Room For More

Here's An Idea

2007-01-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

One of our members in LaGrange is a retired businessman, leader in the church, grandfather, and concerned Christian. He is also involved in several community activities, and has come up with a great idea to share Christ with other people. It is so good and so simple, I thought you might like to hear about it.

About a year ago this man volunteered as a "Big Brother" with the local chapter of Big Brothers and Big Sisters. He learned that here was a tremendous waiting list of kids wanting someone to share their time and help mentor them. So, he signed up, made it through the background check, and was assigned a "little brother," an 11 year old boy who needed a little encouragement. Now the two spend between 1 and 2 hours a week together, and are forming a close relationship. They go out to eat, they go to the lake and walk along the shore, they go to a little league game, or they might just go to the library. The point is, they can do just about anytime, and it is up to the Big Brother to decide how much time and how much money is spent. Through that relationship, he is also able to influence the family, invite them to church, and introduce them to our community of faith. In fact, this man was honored as the "Big Brother of the Year" by our local chapter.

So, we have decided to rally our congregation and attempt to flood Big Brothers & Big Sisters with volunteers, and here's why:

1. They do all the paperwork.
2. We don't have to appoint a deacon or ministry leader to keep up with stats, number of visits, etc.
3. There is absolutely no expense to the church, no printed materials, not even an annual dinner -- the organization does that.
4. Anybody can do it.
5. Volunteers get to determine the age and race of the kids they want to help.
6. The parents of these kids have asked for this help.
7. Schedules are flexible -- if the volunteer has to be out of town, or something else comes up, you just call and reschedule.
8. The parents agree in writing that they can deny access on a weekly basis as punishment for anything the child has done.
9. Sunday school, youth events, VBS, camp, etc. can all be part of the relationship
10. The relationship with the child gives open access for the volunteer to build a relationship with the parents that may create a door of opportunity for evangelism.

You get the idea. Also, it is important to note that social scientist now say that the vast majority of children will never rise above the expectations they have for their futures past the age of 11.

If you are looking for a new idea for local outreach, look into Big Brothers & Big Sisters. You can click on the title of this article for a link (assuming I did it right) to find a chapter near you.

Maybe This is Why the Argument Rages

2007-01-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

I seem to have myself in a foggy place the past two months. This whole music thing has me in a tizzy. It is not that I do not understand the arguments, or that I want to embarrass someone -- its just that it is so hard to get a straight answer any more. I have been on a quest trying to find someone who can explain certain things to me, and I have had no success (maybe people think these are trick questions!?!).

Here they are:

1. On October 16, 2006 I asked how it could be that we could infer from Eph. 5 & Col. 3 that instrumental music in worship is wrong when those passages are so solidly in the context of daily Christian attitude and behavior, and have nothing to do with corporate worship? I got a lot of comments, no explanation from those who oppose IM.

2. On the "Argument of Silience," I keep wondering several things:
a. Where did it come from? Who thought it up?

b. What biblical authority do we have to apply it only to the subject of instrumental music in the church? In fact, what authority do we have to apply it to anything at all? If it is so "self-evident", then why all the division?

c. If it does apply to other subjects, why doesn't that list include things like multiple cups in communion, church buildings, fellowship centers, orphans' homes, etc.? And who decides?

d. If the argument of silence is so true and so powerful, why didn't Jesus give it weight and power by criticizing the use wine during the Passover (not authorized by God), attending synagogues (not authorized by God), and/or celebrating Hanukkah (not authorized by God)? In fact, quite the opposite is true. Jesus used wine at the Passover, he attended and taught at the synagogues (never attacking the institution's right to exist), and he celebrated, or at least attended without condemning, Hanukkah in John 10.

e. Many people who oppose instrumental music in church say that God never authorized its use in the OT, but tolerated it because of David's relationship to God. These same people argue that it is sinful to use it today (see Alan Highers' article entitled, "Is it a Salvation Issue?" in the November, 2006 edition of the Gospel Advocate). Assuming (and it is a HUGE assumption) that the first premise is true, why would we not conclude that God would "tolerate" its use today? It seems to me that we have a biblical example of such toleration (if the first assumption is true), and my relationship with God is at least as good as David's because I am a son of God, and an heir. To conclude that David had more is to introduce the idea that either God plays favorites (election??), or that David earned a higher status due to his meritorial works (nullifying grace).

f. Why is it that instrumental music in worship is the only issue that we appeal to the practices of the Church Fathers for support? No one I know thinks these men were infallible, and most, if not all, who argue against instrumental music would not even consider these men to be faithful Christians.

3. Finally, I would like to know why we can make a distinction between corporate worship and private, or family devotion to God when it comes to using, or listening to instrumental praise. What is so different between my house, my car, a funeral, or a wedding, and a Sunday morning worship assembly when it comes to offering up praise and adoration?

I am not arguing for instrumental music in worship. I am, however, arguing that I think a cappella only worship cannot be defended without addressing these questions. Every time I try to ask them, they are tossed aside and ignored - usually by an explanation of how the argument of silence works. I know that. I am searching for an answer to these specific questions, and they never seemed to be addressed.

I have decided to do the only thing I know to do -- keep digging and praying. I share this with the full knowledge that I live in a time when my devotion to scripture, faithfulness to God, and motives will be held in suspect by some. I truly mourn that I have lived to see a time when people are labeled and criticized for simply asking questions that deserve an honest and complete answer. If you read this and think that I am rebelling, trying to stir the pot, or that I have abandoned the faith, then you do not know me, and more importantly, you do not want to face questions like these - either because you are afraid of them, or you care more about tradition than truth. I welcome any assistance I can receive on this matter, especially from those who defend a cappella only worship to God.

Everybody Hates to Say Goodbye to a Mentor

2006-12-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

I have decided to end my "Blogger Sabbatical." I thought it would be nice to stay away for a couple of weeks, concentrate on the holidays, and allow my mind to rest and reload a bit. It is rested, but I would not be surprised to learn that I have reloaded with blanks.

Everyone has a pocket full of individuals who helped us along the way -- helped us get started, helped us see truth and righteousness, offered quiet and gentle wisdom, and the like. For me one of those men was Quinn Jarrett. Quinn was a wonderful Christian man who past away early this morning in Albany, GA. He and his family loved and nurtured me soon after I became a Christian in 1971.

I don't know his roots, except that he owned a small construction company when I first met him. Back in the late 60's his wife, Joyce, won the Publisher's House Sweepstakes. The prize was a new car and a sum of money. Quinn took the money and began his construction company with his brother, known by all as "Double 'L'". Before that, I think he was into some form of pig farming.

Anyway, Quinn had four children: Barbara, Dan, Glenn, and Gayle. Dan is my age, and a graduate of Heritage (formally IBC). He works and preaches in south Georgia, and is married to one of my wife's, Donna, old college friends. Barbara is the same age as my wife (1 year younger), Glenn was a student I recruited at MBC. He preached in Mississippi for a few years before returning to Georgia. He now lives and preaches in Cordelle, GA, and works in the family business. The youngest, Gayle, married a printer and lives in Newman, GA. I only learned of his illness on Christmas Eve.

We all grew up together in the same youth group at church, and Quinn always saw to it that I had a ride to church and every youth activity. I used to hang around their house a lot, and spent a few summers framing apartment buildings and new homes, or setting forms for the foundations of metal buildings. He and his family was always there for me and Donna when we were young. He was a loving and caring friend.

Quinn never would serve as an elder because he smoked, most men did in those days. He was always cheerful, and never compromised his Christian convictions for money. His business slogan was simple, "Sometines on a Saturday, never on a Sunday." I cannot ever remember any church activity that took place that they did not attend, support, or serve. Words like quiet, gentle, easy going, joyful, and friendly best describe his personality. He never raised a fuss, showed his temper, or complained about anything at church that I am aware of. Quinn did not like or seek the limelight, and he never took advantage of anyone. Quinn Jarrett loved the Lord, the church, and his family more than money, property or fame. Of all the men I have ever met in my life, I hold none in higher esteem than Quinn. Everything I am and I have, I owe to him. He loved me, encouraged me, protected me, and helped me set my course in life. His passing is a bitter pill to take.

I know that practically no one knows this man, or appreciate his contributions to the kingdom throughout the decades. But I wanted you to know, and I wanted you to be encouraged by the thought that there are many, many wonderful people in the family of God.
I will leave tomorrow to pay my respects to his family. I am grieved by the news of his death, but I have been blessed by his life. What a wonderful mentor he was to me.

Check out this podcast episode!

2006-11-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

Room For More

Give it a listen!

Why We Fight, #2

Enjoy! -- Gary Kirkendall

The Marriage Mystery

2006-11-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

One of the best images of the church in the Bible is given in Ephesians 5:25-32 where Paul reveals a profound mystery concerning the relationship that Christ has with his church. He does not say that this relationship is "like" that of a marriage, he says that it is the very same thing.

Specifically the apostle teaches that husbands should love their wives "just as" Christ loved the church; and the way that he demonstrated that love was to lay down his life. That what real husbands do -- they protect. But there is more!

Verse 26 says, "to make her holy, cleansing her through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle,or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Do you ever ask yourself what kind of a church Jesus died for? It has been, and continues to be a mess. It makes no difference what church you examine, they are all a mess -- Corinth, Thessalonica, Colosse, Sardis, Pergamum, where I attend, where you attend -- they are all a mess. Nevertheless, Jesus laid down his life for these churches and has every intention of presenting them holy and blameless as his bride on that last day. Remarkable.

I think about this image in light of the power of true love. My wife loves me in spite of my glaring deficiencies. I'm growing older, I have my peculiar ways, I struggle with my selfish interests, I don't help out around the house as much as I should -- but I am still pretty special in her eyes. I look at my wife and, to me, she is pretty close to perfect -- creative, loving, energetic, committed -- and in my eyes just as lovely as the day we met. I consider myself fortunate because I know that there are lots of men who do not feel this way about their wives. They tend to notice the wrinkles and the graying of the hair. Perhaps they no longer have a wife that wears a size 2 dress, or have flowing thick locks of perfect blonde hair, and the begin to imagine what it would be like to be free and happy again with the passion of their youth -- too bad! We, as husbands made a commitment that included the term, "no matter what". That means that we gave our wives permission to age, to gain weight, to wrinkle, to stop being "perfect" in our ideal imagination.

That's the way Jesus loves the church -- no matter what -- warts and all! It seems to me that we spend a lot of time griping about what we do not like about our churches and not enough time concentrating on the reality that Christ died for a messy, less than perfect, and sometimes lazy church. He loves the church so much that he has every intention of presenting her to himself as pure and holy on the last day, and he not only loved her enough to die to for her, he has every intention of living with her forever.

Here is the mystery -- somehow Jesus loves his people even though they are a mess -- even though we are all less than ideally perfect. He loves me and makes me holy and blameless. He protects me, provides for me, he makes me better than I am and treats me better than I deserve. That's the way husbands are supposed to love their wives -- that's the way real men treat their wives. That is also the way we ought to view our congregations. They are not perfect -- except in the eyes or our Redeemer. If people understood this concept, maybe they would see their spouse in a whole new light. But as Paul says in Ephesians 5, "This is a profound mystery -- but I am talking about Christ and the church." > So I guess I should say that if we could wrap our minds and our hearts around this concept maybe we could diminish the griping that constantly goes on, maybe we could lessen the tension between congregations caused by the feeling from some that everything has to be perfect to be faithful, and maybe our eyes and hearts would not wander in search of a better way, a better group, or a better church. Wouldn't it be great if we could love our churches in the same way Jesus does -- warts and all? And maybe -- and this is very important -- if we understood that Jesus loves our churches even though they are a mess, our faith could be strengthened, and our confidence concerning our salvation would be more certain.

God is truly a realist. He does not demand perfection, merely faithfulness. Come to think of it, isn't that the key to any strong marriage?

Worship Attitudes

2006-11-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

I believe that Christianity in its purest form is all about Victory! Victory over death, victory over ignorance, victory over loneliness, despair, uncertainty, decay, evil, guilt, and on and on. For me, that makes Sunday a very special day.

In recent years there has been so much discussion over attitudes and styles of worship, and much of it has been very revealing. But I think sometimes we forget that worship is also about Victory!

A lot of folks I know and love approach worship as an exercise in somber and reverent meditation. They want a quiet auditorium several moments before the worship hour begins. They want the absence of humor and laughter. They want a dominant air of serious introspection and sober contemplation. "Decently and in Order" means a tight schedule, a regimented sequence of events, and a dedication to the familiar and often rehearsed themes and actions. Predictable songs, predictable prayers, predictable sermons, predictable communion comments, predictable everything. Phrases like, "Now separate and apart from the Lord's Supper,. . ."

I truly can appreciate that kind of an attitude, but for me, something is missing. For me what is missing is the hopefulness and heart swelling affirmation of Victory.

Historically, and biblically, worship has contained the constant tension and balance of reverent awe and irrepressible celebration. In John's Revelation I see heavenly creatures lying down in reverent repose before the throne of God followed by the uncontainible shouts of joy announcing and celebrating the holiness and inexpressible power of God. Biblical worship acknowledges the majesty of our Lord, and at the same time erupts in spontaneous cries of joy, blessing, and hope -- the kind that can only be explained by the realization of personal and eternal Victory.

David danced, Moses felt small, Daniel fainted, Isaiah felt unclean, Paul fasted, John cried, Peter fell to his knees, Stephen rejoiced at the vision of God's throne, and we somehow feel compelled to just sit there with a somber and detached expression during worship thinking that we honor God.

The realization of Victory prompted the proliferation of thousands of psalms, countless proverbs, and timeless scriptures. Victory has motivated missionaries from Paul and Barnabas, to present day ambassadors spread throughout the world. Victory has built wonderful worship and ministry centers and schools of thought and training. It has built campuses of refuge for orphans, unwed mothers and battered women. Victory has led to ministries serving the emotionally distraught, the mentally diseased, the addict, and the sexually confused. It has rebuilt cities after hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. It has done truly amazing things for millions and millions of believers and those they serve.

Maybe it is time we "danced" a little. Maybe it is time that we celebrated a little more and inject pure and spontaneous emotion into our worship. Maybe it is time we communicate Victory.

I know that there is nothing wrong with honoring God with reverence and somber moments of meditation and piety. I love the quiet times during communion, and I eagerly anticipate the reading of his word. But worship should also be a celebration of Victory -- complete with sincere outbursts and declarations of joy, complete with happy faces and filled hearts.

Somehow we have constructed an attitude of worship in may places that places constraints on worship that you cannot find in the Bible. Sunday morning is not a production -- it is a reaction to the unrelenting purpose of God's will and power in the lives of the believer. Worship is about God, but it is also for the saints. It is a time to be filled with reverent awe and overwhelming joy. Worship is about many thing, including Victory!

Now, tell me again why I cannot clap --

3 Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

4 Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Psalm 43:3-5

Back in the Game

2006-11-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

After a six year delay, I have gotten back into the fund raising business! We have undertaken the construction of an 18,000 square foot addition to the Broad Street church, and the task of raising the funds fell into my hands. On October 15 we unveiled the renderings and the plans and set out securing the funding.

LaGrange is peculiar in that there is a foundation here set up by the Callaway family (Callaway carpet, now Milliken, and Callaway golf). This foundation matches all projects for the community (Medical, educational, cultural, etc.) at the rate of twenty cents on the dollar. The catch is, none of the money can be borrowed. So, all of the money needed has to be in the form of cash, property, or pledges. Last week we went over the $1,000,000 mark, which means that we will have $1,200,000+ to complete the project. I am very proud of our families and the plan put together to secure the finances.

I spent a lot of years raising money for good works before I returned to local work, and I must confess, I really enjoy the process. Besides this project, I volunteer with an abortion alternative center, and a home for abused women in raising money. It is very gratifying to help people understand why God has blessed them with prosperity, and to see what good people can accomplish when they work together. One of the best resources around is Alan Phillips, a long time friend and professional consultant, who is also presently the Assistant Director of the Mission Resource Center out in Texas. Alan taught me, and those who worked with me, a lot; and has always been involved in helping good works secure proper funding. He has been a facilitator in building universities, local church campuses, sending missionaries around the world, and a host of other great works. He taught me to love the ministry of fund raising and use it to make a difference in the kingdom.

Most preachers I know talk openly about how much they hate talking, preaching, or teaching about money, and I have always wondered why. Here is what I have concluded:

Preachers don't like talking about money because:
1. They're concern is with the spiritual and money is attached to what we consider "Worldly", even though securing necessary financial resources has been a part of kingdom business since the Exodus.
2. Most preachers I know are not good with money. To be more precise, they do not want to mess with it. They leave it up to their wives to manage household budgets and banking business (I am included in this group).
3. Many preachers do not give what they should. They reason that their service and their life, and their acceptance of a salary that is less than it should be is sufficient sacrifice to God. When you factor in taxes, unre-embersed business expenses, lack of benefits, and the like it is easy to be seduced into thinking that our giving is "factored in" our salary. It is easy to forget God's promises to the cheerful and generous giver.
4. Some think that people in the church are afraid of being challenged financially. They reason that people will complain, or leave if they talk about money. However, it seems to me that most people leave because of the lack of any real action or challenge or growth in their life.
5. Some feel it is beneath their dignity. Almost every fund raiser I have ever known has been called a "beggar" by someone. That's OK -- if you read your Bible, many beggars found their way to glory, and no matter how much we humble ourselves, we will never match the humility of our Savior!
6. Most just do not know how. Maybe raising money is a gift. Perhaps it is an "acquired taste". I am not certain. I only know that someone has got to do it if we are to have the resources needed to expand the kingdom.

Regardless, I enjoy the whole process, and now I look forward to our church family reaching out to the community and preparing for the tremendous growth in our community that is predicted with the coming of several new industries including KIA, Cooper Tire, and a host of other suppliers for the new automotive manufacturing plant.

We did it, and we did not have to hire consultants, and we did it in just under four weeks! I am thankful to God for His blessings and always excited to see God's people working together in the kingdom of our Lord. Any thoughts you have on the subject would be welcomed.

Christians, Elections and the GOP

2006-11-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

Like a great many people I know, I stayed up late last night to watch the carnage unfold as the election results came in. I bounced back and forth between FOX and CNN to a little past midnight and went to bed wondering why I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would.

Maybe it is because of all the polls over the past several weeks suggesting that the GOP would lose the House and, quite possible, the Senate. Maybe it is because I live in a district where the GOP representative was not seriously challenged. Maybe it is because I feel in many ways that the Republicans got exactly what they deserved.

Since the Reagan years the GOP and conservative Christianity have been joined in lock step. During these decades the GOP ran heavily on family values, Christian morality, smaller government, fewer taxes, and tighter controls on government spending. But what we received was no action on right to life issues, Senators and Congressmen who received bribes, tried to seduce pages into underage and homosexual acts, made only a token effort to ban gay marriage, increased the size government to proportions never before seen, and filled vital legislation with more pork than the Democrats ever dreamed of attempting. The only real fronts that the GOP delivered on was in the arena of tax savings and the appointment of Supreme Court judges who may,or may not, fight to hold off the attempt to rewrite the Constitution and bypass legislators in the creation of new law. Their power made them smug, corrupt, and deaf to the calls of conservative values, actions, and personal character.

I do not welcome the specter of Nancy Pelosi serving as Speaker of the House, and I lament that Charles Rangel will be the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, but I take comfort in the Democrat freshmen who have given them great power. Almost every seat gained by the Democrats was won by someone who ran on the very same issues as republicans a decade ago. They are conservative, and, for the most part, they did not welcome people like Pelosi, Rangel, Dean, or even Clinton into their districts to campaign for them. Their effect has already been seen -- Democratic leaders are not gloating -- they are talking about reaching across the aisle.

I am bitterly opposed to abortion on demand, and I am certain that the destruction of the traditional family will be devastating on our culture. However, conservative politics - just like Christianity - leaves a bad taste in people's mouths when our personal morals, values, and ethics are set aside for the sake of power, wealth, and influence. I hope this is the lesson from this year's mid-term elections. And I hope that Christians everywhere can see the folly of placing hope for the future in the hands of men who will say anything to gain power and win. Oh, by the way, we get to do this all over again in two years.

This Old Truck

2006-11-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

Here is the truck that so many have been making fun of that last few days. I love this old truck with its 198,204 miles. It is really not a truck at all, but a treasure chest of wonderful memories. I bought this truck brand new in 1998 from my old college roommate, Robert Farrow, of Ripley, MS. He was the first person to befriend me as a lonely and disconnected freshman at Freed-Hardeman. We all called him "Pharoah", and he he truly knew how to enjoy life.

Anyway, the first 100K I put on the truck while traveling all over the southeast raising money for Magnolia Bible College. One of my very best friends, Mike McCafferty, traveled most of those miles with me as we went from Dallas to Hot Springs, to Senatobia, to Nashville, to the Gulf Coast, and beyond. I wish I could calculate the hours we spent together on the road and the unbelievable fun (in the midst of exhaustion) we experienced. Thse were the best of times! It was in Hot Springs, AR that my wife backed it into a security code box at a a donor's home and dented up the tailgait -- lucky for us he was not home!

I took that truck to West Memphis, AR where we used it to travel to some of the best duck hunting spots in the world. Mike and I got it stuck in a dicth during an ice storm, and my son, Daniel, rammed the back end with an ATV and scrathced up my tailgait some more (I didn't know it at the time, but a pattern was developing).

I took that truck to Montana and worked helping to build an import business with a friend throughout Canada. That truck has seen the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, crossed the Missouri river several times, Glacier National Park, Little Big Horn, and countless hunting and fishing areas of the great Northwest. It carried sand bags in the winter for traction, and wore steel studded tires seven months out of each year to make it over mountian passes. It was also in Montana that my daughter, Kara, "decorated" the passenger side by not being able to make it around a support post in an underground garage. That was a big dent!

I now drive this truck in Georgia. It is here that I have several secret fishing spots, and hunt dove instead of deer. I drive it to the golf course, and use it to haul my grill up to the church for cookouts on Wednesday nights from time to time. It was here that I ran into the back of that young girl's Four Runner and smashed in the left corner, broke the grill, tore up the bumper, and ruined the hood! Ford or not -- that is a great truck!!

So, yesterday I picked up my repaired truck with pride and anticipation. I amone of those customers they probbly hate because I stopped by every day to check out the progress. I was very excited and joyful. I proudly drove it to church last night to show it off and couldn't wait to drive home to see how the headlights would work.

About 30 seconds in to my drive home I noticed that the left headlight was dancing around. Then it went out -- then on -- then off -- then on -- then off, and stayed off until I turned the turn signal on! When I got home my headlight looked like an eye that had been poked out of someone's head. That was a sad monment, but I would not be defeated!!

So, this morning I took it back to the shop -- nothing major, just a little bracket that was broken -- then I went and changed the oil. So, all is right again and my old pickup is back on line and ready to haul around some more great moments!

By the by -- I will be traveling to Ridgeland, MS to preach this weekend. It will be nice to return to Mississippi -- I love it there. Have a great weekend and try to enjoy the little things -- they're great!

Gone to Seed

2006-10-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

I cannot help but to be a little excited. I have a 1997 Ford pickup truck with 198,000+ miles that I cannot say goodbye to. Back in May I ran into the back of a 16 year old girl coming home from church (she had her license for 2 months and had two wrecks so far-- neither were her fault). She cried, had to run in a house and use the bathroom, and I felt like a dummy. It was the first wreck I had ever had.
Needless to say, because of the age and value of the truck, I only carried liability, so I have been wrestling with the choice of selling what was left, or coughing up the $1700 to get it fixed (new hood, grill, bumper, left front fender, and a big dent on the right side compliments of my daughter back in 2002). Tomorrow I get my repaired truck back! I guess it means I am either a sentimental old fool or a terrible businessman, or both. Regardless, I am anxious and impressed by how it looks, and can't wait to drive my old truck. I am entering the age of loving old things --old shoes, old shirts, old books, old trucks. I guess wearing baseball caps with stupid sayings is all that is left. You reach an age where you like things settled and constant. It may not yet be here, but I feel it approaching like a shiver in twilight.
Which brings me to an interesting thought (at least to me). What is so great about autonomy in the modern church? I know what the Bible says, but when did churches become so independent that they are no longer "interdependent"? My friend Derrick brought this up the other day in a discussion. I am an "autonomous" man. The state and destiny of my soul are in my hands -- no one else's. No one answers to me, or for me, and the mistakes and/or rebellious acts of others are not on my head. Yet, the Bible is abundantly clear that I cannot make it on my own. I need shepherds, mentors, friends, and "brethren" for encouragement, correction, support, inspiration, and learning. Read Colossians, Ephesians, the pastorals, and tell me where the Bible places a strong emphasis on being "autonomous". Am I missing something, or does it seem fair to think that if God knows that we cannot succeed as mere individuals, that our congregations would be stronger, more spirit filled, and more effective if there existed and sense of "interdependence" among our churches? Could it be that the modern church of the marketplace is more concerned with budgets and congrgational identities than the call to conquer new lands in the name of Christ and the building up of all believers? Autonomy gone to seed. When it comes to our churches the term "brotherhood" really no longer applies. It is more like "in those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit" Judges 17:6

I would like to know what you think.

WISDOM FROM ST. PATRICK

2006-10-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a sermon from Patrick Mead (who preaches for the Rochester Church of Christ in Rochester, MI) and he told an amazing story about St.Patrick of Ireland that I found encouraging. I suppose that I should have waited until March to write this on my blog, but I would probably forget or misplace the quote by then.

The story is prefaced by the fact that St. Patrick accomplished many marvelous things besides ridding Ireland of snakes and such, as promoted by the Catholic church. He really was a man of great faith, as noted in his writings in the Confession of St. Patrick:

"I came to the Irish people to preach the Gospel and endure the taunts of unbelievers, putting up with reproaches about my earthly pilgrimage, suffering many persecutions, even bondage, and losing my birthright of freedom for the benefit of others.

If I am worthy, I am ready also to give up my life, without hesitation and most willingly, for Christ's name. I want to spend myself for that country, even in death, if the Lord should grant me this favor.

It is among that people that I want to wait for the promise made by him, who assuredly never tells a lie. He makes this promise in the Gospel: 'They shall come from the east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' This is our faith: believers are to come from the whole world."

The story Mead related was that there was a time when a tribal king plotted to kill the preacher by lying in wait for an ambush on a trail he was known to frequent. The thug king saw nothing that morning but what he thought were deer, and in his rage confronted Patrick and asked why he did not use the trail. The preacher replied that he had, and the king assumed that the God Patrick was speaking of must have protected him, so he agreed to hear his sermon concerning the Gospel. The king accepted his teachings, and was baptized that very day.

Whether you believe the story or not is immaterial, but the reality is that the king was converted. So, during the night, Patrick wrote an admonition to be presented to the king in the morning. It is quite long, but Mead read a shortened version that he said was still being used at his home congregation in the place of closing prayers or announcements, and often read to new parents, new shepherds, and other special occasions. Here is part of what St.Patrick wrote,

"I call upon you to rise in mighty strength through belief in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To rise today in the strength of Christ and his baptism. Through the strength of heaven, light of sun, radiance of moon, splendor of fire, crack of lightening, swiftness of wind, depth of sea, stability of earth, firmness of rock.

Rise today through God's strength to pilot you, God's might to uphold you, God's wisdom to guide you, God's eye to look before you, God's word to speak to you, God's hand to guard you, God's way to lie before you, God's shield to protect you, and God's host to save you from the snares of the devil, from temptations and vices, and from everyone who would wish you ill -- anear or far, alone or in multitude, and from every enemy of the cross -- spiritual or physical.

Arise today with Christ to shield you on your journey; Christ's power to stand between you and all enemies of the cross. Christ with you -- Christ before you -- Christ behind you -- Christ in you -- Christ beneath you -- Christ above you. Christ on your left and on your right; Christ when you lie down and Christ when you stand up.
Christ when you arise--
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of you--
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of you--
Christ in the ear of everyone who hears you--

I Call upon you today to arise with Christ.'
--AMEN

I hope you will find this quotation as inspiring as I have. Have a great day.

The Trend of Movements & Trends

2006-10-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

I stumbled on a rather dated internet survey about religion in America that I thought might be of some interest to people. I know that internet polls are not considered scientific, but I do think that those who are heavy net users do reflect the future as much as they do the present, so I thought I would share some of the findings and my comments with you.

18,441 people answered the poll online and here are some of the results:

65.5% believe in a supreme being.
42.5% claimed to be Christian (most polls place that number at 75+%, so maybe that means the poll is skewed, or perhaps it is a window into the future).
31 other religious beliefs ranging from atheism to witchcraft made up the remaining %.
42.1% checked "no answer" when asked, "If you are a Christian, what church/sect do you belong to?"
55.7% believe in the concept of heaven and hell in "one form or another".
30.9% said they attend religious functions weekly.
51.9% said their religious beliefs were different from those of their family.

When asked to , "Indicate what principles/ideals/entities you believe in" the results were:
83.2% - Respect for those who believe differently
32.9% - Pro-Life
42.1% - The New Testament
27.8% - Creationism
48.5% - Jesus
31.4% - The Trinity
52.7% - Acceptance of homosexuality

And, finally, when asked, "What best describes, in general, your attitude towards religion?" Respondents said:
36.7% - Religion is personal.
23.6% - Religion is the key to happiness.

Without arguing the merits of the poll, I think it is safe to say that we have a reached a place (long, long ago) where it is safe to say that there is a spiritual crisis in our culture. Personal observations from almost every church leader I know and data like this reinforce the anxiety felt in most religious circle concerning the future. This also should help us understand what church leaders like Danny Dodd are talking about in his blog (http://www.dannydodd.blogspot.com) concerning the allure of other traditions and the futility of chasing after trends. Surveys like this should teach us a very important point -- You can chase all the trends you like, but you will never catch up with them! Our religious/philosophical culture is chaotic, fickle, and totally detached from any concept concerning absolute truth.

Suggestions? Here are a few: Instead of hosting events from university lectures to gospel meetings that place an emphasis on telling ourselves, "Why We Are Right", why don't were turn to the days of evangelistic workshops that offer the best ideas of our most effective evangelists and, at the very least, encourage and embolden our people? Here's another one: Why don't we try thinking like those who have no basis to even begin accepting the Bible and studying their religious assumptions and move toward points of contact rather than continually retreating into our buildings? How many decades of Bible classes do our members and leaders need before they are ready to take on the world?

In the end, it seems to me, all we can do is walk among the wolves as sheep and trust in the Good Shepherd. Either we believe that the power is in the Word, that God gives the increase, and the the fields are ripe unto harvest, or we don't. We are called to believe, live it, and share it with those who are in need. The alternative is to live in the cynical belief that the best days are behind us, that Satan has won the generation, that only the very, very, very few have good hearts (of which, of course, I am one), and bow our heads, not in reverence, but in shame. This may be a theological stretch, but I think the Lord would rather us blow the 5 talents than to bury the one. I think we should try anything our imaginations and pooled resources can conceive and trust in God to do the rest.

Please, tell me what you think!

On Instrumental Music

2006-10-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

I was reading the account on the discussion concerning instrumental music in the church at Freed-Hardeman University this past Saturday on the Christian Chronicle web page (http://www.christianchronicle.org and http://www.fhu.edu). Like all discussions I have listened to this year, this one centered on unity, "the desert island" theory, Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16, and OT worship.

But I had this thought, and I want someone to explain it to me. Please note: I am not arguing for, or against anything. This is really and genuinely a sincere question that I have been bouncing around my head.

Here it is:

1. We can assume that the reasons for excluding instrumental music in worship are (1) the argument of silence (or the law of exclusion), and (2) the practice and recorded history of the early church.

2. We can reason easily that the scriptures in question (Eph.5; Col. 3) are not directed toward worship. In both instances the context is moral and spiritual behavior that accompanies a spiritual rebirth and transformation. The apostle is calling for disciples to live as holy people in an unholy world; and to build up one another through love, encouragement, preference, and unity. Public worship is not even on the table.

3. The word "melody" (used in Eph., but not Colossians) comes from the greek, "psallo", which means to "play a stringed instrument" (Vines). We have argued that the context means that the instrument being played is our heart. Therefore (through silence) nothing else can be played.

4. This being the case (argument of silence, the context is lifestyle not worship, the instrument to be played is our heart), then should we not prohibit the use of instrumental music in any setting that might be viewed as encouraging, inspiring, or spiritually educational?

It seems (and I am just asking) that we have a stronger case for a cappella music in our culture away from the public assembly than we do for our corporate worship. Or at least, the two should be treated equally. To me, it seems that consistency would require that we prohibit any mechanical music that is played with any songs with a spiritual tie.

This would require that we teach our members NOT to listen to Contemporary Christian music, NOT listen to the Gaither Homecoming series in their living rooms, NOT to listen to Brooks & Dunn's, I Believe, NOT to listen to Kate Smith sing, God Bless America, NOT to listen to Hank Williams sing, I Saw the Light, or Roy Acuff sing, The Great Speckled Bird, and on and on and on.

A second misunderstanding I have is that I always thought ALL music came from the heart, but that will have to wait for another time.

I just don't know. I love a cappella music. I love a cappella groups. I love classic hymns, I love new songs, . . ., I love praising God! As I said,I am not arguing for or against anything, I just want someone to explain it to me in simple terms.

Why the Poor?

2006-10-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ministry is one of the most distracting jobs in the world. Preachers, youth ministers, worship leaders, shepherds, etc., all have a tendency to get sucked into a professional persona that places a preimium on events, attendance figures, budgets, congregational expectations, theological systems, and so on, at the expense, sometimes, of following after the will of God.

Case in point: Almost nobody cares for the poor anymore. If you don't believe me, click on the title of this entry and begin reading Larry James' "Urban Daily" blog. He heads a ministry that serves the poor in the urban areas of Dallas, and he knows the frustration of lifting up other's awareness of the reality of poverty as a ministry opportunity.

I am not an expert on the subject -- far from it! But I have been leading a study of James recently and I have experienced several things that have shook me down to my heels. James 2 is the truth. I know the context is the sin of partiality (making judgments about differences in people that make no difference to God), but it is what he says about the poor that pulls at my heart right now:

1. God chooses the poor (James 2:5). We don't. We choose the young professionals or the older financially secure. We choose the educated white people and ignore the poor black, brown, yellow, or any other color you can think of; and we do with the same level of total disconnect that the rich man displayed in the presence of a daily beggar named Lazarus. God does not "settle" for the poor-- He "chooses" the poor. And he does it because the poor have always depended on God's mercy (see 1 Cor. 1:27-30 -- it will scare you). This leads to the second point:

2. The poor hurt no one. James reminds us that it is not the poor who try to separate themselves from God, but the rich. Look at James 2:6-7. It is never the poor who slander the name of God. Look at this way: Is it the poor that wish to remove the 10 commandments from public buildings? Is it the poor who wish to remove the phrase "under God" from the pledge? Is it the poor who wish to make our society a godless culture? The truth is that the poor have always embraced God. Come to think of it, I know lots of people who used to embrace God too, until they started making money. I bet you could say the same.

3. Jesus died for the poor. A long time ago someone told me that there were only two kinds of people in the world: (1) There are people who are Christians, which means Christ lives in them, and (2) there are people who are lost, which means Christ died for them -- that's it -- in either case we are called to welcome them into our churches and into our lives.

4. There is a "Royal Law" (James 2:8). I think it is royal because it rules over all other laws from God (see Rom. 13:8-10). It simply says, "Love your neighbor as yourself". If we do not love the poor, we are law breakers, pure and simple.

5. Judgment is coming (James 2:12-13). That passage simply teaches that "judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful". That is a pretty big statement! I need mercy!

Here is my problem: I do not know how to connect with the poor. We have no poor people in our church, yet we have thousands in our community living in government housing. I see people all the time at the grocery store pulling out their welfare ATM cards, and I know our public schools serve hundreds and hundreds of kids a free breakfast every morning -- but I do not know how to reach out to the poor, and I feel I must learn.

I must learn even though I know no one at my church expects me to. I must learn even though I know the poor would be completely intimidated at my church. I must learn because God chooses the poor. I must learn because the poor hurt nobody. I must learn because Jesus died for the poor. I must learn because there is a "Royal Law". I must learn because judgment is coming. I must learn . . .

As you can tell if you have read this far, I am open to suggestions. Thanks for reading.

Click It or Ticket

2006-09-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

My day started off great!! A highway patrolman followed me into the church parking lot and wrote me a ticket for not wearing my seat belt!! I had hoped that the obvious fact that I was a preacher going to work would have gotten me off, but alas. . . Maybe I should have offered to bless him in exchange for grace. Anyway,I was guilty, so I really can't complain. As he went to his radio to see if I was a fugitive, I thought to myself, "If he comes back and writes me a ticket, I'll know he's Baptist!" He did, so I guess he is (that's a joke for those of you who do not know me very well).

In Georgia the offense is punishable by a $15 fine-- just enough to aggravate you! The patrolman walk up to me with ticket in hand and said, "You every hear of 'Click it or Ticket'"? "Sure", I said. "Well hear it is!", He replied.

I never know what to say next. Somehow, "Thank You", just didn't seem to fit. So, I am standing there trying to figure what to do next and he says, "Our plan is become such a nuisance to folks that eventually they'll buckle up without even thinking about it." That's police talk for, "No more Mr. Nice-Guy". So I said the most profound thing I could think of, "Have a Nice Day".

So I'm thinking . . . Why don't we become a "nuisance" in our communities? We've tried being nice. In fact, most of our churches are so nice they are practically invisible. Think about it -- remember when seat belt laws were passed? No one paid any attention. You could drive right by a cop and not even worry about it. We didn't take them seriously! So what did the police do? They started being a thorn in the side of every driver who thought that seat belts were a matter of personal choice, and there you go -- most folks wear them now. I have learned over the years that most people need a "pest" in there life to keep them going, to keep the honest, to keep the aware. Parents, wives, friends, elders, bosses, policemen, food inspectors, quality control guys, teachers, comment cards at the restaurant, etc., all play an important role. So do churches that become a true light in the community.

I have always heard church members excuse any intrusiveness in their service to Christ by saying things like, "I don't want to push, or drive, them away". If someone is separated from Christ, how much farther away can they be pushed???? Maybe its time to be a pest -- a pest like Paul, a pest like James, a pest like Jesus, a pest like the guy who first invited me to attend church with him!

I am going to spend some time and try to figure out how I can become a "pest" in someone's life who needs Christ. Maybe you can suggest the things!?!

Have a great weekend -- I will be out of touch in a preachers' retreat in the mountains of North Georgia all next week -- I will check in when I can

I Caught the Cat!

2006-09-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Several people have contacted me and wanted to know how the great cat adventure turned out. Here's the story --

Monday not much was accomplished. I do not claim to be proficient in the area of varmit removal, so I assumed (wrongly) that people in charge of building and grounds would handle the situation. For context, patience is not my wife's strongest quality. She came up to the building an opened every door in the hope that the cat would remove himself. Monday night she came up to the building with our Golden Retriever and Alaskan Husky and turned them loose in the building to hunt down the invader. They sniffed around a lot, but found nothing beyond a few fresh deposits of cat fertilizer.

Being quite experienced in church matters, my wife got on the phone and started calling elders asking them what was being done. As should be expected, none of the elders seem to know what was going on, or mindful of anyone who should take care of the problem. I think they just assumed I would take care of it (I feel like I should say something about job descriptions, or the "Preacher and his work" class I took in undergrad, or something, but nothing besides the obvious comes to mind). Anyway, my wife made it clear that she wasn't going to catch the cat or clean up it's poo -- so the slow, unlubricated gears of the church decision making machine finally began groaning to life.

One of our elders went to the Farmer's supply store and rented a trap (as told in previous post). We set the trap and baited it with Tuna (as told in the previous post), and waited.

As soon as I completed the previous post, I went to check the trap. The tuna can was half empty, but the trap did not do its job. So, I reset the bait and the tuna, waited 45 minutes, went back and this time the can had been dragged out of the trap, emptied, and left some 5 feet from the trap! Alas, I was hunting a cat with a degree in mechanical engineering!

So, I took the empty can and put just a little dab of tuna in the bottom and filled it half full with water (I didn't want the next cat-poo-bomb to be any messier than possible), and reset the trap. An our later, the elder who rented the trap came by and we checked it together. Sure enough, the can was empty and there was no cat to be seen (now you know why men hunt stupid animals like deer and elk instead of these "Dr. Evils" of the animal world).

So, we took the can, punched a small hole in the side, threaded a piece of yarn through it and tied it to the back of the cage so the cat would wrestle with it and spring the trap. That didn't work either, sigh, licked dry.

Not to be discouraged -- the elder who rented the trap reset it, but this time he placed a small piece of tuna on the floor under the trap so the cat would try to stick his nose through the trip pad, thus springing the trap. It is now 7:00 pm so we went home for the night.

Wednesday morning I ran some errands and did not get to the building until about 9:30. Believe it or not, I had been so preoccupied with my errands, I had not thought of the cat. About 10 am the elder who rented the trap called and asked me if I had disposed of the beast. I was surprised to learn that he had stopped by on his way to work early that morning to find that the cat had indeed been captured at last! Unfortunately, he was not motivated to do anything about it! He just left him there, and by the time I went to remove the trap, -- you guessed it!!! -- a gigantic cat-poo-bomb had appeared!

I snatched the trap and took it outside under a tree, went inside and got back to work. "Maybe someone would steal the trap", I hoped to myself, but it did not happen.

When noon came, a friend came by to eat. I said, "let's put this cat-in-a-trap in the back of your truck and see if the animal shelter will take him after lunch." So, we went to our favorite Mexican place, and talked about the fate of the cat. We reasoned that if the animal shelter did accept him, they would eventually kill the cat -- he was an ugly creature. The best hope for the cat was the chance of freedom and hope for bounty from the dumpster behind the Mexican restaurant. Besides, there is a Chinese place right down the street, so if the cat could escape the fate of being on the menu one night, he would have a little variety in his diet. When asked by others what happened to the cat, I merely reply, "He has been moved to a different voting district".

So, there it is-- the great cat adventure is over. On a side note -- I handled the cat-poo-bomb the same way I think most men would have -- I left it for someone else to clean up. All I can say is that it was not there when our Wednesday night service began. Someone was in a bad mood Wednesday night, but with church folk, its so hard to tell!!

One last mystery -- I wonder how long it will take someone to discover the half used can of tuna in the refrigerator!?!

A Cat in the House

2006-09-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting day Sunday. We opened our building to find that a stray cat has taken up residence and used a sofa in our ladies' lounge and the stairs leading down to our children's classes as a bathroom. Like babies, you wonder how something that small could create that much stench! I do not know what the cat has been eating, but whatever it was, it tore up his system!!

So, the cat chase begins...

After morning worship my wife went throughout the building closing doors, sealing off hallways, and limiting the area that the cat could mess up. Upstairs in the balcony she found a hole that leads through the upper crawl space where we have our audio/video wiring and guessed that the cat was hiding out in there. So, she covered the hole up,and placed a medium sized box in from of it hoping that the cat would move into the box.

On a side note -- I don't like cats. I understand the sentiment of whoever said, "I don't like cats, but I like kittens -- they go farther when you kick them!" Cats are the only pets who think they are smarter than their owners, and they obey commands about as well as a teenager who just received a cell phone and driver licenses. Their food stinks, their litter box grosses me out, and they want to be held when you want to hold them.

Back to the story --

Sunday evening we arrive and I am making announcements. Just as it is time to begin, I ask if there is anyone who needs to take communion. For the first time I can remember, no one raised their hand (providence). So, I walk to back of the auditorium so the song leader can begin and one of our members grabs my arm and says, "I don't know what it means, but the lid is off of the bread tray on the communion table".

I walk back up front (with the song leader giving me a funny look) and look in the bread tray -- its empty -- not a crumb! Our cat has been living off unleavened bread! So, I turn to tell everyone that we still have a cat problem, and that's when everything went nuts. I notice the shadow of four little feet under the door at the rear of the auditorium and I hear the screaming of a dozen or so little ones from my wife's Sunday night kid's program, and I see our deacon over building and grounds running by.

The cat eluded the deacon, ran right pass the kids and scrambled up the stairs to the balcony and hid in the box. Everyone -- the kids, my wife, our building deacon, and now one of our elders runs upstairs to catch the cat. My wife sees the cat in the box, throws someone's sweater, or t-shirt, or something over it, and picks up the box to take the cat outside.

The cat can't stand it -- he springs out of the box, through the sweater or t-shirt, and breaks his fall by bearing his claws into my wife's leg on the way down -- everyone screams like they were watching a Friday the 13th movie.

The cat runs around the balcony -- now everyone is terrified because it is now a cat that has attacked a human -- makes a circle, and runs into the hole for our electrical equipment.

Of course, all of this took place with the entire congregation watching from below, and the song leader standing there trying to lead, "Where Could I go But to the Lord?"

In true church fashion, it is now Tuesday. It has taken two days (and several fresh piles of cat stinky) to come up with a plan (I'm surprises we didn't form a committee. We went to the Farmer's Supply store and rented a varmit trap for $10 a week. I have set it using Chicken of the Sea as my bait. When I finish this blog, my plan is to see if I have caught this unholy cat who eats from the table of Showbread, interrupts our worship, and attacks the wife of the high priest!!

But alas, now we face a moral dilemma -- what do we do with the captured cat (I am a man of faith, so I believe we will prevail)? My wife thinks we should go door to door and find the owner. I suggest we rent an airplane, climb to about 5,000 feet and see if cats can fly. Others have volunteered to handle it -- "Just don't ask how!" But no one has offered to make this unholy cat their family pet. Our local animal shelter will not accept stray cats (maybe they are also cat lovers and think cats are human like other like-minded cat-people). I don't think the cat is worth an ad in the paper, or the cost of flyers to nail to telephone poles (we're already out $10).

Mercy or judgment? Grace or Law? The eternal struggle of God's people throughout the ages has landed on my doorstep. This reality is complicated by the fact that I possess an extreme bias against cats. If I were a Jew, cats would be the Samaritans. I will have to think on this one -- I'll let you know how it turns out (unless the outcome is sinister). Must I must say -- I am leaning toward an OT solution!

Surprised at the Reaction

2006-09-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

It is the beginning of a new week and a lot of things are happening at once here at Broad Street. I will be traveling around a great deal over the next 6 weeks and at the same time, there is so much to take care of here. I guess the key is not to be overwhelmed!
In case you didn't know, my wife FINALLY has the opportunity to pursue her life long dream of graduating from college. I am so proud for her. Donna set aside school so we could marry and I could continue my education. Now, all these years later she is enrolled, doing well, and majoring in Art Design at LaGrange College(she is an exceptional artist). Because almost all her previous college work was in Bible, or classes taken at Vo-Tech schools, she begins with only 3 hrs. of course study counting toward her degree. This delayed course of events has been a joy to watch. She is truly a woman "born out of season". She has raised two kids and a husband, and has been an inspiration to countless children and adults throughout the years. Our son is 24 and our daughter is 22, and Donna is hanging out with kids younger than either of her own.
Three weeks ago she experienced her first college mixer. I do not know what took place, all I know is that she came home covered with shaving cream from head to toe. She now has about a hundred or so "friends" on Face Book, attends every football game, and is known by just about everyone on campus!! If she makes the homecoming court, I think I will jump off a bridge. Her only disappointment has been that she is designated as a "non-traditional" student -- I think she feels it a less than desirable distinction. Now she only wears T-shirts with her college's logo, and spends most evening cloistered in our home office getting ready for the next day.
Anyway, I am very proud of her for learning on of the great lessons of life -- It's NEVER too late to chase a dream!! I am also very proud that she sacrificed all these years for our family.

On a totally different front, I was very surprised at the comments concerning my last post. They seem to have somehow hit a nerve and encouraged others to speak out about how they feel concerning our fellowship, other religious groups, and what should be done. I really only thought I was doing nothing more than passing on an article. I did not express any views other than we need to work for the unity of all believers and other religious groups are watching us. But I am encouraged that more and more of the people I serve are beginning to understand that our destiny is not tied to a movement, or a tradition. Our destiny is tied to a Savior, whom we, as Paul says, "Earnestly await."
So, here is how I tie this entire post together:

1. It's never too late to chase a dream.
2. Anything is possible.

I really do believe that many, if not most, of our "drumbeaters" in the Churches of Christ believe that the original hope of uniting believers has outlived its time, and that it is not possible. But I bet you there are lots of people in the late summer or autumn of their lives who wish they could finish school, start a new life path, or chase a dream -- but they don't because they think its too late and not practical. But take a lesson from my wife -- a true lady in her late 40's! She never knew how or when her moment would come, but she always believed it would! We do not have to know "HOW" to create unity, God will work that out. We just need to "WANT" unity. The Bible really is true when teaches us that All Things Are Possible in Christ!

Go get'em Donna --

Go get'em church!

Look Who is Watching

2006-09-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

One of the wonderful ladies in our congregation named Clara Brooks recently brought me a copy of an article form the Baptist Standard, a periodical associated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The title of the article is, "Churches of Christ, Baptists Branch off Same Family Tree". The article was written by a man named Ed Parks.
The article is a report on the recent gathering of thousands of members of the non-instrumental Churches of Christ and the pro-instrumental Christian Churches at the annual meeting of the North American Christian Convention (NACC) in Louisville, KY back in June. The article contains quotes from Rick Atchley (preaching minister at Richland Hills Church of Christ) and Dave Stone (senior minister at Southeast Christian Church). Stone is quoted as saying, "I would characterize our two fellowships as being on target doctrinally, but lacking in service and unity. We've each been quite proud of our doctrinal stance in the truth area. It's the love area where we tend to struggle. We can leave our petty differences behind us." One of Atchley's main quotes is, "Satan knows that a divided church cannot reach a fractured world. Unity is a powerful apologetic."
The article spends a great deal of time talking about the crowd, the attitude, and the accomplishments of joint efforts in the recent Katrina hurricane recovery efforts, but then takes an interesting and somewhat remarkable turn. The major portion of the article makes an argument that Baptists churches and Churches of Christ are very close in both their roots and their doctrine. He writes:

"With Churches of Christ traditionally strong in the South, particularly Tennessee and Texas, Baptists have often brushed up against their religious neighbor's a cappella stance as the two groups vied for members. But believers in both camps may not realize the beliefs, practices, and even history that they share."

He then goes on to quote Bill Leonard, the dean of Wake Forest University School of Divinity as saying that Alexander Campbell, at one time, preached for the Bush Run Church, which was affiliated with the Redstone Baptist Association in Pennsylvania. Leonard also says that, "Baptists and churches tracing their origins to Campbell still share common ground. Both traditions practice baptism by immersion, and cherish congregational autonomy."

I find it interesting that the Baptists noticed. I find it even more interesting that the author was very deliberate in his efforts to include all of us under the same tree and infer that there is not much that separates us. That may be debatable, but the point is, could it be possible that the original call of the unity in Christ might still be heard in today's world? We wouldn't even know what to do if such efforts gained traction -- and unfortunately, many of our preachers and congregations wouldn't know what to do if there were no doctrinal wars among believers.

This is what I think. I think God can do whatever he wills to do. I think anything is possible, even taking the gospel to the whole world. I think we should keep our ears and our hearts open to always fight for unity in Christ -- I think we should fight as hard for unity as we do for distinctiveness. After all, God did not call us to splintered, he called us to be one! I fear, however, that many of our own church leaders and preachers have no intention of ever making an effort to promote unity. I think many of us would think we were selling out if we were not always standing in opposition to something or someone.

Anyway, that is what I think. I would be interested in knowing what you think! Just remember, others are watching how we demonstrate our love for God -- they are always watching!

There is Something Beyond One's Self

2006-08-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

This is the third in a series of article dealing with modern conflicts in the church based largely upon interviews with former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara dealing with the lessons learned from WWII, the Cuban missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. The first lesson discussed was, "Empathize with Your Enemy", and the second was entitled, "Rationality Will Not Save Us." Both of the former articles are located in the archives of this blog.

One of the lessons of the 20th Century is that education should strongly stress values -- a sense of goodness, right and wrong, proper behavior and reaction. McNamara tells the story of working as and Assistant professor during the outbreak of WWII. As a result of the war, Harvard was losing its pool of prospective students to the military, so the university agreed to open up a school of military intelligence for the Army dedicated to analyzing bombing missions over Germany. Their job was to help the military understand strategy and plan for maximum success. One of the discoveries of McNamara's group was that over 20% of all pilots were aborting their missions before they reached the target. After a thorough investigation, they came to realize that most of the reasons given for aborting missions were contrived -- the pilots and crew were just plain scared.

The news was devastating to war planners -- it was unacceptable to allow for a 20% reduction in fire-power for every mission planned, especially when you had to add in a 4% loss rate for each mission. Of all the Army Air Corp commanders in Britain, there was only one who truly stepped up to the plate. Curtis LeMay (who would later command the unit in the Pacific that fire-bombed Japan and dropped 2 atomic weapons) issued a decree to all pilots under his command. The announcement contained the following statement: "I will be flying the lead plane on every mission from now on. Any crew who aborts their mission will be arrested and brought up on charges." The abortion rate immediately fell to zero.

LeMay was a very tough commander -- some even accused him as begin abusive. But his values allowed him to overcome self interest and to remain true to his duty. Even though he was a profane and gruff man, he understood that each man's life was, in part, in the hands of those around him.

The concepts of a self-sacrifice and a "Higher Calling" are at the very root of the Christian walk. These values are talked about all the time in sermons and Bible classes. Unfortunately, when reality comes along, these lofty ideals are among the first casualties of church warfare. I remember years ago writing an article concerning modern translations where I quoted a man who said the NIV was demonic because John 3:16 said "One and Only" instead of "Only Begotten". The exact quote concluded, "Thus denying the virgin birth of Jesus." I failed then to see the connection, and I still do! Anyway, the guy attacked me personally, damned me to hell, and acted in an anything but Christian way. That was my initiation to the realities of church leadership.

All these years later I look back at so many of our conflicts in the church and conclude that many are not really issues of doctrine, but of values. By that I mean, that when push comes to shove, many Christian leaders would rather serve their self-interest than God's. I have watched churches split over songs, versions, dress codes, allegiances toward schools and universities, television programs, books in the church library, and the like. The one universal constant is that the leader of the stink pile is more interested in self (and those who serve self) than unity, fellowship, and harmony -- some additional values we can explain better than we can demonstrate.

All of this is done with little or no thought for small children and teens who witness the destruction of the idealism of Christianity around the dinner table or living room. They are the ones who end up in a tiny, struggling fellowship with no Christian friends their age, and no prospects of inspiration. These kids never seem to go to camp, attend youth rallies, develop their skills as preachers, or anything else. They just sit there in their tiny churches slumped down and dreaming of the day when they no longer have to attend. Self interest has a devastating effect on the modern church. We have exchanged victory for values, as if to say its OK to plot, gossip, lie, slander, and attack personaly all those we oposse because we are vindicating "truth'. I have no interest in that kind of "truth".

What to do? Like all things, it begins with leadership. We need preachers and elders who share some of LeMay's qualities -- we need smart, courageous, disciplined leaders who consistently demonstrate good judgment. Someone has to be there to remind those who would be quick to abort that there is something greater than self interest at stake. Dividing a church accomplishes nothing -- just more real estate for the Lord to keep up with. Somehow we have got to learn that living by God's will is more satisfying than winning personal battles. We need to learn the values that allow us to take satisfaction in the practice of creating peace -- and we need to learn that there are bigger, more important things than simply getting our way.

Maybe if we took as much time learning and teaching values as we do rehashing doctrinal stances and clever responses harmony could appear. And maybe if we, as leaders in the kingdom, got out front and to lead the way, our casualty rate would decline and mission efficiency would increase. Nothing is really worth fighting for unless it is greater than self interest.

A Lesson From the Kirby Man

2006-08-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

It is not that hard to learn lessons in ministry from just observing what is going on around us in the world. Just the other day I was on my way out of the house when two young men walked up the driveway. They told me they were college students trying to complete a successful month of vacuum sales before heading back to school. Like a dummy, I told them to talk to my wife. I thought she would quickly send them on their way for several reasons; (1) My mother was visiting, so there would be no time; (2) we just spent a boat load of money on my daughter's tuition for the fall semester, so we could not have made a large purchase if we wanted to; and (3) my house has no carpet -- we have hardwood floors throughout. BIG MISTAKE!

When I returned home a few hours later my wife had gone to the store. However, sitting on the floor next to my mother in the den sat a $1,000 Kirby vacuum cleaner. I was a little upset to say the least. I asked my mon what had happened, and she just said I needed to talk to Donna. I could feel the blood rushing to my head even before my mother finished her sentence.

Later on my wife came home and started explaining before she walked in through the carport. It seems that the vacuum at church had died, and this one had a lifetime guarentee, so my wife decided that her and the church could split it, or the church could but it outright. She wanted it because it pulled dust out of beds and sofa and did a fantastic job cleaning of ceiling fans. Also, she felt sorry for the struggling college kid working his way through school. Somewhere between the dust on the ceiling fan, the nobility of the college kid, the desperate need of the church, and the lifetime warranty, she wrote them a check for $1068.16

Sunday she explained the proposition to one of our elders, who looked like someone just punched him with a cattle prod. Like all good elders, he said he would think about it. Later that afternoon, hecalled to say sorry, no deal. Now I was really stuck!

The day was saved when we looked at the contract and it said that we had a few days to try it out and could call and someone would come and pick it up if we didn't want it -- so I talked Donna in to getting on the phome on Monday morning and telling them to come as quick as possible. Around dinner time Tuesday evening, the same college kid came to pick it up. He handed the check my wiafe had written and commented that the vacuum had not been touched since he left it there Friday afternoon. I told him we didn't have carpet! His reply was, "Wow, I must be a good salesman!"

There are two lessons I will try to remember:

1) Don't avoid salemen by passing them on to my wife.
2) More importantly, Businesses in the world succeed becasue they are aggressive. They know that success in sales is directly tied to the value of the product and the hustle and enthusiasm of the salesman. Successful salesmen stick with it, continually try to learn new ways to be more effective, and do not a "no" or two discourage them from their task. We need Christian leaders that are more like this Kirby guy.

The superior product we have are lives changed through faith -- witnesses to the power of God's work in this world. It is not the professional and marvelous preaching of our preachers, the glorious church structures we meet in, or the absolute purity of doctrine that are our greatest marketing tools. It is the power that is suppose to be working in the lives of believers. When we (as a body of believers) have a faith that is easy to demonstrate to others, I am convinced we will. Until then, we will just meet together and talk about how hard hearted people in the world really are. One of my newest favorite verses in the Bible is James 2:14, "Dear brothers and sisters, what is the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith cannot save anyone" (NLT).

Finally, we must learn that the harvest never brings itself in to the barns. It takes a sense of urgency and hustle to succeed. Most churches I know have neither.

I tip my hat to the Kirby boys. They sell a superior product, and even an inexperienced kid can sell one to a lady who doesn't even have carpet! Well, ALMOST sell one to her! God help us to learn to hustle.

I GOT TAGGED

2006-08-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

Friends -- what would you do without them?? JD tagged me with the book/blog thing, so here it goes:

1. One book that changed my life -- The book of Ecclesiates
2. One book I have read more than once -- The Alchemist, Paublo Coelho (English translation, can't read Portuguese).
3. One book I would want on a desert island -- Us Army Survival Manuel, Dept. of Defense.
4. One book that made me laugh -- The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien.
5. One book that made me cry -- A Painted House, John Grisham, or The Fifth Mountain, Paublo Coelho.
6. One book I wish I had written -- Ordering Your Private World, Gordon McDonald.
7. One book I wish had never been written -- The Quran
8. One book I am currently reading -- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, James Garlow.
9. One book I have been meaning to read -- The Bedford Boys, Alex Kershaw, It's All About Grace, Gary Beauchamp.

On a side note, I am glad that summer is just about over and regular schedules can be maintained. I am looking forward to the fall and looking forward to being more attentive to my blog. And, as you may know, step number 10 of the above is to tag 10 others, so if I tag you, don't be put out -- its kind of like the old chain letters -- except there is no promise of riches. I am not superstitious, but I wouldn't want the bad vibes of being the guy who broke the chain!!

From the GA Mountains

2006-07-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Donna and I are in mountains surrounding Blue Ridge, GA this week. It is week one of a two week get away (with a few interruptions)designed to provide me the time to recharge and plan a strategy for the next twelve months. So far it has proven to be incredibly relaxing and helpful (I will have pictures to post in the coming days). I will return this week end to LaGrange for the instillation of a new elder.

Our plan was to return next week to the same location, but now I am not certain. Anyone who knows me knows that one of my very best friends in this world is Mike McCafferty. I just found out the his grandmother, "Gigi" is close to death. Any of the guys who went to school at Kosy will remember her. This comes on the heels of Mike's step-grandfather, Ray Gilbert, suffering a heart attack just a few weeks ago. Please keep the family in your prayers. It may be that we head to the mighty "Land of Koz" next week. Regardless of where we will be, my plan is to lay out my sermon series, ministry organization, local outreach goals and ideas, and a rough calendar for the next twelve months. It is a practice I started a few years ago and highly recommend. The only difference this year is that I take two weeks away from the daily distractions to get it done. It has been a blessing that I would recommend to anyone in ministry. I don't know when I will be able to get back on line, but I will check in sometime over the weekend.

Rationality Will Not Save Us

2006-07-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

This is the second installment of a series of thoughts and articles I am compiling in regard to the culture of disagreement and division that is so prevalent in the modern church. To be up to speed, it is necessary to look at the first installment, entitled, Going to War. I posted that article on June 19. One important aspect of the series bears repeating. The lessons of conflict expressed in this series come from the life experiences of Robert McNamara, who served as Secretary of Defense during the Cuban missile crisis and the beginning of the war in Vietnam. In a documentary entitled, The Fog of War, McNamara reveals what he has learned in the last season of his life about conflicts and wars. I am merely echoing those lessons and applying them to many of the current conflicts I see in the church. Lesson #1 was, Empathize with Your Enemy. Lesson #2 is, Rationality Will Not Save the Day.

In January, 1992 Robert McNamara was given the opportunity to travel to Havana and meet with Fidel Castro. There he learned that, at the time of the crisis, the USSR had delivered 162 nuclear warheads to Cuba, instead of the 2 or 3 dozen that the US believed existed. In shock, McNamara asked Castro three questions: (1) Did you know the warheads were in Cuba? (2) If the US had threatened to invade Cuba, would you have asked the Russians to fire the missiles at the United States? (3) What would have happened to Cuba if the missiles had been launched?

Castro answered: (1) I knew exactly how many missiles were in Cuba, (2) Not only would I recommend, but I did recommend that the missiles be fired, and (3) Cuba would have been completely destroyed if they had been launched. Then he added, "Mr. Secretary, if you had been in my shoes, you would have done precisely the same thing." That is how close the US came to nuclear war in October, 1962.

The nuclear option is played out over and over again among far too many churches. Rational and reasonable men abandon their senses and too easily trust only in their passion as they draw lines in the sand. Churches will destroy themselves over the style of songs being led in worship, over the material used in classes, over the English version of the Bible being read from the pulpit, over the conferences, youth rallies, lectureships, and so on attended with no real proof of their unbiblical nature, simply innuendo and opinion of trusted friends will suffice.

I have seen godly men try to destroy careers in ministry and congregations for the sake of their passions giving little thought to the long term consequences. Here in LaGrange, the church divided over issues largely of leadership and ministry style. The resulting "mini" congregations continue to flounder, their budgets are stretched and restrictive, they are not involved significantly in any mission works, they have little or no influence on the community, and worse of all, their children have been caught in the middle. For many of these families, Mom and Dad have the church of their dreams, but their children and grandchildren are paying the price through lack of sufficient Christian peers and spiritual growth opportunities. I am certain that almost everyone can relay a similar account.

Here is the lesson: The fallibility of reasonable men can destroy congregations. We always talk about logic and reason, but recent times have demonstrated that rationality will not save us because there comes a point in almost every church crisis that passion and the desire to win, or at least the desire to keep the other side from winning prevails-- and just like armed conflicts, once the trigger is pulled, there is no going back.

The Bible does not teach us to be rational. It teaches us to be spiritual -- to trust in the truth of God's word and way to maintain a controlled and contrite spirit. We are commanded to depend upon God's grace and power to both hold us together and overcome evil. Like so many examples in the Bible, we fail when we conclude rationally that God's way cannot work (Abraham & Sarah, the children of Israel in the wilderness, Saul and Samuel, Peter and Malchus, etc.). The most dangerous course of action we can take in the kingdom of God is to conclude that issues and challenges warrant an unchristian response. We can never justify behavior contrary to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, even if we think it is for a good cause. Slander, personal attacks, withholding financial support, secret planning meetings for a select few, exclusion, and a host of other hellish responses are usually the weapons of reasonable men resort to when passion and the desire to win at all costs prevails.

In 1962, reasonable men with strong convictions almost destroyed the world. Today, reasonable men with strong convictions are tearing churches apart everywhere in the name of the same Savior who shed his blood to purchase the church. We can only conclude, as McNamara has, "Rationlity Will Not Save Us".

Sweeping Observations

2006-07-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

Recent events and comments from a preacher I neither know or respect motivates me to publish some sweeping observations that have proven, to my satisfaction, to be true in a proverbial sense.

1. Legalist believe that grace is "extra credit" to make for any mistakes of "omission" in our heavenly credit account built through good works and pure doctrine. Though it is never stated as such, their view is that they must perform perfectly or be banished outside of the light of Christ's fellowship. As a result, there salvation is never certain, and their hope is in their own ability to digest, comprehend, and perform works of salvation (which they call "works of faith" in order to deny a legalistic allegiance).

2. Legalist often believe that the KJV is the "authorized" English version because a king of England said so. It never seems to occur, or matter, to them that it is the only accepted English Bible (besides the Catholic Bible) translated by a group of men all holding to the same theological vein that includes Calvinism. In spite of its obvious shortcomings, this version is necessary to help identify the faithful. Thus, anyone who uses a NIV, NLT, Hollman, NEV, BLT, ASAP, BET, ESPN, etc., etc., must be outside the pure circle of faith.

3. Legalist believe that the "Restoration of New Testament Christianity" has been accomplished. Otherwise they would not insist that everyone say, think, and read the same things. Everything, from Bible School material, to journals, to lectureships, to youth events, and so on, MUST fall into the accepted orthodox of the circle of purity, or it is not true Christianity. For these people the words "restoration" and "replication" mean the same thing. One "tell-tell" sign is that aggressively insist that they are NOT a denomination; yet what they demand of others is precisely denominational.

4. Legalist believe that worship is to be somber and reverent -- which is great, but it also to be a time of joy and celebration. King David danced, Paul praised and rejoiced, he shed tears and published great declarations of victory, surety, and hope. But for many in today's church, any manifestation of joy or victory is symptomatic of false teaching, or wrong thinking.

5. Legalist have fallen into the trap of attempting to freeze time. Anything new or different cannot be acceptable. New songs are dangerous, and held in contempt. Being "scriptural" now includes ideas and patterns that been around for 50+ years and become sacred in their own eyes. As a result,the acid test for truth is whether or not someone from within their circle of purity said so. Rules and policies spring up from preachers and elderships afraid of the future, and hold the weight of biblical mandates. Only the past holds hope for these modern legalists. They are frustrated and angry because the world has moved on and left them behind. Instead of meeting the challenge and adapting a timeless gospel to contemporary struggles, they simply and easily declare that "people are no longer receptive" and hold a lectureship somewhere to declare their faithfulness and the ruination of all others.

6. Legalist are doomed. Jesus condemned them and they are on the verge of marginalizing themselves out of existence. They do not offer any positive remedies, nor do they attempt to bring God's kingdom to this earth. They believe they are the guardians of truth, and if anyone wants to know what it is, they will show up at one of their meetings or buildings. In their hearts they believe that the church has failed; and their only hope is for the Lord's return before they are they only faithful person left alive on the earth.

7. Legalists believe that someone is a "false teacher" because they say so.

7. Legalists do not believe they are legalists -- they simply believe everyone is wrong except themselves and their friends.

I love the church, and I am thankful for everything it has given me throughout the years. But I do not respect willing ignorance that is born of convictions based on tradition rather than self discovery. Christ is my King, I will only serve him. He has given me new life and speaks on my behalf before the throne of the Father. It is hard to do better than that.

Profiles in Leadership

2006-07-15T17:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been slack concerning my blog. I came down with one of the worst summer colds or sinus infections I have ever had and I still feel very ill. Nevertheless, tomorrow is coming and I have to be ready!!

Below is the bulletin article I published this week. It is adapted from a sermon by David Chadwell, who preachers at the West-Ark Chruch of Christ in Ft. Smith. John Dobbs steered me to the site. Like John's site (www.123jesus.com), it is full of useful and fun links.

Anyway, we are going through the process of selecting additional elders and I thought it would be approbate. He goes:

If you read the words of Paul in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1 regarding the qualifications for elders, who may be tempted to treat the statements made as an absolute checklist, but to do so would be a mistake. Neither of the mentioned scriptures says anything about the manÂs faith in Christ, or his love for Christ and his body. But certainly we can see that a man that loves Christ and his church, and walks by faith would be a blessing to any congregation. We sometimes emphasize a Âlove for truth,Â but perhaps we should equally emphasize Âlove for sheepÂ. Elders who love both are great shepherds.
Neither 1 Timothy or Titus mentions the candidate possessing the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), or the Christian graces (2 Peter 1:5-8), which must live in any man who has the spiritual maturity to provide godly leadership. But, I suggest, the list of 1 Timothy makes up the qualifications needed for the times and the challenges of the church in Ephesus (Timothy received this letter in Ephesus). If you study Acts 19 & 20 you know that Paul taught the elders there that wolves and false teachers were coming. Now, years later, he instructs Timothy to find elders who would combat those teaching strange doctrines (I Tim 1:3); emphasizing myths and genealogies (1:4); pursuing fruitless discussions (1:6); and even those being Âdelivered to SatanÂ (1:20).
PaulÂs solution to the problems in Ephesus was to add men to the eldership Â but not just any man. Timothy was to look for men who were respected for their spiritual character within the church. He was to seek out those whoÂs values stressed the spiritual over the material, and who was a family man who knew how to love and work with people. Paul wanted elders in Ephesus who were mature enough not to be deceived by false teaching and unspiritual thinking.
I say all this to suggest that we are looking for men who fit a profile, not a checklist. Broad Street needs elders who are wise, compassionate, patient, filled with faith, and men who are walking by the Spirit. We need elders who deeply love every member of this church and who are committed to binding and holding this congregation together into the future. But perhaps more than anything, we need members who are dedicated sheep in GodÂs flock. Each one of us must be willing to submit to our present and future elders and hold them in the highest esteem. The profile for Broad Street might not be the same as Ephesus or Crete, but its probably pretty close. We need loving, serving, teaching elders who are not afraid of the future, and who are not afraid to step out in faith as we work for the cause of Christ here. Our vision as a church is to be a contemporary expression of GodÂs family and GodÂs truth in this city. I believe we need elders who will take us there.

Thanks to David for the fine sermon, and to John for the direction!

"Sadface" & Me

2006-07-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

The little guy next to me in the photo is a 4 year old Honduran child I call "Sadface". I met him in the tiny village of San Pedro located in the central mountain region of Honduras. There is only one road that heads out this way, and depending on the weather and rock slides, it takes about an hour and a half to travel the 40 or so miles off the main paved highway that runs from Tegucigapa to Catacamos.

The region finally received electrical lines about 3 years ago, but it hasn't made it way to San Pedro yet. The little village has a small school (the teachers were out on strike while we were there because they haven't been paid), a soccer field, and a church with about 160 attending regularly.

Anyway, I met "Sadface" while visiting the church during their mid week service. I call him by that name because his expression never changes -- just a sad face and penetrating eyes. The church meets each Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 pm (that's what you do if you live in a place with no jobs and no electricity). I was standing outside looking through a window with a friend when he and his buddy walked up and just stood there staring up at us. I reached in my pocket and found two wintergreen lifesavers. I gave each of them one and told them to keep it a secret, but evidently they don't speak English. "Sadface" took his lifesaver out of the wrapper and paraded down the center aisle of church holding it up for everyone to see. When he got to the front, he just stood there licking it like a lollipop -- but he never smiled. As you might imagine, I was soon surrounded by kids wanting candy. All I could do was look helpless and say, "No mas!"

All in all this was one of the best trips to Honduras I have ever experienced. My daughter, Kara, and my son, Daniel, both made the trip with me. They both enjoyed themselves tremendously and worked very hard. There were 19 in our group and in four days we mixed and poured concrete floors in about 10 homes, visited with 4 of the seven congregations Broad Street supports, distributed hundreds of clothing items for kids, build a roof on a new home for someone who did not have one, painted the church building in Gulaco, explored caved in the national forest, rode horses at the farm one of our member owns to provide jobs for church members, played a few thousand hands of Rook and Mexican Train, and walked around several small towns and villages.

We stay at the church building in Gualco where sleeping, dining, and bathroom facilities have been constructed to house up to 40 people. The facility has electricity, it's own water purification system, a kitchen, dining hall, and a great covered porch where everyone can sit back and relaxed the end of a long day. This year 6 groups from Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee are making the trip. You can go to www.aguavida.com to check out the facility. If you would like to go, or take a group, let me know and we'll work out the details.

On last interesting (at least to me) point. When we arrived in Tegucigalpa, our teens went across the street from the airport to Burger King to get one last taste of home before heading into the wild country. My daughter walks in and sees Sara Beth Ivey! Sara Beth is the youngest daughter of Joe & Malinda Ivey, some of our life long friends. Joe is now the VP at Lipscomb University, and a member at Harpeth Hills. Their youth group came down to work with orphans for a week or so. It was quite a surprise! She has really grown up.

Any way, it is good to be home and rested up. Perhaps in a few days I will share some of my views on mission work. Thanks for reading.

Heading Out for Honduras

2006-06-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

I will be out of pocket for the next 10 days or so. This Thursday I am leaving for 8 days in Honduras. We are taking a group of about 20, an I think it will be a great week. We will be meeting with our 9 preachers in the rural region of Olancho, checking on the onion crop at the farm, building a new home for a widow from one of the congregations, making certain the students we sponsor are doing well in school, and playing with kids that hang around our compound in the city of Gulaco.
This work has been the twenty year obsession of one of our elders, Bob Walters. Right now he is in Guatemala trying to learn Spanish at the ripe old age of 70+ -- hearing aids and all! I imagine that it will be quite an experience for the teachers there. Anyway, there are now 7 churches and a working farm for members to earn a living in this desperately poor region of our hemisphere. Each church has a membership of well over 100, and growing. It has been a great work. I always look forward to these trips, but this time I will be taking my son, Daniel, and my daughter, Kara. It is their first go round. Bob's son, Wade, is our deacon over missions and is involved with much of the going ons there. I cannot take credit for anything God has accomplished there through Bob and Wade -- I just sort of serve as the "drum beater" at Broad Street.
The region received electricity about two years ago, so there is a chance that I can get a message on line through an internet cafe in the town, if conditions are right. On my last trip I was surprised to learn that some enterprising individual took advantage of the poles for the powerlines by stringing a cable network throughout the entire network. People still live on dirt floors, but many do so while watching "American Idol" -- what a world we live in!!

Before I head out, I am taking a quick trip to Ft. Walton Beach to visit a really good friend on vacation there. His name is Alan Phillips. He is the Associate Director of Missions Resource Network, and one of the greatest individuals you will ever meet. For years he served Oklahoma Christian as a fund raiser and later started his own consulting shop. I first met him in the 80's while preaching in Dallas. He is a great guy with a great family and I love him! I haven't seen him face to face in over a year, so it should be a great time.

Anyway, I'll be out of pocket and hopeful that all goes well. Lord willing, I will check in as soon as I get back.

The Mighty "SO" -- John 13

2006-06-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am reading a book entitled, God's Outrageous Claims, by Lee Strobel (ISBN 978-0-310-26612-9). It is a good book, but not great -- except for one fascinating chapter. The outrageous claim of this chapter is that we "Gain by Giving Ourselves Away". I was captivated because of the emphasis placed on a passage that is very familiar -- Jesus washing the disciple's feet, and I find that I often learn most from passages I thought I knew well.

Strobel notices that the event begins with two statements that are, in his opinion, ". . . two of the stangest statements in the Bible." One is, "Jesus knoew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God." The other is, "He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist." There is only one word that I purposely omitted. It is the word, "SO" that serves as the connector between these statements.

With such heady knowledge, it would seem rational that Jesus would have taken his place as the nobleman of the group and expected to be treated accordingly. But you and I know he did not -- in fact, he did just the opposite, and he did it as an example for me and you.

In today's church, we liken the event to any act of service that is provided in Jesus' name. Things like providing food for new mothers in our congregation, mowing the yard of widow, or going on a mission trip to a third world nation. This is all good and right, but there is another consideration that I believe possesses profound meaning for everyone. It is just this, Jesus had it all and knew it -- he had nothing left to prove.

That may not seem all profound, but consider. If I know that I am saved; if I know that my name has been written in the Lamb's Book of Life; if I know that the Holy Spirit lives in me; if I know that I have been adopted and made an heir of the only holy and true God; if I know that the Creator of everything knows me, loves me, and is making eternal preparations for me -- what do I have left to prove? Who is it I need to impress? You see, that knowledge sets me free to do anything -- even lowly things. It does not matter if I am in control of the direction of the church; I do not always have to have my way before anything in my congregation can move forward. I don't have to be the smartest, the wisest, the most gifted, or the most powerful in any regard -- I am in Christ and have EVERYTHING!!

I cannot help but think that our churches would be better off if this understanding could somehow be communicated and applied effectively. Just imagine what it would be like to be a part of a congregation filled with people with nothing left to prove, and that knowledge was so certain that they are free to be simple servants. Imagine a church with no bullies, no hard-headed legalist always demanding their way, and no pompous and self-righteous demagogs marching around trying to influence others through intimidation and harsh talk. There would be no influence peddling through money or family connections, and the power and grace of Jesus would shine unencumbered by our personal insecurities and acts of selfishness.

In a perfect world, if I were to write the "John 13" of my life, it might sound like this:

"Gary knew that God had washed away his sins, written his name in the Book of Life, and adopted him as His son. He also knew that some day soon he would return to the Creator and take up his permanent residence in constant fellowship and praise. SO, he got off his fat behind, stopped worrying about personal pride and success and was free to serve God in whatever way became obvious to his feeble brain."

I like this view of John 13, and I hope someday to be this free. Its nice to know that the teaching of John 13 goes a bit deeper than casseroles.

Going to War

2006-06-19T07:48:00.000-07:00

The other night I was watching the History Channel and the presented a 2 1/2 hour documentary entitled, The Fog of War. It was an interesting interview with Robert McNamara, who was the Sec of Defense during the Cuban Missle crisis and the beginning and escalation of the Vietnam war. The viewpoint was from an 85+ year old man looking back on the decisions and mistakes of a war, that was not of his making, but nonetheless, defined his life.

I guess it appeals to me because I have spent so much time the past several years dealing with conflicts and tests of wills concerning controversies, power struggles, and disputes in the local church setting. I found myself captivated because so many of the lessons McNamara demonstrated equate so readily in the world of believers struggling to define the future and understand God's will in the context of an ever-changing cultural and philosophical era. I have decided to explore these lessons in more detail and hope to write about them in other forums, but I wanted to share one or two that I think are especially helpful.

Lesson #1 -- Before You Go To War, Sympathize with Your Enemy. In McNamara's context, the Cuban missile crisis was avoided because a man by the name of Tommy Thompson was in the Kennedy administration and had been our ambassador to the USSR. In fact, he had even shared a home with Nikita Krushchev immediately following WWII. He understood how the man thought, and knew that he could not back down unless he could hand his comrades something that would serve as a victory. He knew that Krushchev could not withdraw unconditionally without losing control of the communist party, and probably go to prison, or worse. So it was Thompson who formed the concept of pledging to the Soviets that the US would never invade Cuba. This gave the Soviets wriggle room, and avoided nuclear confrontation.

On the other hand, the US government miscalculated and assumed that if Vietnam fell, all other nations in the region would collapse and fall under the control of communist China. It was called the "domino effect" and forged our policy of escalation, even though President Johnson knew it was a lost cause. When the ultimate decision to ramp up the war had to be made, Johnson said, "My decision is yes, but my judgment is no." It was almost 20 years later before the US understood that the Vietnamese had been fighting the Chinese for over a thousand years, and were in fact, fighting a civil war for independence. We thought they were puppets of China. They thought we were colonial invaders (like the French had been) wanting to control their nation for our economic benefit. As a result, one out of every 10 US soldiers who fought there were either killed or wounded, and the Vietnamese lost over 3 million people in a conflict that spanned almost 30 years.

It has been my experience that in most congregational conflicts, opposing views rarely understand one another. Accusations and personal comments fly, emails circulate to sympathetic allies, and understanding is rarely sough out. I do believe that almost every church conflict ultimately comes down to an issue of control, or power. But, it is also wise to try to appreciate how much your "enemy" has risked before the conflict has ever begun. Most people seek for leverage in a conflict. That means that they try to assemble a team of backers to add weight to their complaint or demand. They feel as if they are representing something greater than themselves, even though they are the one who planted the seeds of dissent to begin with. It is a complicated mindset of self deception that convinces the self-appointed "leader" that his selfish and vain actions are really just a fight for the concern of others.

As pitiful as that is (and sounds), it is essential that you understand how much personal capital and pride your attacker, accuser, or enemy has invested in the conflict. This is why no one ever seems to speak "just for themselves" in times of upheaval in the world of the church. This is true whether you are talking about modern disagreements over something as non-essential as music styles, or if you are talking about something as silly as "who is greatest preacher?" controversy of 1 Corinthians 1. The point is, when there is a conflict in the church, step 1 is to try to put yourself in your enemy's skin. This leads to the second lesson, and helps you understand its meaning:

Lesson #2 -- Rationality Will NOT Save the Day. I'll talk about this later. . .

SPOODAH (Why Some Church Members Think Their Preacher is Lazy)

2006-06-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

A long time ago I was taught that there are four vital ingredients in becoming a profitable worker in God's kingdom -- (1) Diligence, (2) deliberateness (as in being stubborn), (3) Dedication, and (4) Delight. Any three without the fourth is doomed for at best, a mediocre job every time. I used to think of "diligence" as hard work, or maximum effort, but that, as I have recently discovered, is not true.

The most popular greek word translated in the NT as "diligence" is spoodah. It is a very powerful and interesting word. It comes from the word, spooday, which means speed, eagerness, earnestly, energetically, or promptly. In short, it means, "do it now, do it right, and do it well!" And I tend to think that this is one of the most overlooked aspects of being a profitable servant in the kingdom -- and I think it has a profound effect on the work habits and pace of preachers and shepherds.

By this I mean, it seems quite characteristic for things to sit around on the back burner and left unattended for long periods of time in many churches. Elders, deacons, preachers and other church members know that urinals ought to fixed, or hedges trimmed, or signs updated, or copy machines serviced, or burnt out lights in the auditorium replaced, or broken toys in the nursery replaced, or songbooks updated, or visitor cards replenished, or computers updated, or delinquent members visited, or elderly members looked after, or Bible school classes revitalized, or long term goals and plans examined and revised, and on and on -- but we just don't possess the "spoodah"! People say they will take care of something, or someone, and days turn into weeks and then months, and everything is just as it was. Maybe next week, maybe tomorrow, maybe some time soon someone will see about it.

Diligence means "NOW". Plans, committees, vision statements, meetings, and all rest are useless if they only remain intentions and not immediate actions. This is Jesus' intent, I believe, when he told his disciples not to say the harvest will come in three months -- get busy now! Intentions in their potential form have no value. Empty words or promises by church leaders only hinder the kingdom. It is like a person who commits to teach a children's class and spends 15 minutes in preparation time and hopes the kids won't notice-- they do. Its like elders making announcements about upcoming events or appeals for volunteers while they themselves do virtually nothing but attend elder meetings. And it is like preachers who are sloppy in their sermon and class preparation, work habits, or even how they manage their lives.

I think (and please tell me if you disagree) that one of the reasons many people think of preachers as lazy, or less than motivated, is because it is a constant temptation for preachers to adjust their habits to the environment they are in. Many preachers depict the attitude and urgency of the congregation they serve; over time they have been ground down and worn out, and some where along the way, they lost their "spoodah".

This is why tragedies and disasters revive us -- we see an urgent calamity and rush immediately to the aid of those in need. We see this in our churches when someone dies, and we witnessed it on the Gulf coast this past year. What we should learn from these kinds of events is that "spoodah" is powerful stuff, and we all posses it in its potential form. Church leaders must not allow themselves to be dragged into the slow and dangerous deception that tomorrow or next week will be OK. Diligence means to do something now,with eagerness, energy, and speed.

A Very Sad Day

2006-06-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

For almost three years Ben Overby has been a certified "Distinctive Faith Group Leader" at Ft. Benning, located in Columbus, GA. Some 6,000+ men rotate through every 14 weeks for basic training and Ben has been able to conduct religious services on behalf of the churches of Christ. The work has grown to the point that between 275-450 men gather each week to worship, and Ben has averaged somewhere around 30 baptisms each month. Unfortunately, it looks like that is all about to end. Below is the email Ben received yesterday from the new base chaplain:

"Mr. Overby.

I noticed on your website that your church is out of LaGrange, GA, so I will save you the trip down here for a meeting and let you know what is going on here on Sand Hill regarding chapel services.

We have certainly appreciated the vigor with which your church has sought to serve the soldiers here on Sand Hill. However, after much thought and prayer we are going to make some significant changes to the service schedule that will affect every service.

The bottom line up front is that we will no longer need your services to provide a Church of Christ distinctive faith group service here on Sand Hill.

For the 9 to 14 weeks that soldiers are here, we will minister to the needs of Protestant Soldiers during the Collective Protestant Services. There are several reasons for this but the main one is that we are going to have to expand the number of Battalion led Collective Protestant Services due to their size and the space limitations of the building. This is great during the summer and only less so in the fall and Spring. Individual battalions will begin conducting their own services, which will extend the day dramatically, and we will add a Mass. Our intention is to maintain this new schedule throughout the year. This service schedule also affects Regimental Chapel.

We are also leveling the playing field. What we do for one soldier we will do for all. There will be no more Bible Studies except those led by Chaplains which is their responsibility. Events in the chapel will focus on services. Food, refreshments, special events, etc., will also be done on a battalion level and not for one group or denomination. No more services or studies will be outside the Chapel. There is simply not the time in the day on Sunday where we can meet every desire. And, our Collective Protestant Services are going above and beyond in meeting the needs of the greatest number of our Soldiers.

Ultimately, Church of Christ soldiers, as well as the other 100+ Protestant denominations represented here on Sand Hill, are being and will be well-served during their time here by our very energetic, Christ loving, Bible believing Chaplains. They will be in good hands for the short time they are here.

Your last time to meet here on Sand Hill will be 18 June."

It seems we are powerless to do anything about this and that we are through at Ft. Benning. It is sad for me, but it is devastating for Ben. This work was his livelihood. He has a wife and two sons, one of which will be beginning his senior year in high school this fall. I hate to think of the prospects of him having to pull up stakes and move elsewhere to provide for his family. Please pray for Ben and his family, and for the soldiers that have their church home while going through basic training.

The Green Tomato

2006-06-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

The first week in June is historically hectic for us. My wife, Donna, does her annual VBS production (nothing out of a box -- all original). That means that there is no time for cooking, cleaning, or laundry -- so I have to fend for myself. I do not mind, except for one thing -- I will try to explain.

We have strange restaurants in our town. There was a Chinese place that did not do very well. The authentic Chinese family worked very hard, but there are several in town -- including one just a few hundred yards down the street -- so, no one was surprised when it closed down. A few weeks later a new restaurant opened in that location called "The Green Tomato." It is a southern buffet that serves lunch and dinner for a reasonable price. Their menu includes southern fried chicken, pork chops, roast beef, chicken fried steak, along with every vegetable imaginable (including fried green tomatoes). Sweet tea, cobbler, and everything else that is wonderful about southern cooking. But here is the funny part (at least to me). The restaurant is owned and operated by the same Chinese family. Perhaps in our ethnically sensitive society I should refrain from finding humor in this situation, but I can't help it. To me, it would be like the owners of your favorite southern and soul food restaurants moving to Italy and opening up an Olive Garden! But interestingly enough, there food is very, very good -- in fact it is Ben Overby's favorite place to eat!

It is pretty good, but I can't eat that much food at lunch on a regular basis. So, there is another place I tried. In our town we also had an Italian/Greek restaurant that had been around for decades. The man who owned it retired and turned it over to his grandchildren, who quickly got in trouble and lost their liquor license for selling to minors. So, with no wine or mixed drinks to serve their customers, it closed down. A few weeks later, it reopened as the "LaGrange Diner." Belgian waffles, omelets, pancakes and other good stuff for breakfast, all kings of sandwiches, salads and Gyros for lunch, and a full listing of ecclectic entree dishes for dinner. It seems the grandfather was none to pleased with the way things were running, so he took it back.

My only problem with this restaurant is that their authentic Greek waitresses all call me, "Honey",or "Darling" when they take my order -- "What can I get for you, HONEY?", or "You want fries with that, DARLING?", or "How do you want this eggs cooked, SWEETHEART?" I hate that more than anything when I eat out. It crawls all over me for some goofy reason.

Perhaps it was the trauma I received from a waitress almost twenty years ago at a Shoney's I used to frequent sometimes. For some unknown reason, I always seemed to be seated in her section, and she called me "Sweety", or "Honey", or something. Anyway, the trauma was not in her words, it was her appearance. I do not know why, but she had a glass eye that didn't fit. It was like she had a size 9 eye socket and a size 5 glass eye -- it just kind of rolled around in her head like a marble on the floor. I suppose that if I had been a child it would have incited nightmares, but as an adult, it just makes it real hard to look at someone who can't really look back (at least so as you would know).

Anyway, I think the main reason I hate being called "Sweety" in a restaurant is because I know they say that to everyone or their male customers, and its the way they decided to play the "tip game". So, I can't eat there and feel comfortable or special (even though I really like their Belgian waffles).

Thank goodness for Subway and drive through windows! This week they will be feeding me as I bite the bullet and spend my week parading as a Rabbi in ancient Jerusalem -- shalom.

Tell Me Why?

2006-06-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

My whole life in Christianity has been painted against the backdrop of something called the "restoration movement." from the beginning I was told that this movement was in response to the proliferation of denominational groups that foster division and ranker through their competing views of doctrinal and creedal teaching. So, I looked around at what I see happening in our churches and then I looked in the American Heritage Dictionary, and found this definition of "denominational":

"A large group of religious congregations united under a common faith and name and organized under a single administrative and legal hierarchy. "

I wonder if it is not a good description of what many in our fellowship are actually asking for when so many efforts are afoot to limit ideas and standardize religious behavior. If we are oppossed to denominational ideals then someone please tell me why--

1. So many are supisious of anyone who uses an English version of the Bible that was published after 1901?

2. In many places church leaders attempt to legislate dress for serices, or at least for those who serve publically?

3. Many leaderships publish lists of approved events for teens, preachers, and members of their congregation?

4. Some try to tell the rest of us which schools and universities are faithful and which should shunned?

5. Leaders in many places edit the content and selection of songs from an approved list?

6. Books, articles, and selected journals from certain authors in our own fellowship are considered "out of bounds" to be used or quoted from in the pulpit?

7. The fidelity of our conviction is judged by the company we keep?

8. Many preachers and leaders are afraid to publish blogs because they fear retribution from skiddish leaders and legalistic members?

9. Hand clapping, instrumental music, and contemporary Christian songs recieves more attention in lectureships and religious peridicals than evangelism, discipleship, or submission to God's will in this world?

10. We have turned most of our elderships into boards of trustees instead of shepherds over God's flock?

And would someone please tell me why it is a bad thing to think and ask questions like these? It seems to me that if our allegiance is to the past -- whether it be traditions, preachers, or standards, then we have become what we say we have resisted all these decades. I am in a quandry -- who do I owe my allegiance and salvation to? Is it the "church"? Is it the orthadoxy of the movement? Am I indebted to the views of former teachers, former worship styles, former church customs? Perhaps --but first I am indebted to my Lord Jesus, the Christ. He has given me a mission and a purpose that makes all other debts secondary. I really cannot wrap my brain around all this other stuff and accept it as important to the exclusion of our first calling -- to be salt and light in a bland world groping in a world of shadows.

I find it hard to believe that I live in a time and in a place where people think that if you spell "church" with a lower case "c" when you write "Church of Christ" that means you are not a denomination. It is a little more complex that that. I think that every time we attempt to legislate beyond what the Bible clearly teaches we become the thing we say we don't want to be. If I am wrong -- please tell me why!

Come & See

2006-05-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Many congregations struggle with identifying ways of attracting new faces new opportunities in sharing the gospel. Outsiders are not aware of anything we do, our core values, spiritual assets, or any gift we grant to our communities. Some hope that our churches will grow if our ministers are involved in community organizations (Lions, Little League, Boy Scouts, etc.). Others place their hope in special events, and others just hope for a miracle.

I have come to believe that our greatest assets sit idle in far too many cases. Every growing church I have ever known shared one common trait -- the members loves their church family and could not wait for whatever was next. They grew because a large percentage of their congregation developed a "Come and See" philosophy in their lives. They talked about their church, their preacher, their children and youth ministries. They shared in casual conversation how fulfilling their involvement with the church was, and how excited they were to be a part. Whenever discussions even brushed up against subjects like the reality of God, faith, sorrow, depression, happiness, or community service, avid and hopeful members would get around to saying "Come & See!" It is obvious that virtually everyone in our congregations meet people who need the power of the gospel. What is not so obvious is why we are so reluctant to speak up for our churches.

Like most church issues, leadership becomes a critical factor. Attitudes, effort, and understanding are necessary components for any congregation to develop in a positive way before a majority of a congregation is proud and outspoken about their church experience. Her are some things I think we need to build "Come & See" churches:

1) Excellence in all things. Nobody likes sloppy work. People know when song leaders throw something together at the last minute. They know when their preacher is lazy or ill prepared to stand in the pulpit and declare the glories and hope of God's work in this world. Members know when shepherds are neglecting their flock, when teachers spend 15-30 minutes a week in class preparation, and so. Conversely, they appreciate and absorb strong, biblical teaching and preaching that demonstrates passion and preparation. They love worship services that are thought out and anticipated by worship leaders, and they adore teachers who inspire their children, or enlighten their own understanding. Even little things matter -- preparation for visitors, published materials done well (including copy machines that do not place vertical lines down the middle of every page), and ever other small detail that might go unnoticed ny those who have been attending for a long time.

2) Harmony. This is a tough one. But perpetual gripers and overbearing sour-pusses must be reigned in. There seem to be a few people in every church family that love to complain. They are not very particular about what there is to complain about, and they will move from gripe to gripe like a buzzard ever searching for fresh meat. It would be great to be to simply ignore these people, but they have a wonderful gift for wearing others down and eventually draining both joy and hope. Leaders must confront and deal with these people and always remember that gripers cannot be pacified. As soon as one gripe is satisfied, the true griper just looks for a new one. God's leaders are called to lead spiritually, not politically.

3) Beat the Drum. Preachers and church leaders need to constantly remind the membership how important it is to speak in positive terms concerning the church. Avoid the temptation of sympathizing with others who love to gather and complain about their congregations. Resolve to speak about the good things about your church, your preacher, your preacher's wife, your leaders. A church is not like a family -- it is a family!! How could anyone find so much good to talk about concerning their kids, their husband, their wife, and their house, yet be so critical about their church? Remember that one of the curses of the modern church is that there are so many out there making a living by only being critical. When is the last time you heard a series on the glories of the modern church, or "Why I Love my Congregation," or "What is Great About Our Elders"? Anybody can be a critic, but it takes talent and a true spiritual commitment to build a church!

4) Life is Too Short! it is too short to settle for less than great when it comes to the church. Unhappy preachers need to quit, uncommitted or ill equipped elders need to step down, unprepared teachers should not teach and sloppy worship leaders should give it up and go to the back row. No one enjoys mediocrity. If something is useless or hopeless, give it up. We get one shot on this earth, we need to make it our best. Besides, does anyone really think the Lord is pleased with less than our best? Life is too short. We need to get our hearts right, or get out of the way!! We need to commit to love one another, or give up our pursuit of God because it can do nothing but cause misery without a broken heart and a compassionate spirit. There are things more important than the church budget, or keeping some mean spirited person pacified.

People's lives and hearts are placed into the hands of God's leaders. If we do our job, it will be no problem to motivate our church members to adopt the policy of "Come & See" as they walk through this world on their way home.

"Hub-Bub" & Reality

2006-05-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

I love watching the History channel and Discovery -- BUT -- I am so sick of the DaVinci shows. Templers, Masons, relics from the Crusades, grails, blood lines -- I am fed up. Everyone knows that nonbelievers have challenged the nature and divinity of Jesus even before John wrote his Gospel, Revelation, and 3 epistles. What I am amazed at is how willing we are to fall for such tactics when it is certain that there never was any mention of the "Holy Grail" (or "royal blood" if you separate the Latin letters differently) until the early 14th century. This was the in the time that churches and cities were turning the out great relics to be viewed at a price to fund self interests. This practice, as much as any, sparked the Reformation movement in Europe. Right now there are at least 3 heads of John the Baptist floating around Europe, many of his teeth, the Shroud of Turin, and several chunks of wood attributed to the cross of Jesus. The "Sacred Spear," supposedly the one in the same that pierced Jesus' side is in Vienna, and you can go to Chennai (formally Madras) on the eastern coast of India and view a fragment of bone that the Catholic church still says belongs to St. Matthew. All of this and much, much, much more go virtually unchallenged and are regarded as "sacred" while the divinity of Jesus is ever under attack. Such is life, I guess, but it makes such little sense to me.

The reality of Jesus is seen in the power God demonstrates through his people and in the scope of our mission. We are far too skiddish when attacks are levied against us, and too weak in our faith to honestly engage those outside ourselves. The truth is the Christian faith shaped our present world and we must be willing to trust God's power to shape our futures. Christianity cannot be denied because of its truly dynamic qualities:

1. We have Unlimited Resources. The commodities of love, humility, compassion, and genuine concern consistently overwhelms any pomp, pride, self intellectual systems our world can ever produce. No one can resist a constant onslaught of unselfish service and boundless affection with no expectations.

2. Christ Identified the Central Problem: every time man vaunts himself to equality with the Divine, he crumbles. Nothing great in this world lasts separate from God. Jesus hit the nail on the head in Luke 18:19 -- "No one is good but God alone." Christians are the only people on earth in possession of a perspective that does not serve self first. You know you are a child of God when you are comfortable with being a sheep. Our power and success lies in our ability to follow, not lead.

3. Christians Possess a Dream that is Worthy. All who truly follow Christ see God's kingdom as quest. The "Great Commission" seeks to liberate man, allow peace to rule supreme, offer dignity women, purpose to life, value even in imperfection, hope for every day, and a real solution to struggle of everything temporal. Our enemies peddle doubt, despair, selfish quests, and no purpose.

Self intellectual systems serve no one because they serve no purpose. If we choose to believe created knowledge founded in carefully chosen elements of a variety of unrelated medieval legends, and (as ridiculous as it sounds) offer them as proof in the denial of the divinity of Jesus, then what have we done, and what have we gained? Do we congratulate each other for proving to our own satisfaction that life is meaningless?

I can only respond by saying -- "How dark the CON of man!" When stupidity passes as scholarship, and wild conspiracy scenarios supplant research and reason, we have truly reached beyond our grasp. I will side with power, hope, compassion, and purpose. The message of the Gospel truly is, as the apostle said, "foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18).

The Big Weekend

2006-05-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Here in LaGrange it is graduation weekend!! We have several graduating and I know they and their families are extremely excited. I remember when I graduated from high school -- I was so ready to go to college that I began two weeks later. I couldn't wait to finish my education and get going!!

I guess it was a good thing I got a head start on my college career. You see, it took me 10 years to finish my BA. As with most of our aims and goals, a few interruptions came up along the way. You see, I thought it would be easy, so like most 17 year olds, I was slow in counting the costs. Some of the obstacles were lack of proper financing, misunderstanding of how Christian universities truly work (never forget, they are a business first, a para church ministry second), and a total lack of personal maturity.

But eventually things fell into place,and here I am all these years later still wondering how I got here. I used to believe that God lays out specific plans for our lives and it is up to us to search diligently in their discovery. My problem has been that I am a poor detective in this regard. I now trust in God's power and divine will to take me and shape in whatever circumstances I find myself in. Perhaps I feel this way because I am a poor detective. But maybe I feel this way because I know intuitively that this is what God has done in my life. It is a good thing, because it builds a conviction inside me that God is working, and it gives me confidence to make decisions free from the endless worry that maybe what I am considering is outside of God's prescribed plan for my life. But most of all, I have learn to trust in the truth that God is greater than any poor decision or bad break that may come my way. My geography, talents, friends, chance meetings,time, and technology have all helped shape the circumstances of my life. Some have had an easier path, but far more have faced greater obstacles than I can even imagine. Regardless, I am certain that God can use each of us as the instruments of his will no matter who and where we are.

I truly hope the dreams of our graduates are fulfilled, but I doubt any of them will find an easy path. This is not cynicism, it is maturity learned the hard way -- each of us must face, adapt, and wrestles with the circumstances of life that forge our character as we walk through this world. All we can do is trust in God's promises, be available to serve him faithfully, have faith that we are where we are for a reason, and greet the struggles of our lives with joy knowing that we are becoming something that we could never foresee in our youth.

One of my favorite passages from the Bible sums it up best:

"I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong,nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come" -- Ecclesiastes 9:11-12a.

Enjoy the ride!

The Institution & The Individual

2006-05-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

For a certainty one of the greatest sociological shifts in late 20th and early 21st century thought has been the shift away from the allegiance of, and to, institutions. By this I mean the subtle changes of political thought and economic strategies have had an immense impact on our view of the church that we seldom consider.

When I was a kid in elementary school, I went to a school out in the country that contained all the grades 1-12 (Kindergarten had not been mandated yet). That meant that I rode the bus with everybody else and my teachers were the same teachers that had taught my older brothers. They had known my parents for years, and everybody in that school lived in the same community, honoring the same loyalty to that school. But at the end of my 3rd grade year, consolidation came. I was able to stay at my school, but the whole building was filled with 1st thru 6th graders. Strange kids, new teachers, different format, etc. I suppose it was the thing to do, but what was lost was the loyalty of the institution to the families of that community (the older kids were shipped out), and the loyalty of many of the students to the institution (new kids were brought in that did not live in our community).

About this same time, factories and other employers stopped providing jobs for a lifetime, and many businesses began migrating to areas of the country that possessed a cheaper labor pool. As a result, families began to move from their home towns to different states and different regions of the country-- and what was lost was the flavor and loyalty to the traditions of the past (ever hear the term "New South"). One by one every institution in our society faced major change, and all of this was accelerated by the onslaught of technological advances that continue at a pace that the world had never seen before.

So, today we face a crossroads in our churches. Will we insist that fidelity to the Lord is defined through faithfulness to our institutional traditions, or will we allow for the possibility of adjustments in our styles of worship, preaching, and ministry? A view of history would seem to demand the later.

In years past we have tended to view our churches as container ships bearing a cargo of precious souls to the heavenly home. Many reasoned that if you were in that ship, you were destined to be saved. If you were not, you would be lost. Today, however, many younger Christians want to be a part of our churches, but are unwilling to be shackled by the spoken or unspoken rules of looking, acting, and loving everything that represents the institutional traditions of the church. When people like this cry out against the "institutionalism" of the church, they are often crying out against the perception that they will never be accepted until they stop thinking in alternative modes and begin behaving like the other ants in the ant hill. This frustration has begun to drive away some of our greatest young minds. I refer you to Danny Dodd's blog at www.dannydodd.blogspot.com. Danny has written a great deal about young preachers leaving the Churches of Christ, why people are loyal to our churches, and how self-destructive much of our behavior and reactions is becoming.

Our world is ever-changing. I do not believe that many who are crying out for new ideas, new techniques, and new styles are at all being disloyal to the concept of the church. They, or we, are just not loyal to many of the traditions of the recent past. We tend to view our salvation as individual, not corporate, and we tend to not believe in the concept of just because something was the "safe way" 70 years ago that it is still the safe way today. The topography has changed. Unquestioned loyalty to institutionalized traditions may not be the best way to greet the future. God has not changed, nor has his word. However, neither God or the Bible is bond by culture, time, tradition, or institutions. It seems to me that the challenge of each generation is to find effective ways of engaging the world it finds itself in. Satan is very effective. He has a great ability to supply an ample amount of false teachers for every age, so we must be ever aware. But, on the other hand, we do not have to create new ones for him by trying to equate our institutional traditions with biblical doctrine. I suggest we accept the realities of today, stop condemning each other,and go to work. While we are bickering over Bible versions, song selections, whether or not the preacher should wear a tie on Sunday morning, and a hundred other things, our neighbors are dying separated from the grace of God.

As always, I would be interested in your thoughts.

Catching Up

2006-05-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

I have neglected my blog for a while because last week was a killer! Friday night we hosted a cookout for our new members, so Donna and I smoked three large briskets, 24 chicken halves, four pineapples (yes grilled pineapple is VERY good!), and several dozen hotdogs. All of the recipes came out of Bobby Flay's cookbook (except the hotdogs). It took three days to get it done, but it was a great night with almost 70 of our new members from the past year present, along with our deacons and elders and their families! I am so proud of the Broad Street church and its desire to grow!! I pray it is an annual event.

Our city is on the verge of growing rapidly -- we have a new KIA plant coming in 6 miles down the road, along with many of their suppliers building factories here. The experts expect some 7,500 jobs, so already real estate is going through the roof and everybody wants to sell their present home and build a new one. We are making plans to engage our newcomers and pray that God will bless our efforts.

I share this because too many churches have given up. I almost gave up on this church a few months ago, but a change in circumstances and attitude completely altered my level of hopefulness, and my view of the future. I now believe that God answers our prayers and equips us for the opportunities that exist. There are several reasons, but one has been the example of many churches caught up in the devastation of Katrina. Men and women of God are accomplishing many things they would have never dreamed possible only a few years ago. So, maybe we should ask God for better dreams!! I do not have any idea how successful we will be in the future, but I think that there is a fair chances that God's blessings will far exceed most of our expectations.

I know that there are always leaders of God's people that do not feel this way. Discouragement, monotonous routines, and faithless surroundings sometimes paint the backgrounds of our hopes. I can only say that we have all been there, and it is so wonderful to come out the other side and see God's hand in the lives of his people. There is a lot to be said for hanging in there and never giving up. There is also a lot to be said for believing in the promises of God even when your surroundings would suggest otherwise. I can only pray that I will remember the tough times when things are great and the great times when things are tough. The difference is razor thin.

New Names and Faces

2006-05-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a new preacher in the area called to introduce himself and wanted to know if there were any preacher gatherings in our area. Sadly, I told him I do not know of any, so we decided we would get together soon. I could tell from our conversation that he is striving to grow in his dedication and profession, which always makes me glad.

I felt that his journey is similar to so many that I talk to these days. So many of us do not seem to want to be identified with a group, publication, institution of learning, movement, or cause -- which I think is great. The people I enjoy are those who simply want to serve, think, engage, and grow. I think it would be wise for us to pursue a life-long journey committed to the process of becoming more and more like our Lord. I do not see the wisdom of being pressured into continuing someone else's journey from generations past, or trying to build a career in ministry simply by identifying or imitating others. God tells me to seek him, and promises to be there for me, redeem me, adopt me, and bless me. That should be motivation enough.

One of my favorite promises in the Bible is in Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." That passage tells me that God will bless the searcher. I cannot accept the premise that God is hard to find. The hard part is submitting my nature to his will, and my nature is not all that agreeable to the process. That's why we need each other, and that is why I blog -- this is my "preachers' meeting!" My friends in the faith encourage me, challenge me, and seek only good on my behalf. That is a very good thing.

I look forward to making new friends, seeing new faces, and growing in new ways. I love the past and I love those who helped make my journey possible. But each man or woman of God must discover for themselves what God's wonderful will is as the discover and develop their talents. And they must do it as they wrestle with the disagreeable nature that plagues us all.

Ode to Contemporary Songs

2006-05-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

We received a bundle of the Southeast Christian, an eight page publication published quarterly (I think) from Faulkner University. Page 2 contains a lengthy editorial by a man named Martel Pace (I do not know him) criticizing the proliferation of contemporary songs on their campus and in churches by stating, "It is interesting that these songs are devotional, but not motivational. They encourage worship to God in praise and, in my judgment, produce a good feeling, but seldom urge others to live a better life." --You gotta be kidding me!!!!

First, many people did not like new songs because they were new, so folks tried to teach them. Then people called them "7-11" songs -- sing the same seven words eleven times, so leaders gravitated toward songs with deeper lyrics. Then many opposed them because there was no music to go along with the words, so many churches, camps, youth leaders, etc., invested in Paperless Hymnals, or found other ways to get the music. Now there are berated and categorized across the board by grossly inaccurate and general statements like, they only useful in "producing a good feeling," or (as stated in the editorial), "I doubt that singing praises alone will ever convict us of sin or convince us to live a better life." -- The writer even asks the question, "Why do we have no songs about hell?" -- You gotta be kidding me!!!

I looked through one of the most popular song books among Churches of Christ, Songs of the Church, and found no "hell songs." I also looked through an older and much beloved song book from generations past, Sacred Selections, and found no "hell songs" there either. Someone needs to get hold of Alton Howard pronto and tell him to start cranking "hell songs" so we can lead people to Christ and save our children from the abomination of praises!!! ---You gotta .... you know!!

For background -- most of my favorite songs are classics, so I have no axe to grind. But when my kids were teenagers and fell in love with songs like, As the Deer, Boundless Love, My Eyes are Dry, Pierce My Ear, I Stand in Awe, People Need the Lord, Listen to Our Hearts, and on and on , and on, I fell in love with them too!!!

And as it turns out, almost all of the great classic hymns that are beloved to this day are praise oriented -- How Great Thou Art, Nearer Still Nearer, Our God He is Alive, Amazing Grace, Rock of Ages, Hallelujah Praise Jehovah, Love Lifted Me, When We All Get Heaven, This is My Father's World, We're Marching to Zion, Sing to Me of Heaven, The Lord is My Shepherd, etc., etc., etc.! -- we could all go on for some time. The point is, I take exception to, and deny the insertion of the editorial that new songs lack motivational teaching and ignore the reality of sin or coming judgement.

We need to get real and update our music -- example -- This past Wednesday we were singing the grand old hymn, Where Could I Go? The first verse states,

"Living below, in this old sinful world;
hardly a comfort can afford, . . . "

Beautiful song, wonderful lyrics, but not true in today's world. That song was written during the Great Depression, when comforts were not affordable. For better or for worse, that world is gone, and that lyric has no meaning to young people or adults who live in an air conditioned home packed with cell phones, Ipods, laptops, Play Station2, filled closets, overweight kids that eat-out-five-nights-a-week, spend a week on the beach, a driveway with four cars, a den with 250 channels on the TV (plasma), and TiVo on the side, kind of lives. It's a joke, and makes our faith look like a joke to continue singing songs about being poor and oppressed, or living on a farm, because for the vast majority of us in this country it's not true! So, this is what I think we need in church music:

1. Songs that speak to contemporary people (that would require contemporary songs).

2. Songs that demonstrate that God is Great and Sovereign even in a land of bounty.

3. Songs that speak to the heart concerning reflection, submission, dedication, and the lost art of sacrifice.

4. Songs that extol the greatness of salvation -- like "Victory in Jesus!"

5. Songs that state a decision, a purpose, a reason to serve God, and challenge those present to submit.

6. Songs of life, hope, and possibilities in a land of no faith, no basic understanding of God's work or purpose.

7. Songs that attract those who have everything, but still feel alone and uncertain in light of eternity.

8. Songs of Lordship and service is a society that teaches its young to be selfish and self-centered.

I am certain there are other considerations that should be on the list, but those are off the top of my head.

Finally, time separates the great songs from the good ones. I am confident that many of the songs our kids sing today will fall by the wayside, and many great, great songs are yet to be written. Maybe someone will even write a great "hell song" some day!

You cannot be a realist without understanding that styles change over time. Guys like Martel Pace need to get used to it, or accept the fact they are fighting a battle that cannot be won -- he, and others like him, are on the wrong side of history.

Sing on church! Sing with joy, sing with understanding, teach, admonish, and encourage as you offer up the praises of your lips -- Sing On -- Sing On!!

Big "MO"

2006-05-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

I have been reading a great deal lately about leadership and how to move a church forward, and I have decided that some important discoveries have been made -- for me.

The first seems to be that most church leaders are interested in generating some"Momentum" to get the ball rolling through a variety of tactics:
1. Bring in a well known speaker
2. Build an every growing number of church activities or ministries and try to get the ball moving.
3. Attend a conference, workshop, etc.
4. A thousand other things.

When I arrived at Broad Street, the church had all but destroyed itself through divisions (that's right -- more than one) ranging from moving toward a"Willow Creek" model to going back to 1946. The result was the creation of a hybrid community church and a "Way Back Machine" church being established in our town; both of which are crippled financially and floundering. The inspiration for both seemed to be an idea of buying a building, establishing a worship style, and waiting for the throngs to come.

We took a different tract, and its not for everyone. I benefited from the luxury of leadership that comes from knowing people for a long time. They believed in me and trusted me, so I just asked them if they thought they had one more good run left in them. They said they did, and they do. As a result we have grown four-fold in less than 3 years and continue to ride "Big Mo". This experience has led me to the following conclusions:
1. Many churches flounder because the assume "Mo" will show up if they start making great promises and outrageous claims. It never happens that way. Success comes just like respect -- a little at a time. Before you can paint glorious portraits of the future, leaders and church members must demonstrate their ablities as artist. Start small, quantify your assets, play to your strengths, and remember that every congregation is different.
2. Momentum IS the change agent -- change agents do not create momentum. You cannot rebuild your worship and ministry styles in hopes of finding Big Mo. Those things will develop and expand as momentum builds through the stacking of one small success on top of another. This is one reason growing churches are criticized -- growth brings the need for change and Big Mo always challenges us to think in new ways.
3. One you get a little momentum not even a single drop can be wasted. To keep it going, you have to see each small victory as a stepping stone to something else (see #2). According to James Garlow (21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership), "Contentment is the enemy of momentum."
4. Big "Mo" is a BIG SPENDER. Momentum is expensive. Resources must continue to be dedicated to it's nurturing if you expect it to grow. Tight-fisted churches never keep "Mo" around for long.
5. But once you get, it is contagious, and it inspires others to accomplish things they never thought possible. It is a good thing to be able to only attribute accomplishments to the divine providence of God (and rightly so). I really think this is the goal of seeking out Big "Mo".

I have learned that present conditions have very little to do with the development and blessings of momentum in the church. Big "Mo" is out there, but finding him requires leadership skills, vision, and patience. It is very hard work and it has the nasty habit of draining all of a leader's energy. That is why lazy preachers and defeated church leaders don't have it and cannot even conceive it. My conviction is that many of our churches struggle NOT because of worship style or doctrinal stands. They flounder because neither matters if nothing is being accomplished. Poor or lazy leaders are content only to fight for certain doctrinal positions and convictions -- but I wonder why it even matters, if all they intend to do is revel in their self established righteousness and do nothing for the growth of the kingdom. Even being right is no substitute for action (see the parable of the talents). Garlow is right, I think, "Momentum is a leader's best friend".

At Our Wit's End

2006-04-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

Danny Dodd has a great conversation going on his blog asking what can we do to reach the lost? You need tocheck out www.dannydodd.blogspot.com to catch up. Among the comments are those lamenting the way we tend attack one another rather than get to the business at hand.

I have been doing some thinking and I have arrived at a conclusion I wish someone could convince me was incorrect. that conclusion is that we have moved on beyond the days of thinking of ourselves as a "fellowship" or "brotherhood". It seems to me that the vast majority of congregations in most every place I know have been forced to seek their identity only on a congregation level -- It does not seem to extend to other churches in the same town or county. We explain to the unknowing how and why we are not like the congregations in our area, and do so as "selling points" rather than evidence of un-Christlike attitudes. One is "anti", one is "liberal", one is "legalistic", one is "black", and so on -- and it is never "our fault"!! So, we all compete against one another looking for evidence that God is with us.

I have no suggestions or solutions. I just feel that the Broad Street church where I preach stands alone in this community. We have no meaningful connections with any other congregation. So, who we are is just who WE are! There are some up sides to this arrangement, but this fundamental shift in our family structure has contributed greatly to the dilution of our resources (more congregations, more buildings, preachers, etc.), taxed our energy (we spend as much time defending ourselves as we do making advances ), and corrupted the confidence of our members (who's right?).

I see little other recourse than to shrug our shoulders and move on as we are -- a single fellowship. I await your ideas.

Old Preachers

2006-04-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

I tried three times yesterday to publish this post -- don't know what the deal was!

We had a great day yesterday. One of my friends and a deacon here named Bobby Brooks baptized a young woman he has been studying with last night. It was great. She is a shy woman, and didn't want a lot of hoopla surrounding her decision. Her husband just finished up with the military where he was a Special Ops guy. I find myself reluctant in asking him exactly what he did in the Army! I think part of me doesn't want to know. Also, we received another new family. A young football coach, his wife and their 6 year old son. He is the new offensive coordinator for one of our high schools here. In case you don't know, Lagrange is a haven for football talent. Right now there are some 30 kids from this community playing college ball, about half in division 1, and about 2/3 of those in the SEC. LaGrange High School has won three state championships in the past 5 years losing a total of 6 games in that run. There are something to see!! Unfortunately, this guy is working with a different high school that is trying to catch up. I hope he is successful, he seems like a great guy.

Last night we dismissed our services to support a meeting across town at a small church. James Watkins was the preacher. He has a TV show (one I don't think I have ever seen) and did a wonderful job preaching in that old style of continually quoting from the KJV and never looking down to any notes or his Bible. I love watching those older preachers do their thing. He was very smooth and quite poetic. It is a style that is quickly vanishing -- for better or worse. Guys like James are not the reason I do not think highly of "Gospel Meetings". He knows the Bible, sticks with what he knows, is not haughty, and quite passionate trying to woo the lost to Christ.

My reservations have everything to do with the audience. I cannot help but ask, "Why do we call it a 'Gospel Meeting' and budget it under our 'Local Evangelism' column in our ledgers if virtually no one there is lost?" I understand the value of reviewing learned material and I think it is great that members from various congregations get together from time to time (even if they privately criticize each other), but who are we kidding? We turn wonderful old preachers into clowns by expecting them to share the rudiments of the gospel message over and over again to those who have already made a commitment to Christ. You would think that eventually we long-time believers would sufficiently reinforced in our convictions. It is true that the "old, old story" is wonderful, but I cannot remember the last time I met someone who was led to Christ in that way.

We must find a way to engage and persuade a new generation of people growing up not knowing the difference between the truth and a hole in the ground (go to www.dannydodd.blogspot.com , read and comment). We must take the offensive, attack their turf, and do it in a way that demonstrates respect and graciousness to those who have been around for several decades. There is not only "Room for More" in God's kingdom, but there is "Room for Everyone" ! I believe in the power of the Mustard Seed and I do not believe that those in the world cannot be reached.

I would be interested in your thoughts and suggestions.

All Alone

2006-04-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

My wife is off to a ladys' retreat, my son is spending the weekend in Ackerman, MS with the Hunt boys, and my daughter is in Memphis -- so here I am home alone.

Kara (my daughter) received a call about 2:00am Thursday informing her that one of her classmates from West Memphis Christian had been killed in a motorcycle wreck. His name was Lance Williams. He graduated in '02 and was a senior at Arkansas State. He was the quarterback on the football team that went 12-2 and one of the stars on the basketball team. He was a good kid that died way too young.

He had been street racing in south Memphis and wrecked doing "wheelies" with a friend afterward. His friend lost control and swerve in to him at high speed -- such a shame and tragedy. Life is not fair and it is so fragile. I can only imagine his parent's grief.

I was also taught a lesson in life on Thursday night when I pulled a hamstring running the bases in a softball game -- I am definitely becoming more and more fragile and now it hurts so much just to tie my shoes. But with age comes a little wisdom and a calmness that comes in handy. Our team starts one guy over 55, three guys over forty (including me), and three over 35. BUT!!-- we are unbeaten! We have yet to hit one out of the park, and we have come from behind in every game just dinging other teams to death. I attribute it to the perspective of being older. You see, we don't care enough to choke under pressure!! , and we honor the first rule of truly amateur softball -- "NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, YOU STILL HAVE TO GO TO WORK THE NEXT DAY!!" That rule has served us well, as evidenced by the fact that thee of those old guys played in our church league basketball team that won the championship this year!! The best fun is seeing the other team go nuts because they know they are better athletes!

There is a great life lesson -- sometimes the greatest obstacle we face in life is the pressure we put on ourselves and the fear of losing. Life is too short -- relax and enjoy the little things that mean so much. Things like friends, great memories, and the blessings of just being alive in a world that has a lot of good things! Living with the knowledge in the back of our minds that every day is a gift from God, makes right now a wonderful thing!! I really don't mind limping around for while, I am just happy that I can still exert enough effort to actually pull a muscle!!

Self Appointed Experts

2006-04-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by saying that this is a true story -- it is far too stupid to make up.

There is a very poorly done religious show in Columbus, GA called "Know Your Bible". It's one of those shows that answer questions submitted by people who watch. It is hosted by a biblical "expert" by the name of Jerry Noblin who lays carpet for a living and preaches for the Northside Church of Christ in Columbus, GA. It has been reported to me that he now legally owns the church property, but I cannot state it with certainty.

This past Sunday he fielded a question about men and titles. It was referenced by what the Bible says about calling no man "Reverend", etc. He took the occasion to speak about a letter to the editor submitted "by a minister in a local paper up the road", and proceeded to say that anyone who would use the title of "Dr." before their name is "arrogant" and "sinful".

I am the only minister "up the road" that has sent a letter to the editor recently, so I guess I am the "arrogant" and "sinful" man. Here is the punchline -- I have never met Jerry Noblin! He does not know me and he has no idea how arrogant I may or may not be. If a close friend, who loves me, called me "arrogant" or "sinful", I would be concerned-- but not a stranger who demonstrates that he knows much about what the Scripture says, but very little about what it teaches. I am not saying that I have no capacity for arrogance. I am saying that only an ignorant and bias man would be so lose with language that is consistent with self-serving and worldly people. It is certainly in conflict with teachings of Christ on a multitude of levels, and beneath the dignity of a self appointed expert. I can only hope that he takes better care in laying carpet.

For the record, I only use the title when I know that what I say will be read widely and impact the image and reputation of the church I serve. Secondly, I have included the letter I wrote to the editor in this blog posting. Thirdly, Jerry Noblin announced that he will use the next two weeks of his poorly done show to explain the Winkler situation. I am relieved to learn that his expertise has gone from carpet laying to theology and now into criminal physiotherapy.

Ever wonder why our kids are so tempted to abandon the faith of their fathers???

March 31, 2006

Dear Editor:

The recent tragedy of the murder of Matthew Winkler has gained national attention and sparked a great deal of speculation surrounding the circumstances of his death. There is no other word beyond ÂtragicÂ that can be applied to any of the facts that now are public in regard to this ordeal. Over the next months it seems certain that more facts will be made public, and eventually motives and mindsets will move from the shadowy realm of speculation into the clear light of truth. Unfortunately, by then most likely few will care. We will have moved on to another tragedy or disaster.

One of the most damaging aspects of the speculation is that Mrs. WinklerÂs state of mind was altered by her association with the Churches of Christ. It has been stated that members of the Churches of Christ are trapped in a ÂcultÂ, that women are not respected, that members who do not ÂcomplyÂ are embarrassed publicly and treated in an unloving and cruel way. I find it interesting that these allegations come from many who have no working knowledge or personal contact with the Churches of Christ.

Eight years ago I was a college president in Mississippi when it became public that the president of Mississippi College in Clinton, MS (associated with SBC) was stealing money from the institution and visiting prostitutes all across America. He was convicted and sent to prison. I did not conclude that his state of mind was the result of being associated with Southern Baptists. As a theologian, I understood then, and still do today, that being a Christian does not mean that we are immune from temptation, addiction, mental stress, or even emotional or mental collapse. It does not matter if you are talking about Catholic priests, Protestant clergy, Evangelical Ministers, or the members of their respective congregations, we are all subject to the realities of life on this planet; and for Christians, we believe this includes trials, temptations, and the need for restoration and atonement.

The Churches of Christ have historically valued community and family. I think it is phenomenal that while each congregation of the Churches of Christ is autonomous, we have managed to build some of the most respected private colleges and universities in America including Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, Abilene Christian University in Abilene, TX, Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City, OK, Harding University in Searcy, AR, Freed Hardeman University (Matthew & Mary WinklerÂs alma mater) in Henderson, TN, Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN, Faulkner University in Montgomery, AL, Ohio Valley College in Parkersburg, WV, York College in York, NB, Rochester College in Detroit, MI, and many other Bible Colleges, Missionary Training Institutes, and Christian Academies. Add to this hundreds of adoption and foster care agencies, scores and scores of university Christian Centers, and thousands of foreign and domestic services. Additionally over the past six months more than $20 million has been sent to the Gulf Coast region for hurricane relief and tens of thousands of members of the Churches of Christ have traveled to the coast to help.

In Lagrange, the Churches of Christ are made up your neighbors, many of whom are leaders in our communityÂs health care system, educational institutions, and business community. But just like every other church in our community, most of our members are quiet, hard working class, and patriotic citizens who seek little more than fair value for their labor and decency in their community. We vote, we attend school meetings, and we seek to serve in a way that makes LaGrange a better place to live. Our doors and our hearts are always open and ready to serve.

Like Matthew Winkler, I attended Freed Hardeman University and I know the world that he and his wife grew up in. I can only say that my experience is far removed from the cultish innuendo of the national press. And while I am offended that some have taken this tragedy as an occasion to attack and besmirch the Churches of Christ, I resent even more and challenge the ever growing assertion in our national media that being a conservative Christian who believes in the authority of God and the integrity of the Bible, is somehow symptomatic of emotional weakness or psychological illness. Like every other preacher of the some 200 houses of worship in Troup County, I believe that Christianity produces better marriages, better families, better workers, better students, better local government, and a better community.

If we truly care about this tragedy, we should reach out and help the children that remain behind. We should offer expressions of support and express our grief to this family in the hopes of communicating the most fundamental of all Christian characteristics Â love for God and each other. If you would like to help, or send your expressions of sorrow and support, you may contact me at 706-884-4482. I will be happy to give you the information you need to contact the Winkler family, or tell you how to contact the fund set up for the children.

Dr. Gary W. Kirkendall
Pulpit Minister

gkirkendall@bellsouth.net

http://www.broadstreetcoc.org/

Friends -- Old and New

2006-04-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

I sincerely apologize for being so lazy concerning my blog. We have been involved with completely reshaping our yard and I have spent a minimum amount of time at my computer. One of the blessings of living on the western edge of the eastern time zone is that is does not get dark until 8:30 or so.

Anyway, I am just about past that and trying to reconnect with many friends on the web. Most of them are old friends that shared my youth, but many others are more recent. I am often neglectful of my friends and wonder what is wrong with me. Part of it is that I have nothing interesting to share, but part of it is that I do not seem to ever forget them, think of them often, and feel extremely close to them, even if I have not spoken to them in a very long time.

One such friend sent me a note this week (I withhold his name because everyone would recognize it and think I was bragging). I have not spoken to him for almost 15 years. This friend built a great church and made it possible, through strange circumstances, for me to complete graduate school. He asked my advise on a few occasions, and gave me great counsel on building relationships with elders and other church leaders that continues to guide me today. He is a good friend.

I have many friends scattered across the country -- Chuck P., Danny D., John D, Cecil 3, Dan H., Bobby C., Allen C., Mike M., Danny J., Alan P., Les F., Les F.2, Billy F., Garrett I., Joe I., Tim C., Ken M., and many more. I love them and think of them often and hope they are well. I look forward to the days of glory that await us when time and age have no power. I hope then I will be much more accomplished in keeping up with friends and content in the knowledge that they are always close by.

On the Road

2006-04-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

Today my wife, Donna, and I are off to Byron, GA (just outside of Macon). Tomorrow I begin a three day seminar on the Amazing Aspects of Heaven. I am looking forward to the trip and hopeful that it be of some use to the folks there. It is a subject that I enjoy talking about and feel important. It is twisted to think that we talk so much about going to heaven, but spend so little time actually investigating the subject.

It is beautiful here in West Georgia -- the azaleas and dogwoods are showing off, and the yellow coat of pine tree pollen is a small price to pay to admire the glory of so many other trees and shrubs. Our yard is a wreck! We have reshaped the back yard and everything --including our dogs -- seem to have a reddish, orange tint. Hopefully the sod will be placed soon and things will look better.

Our congregation is getting ready to send a large load of clothes and supply to the mountains of central Honduras later in the week. It is a wonderful work that continues to develop. I am planning a trip in July along with about 15 other folks from here -- should be great and we have room for more if anyone would like to come!

Finally, I received an invitation to apply for a preaching job this week from a church that will remain unnamed. I think I will pass. The letter came with a question sheet of a dozen or so entries, and none of them were about me. I know churches need to be careful, but I am amazed that they are more concerned about what I believe than who I am. Also, I have steered away from creeds all my life -- I don't want to be pressured into adhering to one now! As Barton W. Stone, or one of those guys said, "A creed is a creed whether it is written down or not". My hope is for a life of constant discovery and adventure in God's word and among God's people, why should I end my search now?? It is like I always say -- There's Always "ROOM 4 MORE". I'll let you know how things go in Byron.

Room For Trust

2006-03-29T08:03:00.000-08:00

There is a scene in the movie "Meet the Fockers" that pretty much describes many of our church families these days. I know that it is not the kind of movie you want your kids to see, and maybe I should not even acknowledge that I saw it, but I did, it was funny, and in many ways accurately depicts the craziness in our world.

Anyway, in the movie, the dad who is an ex-CIA agent finds out everybody knows that his daughter is pregnant except him. He is hurt because he created a "Circle of Trust" as a way to bring his family together. It was supposed to be a circle of honesty, a circle of love, and a circle of acceptance. The only problem was, he did not trust anyone in it. Throughout the movie he constantly tries to spy on members of his "Circle of Trust" looking for skeletons and secrets, and creates a tension that is so thick, others think that they can never be good enough to be truly accepted.

The pivotal moment is when he tells his family that he feels betrayed because they have kept a secret from him, and he says, "This is why I created the circle of trust!" To which his daughter responds, "Daddy, the circle is no good if you don't trust anybody in it."

If the church is anything, it is a "Circle of Trust". A place where people should be accepted for who they are, not what we expect them to be. This should be true for visitors or new families, but it is also be true for those who have spent decades in the "Circle of Trust". It is scary to think that we can live together as a family for years and find it acceptable to be so suspicious of other members of our family. And, just like in the movie, if we look at everything with a highly critical eye, we will find something to identify as a problem, or a symptom, or as an indicator, whether it is truly there or not. But also as in the movie, we need to learn that paranoia of family members can be far more dangerous and destructive to the "Circle of Trust" than many things we may discover, or think we have discovered.

I am no family expert, but it seems to me that behavior, moral grounding, virtuous attributes, priorities in living, sacrifice, self-worth, and pride in the family name come not through suspicion, retribution, and expectation of failure. The people I love in God's family are those who love me in action, not just words. They talk to me, not talk to others about me. They encourage me, they support me, they confide in me, and they trust me. They really think I want to do right and live for God. They do not push me into a category because of the songs I like, or the versions I read, or the themes I teach and preach from. They encourage me to grow, to think, to stretch, and to be strong in my convictions. But it is not just preachers. It's the guy who is always talking about the Holy Spirit in class, its the young family that wants to connect with others through Bible studies and support groups in their homes, or the family that enjoys attending workshops, lectureships, youth events, etc. that may not be on our lists of favorites. We have got to start believing the best about one another, even if we are disappointed from time to time.

Are we so weak and Satan so strong that we must live in fear and dread of one another? Is our culture so invincible and ungodliness so unbeatable that we must cringe and cower at every new idea? I do not believe so. I am certain that my flesh is weak, but I am confident in the power of the word, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the promises of God. And I think it is high time that we start trusting one another.

I pray that your eyebrows do not rise when you hear my name. I also pray that you do not harm yourself by missing the whole point of being a part of God's family, which is in many ways, a "Circle of Trust". In the movie, the only person who found himself alone was the gut who thought he controlled the circle. I think there is a lesson in there for us.

I Met This Guy

2006-03-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

Every few weeks a group from our church head down to Ft. Benning to encourage and help those who attend the chapel service conducted each wee by Ben Overby. We don't do much; lead a prayer, help serve communion, hand out newsletters, shake hands, express appreciation, etc. But I have enough to know that it pays to hang around in the lobby afterward.

You see, at the end of almost every service, several young men walk out the back to meet with Ben and others for the purpose of being baptized. When the services concludes, they are still in the back drying off, filling out certificates, taking pictures, and talking. But out in the lobby there are often a few guys who just want to talk. I met this guy I'll call Mike. I went up to him because it was obvious that he was in a daze and looking for something from someone, but unsure of how to initiate contact.

It turns out that Mike is from southern Illinois, and his heart was broke. Here he found himself in Georgia, going through basic training, learning to defend our country, but his life was a mess. A little over a year ago, something went wrong with his mother. Her spirit and mind broke, so she took a gun and killed herself. Three months later his wife left him and took his six year old daughter with her. Mike just wanted to get away and start over, so he joined the Army. Now eight weeks in, he stumbles into me and asks about the eternal condition of his mother's soul and how he could ever be happy again. What made it tough was that he looked right at me, never turning away. I saw his lips quiver with grief and his eyes fill with loneliness. We talked, he wrote a note for me to share with the church, we prayed, and now I can only trust that hope returns and happiness comes toward him from across the horizon.

But he haunts me. I cannot help knowing that he represents so well the best hopes of the resurrection of Christ -- and as a minister, I seldom stumble into people like him. I also know that I did not do a very good job in trying to guide him toward hope and peace. I guess I am better at dealing with more abstract theological struggles like modes of worship, identifying false teaching, or building sometime successful church programs. Most of my church conversations are monologues -- me speaking to a crowd, or controlled classes where I decide the pace and content.

Hope-givers are special people. They ooze compassion, communicate the ability to listen and care, and grieve with the grief stricken. I am glad that the kingdom has a place for someone like me, but it is the hope-givers I envy. During my time with Mike, I could not help but think of the many others I know who should have been there instead me. I guess that's why there is no beatitude that says, "Blessed are big-shot pulpit preachers, for there's is the acrylic pulpit of heaven."

Pray for Mike -- pray for me -- I want people like him to find hope -- and I would like to be a giver of hope.

Back in the Saddle

2006-03-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

I have woefully neglected my blog over the past few week -- but have renewed my hope of being more faithful to this sight! I am writing from vacuously, MS and am a guest of John and Margaret Dobbs. The work on the MS coast continues and I have had the privilege of meeting several wonderful people from NC and Virginia who are spending their Spring Break helping with the rebuilding of the coast. PLEASE VISIT JOHN DOBBS BLOG FOR DAILY UPDATES. You can visit with him and link to his blog at 123jesus.com.

Anyway, it has been a wonderful few days and here is what has stuck with me most:

Every person John and I visited began talking about their home and the loss of personal possessions, but they all -- without exception -- spent most of their words unloading the other and more personal burdens in their life. They all had stories about grown children gone bad, or dying relatives, or the more severe losses of others. It struck me that the real tragedy that many face is that life is a struggle that burdens all people. Perfect happiness is a pipe dream. I know that sounds cynical, but I don't mean for it to sound that way, because contentment is an achievable goal. It sounds so simple to say that burdens are lifted by forming and nurturing a relationship with the Savior, but it is true, and I feel so sorry for people who have never experienced the power and grace that comes from our Father.

When I travel to the coast I know that I am blessed -- not because I was untouched by Katrina, but because someone shared the truth of God's love with me. Pray for John and the Central church -- not that they will rebuild hundreds of homes, but that they will create multiple pathways for those around them to find a place to truly rest their burdens.

Engage

2006-02-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

Every day I get swamped with emails from people I do not know discussing spiritual, theological, biblical, and religious topics -- many of which make little sense. I have struggled to understand why they do this. I used to think it was a highly technical exercise in snobbery -- you know, like the times in graduate school during breaks when some seemed so intent on demonstrating intellectual superiority. I thought a little longer and thought maybe there are just too many active minds in ministry with too little outlets. By this I mean, could it be that many preachers just sit around bored during the week and fill their time trying to uncover a profound thought?

Lately I am leaning toward the concept that many of these people just want to engage someone -- anyone in a religious discussion that is a bit deeper than modes of worship, or naming the twelve tribes. It is frustrating to be trapped in a situation where your audience just wants their generational convictions reaffirmed and refuse to be challenged by cultural shifts, philosophical trends, moral dilemmas -- you know, the "world." That's why I do not do "Gospel Meetings" anymore, I guess. It just bugs me that we hide behind a concept that was originated to engage the world and we have allowed it to be turned into nothing more than a reaffirmation of our faith--a homecoming, a pep rally for those who have no intention of ever sharing the gospel of the kingdom of God with their neighbor.

I am convinced that preachers are good guys. They/we want to change the world, make a difference, touch someone's heart with the saving message of Jesus Christ. But for many of us, the trained professionals, do not know how to engage anyone outside of our circle, so we engage ourselves. It doesn't matter if it is in the form of legalistic journals, sermon series on what's wrong with someone else's teaching, or conventions like gospel meetings, Sunday School programs, small group meetings, ladies' classes, etc. that never seem to engage anybody outside our family circle. It is a weird form of spiritual incest that has a tendency to produce a lesser quality offspring.

No matter what camp we find ourselves in, we have this awful trait that tends to lead us into situations and conditions that make it nearly impossible to engage the lost and dying. I think this was almost exactly the religious climate that Jesus entered as he began his ministry. Jesus moved to the societal edge and lit a flame that gave hope to those that the religious kingpins had ignored or marginalized. He did it through engaging those outside of the kingdom (woman at the well, centurion, prostitutes, tax collectors, and so on). His collisions with the religious establishment resulted from their active opposition to the nature of his teaching and to the audience he associated with. He wooed the lost through a lifestyle of compassion, a simple message of hope, and a persistent promise of a better hope. Maybe we could learn how to do the same.

I don't mind the intellectual arguments, it is a good mental exercise. But what I hope for is a stronger desire to find pathways connecting the lost with the kingdom of God. And for me, the truly smart ones among us are those who have found ways to do it. Engaging others is the name of the game -- continually engaging ourselves does not seem to be God's primary intent, or a productive way of birthing healthy offspring.

Contributions and Controversy

2006-02-17T09:25:00.000-08:00

It is incredible to me that Christianity is becoming more and more controversial in our world. It seems that anything positive about faith in Christ is downplayed or ignored, but any abuses, omissions, or mis-statements are amplified beyond belief.

The Christian faith has always attracted swindlers, false prophets, inventors of "new" revelations, and even many with criminal intent. But there is so much more to our faith than cults in Waco, faith healers, TV ministries that only exist to raise money for their TV ministry, and economic machines marketing books and other trinkets promising earthly property. The history of true faith is a history of granting dignity to the weak, sick, and forgotten. It has never been about buildings or earthly empires. Christianity is the process of engaging the world and exposing the lifelessness of the philosophies of men.

Critics of Christianity seldom, if ever, acknowledge that Jesus changed everyone's thinking in Western Civilization in regard to such things as the worth of every human life (born or unborn). Jesus introduced the concept of dignity and respect for women, even though now it is accused as the oppressor of women's rights. The western concept of the "work ethic" is rooted in faith, as is community service, philanthropy, education, self-discipline, respect for parents and the elderly, chastity, and self respect.

People forget that Christianity ushered in the concepts of personal freedom, social justice, and planted the seeds of equality that have forever fought against any society modeled on social class and special priviledges for the rich. The American ideal that anyone can accomplish anything is rooted in Christian principles, as are the ethical call for honest, unintrusive governments, and justice that is blind to rank, economic status, creed, or ethnic identity.

Speaking of ethnic issues, Christianity has been the champion of true civil rights, and became the first world religion to overcome racial barriers with the inclusion of the Gentile world some 2000 years ago. It is the only religion that is flexible enough to adapt to any culture in any era. It is totally unaltered by governments, whether they be free market, communist, socialist, or even oppressive dictatorships. In fact, it strives to respect and honor political leaders, whether they deserve it or not. It grinds away and flourishes in any human setting, in any place, in any time.

This is where radical Islam has missed it. It is a religion that demands cultural and political leadership and control. It cannot tolerate competition and does not value the worth of the individual. They dream of a world where women remain ignorant, families are forever poor, and control is in the hands of clerics who benefit themselves. It is a world of no beauty, no art, no social progress, no pity, and no hope.

The recent uproar over the cartoons in Europe is understandable in this light. Holy images matter when ideas are weak. The true strength of the Christian faith is that it is a mindset, a knowledge, an attitude, and an understanding conviction and appreciation in the unseen -- but not the unknown. The power of truth and true faith in Christ is that it is ready to engage, compete, and demonstrate it's power. It miraculous power is that it is ready and able to do so in any place, at any time, and under any conditions. It exists to serve, not to destroy.

Technical Junk

2006-02-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

I have been offline at my office for several days because of a technical glitch. It seems BellSouth reset their system and it knocked our router off line because it conflicted with the modem, at least that what the guy in India said when we called for tech support. I do not understand any of it, but it was fixed by changing a "1" to a "2" in some address bar somewhere out there in the cyber universe. I am certain that my explanation was complete, understandable, and quite satisfying to no one, but that's the best I can do.

I am suppose to be on the Mississippi coast this week with two of my friends, Roger Trask and Bobby Brooks. They are recently retired educators who run a paint business when they feel like it (they golf and travel the rest of the time). They headed out to Pascagoula to help Central's efforts to help residents rebuild their world. John Dobbs and many other Central members are demonstrating what loving, motivated people can do. Central may be a small church, but they have been able to inspire thousands across the country, who have in turn helped thousands of people in great distress. I wish I was there, but things come up. I hope to make it down there in early March.

I have noticed something interesting as it relates to church in the "Post Katrina" era. It reconfirms my belief about the nature of "church" and what people are seeking. I am convinced that for the seeker and the disciple it is not about entertainment or intellectual value; rather it is participation we thirst for -- the opportunity to exercise our faith through positive outlets. Unless outlets are provided, its all academic, and nobody likes an academic slob. God bless the "doers".

Into and Out of the Wilderness

2006-02-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

My good friend Ben Overby taught a class recently about virtue. He spoke of Peter's declaration to never deny Christ and the failure that followed. The lesson, he said, was to remember that it was the Holy Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness for the purpose of temptation, trial, and conformation of his testimony and devotion to God. For Peter, the wilderness was being challenged by others concerning his connection to Christ. He failed, we do not have to.

I am convinced that the Spirit leads all into the wilderness from time to time. Loneliness, discouragement, financial distress, disappointment, and so on. I think about my friends on the Gulf Coast; guys like John Dobbs and Les Ferguson, Jr. They are in many ways working themselves through the wilderness. I can only imagine how difficult their tasks must be and how uncertain they must feel concerning their own future and that of the churches they serve. They serve God and glorify His name by finding shelter for the homeless, support for the addicts, food for the left behind, and offering hope in the midst of misery. They do this with no assurance that they will be provided for long-term and with no real experience to guide them through this process.

When the hurricanes hit, everyone wanted to blame God for the disaster. I'm OK with that, but not in the language of judgment against gambling and Mardi Gras. God does lead us into the wilderness -- but he also leads us out. Read the story (as Ben suggested) of Hagar and Ishmael being thrown out into the wilderness. Read about the temptation of Christ, the persecution of Paul, of Peter in prison, of Gideon paring down his army, or David fleeing from Saul, Joseph in the pit, and on and on. All found themselves in the wilderness, and all came out the other side more godly, more faithful, more inspired, and more hopeful. We can to! I pray that John, Les Jr., and the others hang in there. I also hope that I will remember this powerful lesson the next time I find myself in the wilderness.

The Sons and Daughters of Ashdod

2006-02-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

I have watched with much interest this week the open forum of one of the universities associated with the Churches of Christ. Their interests center around the concepts of unity, fellowship, baptism and the like. I was very much encouraged when the moderator spent a great deal of time talking about the church and the world we are called to engaged. As it turns out, the most controversial thing he stated centered around not who is my brother, or who is a Christian, but rather the understanding that citizens of popular culture do not care about doctrine, rather they are hoping for meaningful relationships.

He mentioned Nehemiah 13 and spoke of the rebuke of the prophet to the parents of children that been born in a culturally mixed union (Israel & Philistia). The result was a generation that was by growing up with little or no understanding of the Jewish language, culture, or law (religion). The point being, this new generation did not understand the "code words" and the the customs of their religious heritage. Even so, it is safe to assume that they grew up searching for God.

Welcome to Ashdod. Like it or not it is true that we live in a world where people choose churches the same way they choose a coat. They try it on, and if it seems to fit and is comfortable, and if it makes them feel better about themselves, they buy it. If they don't like the fit, or the look, or the feel, or the cost, they continue shopping. Doctrine plays no significant role in many of the modern seekers formula because it just never enters their mind that it matters. They want good friends and activities for their kids, they want help with their marriage, they want to help others in times of need, and they want to know God personally.

When I went to church for the first time I was a teenager. The talk was about how psychologically damaging the new movie, The exorcist, was. Preachers spoke of the sins of "mixed bathing", and the ills or "premillennialism ", "liberal preachers", "Crossroads", women in pantsuits, and so on and so on. Since that time I listened to preachers rail against things like Bible translations, Reubelites, Boston Movements, Gymnasiums, missionary, neo-disciplers, progressive movements, praise teams, PowerPoint, Contemporary Christian Music, when is the worship lamp on and when is it off?, Tulsa, Jubilee, Winterfest, and on and on and on.

I am not saying that doctrine does not matter to me. But I am saying that when I was a young bus kid experiencing church for the first time I was ill-equipped to understand the discussion. That being the case, truth was not the issue. We have forgotten, it seems to me, that "the gospel" is more often than not referred to in the Bible as "the gospel of the Kingdom of God." And the good news is not that we have to repent, but that we are allowed to repent -- to change our life direction, to become citizens (relationships) in the Kingdom of God and discover the missing pieces of our heart, soul, and spirit. It means becoming part of a family of believers (relationships) who have been adopted (relationships) by God. He is our Father (relationships), Jesus is our elder brother (relationships) and the Holy Spirit sets up residence in our lives (relationships). We have failed to communicate that the Kingdom of God is relational in nature. I could be wrong on this point, but I can find no reference or inference that the gospel is a list of doctrinal stances that I must accept before becoming a Christian. In our cultural setting far too many pulpits have been dominated by men who speak a language and a tone that never connects with an untrained ear.

The modern children of Ashdod have no idea what to look for in a church. If that is true, then our worship must become genuine in spirit, expressive in devotion, and inspiring in content. It means that our kids must have outlets of interaction and expression, it means that church members must become more than earthen vessels filled with doctrinal facts. The children of Ashdod are sad, they are lost, and they are seeking. They do not possess the capacity to understand our code words, nor are they interested in our controversies. Even if they do not consciously understand it, they are looking for the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (I refer you to John 4).

I do not listen to preachers who spend my time and theirs rattling off lists of rules and rationalistic arguments of theological orthodoxy. I listen to preachers who tell me about the good news of the Kingdom of God. I am a Christian; but I was first a child of Ashdod.

OH, FOR A LOVE OF HISTORY!!!

2006-01-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

Everyone who knows me knows that I love history -- and not just for the trivia value at gatherings. I love history because it exists like clues in a mystery. If you ever want to know how you got to where you are, look back. As been said many times by many people, without a sense of history, you believe it all started with you! Unfortunately, religious people are the notorious at assuming things are as they are because they have always been that way.

Recently my wife was challenged by some folks because they did not believe our Sunday School curriculum was adequate in teaching our children all they should know about the Bible. Their point was that it was different than when they were children, and it should be changed so their kids would be taught properly.

A love for history comes into play on many levels. First of all, the Sunday School program was never designed or created to replace the parent's responsibility to train their own children in the truth of God's love. It was the 19th century equivalent of the bus ministry designed to appeal to families and children. As hard as it is to believe for most people, it was a tool for outreach (and still could be if we had any sense). Only in recent generations have families been foolish enough to think that two 45 minute classes a week is all that is needed to give a child a strong biblical foundation.

Secondly, it testifies that modern parents are now the living victims of being brought up in religious families that never read or studied the Bible at home. It just never occurs to them that they have a responsibility that cannot be begged off on the church.

Also, it removes and ignores one of the greatest contributions a great Sunday School program can provide. It is my feeling that Bible classes can instill a joy for attending like nothing else can for children. In an inter-active world, that means putting together a ministry that includes something more than memory verses and fill-in-the-blank.

I am in favor of professional educational ministers and professional children's ministers. But we should never forget what Bible classes can do and what the can never do. I also hope we never forget why they were created.

In the past 100 years we have taken three great opportunities to reach the lost and turned them into institutions that only seek to serve the church member. One is Sunday School, another is the Sunday night service created purely for outreach and evangelistic reasons, and finally, the good old "Gospel Meeting", or "Revival". In recent years I have even heard rumblings of putting together a VBS for members only!

I hope you love history, but even if you don't, you should be able to detect a pattern. Perhaps we should trace our roots closer to the beginning before we cry out for "the old paths"!!!

OOOOPPS!! What Did I just Step In?

2006-01-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

I have followed closely the comments of New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin, regarding his understanding of why so many hurricanes have hit the United States in recent years. His original view was that God was punishing this country for our involvement in Iraq. But or course, his implication was that George Bush had brought plague and misery upon the black people of New Orleans because of his blundering foreign policies.

I am uncertain about so many things. The war in Iraq made me uncomfortable from the beginning. My discomfort stemmed from the quandary of trying to figure out what was best: an unstable and volatile country, or a crippled and pitiful dictator allowed to vanish slowly from the world stage. I still do not know what the correct course should have been, but I am quite certain that there is no turning back now.

As for punishment from God, well that gets a little muddled too. I mean, the Bible is filled with the accounts of God using ungodly nations to punish other ungodly nations. The resolution is found in the fact that God judges all me in his own time. Today's seemingly invincible power is tomorrow's footnote. Judgment, the 2nd coming, the end of time has been predicted in every generation since the resurrection of Christ. We have fought wars for independence, wars to abolish slavery, wars of vengeance, wars to end all wars, wars to protect the innocent, wars for land, wars to stem communism, and wars to preempt terror in our country. We have endured violent weather, earthquakes, the threat of decease, drought, economic collapse, nuclear destruction, and Rock and Roll. All of these and more have been viewed by many as certain signs of God's wrath and judgment foreshadowing the end of time. We do this, I believe, for two reasons -- one good, one not so good. First, I believe we all know in hearts the God is real and that nothing escapes His presence. Judgment is certain, it is just a matter of timing. Secondly, we have a hard time thinking that history began before we were born. Our perspectives lack the depth required to see more clearly ahead because we have so little depth in our perspective from behind.

It would be wonderful to accurately know God's motives and timetables. How powerful it would be to offer accurate and detailed descriptions of the causes and consequences of every natural or human act; whether good or ill. But my faith would not be bolstered because what I have just described is not faith at all. It is sight oriented and requires no love or trust.

I have heard and read from many that hurricane hit to punish, not the US for the war in Iraq, but to punish New Orleans itself for it's own wickedness associated with it's pagan appeal. Makes just as much sense as Mayor Nagin's statement to me.

But maybe what happened in New Orleans is what happens when you build a city below sea level near the Gulf of Mexico where hurricanes have been landing for centuries. Maybe the only theological conclusions that you can draw from such disasters is that all men live in a fallen world that is so separated from God that even the created world itself groans out in the hope of redemption. Perhaps our best recourse is to have our faith tried and tested and emerge longing for heaven and our complete redemption some day when all this "fallenness" is a thing of the past.

Maybe Mayor Nagin is trying to keep his job.

The point: Anyone can have faith when they know all the answers. Our challenge is to believe, no matter what happens. Our opportunity is to grow closer to God and one another through adversity, and our immediate reward is the increased joy and anticipation of going home some day where God shall wipe away every tear from our eyes!

I don't need to know --I don't even want to know!! I just want to learn to trust. I want faith and I want others to want it too!

P.S. - I would liketo know why the time is never right on my blog postings!

Golden Globes and Money

2006-01-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

If it has not happened yet, it soon will. Preachers, churches, bulletins, emails, etc. will flood us bemoaning the fact that a film that highlights the beauty of a homosexual relationship walked away from the Globes with four trophies -- the paramount equivalent in the world of cinema of a Nobel Prize. I am confident that it will viewed as vindication and as a pivotal moment in the struggle for gay rights in We seern culture for years to come.

I also find it interesting that every major studio now has an office of Christian affairs (or it's equivalent) dedicated to the process of fostering projects that appeal to conservative Christian groups. This happened soon after the success of The Passion and is carried on through Narnia, End of the Spear, and who knows what is next. Like many of you, I receive their material telling me how I can purchase banners, invitations,and other materials to help the church incorporate the buzz of the project into an appealing tool for community outreach. This incredible contradiction leads me to think the following:

1. Popular cinema has two basic agendas. One is to effect social change and use the power of movies to help shape the attitudes and flow of our culture. The flow they seek is anti-Christian in every way. Secondly, they must answer to shareholders who are primarily concerned with stock prices. One of the easiest ways for studios to make money in today's world is to target a Christian-centered market.

2. Shaping popular culture must not be a very profitable business. Marketing to Christians is.

3. We live in a time and place where "inherent" rights are based in economics, not ethics. Therefore, movie makers have no scruples in this regard.

4. The film industry must be a whoreish business. They reward the less profitable with acclaim and target the rest for financial incentive. Like a prostitute, they give themselves over to what they disdain for the hope of profit and remove themselves from the moral and/or religious issues involved. Just insert the old stanby phrase, "You can't judge me" if anyone raises so much as an eyebrow.

5. These are the same people who so easily criticize Christians as "hypocrite".

6. One of the greatest philosophical tenants of Christianity is the dignity of man. I am so thankful that virtues such as sacrifice, honesty, courage, and righteous still have such a wonderful appeal.

7. I do not care what awards movies do or do not receive. As the old saying goes, "I don't know if its art -- but I know what I like." I choose to watch what I like and ignore the rest.

8. If the pagans of this age want to help me encourage others to find faith -- that's OK with me. I was moved by The Passion, I was uplifted by Narnia, and I will encourage others to do the same.

9. It is a crazy and fallen world we live in filled with so many self-contradicting realities. Thank God for friends; thank God for Christ; thank God for His Spirit; thank God for the Word; thank God for the family of believers.

I wish I could think of a 10th thing to write, but I can't. 10 seems so much more complete than 9. O well . . .

Gary W. Kirkendall

2006-01-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

The end of a great day! Our church sevice was wonderful and it was the 3rd Sunday, which means fellowship meal!! The highlight of the day was the invitation. For background, I began a sermon series entitled "Reign from Heaven", which is a study of the kingdom of God. It is based on the premise that for many the popular gospel is a plea for Jesus to take away our sins. For too many, salvation is an issue of "accepting Jesus". The problem is, Jesus never asked anyone to "accept him". His plea was, and is, to "follow" him and give God reign over our lives. There is a problem in thinking of the kingdom of God as existing only in heaven, or that it is merely the church. The problem is that this kind of thinking leaves too many areas and too much time in my life for competing kingdoms to rule.

Anyway, beyond the sermonizing is the joy I had in greeting my 21 year old daughter as she came and asked for forgiveness and prayers. Kara is a wonderful daughter. She is very much like her mother in her ability to overload her life and run herself into the ground. Also, she has her mother's rather wide streak of independence -- she does not like to be told what to do (on second thought, she may have received that trait from her father). Kara is a honor student with a double major in biology and chemistry. She also works two jobs --I do not know how she does it, but she does and I admire her stamina and commitment to excellence.

As if life was not tough enough for her, she is in the midst of transforming the faith of her parents into her own, and like us all, she is drawn toward behavior and life experiences that are not always consistent with her profession of faith. She struggles to get a handle on life and building a conviction of faith that asks us all to trust in an invisible God. I pray for her and her brother often, and I know it is hard -- but I am proud of being the father of two children who love God's people and his church, not because their dad is a preacher, but because they are discovering as adults that it is true.

Her confession was very short and profound. She simply said, "I am tired and I need help." Like so many confessions preachers hear, I could only think how precisely I understood what she was saying. Life teaches us all how important our friends are and how rare inner peace is in this fallen world. I celebrate her faith with you in the hope that you will be encouraged and in the hope that you will look for others like her who are trying to fly on their own and maintain a growing relationship with our God. They are out there, and they are the apple of some father's eye. She brings me joy and gives me hope.

Have a great week.

Gary W. Kirkendall

2006-01-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

I have been ushered into the blog universe by the persistence and mentoring of everyone's favorite blogger, John Dobbs.

For those of you who read John's writings you know that he and Margaret spent the week in LaGrange clearing their minds and resting their bodies in a cabin not far from here after qlmost five months of daily trying to help people on the coast rebuild after Katrina. This task is overwhelming, to say the least, but in John's and Margaret's case it is compounded by the fact that they too have to rebuild almost from scatch.

I am one of the countless people of faith who have crossed his path and been encouraged by his seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of encouragement and hopefulness. My advantage is that I have know John since 1981 when we were beginning our formal education. Throughout the years we have shared many hours together through our ties in ministry including preaching, Christian camps, alumni concerns,and much, much more. Of all of my friends, he is the one that has remained timeless in his attitude, love, commitment, desire, and spirit. Every time we are together it is as it was when we were young and starry eyed in our dreams. I am very pleased that he was able to come here to rest, reflect, and recharge. As is the case so many times, I feel that I am the one who has been recharged and encouraged more than he. It must be a wondrous gift to be such an encouragement to so many people. I have the honor of telling everyone that I have met the modern Barnabas and he lives on the Mississippi coast.

It is my conviction that so many of our preachers unknowingly fall into a snare of cynicism when addressing the challenges of the modern church. I am suspicious of an atmosphere filled with frustration and hopelessness that is centered on perceived insights and enlightenment that leaves the pilgrim with no recourse but to speak out against the past or lament over the ignorance of others in an elitist way. I am perplexed that we live in an age where lines can be drawn based upon songs, video cues, booklists, events attended, and personal alliances. So I have committed myself to rejoice over our differences and welcome them, just I as do in my own family that is filled with characters, deficiencies, and divergent views. I choose to celebrate my religious heritage -- scars and all -- and thank God for those who came before me and made it possible for me to begin my journey of faith; even if I come to the conviction that they are/were less informed and misguided.

I do not believe that it is my role to continually scold or scoff faithful believers who are not as smart as I think I am. I wish to be an encourager and a pilgrim and I hope to be encouraged by others. I have decided to thank God for the crusty old hard heads in the church and thank him for the legalists, the traditionalists, the self-centered, and the intellectualists as well. I do this because it seems to me that ultimately my hope and theirs is the same. We both are dependent upon the powerful and unending vista of God's grace and forgiveness of our woefully deficient character, understanding, and ability to comprehend even ourselves, to make it home alive. It matters little if myself or those I disagree with, or even disdain, fully appreciate our stupidity and ignorance. I am satisfied that I live in a fallen world that is never going to be what it was intended to be until Christ's redemption of all creation takes place. Until then I remain a flawed and fallen creature living in a flawed and fallen world, with a whole bunch of other fallen people. If 10 men were in a pit and they were stuck there with no hope of ever escaping by their own power, and if these men were blind, and if these men starving, it would make little sense for these men to argue over who was in charge and who was the smartest. Deception is Satan's only power -- but it is mighty. I have no other explanation for the current condition of God's people except that he has convinced us that we are not in a pit, we are not blind, and we are not starving.

All of that is to say that this is why I love John Dobbs and people like him. God bless the encourager who help hold us up and hold us together until we are rescued from the pit.

Gary W. Kirkendall