songs. Small group ministry has become common. Specialty support groups have multiplied. Jesus has been exalted above denominational loyalties. Practical, relevant preaching and teaching has become typical in churches. Christian schools have flourished as has the home-school movement.
In spite of all the good changes that exist, our culture continues to spiral downward. The church in America has not grown in the past 30 years. In spite of the emergence of mega churches, there are no traffic jams on Sunday mornings where I live. Consider this heartbreaking reality: The parking lots of casinos in my city – seven days a week – reveal a sad reality when compared to the parking lots of churches. Only one day a week can we give them a run for their money, and this only if we put together a worthy performance.
Let us not be deceived. And let us not be content with the way things are. Jesus was not into crowd building or building “buildings”, but rather people building. He was absolutely committed to the truth and obviously content for truth to thin His crowds. At one point, because of some “hard teachings” Jesus had preached, “many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him” (JN 6). Jesus didn’t go running after them. In fact, He actually turned to the Twelve and asked if they planned to leave, too. Peter responded for the group, saying in effect, “We don’t have anywhere else to go. You’re the only one with the words of life for us.” I fear that sizable percentages of the membership of churches of which I have been a part lack such loyalty to Jesus. And, if true revival should come, as has been preached and prayed for repeatedly over the past 30 years, this would change.
It is my intent to continue to fight the fight of faith throughout my remaining years. I shall invest the resources of my life in God’s Kingdom in Christ. I invite you to join me. Though we are not responsible for the return on these investments, it is our responsibility to make them. You see, the return on Kingdom investments is never fully seen in this life, and sometimes hardly visible at all here and now.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Call Me Homophobic
If you are not accepting of the modern gay agenda, you are diagnosed and labeled by the proponents of that agenda with a dreadful disorder. You are “homophobic”; and this disorder, in their mind, is far worse than actually being a homosexual ever was. They suppose that such a person is afraid of being homosexual or just afraid of homosexuals. Well, I am admittedly afraid of the “gay rights” movement.
I am afraid of the destructive consequences of that agenda for millions of people. They have already destroyed a perfectly good word – gay. Who can sing the verse in the popular Christmas song that says, “don we now our gay apparel” without thinking of someone dressed in drag? I wince before I get to the “fa-la-la-la-las”. Surely that is sufficient evidence to diagnose me as homophobic.
I do have plenty of biblical grounds to oppose the normalization of homosexuality. Sodom comes to mind. Honestly, I don’t need a Bible verse – not even one – to convince me that something is wrong when a man finds himself sexually attracted to another man or a woman finds herself sexually attracted to another woman. Likewise, I have never really needed a Bible verse to support my belief that it is wrong to murder someone.
I can feel sorry for someone who has a warped sexual orientation. I can hope that they will find help to repair this distortion. But I have zero tolerance for those who want me to accept that a homosexual orientation is just as wholesome and good as a heterosexual orientation. It is not!
If someone has – as many people do – a warp in their sexual orientation that leads them to find young children erotically stimulating, we wouldn’t submit to their plea, “God made me this way; accept my sexual orientation.” Again, I don’t need a Bible verse to prove that not only having sex with children is wrong, but even desiring to have sex with children is a sign of something warped in your sexuality. If someone wants to eat feces, do you need a Bible verse to tell you that something is wrong with that person’s “wanter”? I hope not, because I have never found one. And, if I say that the desire to eat feces or other disgusting things is a clear sign of a psychological disorder, don’t say, “So, have you ever tried it?” The answer is “NO.” And I don’t need to in order to know that dog poop is not legitimate food. The fact that 1-3% of our population find themselves sexually attracted to the same sex and have convinced themselves and each other that there is nothing wrong with their sexual orientation is hardly convincing evidence for me.
What does surprise me is how many rational, well-educated people buy into the propaganda of the gay activists. What totally blows my mind is that we are actually debating whether or not marriage between members of the same sex should be sanctioned by the state.
Under the influence of powerful gay activists, the scientific community has caved in. They have swallowed the politically correct story – hook, line, and sinker. You would probably be hard-pressed to find any scientist in the world today looking for a cure for homosexuality. Psychologists are now mostly dedicated to helping people adjust to their orientation and the challenges of living in a world with homophobes like me. So, instead of helping them with their disorder, they help them with my disorder.
Listen, if gays can have pride in their perverse sexual orientation, you and I can have pride in our sane and sober assessment of their sexual orientation. Call me a homophobe if that makes you feel better. But, if you are sexually attracted to members of your same gender, you have a problem; and I do you no service to engage in denial with you. Perhaps you will never be able to totally rid yourself of distorted desires, but you can repent of acting on those distorted desires. You can cease to claim that those desires are not distorted. Furthermore, I shall be so bold as to tell you that this is God’s will for you.
Thankfully, there are still people around who are willing and able to help you find your way out of a homosexual lifestyle. Jesus loves you. Yes! He does! And He died so that you could be free. The answer is not to rename your bondage “freedom.” And that is true for all of us. Whether we struggle with homosexual temptations, heterosexual temptations, or temptations that are not of a sexual nature at all, Jesus wants to help us overcome them rather than rationalize our submission to them.
I am afraid of the destructive consequences of that agenda for millions of people. They have already destroyed a perfectly good word – gay. Who can sing the verse in the popular Christmas song that says, “don we now our gay apparel” without thinking of someone dressed in drag? I wince before I get to the “fa-la-la-la-las”. Surely that is sufficient evidence to diagnose me as homophobic.
I do have plenty of biblical grounds to oppose the normalization of homosexuality. Sodom comes to mind. Honestly, I don’t need a Bible verse – not even one – to convince me that something is wrong when a man finds himself sexually attracted to another man or a woman finds herself sexually attracted to another woman. Likewise, I have never really needed a Bible verse to support my belief that it is wrong to murder someone.
I can feel sorry for someone who has a warped sexual orientation. I can hope that they will find help to repair this distortion. But I have zero tolerance for those who want me to accept that a homosexual orientation is just as wholesome and good as a heterosexual orientation. It is not!
If someone has – as many people do – a warp in their sexual orientation that leads them to find young children erotically stimulating, we wouldn’t submit to their plea, “God made me this way; accept my sexual orientation.” Again, I don’t need a Bible verse to prove that not only having sex with children is wrong, but even desiring to have sex with children is a sign of something warped in your sexuality. If someone wants to eat feces, do you need a Bible verse to tell you that something is wrong with that person’s “wanter”? I hope not, because I have never found one. And, if I say that the desire to eat feces or other disgusting things is a clear sign of a psychological disorder, don’t say, “So, have you ever tried it?” The answer is “NO.” And I don’t need to in order to know that dog poop is not legitimate food. The fact that 1-3% of our population find themselves sexually attracted to the same sex and have convinced themselves and each other that there is nothing wrong with their sexual orientation is hardly convincing evidence for me.
What does surprise me is how many rational, well-educated people buy into the propaganda of the gay activists. What totally blows my mind is that we are actually debating whether or not marriage between members of the same sex should be sanctioned by the state.
Under the influence of powerful gay activists, the scientific community has caved in. They have swallowed the politically correct story – hook, line, and sinker. You would probably be hard-pressed to find any scientist in the world today looking for a cure for homosexuality. Psychologists are now mostly dedicated to helping people adjust to their orientation and the challenges of living in a world with homophobes like me. So, instead of helping them with their disorder, they help them with my disorder.
Listen, if gays can have pride in their perverse sexual orientation, you and I can have pride in our sane and sober assessment of their sexual orientation. Call me a homophobe if that makes you feel better. But, if you are sexually attracted to members of your same gender, you have a problem; and I do you no service to engage in denial with you. Perhaps you will never be able to totally rid yourself of distorted desires, but you can repent of acting on those distorted desires. You can cease to claim that those desires are not distorted. Furthermore, I shall be so bold as to tell you that this is God’s will for you.
Thankfully, there are still people around who are willing and able to help you find your way out of a homosexual lifestyle. Jesus loves you. Yes! He does! And He died so that you could be free. The answer is not to rename your bondage “freedom.” And that is true for all of us. Whether we struggle with homosexual temptations, heterosexual temptations, or temptations that are not of a sexual nature at all, Jesus wants to help us overcome them rather than rationalize our submission to them.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Second Marriages
My wife and I are both in second marriages, not because either of us didn’t want our first marriage. Kathy was widowed while on the mission field in Brazil at the age of 26. Her husband was killed in a hit-and-run accident right before her eyes. She moved back to the states with their two children (Steve, age 4 and Kris, age 2). After a few months of initial grief recovery on her family’s Iowa farm, she and the children moved to Tulsa where Kathy would work for a national youth ministry called Christ in Youth.
My first marriage ended painfully, too. My wife of over eight years filed for divorce, and, of course, got it. We had a two year old son when she left. I was enrolled in college at the time, preparing for some kind of Christian service to which I felt God’s call. I really didn’t know how or where God intended to use me, but I felt confident of one thing – that He had called me to college.
Three years of university work lay ahead of me when I was spit back out into the world of singles. The first year was unquestionably the most difficult year of my life. Once served with divorce papers, I decided to drop out of college and return to secular employment. It seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. I didn’t see how I could make it through six more semesters; furthermore, I didn’t think that God would choose to use a divorced man. Thankfully, I worked for a devout Christian man who didn’t believe that our faith life is always reasonable. He encouraged me to persevere in my educational goals, to “walk by faith and not by sight.” So did my pastor.
The day I talked with my employer about my plans to drop out of school was a day of tremendous significance. With the influence of this outstanding Christian businessman and my pastor, I decided to stay in school one day at a time instead. And on May 6th, 1979, I did receive my B.A. degree.
Kathy and I were members of the same church in Tulsa. We became good friends through that last three years of my college work. For a long time, our relationship was purely platonic. Her two children and I had a great relationship, too. In my senior year, a romantic interest developed in both of us. This was scary for both of us. Neither of us wanted to be hurt again.
I was reluctant to consider a romantic interest in Kathy in part because I was divorced. No one blamed her for being single again. Unquestionably, she was free to remarry. In our biblically conservative communion, we both wondered if I were likewise free. After I wrestled with the issue for a few months, I asked Kathy to marry me. After she wrestled with the issue for a few months, she answered me. On November 23rd, 1979, we were married in our home church in Tulsa. We had discussed my relationship with Steve and Kris. Kathy knew that I loved her children, as I did her. So, even before we married, we set in motion the legal process for me to adopt the children. That was finalized in court about two weeks after we were married.
The Bible is clear about this: God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). I am a living testimony that God does not hate divorcees. I am also a living testimony of God’s amazing grace. Not only has He seen fit to bless me with incredible family relationships, He has found me worthy of His service. For almost 30 years, I have had the great honor of being one of the equipping ministers in His church. As such, one of my great passions is to help people work out the relational challenges that threaten marriages and families.
My first marriage ended painfully, too. My wife of over eight years filed for divorce, and, of course, got it. We had a two year old son when she left. I was enrolled in college at the time, preparing for some kind of Christian service to which I felt God’s call. I really didn’t know how or where God intended to use me, but I felt confident of one thing – that He had called me to college.
Three years of university work lay ahead of me when I was spit back out into the world of singles. The first year was unquestionably the most difficult year of my life. Once served with divorce papers, I decided to drop out of college and return to secular employment. It seemed like the only reasonable thing to do. I didn’t see how I could make it through six more semesters; furthermore, I didn’t think that God would choose to use a divorced man. Thankfully, I worked for a devout Christian man who didn’t believe that our faith life is always reasonable. He encouraged me to persevere in my educational goals, to “walk by faith and not by sight.” So did my pastor.
The day I talked with my employer about my plans to drop out of school was a day of tremendous significance. With the influence of this outstanding Christian businessman and my pastor, I decided to stay in school one day at a time instead. And on May 6th, 1979, I did receive my B.A. degree.
Kathy and I were members of the same church in Tulsa. We became good friends through that last three years of my college work. For a long time, our relationship was purely platonic. Her two children and I had a great relationship, too. In my senior year, a romantic interest developed in both of us. This was scary for both of us. Neither of us wanted to be hurt again.
I was reluctant to consider a romantic interest in Kathy in part because I was divorced. No one blamed her for being single again. Unquestionably, she was free to remarry. In our biblically conservative communion, we both wondered if I were likewise free. After I wrestled with the issue for a few months, I asked Kathy to marry me. After she wrestled with the issue for a few months, she answered me. On November 23rd, 1979, we were married in our home church in Tulsa. We had discussed my relationship with Steve and Kris. Kathy knew that I loved her children, as I did her. So, even before we married, we set in motion the legal process for me to adopt the children. That was finalized in court about two weeks after we were married.
The Bible is clear about this: God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). I am a living testimony that God does not hate divorcees. I am also a living testimony of God’s amazing grace. Not only has He seen fit to bless me with incredible family relationships, He has found me worthy of His service. For almost 30 years, I have had the great honor of being one of the equipping ministers in His church. As such, one of my great passions is to help people work out the relational challenges that threaten marriages and families.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Christian, Conservative, Republican
To describe my religious and political orientation I use these three words, in order of their importance: Christian, Conservative, and registered Republican. Since all of these terms are neither distinct in themselves nor in combination, I will elaborate on what they mean to me.
First, I am a Christian. To me, this means that I believe in Jesus and I seriously attempt to follow Him. And what I believe about Jesus is pretty traditional, biblical stuff - that He was the Son of God and Son of Man, that He lived a perfect life, and that on the Cross He paid the penalty for those – like me –
who have not lived a perfect life. I believe that Jesus will return to earth someday to do two things: First, He will come for all of us who are genuine followers to take us to heaven. Second, He will come to seriously kick butt and take names. The rebellion that started with Satan will end with and by the Lord Jesus! You may argue with everything I believe about Jesus; they are admittedly arguable. But I will tell you that believing that I was the lost sheep and He my Good Shepherd has brought me innumerable blessings already. Following Jesus has not been easy, but incredibly rewarding. And regarding rewards, I don’t think I have seen anything yet. So, I shall continue to be a devoted follower of Jesus.
I identify myself as a “conservative” both religiously and politically. That simply means that I am cautious about change, especially those that depart from old traditional ways and understandings. I am therefore more concerned with how the Apostles of Christ led the church than what some new church-growth guru thinks about leading the Body of Christ today. The early church was not concerned with the size of the crowds they could attract, but how well they could present Christ to their culture. In the area of politics, it means that I am more concerned about how the founders of our nation organized it than what some new educators, politicians and judges think the nation should be. Our founders, for instance, did not establish a federal government that was supposed to take care of everyone’s problems and force the individual states to march to the beat of its drum on all matters. I cannot imagine that even one member of the original supreme court would have thought that schools should be religion-free zones, that American children should not be exposed to creationist views in their public education, that abortion should be a legitimate birth control option for women, or that marriage between same-sex partners should be sanctioned by the state.
Finally, I am a registered Republican. I have affiliated with the Republican Party because their conservative platform, both fiscally and socially, has fit me. I do not have an “until death do us part” relationship with this party, however. And, I have not been happy with it in recent years. I love George Bush as a man and as a leader with great integrity. But I learned over his eight years as president that his “compassionate conservatism” meant a lot of big government spending. Where were the vetoes on pork-laden spending bills? It also meant a lack of concern regarding the stream of illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. Republicans are known for advocating lower taxes, but boast that lower tax rates mean higher government revenues – which means more for politicians (Democrat and Republican) to spend. I think our government does too much and spends too much. And I know that I am in the minority right now. Still, I have hope – at least a little – that Americans might wake up, stop thinking that government is supposed to take care of everything for them, and assume personal responsibility. Then, maybe one day at the ballot box we will throw off the repression of our government and insist not only on lower taxes but on lower government spending.
First, I am a Christian. To me, this means that I believe in Jesus and I seriously attempt to follow Him. And what I believe about Jesus is pretty traditional, biblical stuff - that He was the Son of God and Son of Man, that He lived a perfect life, and that on the Cross He paid the penalty for those – like me –
who have not lived a perfect life. I believe that Jesus will return to earth someday to do two things: First, He will come for all of us who are genuine followers to take us to heaven. Second, He will come to seriously kick butt and take names. The rebellion that started with Satan will end with and by the Lord Jesus! You may argue with everything I believe about Jesus; they are admittedly arguable. But I will tell you that believing that I was the lost sheep and He my Good Shepherd has brought me innumerable blessings already. Following Jesus has not been easy, but incredibly rewarding. And regarding rewards, I don’t think I have seen anything yet. So, I shall continue to be a devoted follower of Jesus.
I identify myself as a “conservative” both religiously and politically. That simply means that I am cautious about change, especially those that depart from old traditional ways and understandings. I am therefore more concerned with how the Apostles of Christ led the church than what some new church-growth guru thinks about leading the Body of Christ today. The early church was not concerned with the size of the crowds they could attract, but how well they could present Christ to their culture. In the area of politics, it means that I am more concerned about how the founders of our nation organized it than what some new educators, politicians and judges think the nation should be. Our founders, for instance, did not establish a federal government that was supposed to take care of everyone’s problems and force the individual states to march to the beat of its drum on all matters. I cannot imagine that even one member of the original supreme court would have thought that schools should be religion-free zones, that American children should not be exposed to creationist views in their public education, that abortion should be a legitimate birth control option for women, or that marriage between same-sex partners should be sanctioned by the state.
Finally, I am a registered Republican. I have affiliated with the Republican Party because their conservative platform, both fiscally and socially, has fit me. I do not have an “until death do us part” relationship with this party, however. And, I have not been happy with it in recent years. I love George Bush as a man and as a leader with great integrity. But I learned over his eight years as president that his “compassionate conservatism” meant a lot of big government spending. Where were the vetoes on pork-laden spending bills? It also meant a lack of concern regarding the stream of illegal immigrants crossing our southern border. Republicans are known for advocating lower taxes, but boast that lower tax rates mean higher government revenues – which means more for politicians (Democrat and Republican) to spend. I think our government does too much and spends too much. And I know that I am in the minority right now. Still, I have hope – at least a little – that Americans might wake up, stop thinking that government is supposed to take care of everything for them, and assume personal responsibility. Then, maybe one day at the ballot box we will throw off the repression of our government and insist not only on lower taxes but on lower government spending.
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