A Nativity Video for You

Merry Christmas!

It's Bohemian Rhapsody, puppet style.

Tim Tebow and Taking Things "Down A Notch"

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

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?

Check Out My New Book!

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.