Perpetual Timothy

Knowledge and Wikipedia

2012-01-18T11:16:00.000-06:00

So today, Wikipedia has created a blackout on their website to raise awareness of and opposition to the SOPA and PIPA bills that are being debated in the House and Senate. I understand that Obama intends to veto them if they make it to his desk, so I'm not particularly worried about anything to begin with.

I don't feel like taking the time to study the legal intricacies of what these involve, but I believe it has to do with fighting internet piracy. I think the desire there is good, but the implementation apparently isn't.

It really caught my attention when Wikipedia put this image up on their website that says, "Imagine a world without free knowledge."

I'll be the first to say how much I enjoy having online access to all sorts of helpful information. But it alarmed me to think that we've all become so dependent on the internet to tell us what we know, that we've stopped even considering other sources of knowledge. So much of my life is stored in my online accounts.

But I've also been fairly deliberate about having some non-electronic means of recording and remembering what's important to me.Part of why I've blogged less the last couple of years is because I write fairly regularly in a journal. (I'm actually on my second one.) I have a separate journal where I've started writing down bits of things that I want to learn and remember. I may make a post explaining my method there some time.

This idea of "all knowledge comes from the internet" has me thinking a lot about just how much we feed ourselves from one source, in comparison to how much we feed on the word of God, and how much we ponder what we could be learning from our life's experiences. I'm challenging myself here with the content of Psalm 19, which describes some sources of meaningful knowledge that are neglected too often these days:

Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
   like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
   and makes its circuit to the other;
   nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
   refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
   making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
   giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
   giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
   enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
   and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
   than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
   than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
   in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
   Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
   may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
   innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Library Card

2012-01-18T10:42:00.001-06:00

One of my New Year resolutions is to start reading more. Specifically, I am trying to broaden my knowledge in several areas that I see as possible options for future specialization.

Our church building shares its parking lot with the public library, and it seemed like a great idea for me to start going over and checking out books on a regular basis to keep feeding my interests.

I live in another county (less than 1 mile over the line), and apparently to get a free card, I need to live in Davidson County. I have been really excited to get my new library card, but learned this morning that if I want one, I'll have to pay up. So presently, I'm pondering my options.

I got tickled at 2 aspects of this e-mail they sent me:

The title of the e-mail as compared to the content. A bit of a let down.
The grammar in line 2. I would have expected a little better from a librarian. :-)

If you really love Jesus, you would have to love "religion", too.

2012-01-12T14:39:00.000-06:00

Lately there has been this YouTube video popping up everywhere of Jefferson Bethke reciting a poem of his composition where he contrasts what he calls false "religion" with Jesus. I think it is an excellent example of what I see as a prevalent mentality among many of my peers. If you want to read the full text of this poem click here.Let me say what I like about it first, then I want to offer a couple of critiques.

Jefferson is correct to be critical of hypocrisy. In every generation, there have been hypocrites and there have been sincere believers. I agree that it isn't ok to continue being involved in all sorts of sinful practices while pretending to be a strong Christian. I would also agree that there have been people in authoritative places within churches who have abused their power and have failed to show enough grace and mercy toward Christians who have made mistakes. He is right to urge that mercy, forgiveness, and grace should be shown to those who are struggling.

But there are a number of issues here that I find extremely problematic.

First, he equates all religion with hypocrisy. This is simply not true in history or in my personal experiences. I've known many people who like to skip out on church involvement who love to play the hypocrisy card. "Some church people do _____, and I just don't want to be around hypocrites." He is right to critique aspects of church life that are hypocritical or overly harsh, but it isn't true that all experiences with religion are inherently hypocritical. Many of his attacks are misdirected, in my judgment, because they seem to operate off of this assumption. He makes a rather weak statement near the end about how he loves church, the Bible, and believes in sin, but he hasn't left much room in his mindset for where these could take part in what is going on. I've known many Christians who are not hypocrites at all, and who would go out of their way to show repentance toward anyone they had treated in a way that was taken badly. He really overstates his case against whatever he means by "religion."

As is common with those influenced by Calvinist teaching, he goes too far in reducing the responsibilities of a Christian in response to Christ's sacrifice. It is absolutely true that Jesus paid the price for our sins and that nothing we do is capable of meriting our salvation. But he sets up some really bad dichotomies connected to his view of what Christ did and what Christians should do.

He says, "Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums. See one's the work of God, but one's a man made invention." What do you say, then, about all the times in the Gospels that Jesus shows a clear dedication to following the laws, holidays, and teachings of the Torah? There was much patternistic behavior, both in Judaism, and later in Christianity. To suggest that anything involving rules and routines is man-made is misstated at best.
He says, "See because religion says do, Jesus says done." Jesus indicated that his work upon the cross was finished, but upon his resurrection, he certainly didn't tell us we are "done." In fact, his last words begin with, "Go!" Jesus was very interested in our doings.
He says, "Religion says slave, Jesus says son. Religion puts you in bondage, while Jesus sets you free." This line, to me, reveals a disturbing lack of Scriptural knowledge for someone making bold faith statements. I'll probably never have trouble remembering the Greek word for slave (doulos!) because it shows up in the New Testament so frequently to describe Christians. Romans 1:1, Romans 6:18, Ephesians 6:6, James 1:1, etc. We are to be slaves of Christ. We're set free from the bondage of sin, but we are also meaningfully committed to serving our new Master, and not just kneeling at his cross.
He says, "Religion is man searching for God, Christianity is God searching for man." I would think it is much more accurate to say that Christianity is God seeking man, but man also seeking God. Paul says in Philippians 3:10, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection." Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness." Yes, God has sought us out and paid the price we could not pay, but if we are to find him, we must seek him. Seeking God is not the opposite of Christianity. I think all of these dichotomies are really unfortunate.

I think he is correct in saying that we're all sinners, and we shouldn't pretend that we've been otherwise. But I don't agree with his harsh words about "behavior modification" not addressing some of the roots of the problem. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Actions are an indication of what is inside of us. Behavior modification should positively be an outcome of faith in Christ. I think Jefferson would acknowledge this point, as he is so critical of people going to church while living promiscuously. But his harsh words about the apparent non-merit of behavior, combined with his echoing of the false accusation of Jesus' enemies--that Jesus was a drunkard and a glutton--pave the way for tremendous moral laxity, despite his critique of hypocrisy. Yes, you'll never be good enough to justify salvation on your own accord, but you are a much better person for trying to live by patterns, rules, and principles that the Church has tried to embody since the beginning.

I guess these days, people have started using the word "discipleship" to talk about what I think was really meant originally by the word "religion." Religion came from a latin term that described the behavior of monks, who had very strict ways of ordering their life's rhythms. Everyone has a religion. Your religion is the way you prioritize and organize your life, combined with the way you live out these priorities. You really can't get closer to God without regularly putting yourself in the presence of God through prayer, worship, Scriptural study, and other acts of obedience. You can become a Christian, regardless of what you've been doing recently, but without a plan and pattern of action, you'll not likely be a very good one.

I am probably overstating some of my critiques, and I imagine that Jefferson would say his main interest is in taking on hypocritical practices that rely on legalism rather than on truly loving and knowing Christ. In that area, I agree with him.

He has put together a really thought-provoking poem, and I appreciate his candidness in talking about the importance of Christ in his life. I just think some of his Calvinist underpinnings end up causing him to create a set of priorities that doesn't ultimately make for good disciples.

A Nativity Video for You

2011-12-25T00:46:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

It's Bohemian Rhapsody, puppet style.

Tim Tebow and Taking Things "Down A Notch"

2011-12-19T12:19:00.000-06:00

In case you missed it, Saturday Night Live featured a skit last week that involved Jesus making a visit to the locker room of the Denver Broncos.

There are plenty of aspects to nitpick about how Jesus is portrayed here, and I won't even comment on the plug for Mormonism, but I want to focus on what I perceive as the main thrust: Tim Tebow needs to "take it down a notch." One of the more interesting things I've seen in a while is the YouTube video of Tim Tebow with a microphone recording everything he said during the recent game against the Bears, where the Broncos pulled off an incredible victory. It's about 10 minutes long, but I think it gives a lot of insight into the person. In many ways, he reminds me of what I've read in Brother Lawrence's book, The Practice of the Presence of God. It is clear that he tries to capture every moment as a type of spiritual formation, focussing on working as if for God, giving God the glory "win or lose", and looking at all of life through a spiritual lens. He even manages to be incredibly gracious in the face of his critics.

So what is it that people find so objectionable about Tim Tebow? I'm sure there are many answers to that. I think above all else, people hate being confronted with the truth that not all Christians are primarily hypocrites. Sure, we all have our shortcomings, as does Tebow, but there are a lot of Christians who live much better lives than most of our culture would want to admit.

I was interested in watching who of my Facebook friends would pick up on the Tebow SNL video, and what they would say about it. At the risk of being judgmental, I was surprised how similar all the people were who said it was "FANTASTIC" or "SO TRUE!" These were all people I had known to be really nice, but who also had a strong edge, liking to party and drink hard, and not to attend church much. They would self-identify as "Christian", but would be what I consider the very definition of lukewarmness. "I like God and I believe in Jesus, but I still like to party, and I don't think God would want me being all in anybody's face about Him."

I posted a tweet as I was thinking about this: "If Jesus had taken it "down a notch", he would not have been crucified. Christ didn't bow to political correctness."

I think the real problem with Tebow is not a problem with Tebow; it is a problem with the rest of us. It has become so rare for people to experience a passionate Christian who is not ashamed to explain why they love so much, work so hard, forgive so readily, etc., that he's a true novelty. I really wish that among Christians, Tim was not so much the exception, but the norm. "Why can't Tebow keep his 'private beliefs' quiet like all the other Christians?" "I think it's great if you want to believe, but I don't think people should proselytize."

All we DON'T need is yet another Christian who is willing to stop talking about what he believes, and why he does what he does.

I have accepted that some people will never get it, and will always think that Tebow's faith is primarily about winning football games (as the SNL skit sort of implies). I have accepted that Tebow is going to make mistakes sometimes, and that people who have guilty consciences about their own moral shortcomings will attack him as harshly as they can muster.

In the mean time, I pray for Tim Tebow. I pray that he won't stop doing a lot of the wonderful things he is doing. I pray that he won't quit saying why he does them. I pray that I can have more courage not only to do right, but to talk about what is right. Even if most will reject it, our world needs to hear the voice of truth in a cacophony of lies. Those who are seeking need the chance to find.

I hope that this younger generation of Christians will have more faith and boldness than the last few generations have. We need more people to be like Tim Tebow, and we certainly don't need any more Christians to "take it down a notch." It's amazing how when people try and really live for Christ, it has a way of bringing the enemy out into the light.

Thankful

2011-11-23T13:40:00.004-06:00

I have taken far too long to make a post on here, so for any of you who still follow me at all, thanks!

I've seen a lot of my friends making daily status updates with things they are thankful for, such as family, friends, jobs, etc. I'm thankful for all of those things. I tend to like to add my own twist, so I'm going to list what I would consider my second tier of things for which I am genuinely thankful, assuming items like God, Family, Job, Country, etc. would be the top tier.

I'm also thankful for (not at all in any order):

Missionaries. These folks spend a lot of time in lonely places and aren't encouraged nearly as often as they ought to be. They have my respect and admiration. In fact, if it weren't for mission-minded people, none of us would have a church to call "home." Every congregation is in some way a result of a person/group of people dreaming, praying, and sharing. We need more people like this.
Remote Controls. I still think it's fantastic that I can sit on my couch, like a king on his throne, and command the television to do what I want, all without having to walk over and move anything. No, it isn't new technology, but I can't imagine life without it. It also still excites me to lock and unlock my car from a distance, especially in the rain.
Online Banking. I absolutely love that I really only seldom have to fool with balancing a checkbook or physically writing any checks. Using debit cards and tracking spending online has made my life considerably easier.
Fruit Tea. I don't know who came up with the stuff, but when made well, there's just nothing like it.
Erasmus. He put together the first Greek version of the New Testament, which enabled people to start translating it into their own languages. I'm also thankful for all the other people who were shamed and killed in the effort to get the Bible into the langages of common people everywhere. It has changed the world.
Experience. I'm thankful to have a few more years of life under my belt. I have learned much in the rise of social media about the importance of watching one's words. I spend more time on Facebook holding my tongue than I do anything else. I've learned that people do pay close attention to what you say and how you say it. The more I've given attention to these kinds of skills, the easier and more effective my life has been. And overall, I've gotten better at it, and I'm thankful to at least feel like I'm getting better.
Fair-Minded Criticism. I've learned that in all critics, there is at least some element of truth in there somewhere. When someone has been able to suggest to me how I can be a better person/preacher/teacher, and they've meant it with my best interests at heart, it's been good for me. There are often perspectives that I'm blind to, and when someone has pointed out to me another way to view things, whether on this blog, FB, or somewhere else, it's made me better.
Smart phones. I think the ability to use GPS on the go is especially wonderful. Smart phones have improved my life in tons of ways, and I expect they'll only keep getting better.
Goals. My dad taught me that you should always have something you're excited about and can look forward to. For him, it was crucial that we have a family vacation in planning every year so that we could always be working towards it. This mentality has helped me to finish school, to get books published, and to be a more optimistic person. Goals are good things. I try to always keep something in my future that requires me to work towards it.

Is there anything else you're especially glad we have in this world that wouldn't be in the usual lists of stuff you're thankful for?

Interns and My Mr. Potato Head Collection

2011-08-03T10:31:00.008-05:00

I have always viewed my blog primarily as my own journal, which I just happen to let people read. I sometimes do series of things that I think would be helpful to others, but a lot of what I write, I write for myself. This is one of those kinds of posts.

I had a really terrific summer. My two interns, Kevin Burr and Alex(andra) McGriff were just fantastic. I have been really bummed out this week not to have them with me. The office is a much lonelier place.

To me, one of the marks of closeness is when you can give someone a gift that fits them well. I had a former intern (Lisa York) and a recent intern (Alex McGriff) who both hit this one on the head in the last month. People who've been to my office know that I collect Mr. Potato Heads. When I'm old and rich, I'm going to start collecting hand carved stone chess sets. But for now, I'm on a Potato Head budget, and these keep me happy. (Note: Carolina has stolen my Nashville Predators Potato Head from my collection, but I will find a way to retrieve it.)

In appreciation for me performing her wedding, Lisa got me "Mashter Yoda"; one of the Star Wars Potato Heads that I was still lacking (there are several more out there that I need!). This was awesome, and it made me feel good that she would have such a sense of what I would like.

Then last Sunday, for her parting gift to me, Alex made me a Frodo, Lord of the Rings Potato Head. Technically, she has dubbed him "Frodato: Spud of the Rings." But she actually sewed his outfit and made it from scratch, using a normal Potato Head. So for now, I own the only existing Frodato in the world, as far as I know. Isn't this the coolest?

So far, I have worked with four sets of interns at Old Hickory; one guy and one girl at a time. It's amazing how much you bond with someone in just a couple of months when you're doing ministry together. I really miss all of my interns, and think of them often. They all have things they do well, and there are great memories I have with each of them.

2008 - Colby Paul and Joyanna (Jakubiak) Farnsworth

Colby and Joyanna were a great start for me. They were both extremely hands on. I got tickled at how many times during the summer they would walk to my office from theirs in the next room and say, "We got ___ done. What else can we do?" They were great at just wanting to get together with the kids, and their personalities were so much fun. There was a lot of playful banter that summer. Joyanna was from Massachusetts, and it's been cool to watch her stay in touch with the kids over Facebook these last few years, despite the distance. I've always felt like I really didn't know what I was doing that summer, but they were really supportive and understanding of my weaknesses. I hope I've gotten better each year since.

2009 - Jared Dickens and Lisa (York) McClendon

Jared and Lisa brought two very different skill sets to the intern position, but they shared some things in common as well. Jared was a huge cut up, and made everything fun because of his contagious laugh. Lisa was an incredible organizer, and did so much to make the summer run smoothly. Both cared a lot about the kids. They also did great at promoting events. They put together a lot of really funny videos to encourage the kids to participate in what all was going on. They also both had a strong passion for music and singing, and helped a lot in that regard. I'll also always remember the song they wrote about me, complete with music video, about how I don't like feet.

2010 - Ma Bin and Bethany (Benson) Noles

Ma Bin was from China, and was my first international intern. I liked to claim, "I search the world to bring you the finest interns that exist." He was quite a novelty for the kids, as many of them had never known a Chinese person. There were so many funny things he said and did. To this day, many of the kids still refer to me as "Brother Mark," which is what he always called me. I think a favorite memory of mine will be when I interviewed him before the church on a Sunday night about what it's like to be a Christian in China. Really eye-opening stuff. Bethany is one of the purest, most nurturing people I've ever known. Ma Bin was such an extrovert, I had worried a lot that Bethany would get overshadowed and forgotten, but this was not the case. She was an outstanding teacher, and put a lot of effort into spending time with the kids. Not to mention, she gave Ma Bin rides everywhere all the time in her car (he couldn't drive). She was a great influence on the girls, and they got very attached to her.

2011 - Kevin Burr and Alex McGriff

Kevin and Alex had an advantage above my other interns in that I was finally done with my MDiv degree, and was a lot more available than what I had been in years past. They were both extremely competent. Kevin is going to be a really good Greek professor one day, and is going to be widely respected, wherever he is. He was especially good at mentoring, and was actively working at helping the kids have a better focus in every situation. He also makes lots of funny sound effects. Alex might be the most entertaining person I've ever worked with. She's a really good idea person. She managed to scare me this summer on a regular basis, hiding behind desks, doors, decorations, and whatever else she could find, then jumping out at me. She was incredible at camp, and completely revitalized our morning song routines. She also experienced the rare privilege of having an entire camp skit based on her. Kevin and Alex both put an enormous amount of energy into their classes, and it was a blessing for the kids. They also both were great sounding boards for me and some of the things I had going on in my life. I felt like I could talk to either of them about anything.

Every year, when my interns have finished up, I have been really sad, thinking, "How am I ever going to find two more people that I'll want to work with and enjoy it this much?" But every year, God has blessed me with good people who have been a great help to our church. I'm so thankful for each of these people.

Check Out My New Book!

2011-07-20T14:16:00.003-05:00

My second publication hit shelves just yesterday. It is another contribution to the excellent FLEX series by 21st Century Christian publishers. The idea behind FLEX is that they could offer a variety of quality Bible studies that are available at any time, and not only at a particular quarter (which is how most curriculum is produced and rotated).

This one is called Watershed Moments: Pivotal Points in Church History. I tried to make a very basic collection of highlights that would be good material for discussion in Bible classes. I also have written from a Restorationist perspective. As many of our churches have historical amnesia to an extent, but are likewise suspicious of denominational literature, I hope this will give them a more comfortable way to encounter believers of the past. The material is about 1/3 pre-Reformation, 1/3 Reformation, and 1/3 Restoration Movement. It is by no means an exhaustive study of church history, but it would make a great first step if you are curious about it, but don't know where to begin.

They are priced so that you could teach it at church, and be able to afford a copy for everyone in your class. You can check out a free sample of a chapter, or purchase the book here.

I'm on TV again.

2011-07-20T13:57:00.003-05:00

So for the 4th time in the last year, I am on TV again. I was at 21st Century Christian picking up my new book, and a lady was there making a clip about a new Bible translation. She suckered me into doing an interview. I got tickled that she bills me as a "Nashville resident", as if that alone gives someone all the credentials they need to critique a Bible translation.

But at least my statements were represented fairly, if briefly.

Here is the link if you want to see it.

My Amazing Wife

2011-06-10T10:58:00.002-05:00

I wanted to brag on my wife, who has done well in her career. She was recently featured on Broadman & Holman's blog, sharing her journey to how she got where she is.

Here is the link.

Being Interesting 09 - Try On Some Different Shoes

2011-06-01T05:59:00.005-05:00

I think there may not be a better way to get a fresh take on a familiar story than to view it from a different person's perspective, walking in their shoes, so to speak. I think this is particularly true when trying to see things from the perspective of a person who is lower in social standing, such as women or slave characters. Rather than talk about Abraham's life through his eyes, have you ever considered it from Sarah's perspective?

Can you imagine being told by your husband:
"We're going to be moving."
"Where?"
"I don't know. God'll tell us when we get there."
"How long will it take?"
"I have no idea."
"But what's wrong with where we are?"
"Nothing. But God's telling us to move, so we're gonna move."

Or when traveling through a foreign land, "Hey, I'm not going to tell anyone I'm married to you. We're going to tell them you're my sister." Imagine the fear of being taken away from your family to the royal palace where who knows what you might be expected to do; particularly as your husband denies being married to you.

Or what about the day that your husband tells you he's going to take your precious only child to a mountain and kill him to "worship God." Abraham got the benefit of an angel to stop him, but don't forget that Sarah was still at home, waiting for his return, expecting he had just murdered their first child...if he even filled her in on the details before he left.

It is quite a different point of view!

I wanted to share as an example of this approach in a song by a college friend of mine named Matthew Wright (a.k.a. "Fiji"). He used to perform a lot around HU doing mostly Christian-oriented acoustic rock. It's written about Jesus from the perspective of a Roman soldier. I think there's no better way to experience it than to hear him sing it, but the words still speak powerfully. Matt was kind enough to share the lyrics with me so I could post them here.

I'm just a Roman Soldier walking up this hill
I remember him coming up towards me in such pain and agony
Such pain and agony
I nailed his hands into the Cross
I nailed his feet into the Cross
And every time I pounded he cried so loud

But He knew and He loved and He wanted you set free from the sin like a cage that binds you and me

But I'm just a Roman Soldier standing on this hill
I remember He forgave us all
He said, "Lord forgive them. They know not what they do."
He forgave us all
And then He died
I pierced His side
He had no pride
He did not hide from the fact that He loved us all
He loved us all

And He knew and He loved and He wanted you set free from the sin like a cage that binds you and me

But I'm just a Roman Soldier looking off this hill
I remember they took His body away
And they rolled a stone right over the grave
And I watched that grave for three days and nights
I watched that grave with all my might
And I don't know what happened
Don't ask me what happened
I know just one thing
One thing
He rose
He rolled the stone away
He rose to live another day

I want to believe in you oh God
I want to go where your feet have trod
Give me a strength that is so true
Are you really the King of the Jews?

You know and you love and you want to set me free from the sin like a cage that binds me

But hey, I'm just a Roman Soldier

Being Interesting 08 - Ten Minutes

2011-05-25T05:13:00.003-05:00

Just a quick piece of advise:

Your listeners are conditioned by television to the point that they really only have an attention span that is, in total, about the length of a TV episode (22 minutes). Along with this, they are used to segments that are about 10 minutes long. This means if you don't do something about once every 10 minutes that jars them back to what you're doing (like a commercial break), they're going to be drifting off.

I was reading recently that the average American adult typically gets distracted at work about once every 2 minutes. What's worse (and I've found this to be true in my case), if they don't get distracted in 2 minutes, they will actually find a way to distract themselves. There were preachers of the past who could use lots of dry logic and long quotations, reasoning for hours and hours to a captivated audience. Those were marvelous times, but they aren't the times where we're living.

It is worth doing something to change directions or pace about once every ten minutes. This is also why I prefer not to make lots of bland introductory comments. I know that the moment I begin to speak, my clock is already ticking. It's better to engage them while they're still listening, rather than to use up their attention spans announcing what they already know about the weather.

Harding's New Oglesby Preaching Studio

2011-05-18T10:00:00.005-05:00

Harding University has recently added a new state-of-the-art preaching studio. It is a decent sized room, set up much like a contemporary church auditorium. I have personally been really concerned with the shortage of preachers in churches of Christ, though I know the problem isn't unique to us. This new studio was paid for by the Waterview Church of Christ in Richardson, TX, and it is named the Oglesby Preaching Studio in honor of Robert K. Oglesby, a long time minister at their congregation. I appreciate Harding trying to place an emphasis on this important area. It's good to communicate that preaching is something that is cherished and is worth putting resources into. I also commend the Waterview congregation for making this needed area such a priority.

Here is a link to the news article.

Here are some pictures that my dear friend Bruce McLarty, VP of Spiritual Life, sent to me when I asked him about it:

Being Interesting 07 - Reduce the Application Scope

2011-05-18T05:51:00.002-05:00

When you are trying to really bring the point of your lesson home to be in the hearts and lives of your listeners, you should do it in ways that they can actually utilize. Too often, I have heard people overextend an application to the point that it's no longer applicable.

Here are some examples:
- In a lesson about being evangelistic, one guy made a lot of valid and motivating points, then concluded by saying, "We need to be reaching out to our friends and family, but it doesn't stop there. It isn't good enough to just be reaching to our city, or our nations...Jesus wants us to reach the entire world! We've got to be going for the whole world!" Certainly, reaching the whole world is our goal. I'm a big believer in churches using more than one worship service a year to emphasize supported mission works. But when your lesson is geared toward people who are presently living nearby, and thinking more about what they're going to do this week, it would be more productive to give them better insights for reaching their friends, rather than burdening them with a task that you don't realistically expect any of you to tackle in the next week.

- In a class that was supposed to be about drugs and substance abuse, the class started off discussing narcotics, and then began to spiral downward. "Well, really, a lot of things are drugs. If you want to get technical, nicotine is a drug. Caffeine is a drug. Chocolate is a drug. And for some people, power is a drug..." They went on and on ad infinitum to the point that there is absolutely nothing that isn't a drug, and therefore, the discussion became too broad to be useful. If we're all drug users in some way, then it relieves us of the burden to be an example or to hold others accountable.

I think your listeners find it much more helpful when the application of the message is brought down into achievable baby steps, chipping away at a larger goal, rather than just loading them up with an impossible task. Rather than guy #1 moving from friends and family to the entire world, he should have done it in reverse. "Christ wants to reach the whole world with the Gospel. We want to do our part in achieving His vision by reaching out with love to our own community. We want our friends and family to be part of God's family. We want lives to be changed here in our congregation, letting God work through our hands and our words."

If you want people to take your application seriously, make it something they can actually do.

Being Interesting 06 - Don't Rush It

2011-05-11T05:32:00.001-05:00

When I first started preaching, I was always trying to find weird and unconventional passages to look at. I thought everyone had probably heard the story of the Prodigal Son to the point that they were wishing the kid would run off again, just to make it juicier. And then one time I heard a preacher who said (my paraphrase), "You don't have to go hunting around the back half of Zephaniah to find a text that is helpful and refreshing. The reason that we tend to use and re-use certain passages is because they are so effective at speaking to us in meaningful ways. It's ok to preach from a familiar passage."

When I heard it, I heaved a sigh of relief. It really is ok to talk to people about something they've heard before.

But similar to this, I think there's a different fault that we often commit. That is, every time you reference a familiar story, you just say, "You all know the story of....", then you suck the point out of it. It's like the old poem about Little Jack Horner:

Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said 'What a good boy am I!'

When we go ahead and pull out the plumb we are wanting, we are robbing our audience of the experience of reliving the story.

I think another flaw in this approach is the assumption that all our listeners are biblically literate. I am regularly shocked at just how little most people--even Christians--know about the Bible. I think some of the most powerful stories in the Bible, such as the Creation narrative and Noah's experience with the flood, are often overlooked as kid stories. We think, "I learned about that when I was little," and we never give it a serious hearing.

I think good preaching is textually-centered preaching. We need to chew on each verse as if it were a high dollar steak from Ruth's Chris.

If we really help people to re-live and re-explore passages, whether they are familiar or not, our sermons will become more engaging. I would encourage preachers to slow down. Rather than referencing 3 or 4 parables as quick illustrations of a point, why not really live in one of the parables for a sermon? Even if they've heard it before, help them to see it through new eyes. As our situation in life changes, our perspective changes. This is why we can read the Bible through year after year and still hear it in ways that we've never experienced before.

So for now, slow it down. Spend time in the text and allow it to be your authority, whether it is familiar or not.

For Mother's Day: Things Mom Would Never Say

2011-05-08T07:47:00.000-05:00

"How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?"
"Yeah, I used to skip school a lot, too."
"Just leave all the lights on ... it makes the house look more cheery."
"Let me smell that shirt -- Yeah, it's good for another week."
"Go ahead and keep that stray dog, honey. I'll be glad to feed and walk him every day."
"Well, if Ron's mamma says it's okay, that's good enough for me."
"The curfew is just a general time to shoot for. It's not like I'm running a prison around here."
"I don't have a tissue with me ... just use your sleeve."
"Don't bother wearing a jacket - the wind-chill is bound to improve."

Happy Mother's Day!

A Christian Guide to Not Being A Jerk On The Internet

2011-05-04T14:16:00.003-05:00

My friend Justin Lewis shared this on Facebook. It is well worth reading and thinking about. I see an awful lot of etiquette (and lack of it) that really bothers me some of the time. Christians need to be wise about both what we say and how we say it.

Being Interesting 05 - The Value of Mystery

2011-05-04T05:02:00.004-05:00

There is an old bit of advice that I've heard from a lot of places. One surprising place was on Conan's show, where he mentioned that Jerry Lewis gave him this advice as the key to success in show business. The advice is this:

When performing for a crowd, (1) tell them what you're going to do/say, (2) do/say it, (3) tell them it has been done.

For a juggling or sword swallowing trick, this is probably just fine. But I've also heard people say this is what you should do with your sermons. Begin with, "My sermon is titled: _____. Today I will give you 3 reasons why ____." Next, give them your 3 reasons, clearly identifying each point, one at a time. Finally, recap all three reasons, letting them know you have done it. In other words: Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you've told them.

This method is clearly organized, but I also think it can become boring and predictable if the speaker doesn't have some good material to keep the listeners interested. I've really had to watch myself in this regard when I listen to other preachers. If you tell me what the title of your sermon is, I already think I know part of where you're going with it. If you give me point #1 and I agree with it, I tend to go ahead and shut my ears off, and often find myself reading through a biblical text or daydreaming until point #2 comes around. Depending on whether I agree or disagree with point #2, I feel free to tune in or tune out. If your audience is capable of mentally jumping ahead of you, a lot of times they will (or at least, INTJs like me will).

David Fleer once compared this approach to walking through a house, pointing out every time you encountered a wall, door, window, or stair. "This here is the living room door that we're walking through." "These here are stairs that we're going down." We don't do that in real life; we just go through the door, or walk down the stairs. It isn't necessary to always explain what you're doing because if you do it well enough, your audience will stay with you. There are certainly sermons more information-driven where clarity is imperative and this is the better approach. But much of the time, I'm convinced other approaches are more captivating.

I say all this to say that I believe there are few things more intrinsically interesting than mystery. At this point, I do not use title slides in my sermons at all. I do not introduce what I'm going to be speaking about, and I certainly don't tell them what all to expect. I don't even spend 3 or 4 minutes on the niceties of "So glad you're here today," or "Good to see so many visitors." I try to get down to business fairly quickly, and it is often my goal that for about the first ten minutes, my audience is thinking, "Where exactly is he going with all of this?" Hopefully, by the end of the lesson I have succeed and they can see how it all fit together (I do eventually try to make some clear points). But I want them fully engaged with me during the entire process.

I think there is a lot of wisdom in Fred Craddock's inductive method. Rather than giving a point and saying, "Here are a few reasons I believe it to be true," like a lawyer, it is better to work like a detective. Gather clues as if you are encountering them for the first time. Think out loud. Let them discover the reasons with you along the way, and by the time you get to making your point, they'll be wanting to help you make it, because they have discovered the same thing in the process. Fred Craddock is even bolder than I am in that he often never even states his main point, trusting the audience to reach it on their own.

If you can give people something to try and figure out, you'll hold their attention. Don't be too quick to lay all your cards on the table.

Rush Praises Obama

2011-05-02T16:54:00.001-05:00

This is not something I ever expected to hear. He doesn't just praise him in passing, but goes on and on about it.

Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-02T14:30:00.002-05:00

There is much that has been said, can be said, and will be said about Osama Bin Laden's death. I don't rejoice in the loss of life. In fact, many lives have been lost in his pursuit. But it feels good to see him come to justice. At the same time, we see that human justice has limited potential. We can kill a man, yet this is only a punishment of evil, not a restoration of all that was lost. Many people still mourn victims of terrorist attacks and war that we won't get to see again in this life. Maranatha, Lord Jesus!

I liked this image I found online, made by an artist in Puri, India. It's an important date to remember: 5/1/2011.

I'm at the minister luncheon

2011-05-02T12:29:00.001-05:00

I'm here.

A Meaningful Life

2011-04-27T12:01:00.007-05:00

Marcus Borgman, quoted by Randy Harris, lists a few statements that you should be able truthfully to say often. If you can't say these things much of the time, it is likely you could be doing much better with your life:

There’s no other place I’d rather be.
There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.
There’s no one else I’d rather be with.
I’ll remember this.

Being Interesting 04 - The Excluded Middle

2011-04-27T05:52:00.001-05:00

There is a classic missions article from Paul Hiebert called, "The Flaw of the Excluded Middle," that I think has some real value for Westerners. In our Western mindset, we have categories for things that are transcendent and we have categories for things that are empirical. Religion speaks to one, and Science speaks to the other, and never the twain shall meet.

But in much of the world, along with having these two categories, there is also a middle category. Many peoples of the world still believe actively in ghosts, evil spirits, and in supernatural explanations for things we would explain scientifically. When a missionary from the West is approached by a tribal African to use prayer to heal their child's disease, the missionary often doesn't know what to do. The end result is that many Christian converts in non-Western nations still consult witch doctors to help with a number of pragmatic things, because the missionaries will either have no response, or will deny the existence of whatever the convert feels is a threat or problem. (There are no ghosts...the sickness isn't because of a spirit...etc.)

I'll quote a couple of paragraphs from Hiebert about this middle area of experience:

On the middle level, a holistic theology includes a theology of God in human history: in the affairs of nations, of peoples and of individuals. This must include a theology of divine guidance, provision and healing; of ancestors, spirits and invisible powers of this world; and of suffering, misfortune and death.
On this level, some sections of the church have turned to doctrines of saints as intermediaries between God and humans. Others have turned to doctrines of the Holy Spirit to show God's active involvement in the events of human history. It is no coincidence that many of the most successful missions have provided some form of Christian answer to middle level questions.

I think most of us ministering to Westerners don't have any people actively worried about displeasing the ghosts of their ancestors (unless you are ministering to Glenn Beck--ha!). But there is something to be said for reflecting on what the middle areas are in our culture.

We tend to talk about God entirely in theological terms. When we speak about history, if its biblical history, we see God hard at work. If it's U.S. History, we have no paradigm for how to speak about the involvement of God in any of what we're doing.

But I do think it makes for good sermons when we speak about God at work in our time, in our lives, and in our communities of faith. In your sermons, don't separate the "theological" from the "practical". Theology, if it is done right, ought to affect everything else. If Jesus is Lord, then he is Lord of all parts of our lives. If God is not at work in our churches, then what are we doing anyway? Let's embrace a worldview that God is active now, and not just in the ancient past or in the distant future. I've found that people feel really empowered when you as a leader will stand up and boldly proclaim the actions of God in the world, and envision what else God can do in your own setting through your own hands. If that isn't relevant, then what is?

Incidentally, Patrick of Ireland was great at ministering to the middle area. There is an old Irish prayer for just about every aspect of a person's life, from getting up, to working, to eating, to laying down at night. If you've never had a look at the Carmina Gadelica--a collection of old Irish religious prayers and poetry, it is worth your time (and it's cheap on Kindle!).

Being Interesting 03 - How To Order Multiple Illustrations

2011-04-20T05:42:00.001-05:00

This is a practical piece of advice I got from David Fleer. If you ever have multiple illustrations for a single point, you should always order them from smallest to largest. What happens is that when the ear has heard one illustration, whenever you start into another one, the brain says, "This will be at least as long as the previous one."

If you start out with a really long illustration, then go into another, people's ears will instantly shut down. They'll be thinking, "I don't want to sit through another one of those just yet." But if you start with the smaller one, then move to the bigger one(s), it will work better for your listener.

So if you had a good quick joke, a one-line quote, and a short story, the best order would be (1) one line quote, (2) quick joke, and (3) short story. It doesn't matter which is the best of the bunch, because if your quick joke is your best one, but it is after a longer one, no one will still be listening to hear it. And if they are listening, they'll feel tired.

Being Interesting 02 - Tension and Release

2011-04-13T05:21:00.001-05:00

I'm an avid lover of music. I think what makes really good music are the dynamics of a song. When the music builds or falls along with the content of the lyrics, it just feels right. Most any good melody somehow ends on the root note of whatever key of the song is. Everything up until the root hits is the anticipation of that resolution. Sometimes we know what note is supposed to come next, even if we've never heard the song. Think of all the dynamics in "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. There are the varying types of music, there is the loudness and softness, the fastness and slowness. It all weaves together into an experience that leaves you feeling satisfied.

Likewise, every movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat has some sort of tension that needs to be resolved. The greater the tension, the more satisfactory the conclusion. Or at least, the more potential for satisfaction the conclusion will have available.

I have found that creating tension in the progression of a sermon works just as well. If you have a really good story that illustrates your main point, rather than tell it all at one point, try splitting it in half. Tell enough of it to let them get attached to what is going on, but don't give them "the rest of the story" until you've finished working through the other material. Even better, don't tell them there is any more to the story. It is difficult to restrain yourself from giving away the rest, but if you can hold on to it, it will pay off.

I did this several weeks ago, and was amazed how effective it was. Long story short: when I was teaching at Harding, I had a student who was a new Christian, and wanted to study the Bible with his dad. He was short on cash, so I helped him purchase a Bible for his dad, shortly before we moved to Tennessee. About two years later, I got a Facebook message from this student, telling me that he had just baptized his father, having studied with him using the Bible I helped him purchase. It was an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, and I am still moved to tears thinking about it.

The way I used this was to tell the story up until the part where I bought him the Bible and we moved away. I talked about my regret in having to move, but my trust that God would continue to work in that situation, even if I couldn't be physically there any more. After I was done making my other points, at the very end of the sermon, I said, "Do you remember the student I told you about? I got a message from him I want to let you hear..."

What was cool was how so many people came up to me and said, "I just KNEW there was more to that story!" That tells me that it kept them plugged in, but it also told me what a terrible blunder it would have been to create the tension without giving them the resolution.

If used properly, I think sermons that utilize tension and release can provide extremely engaging experiences for the listeners.

Positive Comments from a Methodist about Churches of Christ

2011-04-07T10:01:00.002-05:00

Dr. Oster from the Harding Grad School shared this article on Facebook. For obvious reasons, I absolutely loved it. I think we have a lot of positive things to offer, and I personally don't get the zeal I'm seeing in my peers to throw away a lot of the aspects that make us unique among Christian movements.

Being Interesting 01 - Sensory Language

2011-04-06T05:15:00.003-05:00

In telling a story, I think a primary goal is to get your audience to feel connected to the situation. I think a great way to do this is to specifically talk about what the audience would gather through their senses in the encounter; particularly the sense of smell, which is a very strong memory device.

A good example would be John 5.

A bland way to describe the Pool of Bethesda:

Bethesda was a pool of water located near the Sheep gate. It was surrounded by five columns. There was a large number of invalid and unhealthy people who always stayed around the pool. They believed a legend that when the pool waters stirred, presumably by an angel, the first one into the pool would be healed.

A more interesting way to describe the Pool of Bethesda:

As Jesus and his disciples walked the roads of Jerusalem, then ended up near the Sheep Gate, at a pool called Bethesda. If you were to go to Bethesda, you could smell it before you could see it. It was a place of sickness and sadness. Walking past each of the five columns around it, you would see people huddled in their shade, trying to avoid the scorching sun. There was the constant tension, pushing and shoving. Countless people who were blind, lame, and paralyzed laid there trembling with anticipation that maybe, just maybe, today would be their day to get in first. You see, they were clinging to a legend that when the waters stirred, the first one to get in would be healed. But with eyes that couldn't see and legs that couldn't carry them there, what hope did they have of being first? Even more, was their hope in this pool an empty wish to begin with?

In this particular passage, there is some great stuff you could do with the details about the man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Look at current events from 38 years ago, and walk a person through all that someone would have lived through in our own history in 38 years time.

But I think the story really comes to life when they can smell the stench, when the heat burns their skin, and when they experience the hopelessness of never being first.

Being Interesting

2011-04-05T17:10:00.003-05:00

I don't pretend to be the world's greatest speaker, nor do I think I'm even in the running. But I do a lot of speaking and presenting, and over time, I've found certain approaches that have helped me to improve at connecting with my audiences. It's been a while since I've done a blog series, so I thought it would be worthwhile to make a few small posts about some things I keep in mind as I speak and present. These will certainly be applicable for preachers, but I think many will have uses beyond the pulpit. As always, I'll welcome your input.

James Frey's Final Testament of the Holy Bible

2011-03-14T14:04:00.003-05:00

There really isn't anything that new or innovative about this, but I thought it would be worth mentioning. Lots of authors/artists/singers/movie makers think they're being really edgy when they try and picture Jesus with a decreased set of personal standards. James Frey has a new book coming out on Good Friday which is a supposed third and final testament for the Bible.

He's tried to imagine Jesus living today in New York, going by the name Ben Jones. Frey's Jesus lives with a prostitute, performs gay marriages (he even messes around with guys some himself), smokes pot, and is an alcoholic. Though Jesus is radically different, Judas is the "same as he was two thousand years ago", a "selfish man who thinks of himself before the good of humanity, who values money more than love."

Frey is known for his controversial, heavily embellished personal memoirs called Million Little Pieces, for which he ended up taking a lot of flack. He published them as true and accurate, but as people began fact-checking, other than the fact that Frey was actually a criminal and drug addict, not much else can be verified. Oprah was particularly displeased with him.

I bring this up to say/observe:

1. Many of my readers are Christians, and I think it's prudent of us to be aware of cultural trends on the front end when we can. This book may not make too much of a splash, but if it does, let's be aware of it.

2. I am always amazed how that when people try to re-imagine Jesus, he ends up looking exactly like them. This is certainly true of the Jesus Seminar. They have even published their own version of the Gospels with color coded texts. The colors indicate the level of certainty that the words present are actually the words of Jesus, or are historically reliable. The amazing thing is, if you only read the passages that they have voted--yes actually voted--are truly attributable to Jesus, he only teaches exactly the things that they happen to think and believe. We all wrestle with the aspects of Jesus and his teaching that call us into obedience to him, and rather than submit, it's more convenient to trim Jesus down to fit our comfort levels.

3. Frey's Jesus is no better than his Judas. The obtuse irony here actually made me chuckle to myself. Judas is a "selfish man" who thinks of himself and loves money, but Jesus here is a selfish man who thinks of himself and loves sexual indulgence and alcohol. Not much of a point to following this messiah...he's no better than we are, and certainly in no place to instruct people morally.

4. I wonder if Frey's next book will be the sequel to the Quran. Perhaps he can call it "The Great Satan Strikes Back," or , "Mohammed Rides Again." Seriously, though, I'm so bored with people who think they are being edgy by attacking or mocking Christianity. They only do it because Christians won't do anything to endanger their health. I'd like to see someone with the guts to try this approach to interpreting Mohammed's life in a modern setting, especially the part about his six-year-old wife...no worries, he waited until she was at least 9 to consummate it. Of course, in all honesty, I think that such a creation would be a thoroughly unproductive thing. I'm just noting the huge discrepancy about the way in which Christianity gets mocked and slandered without fear of retribution, as compared to Islam.

How Can Churches Move Forward On The Gay Issue?

2011-03-04T13:09:00.008-06:00

I make this post with a good deal of hesitation. My goal is not to stir things up, but to push all of us Christians to be the kind of community that Christ envisioned. These thoughts are my own, and if you have anything to add, I'll gladly hear yours. I just think we've got to be deliberate about how we move forward on this.

Several months ago, I was still having my blog feed to my FB account. Ironically, though my blog is much more accessible publicly, I get a lot more response to my posts by people on FB. I wrote one article, speaking out against Obama's efforts to promote and celebrate homosexuality, which I see as the deterioration of morality. This led to a very involved discussion among me and my friends, and in the end, it left me feeling unsatisfied. Since most of my blog readers are a good deal more civil than some of my FB friends (sadly, it's the ones who agree with me with whom I've had the most issues), I opted not to share my blog on FB any more. I don't regret my stances, but there are several things I wish I would have worded differently. Sexual preferences are an intensely personal issue. I had made up my mind not to post any more on the subject, yet it keeps on being a very relevant issue that I'm thinking about.

Just this week, a group of anonymous people claiming to be current and former Harding students published a work called The State of the Gay at Harding University. For several reasons, I'm convinced that there may have been some outside organization involved in this (it is both too professional in some ways, and too out of touch with Harding's environment in other ways). I decided to bite my tongue about the whole thing, until I got a call from a close friend at Harding who asked a challenging question: "Mark, I understand what the Bible teaches. I agree that it's unambiguous about extramarital sex being against the will of God. But we've also got to be realistic. There are going to be gay people around us. There just are. What should our churches be doing? How do we move forward?"

Now there, in my mind, is a productive conversation to be had.

What I want to do with this post is to try and explore some ideas about what Christians need to be doing in a world that is increasingly accepting homosexuality as normative. Let me first reference two things:
1. Albert Mohler's excellent article on the cultural factors that have produced the current mindset.
2. Cole Yoakum's post that really started helping me think about this in some ways I hadn't before. I don't agree with Cole on all aspects, but he's moving in some good directions with his thinking.

-------------

I invite anyone and everyone to weigh in on this conversation, but based on how I see things, here are my suggestions for what we should do.

1. The Church needs to understand Her own identity as a redemptive community.

We should be a place for people to find rest for their souls. A place where broken people find a better purpose. I know that God delights in displaying his strength through our weaknesses.

When you read of Paul's experiences in Corinth, he says in I Cor. 6:9-11:

⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Roman culture embraced homosexual practices, and even considered male friendship to be the highest form of love (See Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, p.70-76). In every culture, the church has to articulate and embody Christ's vision for a better community. In Corinth, this vision certainly incorporated those inclined towards fornication, homosexuality, greed, alcohol, or dishonesty. Paul says, "That's what some of you were!"

I think in approaching the issue, we should begin with the question, "How can God take what is broken in this situation and use it for his glory?" Our goal for everyone should be redemption, because redemption is what we seek for our own souls. The Church should be a place where everyone has a chance to use what they are for something better than their own empowerment.

2. We should spend more energy promoting virtuous living, rather than merely condemning sinful living.

If there's anything I've learned from my dialogue with people on gay-related issues, it's that we have been loud and clear about how Scripture condemns homosexuality. Gays know we believe they are doing wrong. Though there are some efforts on the fringes to reinterpret Paul's writings, these are very recent and innovative approaches that have arisen because of a cultural agenda. Billions of Christians over thousands of years have had no trouble understanding the text to mean what it says.

That having said, we all have passages that make us uncomfortable. As I watch Blu-rays on my nice HD television, sitting on my leather sectional, I personally don't enjoy reading passages that suggest I should not be so worried about accumulating earthly treasures. Why? Because I'm guilty of materialism. In America, we hardly even consider passages about fasting or self-denial. Nobody likes being confronted with their own shortcomings.

If our only approach to homosexuality is to say, "It's a sin!", then can we blame them for not wanting to show up? We don't preach against materialism or gluttony with nearly the passion that we do against homosexuality. Why? Because it's easier to condemn what we don't struggle with.

Though I'm fully convinced that all sexuality outside of marriage is sin, I think we can make the sinful aspect a component of the larger message, which should be about virtuous living. Jesus did this.

If you read through the sermon on the mount, Jesus will repeatedly address an issue, but rather than sticking with the legal right/wrong component, which he doesn't neglect, he takes it in the direction of "What kind of people should we be?"

Rather than merely not murdering people, we shouldn't even be overly critical of them, or call them names.
Rather than merely not cheating on our spouses, we should be people who don't even think about that sort of thing.
Rather than looking for 'Scriptural' reasons to divorce, we should be people who work actively to keep our vows and enrich our marriages.

You get the idea.

In terms of sexuality, rather than saying, "We're the 'Not Gay' Community!", wouldn't it be more productive to be a community that works hard at having self-control? That's relevant, whether you're gay or straight, and it targets the very same areas. Pornography and lust are huge problems in our culture, and all sexual temptation comes down to self-control. Am I wrong?

I am not suggesting we take the Osteen approach of refusing to talk about sin. I am suggesting that we acknowledge sin for what it is, but focus more on what it is to be like Jesus. Let's be truly virtuous people, rather than people who just sin a little less than the world does. It shouldn't surprise us that the world doesn't live like Christians, because they aren't Christians.

3. Let's think more deeply about how a person's non-attraction to the opposite sex might be used in God's service.

With homosexuality, many people just can't get past the 'gross' factor. Whether people are gay because of nature or because of nurture is really irrelevant. Some gays have changed their preferences with treatments, but others have tried treatments without successes. The fact is, like it or not, there will be some people whose attractions are only to their own sex.

Paul spoke candidly in Romans 7 about his own struggles with his body's inclinations. No matter how much he wanted to be one way, he discovered that he was another way. If you read these verses through a variety of lenses, whether it be sexual preferences, gossip, greed, etc., they ring very true, don't they?

Rather than ostracize people with homosexual urges as thoroughly unfit for service, could God use them for something nobler?

Cole's article really caught my attention on this point:

Their same-sex attraction might even set them in a very good position to do work and ministry in the Kingdom that straight people would have a problem with. Housing for young women, prostitute ministry, strip club ministry, really reaching out to single moms. These are works that are 1) neglected, 2) rocky terrain for married men to walk on and 3) especially hard for single straight men. An area where there is no temptation is the place you need to be!

Those were some entirely new ideas to me, and you may or may not care for those particular ones. But could there not be some merit to looking for ways to turn a weakness into a strength?

4. We need to reclaim a worldview that values single people.

After all, this is the clear teaching of I Corinthians 7. Ideally, everyone could stay single, dedicated only to God. Paul is happy for people to be married, and sees the value in the marriage relationship, but in the end, he really does consider it a more virtuous thing to be single.

I've felt badly for so many young people I've known who didn't have much luck or interest in the opposite sex. I've seen them berated by friends and family, "What's wrong with you? Can't you find a husband/wife? When are you getting married?" They'll set them up with random people on dates. It's as if we're ashamed of single people, or something is wrong with them.

On a side note, I think it's ridiculous how many churches will refuse to even consider hiring an unmarried man as a minister. It's a sad state of affairs when Paul himself would have a hard time getting a job at a church. Yes, they may be susceptible to temptation, but could you honestly tell me that lots of married men are not every bit as susceptible to the same temptations?

What if a lack of desire to be married was viewed as an inherently virtuous thing? What if our singles were treasured, rather than pressured? If we are going to expect gays to live a celibate life in order to be part of the church, it is important that they can feel loved, cherished, and respected in this way of living.

-------------

I don't pretend to be an expert on how to handle all of this. What I do know is that sooner or later, we're all going to be confronted with how we're going to work with the gays in our own communities. Let's plan well, prepare well, and be sure that all people have the opportunity to experience the love of Christ, regardless of what roads they have traveled to get to where they are.

Your thoughts?

Al Mohler on How Our Thinking Became What It Is Regarding Marriage

2011-02-28T08:46:00.006-06:00

This is one of the better pieces I've seen on how things have gotten to be the way they are with our country's mindset. I have been amazed at the great enthusiasm I've seen--even among my Christian friends--in favor of allowing gay marriage in our country. I see this as so blatantly contradictory to the Christian faith and to history's testimony of what is good for society, it baffles me how any Christian would want to allow it, much less support it. But I have many sincere friends who are equally baffled that I am in favor of placing any sort of limits on what people want to do as individuals. Some arguments are better than others, both favoring it and opposing it.

In the end, I don't think it's ok for Christians to let their own reasoning trump Scripture, and it usually comes down to this at some point for those who are in favor of redefining marriage. I understand we can't expect unbelievers to adhere to all Christian standards, and that not everyone shares my basis of belief, but I still believe it is unwise to ever support what Scripture teaches is to our collective detriment. Tolerance can be virtuous, but is certainly not the world's highest moral imperative. Love can sometimes mean being intolerant of what can harm the people we love. Just ask your parents.

What I like about Mohler's article is that, in a fair-handed way, he shows how people on both sides of the issue share many of the same ideas and philosophies, but have reached vastly different conclusions. Just as conservatives would accuse progressives of abusing certain ideas, Mohler demonstrates how conservatives have also been abusive and negligent when it has been to their immediate benefit.

We experience in our culture a mixture of extreme individualism combined with the ideas that (1) each generation is intellectually and morally superior to the previous and (2) many perceive that history's primary narrative is that of liberation. These things together set a stage for what Mohler describes as "moral revolution." Any time we see someone being restrained from what they want, it tugs on our heart strings to liberate them. It's an interesting article, and I'd be glad to hear your thoughts on it. I think he's very kind to both sides. I'm sure that part of why I like this is because I agree with him.

A Conversation I Overheard

2011-02-17T14:16:00.002-06:00

I just overheard one of the dayschool children speaking to one of the teachers as they prepared to leave for the day:

"Mrs. ______, I love you."
"Well thank you, sweetie, I love you too."
"And I also love my mommy. And I love my daddy. But they don't love each other any more."

In divorce, it's always the children who suffer the most. Poor kid.

This is an EXACT description of how I eat.

2011-02-16T14:06:00.003-06:00

I keep a bottle of this stuff both at home and at the office. If I had my way, all restaurants would be required to keep it available. I typically get my food to go, so I can put this stuff on it before I eat it. I <3 Sriracha.

Help for Shepherds

2011-02-10T19:23:00.004-06:00

In churches of Christ, we structure our churches based on what we believe to be the biblical model of church leadership. Namely, congregations are autonomous and each is governed by elders who live up to a set of Scriptural criteria. It's not a perfect system, but I'm convinced that there is much wisdom in it.

One of my greatest areas of concern for us is the imbalance in terms of training opportunities. Ministers, who are leaders but not authorities in our congregations, have many chances to learn and grow. I've just completed all the work on my MDiv, and I could not overstate just how much I have benefited from the classes I've taken and from the friendships I've made in these classes.

Elders, on the other hand, are expected to live up to a certain criteria, yet have very few opportunities for growth and learning other than what they get from week to week at the worship services. Some elderships study books together or have workshops together, and I think this is wonderful, but I have wished for a long time that there was more available for them.

The conflict that results from this situation is that sometimes you have a minister, who might have a vast education but no authority, working with men who have complete authority but often limited education (in terms of ministry...they may be well educated in their respective career vocations). I think often, the elders have a better sense of what the congregation is like because of their time invested in the congregation. Ministers move in with no prior relationship with the people, and push for this or that, based on what they've studied. I think each party has things that they bring to the table, but it is still often a recipe for conflict.

I am of the opinion that though there are some rotten eggs out there, most elders care deeply about the church and want to do a good job. I think they want their churches to prosper and they want to honor God with their service. It's a rather thankless job much of the time. I think most of them do the best they can, but often don't really know where to go to get information about how to be a better leader. It was so difficult starting off as a minister with no experience, and I can only imagine how a new elder must feel with such great responsibility and high expectations placed on him.

And now for the purpose of this post...

There are some workshops for elders in other places, but there really hasn't been much in the Tennessee area that I'm aware of. At the Harding University Graduate School of Religion, I am so excited that Dr. Eddie Randolph is now putting together a group called The Shepherds Network.

Their first workshop is going to be March 25-27, 2011 at HUGSR. What I love about how it is organized is that it is NOT just a place where elders show up and a bunch of college professors tell you what you ought to be doing. Though there are some professors--some really terrific ones!--who will make some presentations, a large part of the workshop involves elders connecting with and helping to mentor other elders. They're even going to study some test cases together, which can be such a great exercise. In churches of Christ, we do not have nearly enough fellowship between our sister congregations, and part of what they are trying to do is to increase the amount of fellowship between us. For a movement that was founded on the principle of uniting all Christians, this ought to be a great fit for us.

Here are their "Core Values" as listed in the brochure about the workshop:

To provide encouragement for elders and their wives
To assist elders in networking with other elders
To provide resources and case studies to help elders address a variety of needs
To provide a network of relationships with elders in other congregations
To develop new and prospective elders
To provide renewal for experienced elders
To develop and facilitate elder-‐to-‐elder coaching

If you are within a reasonable distance from Memphis, I would encourage you to tell your elders and their wives about this effort. I would love to see lots of good Christian men and women finding encouragement and renewal from this effort, and I will be praying that it is a success.

You can download an informational brochure here: http://www.box.net/shared/7sxzyek6tk

Trick Shot Quarterback

2011-02-10T11:44:00.003-06:00

I can't help but wonder how many attempts it took for him to make these, but this is still impressive, to say the least.

Murderers in Mexico

2011-02-03T09:57:00.004-06:00

I care deeply about Mexico. Having spent a lot of time down there both for family and church reasons, I've come to appreciate what a beautiful place it is, and what an incredible history Mexico possesses. The drug lords have been powerful for a long time now, but because no one has really wanted to risk their safety, no president has made a concerted effort to stop what they are doing. In 2006, Felipe Calderon became president and promptly declared war on the drug lords. They have been bringing the fight.

These days, when I talk to my teens about not using drugs, I don't even bother any more with the typical arguments. I was always told, "Drugs are bad for you," or "You limit your potential in life by getting on drugs." While those things are true, I think a much more compelling reason is this: "When you buy drugs, you help murderers to kill innocent people." It's as simple as that. Every time you use your money to purchase drugs that have been smuggled across the border, you can take some credit for the next time you hear about an innocent person being intimidated or executed.

These drug lords have weapons that are often superior to those of the police force. They are brutal and merciless. The fight has been really bad now, and I've heard so many sad stories from missionaries and ministers who have been threatened, kidnapped, or murdered. We've had to cancel the mission trip we made every year to Mexico with our congregation. I found this chart really interesting. It is a breakdown of seven of the biggest drug cartel, and the deaths that have been occurring since 2006 around Mexico...more than 30,000 now.

I pray for Mexico, that the people will be courageous. Many lives are being lost, and much blood is being spilled to purchase the freedom of the people from these tyrants. I pray also that they will elect a next president who will pick up the banner of Calderon and fight this corruption. But as long as Americans keep buying drugs and supporting the cartel, it will be a tough fight.

Google vs. Bing

2011-02-02T11:52:00.003-06:00

Looks like Bing has been using Google to find search results. I expect this will get very public and very ugly. Check out this amply-documented article.

Bribing the Minister

2011-01-26T13:36:00.003-06:00

Some dumb preacher humor for you:

During the wedding rehearsal, the groom approached the preacher with an unusual offer: "Look, I'll give you $100 if you'll change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I'm supposed to promise to 'love, honor, and obey' and 'be faithful to her forever,' I'd appreciate it if you would just leave that out." He passed the minister a $100 bill and walked away feeling satisfied.

On the day of the wedding, when it came time for the groom's vows, the preacher looked the young man in the eye and said: "Will you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life, and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not ever even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?"

The groom gulped and looked around, and said in a tiny voice, "Yes," then he leaned toward the preacher and hissed: "I thought we had a deal."

The preacher put a $100 bill into the groom's hand and whispered: "She made me a better offer."

Random Video Of a Virtuoso Tubist

2011-01-24T10:23:00.002-06:00

The world's most amazing tuba player (so it is claimed): Roger Bobo.

If Everyone Gets To Be Right...Then What?

2011-01-20T22:05:00.004-06:00

I read a post by a friend recently who was wrestling with the idea that God could really prefer one religion over another. I've spent some time the last few days thinking about moral relativism. I have also been listening some to Randy Harris from some of the ACU Lectures speak on the subject, and as always, I came away with new and better perspectives.

My favorite line from the movie The Incredibles is when the mom and the son are talking about how he shouldn't use his super powers to be faster than everyone else at school. In the conversation, she tells the son, "Everyone is special," to which he replies (to the best of my memory), "If everyone is special, then that really means that no one is special."

The idea of anyone being lost makes me very uncomfortable. I'm a Millennial, and though as a Christian I accept the idea of a final judgment, as well as eternal rewards and punishments, it's not an easy pill for me to swallow. I accept that my actions, for better or for worse, affect others around me and that no action is truly an isolated event. Again, the individualistic, self-centered culture I'm a part of makes this hard for me.

Some scattered thoughts about the issue at hand:

- I've long been convinced of the idea that to throw out a higher moral standard is to completely throw out the ability to declare any specific action right or wrong. Some have said, "If there is no God, then there's no reason why I shouldn't try to be Hitler." I've seen several atheists respond, "I find it deeply disturbing that the only thing standing between you and terribly misanthropic behavior is your belief in God." I kind of get their point, but on the other hand, really, if morality is determined by a popular vote, then why can't we commit genocide, or anything else that strikes our fancy? Why be so interested in being a "good" person, or in making the world better for anyone else? If all I've got is from now until I'm dead, with nothing beyond that, why not do as I please? "It may be right for you, but that's not what's right for me." That statement opens up some dangerous doors! For there to be any meaningful morality, I think it is necessary for there to be a higher standard than popular opinion.

- Something I had never thought of before that Randy mentioned: If we throw out a higher moral standard, so that morality is entirely subjective to each person's situation, then it is impossible to make moral progress. You can't be a "better" person if nothing you do is ever inherently wrong. If we all get to be right all the time, then it's impossible to get any better.

- On the plurality of religions: My friend's post was an interesting narrative dialogue which basically affirms that all religions were God's idea and are pointing to the same thing. On the one hand, if faith exists to teach you to "be nice"--a view that I think falls short of what Christianity is all about, this idea might be more functional, but I think the conflicts between religious faiths run all the way to the core. Christianity's claim that Christ is the Son of God, and that this belief is an essential component of Salvation, is directly in contradiction to Islam's claim that Christ was a good prophet, but not the Son of God. (The old Lord, Liar, or Lunatic scenario.)

It's easy to make comparisons like this about religions that stem from Judaism, such as Christianity (which fulfilled it), then Islam (which was a variation on them both, combined with some other ideas). In these discussions, in my experience, no one ever throws in the Roman pantheon, full of sex-driven vindictive deities. Nor do we throw in the worshippers of Dagon or Marduk, or any of the religions that called for human sacrifices, or fertility rituals involving temple prostitutes; not to mention animism. Buddhism is atheistic at its deepest level, making it incompatible with most of the world religions. If all religion was just about, "Being nice to people," then these would be more compatible, but as they make demands much greater than this, they are terribly incompatible.

I think a high point of Christianity is that at its core, it is about knowing, honoring, loving, and being with God. The Christian view of Heaven is also about being with God. The Christian view of Hell is primarily about being apart from God. (After all, God won't make you be around him if you spend your whole life letting him know that you don't want to.) I view Hell as the ultimate symbol of God's respect for man's free will.

But what about other views of the afterlife? It's interesting that the goal of Islam in the next life seems to center around becoming Hugh Hefner, with lots of virgins to serve you, fancy jewelry, and waterfalls. Sure, there are the elements of peace, no hatred or tears, but the virgins are a big attention grabber. (I have never really understood what about the afterlife in Islam appeals to women.) But this view doesn't seem interested in being with God as much as "Getting anything you desire and more."

Many religions center around getting blessings, healthy crops, and possessions in this life. Some people professing to be Christians preach exactly these things, I'm sad to say. But this is a selfish tendency. Again, I think that properly understood, Christianity is fundamentally not about me getting what I want, but about me really knowing and having a relationship with the Creator of the universe.

- I also believe that the existence of counterfeits points to the existence of the real thing. That's true of currency. It's true of precious artifacts and artwork. We would never think of something being a "fake" if a "real" item didn't exist. I think the fact that humans seem to have this inherent drive toward the divine is an indication that there must be a real option out there. In other words, "If there is no God, why is it that I want so badly to know about him?" Every other appetite we have in life has something that can fulfill it. Food, music, art, communication, sex...these all meet things that feel like needs to us. I think the inner desire that most humans experience for knowledge of the divine indicates that something must be there.

If everyone is special, then in a sense, no one is.

If everything is true, then nothing is false.

If everything is good, then nothing is bad.

If everything is the real thing, then nothing is counterfeit.

I know from experience, though, that some people are special. Some things are bad. Some things are lies and frauds.

Surely, there must be more to life than the few things I can comprehend. But I do think it is incompatible to believe both (1) God is good and that (2) God deliberately confuses the people of the world into believing contradictory things about himself.

I'm interested in hearing what you think.

Mothers of Monsters

2011-01-13T16:45:00.004-06:00

It is easy to look at deranged behavior, such as that of the killer in the recent Arizona shootings, and label the person as a monster. And no doubt, what he's done is a monstrosity. As far as how everything pans out with bad intentions or mental illnesses, I'm not going to attempt to sort all that out. It's in God's hands.

But I was thinking about how we as Christians should respond to the situation. It's easy to pray for our "enemy", if by "enemy", we mean someone who annoys us. It's completely different to think about praying compassionately for someone who murdered our child. It's a good thing that God was good enough to love those who murdered his son, because otherwise we would have no hope.

I found an interesting article, talking about how Jared Loughner's parents have been reacting to the situation. Namely, with incredible grief and regret. Hindsight is always 20/20. I don't have any idea what the situation was like growing up in their household, but no doubt they probably feel love for their son, they feel humiliation over what he's done, and they feel great guilt for not being able to have seen this coming and prevented it.

Here is the article.

What I found especially interesting is how other parents of killers are reaching out to them. Even "monsters" have mothers.

I think this situation provides us with a reminder of our responsibility to seek and save the lost. Anyone can respond with hate for a killer, but I wonder how many will respond with loving concern for his soul. I don't diminish the suffering of those who've been injured and murdered. They certainly need our prayers, sympathy, and support. But in all of this, we should be praying for God's presence. To comfort the afflicted, and to reach out to the lost. And often, God seems to prefer being present through imperfect vessels like us.

I will be prayerful that Christians can be around to help the families, but also to help the family of the killer, as well as the man himself.

If there is anyone left who reads this blog, I'm curious what you think about this situation. Hearing from the mothers of people like this offers a pretty different perspective. Christ's law of love should be in effect in this situation, as in every situation. What does this look like here?

Poll Everywhere

2010-11-17T12:47:00.003-06:00

This looks like an incredible tool for presentations. You allow people to respond to you on the fly, and the results are instantly added to your presentation. Pretty cool!

PollEverywhere.com

Corrupted Bible

2010-11-15T10:49:00.002-06:00

Though I like a lot of the Apple products, I'm certainly not oblivious to the fact that they have their shortcomings. My friend Charlie leaned over to me Sunday morning at Church to show me what happened when he was trying to load a passage on his eBible program. Not an encouraging message.

Giving Tree

2010-11-11T13:46:00.001-06:00

I just really get a kick out of this picture. And I grew up liking the book.

Last Will and Testament of Springfield Presbytery

2010-10-12T10:27:00.003-05:00

In 1803, some ministers, including Barton W. Stone, withdrew from the Presbyterian Synod of Kentucky over some controversial teachings that these men were espousing. They formed the Springfield Presbytery, only to decide that all forms of denominationalism and division are contrary to the will of God. So they disbanded on June 28, 1804. In doing so, they all signed a document called the Last Will and Testament of Springfield Presbytery. In this document they laid out many principles that have continued to be central to what developed into the American Restoration Movement, from which Churches of Christ, Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ), and Independent Christian Churches evolved.

I've been researching a lot recently at the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. Their director of research, Mac Ice, gave me a copy of an 1808 reprinting of the LW&T. It was in the form of a 1-page pamphlet. Though it can be copied, there are a lot of stains and scratches (not to mention a tiny font) that make it hard to read. I wanted to try and recreate this document as closely as possible in a PDF format for anyone to download and print. If you are ever involved in a class pertaining to Restoration history, I believe this is a great handout to have people look over and discuss. Why not assign several groups of 2 or 3 a different Item to read, then talk about?

I think the study of history is very important, and am always interested in how we can help people get in touch with what all has happened in the past in relevant ways. You can download this document here.

For You Fans of Photography

2010-09-23T13:39:00.002-05:00

They've developed some new technology where you can focus your picture after you take it. Pretty amazing. That would have sure been handy in a lot of the old family photos. That would also help at sporting events where you're trying to take pictures through fences.

Check out the link.

Cowboy Church

2010-09-22T13:31:00.002-05:00

One time I had a guy at my music store working on starting a "Biker Church" where the band all wore black leather and played hymns as rock music.

Apparently you can also go to cowboy churches. Don't ask me how I stumbled upon this.

On the one hand, I think God uses us as we are, and even because of who we are to accomplish his work in the world. At the same time, there is something to be said for giving up personal identity for the sake of Christian unity and Christ's lordship. I'm not sure that having so many options for church is necessarily a good thing, though it is a very real part of life in the Bible belt.

The Future of Books

2010-09-22T10:24:00.004-05:00

I will always like holding on to a printed book; folding the pages and writing in the margins. But I'm also getting tired of how many books I own. With grad school, I have been getting books at the rate of 12 to 15 per semester, not to mention ones I buy that I feel I need for class or sermon preparation, and even for fun.

I've decided I'm going to need to get a Kindle for sure. Most books I really want to read are by dead people from hundreds of years ago. And lucky for me, these books tend to be free on Kindle! I'm less interested in reading on an iPad. With all the distractions, I'd never get any reading done, and would just end up going through another round of Plants vs. Zombies.

But I've just seen some new product ideas from Ideo that are really striking. I'm not convinced they'll ever be mass produced, or catch on like other e-readers, but these are some great ideas. Check out the video.

The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.

Drunk Driver

2010-09-16T11:23:00.002-05:00

A drunk is driving through the city and his car is weaving violently all over the road. A cop pulls him over and asks, "Where have you been?"

"I've been to the pub," slurs the drunk.

"Well," says the cop, "it looks like you have had quite a few."

"I sure did!" says the drunk with a smile.

"Did you know," says the cop, folding his arms, "that a few intersections back, your wife fell out of your car?"

"Oh, thank goodness," sighs the drunk. "For a minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf."

Best Stump Speech Ever

2010-09-10T15:00:00.001-05:00

I don't think I've ever seen a more intense plea for a nomination than this guy's. Wow. Rather unfortunate that we share some of the political leanings.

Ancient Scientists

2010-09-08T10:37:00.003-05:00

German scientists dug 50 meters under ground and discovered small pieces of copper. After studying these pieces for a long time, Germany announced that the ancient Germans 25,000 years ago had a nationwide telephone network. Naturally, the British government was not that easily impressed. They ordered their own scientists to dig even deeper. 100 meters down, they found small pieces of glass, and they soon announced that the ancient Brits 35,000 years ago already had a nationwide fiber net. Israeli scientists were outraged. They dug 50, 100 and 200 meters underground, but found absolutely nothing...They concluded that the ancient Hebrews 55,000 years ago had cellular telephones.

Ancient Scientists

2010-09-08T10:37:00.001-05:00

German scientists dug 50 meters under ground and discovered small pieces of copper. After studying these pieces for a long time, Germany announced that the ancient Germans 25,000 years ago had a nationwide telephone network. Naturally, the British government was not that easily impressed. They ordered their own scientists to dig even deeper. 100 meters down, they found small pieces of glass, and they soon announced that the ancient Brits 35,000 years ago already had a nationwide fiber net. Israeli scientists
were outraged. They dug 50, 100 and 200 meters underground, but found absolutely nothing...They concluded that the ancient Hebrews 55,000 years ago had cellular telephones.

Friday Smiles: From 0 to 200

2010-08-27T20:49:00.000-05:00

Wrong Gift!

Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife

was really mad. She told him “Tomorrow morning, I expect to

find a gift in the driveway that goest from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds

AND IT BETTER BE THERE!!!”

The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife

woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a

box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.

Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway,

brought the box back in the house.

She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Bob has been missing since Friday.

Friday Smiles: If he were grown up...anyone? Anyone?

2010-08-20T08:08:00.000-05:00

My Thoughts On The Possible Mosque at Ground Zero

2010-08-14T10:35:00.007-05:00

One of the greatest strengths of our country is our capacity for tolerance. I would also suggest this is one of our greatest weaknesses. Everybody gets to be correct about everything, no matter what they think, say, or want to do. (As long as what you say or do isn't "intolerant.")

I also think that it is the strong ties to Christianity that our nations founders had which have produced this sort of society. Christianity truly does teach peace and mercy, and Scripture invites people to bring their hard questions to the table. I think this is one marked distinction between Christianity and Islam. We're willing to talk about evidence for or against our faith. As I understand it, it is considered blasphemous to even question whether the Quran could be mistaken about anything. Things like freedom of speech and freedom of inquiry flow naturally from the Christian faith, because we believe that with all possible options on the table, the Bible will stand tall on its own merits. I find it more than a little concerning that a religious faith would invite you to follow it, but would refuse your attempts to verify its credibility. But that's another discussion.

Obviously there have been Christians who have done terrible things and have attributed their actions to their faith. I fully sympathize with my many Muslim friends who would say the same thing about the terrorists from 9/11 who committed actions which they believe were not consistent with the faith that they are practicing.

But at Ground Zero, we have the site of one of the worst massacres in American history. Whether or not they were practicing Islam as it is taught in the Quran, the connection between those terrorist acts and the Islamic faith is undeniable. It was their reason for action, even if they were misunderstanding its true intent, as some claim.

Last September, I went to New York City for the first time. It was an anniversary trip, and we had a wonderful experience. And I'll never forget being at Ground Zero. (All three of these pictures, we took there.) The city is quiet there. I could not help but well up with tears, remembering in horror as I watched the news on that dreadful day. Everyone was respectful and reflective.

Sometimes people's quest for tolerance causes them lapses in judgment about things that shouldn't be tolerated. I would say this is the case for anyone who favors placing a mosque right by this location. (Including our current President.)

I would say:

1. I completely understand and appreciate our right to freedom of religion, and I respect anyone's decision to practice whatever faith they believe to be true. I would love to see everyone become a Christian. But if people are to be Christians, I want them to do this out of choice, not out of coercion.

2. It is completely legal for these people to build a mosque wherever the city zoning laws allow it to happen, and wherever they purchase property to do so.

3. BUT, if they decide to build a mosque right by the site of this very important location, though they aren't breaking any laws, this action does make them all insensitive jerks for doing it.

To illustrate the ridiculously provocative nature of this building proposal, Greg Gutfield has proposed the construction of a Muslim Gay Bar (he wants to call it "Outfidels") next door to this new mosque. It would be no less provocative than the mosque itself.

Charles Krauthammer has an excellent article highlighting some of the building ideas that have been refused over the years at other emotionally charged locations, out of respect for the dead. It would be well worth your reading. Some locations have had things happen that are too important to be forgotten, and should be preserved accordingly. If there ever were such a place, Ground Zero would be one.

I have several concerns about all of this.

1. It doesn't communicate any level of respect for those who lost loved ones in the tragedy, and is therefore terribly insensitive.

2. Therefore, this breaks down communication and does nothing to open dialogue.

3. I have sincere concern that there may be some people who claim to be Christians who act violently towards this mosque. It is certainly an offensive enough gesture on the part of those building this mosque to incite violence against themselves. Even if something happens and it isn't professing Christians who do it, that is to whom the Muslims will attribute the action. It is hard to look at their actions and not believe they are looking for a fight.

This is a terribly provocative gesture that is both insensitive and disrespectful, even if it is completely legal. I hope they don't build it. And again, if they do, they're jerks.

Friday Smiles: The New Batman Trailer

2010-08-13T01:25:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: The Better Marriage Blanket

2010-08-06T01:48:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: Slinkies

2010-07-30T02:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: Dog Talk

2010-07-23T02:29:00.000-05:00

A Big Milestone for Me: My First Book

2010-07-21T09:19:00.003-05:00

Now that it is actually in publication, I am pleased to announce that my first book is available for purchase. It is part of the brand new Flex curriculum published by 21st Century Christian.

Many churches consider curriculum, but for decades, curriculum has been on a set rotation of subjects that are only available at specified times. They have now produced a set of a la carte curriculum that is simply available to you whenever you want it. They have 2 options so far, with 2 more coming in August, and they will continue to add to the options in the upcoming months.

The advantage of this is that they are keeping the costs down, so as opposed to buying everyone a $16 book for your Bible class, you can get everyone one of these at $3.75 each.

My book is called The Story of God's People, and it is a very panoramic look at all of Biblical history from pre-creation up to what Scripture teaches about the end of time.

This comes from a class I taught at Old Hickory. I made a series of sophisticated handouts--if I may toot my own horn, which I pitched to 21st Century Christian. They told me that with a little reworking of the format, they wanted to publish them. I sincerely hope that this book will be a blessing to people; especially to those who want to understand more about how the Bible fits together.

I would be flattered to have you take a look at it. It is available here.

Dick Cheney Has No Pulse

2010-07-20T08:34:00.002-05:00

No, seriously. Some kind of new heart technology. Dick Cheney actually doesn't have a pulse any more. That is bound to be some good fodder for the late night comedians.

Friday Smiles: Pet Food

2010-07-16T02:28:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: High Five

2010-07-09T02:27:00.000-05:00

Sometimes Failure Isn't Necessarily Bad For You

2010-07-06T10:57:00.002-05:00

I found an interesting article at the Chicago Tribune about the inability of the younger generations of today to accept criticism or disappointment. Where parents have desired to surround them with completely positive support to help build their self-esteem, there is apparently some sort of balancing point there, also. We need to learn how to handle disappointments and setback, because they are very much a part of life. I'm not an advocate of some of the harsh methods that some people use with their children, where they feel unable to measure up to their parents standards. But on the other hand, we're not doing kids any favors if we let them think that all of their wildest dreams will come true, and that they should expect the world just to give them whatever they want when they want it. My failures have become some of the more valuable experiences I've had in life, and though I wouldn't wish disaster on anyone, I also wouldn't with for them a life completely devoid of disappointment.

By their estimation, today's young people have been praised so much that some flail at their first taste of criticism or failure. Others develop a keen sense of privilege, believing they'll coast into a golden future regardless of their actual talents, accomplishments or willingness to work.

I would encourage you to take a read. I found this article very insightful.

Friday Smiles: Fixed

2010-07-02T02:26:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: When You Need New Glasses

2010-06-25T02:25:00.000-05:00

The Exegesis of a Stop Sign

2010-06-24T22:32:00.003-05:00

If you have at least a moderate level of exegetical training from a seminary, this might just be the funniest thing you've ever read. I found it here.

The Exegesis of Stop Signs

Suppose you're traveling to work and you see a stop sign. What do you do? That depends on how you exegete the stop sign.

1. A postmodernist deconstructs the sign with his bumper, ending forever the tyranny of the north-south traffic over the east-west traffic.

2. Similarly, a Marxist sees a stop sign as an instrument of class conflict. He concludes that the bourgeoisie use the north-south road and obstruct the progress of the workers on the east-west road.

3. A serious and educated Catholic believes that he cannot understand the stop sign apart from its interpretive community and their tradition. Observing that the interpretive community doesn't take it too seriously, he doesn't feel obligated to take it too seriously either.

4. An average Catholic doesn't bother to read the sign, but he'll stop if the car in front of him does.

5. A fundamentalist, allowing the text to interpret itself, stops at the stop sign and waits for it to tell him to go.

6. A suburban preacher looks up "STOP" in his lexicons of English and discovers that it can mean: 1) something which prevents motion, such as a plug for a drain, or a block of wood that prevents a door from closing; 2) a location where a train or bus lets off passengers. The main point of his sermon the following Sunday on this text is: when you see a stop sign, it is a place where traffic is naturally clogged, so it is a good place to let off passengers from your car.

7. An orthodox Jew does one of two things:

1) Take another route to work that doesn't have a stop sign so that he doesn't run the risk of disobeying the Law.
2) Stop at the stop sign, say "Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who hast given us thy commandment to stop," wait 3 seconds according to his watch, and then proceed. Incidentally, the Talmud has the following comments on this passage: R[abbi] Meir says: He who does not stop shall not live long. R. Hillel says: Cursed is he who does not count to three before proceeding. R. Simon ben Yudah says: Why three? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. R. ben Isaac says: Because of the three patriarchs. R. Yehuda says: Why bless the Lord at a stop sign? Because it says: "Be still, and know that I am God." R. Hezekiel says: When Jephthah returned from defeating the Ammonites, the Holy One, blessed be He, knew that a donkey would run out of the house and overtake his daughter; but Jephthah did not stop at the stop sign, and the donkey did not have time to come out. For this reason he saw his daughter first and lost her. Thus he was judged for his transgression at the stop sign. R. Gamaliel says: R. Hillel, when he was a baby, never spoke a word, though his parents tried to teach him by speaking and showing him the words on a scroll. One day his father was driving through town and did not stop at the sign. Young Hillel called out: "Stop, father!" In this way, he began reading and speaking at the same time. Thus it is written: "Out of the mouth of babes." R. ben Jacob says: Where did the stop sign come from? Out of the sky, for it is written: "Forever, O Lord, your word is fixed in the heavens." R. ben Nathan says: When were stop signs created? On the fourth day, for it is written: "let them serve as signs." R. Yeshuah says: ... [continues for three more pages]

8. A Karaite does the same thing as an orthodox Jew, except that he waits 10 seconds instead of 3. He also replaces his brake lights with 1000 watt searchlights and connects his horn so that it is activated whenever he touches the brake pedal.

9. A Unitarian concludes that the passage "STOP" undoubtedly was never uttered by Jesus himself, but belongs entirely to stage III of the gospel tradition, when the church was first confronted by traffic in its parking lot.

10. A divinity professor notices that there is no stop sign on Mark street but there is one on Matthew and Luke streets, and concludes that the ones on Luke and Matthew streets are both copied from a sign on a completely hypothetical street called "Q". There is an excellent 300 page discussion of speculations on the origin of these stop signs and the differences between the stop signs on Matthew and Luke street in the scholar's commentary on the passage. There is an unfortunately omission in the commentary, however; the author apparently forgot to explain what the text means.

11. A tenured divinity professor points out that there are a number of stylistic differences between the first and second half of the passage "STOP". For example, "ST" contains no enclosed areas and 5 line endings, whereas "OP" contains two enclosed areas and only one line termination. He concludes that the author for the second part is different from the author for the first part and probably lived hundreds of years later. Later scholars determine that the second half is itself actually written by two separate authors because of similar stylistic differences between the "O" and the "P".

12. A rival scholar notes in his commentary that the stop sign would fit better into the context three streets back. (Unfortunately, he neglects to explain why in his commentary.) Clearly it was moved to its present location by a later redactor. He thus exegetes the intersection as though the stop sign were not there.

13. Because of the difficulties in interpretation, a later scholar emends the text, changing "T" to "H". "SHOP" is much easier to understand in context than "STOP" because of the multiplicity of stores in the area. The textual corruption probably occurred because "SHOP" is so similar to "STOP" on the sign several streets back that it is a natural mistake for a scribe to make. Thus the sign should be interpreted to announce the existence of a shopping area.

Redneck Grilling

2010-06-22T13:03:00.001-05:00

This is a silly story. Perhaps I am the only one who will find it amusing, yet I'm choosing to share it anyway.

Each Friday night after work, Bubba would fire up his outdoor grill and cook a venison steak. But all of Bubba’s neighbors were Catholic...and since it was Lent, they were forbidden from eating meat on Friday. The delicious aroma from the grilled venison steak was causing such a problem for the Catholic faithful that they finally talked to their priest. The priest came to visit Bubba and suggested that he become a Catholic. After several classes and much study, Bubba attended Mass, and as the priest sprinkled holy water over him, he said, ‘You were born a Baptist, and raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic.’

Bubba’s neighbors were greatly relieved, until Friday night arrived, and the wonderful aroma of grilled venison once again filled the neighborhood. The Priest was called immediately by the neighbors and as he rushed into Bubba’s yard clutching a rosary preparing to scold him, he stopped and watched in amazement.

There stood Bubba, clutching a small bottle of holy water which he carefully sprinkled over the grilling meat and chanted: ‘You wuz born a deer, you wuz raised a deer, but now you is a catfish.’

Friday Smiles: Cat-cycle

2010-06-18T01:00:00.001-05:00

Friday Smiles: If You Were Looking For An Excuse To Be Lazy...

2010-06-11T02:22:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: Brings Back Memories

2010-06-04T02:21:00.000-05:00

Obama Proclaims June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month

2010-06-01T08:59:00.004-05:00

Obama is encouraging every American to celebrate gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people during the month of June. To see the official proclamation, click here. Thanks to Matt Dabbs for drawing my attention to this.

I'm going to share my thoughts. I am a Christian with conservative political leanings. If such people get on your nerves, you probably won't like my post, as there probably won't be anything surprising to you about how I view this. You are welcome to think whatever you want to think. I'll tolerate your freedom of speech, so please extend the same tolerance to me. If you don't like what I think, then you don't have to read it.

On the one hand, I would readily say I do not want to see people abused or oppressed for their sexual inclinations. Quite often, these sorts of inclinations actually arise because of abuse and mistreatment by parents. Most of these people have already been mistreated, and I'm not interested in seeing them further abused. I have worked for gay people before who have treated me well and have been responsible employers. I would acknowledge like the President that many gay people have made positive contributions to society and to culture.

I think one area about this that is really unfortunate, though, is the fact that he touts their accomplishments, and then celebrates the fact that they are gay, as if it is their homosexuality that was the impetus for their success. The two are not directly related.

I would have no problem celebrating people who work hard and have inventive humanitarian ideas for the sake of the good they do, whether they are gay or straight. I do not work hard and try to achieve success because I'm heterosexual, and I think it is ridiculous to assert that homosexuality is somehow a virtue that is a direct cause of success.

Of course, I'm a Christian, and I believe that homosexuality is a perversion, and not according to God's plan or design. I also think God loves and wants to redeem homosexuals as much as he does promiscuous heterosexuals. I do not think what they are doing is necessarily any worse than what many other people in the world are doing, but I believe that both nature and revelation are consistent in their rejection of this as a normative, healthy way of life.

So I'm against what Obama is doing. Not because I don't care about gay people, but because it is to our detriment to encourage perversion. If it is praiseworthy to be attracted to your same gender, how is it not also praiseworthy to be attracted to anything else? I know everyone hates hearing the argument, but seriously, if we encourage adult same-gender "marriages", why not also encourage adults to have relations with children? Or multiple adult marriages? If we reject the Bible as our moral authority, there really isn't any other basis for morality besides popular opinion. And if there's anything in the world that doesn't need to dictate how people should live, it's peer pressure and popular opinion polls. I'm definitely not in favor of being on any witch hunts for homosexuals, but celebrating their sexual conduct is also quite contrary to my conscience.

I will not trim my conscience to fit the moral climate of the times or the culture. Nor should you.

As we decide on our stances on the heated issues of the day, let us not forget the warning of Isaiah 5:20:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.

Friday Smiles: The Danger of Stereotypes

2010-05-28T02:20:00.000-05:00

What do we really know about Mark Twain?

2010-05-24T12:18:00.004-05:00

I have long been of the opinion that historians and biographers need to write with a great deal more humility. We're always searching for the 'key' to understanding a person, or for the right moment or metaphor through which to interpret everything else about someone. The truth is that people are complicated, and according to C.S. Lewis, who was able to see people write about him in his own life time, most people who try and guess about another person's motives for what they do are wrong the vast majority of the time.

Mark Twain apparently valued his celebrity status during his life, and for whatever reason, decided to make sure his autobiography would not be published until 100 years after his death. Well, volume one is on the way soon. Sorry, everyone who has ever written a Twain biography, your work is about to be completely outdated. I bet it is all going to be a fascinating read. You have to admit, there are very few people who have the influence in this world to create gossip about themselves over 100 years after they are dead.

Good for you, Steve Jobs

2010-05-24T11:32:00.002-05:00

Al Mohler has an interesting post about some correspondence between Steve Jobs and an employee of his about Apple's restrictions in their app store; specifically keeping pornography out of it. Where the guy tried to push for "freedom" to indulge in whatever people want, Jobs said he wants people to have "freedom from porn" in using his app store. A very admirable stance for such an iconic figure. Mohler's post is from the slant of how parenthood affects the way people view things.

Mileage Log: 55555.5

2010-05-24T11:09:00.003-05:00

Yes, I try to keep up with when my odometer reads interesting numbers. No, I don't care if you think I'm a nerd. And yes, I was paying plenty of attention to the road, not actually looking at my phone.

Friday Smiles: Cat Doors

2010-05-21T02:20:00.000-05:00

Thoughts About May 20: Everyone Draw Mohammed Day

2010-05-20T12:29:00.008-05:00

Note: This is actually a re-post of my original post. I had a couple of concerns which made me decide to take it down after a couple of hours the first time I posted it. But after I removed it, I had comments from several people about how they had thought it was worthwhile, and not offensive. So for the sake of dialogue, I am putting it back up. One other reason I removed it was that soon after I posted, I saw where the woman calling for the drawing/contest had offered a public apology and had discouraged people from participating.

This really highlights the issue of freedom of religion versus freedom of speech. Is it more important that people be able to say whatever they think, or to do what they believe is right? This could get pretty difficult for us if our government decides to outlaw things like preaching against homosexuality as hate speech. It is one thing to say, "Keep those Muslims under control!" But when it is my faith they are attempting to silence and control, I feel quite differently about it.

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I have mixed feelings about today. Though there has obviously been tension about the Muslim world for many years now, it does seem to have escalated some recently. Recently, the show South Park decided to have a depiction of Mohamed in one of their episodes, being dressed up in a bear costume. It would be completely in keeping with how South Park mocks people of all religions and ethnicities. They have certainly done their share of mocking Christianity and Scientologists. But as they aired the episode featuring Mohamed, the outcry from the Muslim community was so strong that they have now removed the episode, saying it was "too provocative." There are actually groups calling for the execution of the show's creators.

So this has caused a domino effect of people being ticked off. Every other religious group is ticked off that while Comedy Central will gladly mock their faith, they are choosing to let Islam be exempt. In fact, Comedy Central is planning to air a new show called JC that is entirely dedicated to mocking God and Jesus, portraying God as being a lazy dad who is only interested in playing video games, while Jesus tries to make his way through life, living in modern NY city. So they will outright attack Christianity, but will respect the will of the Muslims. This says something about their anticipation of how members of each faith are likely to respond. Muslims are ticked off about the episode, and everyone else is ticked off about how Comedy Central has responded.

So in response some people have created a contest for today called "Everyone Draw Mohamed Day." The belief of Muslims is that creating artistic depictions of Mohamed is blasphemy. So most Muslim artwork you ever see will be artistic renderings of the text of the Quran, but never scenes from Mohamed's life. So in creating these images, many individuals are specifically committing blasphemy against Islam as a way of insisting on our 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech.

Just taking a look at the Facebook page dedicated to this, most of the images are not simple pictures, which alone would offend. Many of them are as degrading as the artists could imagine, frequently making references to Mohamed's multiple wives, and particularly to A'isha, whom he married when she was 6 years old, and with whom he supposedly consummated their marriage when she was 9 years old. You can see some potential for outrage here, I'm sure.

I'm curious what you think about today. Here are some scattered thoughts I have.

1. Biblically, I wrestle with how we can approach this. There is definitely the principle in place that Christians should be wise in their treatment of non-believers, because our goal is to win them to Christ. It is hard to see how provoking the Muslims will help us achieve this goal.

On the other hand, the Biblical writers regularly either mock or show complete disregard for false religions. I want to show love for Muslims, as people who were made in the image of God like I was, but I do not feel any obligation to show respect for a set of religious beliefs that I believe keep them away from the grace of God. You simply cannot miss the sarcasm shown by Elijah to the 450 prophets of Baal, or by Isaiah as he describes the construction of idols with disdain.

I am choosing not to participate in this event, not because I feel any reverence towards Islam, but because I think this sort of provocation really is not going to aid us in bringing Muslims closer to God. This is not an action of love.

2. I am concerned about how Muslims will respond. I have included this one image in my post, which I think displays the deep irony that many of us see in people trying to defend the "peaceful" religion of Islam. This guy is likely an extremist, to be sure, but there is a solid percentage of Muslims who think like he does, who would say they are merely following the Quran. I have several friends who are Muslims, who are some of the kindest people I know. I've known them as long as they've been in the US. I've seen them grow up, go to college, become citizens, and they will always have a special place in my heart. They are decidedly non violent, and would never advocate anything like this, but they are also representing only a portion of the population. It is really hard to know which group is the dominant one.

Overall, I wonder what the intention is of those who participate. If we are going to provoke, it is important to have a desired result in mind that goes in a more prudent direction that just ticking people off for the sake of doing so. Yes, I believe free speech is our right, and it ought to be so. Yes, I think it is unfair how Christians have their faith slandered more regularly in entertainment. Yes, I have some serious problems with the Islamic belief system, and do not believe that it offers a true path to God. But no, I don't see how this is going to accomplish anything other than bring division to our culture, and give crazy people more reason to do crazy things. This sort of conflict has so much potential to escalate.

So if you want to weigh in, I have some areas about which I would like your thoughts:
1. Is there some potential benefit to this that is eluding me?
2. How should Christians deal with sets of beliefs they view as false?
3. If you are feeling prophetic, do you think anything will happen as a result of this situation, particularly EDMD, or is it just a flash in the pan?

Friday Smiles: Let Me In

2010-05-14T02:19:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: Sounds Like Something I Would Say

2010-05-07T02:18:00.000-05:00

The new Batman trailer

2010-05-06T11:45:00.002-05:00

Friday Smiles: Grandpa's iPod

2010-04-30T02:17:00.000-05:00

A Little Bragging

2010-04-23T12:00:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to say again for the record how proud I am of my dad, who has worked very hard for many years in HR at MDHA. He has always treated people well, and has done all he could to care for the people he works with as individuals. I have never been with him at his work place where I saw him pass a single person whose name he didn't know. He was elected as President of the Tennessee Personnel Management Association for 2008-2009, and did such a good job, they elected him for a second year in 2009-2010. I don't think anyone else has ever been chosen to serve back to back years. It feels good to see a deserving person be recognized for their work and integrity.

Friday Smiles: What's For Dinner?

2010-04-23T02:16:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: Matta Boo Boo

2010-04-16T07:55:00.001-05:00

Friday Smiles: Lord Diablo Is Not Pleased With His Packaging

2010-04-09T01:07:00.002-05:00

I think it's so funny they had to label this box "game". No telling who got freaked out when walking past the box. (For those of you non-nerds, Diablo is a popular series of computer games.)

Friday Smiles: Just Call Me "Mr. America"

2010-04-02T04:38:00.002-05:00

My wife discovered this book at a used book store. The cover and author might be of particular interest.

Taser Shotgun

2010-04-01T10:45:00.003-05:00

I just think this is too cool. Now police can taser you from 100 feet away. I bet this hurts like crazy, but at least it's non-lethal. I don't think I'm going to volunteer to try it.

Pink Floyd, meet NES

2010-03-31T11:11:00.001-05:00

This is just weird, but impressive. Classic Pink Floyd music recreated using only 8-bit Nintendo-quality sounds.

So you want to learn the differences between internet browsers?

2010-03-29T14:47:00.003-05:00

I think this image summarizes the discussion with impressive accuracy.

Rethinking Outreach Part III - Receptive Structures

2010-03-29T13:37:00.003-05:00

After getting some responses to my first two posts, I'm surprised I started where I did in my posting, because I think one of the most important elements to an outreach strategy is your plan for assimilating new people into the body. If you have no such plan, there's little point in the outreach end of things.

In fact, this was a major focus of ours in a couple of years building up to our recent efforts. In 2007 our theme centered around Connectedness. 2008 was focused on developing a better understanding of Scripture: God's Story for Man's Journey.

It will do little good to get anyone to come to your church if you don't give them a reason to want to return for a second and third time. I feel like Old Hickory is a pretty warm congregation, and I see a lot of people making the effort to greet visitors and new faces.

I am interested in hearing what other congregations do to make people feel welcome and get connected. Here are some of the things we do (in addition to the obvious step of sending a letter and making a visit to those who have come to visit):

Something we started doing in the last year or so is a project by our women's ministry. They tested out several different recipes for homemade bread that had been frozen and thawed. They keep several loaves of homemade bread baked with baskets to go with them. After our services, we invite first time visitors to stop by the welcome stations where we give them a fresh loaf of bread, a basket, and a flyer with info about the church. (I designed the flyer, and am rather proud of it. You print it front and back, then cut off the excess paper. You fold it so that the edges make the letter "W" of the word "Welcome.")

We have a wide variety of classes available, and most people can find a niche where they are comfortable for Sunday school class. I realize this is a strength of being a mid to large-sized congregation that would not be as possible in smaller congregations.

When people do express an interest in joining the church or becoming Christians, we have a couple of things that happen. For one, our elders meet with every new member face to face for about half an hour to welcome them, and to give them additional information about the church, such as a copy of the photo directory and other structural info. Also, every other month or so we have a new member's luncheon where in addition to feeding them, we have them fill out some questionnaires about how they might be interested in getting involved. If we can, we immediately try to get them in touch with folks in charge of ministries that seem to align with their interests.

Something newer that I think we'll continue doing is that once per year, Don will offer a Sunday morning class that is deliberately sort of 1/2 normal class content and 1/2 question and answer format. Last year was Christianity 101. This year is Evangelism 101. Either way, it is a class that centers around some elementary principles that are taught, but we also allow people to submit questions about absolutely anything, and Don will try to address them in the second half of each class. We make specific efforts to include new members in these classes, though we don't refuse anyone who wants to participate. This has been good for bringing some camaraderie among new members and also providing newer Christians some opportunities to ask their honest questions and hopefully get real answers.

Do we have some room for improvement? Absolutely! I feel like we have some decent plans in place to help new people begin forming relationships, though these days, you really can't have too many possible ways for people to find their place. I do think this is a challenging area. Most of the people who have at one point attended, and now no longer attend will frequently cite their inability to make connections with people. Social connections are definitely a two-way street. If at all possible, we would want to make sure the church is providing the opportunities, even if nothing clicks. In a city like Nashville, we've given up trying to be the perfect church for every single person. The fact is, there are more churches around here than I can even count, and with the modern consumer/no-commitment mindset, not everyone is going to choose or stick with us. As long as they choose God and stay plugged into his Kingdom somewhere, that's our main concern. We'd love as many people as will work with us, but we try to be realistic about the demographics of our community and the resources of our congregation.

But if you're going to start doing outreach and evangelism, step one is ensuring that your congregation is a place that people would actually want to come a second, fourth, or twentieth time.

What does your church do to get people plugged in once they've visited?

Rethinking Outreach Part II - Our Reasoning

2010-03-28T05:25:00.002-05:00

There has been a little resistance to our new methodology for outreach, though I'm glad I can say our critics have not tried to hinder anything, nor have they been vocal. They're good people with a different perspective. When they saw it was an approach they weren't expecting, they just sort of chose not to participate, which I totally respect.

I think those with concerns have typically felt like what we were doing wasn't really evangelism. Since I've couched it as an effort to create "Positive Gossip", they have felt, I think, that this was more of a PR campaign, without understanding the end that I've had in sight. They were not able to see what having a party or a safety seminar had to do with evangelism. For some who wanted to be involved, when you said, "We're forming an outreach team," they had one simple question:
"Who's knocking on which doors?"

We've done some door knocking as a part of this, and some of the people attending now are a result of the door knocking we did. So I'm not knocking door knocking (pun slightly intended). However, I don't think it's the only way to reach people, and I think through some of these other means we are just as likely if not more likely to connect with people. (In fact, the door knocking we did was a follow up for people who came to another activity, so it wasn't the knocking alone that made the connection.)

I think it was a more effective method a couple of decades ago when people were less busy and more open to logic and the idea of truth. These days, no one believes anyone is necessarily right or wrong about anything, so when you bang on the door and they think you're just there to convince them you've got all the answers--even if you do--they'll immediately be hesitant. I don't know how you feel, but personally, I don't like strangers knocking on my door.

Some things I've learned from research about unchurched people who became Christians:
- They do value something that feels like a genuine spiritual connection to God
- They actually do care a lot about doctrine, because they think a church's beliefs and actions should be consistent. Churches will grow more by being conservative and following their principles than by pretending there is not right and wrong. People can find plenty of moral ambiguity without going to church.
- They don't want to join an organization, but they would love to be part of a worthwhile mission with true companions.
- They like it when people show genuine concern for the needs of their own community, and for the poor

Based on the present day mentality, and the facts listed above, I think the traditional evangelism conversation is much better handled at a later point instead of as the first thing we talk about. In modern day evangelism, who you are must come before what you have to say. You must earn the right to teach them by your personal character, rather than by your superior logic and mastery of the Scriptures (though I would not belittle any of these aspects).

Along with this, think about your typical worship service. We have times of singing songs, we have a special time for communion, and we'll have a sermon that is designed to be practical and uplifting. Rather than try to get them baptized before they enter the church, my experience has been that through increasing their comfort level with us as people through deeds of kindness, they've been more likely to attend a worship service. Once they experience the benefits of being in worship and getting the moral boost for the week, they've then been more open to ask, "How do I join?"

So this new method does not try to remove the evangelistic conversation from happening, it just puts it in a place that fits more logically for the present generation. Rather than starting with Mark 16:15-16 or Acts 2:38, we will have more luck starting with a mentality from Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good," and from John 13:35, "By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."

In fact, a couple of weeks ago, Don and I were sort of overwhelmed with people wanting to place membership with whom we needed to study about becoming a Christian. We were needing to do more Bible studies than we even had time for. What a great problem to have! In each case, it was people who have gradually moved in and gotten to know us, then have wanted to join as a result. We never had to ask, because they requested.

The power is ultimately in the word, not in our wisdom or in our methods. If we can help them to know we are Christians by the genuine love we show, then we can hopefully get them in contact with the soul saving message we treasure and live by.

What are your thoughts? Is my thinking flawed? Does this sound like an appropriate strategy for the people you deal with every day?

Friday Smiles: Advice From A Wealthy Man

2010-03-26T10:55:00.000-05:00

A young man asked an old rich man how he made his money. The old guy fingered his expensive wool vest and said, “Well, son, it was 1932. The depth of the Great Depression. I was down to my last nickel.”

“I invested that nickel in an apple. I spent the entire day polishing the apple and, at the end of the day, I sold the apple for ten cents.”

“The next morning, I invested those ten cents in two apples. I spent the entire day polishing them and sold them at 5:00 p.m. for 20 cents. I continued this system for a month, by the end of which I’d accumulated a fortune of $9.80.”

“Then my wife’s father died and left us
two million dollars.”

Rethinking Outreach Part I - Our Strategy

2010-03-26T10:41:00.006-05:00

Beginning last year at our congregation, we have started making some concerted efforts to connect with our community, and hopefully, to evangelize those who are seekers. I'm glad to be able to honestly say we've had some good success. I have been wanting to share some of my thoughts on the matter, as well as some of our methodology for the consideration of whomever is interested.

I have debated how to organize my thoughts, and have decided to make separate posts. I think I'll tell you what we're doing, then next, why we're doing it the way we are.

I came up with a plan for an outreach teach that I developed with several goals in mind:
1. We want to have frequent efforts being made to connect with our community
2. We want our efforts to be high caliber and relevant
3. We want the people involved to feel a high level of ownership in what they're doing
4. We don't want volunteers to get burned out or overworked
5. We want volunteers to come away feeling positive about their experience
6. We want our elders and ministers to be helpers and enablers, but not to dominate the planning of any of the groups. This is for the purpose of leadership training.
7. We want the community to experience such genuine care and kindness that they can't help but say nice things about us. If they go to another church, we want them to think, "I wish my church was like their church." I have called this "Positive Gossip."

So here's what I came up with for our Outreach Team organization:

- We invite absolutely anyone from the congregation who wants to be part of an active group of "doers" to join us for a dinner and brainstorming meeting near the beginning of the year.

- Depending on how many activities we want to accomplish, we have that number of teams created through a random sorting process. It is important to us that we make new teams each year with a mixture of young and old so that we can learn to work together and appreciate each other.

- For this year, we have four teams, because we are shooting for four major activities. It is best to have at least 12-15 people on each team. Late around November-December, there are too many holidays, and we wanted to allow a couple of winter months for prep work, so our month divisions are:

March-April
May-June
July-August
September-October

In the meeting, we have the teams divided up into different parts of the room. Before dinner, we have all teams agree to work on a particular part of the year. This ensures that the stress of planning and executing will not weigh too heavily on any one or two individuals. Once your team has done their activity, though they are always welcome to volunteer at other events, they are done for the year. This keeps a high level of involvement from everyone who volunteers.

During dinner, we encourage the teams to be thinking about a target group for their project, as well as for two project ideas for how they would want to reach their group. We give each team a budget of $1,250, though if it is a good project idea and they need more, we try to be flexible.

Here are two handouts I created that I give to the people to help them brainstorm:
Big Ideas for Outreach
Choosing A Target Group (with a couple of extra pages on other items)

I encourage them to try and consider all factors, such as target ages, concerns, hopes, fears, and dreams. Along with this, depending on the timing of their effort, we can also take advantage of cultural waves, such as school getting out, school returning in session, summer breaks, holidays, etc.

We end the meeting by having each group present two ideas that they like best, and we try to give every group a lot of positive affirmation.

The group members are listed for each team, and then we leave it up to them to plan their meetings and arrange their projects. They have had some terrific ideas. Some of them have been more overtly evangelistic than others, though at every event, we've been sure to have information to give out about our church. Here are some of the things our teams have done:

- Family Safety Day - A free program for the community with sessions by trained professionals on fire safety, internet safety, and CPR classes.

- School's Out Party - We invited the community to our property where we rented inflatables and games to celebrate the end of the school year. We used this to help promote our VBS by giving out custom frisbees with the info on them.

- School Supplies - We chose our local elementary school, and worked closely with teachers to find out exactly what the students needed for each grade and class. We got color coded drawstring bags for each age group, and made sure that every child in the school got a bag of their needed supplies to take home, along with some info about our church.

- Fall Fest Follow Up - We have an annual Fall Fest outdoor free carnival for the community, where we usually have an attendance of around 500 people; most of whom are not from our congregation. This year Carolina and I ran a picture booth, where they could have a picture made and hand delivered to them. They were asked for their address, and were told up front that it would be used only for the purpose of hand delivering the pictures. I was surprised how agreeable everyone was with this. A few weeks after Fall Fest, we had all the pictures printed up, and placed in custom Old Hickory Church of Christ bags. Also in the bag, we included an easy to read New Testament, a custom calendar with pictures from our community, some info about our church, and a few other goodies. The bags were really great, and because they were so nice, we didn't feel bad about knocking on the door to give them their goody bag. We got the teens involved in door knocking, and were sure to tell everyone, "Thanks for coming to Fall Fest," and if they were willing, we would ask them a 4 question survey, offering them Bible study as part of it.

The results have been great. We have seen tons of new faces around our building, and there are several people in attendance whom I know for a fact are coming because of one of these four events from last year. It makes everyone feel good that we're at least making efforts. Even if people won't come, at least we can say we really tried.

We make it a point that every year new teams can do whatever they would like. So the activities for this year are mostly different than those from last year. We have been so amazed at people's creativity, as well as with the ownership they have taken in these tasks. I will make a couple of other posts to discuss some about our reasoning for this type of method rather than the more traditional door knocking approach.

Part of what pleased me most was that at the debriefing after each activity, most teams were more interested in talking about what was going to happen next then about their own activity. We have a high rate of people who have returned for the next year, which tells me they were not burned out. With the work load spread out, we've been having an awesome activity happen just about every other month, and it has really got people's attention.

So if you're looking for a new strategy, I think I can safely say I've found a pretty good method, that I believe can work well in multiple settings. My goal is not to toot my own horn, but to share what's been working for us.

How about at your congregation? What efforts are you making to reach people?

Friday Smiles: Bookface

2010-03-19T10:12:00.000-05:00

Friday Smiles: Sounds Way Too Familiar

2010-03-12T01:34:00.001-06:00

I Corinthians 14:23 - A modern illustration

2010-03-05T13:37:00.003-06:00

I Corinthians 14 is about the subject of how to use spiritual gifts in worship. I'm rather skeptical about many of the things that people today claim to do by the power of the Holy Spirit, but even if they are gifts of the spirit being demonstrated, Paul argues rather forcefully that it is much better to have a sensible worship service where people understand what is going on, rather than a wild bunch of people. He says it well in I Corinthians 14:23:

So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

Case in point: Some charismatic bunch put up a video of their worship service, which is interesting enough in and of itself. (See the last 30 seconds or so especially where one girl actually knocks a guy down)

I remain skeptical that it is the Holy Ghost causing all the bad dance moves and convulsions (In some cases, Jesus cast out spirits that caused people to do exactly these sorts of things), but in response to this video, see what other people are doing:

Yes, a techno remix of the previous video. Worship services like the one here, in my estimation, do more to damage the reputation of Christianity rather than to help it. Outsiders who walk into something like this will think people are crazy, and who could argue with them?

Friday Smiles: Discount

2010-03-05T12:08:00.000-06:00

Friday Smiles: High Class Living

2010-02-26T12:07:00.000-06:00

Friday Smiles: I Suspect Most People Would Have This If You Checked

2010-02-19T12:04:00.001-06:00