Reflections

The Economic Storm is Worsening

2009-07-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I had the opportunity to hear a presentation by a couple of state legislators who serve on economic related committees. The preview of coming attractions was very dire. Everyone is aware of how busted the state of California is. Apparently Oregon is not far behind and Washington may be bringing up the West coast rear.

Spending for transportation projects (just to name one) and projected revenues to cover the costs don’t match up for the next 5 years. What’s more, other states are seriously courting our major industries with lucrative incentives which further threaten revenues. We are already aware of the losses we’ve incurred on property values and retirement plans and the rise in unemployment. It’s going to get worse.

While listening to the presentation and feeling the mood of the room getting darker and angrier I was immediately transported in thought to the Lord Jesus Christ. Sound bizarre?

In the moment I was grateful that I have not founded my life on my income, economic worth or possessions. Though these things are important they are not my foundation. Therefore if they collapse I don’t. I’ll feel the impact and have more life challenge but I founded my life a long time ago on a relationship with Jesus Christ and He’s not in a crisis or in danger of collapse.

I want our representatives to work and figure out sound solutions to our collective economic challenges. Given the politics of the day I have little confidence that different interest groups will actually put the good of the people before their interests. Nevertheless, “my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness” (old hymn).

I can hear how foolish I sound. It is the kind of foolishness the apostle Paul declared was in fact the wisdom of God. (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

Are You Able to Forgive?

2009-06-25T14:21:00.001-07:00

Wednesday South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford held a news conference where he confessed to being unfaithful to his wife and having an affair with a woman in Argentina.

Thursday morning long time ABC reporter Sam Donaldson appeared on Good Morning America and commented that “it is hard to forgive Republicans because they are so sanctimonious. They thump the Bible. They condemn everyone else, and when they- human- they don’t have much credit in the bank for forgiveness.”

Donaldson’s comment stuck with me because I had just had a conversation with someone about a third person that we both love. The “someone” feared that the third person had fallen into a sin and wondered how I felt about it.

Obviously the behavior of the other is out of my control and I’m a firm believer that worry does absolutely no good. So I verbally replied, “I want to hope for the best.” However, internally I thought, “I will forgive him.”

You may wonder how I could make such a decision in advance. I’ve already decided that I’ll forgive my wife and children whenever they sin against me. I’ve already decided to forgive my friends and colleagues when they sin against me.

Not that I want to be put to the test but I think I have a pretty large “forgiveness tank”. I have a significant capacity to forgive because I’ve been forgiven of so much by Jesus Christ.

Let me hasten to say that I’m not minimizing Governor Sanford’s sin nor picking on Donaldson’s political and moral commentary. I was simply reminded that it’s hard to forgive anyone when you’ve not been forgiven yourself.

As you read these words if someone comes to your mind that has wronged you and you feel stirred to forgive, I would take that as a “God thing” and ask for His grace to forgive.

I Thank God for My Step-Father

2009-06-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

I’m traveling these days without regular access to the Internet. Thus I’m writing a belated Father’s Day reflection. Click here to see my Mother’s Day reflection.

My parents divorced when I was about 4 years old. My father came from a pretty busted family situation and consequently was almost completely absent from my life. That’s another post for another day.

My Mother was left to raise my younger brother and me as a single woman in Memphis, Tennessee. As a secretary in a bank my Mother met a lot of people and as an attractive young woman received numerous requests for a date. On those occasions when she did date it often was short-lived. Usually my Mother having two children was a factor in the termination of those relationships.

Then along came George Dendrinos. He began dating my Mother when I was about 10 and my brother was about 8. George not only thought my Mother was great, he thought the same about my brother and me. He often made “dates” with all of us and enjoyed introducing us to new experiences.

George’s dating of my Mother was very costly. Not only was he growing to love all of us and interested in us becoming a family (an expensive prospect relationally and financially) but his family was totally against it. His family was strictly Greek Orthodox. Not only was it scandalous to marry a divorcee and have an instant family, my Mother was not Greek nor Orthodox.

George went against his family’s protests and proposed to my Mother and she said yes. However, a month before their scheduled wedding my younger brother suddenly died because of a cerebral hemorrhage. The trauma of loss was so great to my Mother that she fell apart. George sought to be a comfort and help the best he knew how but my Mother’s anguish was so great she kept striking out at him and pushing him away, at one point even giving his ring back to him. Eventually they reconciled and married a year later when I was 13.

Thus the drama only intensified. My Mother grieved my brother’s death for a long time and I began acting out, partly as an adolescent and partly in my own experience of grief. My Mother and I were both so “over the top” in our own ways that I am in awe that George stayed with us. I don’t know that I’ve ever met another man who would have stayed with us. I’ll always love and respect George for that.

George attended all my athletic and school involvements and cheered me on. He celebrated every accomplishment that ever came my way. When I graduated from high school George helped pay my way through college so that I graduated with no debt.

I later married and had two children of my own and my comprehension of George’s love and commitment was deepened so that I marvel all the more. When I came home to visit one day in 1989 and explained that I thought God was leading me to move to Seattle and start a new church, meaning that I would move myself and especially my parent’s grandchildren 2,000 miles away, I had nothing but support and encouragement.

After being in Seattle for about a year my Mother had the first of what would be several strokes. George has been an extraordinary care giver to my Mother in addition to working full time and making a living. Today he does it all; works, keeps house, washes clothes, shops for groceries, prepares meals, and tends to my mother with a hundred different details.

My wife has asked, “Would you be able to do that for me if we were in their place?” I honestly don’t know. I’ve never known anyone like George.

I thank God for the good gift George is to me, my family and my Mother.

Mature Christians are Easily Edified

2009-06-18T16:17:00.001-07:00

Today I overheard Chip Stam, a professor at Southern Seminary, quoted in the following way—

“Too often an accurate assessment of myself would reveal that I’m:
Easily annoyed
Easily irritated
Easily impatient
Easily hurt
Easily angered
Easily distracted
Easily arrogant

“But wouldn’t it be great if those who knew me best could honestly say, ‘It is so easy to edify him. It doesn’t take much. It doesn’t need to be the best sermon ever preached or the most excellent song ever composed or the most powerful book ever written or the most theologically eloquent statement ever uttered. Just the simplest truth was enough to refresh his heart in Christ.’”

What's Happened to Confession?

2009-06-03T23:21:00.001-07:00

The Associated Press published a brief story about the diminished number of Catholics who practice the sacrament of penance by confessing one’s sins to a priest. The speculation is that parishioners have become so fuzzy about right and wrong and what constitutes sin that they no longer feel the need to confess, or some have substituted their time on the therapist’s couch for the confessional booth. You can read the story here.

We Protestants don’t practice confession to an ordained priest but we do believe the Scripture when it says, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)

We believe in the “priesthood of the believer”, that is, every believer has direct access to God and his or her prayers are heard as well as any ordained clergy. Therefore the practice of confession takes place between one believer and another in a trusted, covenantal relationship. I meet with trusted others every week and part of our time is spent confessing our sins to one another and praying for one another. I just did it again today.

However, my observation of Protestants is not unlike that of the Vatican study about Catholics. I think fewer people today practice confession and the repentance (change of living) that goes with confession. What’s happened to confession?

I do think our culture in general is more fuzzy about right and wrong. I also think that we’ve lost a great deal of “fear of the Lord” (i.e.: awe and respect) and therefore reduce God to a more doting grandparent who tends to look the other way and lets us get away with things. And, in our consumerist day, I think the majority of faith that is practiced is a kind of “what did I get out of church today” experience. God is not Someone to whom we yield and obey but rather a therapeutic helper to my challenges and problems.

The Vatican’s response to their findings is to publish a new handbook on confession to drum up enthusiasm among Catholics toward the sacrament. I don’t think a new handbook will help much.

What's The Church to Do?

2009-05-28T17:44:00.001-07:00

Ed Stetzer and Threads are seeking to help the church better understand the perspective of twenty-somethings toward the church. What should the church do?

Memorial Day Reflection

2009-05-26T10:16:00.001-07:00

Monday was memorial day. Many of us celebrated the day and weekend with recreation, grilling food and being with friends or loved ones. Some of us perhaps reflected on the price that is paid for our freedom in our beloved country for a couple of minutes.

Boston.com has a stirring pictoral essay reflection of Memorial Day 2009. When you have a few minutes check it out.

Walking By Faith

2009-05-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

All through the ages men and women have asked God and one another, “Why do bad things happen?” Sometimes we add, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

The Bible never skirts around this issue with trite answers or pious platitudes. The Bible acknowledges life’s pains and injustices and at the same time declares that God is good and our response to His goodness must be trust. “The righteous will live by faith.” (Galatians 3:11)

Chris and Kim Trethewey are people just like you and me. Through painful loss they concluded that God is good even though they don’t like life’s circumstances. Check out their story in the video below.

How difficult are your circumstances these days? Do you know God? To know God is to trust God.

Birthday Reflections

2009-05-16T07:49:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday and I’m (ouch) 53 years old. Having a birthday is a great paradox for me.

I’m grateful for my life. God has greatly blessed me, way beyond what I deserve. I’m loved. I’m meaningfully connected with others. I do work every day that allows me to use my gifts and operate out of my passion. My eye is focused on eternity and not the temporal and most of the time I’m making investments that matter both in this world and the next. I have health and a body that allows me to go and do so much that I enjoy. And, God has graced me to hold loosely to these blessings so that if they were gone tomorrow I’d be okay. Mostly okay. There would be some grief over the loss of blessings but my greatest treasure is God and He’s promised that I will never lose Him.

But, and here’s the paradox, I don’t like getting older. I like having greater knowledge, wisdom, discernment, skill, and expertise, which by the way, don’t automatically come with getting older. But I don’t like having less energy, greater weight, diminished hearing and sight and more wrinkles. And, I “get it” that my dislikes are culturally based! In many cultures older men and women are honored and valued for their age.

My culture, the American and Western culture, exalts and even worships youth. Older folks are considered out of touch, behind the times and need to be replaced. And admittedly, every year is a greater challenge for me to stay current. Information and technology are moving at warp speed.

Nevertheless, I feel sad for people my age that succumb to the temptation to drink from the fountain of youth by masking their age with cosmetics, styles or behaviors. I don’t blame them because I “get it”. But I long for all of us older types to have peaceful acceptance of what is.

So there’s my paradox and it forces me to make a choice. By God’s grace I’m choosing to live the grateful life and by God’s grace I am (almost daily) contending with the cultural devaluing of my aging.

As I close I’m struck with a feeling of narcissism (a little too much focus on self). But, there it is, the battle to make much of God and not so much of me.

What is God to You?

2009-05-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

“What is God to you?” You say, “Scott, I’m not sure you have the question stated correctly. God is a Person and therefore the question should be, ‘Who is God to you?’”

I get the point but my question is also raising a point.

Often we don’t relate to God as Person (who) but rather as a commodity (what).

Skye Jethani has recently written “The Divine Commodity”. When interviewed about his message Jethani commented about the commodification of God as follows:

“A commodity is something that is not valued for what it is, but for what it may be exchanged for. A subsistence farmer values rice because of its inherent rice-ness; because his family eats it to survive. But once he grows more than enough rice for survival, it becomes a commodity. He doesn't value the surplus rice because it's rice, but because it may be exchanged for something else--tools, clothing, etc.

So it is with God. Those holding a consumer world view see everything as a commodity--assigning value based not on a thing or person's inherent identity, but their usefulness to the consumer. In Consumer Christianity God has not inherent value apart from what he can do for me. As one sociologist studying American faith has put it, our God isn't the one revealed in Scripture--almighty and holy--but a consumer deity part divine butler and part cosmic therapist.”

So, I raise the question again, “What is God to you?”

Thank God for My Mother

2009-05-09T23:05:00.001-07:00

I won’t get to see my mother on Mother’s Day. In fact I haven’t seen her on a Mother’s Day in over 20 years. When you live 2,000 miles away and only get home once a year or so the odds are poor that you’ll be around for Mother’s Day.

I send a card and try to write some of my heart, love and appreciation for her. This year I also sent roses. I’ll give her a call on Sunday afternoon and say some things that I want her to know I think and feel about her. But it’s not quite the same as connecting eye-to-eye.

My mother was raised in a small town in Arkansas and married right out of high school. I was born about a year later when she was 20. After my father was discharged from the Marines my parents moved to Memphis, a big city for two small town people. By the time I was 4 my parents divorced.

Somehow my 24 year old mother got a job (with no real skills), made a living and provided for me and my 2 year old brother. She didn’t own a car so she walked a mile to a bus stop and rode the bus every day. She cooked meals, washed dishes and clothes, cleaned house, played with her children and paid the bills. I have memories of waking up late in the night and walking out of my bedroom and seeing my mother doing all the housework. Then she would get up and do it all again the next day.

I saw my mother go to work when she was sick because she had to keep her job and make the money. My mother would come home exhausted but still go outside and play with me and my brother. My mother helped us with homework, and little league teams and paper routes and boy scouts.

As a child I didn’t realize how heroic my mother was. It wasn’t until I became a parent of two small children that I began to “get it”.

When I was 32, married and a dad, I felt that God was calling me to move to the Seattle area to plant a new church. I told my mother what I thought God wanted me to do and her response was one of love and support. She blessed me to follow my calling even though I was now her only son (my brother unexpectedly died when I was 12) and I was taking her only 2 grandchildren far away.

About a year after I moved to Washington my mother had a terrible stroke and through the years she has had several other strokes and numerous medical complications. Though only 73 today, she is virtually homebound and severely limited in what she can physically do. Most of the memories that my children have of their grandmother is of a frail and physically challenged woman. They never really got to know the strong, determined, persevering champion that raised me.

There is seldom a time that I face a challenge or disappointment or feel a temptation to quit that I don’t think about my mother and receive inspiration to keep on keeping on.

Today I’m thanking God for giving me my mother. She is a good gift to me. One of the good gifts God has given my mother and me is my step-father. I’ll tell you about him next month. Click here to see that post.

Girls Gone Wise

2009-05-07T10:34:00.001-07:00

I just discovered Girls Gone Wise, a terrific website filled with articles and resources for women who are seeking to follow God with a whole heart. The site is headed by Mary Kassian (pictured), an award winning author, renowned speaker, distinguished seminary professor, wife and mother.

Check it out for great information and wisdom regarding relationship with God, true womanhood, dating, marriage, parenting, career, life stages and more.

My Prayer

2009-05-05T22:29:00.001-07:00

Today I met with some area pastors over a sack lunch. We meet once a month to check in with each other and pray for each other.

For a few months I’ve been sharing in this trusted circle some of my personal struggle. I’m at a much better place today than last month and last month was better than the one before. I’m grateful to be moving in a direction of less angst and more joy. Anyway…

As we were approaching our time to pray for each other one of the pastors asked me, “How do you want us to pray for you?” I didn’t want to waste this opportunity to be prayed for and benefit from their faith-filled intercession. So I prayed and asked, “God what do I need them to pray for me?”

There was a moment of silence and then it came to me, “Pray that I will be totally satisfied with the Person of Christ. I want to know the full contentment of being His follower.”

As I was being prayed for I was reminded of John Piper’s words--

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

May God be greatly glorified in me and I deeply satisfied in Him.

My Confession

2009-05-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday I gave a talk regarding understanding the times in which we live. It will be posted on the Meadowbrook website later this week if you want to hear it.

In short I contended that the US is increasingly edging God out of our country and culture. I stated that some of the “signs of the times” are:

economic collapse, unchecked diseases, increased hostilities and even hatred between those of different ideological and political perspectives, the redefining of marriage, legislating the right to die, and a loss of the sanctity
of human life. I could have added the disintegration of the family, the anti-religious and increased secularizing of society, relativism and the loss of moral absolutes, increased sexual perversion of every kind, pervasive injustice toward the poor and powerless, and a more radical and aggressive atheism.

The point is these “signs” and the reality of our edging God out must surely lead to God’s removal of His presence, protection and provision for us. We have been a nation blessed by God and we’re becoming a nation that will be judged by God.

The appropriate response for us is to repent of our ways and to humbly ask God for mercy. At the close of my talk I invited those whose hearts were convicted in a similar way to make this confession with me—

God, forgive us for thinking You are like us.
Forgive us for making idols out of things and people.
Forgive us for calling evil, good and good, evil.
Forgive us for distractions and boredom regarding your mission.

God, seize us.
Save us.
Deliver us.
Transform us.
Create in us a clean heart,
A clear mind, and
Committed hands that worship You.

You are the great and mighty God.
There is none other like You.
You and You alone have the allegiance of our lives.
Amen and amen.

Preparing for Death Beyond the Funeral

2009-04-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

The New York Times printed this story, “The Funeral: Your Last Chance to Be a Big Spender”. Funeral Director Peter Maloney believes that even in hard economic times people still want to have something special and memorable about their funeral. Here’s part of the story--

Although not all of his customers can fully express their wishes, Mr. Moloney and his brothers, who own six funeral homes on Long Island, have worked hard to arrange customized send-offs. And the touches are as varied as the customers themselves.

Bike lovers pay an extra $200 or so to take their last ride in a special hearse towed by a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Gardeners select wildflower seed packets to include with their funeral programs. One gentleman wanted to be remembered for comforting his grandchildren with ice cream, so, after the funeral, mourners were greeted by a man in a Good Humor truck, handing out frozen treats.

“You have to give people something special,” says Mr. Moloney, who is 44 and a fourth-generation funeral director. “If you’re not, someone else will be. That means adjusting to what people want today.”

With the average funeral costing about $8,000 people would do well to give some thought and preparation for their funeral. In a former church that I served as pastor it was common for most families to own cemetery plots for years before they died. Some even purchased their casket and prepaid for the other services so that they could lock in costs and not be a burden to their family. It is tremendously thoughtful. However, these frugal church members would never have bought in to the extravagances that Maloney’s funeral homes provide.

Do I even need to point out that there is something infinitely more important than preparing for a funeral? One hundred percent of us are going to die. The Bible says, “Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27, NLT)

The preparations that are of the greatest significance are to follow Christ as Lord and to build a Christ-like, biblical life since we will stand before God after death (and the funeral) and give an account.

Since the “life clock” is ticking and we don’t know when ours will stop here’s a few quick reflections for the day:

--Do I have a relationship with God through faith in Christ?
--Am I more loving today than I was last year?
--Do I use my life to serve God and others as I obey God’s promptings?
--Is generosity characteristic of how I use time and money?
--Do I live as someone who is “just passing through” this world because heaven is my home?

Is Holiness a Forgettable Subject?

2009-04-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

This past week I gave a talk on holiness. You can listen to the talk here.

In my day to day interaction with people I encounter so much self-centeredness that I was not looking forward to giving the talk, though I thought God wanted me to, because I didn’t think that anyone would take it seriously. I presumed that most would dismiss God’s call to holiness by mentally categorizing it as a lofty ideal but not a practical pursuit.

So, I began my remarks by saying, “I’m giving a very forgettable talk today.” Surprisingly I’ve had more post-Sunday engagement about the topic of holiness than any other topic I’ve addressed in a long time. I’m wondering if the post-Sunday conversations and emails are psychologically related to my declaring that it would all be forgettable and therefore listeners determined that they wouldn’t forget it, OR, if the continued engagement is because Christ followers truly want lives of holiness?

What do you think? Because of the nature of my follow-up communications I’m choosing to believe that there is a legitimate desire (I pray hunger) for holiness.

Consequently I’m posting some of my remarks for readers that did not attend last Sunday’s gathering and for those that did and might appreciate reminders about some of the specifics.

Holiness refers to anything and everything that belongs to God. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit. The Holy Bible is God’s book of revelation and self-disclosure. The holy temple was God’s place of dwelling with and meeting with His people. I made the case that Jesus’ cleansing of the temple (Luke 19:45) was a picture of the attention we need to give to our lives since my body and your body are now the holy temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). We need to “drive out” anything and everything that compromises the holiness of our lives. A holy life is a life that is consecrated and given to God for God’s pleasure and for God’s use.

How does one live a holy and pure life?
· Live as a follower of Christ. No one ever lived life with greater holiness than Jesus. If you follow His ways and example you will live in holiness.
· Live intentionally. So much of our lives are lived on “auto-pilot”. We don’t think about what we do and why we do it. Why are you married? Why are in school? Why do you do the work you do? Why have you been given the relationships that you have? Why do you have the abilities and talents that you have?
· Live in community. I am best able to keep and maintain holiness when I am living in relationship with a group of other people that are likewise living with intentionality as followers of Christ.
· Live with wisdom. Engrave it on your heart that holiness is what makes life work well. Unholiness kills and destroys life. Unholiness is deceptive and untrue. Unholiness is NOT where all the fun and excitement is.
· Live prayerfully. Ask God daily, ask God moment by moment and situation by situation to make your life holy. If you stumble and fall and commit sin or unholiness, pray and ask God to forgive you and start holiness working in you again. David prayed to God, “create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me.”

God is Awesome and You are Precious

2009-04-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Below is a brief video look at the earth, solar system, galaxy and universe. The narrator is Francis Chan, a pastor in California. When you have a few minutes to prayerfully reflect, check out the video and then read the scripture that I’ve pasted below.

Psalm 8
O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth!
[…]
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
You put everything under his feet.
[…]
O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth!

Debaptism & Debunking Meaningless Religious Expression

2009-04-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

A British man who was baptized as an infant and has become an atheist in adulthood has asked the Church of England to remove his name from the rolls of those baptized. The church has refused, noting that the baptism records are a matter of history and that the man has become an atheist doesn’t change the historical fact that he had been baptized.

Sensing an opportunity to poke fun at religion and gain a bit of publicity for their organization The National Secular Society has begun a campaign to offer the rite of debaptism. For a few pounds one can purchase an unofficial certificate of debaptism. Thus far thousands have done so.

Though the infant baptism may have been significant to the atheist’s parents, it was not to him and became a source of irritation to him that he was still counted among the members of the church.

The Society has had fun and the media has had a few headlines but I wonder if there will be more to this in the future. Specifically I wonder if in this less religious day (see my post here) others will take similar steps of making anti-religion statements?

If so I think I’m in favor of it. In my denomination we have nearly 17 million members in the US. Around half that number can’t even be located. That means that it has been so long since they’ve attended the church where their membership is held no one has a current address on them. Doesn’t sound like their membership, baptism or anything else associated with the church is very meaningful.

I disagree with atheists regarding their “belief” about God but I stand with them in debunking meaningless religious expression. I find baptism one of the most meaningful expressions in the Christian faith. Likewise I’m deeply touched in worship when receiving the Lord’s Supper. Officiating weddings and funerals for committed Christians who believe the promises of God regarding marriage, life and death is a privilege and honor to me.

But then there are those times where family members or concerned others pressure their loved ones into doing something religious because they find it meaningful or because of the appearance of spirituality. The emptiness and absence of authenticity sadden me for the participant and it cheapens the experience.

Similarly I don’t think God is in favor of religious game playing. I rather think He prefers honest public statements of faithlessness and debaptism than the hypocrisy of meaningless ritual.

If you’re interested in what the certificate says--

I ________ having been subjected to the Rite of Christian Baptism in infancy (before reaching an age of consent), hereby publicly revoke any implications of that Rite and renounce the Church that carried it out. In the name of human reason, I reject all its Creeds and all other such superstition in particular, the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed by Baptism of alleged ORIGINAL SIN, and the evil power of supposed demons. I wish to be excluded henceforth from enhanced claims of church membership numbers based on past baptismal statistics used, for example, for the purpose of securing legislative privilege.”

"Been There, Done That" with Church?

2009-03-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Craig Groeschel is the senior pastor at LifeChurch.tv, one of the most innovative churches in America that not only has one church on multiple campuses but some of those campuses are in other states.

Craig remembers talking with a guy on a plane about God. Craig asked him if he went to church and the guy replied that he wasn’t interested “Because I’ve already been and nothing happened.”

Craig later reflected, “Maybe he went to a ‘safe’ church. In a safe church—

The message makes you feel better.
You’re never confronted about your sin.
No one rocks the boat.
You don’t have to change.
You may never truly encounter our Holy and Life-giving God.

Reading the New Testament one finds the church filled with people who possess a dangerous faith. Though a church environment should be welcoming, the message should remain dangerous.

We’re called to leave everything to follow Christ.
We’re invited to believe God for the impossible.
We’re told to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
We’re told that to find our life we have to lose it first.

What’s church like for you? Do you primarily look for comfort or challenge? Is the worship gathering easy to miss or “can’t miss” because you encounter the presence of God? Do you yawn or yearn for the voice of God, touch of God and mission of God?

March Madness and What's Really Important

2009-03-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

First I smiled, then I shook my head and then I thought, “I’ve got to blog about this.”

Billie Gillispie is the head coach of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team. For those that don’t care about college basketball, UK is one of the greatest programs in the history of the sport. Needless to say expectations are always very high that UK will contend for a national championship in the NCAA tournament.

Coach Gillispie was hired two years ago to return UK to its former glory and to get a championship. This year the Wildcats didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament. As a consolation they were invited to play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). Wednesday night UK lost to Notre Dame and was eliminated.

Speculation about whether Gillispie would be fired became the immediate buzz. A story on ESPN.com reported the story as follows—

Asked about how he feels about all the judgment he’s facing after posting a 40-27 record in two seasons at Kentucky, Gillispie said, ‘There’s only one judgment I’ll ever be concerned about, and I hope I pass that judgment. That’s the only one I’ll ever be concerned about, and I’m really proud that that’s the only judgment that will ever have a real effect upon me, and I hope I pass that one with flying colors.’

Gillispie declined to answer when asked whose judgment he was referring to, saying it was obvious, apparently referring to Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart.

Puuleeeezzzzeeee. I love March Madness and the NCAA tournament. But the ESPN story moved from madness to craziness when it failed to “get it” that Gillispie was referring to life’s final judgment that one receives from God. I guess Billie’s statement wasn’t obvious to all.

There are many things that are more important than the wrath of an athletic director or the loss of a job. The issues of eternal life, forgiveness of sin and passing the judgment of God certainly qualify.

Is God Good...Even In Bad Circumstances?

2009-03-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

What were you doing in 1984? What was life like? How many millions of life experiences have taken place for you since then? What if those 24 years were erased and replaced with confinement in a jail cell?

That’s the story of Darryl Burton. In 1984 he was wrongly accused and convicted of killing a man and was sentenced to 50 years in a Missouri maximum security prison. You can read more about it here and here. There’s an audio and slide presentation here.

Burton knew that he was innocent and through the years he literally wrote hundreds of letters to officials and government leaders asking for help and pleading his case. Then one day Burton decided to write a letter to God. Not even believing in God at the time, Burton wrote, “You know I’m innocent. Help me get out of this place, and I’ll tell the world about You.” Burton said that God came through and now he’s holding up his end of the bargain. Burton has visited colleges, radio stations, churches and the Missouri capital to tell his story.

Burton got acquainted with Jesus by reading the Bible. More specifically, Burton studied a so-called “red-letter edition”, which puts all of the words of Jesus in red. Burton said he just wanted to know who Jesus was and what Jesus said so he read the red verses and passages.

Burton believed and became a follower of Jesus and testified that soon the power of Christ came upon him so that he could forgive the prosecutor who paid lying informants in order to convict him. He also testified that the peace of God which is sometimes incomprehensible rested upon him.

I’m grateful for Burton’s awakening to Christ and for his exoneration. To hear how Christ came through for Burton and today sustains Burton even though he has no employment, no car, no money, etc., blesses and inspires me. But it also raises the question about the goodness of God.

We can look at the recent months of peace, provision and deliverance from injustice and say, “God is good.” But what about when Darryl Burton was being falsely accused, convicted by lies and robbed of 24 years of life in the free world?

God was good then also. We can conclude that God is good all the time because God’s goodness is not dependent upon how well life’s circumstances are experienced.

Good is qualified by its relationship to purpose. A good pen is one that writes well. But if I try to use that same pen as a scalpel in surgery it will be bad because it is not made to surgically cut open human flesh. A pen is made to write.

If we think of God like a genie who exists to make our lives easier or to fix our problems or to protect us from harm or injustice, we will have to conclude at times that God is bad because life is hard, problematic and full of unjust hurts.

But God doesn’t exist for us and the manipulation of our circumstances. God exists for Himself. To say that God exists for Himself is not to say that God is selfishly self-centered or egotistical. Rather it is the height of wisdom and love for God to exist for Himself.

If God is the most important and necessary Person in the universe, and if God is absolutely needed so that all of creation exists and is sustained, then the most important thing that can happen for any of us is for God to be God for God’s sake.

So, back to the particular circumstances of Darryl Burton, if the most important thing that could ever happen for Burton was that he would unjustly go to jail and in that dark place come to discover the wondrous light of God and receive eternal life through Christ, then God was good when Burton was arrested and God was good when Burton was released.

God is good in my health and sickness, in my wealth and poverty, in my connectedness and loneliness and in my joy and sorrow. The apostle Paul discovered this and declared that he “gloried” in his weaknesses (sorrows, pains, disappointments, injustices) because in such broken times he saw how sufficient God is (see 1 Corinthians 12). Paul declared that he had experienced it all and had learned to live in God’s peace and be content in every circumstance (see Philippians 4).

God is good…even in bad circumstances.

God Will Provide...Unless

2009-03-20T09:32:00.001-07:00

Several years ago I felt impressed by God to plant a church. As the launch date approached I was praying one day and asked God, “What should be the name of this church?” Immediately God brought to my mind the 23rd Psalm which in part says that the Lord is my Shepherd and He leads me to green pastures and quiet waters. I began to reflect on those opening verses and green pastures became “meadows” and waters became “brooks” and thus the name of the church, Meadowbrook. In my very next thought (word from God) it occurred to me, “as a shepherd provides for his sheep, Meadowbrook will be a place where God provides.”

For 19 years Meadowbrook has been “a place where God provides”. I’ve been privileged to see a lot of God’s activity and miracles.

With that background you can see why the March 13 Wall Street Journal article, “God Will Provide—Unless the Government Gets There First” grabbed my attention.

Bradford Wilcox, professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, declares that secularism seems to be on the march in America. Citing the Trinity College study that I posted about March 9, Wilcox highlights a recent study of 33 countries that found an inverse relationship between religious observance and welfare spending. Countries with larger welfare states, such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, had markedly lower levels of religious attendance and trust in God than countries with a history of limited government, such as the US, the Philippines and Brazil.

“For many centuries, average citizens and local communities have often relied upon the support of religious organizations to meet their various social needs, including assistance for the poor, counseling in times of crisis and education for the young,” says Anthony Gill from the University of Washington. “But as the welfare state has expanded, many people have found that they can get these same services from government without having to give a time commitment to the local church.”

The current government revolution of cradle-to-career education and cradle-to-grave health care would reduce the odds that Americans would turn to their local religious congregations and fellow believers for economic, social, emotional, and spiritual aid.

Obviously practical services and support are not the only reasons that people have turned to churches. Many are motivated by a need or desire to have a personal connection with God. Nevertheless, Dr. Wilcox’s article raises concern that increased numbers of Americans in the near future may not approach closeness to God or to a community of faith through the “door of practical need” and thereby miss experiencing “God as Shepherd” who provides for His people.

Our greatest need is for personal relationship with God. Our lesser needs have often helped us to see our greatest need. It appears that increased government programs will bring increased challenge to the church in getting our message out that “God will provide”.

Cindy Winters and Christ's Power

2009-03-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, March 8, Pastor Fred Winters was shot and killed while delivering his sermon to his congregation. First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illinois, near St. Louis, was gathered for worship when 27 year-old Terry Sedlacek walked down the aisle firing a .45 caliber pistol. At this writing the motive for the shooting is unknown and apparently no one in the church knew Sedlacek personally.

CBS Morning News recently interviewed Rev. Winters wife, Cindy, who apparently feels forgiveness for her husband’s killer and compassion for Sedlacek’s parents. She credits the power of Christ for empowering her heart with forgiveness and compassion.

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I believe in the power of Christ to comfort and to forgive. However, in the first couple of minutes of Cindy’s interview I was concerned about how much reality had really hit her heart. By the end of the interview it was clear to me that not only was Cindy in touch with reality but that God was also empowering her to be an inspiring example of the difference it makes to have a personal relationship with Jesus.

I don’t know the Winters family or anyone in their church but there is deep love in my heart for them. I pray for Christ to continue to be glorified in this story and for His healing touch in their hearts in the months to come.

For Many It Is a Time of Loss

2009-03-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I heard a high school senior speak of the loss of his dad to brain cancer. Later I spoke with a middle aged man about the loss of his once lucrative job. Last week I spoke with a man who lost his family because of an addiction. I received an email from a woman who has lost her health to an incurable disease. Another friend has lost job, income, home and security because of an accident.

If you’ve been following the story of Ponzi scammer Bernard Madoff then you may have had your jaw drop as I did when I learned that one of the investors that Madoff ripped off was Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel who is reported to have lost $22 million of his personal funds and $15 million of his charity’s fund. Once poor, Wiesel had become rich. Now he is no longer rich.

As I often do when I hear of loss I question, “How would I handle it if I had that loss?” When reading of Wiesel’s loss I immediately thought, “I’d be okay as long as I had Jesus in my life.”

Once again without particularly intending to I revealed to myself the true Treasure of my life; relationship with Jesus Christ.

Do the same reflection. What if you lost your spouse, child, health, or wealth? It would hurt. It would break your heart. It would perhaps take your breath away and demand tremendous life change. But, with God’s help we can not only survive but meaningfully move through any of life’s losses. I use the word “meaningful” because one of the promises of knowing and following Christ is that He will never waste a loss or sorrow that we experience. Somehow and some way Christ can take our losses and pain and use it for good, to make a difference for someone else.

That’s something to ponder in a day when loss is all around us.

Why the Increase in "No Religion"?

2009-03-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

According to a study by Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. that sampled over 54,000 people, adults in the United States are less Christian and less religious.

Fifteen percent of respondents said that they had no religion, an increase from 14.2% in 2001 and 8.2% in 1990. Other indicators were 30% of married couples did not have a religious wedding ceremony and 27% said that they don’t want a religious funeral. About 12% said that they believe in a higher power but not in a personal God espoused by monotheistic faiths.

Apparently religious populations have also shifted. Catholics from the Northeast have migrated in significant numbers to the Southwest. Now the Northeast is the least religious part of the US, surpassing the Northwest. In Vermont 34% claimed “no religion” which is a greater percentage than any one religious group in the state.

Growth in the number of Muslims reached .06% of the US population and growth in the number of Buddhists slowed. The number of Christians in the US was 76% compared to 77% in 2001.

Why?

I can’t speak for other faiths. However, I may have some insight regarding Christianity. I believe there are significant numbers of those who bear the name “Christian” who don’t truly have a living connection with God through Christ. What difference does that make? According to Jesus, His plan for carrying out His mission of connecting men and women to the living God was through the contagion of His followers (see Matthew 5:13,14; John 20:21; Acts 1:8).

In other words, if I don’t have the flu, most likely you are not going to get the flu from me. Evangelism has become such a distasteful experience for everyone involved because it has become a packaged program that seeks to “sell” people on Christianity. The word means bearer of good news. If a religious person tries to sell a non-religious person on his brand of faith that is not true evangelism. That’s proselytizing or making converts to your way of thinking and living. That truly is not what following Jesus is about.

For hundreds of years sharing the good news about Jesus has been described as one hungry beggar who found bread, telling another hungry beggar where to find bread. I found life, sustenance, healing, direction, forgiveness and most of all, relationship with a Holy God through my faith in Jesus. It IS my greatest treasure in life. For me to tell you about the great treasure is loving of me. For me not to tell you of the treasure is selfish and unloving.

I have no problem with those that want to be non-religious or followers of other religions. That’s the freedom of being an American. I respect and acknowledge that right. However, I find it tragic that many may never have a good glimpse of Jesus and what it means to follow Him because they’ve yet to be around a person that has the “real deal”.