'Heal our Land'

     Two Oklahoma teens, the newspapers report this week, were sitting on their front porch with a handgun. They saw a man jogging by them on the street, and so they decided to hop in their car, follow the man, and shoot the man in his back. The reason? They were bored and thought they would kill a guy, "just for fun."
     In California, a new law allows transgender kids to choose which locker room they would like to use. If they are a boy, but feel more like a girl, they may use the girls locker room, and vice versa.
     In New York City, 16-year-old girls can take the morning after pill from a school nurse, without the consent of their parents.
     Something is happening (or has happened) to the soul of our nation. It seems as if God has removed his hand and is allowing for us to function according to our own plans. We do not apparently value God's plans, and do not want to live according to his Word, and so he is allowing us to have our way.
     We will see how long we can go on this path before we finally return to God.
     I have heard and seen this oft-quoted passage of Scripture, and it has finally found a place in my heart: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
     I apologize if my last two posts are kind of Debby-downers, but I see wickedness around us and I am growing more distressed. The only way forward is if we would abandon our plans and return to the Lord humbly in prayer. It starts with congregations and denominations abandoning attempts to be "relevant" to cultural trends, and preaching and teaching (in the simplest sense possible) the Word of God (as revealed in Scripture). It continues with believers responding to the Word in their own lives, and becoming Light shining in a dark place. And if more of us from the Church (the "called out" ones) will live as God's called-out people, the Light will gradually overcome the darkness that has set in.

   

We're All Nuts!

     In hindsight, I can see how the Left-leaning folks in America were turned off (and even nauseated) by the Religious Right political-religious movement of the 1980s and '90s. Fundamentalist leaders like Jerry Falwell (of the Moral Majority) and Pat Robertson (Christian Coalition) came across as smug and self-righteous. They served up a mix of political and religious rhetoric and then shoved it down our throats.
    Before becoming a Christian (in the early 1990s), these guys infuriated me. And to be honest, I still find myself shaking my head in disbelief every time they open their mouths.
     But a paradigm shift has occurred of late. The political Left today is every bit as obnoxious as the the Religious Right ever was, and they display many of the same tendencies. If you believe abortion is morally wrong and that legislation should tightly restrict (if not eliminate) the practice, don't bother sharing that viewpoint with others. If you so much as question Obamacare, they wonder how you can call yourself a Christian. If you affirm that God does not (nor ever will) affirm homosexual practice (or heterosexual promiscuity) as acceptable lifestyles, you are labeled a bigot.
     I still remember the words of my AP European History teacher in high school. Chuck Lucas taught us, with a coffee mug in his hand, that there is little difference between the extreme Right and the extreme Left. Zealots will always be zealots, whether they are on the Right or Left side of the aisle (or pew).
     So how do we live passionately as Christians today, and work for justice and the truth of God's Word, without becoming Right-wing or Left-wing nuts? Is it even possible?
     I have not read much of Friedrich Nietzsche, but perhaps his writings on "A Will to Power" aren't that far off the mark. Maybe it comes down to the Left and Right lining up on both sides of the ball, and going at it relentlessly when the whistle blows, until one side emerges victorious. Maybe today there is no compromising or "third way" in the ideological and theological disagreements that confront us.
     I am certain there is a way (something about "speaking the truth in love"), but I have not yet seen it modeled effectively. And I have not yet discovered a way to be transparent and honest about the grave concerns I have for the morality of this nation. As a pastor, my fear is that if I lean in too prophetic of a direction, I will alienate people and become a poor witness to the love of Jesus Christ.
     This is always the danger. In speaking the truth, we can easily compromise love and compassion (or create the perception that we are not loving or compassionate).
     Jesus managed to balance the offices well, but can we?
     What are your thoughts? How do you live passionately and champion what you believe in the marketplace of ideas (the Public Square)? How do we fight the good fight? Can we, in good conscience, remain silent, if what we see around us is contrary to the love and truth of God's Word? I welcome all responses, whether you are Left- or Right-leaning, or even a Left- or Right-wing nut.
   

Feeling Like a Rubber Band

     About this time every year, I start to feel like a rubber band that is being gradually stretched to capacity, hoping I don't break. As the pastor who oversees discipleship ministries, it is my responsibility to make sure that all Sunday School classes, small groups, etc..., are formed and ready to go. I also work with men's ministries, nurture ministries, and other areas.
     I love it.
    The church is an exciting place to work in August, because with the start of the school year, so many people are open to new routines and new beginnings. My prayer is that, as a congregation, we learn to identify the BEST opportunities for growth and say yes to those things. I also hope we learn to say no to other things, even things that are otherwise good.
    I struggle with this. There are so many GOOD things to engage in this fall. There are music ministries, mission ministries, Sunday School classes, men's ministries, nurture ministries, youth and children's ministries, and young adult ministries, just to name a few. Even though these are all good things, we cannot do it all! We have to identify the BEST for us and our families, and the right balance of rest, family time, worship, service, fellowship, etc... If we don't choose, somebody else will write our schedules for us and soon we will feel like the rubber band, ready to break.
     I have some tough decisions to make for this fall, not only as a pastor, but as a dad, husband, and follower of Jesus Christ. How will I connect with my children in meaningful ways this fall? What is the BEST opportunity available for us to do this? How will my wife and I stay in touch amidst all of the shuffling back-and-forth between home, church, school, work, and activities? And how will I find time to hear the whisper of God in my own life? Will I overbook myself, so that I don't have time to reflect and pray? Or will I build that time into my schedule.
     So many choices out there of how to spend our time. May we listen to God leading us to those best opportunities, and let the other things fall by the wayside.

Easy Like a Sunday Morning

     There are a lot of people who do not "go to church" on Sunday mornings. I know, because I was one of them last Sunday.
     About four or five times a year, I take the Sunday off. Sometimes our family visits other churches in the area, just for a change of pace. But sometimes, I must confess, our family simply sleeps in.
     Last Sunday -- after a long flight home from Baltimore the night before -- was a sleep-in Sunday. At 10:30 AM, we left the house to drive my daughter to a 1 o'clock swim meet that was about an hour away. Along the way, we stopped at the local Wal-Mart to load up on snacks and drinks for the pool deck, and lo-and-behold, Wal-Mart was packed! People were strolling the aisles in flip-flops and shorts, enjoying a little value shopping on Sunday morning. As we drove away from Wal-Mart, I noticed other parking lots and storefronts were packed! Roads were busy! A dozen or so pick-up trucks toted ski boats and Jet Skis, as families made their way to the lake.
     My conclusion? It's not rocket science. A lot of people do not worship on Sunday mornings. Some of the people we observed, to be fair, would worship later that evening, if their church home offers a Sunday night service. Others, perhaps, had worshiped the night before. And maybe a few of them were pastors like me playing hooky. But there is no denying that many people choose not to worship on Sunday mornings!
     There are several potential reasons for his. The first is that a large number of people in McKinney, Texas, are not Christians. If this is the case, it seems logical that such people would not attend worship services on Sunday mornings. A second reason is that it was Pastor Sunday at Wal-Mart, and thousands of other pastors were also taking the day off. A more likely explanation is that these are Christians who have chosen to do other things on Sunday mornings. When considering the question, "What should I do with my Sunday morning?" many people consistently choose to stay away from worshiping communities of believers in the local church.
     This realization t is not shocking to me. I am not offended by it. I do not stand in judgment of these people. It simply shows that we have a lot of work to accomplish in the Church today, even in the so-called Bible Belt.
    Granted this was just one small sample of, "Sunday Mornings at Wal-Mart in McKinney, Texas," but I think I would find the same pattern, next week, and the week after that, whether it be springtime, summer, or fall.
    I offer no solutions or recommendations. I'm just calling it like I see it, and hopefully my exposure to ground zero can motivate me (and other church leaders) to be more invitational. Perhaps it is showing us the hard truth that our culture is becoming more secular by the moment, and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still needed in our own backyard.

Mission Accomplished

     My son recently returned from a week-long mission trip to Staten Island. He and three others helped out a guy named George, whose house was submerged during Hurricane Sandy. It was hot. It was sticky. It was hard work. And yet, from all accounts, he and another youth on the trip did a great job and worked hard.
     I could not me more proud of these boys for responding to God's call to the mission field.
     In the evenings, they slept on cots at Olivet Presbyterian Church and showered across the street at the YMCA. They also had a chance to meet some interesting people in the congregation and neighborhood. On one particular evening, they were invited to a barbecue with many people who are homeless and/or battling HIV/AIDS. This is one of those invitations to the mission field that could cause many otherwise faithful Christians to hesitate. It is a ministry that many congregations might not embrace, but not this 80-member congregation in Staten Island.
     As I reflect upon this my son's experience at this barbecue (and the mission trip as a whole), I give thanks that he was exposed to ministry to a group of people often overlooked or even exiled. I am thankful to hear there are congregations who reach out to groups of people the rest of the world has cast aside. I am also compelled to inventory how we witness to Christ's love to different groups of people in our own community.
    Mission (in Scripture) is understood in concentric circles. Jesus says, "...You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)  In other words, we serve the people of our neighborhoods and communities (Jerusalem), in our region/state/nation (Judea), and even overseas (to the ends of the earth). We also go to places -- like barbecues with AIDS/HIV patients -- that the world says don't matter (Samaria).
     Thank you to Pastor Bryan and another adult church member for leading these two boys in mission and enabling them to be witnesses of Christ's love.

Lessons from Little League

My son's 11-13 year-old baseball team recently won the championship for a 10-day Little League All-Star tournament in north/northeast Dallas, and we couldn’t have asked for a better coach.

            The coach emphasized how he was not concerned with the boys striking out or making errors in the field. As he told the boys, errors will happen; ballplayers strike out. More important is how they conduct themselves while playing the game. For example, he expected his players to run back to the dugout after a bad, third-strike call, and not argue with the umpires. He expected his players to run onto the field when it was their turn to play defense. He instructed the players not to get down on themselves when they made errors, because the next play would be coming.

            In other words, for my son's coach, it’s how you play the game that is most important, and it is not about perfection. And who can argue with the man; we won the whole tournament playing baseball this way!

            The same thing applies to life. We will get bad calls and bad breaks. We will make mistakes. We will not succeed in every endeavor. What truly defines our success in life and faith is our attitude. It is so easy to get down on our selves or others, or complain that things aren’t fair. It is easy to give up and mope. Every day is a new opportunity to run onto the field, ready to play the game, because our next chance may be just around the corner!

July 4th Reflections

     Our friend Sherif in Cairo sends us regular Facebook updates on the coup in Egypt. If you have not heard the news, democratically elected president Morsi is out and the army is now in charge. Millions who claim Morsi was inept at best and a power-hungry thug at worst are rejoicing in the streets. But there are hundreds of thousands of others (perhaps a few million?), including our friend Sherif and his family, who think this is a devastating development. They have lost all hope in any form of democracy taking hold in Egypt, and of course there is the immediate threat of riots and perhaps civil war. The country seems that divided.
     I do not pretend to know the ins and outs of the situation. For all I know, Morsi is inept or perhaps a real scumbag. The primary connection I have to the situation is our friend Sharif, and our hope that he and his family remain safe. I also am of course concerned for our brothers and sisters in the Coptic Christian Church, who make up about 10 percent of the 90 million people in this country. And I am just concerned for a nation of people who are so bitterly divided, and about to (potentially) abandon their year-long experiment with democracy.
     I offer no solutions to the situation in Egypt; I am ill-equipped to choose sides. But I pray for my friends Sherif and his family. I pray that the Church in Egypt can embody the personhood of Christ and become effective peace-makers. And I pray there is no power grab by the army as they prepare for another democratic process to begin.
     And of course on this July 4 holiday, I give thanks for our nation. We greatly misuse our freedoms in this nation. We treat our freedoms as an amusement park rather than as a responsibility. And yet, we are free. We have peaceful transfers of power. We do not tolerate attempts and schemes to overthrow our government. We can preach and teach the Word of God in our sanctuaries and small groups. I could go on and on.
     Today, the invitation is to stop to read about the situation in Egypt, or some other politically troubled nation, and realize just how good we have it.