I Was Just Thinking...

A Lesson to my younger self: learn Romans, THEN be ordained.

2011-10-28T17:44:00.000-04:00

For several months now I have been preaching through the book of Romans. This Sunday we will be looking at Romans 3:21-26. At the present moment I'm thinking we will be spending the next 4 weeks on these verses alone. Now I don't write this to show how slowly we are going through Romans. I write this to say that I have been in ministry in one form or another for nearly 20 years. I have preached well over a 1000 sermons and this is my first time thoroughly preaching through what has to be one of the greatest letters ever written. What I find to be even more remarkable is that even through years of education in Biblical studies this is the first time I have thoroughly studied this book. In my study of Romans I can easily see how it has had such a profound impact on such men such as Augustine and Luther.

I write this now to make this proposal: That no person should be allowed to be ordained to the Gospel ministry without a thorough knowledge of this book.

I, of course, make this recommendation in hindsight to my own ordination. As I look back now I realize it was probably given in haste and it was certainly something that I was woefully unprepared for. Sure, when I was ordained I had gone to college and had recieved a degree in religion. This essentially meant that I was able to articulate myself well enough that I could feasible write a decent enough paper that the professors would take great mercy on me. Also, at the time of my ordination I was interning for a pastor at a substantially large church. This meant I knew how to stage a large scale contemporary worship service and was listening to a lot of John Maxwell leadership tapes. Of course, I was also going to seminary. This meant that I was learning how to, among other things, make a church budget, have proper table manners (something I have yet to perfect), and how to counsel people with marriage issues. All such things that I was told my church would expect me to know as a minister. However, if I honestly look back and ask that young man if he could explain the doctrine of justification by faith, I doubt he could give a clear answer.

Perhaps, I am saying all of this to say that if I could go back to my earlier years of ministry I would want someone to say to me: "Son, the most important thing you need to know about ministry is not table manners, church growth, church budgets, or even evangelism techniques. The most important thing you need to know and do right now is to study the Word and stay in the Word. Learn the Scriptures. Learn the Gospels and learn the book of Romans. Know the Scriptures and know that they are the authoritative Word of God that are 'profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (II Timothy 3:16-17).'"

Words from the Past Speaking to the Present

2011-09-03T01:06:00.000-04:00

The following is an exert from the book

How to Serve God in a Marxist Land by Karl Barth.

It is from a section entitled "Letter to a Pastor."

The letter addresses how one is to serve God in a land

where God has, for all intents and purposes, been removed

either by the government or by the prevailing culture.

What is remarkable is that this advice from Barth is

relevant to the Western Church of today.

But he, God, and his free grace, is really above all thoughts, concepts, and usual practices by which we Christians ourselves in East and West have been accustomed to live, seemingly serving both the glory of God and the salvation of man! What a multitude of things we have taken for granted: a church occupying a comfortable place in tlie social structure, her existence guaranteed, or at least respected, or at the very least tolerated by society in general and by the state in particular! Sunday as a recognized holiday and day of rest, and the chief church festivals which have somehow left their impact on the life of the people as a whole; infant baptism, confirmation, marriage, and burial, the Christian landmarks of the milieu and the existence of Mr. Everyman—means whereby the church has liked to reassure herself again and again of her obvious indispensability! The influence of the church in public education, instruction and upbringing of young people; with the maximimi claim that schools by right be Christian schools, or with the minimum claim that they be not openly opposed to "Christianity"! The prestige or at least the dignity of her official representatives among the leaders of other social and cultural organizations! The formal recognition of the church's freedom to participate in the discussion of general human concerns as a direct or indirect partner, welcome or unwelcome 1 Although these privileges of Christianity have never and nowhere gone unchallenged, certainly not in the last few centuries, it has seemed to us the most natural thing in the world that the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ should continue to run in some such channels as these, and that we should do the utmost for their preservation and defense, for the sake of God and the gospel! And we have done this zealously and repeatedly, both skillfully and unskillfully, successfully and unsuccessfully. Were we not motivated by the assumption that the Christian cause and confession can and must be formally understood and appreciated in the normal order of things by each and every citizen, at the very least in terms of the free practice of "religion"? Is the world as such obligated to grant to Christianity the right to maintain that form of existence in its midst? What is happening to your situation in the East German republic, and possibly in other Marxist oriented lands, seems to cancel this whole bill of rights. The same thing will probably happen to us here in the West. With you it is no longer possible to overlook the fact that it is happening. In the socialist conception of the world and of man which powerfully asserts itself in your country, this brand of Christianity is gradually squeezed out. The time seems near or at least not far when the church in this form of existence will no longer have any place at all. The church will be foreign, despised and greatly suspect in the eyes of state and society. Membership in the church and confession of Christian faith will greatly jeopardize life's opportunities for individuals from school age onward. Your freedom of movement will be restricted to a minimum, and all that you are commissioned to do as a church will be done only in corners, in the shadow, with constant interference, harassment, and sabotage from without. The Folkskirche or National Church in the sense of the "Church of the people" will be only a dream.

It may be that the plight is not yet as bad as this in the East Zone, and that there are forces at work which are still counteracting this development. But the fact that this development is so obviously favored by your rulers is sufficient to beg questions in your minds as in ours: Can Christianity truly fulfill its task only in that form of existence which until now has been taken for granted? Only in the light of that public assistance, recognition, or at least tolerance? Only with the help of the whole apparatus of a national church and on the premise of freedom of action? Only as one strong pillar among others in the social structure? Only when it possesses a legal claim on each and every citizen? Just exactly where does one read of the first churches of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, Rome, Corinth, or Asia Minor as being permitted to enjoy this mode of existence? And where are they promised it for some later time? Where do we learn that its origin was in itself a good thing, or that the church stands and falls with it, or that the church is committed to it, come hell or high water? I am not saying anything new to you in reference to this question. It was indeed one of your most renowned and ablest men. General Superintendent Giinther Jacob in Cottbus, who not long ago announced the "end of the Constantinian era." Because I have a certain wariness about all theoretical formulations of a philosophy of history, I hesitate to make this expression my own. But it is certain that something resembling this approaching end begins to show itself dimly everywhere, but very sharply in your part of the world.

It is certain that we all have reason to ask ourselves each of these questions, and in every case quickly and clearly to give the answer: No, the church's existence does not always have to possess the same form in the future that it has possessed in the past, as though this were the only possible pattern. No, the continuance and victory of the cause of God, which the Christian Church is to serve with her witness, is not unconditionally linked with the forms of existence which it has had until now. Yes, the hour may strike and has perhaps already struck when God, to our discomfiture, but to his glory and for the salvation of mankind, will put an end to this mode of existence because it lacks integrity and has lost its usefulness. Yes, it could be our duty to free ourselves inwardly from our dependency on that mode of existence even while it still lasts. Indeed, on the assumption that it may one day entirely disappear, we definitely should look about us for new ventures in new directions.

Yes, as the Church of God we may depend on it that if only we are attentive, God will show us such new ways as we can hardly anticipate now. And as the people who are bound to God we may even now claim unconquerable security for ourselves through him. For his name is above all names, even above the name that we in human, all too human, fashion have hitherto borne in his service and in a kind of secular forgetfulness, confused with his own. Might it not be, dear brothers and sisters in the imperiled East Zone, that you there and we here are now to do justice to the old Soli Deo Gloria in an entirely new spirit of humility, openness, and readiness? Might it not be your special calling to be a living example for the rest of us of how a church lives that seeks for and perhaps has already entered upon a new way, of a church for, not of, the people—the church in "God's beloved (deeply beloved!) East Zone"?

How to Serve God in a Marxist Land by Karl Barth. 1959

Hospice Care for Churches?

2011-07-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

Lately it seems that there is a rise in the discussion of church hospice care. This is an unfortunate result of the growing number of churches in the US that are dying. Now then, church hospice care occurs when a minister recognizes that the church they serve is dying and that there is no hope for recovery. The minister at this point has one of two options: 1) leave as quickly as possible (in the hopes of finding greener pastures), or 2) stay with the church and provide hospice care to help the church die “with dignity.”

Now it should be noted that a dying church is not a dead church. It is in fact possible for a dying church to comeback (see the book Comeback Churches by Ed Stetzer) and to be a healthy church. However this takes a great commitment from both the church leadership and the church membership. It should also be noted that church hospice care could be undertaken by the pastor with or without the church memberships’ knowledge. It will usually amount to a conscience decision by the pastor to not attempt to grow the church. The decision is made to simply maintain everything as well as can be maintained until inevitability the church is not able to even maintain the most rudimentary elements of church life. In other words, they can no longer pay the bills. A pastor will usually come to this decision either because he simply doesn’t care if the church grows or because he has realized that there is little to no chance of a turn around. If the decision to begin hospice care is because a comeback seems unlikely, then the pastor is also making the decision to continue to care for the congregation much as hospice cares for a patient. He simply will be looking to make the dying and eventual death a peaceful and comfortable experience.

Now a lot can be said as to why a church is not healthy and dying. A lot can also be said about turning a church around (if possible). However, that is not the purpose here. The purpose here is to ask the question: Is it biblical for a pastor to engage in church hospice care?

To say that church hospice care is biblical is to say that despite a church’s unhealthy status, there is in fact ministry still occurring. There are still people there who care for and love one another. There are people there who for example, will gather around a new widow to help her through the grief.

The purpose for asking the question here though hinges on what the calling of a pastor entails. Is the calling of a pastor primarily a calling to “equip the saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:12)?” If that is the case then one could argue that a pastor is equipping when he assist in ministry work such as in the example of the widow above. However, shouldn’t it be asked, what is the work of the ministry that the pastor is to equip the saints for? More specifically, what is the primary work of the ministry? It would seem that the primary work of the ministry is to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Therefore, the primary work of the pastor would be to equip the saints to make more disciples who make more disciples. One may object here and say that the reference in Ephesians 4 states that the equipping of the saints is for the “building up of the body in Christ” and that this is in reference to bringing the saints together in unity of doctrine and love. But what is the point of saints building unified in doctrine and in love for one another? Indeed, as we see elsewhere such as in Acts 6, it was a legitimate ministry to see that the people are being fed. However, this was not the primary ministry. The ministry of seeing that people were fed was to assist in the larger ministry goal of feeding the people with prayer and the Word which is what equips the saints for ministry. And that ministry has as its goal the fulfillment of the Great Commission – go and make disciples (note the correlation of what occurs in Acts 6:7 with the decision of the Apostles in vs. 1-6).

So then, how does the primary role of the pastor fit into the question of whether church hospice care is biblical? If the primary role of the pastor is to equip disciples to make other disciples then can we say that it is biblical for the pastor to be in a church where this is not and where it will not be happening? In other words is it biblical for a pastor to stay in a place where he cannot equip the saints to make other disciples? Is it biblical for a church to even continue in its existence if that church has determined either explicitly or implicitly that it will not be a place that is determined to make disciples?

I don’t pretend to have the answer to these questions. In fact, I have many more questions and concerns on this matter which is why I am writing this. I am hoping that this will further the discussion. To be sure, this is not merely a discussion on the issue of church hospice care but it is a discussion on the nature and role of the pastor and the church. This is a discussion that anyone in ministry should always be asking. I look forward to hearing from you.

2011-07-08T22:40:00.000-04:00

This is amazing:

You can find out more about this amazing program from Compassion International right here: Water of Life.

Nerd Theology

2011-07-07T19:56:00.000-04:00

Last night I was trying to explain to my children that indeed I am the master of all knowledge. They tend to disagree with me on this point. Joshua likes to test this claim by asking me questions on a plethora of topics. In an act of great desperation to not answer his theoritcals that are unanswerable I made the grand exclamation, "Boys, I am the M-theory in the flesh." For those who don't know the M-theory is a theory about the very basic substance of the universe. It is a unifying theory of basically all things (Please note I'm not a physicist so if I didn't explain M-theory real well I beg your forgiveness).

Now the boys did not catch on to what I said and continued to ask me questions about my knowledge of all things. So again, I told them, "Guys, I am telling you that I'm the M-theory in the flesh." To which Joshua responded, "Um, wouldn't that be Jesus?"

Nerd theology.

Freedom

2011-06-07T00:16:00.000-04:00

The following is a song off of the "Freedom" CD and DVD combo that is only $5.00. The proceeds go to International Justice Mission. "IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression."

My Big Time Radio Interview

2011-05-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

This was a radio interview I did on a local radio station back in April 2010. Just thought I'd share it with you.

A Conversation

2011-03-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

Better husband.
Better father.
Better pastor.
What if I really lived what Christ taught?
Better man.
Unafraid.
Unashamed.
I know what Christ taught. Can I be obedient to it?
Fallen.
Broken.
     Grace.
Lord, can I do as you command? Can I follow you?
Rejection.
Cross.
     Resurrection.
I feel like I am alone.
     Immanuel.
I just can't do it.
     Almighty.
Forgive me.
     Savior.
Heal me.
     By my stripes.
Cleanse me.
     By my blood.
Glorify yourself in me.
     Sovereign Lord.
Thank you!
Praise you!
Fall down before you!
Worthy is the Lamb!
     Go.
     Love.
     Feed my sheep.
Filled with the Spirit.
     If you love me, you'll keep my commandments.
I love you.
     Pick up your cross.
     Follow me. Follow me. Follow me.
But I...
     Follow me!
I just...
     Follow me!
I can't...
     Follow me.
I'm sorry.
What I do, I don't want to do. What I don't do, I want to do.
     Follow me.
Break me. Humble me. Fill me.
Lord, be glorified.
                      Follow me.

Craggy Pinnacle Trail. Blue Ridge Parkway.

Piper on Spurgeon and Surviving Ministry

2011-02-24T08:54:00.001-05:00

As is so often the case, I have come across an article that I wish I had written. Setting my envy aside, I am extremely thankful to John Piper for this tremendous article that takes an honest look at the life of the minister and how the minister faces struggles and survives. If you are a minister sooner or later you will go through a difficult time and you will be glad that you have read this. If you aren't a minister, I encourage you to read this too. It may help you to understand the heart of the ministers who serve you.

Here is the article by John Piper: Charles Spurgeon; Preaching Through Adversity.

May we all rest in the sovereignty of God.

In His grace, for His glory.

A Birthday, a Time of Solitude, and a Special Olympian

2011-02-22T10:38:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned before that my birthday is right around the corner. Most every year my parents will send me some money for this grandest of occasions. Usually, I end up spending the money on something extremely exciting like groceries or gas. This year I have made a huge decision. I'm going to spend that money on something that I truly want - solitude. I have always valued the spiritual discipline of solitude. Taking time to be completely alone with God. Time to be away from the TV, the xbox, the mp3 player, and even the cell phone. Time to be still. Time to meditate on Scripture and time to talk with no one but God. For me, finding time of such solitude has always been best served by taking my tent and going camping. It has been over a year since I have taken such time and am starting to feel the effects. I am in need of really reconnecting with the Lord. Many my find that last statement a bit odd for a minister to make. However, I suppose there is an occupational hazard to being a preacher in which you spend so much time with and doing the things of God that you miss God. It's not much different than a married couple who spend much time together maintaining the house, scheduling the calendar, caring for their children and yet spend little time actually being together, caring for their marriage. So this is my plan, to take the time (as soon as the weather cooperates) to go camping and to reconnect with the Lord.

There is one problem with my plan. Camping will only account for a fraction of my birthday money. So what else should I do? Many thoughts have come to mind. I thought of buying some music or a couple of books. I even thought of buying a video game. Not because I really play many video games but more so because my son would think I'm really cool. But none of this really seemed all that interesting. None of it seemed to be something that would have anything more than a fleeting impact. That's when I remembered that I could use this money to bring great joy to a special girl named Emilda.

Emilda is a young girl who is a sponsored child through Compassion International. She lives in the Philippines and she is mentally disabled. Emilda is also FAST. She can run and has ran her way into the Special Olympics. In order to compete in the Olympics, Emilda will need to raise nearly $20,000 dollars. Obviously, this is a virtual impossibility for a family that earns no more than $7.00 a week. You can read more of this family's story here: The Making of a Special Olympics Champion. I'd like to ask that you consider helping this special young girl achieve her dream. Help to show her family that despite their circumstances that there are people who will lift them up, give them hope, and love them in the name of Christ.

Emilda with her medals.

Compassion has set up a special fund to send Emilda to the Olympics. You can donate here: Help Send Emilda to the Special Olympics.

Thank you to all who give. Thanks to my parents for their gift to me that allows me to have time to restore my soul as well as to bless another in need.

In His grace, for His glory.

An Open Letter to Our Denominational Leaders

2011-02-18T14:07:00.002-05:00

To the leaders of our State and National Conventions:

We need your help. I, like hundreds of other pastors, am the pastor of a small church that is struggling and quite possibly dying. I don't want it to die and I do all that I know to do to keep it going. I go to the seminars and conferences that give glory to the wonderful churches that are growing, are missional, are simple, transformational, focused, and relevant. I listened to speeches and sermons that instruct me on how my church needs to be like one of these churches. I read the material on your latest evangelistic strategy that is going to revolutionize my church. Guess what, it's all garbage.

It's not that I don't believe in the latest Stetzer or Rainer research. It's not that I don't see value in what you are espousing. It's not that I don't believe that you haven't spent hours and untold amounts of money coming up with the latest evangelism strategy. It's that for all the rhetoric, for all the discipleship seminars and training sessions I've been to no one from a leadership position has been able to answer my one question: If I do what you are suggesting I'll be out of a job, then what?

Honestly, I often leave your meetings feeling as though we struggling, small church pastors (who are the majority in your denomination) are the second class citizens who weren't smart enough or spiritual enough to be David Platt (no offense to David). I often leave such meetings thinking that I have one of two choices: implement what is being discussed and cause chaos at my church or simply leave my church and start a new one. Which by the way, there does seem to be a growing tendency toward, if you aren't planting a church then you aren't really doing anything.

I guess that is my biggest problem. This feeling that because we happen to be in a situation where there aren't hundreds of people being baptized then the only logical conclusion is that we, as the pastors, aren't doing something right. And perhaps we aren't. Perhaps all the small, struggling church pastors should just leave their churches to go start new churches. Perhaps we should be pushing our churches harder to change their centuries old ways and be "culturally relevant." Perhaps there is much to do and much that can be done. Perhaps. Perhaps we small, struggling church pastors would like to believe that are denominational leaders are as interested in helping these pastors fulfill their calling, to which they are faithfully serving, as they are in telling us everything that is wrong with our churches.

Consider these pastors as men on the frontline of a war and it's trench warfare. It's hard, it's cold, it's dirty and it's dangerous. What we would like to know is that the generals aren't going to send down a order that says, "Hey guys, here is a new program with flashy door hangers, power-point ready sermons, and even a meditative cd of worship music. Now let's go baptize some folks and be sure to record them in your annual church profile!" What we would like instead is for the generals to say, "We know what is wrong. We know that you know what is wrong. Let's work together to fix it and if it can't be fixed then know troops that you won't be left here in the trenches to die."

I don't think I need to give you the stats but I will:

80 percent of pastors say they have insufficient time with spouse and that ministry has a negative effect on their family.

40 percent report a serious conflict with a parishioner once a month.

33 percent say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.

75 percent report they've had a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.

58 percent of pastors indicate that their spouse needs to work either part time or full time to supplement the family income.

56 percent of pastors' wives say they have no close friends.

45 percent of pastors' wives say the greatest danger to them and family is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual burnout.

21 percent of pastors' wives want more privacy.

Pastors who work fewer than 50 hours a week are 35 percent more likely to be terminated.

40 percent of pastors considered leaving the pastorate in the past three months.Source: "Pastors At Greater Risk" by H.B London Jr. and Neil Wiseman, Regal Books, 2003

Leaders, we are tired, burning out, and could use a helping hand from you. Stop telling us what is wrong all the time. We get it. We know the troubles our churches face. We are there. All we want to know is will you be there with us?

In His grace, for His glory,

Pastor John Raymer, small church pastor

A Birthday, Lent, Reflections, Resolutions, and a Hiking Stick?

2011-02-17T20:17:00.002-05:00

There are times in a person's life when they are given the opportunity to reflect on their lives. Some of those times are moments of circumstance such as a crisis of health or finances. Then there are moments of arbitrary dates on the calendar. Those moments such as New Year's Day, your anniversary, and of course, the birthday. My birthday is just a few weeks away and it just so happens to be the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. I've already been thinking about Lent. Last year I attempted to read a book of the Bible everyday for Lent (and failed). So I've been considering what I might do this year. Then, with the realization of my birthday being around the same time, it has me truly in one of those reflective moods.

Reflection allows us a time to experience the joy of good moments such as your wedding day or the day you met your adopted child. However, reflection can also bring the disappointment of moments missed and dreams forgotten. Reflection, if you will allow it, can also cause one to make resolutions. Now I'm not talking about those New Year's resolutions that you know even as you make it you have no intention of keeping. I'm talking about resolutions that say, "As I reflect on my life now, here is what I'd like to resolve to change, to focus on, to have my life be about."

Of course, there is no guarantee that such reflection with resolution will actually result in any change. Then again, making no decision to change and taking no action will most assuredly result in failure. I think it needs to be made clear here that I'm not simply looking at getting in a little more exercise or eating better. I'm looking at fundamental change. The kind of change that only comes when one fully submits to God. The kind of change from being merely a "good" person to being completely devoted to the Lord.

The question is, what will that look like? In some manner that will look the same for everyone in that the fruit of the Spirit is always the fruit of the Spirit. In another manner being totally devoted to the Lord will look different for everyone. Obviously total devotion to the Lord will be lived out differently for a 78 year old woman in an assisted living facility versus a 20 year old college student living in a dorm. So for me, a nearly 38 year old man, living in a home with a wife and 5 kids, what will complete devotion and obedience to the Lord look like? This is the question I've been reflecting on lately.

I also realize that in considering such questions I'm obviously looking at practical results. For example devotion to Christ will lead to a greater amount of time studying His Word. However, I'm not merely looking for a list of accomplishments. It is true enough that such outward changes would take place if one is committed to following Christ. Nevertheless, what I'm most interested in is not so much the doing of "christian" things as I am interested in being and in having the character of Christ. To do this I believe that I'll need to learn more of what it is to simply abide in Christ. Interestingly though I believe that to more fully abide in Christ I'll have to more fully invest myself in the disciplines of the faith such as meditating on God's Word, prayer, solitude, worship, service, etc. In some ways this may seem to be counterintuitive. On one hand, I'm trying to simply be in Christ but on the other hand I have to do the things which place me in the center of where Christ is. It may also seem that I'm trying to dwell in the very center of God's grace by forcing myself into His grace by performing certain actions. What we have to understand is that grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning (thank you Dallas Willard for this knowledge). For example, I can decide that it would be beneficial to read more Scripture in order to abide more in Christ and to experience more of His grace. Even so, the very act of spending more time in Scripture does not earn me more grace. His grace to me is still His gift. Furthermore, it takes God's grace acting through us to even allow us to have the desire to be with Christ as well as to have the ability to act in obedience to doing those things which Scripture instructs us to do. This in turn help us to be in the place where God's grace can be most effective in us.

In short, as I sit here these past few days in this reflective mood I am reflecting on my life as a follower of Christ. In many ways I've been a pretty "good" Christian. In so many ways I know that I've barely scratched the surface of what in means to follow Christ. To use a biblical metaphor: if a follower of Christ is one who picks up his cross to follow Christ, then I have been carrying around a hiking stick. Oh, it's useful. It's help keep me steady and on the right path but it is nothing that would cost me my life.

Someone to Teach Me

2011-02-10T13:32:00.001-05:00

I just finished watching the first part of a documentary that has atheists discussing why they are atheists. In the first interview with an atheist philosopher something struck me as an odd contradiction in his own thought. He first mentioned that people do not need a god in order to have an idea of a moral absolute because moral absolutes are just that, absolute, and that they are "just known." Furthermore, as people who have knowledge of the moral absolutes, we generally follow those moral absolutes. In other words, people are generally good and do good.

He continued making the argument that there is no god because the very abundance of evil makes God an impossibility. This does raise a legitimate question of why there is evil if God is all-powerful and all-good? A question which I believe Scripture answers but that this philosopher believes Scripture doesn't answer. On that point (for now) I'll simply agree to disagree with him.

However, I do believe that he has committed an error in his own reasoning. I wonder, if people are generally good, then why is there an abundance of evil? Shouldn't there be less evil by the very nature of the fact that everyone has a clear understanding of the moral absolutes? Now he does contend that not everyone does have a clear understanding of the moral absolutes for we are after all, "just human." But then, would that mean that there is something fundamentally wrong with us? That in fact we do not "just know" what the moral absolutes are? Does not the very fact that we do not "just know" what the moral absolutes are, that we are indeed "just humans" who fail at those moral absolutes, suggest that there is a standard of rightness that we are to live toward and that somehow we need a teacher who is not "just human" to teach us those moral absolutes? For if the teachers are all "just human" then how can we be sure that they teach us correctly? It seems to me that at some point, if we are to recognize that we do not "just know" moral absolutes, then we are going to need someone to show us both in word and in deed just what a fully moral, dare I say, righteous life is.

The Idolatry of Heavenly Comfort

2011-02-09T09:31:00.001-05:00

Whenever I'm asked to speak at a funeral I will at some point read the following Scripture:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,

and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of

heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice

from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them,

and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more,

neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,

for the former things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21:1-4 ESV)

Now I have always read this passage for a couple of reasons. First, I had always heard it read at funerals and it seemed that it was sort of expected. Secondly, I read it because of the comfort that people receive. I believe that this verse and for that matter all of Revelation was written in part to give Christians comfort in the glory to come. However, I believe that the comfort one receives often comes from a misguided focus on the text.

I read this Scripture at funerals because the grieving family is comforted by the thought that every tear is wiped away, that death will be no more, that there will be no more mourning, crying, or pain. All of this is true and again, I believe it is there to bring us comfort. There is comfort in knowing that one day all the pain will be gone.

However, I must admit that I have mishandled this Scripture. The fact is that I have used this Scripture to point people to the idea that there will be no more tears. The text though is not about this. The text is about why there is no more pain and suffering. The text is about, "He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."

If one continues on in the reading, the text moves forward giving a grand description of the new Jerusalem. Everything is amazing. The city is of pure gold with jasper walls adorned with all kinds of precious jewels. Then one comes to the heart of the message:

"No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,

and his servants will worship him." (Revelation 22:3 ESV)

When we read this text we may find comfort in the knowledge that there will be no more pain or sorrow; we may be in awe of the wonder of the new Jerusalem but we have to recognize that the text is pointing us to dwell with and to worship the Lord. It is true that there are no more tears but that is because we are now fully with the Lord. He is the reason for the pain being gone. He is the reason for the mourning to cease. He is the reason for the curse to be no longer. He is the reason. To focus on the results of His presence is to make those results our longing. We long for no more tears and no more pain. If this though is our longing then this is what our hearts desire and we have made an idol out of the comfort, out of the no more tears and no more pain.

When we read this text it should point us to Jesus and the glory of the Lord. We can be thankful for all the joy that will come but our desire and longing should not be for no more tears but for the worship and glory of our Lord. When we long for Heaven it should be because there we are fully with Jesus and we are gathered together to worship Him. May we desire to be in His presence. May we desire His glory above all.

Do We Need Another Story about Starving Children and Poverty?

2011-02-08T15:42:00.003-05:00

I must admit that as important as I believe it is for all of us to be involved in the fight against poverty there are times where I just don't want to see another story, magazine, blog post, facebook status, or tweet dealing with this issue. I admit that constantly hearing about it is a drag. I mean I get it. Poverty is a huge problem. To that end I sponsor a child with Compassion International (compassion.com) and serve as a Compassion Advocate. I've adopted 3 children from Ethiopia. I serve as an associate for America World Adoption (awaa.org) and regularly speak on adoption and orphan care. I regularly address the issue in sermons. I work to constantly remind people that this issue is not going away and yet it is important for us to continue to work to end it. Nevertheless, there are times when I simply want to say that enough is enough and I'd like to hear some good news for a change. Really, I just want to get lost for a while in mind-numbing nothingness. I want to pretend for a minute that all is right with the world and whatever is not right is simply not my responsibility.

Then my 9 year old son who lived the first 7 years of his life in Ethiopia reminded me why we have to continue to tell the stories and to continue to inform ourselves on the issue of poverty and the many evils that accompany it. The other night at dinner he mentioned that he "needed" an ipod. When asked why he "needed" an ipod he said because "everyone has one." Fortunately, I had just received in the mail Compassion International's kids' magazine Explore in the mail. In this month's issue there was a page that had pictures of 4 different "houses" from around the world. 3 of these houses were what we Americans may consider to be shacks made of mud, cardboard, and scraps of metal and plywood. Then there was one traditional American home. I used this too illustrate to Feromsa, who has apparently forgotten his life in Ethiopia, that not everyone had such an American home and that they certainly did not have an ipod. Many of them did not even have food.

Now then, if someone who lived in the struggles of poverty can after just a couple of years in America forget those struggles, then how much more are we who have been blessed to always live here likely to forget unless we are constantly reminded?

Still waiting...

2011-02-02T16:39:00.000-05:00

Waiting…oh, the horror.

2011-02-01T15:35:00.001-05:00

I hate waiting. Waiting for news – good or bad. Waiting for things to get fixed. Waiting for things to get done. Waiting for the people in front of you to check out. Waiting for a light to turn green. Waiting for the dog to do its business. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Waiting is something that we tend to do a lot of and yet it is nearly viewed as a sin in our culture. After all, waiting is synonymous with doing nothing. In our culture we value success and success requires that you do something. In our culture we value getting things done, accomplishing tasks, building, growing, inventing, making more and earning more. We don't honor Edison because he waited for a light bulb to turn on. We honor Edison because he made a light bulb. Waiting, just sitting and waiting is considered wasted time. Time in which nothing is getting accomplished.

Of course maybe we just don't understand waiting. Maybe it is in the waiting that things really are accomplished. At least this should be true for a follower of Christ. If we understand waiting as the time in which we are abiding in Christ; the time in which we are in the court of the King; the time when we are at the feet of the Master, then truly nothing greater can be accomplished than being with the Father.

We should also acknowledge that waiting is a struggle because it is in waiting that we feel most out of control. Let's face it, the reason you are waiting is because you cannot speed up whatever it is that you are waiting on. Waiting for something means that something is out of your hands. But isn't this precisely the best place to be – out of control? More precisely to be in God's control. This is what it means to believe in Christ, isn't it? To trust in His sovereignty and to have our lives in His hands.

Perhaps the reason I hate waiting is that too much of the time I am waiting alone. Instead of abiding in Him I am abiding in my own mind, my own desires, and my own strength. Perhaps the reason I hate waiting is because in doing so I have nothing to "show" anyone of what is being accomplished. Then again nothing could be better than to show a life of one who is waiting in the arms of the Father, desiring to know Him, and to delight in His glory.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5 ESV)

"For a day in your courts is better
        than a thousand elsewhere.
    I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
        than dwell in the tents of wickedness."
(Psalm 84:10 ESV)

Spell Check Theology

2011-01-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

Last night I was working on a paper that I needed to write. As I was finishing it up I decided to add at the end the simple sentence, "To God be the glory." I then proceeded to do the obligatory spell and grammar check. There were several errors and the last item that was highlighted was this sentence, "To God be the glory." The program was suggesting that I check the verb-subject agreement. What I found interesting was the suggestion that was given for what I should change in my sentence. It suggested:

"God is the glory."

Who knew that Microsoft Office Word was able to check biblical doctrine?

Top 10 Most-Searched Bible Verses: What’s Missing?

2011-01-24T16:14:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting article on the ten most-searched Bible Verses. Be sure to read to the end of the article (it's not real long) to read what the author says is missing from the list. It is a glaring omission.

Top 10 Most-Searched Bible Verses: What's Missing?

Who Believes This?

2011-01-22T12:11:00.001-05:00

Urgent Message

2010-11-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

I would like to encourage everyone to take a moment to write to your congressional representatives to express your concern for Asia Bibi. Asia is a Christian woman, wife, and mother of 2 girls who has been sentenced to death by hanging in Pakistan for the charge of blasphemy against Muhammad. You can read more about her story and view a news report video at this link: Mother Condemned to Death.

Let me encourage you to hand write to your representatives. Email is great but I have recently learned that our representatives are more apt to actually see your letter if you have taken the time to hand write it and mail it in. If you do not know where to write you can use this link to find your representatives: Contact Congress.

When you write ask that they will put public pressure on the Pakistani government to intervene and to set Asia free. Ask that they make a public stand for the freedom of worship and freedom of speech. Ask them to use their influence to have the world community to be involved in this tragic situation.

Finally and most importantly, keep Asia and all persecuted believers in your prayers.

Rich Mullins (Live) - Calling Out Your Name

2010-10-26T17:52:00.001-04:00

I used my $10.00 pastor appreciation gift from Lifeway Stores today to buy a Rich Mullins cd/dvd. As I was watching it I had a thought: Sometimes God is not the shelter from the storm, sometimes God is the storm and we just need to let go and be blown away.

Stating it another way...

2010-10-21T12:13:00.001-04:00

Picking up on my the theme of my last post I'd like to state things in a different way.  Imagine that you and your family decided that it would be wise to build on to the house.  The new space will be nice for visiting relatives and friends.  You have been setting aside extra money for over a year to pay for the home renovations.  Just as you are ready to hire a contractor you get terrible news that your child has a serious medical condition.  If surgery is not performed soon your child will die.  The medical cost will wipe out your savings and possibly more.  Would you continue the house renovations or save your child?

Now perhaps that seems like a ridiculous question because only the most callous, hard-hearted individual would chose not to save their child.  So then what does that say about the church that invest millions in gyms, education buildings, conferences, conventions, coffee houses, and untold numbers of fellowships and social gatherings while 30,000 children are dying today for lack of basic necessities?

Just who is responsible?

2010-10-20T13:05:00.002-04:00

I heard a political candidate the other night state that if elected it would be his responsibility to provide shelter, food, and clothing. The only problem with this statement is that such responsibilities are not outlined in the Constitution (just to make sure I actually read the thing). There is no mention in the Constitution of the government providing shelter, food, or clothing.

So then just who is responsible? Well, some may say that it is the individual's responsibility to work and provide for themselves. We may say that it is the responsibility of the parents to provide such things for their children. We would be correct in these assertions. Never the less, we must also recognize that there are many who even with the best intentions and efforts cannot adequately provide even these basic necessities of life.

So then, who is responsible to assist those with shelter, food, and clothing? Again, these items are not mentioned in the Constitution. However, these are mentioned in such places as Deuteronomy 15, Isaiah 58, Matthew 25, and James 2. It is right to say that it is not the government's job to care for our neighbors. It is also right to say that it is the job of the Church. How can we claim to be the Church of Christ, the one who came to preach good news to the poor, when we spend untold millions on our own comforts? At what point does the Church recognize that millions spent on gymnasiums, grand fountains, coffee shops, and "Christian" teddy bears is an abomination as nearly 30,000 children die today because of a lack of basic food, shelter, and medical care? Of course, we justify the spending of these millions because we say that such things help us to attract and win loss souls? I just have one question then: If spending money on such things is helping us to win loss souls, then why is the church in North America on the decline?

Reaching the World One Coloring Book at a Time

2010-10-14T15:52:00.000-04:00

I received an email today from my father. He had recently been on a mission trip to Brazil with Christian Missions Unlimited. He takes a week every year to go there and help build a church. A couple of years ago I started sending with him coloring books that I'd put together using coloring pages I found online. When the books are put together they tell the story of Christ in Portuguese (the language they speak in Brazil).

In the email Dad sent he had attached a couple of pictures from his most recent trip. In one of the pictures it shows the line of kids standing outside the new church building waiting to receive the coloring books. Tears came to my eyes as I realized that each kid was not just getting some coloring book but that they were getting a book that told the Gospel. There is always in me a deep desire for world missions. And admittedly there is always a deep frustration that I can't go more often. Yet, here with a simple coloring book I was able to participate in the mission work being done thousands of miles away, in a different country and in a different language.

To be honest, I put those coloring books together just because I thought it would be something nice to do. I know the children who are ministered to on these mission trips have nothing and that they appreciate something as simple as homemade coloring books. However, seeing the picture of the kids lined up to receive this coloring book changes things. I know that as they look through it they will read about the Christ who died for them and lives again. Now I find myself praying for these kids. Now, I'm connected to a group of kids who I have only seen in a photograph. Now, I need to make some more coloring books.

The Hardness of Our Hearts

2010-09-30T14:51:00.000-04:00

The documentary Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State shows various interviews with people who are associated with the death camps and with World War II. Some of the interviews were with the Nazi SS guards who actually ran the camps. I was particularly disturbed to hear some of the SS guards who, even as they acknowledged their part in the atrocities that took place at the camp, seemed to express no remorse. Many of those interviewed spoke of what they did as just being part of the events that were going on. It was much like listening to someone recount their days at college some 40 years ago. Whatever "mischief" took place, well, that's just what happens in college. It seemed to be a kind of "boys will be boys" mentality. One guard even chuckled as he recounted stealing the valuables of the Jewish people who were being sent into the gas chambers.

I wondered as these men talked, if there callous attitude even some 50 years later, was true to who these men are. I wondered, had they really not learned anything in the 50 years since this war ended? Had they not realized what an horrendous violation of human dignity the holocaust was? Or perhaps their callousness was merely a coping mechanism? Perhaps it had become easier to have a cavalier attitude about the whole thing then it was to honestly face what they had been a part of?

I also wondered, to what degree do we become cold and indifferent to the suffering around us? To what degree do we "cope" with the suffering by becoming as callous as these men appeared to be? Even as I believe that most of us find it disgusting that a man would laugh about stealing from Jews going to a gas chamber, I also have to wonder if we often harden our hearts to those who are suffering in our world because the reality of facing the truth is more then we can bear.

But let us be clear, that what we cannot bear is not the truth of people suffering for we all live with the knowledge that people suffer. We know (and if you didn't know this you do now) that nearly 30,000 children die each DAY from preventable causes. Yet what we, if we are honest, cannot bear is our unwillingness to do something about it. You see, our hearts grow hard toward the suffering of others because we are protecting ourselves and what we our protecting ourselves from is the knowledge that we could do something. And when we don't, we know it is wrong and it is selfish and no one what's to be thought of as being wrong and selfish. So we dismiss the suffering. We dismiss the idea that we can do something about it. We say the problems are too big and perhaps too far away. We put it aside and perhaps even promise that we will somehow get involved later.

So let me say this: Don't let your heart be hardened. You can do something. Yes it may hurt. You may have to sacrifice. You may not be able to change the world for everyone, but you can change the world for at least someone. Open your heart.

Prayer without Work

2010-09-29T12:11:00.000-04:00

To Be Human

2010-09-28T08:36:00.000-04:00

I recently saw a documentary titled Kicking It about a soccer tournament in which all of the participants were homeless men. The organizers of the tournament called the Homeless World Cup had an idea to use the game of soccer to change the lives of the men. To be honest as I watched the film I kept thinking to myself, "Sure, the men seem to enjoy the game but come on, they are homeless. What they need is what anyone in such a situation needs: food, shelter, clothing, etc." I thought this because this is what one who is in poverty need. Someone in the grips of poverty needs food, not a game.

As the film progress it followed several men who were playing in the tournament. There were men from Ireland, Afghanistan, Kenya, America, Russian, and some 40 other countries. One of the men from the Russia team would routinely say, "We must win." His demeanor was of great determination. His, "We must win" was always said not so much with a drive for the glory of victory but with the voice of a man in desperation to save his life. It was as if his life literally depended upon his team winning a simple soccer tournament that most of the world knew nothing about.

So what exactly was it? Why was it so important to win this soccer tournament? In the words of the man, "If we win, then we will be human." You see poverty isn't just about the lack of food, clothing, or shelter. What poverty ultimately does is strip someone of their belief that they are human. They are stripped of that because that is how they are most often treated by others. They are treated, viewed, and often ignored as something less than worthy of our attention; something less than human.

    The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
       but the rich has many friends.
    Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
       but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
                                                 (Proverbs 14:20-21 ESV)

Auschwitz

2010-09-27T15:22:00.001-04:00

I started watching this week a documentary titled Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State. In the first two episodes the documentary looks at the beginnings of Auschwitz and for that matter how the "Final Solution" came to be the Nazi doctrine for the extermination of the Jews. The film not only looks at the actually planning of the death camp through such things as architectural designs but it explores how people who are basic ordinary people, much like you and I, with families, hopes and dreams and even, dare I say, a sense of ethics and morality, how they become planners, perpetrators, and participants in one of the world's grandest atrocities of all of history.

The answer seems to lie within the fact that the German people for years before the death camps began were taught that the Jews were less than human. This seems to be the starting place for the death camps. Genocide does not begin in the railroad cars going to the camp. Genocide does not begin with segregating people into ghettos. Genocide begins with the entertaining of the thought that a person and by association those who share a commonality with that person are less than me.

So how does one prevent genocide? One would think remembering the holocaust would suffice but history has shown us that genocide continues today. A panel discussion at the end of episode two of the documentary has a professor who teaches on genocide saying that there really is no way to end genocide. I was particularly interested in the fact that he said religious morality could not even stop genocide. I thought about that for a moment and realized that I had to agree. Religious morality, especially that which is most pervasive in all religions of people trying to be "good" by whatever standard of good their religion requires will not stop genocide. However, a people, a group of people, a sacred community that embodies Christ, yes, the true Church can and should, at the very least be prepared to lay down their lives to speak to the evil of regarding one group of people or many groups of people as less than themselves.

We must understand, that this is not simply about racial reconciliation or even the recognition of the sanctity of all human life. This is about the community of believers acting in accordance with the renewing and the transformation of their minds and their hearts to be like that of their Lord and Savior. This is not about, if the Church will be the Church, then genocide will end. Truth be told, until the Lord returns, evil will continue to thrive on the face of the earth and evil men will continue to do evil things. What is being said here is that in the midst of this evil and darkness, it is the Church, this sacred, set apart community, that is to be a light. A light that reveals the evil, pushes away the darkness, and brings hope and life.

The Church must be the place where no one is considered less and yet everyone considers themselves a servant and not a master. For in the Church, we count others more significant than ourselves (Phil. 2:3). These others who we count as more significant must not be just those that are our friends, our families, our neighbors who look like us, talk like us and act like us. These others who we count as more significant must be those who do not look like us, who do not talk like us, dress like us, act like us, or even like us. For this is the mind of Christ. For while we were still sinners (rebellious ones, enemies of the Father, unholy), Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8)

Deliver the Message

2010-09-17T13:59:00.001-04:00

A Prayer For Persecution

2010-09-16T23:48:00.001-04:00

During a meeting this week with several pastors one pastor was asked to pray. As he prayed he began to pray for our country and for revival. He then said something that I have never heard before in prayer. He prayed that our nation receive persecution. You read that right. He didn't pray that we would be free of persecution but that we would experience persecution. I admit I was a bit shocked at first to hear someone actually pray for persecution. However, after a second to realize that I heard him correctly I found myself saying, "amen." I knew why he had prayed that. I had after all alluded to the truth of his prayer in many sermons. However, I have never been so bold as to actually pray for persecution.

Now you may ask, why would anyone want persecution? The answer is quite simple. History has shown, current status of the Church around the world shows, and the Bible makes clear that persecution refines the Church. For as often as we pray for revival are we also willing to pray for the persecution? Are we willing to pray that we live sacrificially? Are we willing to pray that we be willing to take up our cross? Are we willing to pray for revival if it also means that we pray to no longer live comfortable, safe lives?

"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV)"

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:12-14 ESV)"

Little River Canyon National Preserve

2010-09-09T23:58:00.001-04:00

Unity

2010-09-01T16:57:00.001-04:00

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. (1 Corinthians 1:10 ESV)

I got an email today from a fellow pastor who stated that his board (I’m purposefully leaving the board generic as to not get tangled up in counsel, staff, trustee, deacon, elder, etc. debate) had recently received an anonymous letter stating that the board needed to “stop worshipping” the pastor and do what is right. Now, I don’t know what the pastor is doing that this cowardly (because he does not give his name) critic believes is wrong but he apparently believes that the board is complicit in this wrong doing.

Let us lay aside what it is that the cowardly critic believes is being done wrong and focus on his claim that the board worships the pastor. Why would he hold to this idea? What is it that causes this cowardly critic to believe that the board worships the pastor? Because we do not know who the cowardly critic is we cannot say for sure why he holds this conviction. Never the less, I’d like to make the following argument:

The cowardly critic believes that the board worships the pastor because the board and the pastor, when presenting to the church a decision that has been reached, do so as a unified body. Note, that this does not say that all the members of the board and the pastor agree on everything. It does say, that once the decision has been made, that they are then unified in presenting that decision to the larger body of the church. Unfortunately, for the cowardly critic, he is under the misguided notion that the board is to act not as a group who works in conjunction with the pastor to deliver a unified vision and direction for the church but rather they are to act as a check on the “power and authority” of the pastor. He believes that the board is there to serve as the “voice of the people” against the crazy, radical notions of the pastor. He expects there to be an adversarial relationship between the board and the pastor. Not only does he expect this, he nearly demands it and when it does not happen his only conclusion is that the board worships the pastor.

It is unfortunate that the cowardly critic cannot see the blessing in having the leadership of the church unified. It is unfortunate that he fails to recognize the Biblical teachings on authority and submission. It is unfortunate that he fails to understand the joy of a church that is unified in its mission and vision. It is sad that he cannot see the difference between a board being united with their pastor versus the board worshipping their pastor. It is sad that he does not see that a church that is unified is one that is most able to bring glory and not dishonor to God.

May we all be unified in bringing glory to God.

Magnificent!

2010-06-20T21:22:00.002-04:00

Christ's Call

2010-06-15T21:36:00.004-04:00

Go to the following link and download the mp3 file "Christ's Call." It is a sermon by the K.P. Yohannan who is the founder of Gospel for Asia. It is one of those great step on your toes sermons that all of us need to hear.

You will have to register to download the sermon but it is worth it.

http://www.gfa.org/resource/audio/

A Question of Cause

2010-05-27T13:40:00.004-04:00

Earlier today I was watching a TV show in which part of the story line dealt with a homeless man who had died and another man trying to arrange a funeral for him. The show got me to think about the way we often deal with people. When we are confronted by people who find themselves in a, let's just say, a less than desirable situation we often base our decision to provide assistance to them based on the known or the assumed reason for them being in that situation. For instance, we may gladly help people who are struck by a natural disaster. An earthquake, tornado, or hurricane destroys homes without prejudice and there is nothing that one can really do to prevent such occurrences. However, if we know someone is homeless often our (or perhaps I should simply say my and not presume to know your thoughts) first inclination when deciding to help is to first determine the cause of their predicament. Are they in this condition because of a hurricane or are they in this predicament because of drug use, alcoholism, and/or criminal behavior? Perhaps they simply fell on hard times because it's a bad economy? Perhaps they made some really bad financial decisions? Maybe they are just too lazy to work?

It seems to me that our decision to help someone is largely based on the answers to these questions. Now, as I was watching this TV show I began to think about what motivates us to help one person (or group) over another. I began to think about these questions that we often ask and use to judge who is worthy of being helped. Then I thought about the cross. I thought that when Jesus went to the cross He did not ask about our past and what caused us to be in the situation we were in. Of course, He knew what caused us to be in our situation. He didn't base His decision to save us on our past performances and whether those past performances were worthy of His sacrifice. He went to the cross despite our pasts and despite the fact that we weren't worthy. He simply went to the cross for His enemies, the ones who harmed Him, the ones who were against Him, the ones who did not want His help. The question isn't really how did one get to where they are, the question is do we believe that God can pull them out of that situation? Can He change them? Can He give them new life? The other question is are we willing to be obedient to God and to be His hands and feet to whomever despite their past and despite what caused them to be in their current situation? Is grace for everyone or just those whom we deem worthy?

Give me Revelation - Day 12 of Lent

2010-03-02T11:52:00.003-05:00

I know that yesterday I said that I was not going to be posting about my Lent journey everyday but I just had to share something with you. Today, I read Revelation (sticking with my John books from the previous days) and, wow, what a book. You know Revelation is one of those books that to be perfectly honest you read (particularly as a pastor) when you are wanting to preach about the lukewarm church or else you are doing a study of the end times. As such you read it trying to pick apart all of the beasts and dragons and lake of fire. You try to figure out who is who and what represents what. And perhaps what we really look for is "signs of the time."

However, as I sat down and simply read it straight through not concerning myself with if I fully understood all of the imagery and time line, I found myself pulled into a wonderful story. I remember years ago hearing someone say that we in America often read the book of Revelation and focus on the tribulations, while people in the Soviet Union (again this was years ago that I heard this) when given the opportunity to read the book do so with a focus on the hope of which the book speaks. That's what I saw this morning. Sure the book has plenty of tribulation, plenty of destruction, death, and horrifying images but what is really there is the triumph of the Lord. What is spoken of by John with grand and magnificent words, almost beyond his own ability to describe is the glory of God.

"The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price." Revelation 22:17

Come. Drink. Glory in Him.

In His grace, for His glory,
John.

Day 11 of Lent

2010-03-01T10:11:00.004-05:00

I apologize for not writing more as I have been going through this journey in observance of Lent. Since my last post I have read Ezra, the Gospel of John, and staying with John, I read all three letters from John. I'm thinking next I'll read Revelation but that will have to wait until tomorrow for that determination.

It has been rather fascinating keeping to this commitment to read a book each day. I must confess though that I did split the Gospel into 2 days. I haven't been writing as much because I found that as I was reading I was thinking about what I would be writing. That preacher's occupational hazard kept creeping around. So, I decided to stop writing. As you can see, I won't be stopping entirely but it isn't going to be an everyday item.

I do find that the time in just reading, for no other purpose than to hear from God and to spend that time with Him, is deeply satisfying to the soul. I am finding that by reading that whole book, without effort to dissect it and outline it for a sermon, allows for the personality of the book, the character of the book, to infiltrate my heart and my mind. Obviously, I believe strongly in Bible study of the sort where one works to understand and properly interpret even a single verse or perhaps a phrase. This reading of the whole book though, again with the intention of just enjoying His Word, allows for a connection with the heart and mind that causes one to be able to say, "I understand." I may not know everything, for example when reading Ezra, unless you have some good study notes or commentary you may not know who the various kings are in the story and how each one relates to the story or you may not know the time line of the story that well. However, I believe that reading the book through, just to hear it, allows for one to walk away and understand why God has this book in His Scriptures. It isn't just something you now have mental knowledge of, instead it is something that you know, in your heart and in your mind, and it is now part of you.

Love Songs - Day 6 of Lent

2010-02-25T08:31:00.003-05:00

OK, I know I'm a little behind on my blog post - forgive me.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that for Day 6 of Lent I read the book of Song of Solomon. By the way, after reading this book I think the name is wrong which, of course, is probably why it is often called Song of Songs. Even that name doesn't really seem to fit. I don't think Song of Solomon fits because most of the songs in the book are actually from the woman not Solomon. I also don't think Song of Songs works because it isn't just a song but several songs.

Anyway, as I was reading this most interesting book I realized that over the years I have heard many sermons and teachings on marriage based on such passages as that found in Ephesians but rarely have I heard anything out of this book. Strange really, because the book is a manual on developing and maintaining a passionate and loving relationship. Of course, it is also very graphic which we Christians feel very uncomfortable with. Perhaps this is the lesson for today - learn to enjoy what the Lord has created as He intended it to be enjoyed.

Hey Jude - Days 5

2010-02-23T18:37:00.005-05:00

This journey through Lent has certainly proved interesting and the first week isn't even over. One interesting aspect has been my choice of what books to read. Yesterday I read the book of Jude. I chose this book merely because I mentioned it in my previous post and had it on my mind. I also read it because it's Jude. I mean Jude isn't the book that you often hear someone quote their life verse from. I don't believe I've ever seen anyone holding up a poster board at a football game with "Jude 20" written on it. I suspect a good many church goers don't know where to find the book and many would probably begin in the Old Testament. I don't recall ever hearing a sermon from the book (although, after some thought I do believe I preached out of it once on a Sunday evening service - and any good Southern Baptist will tell you that that really doesn't count). Let's just be honest, Jude is a strange, little book. In just a few paragraphs there are a number of references to obscure Old Testament passages and even one reference to an apparently long lost Jewish story featuring the archangel Michael arguing with the devil over Moses' body. It's a book that, if one isn't careful, they can easily miss what is being said by getting lost in the details of the illustrations. In the end, Jude, in my humble opinion, is about contending for the faith. In doing so Jude makes it clear that we must be aware of those who infiltrate the church with false teaching but his main point is one of encouragement to believers. As Jude writes:

"But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the
Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the Love of God, waiting for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life."

Reading Jude is a reminder that all Scripture is God-breathed. I'd like to encourage you to take some time to read some Scripture that perhaps you have personally neglected. There just may be something there that you need to hear.

A Southern Baptist Struggles with Lent - Day 4

2010-02-22T07:38:00.006-05:00

Well, Saturday was the third day of Lent and my goal to read a book of the Bible each day fell short. Sure, I could blame it on having a house full of kids, errands to run, and spending a good deal of the day trying to figure out what was wrong with my sermon for Sunday morning. The truth of the matter is, I just never said, "OK, I need some time to go and read." Even if Saturday was busy, I could have found a few minutes to read Jude or Philemon. I mean really, how long do those take to read. Never the less, I never made it.

So, even though traditionally Sunday does not count in the 40 days of Lent, I read a book on Sunday. Even here, I cheated myself. I chose to read the book of Ruth. Now Ruth is a great book to read with its story of God's providence, love, and redemption but I was reading it in an attempt to kill two birds with one stone. You see, I was reading it because I wanted to keep to my Lent commitment and I read Ruth because it was my text for my Sunday evening sermon. Now, you might recall, that one of the reasons for reading a book each day for Lent is because I had fallen into that rut that many preachers fall into in which every time they are reading Scripture it is for the purpose of preparing another sermon. Well, here I was reading to further solidify my sermon.

The lesson here is that even as one practices a discipline of the faith there will be times that you really learn and grow. There will be times that you experience an intimacy with the Lord unlike you have ever experienced. Then there will also be times where it feels as though all that you have done is checked something off your to do list. The important thing is to learn from even the so called "lesser" moments (which in the end may be your best learning moments) and to perpetually be moving toward God.

I wonder what today's reading will reveal?

Lent and Tiger Woods - Day 3

2010-02-19T18:35:00.003-05:00

For my reading today I chose the book of Colossians. It should be understood that during this process I have no reading plan. Other than a desire to read all 4 Gospels during Lent, for my 36 other reading selections I am randomly choosing which book to read when I sit down to read. I chose Colossians this morning because I had a Dallas Willard book nearby and I know that Dallas really enjoys Colossians 3. I know this doesn't sound very spiritual but it's what happened.

Anyway, prior to reading Colossians, I actually watched the big speech today by Tiger Woods. Now, I don't think I need to go into detail about what Tiger has done or what he said in his speech. I'm sure by now you know what he did and much of what he said today. I'm sure that you have said something about it or will say something about. As a preacher I almost fill compelled to address. After all, shouldn't I use this opportunity to address faithfulness in marriage, the sin of adultery, or perhaps even fatherhood and being a good role model? I could do that I suppose and maybe I still will. However, if I do use this very public downfall of a man as an illustration of some sort I pray that I'll remember the words I read today:

"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Colossians 4:5-6.

A Southern Baptist Observes Lent - Day 2

2010-02-18T22:27:00.005-05:00

I'd like to begin today with a quick clarification. I did not mean to imply yesterday that everyone who gives up something or practices the discipline of abstinence (that is not meant in the merely sexual sense of the word but in the technical sense of abstaining from any thing or activity) are only doing so for some other motive than to grow closer to God. Many honestly practice this discipline throughout Lent with the desire to know God and His grace and to use this time and this discipline to reflect on the suffering of Christ and rejoice in His resurrection and glory. My blog yesterday was more of a reflection of my personal experience (or lack of experience) with the observance of this season.

Now as for today, one of the reasons I choose to read a book of the Bible for each day of Lent was that I wanted to get away from picking apart a verse or two to find every detail in preparation for a sermon. Mind you this is something important that every Christian should do. However, it can also lead to a missing the forest due to the trees kind of effect if we (most specifically preachers) aren't careful. I wanted to take some time to read a book and really get a feel for the book as a whole. For instance today I read the book of Ecclesiastes. Typically, this book brings to mind "all is vanity" and a poem on there being a time for everything. Well, today when I read it I was constantly confronted with a desire to stop and just focus on one or two verses. Instead, I might have re-read those verses a few times but then continue on. In reading the whole book in a concentrated amount of time, I got a whole new feel for the book that I never had before. Ecclesiastes has this message of everything being a vain endeavor of life. To be perfectly honest, I've always felt that Ecclesiastes was a bit of a negative book. Today, I realized that the tone of the book is actually one of great freedom for the person who lives to fear God and keep His commandments. There is freedom when your life is lived for God and not for yourself (this is the vanity that the Teacher speaks of). It is exactly for this type of revelation that I choose to read a complete book of the Bible each day.

One final note as to why I am reading a book a day. By doing this I am obligating myself to stop, slow down, and to simply devote myself to hearing His Word. This isn't simply about completing reading assignments but about abiding in Him.

A Southern Baptist observes Lent

2010-02-17T16:26:00.005-05:00

I have been a Southern Baptist most all my life and Southern Baptist traditionally do not observe Lent. So, I have never observed Lent. I've never been part of an Ash Wednesday service and I have never given up anything for these 40 days prior to Resurrection Sunday (that's Easter to all you laymen). I remember the first time I saw a man with ash on his forehead in college. Nearly made a fool of myself until one of my professors bailed me out (thank you Dr. Sansom, that's one more thing I'm indebted to you for). My point is that Lent has never meant anything to me other than it being the time that Catholics don't eat something and, well, I happen to like eating what they give up. Just another point in the protestant column as far as I was concerned.

Over the past several years I've begun to realize that there just might be some merit in various religious traditions. Often, if observed correctly, they can have much spiritual value to them. For example, I'm not a Jew, but I love celebrating Passover. There is so much to learn from this tradition. So much that speaks to us about God being the Deliverer. I've been known to add the observance of Advent into our Christmas traditions. Again, a tradition that isn't emphasized in Southern Baptist circles but never the less is one that can be very helpful in focusing on the true meaning of the Christmas season.

So, here we are at Lent. Over the past several years I have considered observing Lent in one way or another. To be honest, about the only thing I really knew about Lent was the act of giving something up. For some reason, I hear a lot of people giving up chocolate. I didn't realize that chocolate was such a vital part of life. Of course, you have people giving up meat, or caffeine, or something that they spend their money on regularly that they will then give the money they save to a charity. All of this is fine and well and I understand it all to a degree. For me though, it all seemed to be missing something. In many ways, it seemed that people were giving up things that, in all honesty, they needed to be giving up anyway. They were just using the motivation of Lent to help them do it. It's as if one was saying, "I need to lose weight and so I'll give up sweets for Lent. I'll kill 2 birds with one stone." Somehow connecting your weight loss with a religious motive is suppose to help.

For me though, I just wasn't getting it. I thought the idea was not so much to give something up but to get closer to God? To use the time and the circumstance you find yourself in by giving something up to become more aware of Christ? To prepare our hearts and minds to grieve at His suffering and to rejoice at His glory in the resurrection? I didn't think that this was simply a time to try to relieve ourselves of a bad habit that I wasn't able to get rid of a month and a half earlier when I made a New Year's resolution.

So this is my plan, and I intend to write about, so that people following along can help me be accountable just as they were in my adoption blog (www.raymersadoption.blogspot.com) when I was going through my "Great Coffee Experiment." I have put a great deal of thought into what would perhaps benefit me in growing closer to God at this stage in my life. I came to the conclusion that I need to read Scripture. Now, this may sound funny coming from a preacher but many preachers will understand. It is a danger in a preacher's line of work that because we spend so much time studying for the next sermon or the next lesson that we will be teaching that we often neglect our own time in simply reading God's Word for the sake of growing closer to Him and hearing from Him. I've been far too guilty of this lately. So, for the next 40 days of Lent I am going to read a different book of the Bible each day. Obviously, I will have some days where I may read a book like Philemon. Then there will be days where I'll read Jeremiah. I haven't decided what exactly I'll read other than I do plan to read all 4 Gospels. Today I am reading Mark. Throughout this time I plan to blog about my journey and whatever experiences that may come. I hope you will join me.

What is Love?

2010-02-07T21:35:00.004-05:00

Earlier today, walking around one of the holy temples of consumerism, I looked up and hanging above one of the aisles filled with stuff, that has literally no benefit to anyone, there was a sign that read, "Love is candy."

I don't think any further comment is needed.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This just blew my mind...God is greater than I knew.

2010-02-01T21:37:00.003-05:00

The following quote is from John Frame's "A Primer on Perspectivalism."

"God knows absolutely everything, because he planned everything, made everything, and determines what happens in the world he made. So we describe him as omniscient. One interesting implication of God’s omniscience is that he not only knows all the facts about himself and the world; he also knows how everything appears from every possible perspective. If there were a fly on my office wall, my typing would look very different to him from the way it looks to me. But God knows, not only everything about my typing, but also how that typing appears to the fly on the wall. Indeed, because God knows hypothetical situations as well as actualities, God knows exhaustively what a fly in that position would experience—if such a fly were present—even if it is not. God’s knowledge, then, is not only omniscient, but omniperspectival. He knows from his own infinite perspective; but that infinite perspective includes a knowledge of all created perspectives, possible and actual."

Ouch!

2009-11-20T18:22:00.003-05:00

I've started reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love. I'm currently on chapter 5 and it has been nothing short of an amazing book. I also should tell you that it has been a very painful book to read as well. With nearly every turn of the page I find myself thinking, "Ouch! That hurts."

Chapter 4 begins with a quote from a man who wrote the following words in 1890 and are as relevant today as they were then:

"It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the Gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity." - Frederic D. Huntington

Ouch!

Joshua and the Stickman

2009-10-24T15:21:00.005-04:00

A while back I took my three boys on a little hiking trip. We saw a couple of waterfalls, played around, and had a good day together. On the way home I had playing in the van a Pierce Pettis cd. I wasn't really listening to the cd and neither were the boys, or so I thought. In the middle of my thinking where to stop and eat and in the middle of the boys talking and playing Joshua said, "Daddy?" It was the type of "Daddy" that one knows will be followed by a question. From Joshua this usually means a question about either a video game or some strange hypothetical such as, "If we could create space suits that allowed one to go into the sun, what would we find there?" So, I braced myself for such a question and responded to him, "Yes, Joshua."

"Daddy, I don't get it. Who is the stickman?"
"What?"
"The stickman. Who is he."

That's when I realized what song was playing and that Joshua was actually listening to it. In short, "Stickman" is a song about a man dying. More importantly, it is about the indifference people have to his dying. This gave me a moment to talk with Joshua about the need to care and to show compassion. Our conversation went on for a few minutes and then just as quickly as it begin it ended with inquiries as to where we would eat. Nothing more was said about the stickman.

Fast forward about a month and a half later. I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner when Joshua walks in and says, "Daddy?" Again, it has that tone that a major question will follow.

"Yes, son."
"Daddy, I understand that the stickman is dying and has a bad disease, but I don't understand why no one cares?"
"I don't know either."

In Second

2009-10-12T15:24:00.003-04:00

The other day, my 9 year old son had this revelation: "You know how the Bible says that 'the first will be last and the last will be first', well, technically if you are in second you just stay there."

No Trespassing

2009-09-23T17:59:00.004-04:00

Earlier today I was stuck in traffic and sitting in front of a church. While sitting there I noticed that there were signs posted on each side of the entrance to the church's parking lot. The welcoming message this church wanted the world to see, "NO TRESPASSING."

Made me wonder how many of our churches have similar "signs" but just aren't so blunt about it? Do people see your church as a place where they are welcomed or where they feel like they aren't allowed to trespass?

Adoption Legislation

2009-08-24T16:19:00.002-04:00

I had previously posted the following on my other blog, raymersadoption.blogspot.com, but believe it is important to put here as well for those who may not see it on the other blog.

I know that lately when you hear anything about legislation it is all about health care but I'd like to take a moment to alert you to some legislation that has been introduced and is now in committee that needs your support. These bills will be helpful to orphans, adoptive parents and to children who are adopted. The following is from the Center of Adoption Policy. Please read and then please contact your representatives letting them know that you support this legislation.

July 15, 2009. Legislation: CAP Supports Three New Bills Before Congress. CAP Supports the Foreign Adopted Children Equality (FACE) Act (S. 1359; H.R. 3110). This bill will give U.S. citizenship to internationally adopted children as of their adoption, rather than, as now, when each child comes to the United States. It will restore citizenship to internationally adopted children who were not covered under the Child Citizenship Act or whose position was jeopardized by the 1996 Immigration Act. It would also confer on foreign born internationally adopted children of U.S. parents all the rights of biologically born children of U.S. parents, including the right to become president.

CAP Supports the Families for Orphans Act (H.R. 3070) which is designed, in the words of the bill itself, "To encourage the development and implementation of a comprehensive, global strategy for the preservation and reunification of families and the provision of permanent parental care for orphans, and for other purposes." This legislation will create a new U.S. diplomatic and economic initiative to support existing families and to provide permanency for unparented children. It will replace the current decentralized and sometimes contradictory, government efforts with a consistent, pro-active approach led by a State Department Office of Orphan Policy, Diplomacy and Development. For the first time the development of a continuing strategy to ensure that all children grown up in permanent, loving families of their own would be part of the State Department's responsibilities.

CAP Supports S. 1376 which will allow adoptive parents to obtain their child's immunizations in the United States after travel, which is standard international adoption procedure for Hague countries. It also conforms the age requirements for siblings adopted internationally to a consistent standard.

To contact your representatives and senators, please go to http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml or http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Orphans, Adoption, and Money

2009-07-17T20:23:00.004-04:00

So my family is not the richest family in the world. By American standards we are down right poor. However, we are wealthy enough that even with 4 children in our home, we could give a good life to another child. At this very moment we know of a 13 year old boy who needs a good home. In the country that he lives he has another year in the orphanage and then he is on his own. He is quickly running out of time.

Again, we could afford to give him a home but we can not afford the adoption. This is not a problem just for us, it is a problem for many who would like to provide a good home to a child but simply can not afford the adoption itself. The problem is further complicated when you consider that much of the cost of adoptions is (at least it is meant too) for the cost of caring for children in orphanages and foster care. This money is therefore needed. However, the cost of adoption prevents people from adopting the children. Of course, if the children were adopted then there would not be a need to fund the orphanages. And so the vicious cycle continues. Orphanages need funding but the funding of them prevents people from adopting.

Please understand that I'm not delusional and believe that all the money for adoption goes to the orphanages but that is the going justification for the extreme cost. Nevertheless, without going into greater detail of where every dime spent on an adoption goes, it does seem clear that if the cost could be drastically reduced than more people would be willing to adopt. And if more children were adopted than there would be less need for funding of orphanages.

Ideally, it would be great to close them all. We unfortunately do not live in an ideal world. So, until we do and until every child has a home, what can we do to truly make adoption available to every family that has the means to support a child but doesn't have the means to adopt them? Naturally, there are grants available from wonderful organizations. As great as these are (and we are extremely grateful for the grant we received from Caroline's Promise) they are generally a drop in a very big bucket. Can we do more? Can we find a better, more efficient way for adoptions? Can we impress upon governments (including our own) to cut the cost of adoptions? Can we do something for that 13 year old who is running out of time? I do not have the answers to these questions but I pray that we can find them. I pray we find them soon.

White Oak Canyon in Shenandoah National Park: July 4, 2009

2009-07-10T18:18:00.000-04:00

Why do they make this issue?

2009-06-10T00:37:00.002-04:00

I'm confused, Adam Lambert, the American Idol runner-up officially announced that he is gay. I am confused as to why this is headline news? After all, the same media that feels this is headline news also regularly tells us that we aren't supposed to care about one's sexual orientation. So then why do they care enough to report this as though it is something we should be caring about? I just don't get it.

Deconstruction of the Mega-Church Growth Plan

2009-05-07T20:44:00.002-04:00

The following is a paper that I had to write for a class. Some who knew I was writing it asked to read it so here it is. Enjoy?

THE DECONSTRUCTION OF THE MEGA-CHURCH GROWTH PLAN

INTRODUCTION

In the interest of integrity it should be noted that this paper is being written from the viewpoint of a disgruntled, depressed, and frustrated small church pastor. It is written from the viewpoint of one who constantly finds himself at yet another church growth conference or reading yet another church growth book and thinking, “This will not work at my church because I’m not at a mega-church or on the way to being one.” The purpose of this paper is demonstrate that current church growth models deal more with the growth of local individual churches then with the growth of the Kingdom of God and in turn propose a church growth plan that seeks to bring the Kingdom of God to all people.
The paper will examine current church growth models in order to show that they fall short of the Biblical ideal. The church growth models encourage competition, homogeneous structures of social class, and consumerist mentalities. This examination is necessary to understand the proposal that is made in which the church grows by seeking the people, reaching out to all, and building mature believers.

THE DECONSTRUCTION OF THE MEGA-CHURCH GROWTH PLAN
THE GOAL IS TO GROW

It does not really matter who you go to hear at a conference or whose book you choose to read, most any church growth plan that is talked about today is a variant of the now famous Saddleback Church model found in Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church. The model or models basically follow this pattern: define your church purpose, find a target group, attract the target group, move the crowd into connecting into small groups or cell groups, use these groups to grow mature and ministering people which will then be used to attract more of the target group.
This model has been successfully used to grow many churches and is perhaps responsible for the North American church having any growth at all as the majority of churches in North America are actually in stagnation or decline. So not everything said here is a rebuke against this movement that began with Warren. The rebuke that is here is more about the concept of church growth in general and specifically with the idea of growth being the goal. The rebuke is a reflection of a disgruntled pastor who feels that with every church growth conference and book that once again he has been told how to take a declining, neighborhood store and to turn it into a big box retailer. The bottom line is numbers and numbers just is not enough.
When you take out the justification that growing numbers is one of the few tangible ways to determine if the church is reaching people, you quickly find that in the end church growth stresses the numbers more than the people. It is just hard to remove the stress of numbers from the perhaps sincere desire of pastors and churches to reach people to be growing followers of Christ. Pastors want numbers. Church members insist on numbers. The pastor’s performance becomes based on numbers. The easiest way to see if a pastor is being successful is to look at his numbers. Rarely on a resume will a pastor list that he spent a year discipling 8 people who really grew in their walk with Christ. More often you will find that he took a church of 100 people and grew it to 200.
With this great emphasis on numbers the focus of the current church growth models becomes the part in which we strive to attract a crowd. Here is also where problems arise for the growth of the Kingdom. Say there are 3 churches in a mid-size town. They take the current growth models and they devise a purpose and a target audience. Because they want to reach the greatest number of people the three churches study the demographics and design their own version of the now famous “Saddleback Sam.” However, because the churches all use the same demographics they all have similar targets.
Now the competition begins. The competition is pretty fierce too because again, the pastors’ success in based on the numbers. They all work to have better nurseries, better playgrounds, better video and audio, better buildings, etc. Millions of dollars are spent doing their best to attract the crowd (the issue of, is attracting a crowd a negative or a positive thing, will be addressed later). At the end of the day, the one who is best able to have the better attraction is the one who “wins.” Competition is born and co-operation dies. A single church may grow, in large part to transfer growth, while other churches in the area continue to decline and die.

BUILDING HOMOGENEOUS CHURCHES BUILT ON SOCIAL CONTEXT NOT FAITH

A second troubling issue with the current growth models is that in the targeting of a certain type of people churches are building themselves to be homogeneous units of the same social type of people. Obviously, every church will say that they are open to everyone. Every church that takes this approach will say that they are merely being effective in their outreach efforts.
However, by taking a look at the three churches used in the previous example a clear problem arises. If all three churches, using the same demographic information to design their target, build a similar profile of their respective target audience, then there will certainly be a lot of people in this town who no one is trying to reach. Perhaps even worse are that few churches, particularly of the mega-church variety that work on the current church model, would intentionally try to reach those people who are both demographically and socially on the fringes of society.
Sadly, this seems to be an anti-Biblical approach. Again, the argument for churches following this approach is most likely that they are simply being most effective with their time and resources. However, as will be seen later, the church has been given a model of effectiveness that does not call for isolation of any group.

BEGINS WITH A CONSUMERIST MENTALITY

One more issue that is seen in this current model of church growth is that it begins with and therefore re-enforces the American model of consumerism. A church finds a target audience and then begins to market itself to reach that audience. Again the idea here is to reach or to attract the largest crowd possible. The easy way to attract a crowd is to give the crowd what they want. In America you would certainly never hear of a church that meets in a dark, cold basement.
Churches spend billions on recreation centers, nurseries, comfortable seating, and landscaping. Millions more are spent on fancy advertising. This in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. However, when one comes to church they should come to learn, to grow, and to change. They should come to glorify Christ not to simply be comfortable and to be with their social group. The church’s action, in its approach to reach its target audience, makes the first impression that the consumers and their desires are the priority of the church.
Naturally, the objection will be raised that the church is simply meeting the needs of the people. This would be true if the church was feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and those in prison. However, multi-million dollar audio visual equipment is not reaching the needs of anyone.
Another objection would be that without that multi-million dollar audio-visual system the church would not be able to reach anyone. The culture demands that we use such equipment. However, is it not the case that the church change culture and not necessarily condone the values and priorities of it? The church should be a place that expects more of people then simply being “good” people who “enjoy” a good show on Sunday morning.

MEMBERS BECOME CHURCH EVANGELIZERS NOT CHRIST DISCIPLERS

A final assessment of the current church growth models draws the conclusion that the members of a church built on this premise calls the members to be evangelizers of their local church and not Christ Disciplers. In the goal to gain more numbers people are constantly encourage to partner with the church in bringing people to the church to hear the message. At first sight, this looks like straight up good evangelism. But look at it again. The evangelism is “come to my church where there will be lots of stuff that you will like, where you will feel comfortable, where there are people just like you.”
An objection here would be that the church is recognizing that evangelism is difficult for most people therefore this approach is making it easier for people to invite their friends and family to church. But is this what we are called to do, make evangelism easy? Are we not called to simply go and teach? The current growth models state that the teaching is done in the preaching at the worship service and at the small groups that people become connected to but the crowd must be attracted first. This would all be good if the Reveal project from Willow Creek had not revealed that this was not taking place.
The Reveal project showed that people in this type of growth model were indeed being attracted, they were even making connections to small groups, they were involved at least in part to some sort of ministry but they were not growing spiritually. They were not growing as disciples.
It seems that with so much of the emphasis being on the attraction of people to the primary worship service that the discipleship and teaching aspect gets put on the back burner. Again, the goal is to get numbers. The members are encouraged to connect in these small groups to feel a greater connection to their church in order to be more encouraged to get more people (and by this it is meant more people like them) to attend. The people are evangelizing their church. It is all about their church. It is not about disciples discipling disciples.

INTO THE HIGHWAYS AND THE HEDGES

Once again in needs to be stated that if it was not for the current church growth models it is almost a given that the church in North America would be at a far greater declining rate. However, as has been shown there are flaws to the model or at the very least, there are questions that need some answers. In this next section, a proposal will be made of a church growth model that is solely based on Scripture and seeks to answer some of the issues in the current model.

KINGDOM GROWTH VERSUS CHURCH GROWTH

To move beyond the problem of local church centric growth and Kingdom growth a review of the events at Pentecost will be helpful. Here in Acts 2 Scripture records that nearly three thousand were added to the Church that day. Many see this as another reason to emphasis numbers. However, this is not to be a reflection of three thousand people joining a local congregation in Jerusalem. This is three thousand in the Kingdom of God. A closer look at this Pentecost day reveals that those who joined the Kingdom that day were from all over. The celebration was that God’s Kingdom grew and that it would be spread throughout by all of these new believers.
This emphasis must change and it will have to change with the heart of the people. The leadership of the church through prayer and teaching will need to move their people into being more concerned with the growth of the Kingdom everywhere then they are simply about their local institution. The goal would be to find and make disciples wherever they may be found. The goal would be to see that the Word of God is spread throughout the world.

NOT ATTRACTION – GOING AND FINDING

This model of Kingdom growth would also call for a replacement of the value of attracting a crowd with the emphasis on going and finding a crowd. Luke 14:23 instructs us to go into the highways and into the hedges. The ministry of Jesus was walking into the streets. Paul would go out into the marketplaces. Somewhere in the history of the church that thought turned from going to where the crowds are to building something that the crowds might come to. A change has to take place.
This would mean that the church would spend its time and money focused on training and teaching its people to be out where the lost already are. Countless times it is said that the number one factor in another person coming to Christ and the Church is by way of a personal relationship. Currently we use these factors to get people to a church but when we look at Paul we see that he simply used his relationships to spread the Gospel. Getting people into an organized church is wonderful but the emphasis must be to get people into the Kingdom.
This type of relationship building, of going to the people to meet their needs there would greatly free up money and resources in the church that are now used in building attractions. It would also mean that people would have to release themselves from the feeling that they want something for their money. The Biblical idea of the collection in church is to supply for those in need. Imagine people meeting in a lowly rented room with bad sound and no video to worship the Lord. Imagine them not caring about this because they have grown to understand that the money they give to the church is there to assist those less fortunate. That it is not about them.
Going out would also be a greater incarnation of the Great Commission. It may be a bit trite but the Great Commission does say “go” not “attract.” This is the heart of evangelism. Evangelism was never meant to be a system of attracting people but of going and meeting the real needs of the people, where they are, in order to be able to gain their ear and their attention so that they may hear the Good News.

REACHING OUT TO THOSE NOT LIKE YOU

This emphasis on going to the people where they are also allows the church to not focus on a target. The reason a target audience is needed in the come and see approach because you are asking people to come to one church. However, the going to the people approach allows any number of people to go to as many as they can. Imagine a church of 50 and all 50 are encouraged to bring one person with them to this church. The church has a target audience of cowboys. When the 50 go out to find a cowboy to bring they first have to find a cowboy and then get the cowboy to come.
Now imagine another church with 50 people who simply go with no target in mind. They go to everyone and anyone and instead of just inviting them to a church they invite them to dinner. They build a relationship. They build a relationship with anyone for they have been trained and taught that they are to become all things to all people (I Corinthians 9:20-22).
Who would reach more people? The church only trying to attract the cowboys or the church that is going to everyone and anyone? The answer to that may be unclear. However, it seems clear that this is the mission of the church and is in line with a more Biblical approach. Scripture speaks often that there is neither Jew nor Gentile that there is neither rich nor poor. That the church is to be a place not of homogeneous social structure but of a homogenous faith.
Furthermore, Scripture is quite clear that the church is to be a father to the fatherless (Psalm 82:3 NAS), a protector of the widows and the orphans (James 1:27), to be there for the sick, to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry (Matthew 25). If the Church is building itself on the profile of demographics then these groups will most certainly always be missed. The reality is that these groups simply do not show up as large statistical features on demographic reports. Never the less, this is the churches mission. Reaching these people will necessitate that the church go to them. To go to them in the highways, the undergrounds, the orphanages, the prisons, the ghettos, the slums, the trailer parks, the hospitals, alleys, the crack houses, whore houses, migrant farm camps, and the homeless shelter. Interestingly enough these are not the people that churches try to attract but these are the people that Jesus went to, met with, and declared that they were blessed for the Kingdom of God is available to them (Matthew 4:24 – 5:3).
Some may object at this point claiming that this is why there are a variety of churches. The number of churches allows for greater diversity. First off, this diversity usually involves doctrinal issues and worship style differences. Secondly, this is a negative view of the church and not a Biblical view. Again, the church is to be a place where all that separates us no longer does and the faith that binds us is greater than any earthly social context. There is a great sin in the church that is enhanced by the idea of finding a target audience. The sin of separation, not from sin but from one another.
Let this sin be replaced by a heart for all people. Let the emphasis be on going directly to them, where they are, meeting their real needs and sharing the real Christ with them. Let it no longer be the case that the church says, “If we build it, they will come.”

DISCIPLINE, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND MATURE DISCIPLES

Finally, this growth plan does rely on the small group system. It is necessary to have groups where the disciples intimately know one another. The intimacy is necessary for the disciples to grow. In this system the disciples will come together to not only study the Scriptures but will use the group to hold one another accountable to the commands of Christ. Accountability will also include discipline as described in Scripture (Matthew 18:15).
Church discipline is most likely not a subject that one would expect to hear in a church growth strategy. Never the less, it seems quite clear that church discipline is a Biblical expectation. Discipline is not for the purpose of removing people from the church. It is for the purpose of restoring people into greater fellowship and for making them stronger in their faith (Galatians 6:1).
Going back to the Reveal report from Willow Creek it was learned that people even in small groups are not growing spiritually. Could it be that people have the expectation of joining a small group to be connected in good fellowship? That they also join to perhaps learn some Scripture? That they may even do some ministry within the group? But to what extent do the members of this group intentionally plan to grow spiritually, to deal with the sins they struggle with, and to hold one another accountable with love and humility in order that they may grow in their walk with the Lord.
The growth potential for the church is in the strengthening of the current membership of the church. They would be growing spiritually and would be filled with the courage to embrace the Biblical mandate to go to all peoples. Churches would not simply be asking their members to invite people to an attraction. Churches would be expecting their members to be growing, not into local church evangelizers, but makers of disciples of the Kingdom of God. The active discipline would let members know that the church truly has high, but wonderful, expectations for their disciples of Christ.

CONCLUSION

In looking at the proposed strategy for church growth a few things should become abundantly clear. This proposal is asking for churches to set aside the idea that they are building structures to attract people to come and join. Churches are being asked to set aside the idea that churches are best when the people in them are similar in social context. Churches are being asked to not target for members that will most likely “fit” in.
The strategy proposed here is really quite simple. Go! Go to everyone and anyone. Go to the forgotten, the abused, the down trodden, the diseased, the depressed, the pushed around, the broken, the poor, the rich, the wise, the foolish, the outcast, and the in-crowd. Use the resources to meet the needs of the people. The resources, specifically the money, are not going to be used to build a place that is attractive but to practically meet the needs of the people.
Another important part of this strategy is getting people to know that their efforts are to build God’s Kingdom and not a particular local church. It is important to understand that this strategy is less about a particular program for a church as it is a matter of the transformation of the people of the Church into a co-operative, universal fellowship that works to builds God’s Kingdom.
Finally this strategy calls for the accountability and discipline of the members. Again this is done with love and with the purpose of personal growth.
The current growth models have succeeded in growing large churches with many people attending. However, it has been shown that this does not always translate into the most Biblical picture of a church and it certainly does not translate into people who are growing spiritually. It is the hope that by following these few simple Biblical guidelines a dramatic and wonderful change can take place in the life of the North American church and for the Church around the world. Let us reach all – not just those like us because they like what we have to offer them.
To God be the glory.

What do you say? How do you respond?

2009-04-23T00:19:00.002-04:00

I wish I could take credit for writing this but it actually comes from the book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians, by Rob Bell:
“Imagine the average youth group in the average church on the average Sunday. Imagine visiting this youth group and having the pastor say to you, ‘I just can’t get my kids interested in Jesus. Do you have any suggestions?’
How do you respond?
To begin with, the church has a youth group. This is a brand-new idea in church history. A luxury. Everybody in the church doesn’t meet all together? All of the babies and older folks and men and women and widows and students aren’t in the same room, but they’ve gone to separate rooms?
And there are resources for this? People and organizational structures and a budget? Let’s imagine that in this case, this pastor, this youth pastor, is paid a salary for his or her work. A church with enough resources to pay someone to oversee the students? Once again, this is brand new, almost unheard of in most of the churches in the world, and in church history, a brand-new invention.
This salary can be paid and this building can be built because people in the congregation have surplus. They have fed themselves and their children and bought clothes and houses, and now, after these expenses, there is still money available. And this money is given in an act of generosity to the church, which disperses it to various places, among them the bank account of the pastor.
In many, if not most, of the churches in the world, immediate needs simply don’t allow for such luxuries – too many people are hungry, too many don’t have a roof, too many are sick – and so any surplus is spent immediately on the basic needs staring them right in the face, people dying here, right now, today.
But this particular church is blessed, and we should be clear about this – it is blessing. It is good. It is fortunate that this particular church doesn’t have those issues. This church has enough resources to hire a pastor who had the resources to get training to gather these students in the student room to teach them about the way of Jesus. Many Christians around the world would simply stand in awe of the kind of blessing.
And the students in this church, these are good kids. They are from families who just want to see their kids become good Christians.
Imagine just how much is available to them. They have more at their finger-tips than any generation in the history of the world – more information, more entertainment, more ideas, more ways to kill time, more options.
Many of them own more than one pair of shoes.
There are even some among them who have eaten at least one meal every day of their lives.
So we are talking about a miniscule minority of kids in the world.
At the exit off the highway near their church is a Best Buy and a Chili’s and a Circuit City and a McDonald’s and a Wal-Mart and a Bed, Bath and Beyond, much like the other towns in their state and in their country. The music they listen to is distributed by one of the five major corporations, which also own the movie studios that create the movies they watch, which are also connected to the corporations that create the food they eat and the commercials they watch, which also have significant ties to the clothes they wear and the cell phones they own, and the ring tone on their cell phones, the one by the artist who is signed to the record label that is owned by the same company that owns the cell phone company and the advertising agency that announced the artist’s new album, which is owned by the same company that owns the beverage company in whose advertisement the artist appeared, drinking that particular beverage, singing the song that is now a ring tone on the students’ phones that they purchased at the mall across the street from the Olive Garden next door to the Home Depot on the other side of the Starbucks.
And so each week they gather to hear a talk from the pastor.
Their pastor tells them about the Jesus revolution.
About Jesus resisting the system.
About the blood of the cross.
About many of the first Christians getting arrested.
About Jesus having dinner with prostitutes and tax collectors.
About people sharing their possessions.
About Jesus telling a man to sell everything.
About the uniqueness of their story in the larger story of redemption.
How do children of the empire understand the Savior who was killed by an empire?
How does a twelve-year-old who has never had hunger pangs that lasted more than an hour understand a story about a twelve-year-old providing fish and bread for thousands of chronically hungry people?
How do kids who are surrounded by more abundance than in any other generation in the history of humanity take seriously a Messiah who said, ‘I have been anointed to preach good news to the poor’?
How do they fathom that half the world is too poor to feed its kids when their church just spent two years raising money to build an addition to their building?
They gather, they sing, they hear a talk from the pastor, and then they get back in the car with their parent and they go home; the garage door opens up, the car goes in, and the garage door goes down.
This is the revolution?
This is what Jesus had in mine?
And so the youth pastor turns to you and says, again, ‘I just can’t get my students engaged with Jesus. Do you have any suggestions?’
What do you say?
How do you respond?”

Only a Man

2009-01-20T00:09:00.002-05:00

Grayson Highland State Park and Mt. Rogers

2008-12-21T22:19:00.001-05:00

Adoption, fatherhood, attachment, and miles apart.

2008-04-26T12:31:00.004-04:00

My wife and I are currently in the process of adopting 2 boys from Ethiopia. When adopting you are required to read several books on the issues that can be faced we adopting. A major issue is bonding and attachment with the children. The bonding process, particularly with older children can take some time and will take a lot of effort. These children, although they may know mentally that you are there new parents, may not immediately bond with you as mom and dad.

Another issue is one that my wife and I are facing now. We just recently received information on the boys. We basically know their names, their ages, and we have seen one picture of them. Still, it will be months before we are able to bring them home. In our hearts these boys are our boys and yet they are miles from home and there is no way we can communicate with them. It is heartbreaking.

I bring all this up, because as we have gone through this adoption process I have grown to understand more and more of what scripture means when it speaks of us being adopted into God's family (see Ephesians 1:5). As I reflect on our own experiences with adoption and reflect on the theological nature of adoption from God's perspective I see Him more as that Father who longs to bond with His children but our fears and our mistrust often gets in the way of our bonding with Him.

As we wait to bring our children home I am beginning to understand how, even as we are His adopted children, from His perspective there are times where He must feel that we are miles away. I believe being a father has helped me to understand God better in the love that I have for my children. Now, I see the heartbreak of knowing your children and yet having them so far away. It has made me wonder how often the Father's heart breaks over His children not being home and not being in communication with Him?

In short, I believe this adoption process has opened my eyes to just how much the Father wants to bring His children home, to bond with them, to keep them safe, and to let them know that they are loved. I'd say, if you want a real lesson in what God has done by adopting you, then perhaps you should consider adopting.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

My Favorite Teacher!

2008-03-10T17:23:00.003-04:00

Many, many moons ago (23 years to be exact) I was a young man in the 6th grade. I had several teachers before then and had many more since. I even married a teacher. However, no teacher that I ever had compared to my favorite - my 6th grade teacher. Yes, even my wife knows that she is not my favorite teacher.

This past week, through a little internet searching (isn't the internet just amazing?) I was able to track down my favorite teacher. I must say that I was quite shocked to discover that she was still teaching 6th grade at the same elementary school. I was even able to e-mail her and she, as true to her nature that made her my favorite, responded back. As my wife now likes to tell people, I am "giddy" over having found my favorite teacher.

Even though I have several memories of my 6th grade year, I find it hard to say here is the one or two things that made Mrs. Findley my favorite. The fact of the matter is that it was her overall attitude. She made you feel special and made you feel that she was there because she enjoyed being there. It wasn't just a job. She made things fun. She never seemed to takes things to seriously. Even when I got in trouble once for writing a note in class that said something derogatory toward another student I had to sit out of recess but I wasn't made to feel like I was necessarily bad or stupid. I was just a kid who had written something stupid.

On the last day of school we had lined up to head to the buses for one last time. As we walked past our respective teachers some students, mostly girls, hugged and thanked their teachers. Me, being a macho man didn't want to seem silly in front of the other guys so I calmly walked past Mrs. Findley like it was just any other day. I always regretted that I never said thank you and for letting her know that she really meant a lot to me. Well, it took nearly 23 years but I was finally able to let her know that she was indeed my favorite teacher.

This whole experience has me thinking of others that I failed to say something to. It was really shear luck that I was able to find my favorite 6th grade teacher. What if that had not happened? I'd still be living with that regret. Perhaps this should be a lesson for us all. Take advantage of the time that we have. Tell those who are important to us just what they do mean to our lives. 23 years later I am still learning from my 6th grade teacher.

Numbers

2008-02-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

It is often said that numbers don’t lie. However, the numbers can be misleading especially if Baptists are doing the counting. Now we all are fully aware of the notorious church membership rolls with people on them who have not been in a church in years. However, if we look at the figures of the latest annual church profile report I think we can get a pretty good look at the state of our Baptist churches.

The first thing we should do when looking at these figures is to throw out the total membership number of just over 16 million. The number is flawed and virtually worthless. A more accurate figure can be found looking at the primary worship attendance figures. According to the church profile this number is a little more than 6 million. Now it is true that we have people who regularly attend our worship services who are not members but I think it is safe to say that the 10 million members who are not attending the primary worship service are members in record keeping only and might as well be considered non-members (and most likely lost).

Now then, let’s assume that the 6 million attending worship is a more accurate figure of membership. We can they figure in, based on Barna research that nearly 2/3of those regularly attending worship services are in fact not saved. If we subtract that 2/3 from the 6 million we surprisingly come up with just over 2 million people. This just happens to be the number of people reported to be involved in discipleship training.

So what are we then left with? Well, the real core of the Southern Baptist Convention is just over 2 million. We have 4 million who are regularly attending worship services but most likely either need to be saved or at the very least need to get involved in discipleship training. Fortunately, they are already inside and simply need to be moved to get more involved. That leaves 10 million on our rolls that really should simply be considered part of the larger world population that is simply lost. We can either view this as a 10 million-member loss and be disheartened or we can realize that this is the truth of our convention and get to work at getting a real membership total of 16 million and beyond.

Another issue to look at is that of baptisms. If we assume that the 2 million involved in discipleship training are those people who are primarily responsible for the work that allowed for the 387,947 baptisms last year. That brings the ratio number of baptisms to membership to 1 baptism per 5 to 6 members. This number is much more encouraging than the 1 to 42 ratio when based on the membership number of 16 million. This suggest that if we could get the 4 million others who are already attending our worship services into discipleship training chances are very likely that we could easily see the magical number of 1 million baptisms in a year.

I believe that the thing we should take away from this look at the numbers is the importance of discipleship training. The next questions we need to answer then are:

1) What exactly constitutes discipleship training?
2) How do we best do discipleship training?
3) How can we get those current 4 million not involved in discipleship training involved and how do we get new baptized members involved?

Well, I don’t have all the answers to those questions but hopefully we can work together to get them answered. God bless you all and remember to live today knowing that it is in His Kingdom that you live.

Hanging Rock State Park, North Carolina

2008-01-30T22:50:00.000-05:00

The following are pictures from a hike that Dottie and I took at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina. We hiked the Hanging Rock Trail to the top of Hanging Rock.
It is an amazing hike.

The age of Adam?

2008-01-28T23:24:00.001-05:00

The following was my response to a discussion that I was part of on the age of Adam. The Bible records Adam's age at 930 years. In this discussion we were trying to determine if Adam's age was counted from the moment he was created or the moment was expelled from the Garden of Eden. Here is where my thoughts went on this issue:

In our ongoing discussion about the age of Adam, I would like to provide you with something to ponder. Let me begin by telling you that the responses I am receiving seem to fall in one of three categories. People believe either that the 930 years of Adam’s life represent his time from his creation to his death, or they simply admit that they do not know, or they show a complete disinterest.

Now let me add something to the question. As you recall I wanted to know whether the 930 years represented Adam’s life from creation or from after the fall. I then asked a follow up question that asked how much time Adam (and Eve) spent in the Garden of Eden before the fall (curiously this question received no real response). Again for those who answered the first question the consensus was that the 930 was from Adam’s creation. I would now like to propose the possibility that the 930 years were in fact the number of years that Adam lived after the fall.

It seems that in the realm of time two events must occur. One, something must begin and two, something must end. The measuring of time is contingent upon that measurement having a fulfilled destiny. When measuring the time of one’s existence that measurement is based on one’s existence beginning and ending. Even the mid-measurements (such as birthday’s) are contingent upon the very fact that sometime in the future there will be and endpoint.

To further illustrate this point let us look at the nature of time in an everlasting state. In an everlasting environment where one neither physically ages nor dies, the very concept of measuring time becomes irrelevant. Surely, no one believes that when we get to Heaven we will track the number of years we have been there. What would be the point? If something never ends then its time frame is non-existent. You may have a starting point but if there is no end, then why count the days at all.

Remember the movie Groundhog Day. Bill Murray’s character woke up everyday to find that he was reliving Groundhog Day over and over. Even though he was living, he was not aging and he was not going to die. Once he figured out what was going on he realized that even though the same events were constantly occurring around him he could act differently every day. Now imagine if everyone else knew that they were living everyday without regards to aging or dying. Would anyone in this situation be counting his or her days? What would be the point? Would not they just be living life to its ultimate fulfillment? Perhaps they would take the time to master the piano as Bill Murray’s character did? After all, they would have ALL the time in the world to do whatever they wanted to do. The point of all this is to show that time is not a factor when time does not end.

Now imagine, Adam and Eve in paradise. A paradise where time is not a factor because there is no end to paradise and no death has yet come to Adam and Eve. It would seem that life as we know it, a life where death is a factor is fundamentally different from life without death. Imagine if everyone began life in paradise and then everyone fell from paradise. Where would we begin to count their days? We do not sit around and say that Paul is now nearly 2000 years old. We do not say it because it is not true. The Apostle Paul may have died nearly 2000 years ago but he has not continued to age in Heaven. For Paul time is no more. Now put that scenario in reverse. Before the fall, time simply was not a factor. The world may be twirling in space and the plants and trees may be growing. Nevertheless, Adam and Eve were waking everyday to another day where they were not getting older and they certainly were not marking the passage of time to their deaths.

Naturally, someone will ask about the days. After all, we know that at least 7 were counted. I do not want to get into a discussion about whether they were 7 literal days or figurative. Although that is an important issue, for our discussion here it is not important. However you may view the 7 days of creation the fact remains that by the time Adam and Eve came on the scene there was a sun and moon and the earth was rotating and that means that there were days and nights. The question we have to ask is would 2 people whose lives were never going to end bother to count those days? Furthermore, once they had fallen and had begun to age, it seems quite conceivable that they would begin to count their days. It seems very likely that Adam would remember that it has been 12 moons since he was thrown from the glories of paradise. It further seems plausible that Adam would count his days from this point forward. Perhaps not even Adam knew exactly how long he was in the Garden.

I cannot say for sure that this little theory of mine is correct. I can say that whether it is correct or not it in no way takes away from the integrity of Scripture. For if this theory is correct it does not mean the Bible was wrong in the 930 years it simply means that the Bible in its own calculation of the 930 took in to account the very nature of measuring time as well as the fundamental differences of a life with death and a life that is everlasting.

Now then, many of you maybe wondering why should we even be concerning ourselves with this issue. First, it is important because any knowledge that we can gain about Scripture is worthy of pursuit. Secondly, it is important because I believe it provides us with insight into exactly what paradise and therefore what Heaven is like. I often believe that as Christians we limit our view of life to the days that we count and not to those that we will live in the everlasting. This look into Adam’s age gives us a look into the difference of life with Christ and life without Christ. With Christ one is free to live life to its fullest without regard to aging and the ever present approach of death. Life without Christ is being bound to the rat race that forces one to struggle with trying to do everything before their inevitable death. Life without Christ is a constant battle to cheat death. Unfortunately, death cannot be cheated forever. You may get lucky and be able to count your days for many, many years but sooner or later death will find you. Without Christ this will always be a fact. With Christ though, death is merely a shift in life from one with aging, pain, and disappointment to one that allows for freedom, creativity, and fulfillment in Paradise. So imagine, if you were Adam or Eve, and you spent your days not worrying about how many had passed and how many were left, how would you change the way you lived?

Christian Books?

2008-01-20T16:38:00.001-05:00

I am currently reading a book that I was asked to read and evaluate. So far I believe that there are some things in the book that are worth whiled. However, there are some other things about the book that I find troubling.

The book is a popular book written by two popular Christian writers. It is a non-fiction book that, if it were not a Christian book, would be found in either women’s issues or in the self help section of a secular bookstore.

The book is primarily a look into the psychological workings of a woman’s heart and her desires. The problem I have with the book is in its theology and in its use of Scripture. If the writers were to eliminate their use of Scripture and many of the more theological areas it would be a decent enough book that could sit proudly next to anything written by Dr. Phil. Furthermore, the more psychological aspects of the book do not seem to be contrary to any teachings of Scripture. Oddly enough, the writers do not say anything that is contrary to Scripture other than in the areas where they directly use Scripture or where they attempt to make theological claims.

To be fair, I would guess that the majority of Christian’s reading this book would not notice the improper use of Scripture nor the questionable theology. Being that this is the case the book would probably do little harm to people’s theology and again the psychology seems to be very enlightening. However, as I read this book I think of many other books out there that have the same problem. It seems that we are willing to give a pass to many authors because they are Christian and because for the most part what they write is helpful and insightful. But should we give them a pass or should we expect more?

Again, nothing these writers say in their psychology is contrary to Scripture and had they either taken the time to study more or to seek the advice of a more astute theologian they could have found Scripture that would have been more suited to the points they were trying to make. It simply was not necessary for them to slightly bend Scripture to make their points. More than likely it was just easier.

Am I saying that no one but trained theologians can write a Christian book? Certainly not. What I am suggesting is that we as a Christian community demand that if someone is going to write a book, which by it’s very nature carries an air of authority, and if we then are going to promote that book in our churches as one useful for personal and for group study, which gives further approval to that which is written in the book, than the writer of the book either needs to be as well versed in theology and in Scriptural interpretation as they are in their own personal field of expertise or they need to seek the guidance of someone who is. I am also suggesting that we as a Christian community put more thought and concern in the books and studies we recommend to our congregations. Far too often, we simply recommend the latest, hottest Christian book because it is the latest and hottest book without ever really examining the contents. Perhaps the best thing we can do is stop buying the latest, hottest self-help, put my marriage back together, help me raise my kids, and show me my purpose in life books and go back to the one book we claim to have all authority on our lives.

Stone Mt. State Park

2008-01-17T23:56:00.000-05:00

Here is a slideshow of pics from my overnight camping trip to Stone Mt. State Park in North Carolina. It was a wonderful trip. Other then a couple of rock climbers, the park rangers, and the deer, I had the whole park to myself. It was quiet and beautiful.

Bear Face Mt., Shenandoah National Park - July 30, 2007

2008-01-15T14:36:00.001-05:00

This is a slideshow of a hiking trip I and Jer-bo took to Bear Face Mt. in Shenandoah National Park last July. Somehow these hikes are always better in picture after you have forgotten the exhaustion and the pain in your feet, knees, and your legs in general.

Vacation June 2006

2006-07-01T20:58:00.000-04:00

Stop 1: Fort Frederica in Georgia- Joshua practiced gun drills as part of the British Army and the rest of us learned more about gun drills than we ever wanted to know.

Stop 2: Congaree Swamp National Park in South Carolina- Notice the tree smiling behind the kids. It was quite hot and the kids were not impressed with the boardwalk. There were, however, some very well trained turtles that knew stupid tourists were the best way to get fed. (Of course, we were not the stupid tourists.)

Stop 3: 96 National Battlefield in South Carolina- Joshua had just got hit in the eye with Dottie's ring and is therefore not too happy. The battlefield is named 96 because it was a trading post that was 96 miles from Cherokee territory.

Stop 4: Carl Sandburg National Historic Site in North Carolina- The kids enjoyed hearing the Rootabaga Stories on the way to his home. A big part of his home was the farm. His wife raised award winning goats. They were cute but they kept trying to eat Dottie's purse.

Stop 5: Cowpens National Battlefield in South Carolina- Another Revolutionary War site where to the chagrin of the kids we saw yet another cannon.

Stop 6: King's Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina- This was actually a very nice park that had a nice trail going up the mountain. In this picture, Joshua appears to be in a thoughtful mood but really he was just watching a bug.

Stop 7: Guilford County Courthouse in North Carolina- This bird was the most exciting part of this stop. There were also a couple people in period dress that Joshua asked way too many questions. I'm pretty sure the man was thrilled when we finally dragged him away.

Stop 8: Mount Airy, North Carolina AKA Mayberry- A personal highlight was seeing the town that inspired the best TV show ever. I was thrilled to be thrown in the Mayberry Jail, to eat the famous pork chop sandwich at the Snappy Lunch Cafe, and to get my haircut at Floyd's Barbershop. Joshua was simply amazed that there is a Taco Bell in Mayberry (Of course we didn't eat there because I hate Taco Bell). Hannah simply enjoyed being able to watch the Disney Channel in the hotel room (I hate cable TV too).

Stop 9: Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia- Above is the Mabry Mill. Below, is one of the many overlooks on the parkway. We weren't planning on going on the parkway but it was a wonderful 80 mile side trip that took us within an hour of Jeremy and Deandra's (sorry, we didn't stop by, Jerbo, but we were thinking about you).

Stop 10: Interstate 81- It is tradition that we break down at least once every vacation and this vacation was no different. This time the problem was the belt. We were blessed that our hotel was around the corner from a Meineke and the total bill was only $85 and only put us off schedule by about 30 minutes.

Stop 11: Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Tennessee - The kids just love learning about dead presidents.

Stop 12: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia - A beautiful park. Above is a picture of Gap Creek. This was one of JoTo's favorite places as we all played in the creek or as Joshua referred to it "the place with the rocks and water." Below is the actual gap. This is the very spot where travelers, including Daniel Boone, crossed into the promise land of Kentuck. I was impressed by this but the kids were more concerned with the hill we had to climb to get here (sadly, us Floridians don't see many hills and they tire us out rather quickly).

Still in the gap, Dottie's and Joto's first hiking injuries.

The Henseley Settlement- This is also in Cumberland Gap. This is on top of the mountain where the Henseleys and the Gibbons lived from the early 1900's until around 1960. They never had electricity, running water, or a road to the settlement. This was just how they liked it because it kept unwanted visitors (specifically the law looking for moonshiners) out.

Skylight Cave - Just a little hike (ok, maybe it wasn't that little but then again that whole
Florida thing came into play) and we find ourselves at this small cave also at Cumberland Gap. Once again lots of moaning about the hike but once we reached the cave the kids thought it was pretty cool.

Stop 13: The original KFC in Kentucky (of course!) It was the most expensive meal up to this point on our trip.

Stop 14: Yahoo Falls in Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Kentucky- To quote Hannah, "This is better than Mt. Rushmore!" It was really cool. We stayed here for quite a while and would recommend it as a place to go to.

Stop 15: Blue Heron Mining Company also in Big South Fork- This is an old mining town that the park service has built these skeleton structures representing different buildings that were in the town. The picture above is of the church that would have been there. Each building has displays along with recordings from people who actually lived in the mining town talking about life growing up in these harsh conditions of Appalachian coal mining.

Last Stop: Chattanooga, TN- We did not take one picture while we were there. The kids played with their cousins and Dottie and I went out for her birthday. The entire time we were out on our date, I kept running to the bathroom to blow my nose. Apparently, I'm more allergic to cats than my wife or son. JoTo took a tumble on the treadmill (or training wheel as he called it) after his cousin continued to make it go faster and faster. JoTo says it was a hundred miles per hour. Of course, he took no blame for being on something he shouldn't have been on but there will forever be some of his skin embedded in that treadmill.

Well, it was just a little over a week, a little over 2000 miles, and the gas, well let's not talk about the price of gas these days, but it was a great little vacation. The kids can't wait to go see some more cannons and some trees. They just haven't learned to fully appreciate nature and history but I'll learn 'em.