The Collar

“Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.”
– The First Epistle to the Corinthians 7:22 (ESV)

I ran across an interesting article by a pastor who advocated the return to wearing a minister’s uniform (e.g., a collar) for those in ministry. It was well-written and thought through; his argument was essentially that wearing the collar helped him better perform ministry in the community as people who wouldn’t initially recognize him as a pastor would now do so. I didn’t agree with everything he said but it got me thinking, “Would I consider wearing a collared shirt…at the bookstore I frequent, the same with the coffee shop and all the other places in between?”

My resulting feelings brought me a little consternation. I shied away from the thought of wearing a minister’s collar. It made me uneasy and that troubled me. It’s not that I think every minister should wear a uniform (I don’t wear one), it’s just that the why behind my decline didn’t smell the fragrance of Christ. I think I would be hesitant to wear a collar because it might infringe on the freedoms I enjoy in public. The movies I see, the books I read, the places I visit and all others things I do in front of others now comes with the “please look at me and know that I’m a Christian minister” tag once I don the white tab.

I don’t like my answer. It has the foul odor of independence and autonomy. Two things that speak more of my being an American than a follower of Jesus, two things that keep me far from the life Jesus offers, and two things I (supposedly) gave up when I decided to become a “slave to Christ”. But being a “slave” doesn’t get much mileage in this culture, and I’m afraid with the state of the Western church it doesn’t go much further within her walls as well where a growing number of pastors fancy themselves more celebrity than shepherd. It seems ironic to me how the white tab ministers wear is to symbolize the iron collar of a slave, for he is a bondslave to Jesus. And yet it may be for that very reason that I think twice.

This really is for a larger discussion because I believe all who name the Name of Christ are ministers. In other words, all wear the collar in one sense. All are servants to Jesus. So how do you feel about walking around with a tab around your neck? The why behind your answer may tell you more than you thought it would.

Words to a Dead Father

There are a few pastors outside the four walls of my church who’ve had a great impact on me. Among names on that short list is John Piper, who is a pastor in Minneapolis. I’ve never met him, only heard him and read his books, and I recommend anything/everything he’s ever written.

I found out this week that his father William died on Tuesday and ran across John's blog where he recollected his thoughts and feelings as he attended his father in his final moments at the hospital. It was one most precious and heartfelt things I’ve read in a long time. In it you see the great love for a father who did it right and a son who has most assuredly followed in his steps as a man who God has used to touch hundreds of thousands of people…if not more. All of it was incredible, but one piece stood out to me as far as being a parent.

John looked down at now lifeless body of his father and said:

Thank you, Daddy. Thank you for sixty-one years of faithfulness to me. I am simply looking into his face now. Thank you. You were a good father. You never put me down. Discipline, yes. Spankings, yes. But you never scorned me. You never treated me with contempt. You never spoke of my future with hopelessness in your voice. You believed God’s hand was on me. You approved of my ministry. You prayed for me. Everyday.…I kissed him on his cold cheek and on his forehead. I love you, Daddy. Thank you.

Oh, to have my kids say to me what John said to his father! That when I'm on my deathbed they gather round and say, “Thanks Dad for loving me like God called you to love me! Thanks for leaving a legacy of grace and godliness that I’m going to pass on to your grandkids. I love you, Daddy. Thank you.”

Jesus, please grant me the grace to lead my children in such a way that they would know you, love you and make you known to the ends of the earth. Amen.

Needless to say, I highly recommend reading Piper's blog on his father's death. You can catch it here: Hello, my dad just died

Growlings and Roarings

This week I’ve had a few interactions with people outside the faith that have asked me to explain some things in the Bible that for one reason or another they can’t really get past. It’s a legitimate issue most of the time. People are genuinely “kicking the tires” concerning Jesus & Christianity and want to know why the Bible (i.e., the voice of the God of the Christians) holds to the views it does.

However, every once in a while I encounter those who come to the Bible with an axe to grind. It’s not that they’re trying to discover the truth of who God is, what he is doing in history and what their part is in it, they’re just mad at what the text says and want to battle a person who believes it. What’s usually funny about this kind of track is that when one textual “issue” is solved, for example by simply understanding the historical context of the scripture, the offended party simply moves to the next biblical position that sticks in their craw. So when it comes to the Bible and receiving what it says I tend to run into two types of people: those who don’t understand the Bible but are sincerely trying and those who don’t care what it really says because they know what’s truth and are simply angry that the Bible “reads” how it reads.

What’s the deal? Let me turn first to author Clive Staples Lewis.

In the famous “Chronicles of Narnia” book The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, the sinister character Uncle Andrew is frightened to a deathly silence by the presence of the Christ-figure Aslan the Lion and his surroundings. When his young nephew Digory asks Aslan to help by speaking words that will bring peace to his devastated uncle, Aslan replies, “But I cannot tell that to this old sinner, and I cannot comfort him either; he has made himself unable to hear my voice. If I spoke to him, he would hear only growlings and roarings. Oh Adam’s sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good!”

The problem with Uncle Andrew is the same dilemma with those who can’t bring themselves to embracing what the Bible says. When the pages pour forth the voice of God all that is heard is “growlings” and “roarings”. I wonder if many times the reasons they don’t hear the voice of their salvation is because, like Uncle Andrew, they’ve defended themselves against God by redefining him with their feelings, opinions and observations. They don’t want to really hear God because they can’t get past what they already believe is true. Maybe that’s why Jesus was so big on faith.

I wonder if Jesus’ words in The Gospel of John would be fitting in a Cliff Notes reading of the Lewis story: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27, ESV) Faith gives us eyes to see and ears to hear. While skeptics would say it causes us to be blind to reality, the truth is faith in Jesus is what actually enables us to receive in our hearts and minds the truth about God. In other words, to follow him is to believe him...and vice versa.

I Corinthians 2:14-16 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (ESV)

While these two groups of people who don’t embrace the Bible are on opposite sides of the spectrum in a real way, there is a common thread they share. They don’t get it because they don’t have him. Sure, they may proclaim to accept God but you can bet it’s not the God revealed in the Bible – it’s a god much safer to their belief system, more sympathetic to their views and much more accessible than the God revealed in the Bible. If any claim it is the God of the Bible usually it's the cut-and-paste version where they embrace some of what the Bible teaches about him but it rejects other scriptures that don't fit their silhouette of deity. However, all that does is defend the seeker “against all that might do [him] good”. What he needs is faith and that can only come from God (cf., Eph. 2:8-9). God must give us eyes to see and ears to hear (that is receive) his word.

This should be humble us and help us as we dialogue with those who are disappointed if not outright angry at what the Bible says. We should be humbled by the fact that to truly receive God’s Word one must be renewed by Jesus. To hear him is to know him. Even our initial coming to Christ in conversion has Jesus’ fingerprints all over it. We don’t “get it” because we’re smarter, wiser or better with logic than those who don’t follow Jesus. We believe it because Jesus enables us to believe it.

This should also temper any ill feelings we have with those who bring dull axes to their conversations with you about what the Bible says, and it should give us compassion for those who come with more sincere hearts. In a real way both have the same problem. It should encourage us to pray on their behalf that God would allow them to hear not “roarings” and “growlings” but the loving, caring and sure voice of the Almighty.

I Wish...

I wish I could write like the authors I read.
I wish I could sing like the vocalists I hear.
I wish I could preach like the preachers I listen to.
I wish I could lead like the leaders I'm around.

I think my "wishes" probably point to some broken and fallen need in me to be the center of it all, to have my ego stroked or something else that I'm sure isn't good. The list likely reveals more my faults than my desires.

Maybe I should wish to be grateful and content for the things God has allowed me to do well and forge onward in discipline and effort to do those things with greater passion and excellence.

I wish that would be my wish.

Who Are Your Gifts?

“My advice to you is to seek out those kinds of friends. If you find ONE, then hang on to him. Then the two of you can seek out another. Listen and watch where the Lord is leading you. Stay away from the guys who do not love Jesus, who are not loyal, who are not fun, and who are not interested in community and accountability. Don’t settle for second-rate buddies. Ask the Lord to bring you into a small group of disciples who love life and want to be warriors for Christ. It will change your whole life for the better. I promise. I have stories to prove it.”
– Andy Kerckhoff, A note to graduating seniors from their teacher

This August I’m planning to visit Banff, Canada with six other college friends. While the details of the trip haven’t been ironed out, what has been established is the truth that there are fewer joys and jewels in life than deep, soul-stirring friendships. For almost fifteen years we have had the pleasure of watching each other live life, sometimes from a distance and sometimes up close and personal. We’ve witnessed unbelievable highs and unspeakable lows. We’ve laughed ‘til we cried and cried ‘til we laughed. We’ve kept in touch through the weddings, births, jobs and everything else that comes along with the lives of men in their mid-thirties. And do you know what? It never gets old.

A few years back we committed to meet annually for an extended weekend or so (we call the trip “Fandango”, which is another story for another time). I can’t speak for the rest of the crew (there’s seven of us total) but it is almost always the highlight of my year. Period. To again see the faces of guys I’ve admired, loved and cherished is simply a blessing. It’s a blessing to spend time with them, to be reminded of the goodness of God I see in their friendships, to see the trajectory their lives are taking both outwardly and inwardly.

My parents many moons ago told me that college would be a critical time for me, but the importance they warned about had nothing to do with grades or girls. They exhorted me to develop deep, godly friendships with other guys. My mother said that in no other season in my life would I have so much time and such close proximity to pour into so many friends than while I was away at college. She was right and I'm overwhelmingly grateful for her wisdom.

Not only did I see that example lived out in my parents’ lives but now I see it in mine. The greatest thing I have from Baylor University isn’t the sheepskin that hangs on my wall but the friendships I left with from Waco. So as August approaches my excitement level increases like that of a child who finds himself about a week away from Christmas morn. For once again will I enjoy the great gifts I've been given in Andy, Jeff, Jason, Mitch, Scott and Craig.

Who are your gifts?

Profession, Submission and the Bible

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
– The Gospel of John 17:17 (ESV)

Periodically I receive a newsletter from Baylor University which gives the latest and greatest news about my alma mater (Yes, I’m a Bear). Included in this newsletter is a response section which essentially functions as “Letters to the Editor”. I didn’t happen to catch the story to which everyone was responding but whatever the exact topic it definitely struck a nerve, and a religious one at that. The theme appeared to center around the idea of other religions outside of Christianity having access to heaven.

It’s not a new topic. The views around the nation are increasingly pluralistic. However, for the better part of two millennia the Church has held the ground that Jesus is the only way to God. The reason they hold that view is straightforward. Jesus, as well as his apostles, said this about himself (cf., John 14:6). It is recorded in the Bible. Christians, at least in the past, have claimed that the Bible is their source of unparalleled authority being that it is the fully inspired word of God.

Yet there is this response from a fellow alum in my latest college periodical to the statement that Christ is the only way:

“I am a Christian, but I do not believe that Christians have all the answers. Paul, Peter, James, John, and all the early "brothers" were human. The church leaders that decided what writings would go into the "New Testament" were all human. God only has humans to work through in this world, and none of them are infallible. I do believe the Bible is the "inspired" word of God. Other books that did not make the cut were probably also inspired by God, as well as writings used by other religions. The key word is "inspired," not "dictated." Why do many Christians in general and Baptists in particular feel they now have the final word? ...God cannot be put in a box. He cares for all his people and has since the beginning of time. Who are we to say who will and will not make it to heaven? That is God's call, not ours.”

What is stunning is not the fact that people don’t believe Jesus is the exclusive way into the Kingdom of Heaven. That is old news. What is stunning is that people who claim to be his followers are now joining in the chorus.

Apparently it’s completely acceptable today to profess both your allegiance to Jesus (say, “I’m a Christian”) and your rejection of the Bible. “Rejection” too strong a word? Not at all. To piece together what you like of the Bible and disregard that which you don’t (e.g., the exclusivity of Jesus) is to place yourself as the authority and judge over God’s Word instead of the other way around which, by the way, is how authentic followers of Jesus have been described in that very Bible.

1 John 2:3-5, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

Professing a devotion to Jesus while rejecting parts of the Bible will not do, and yet many have been so hoodwinked by the zeitgeist of postmodernism which tempts us to exchange pearls of absolute truth for pebbles of ephemeral opinion that after hearing someone do exactly this we move on to the next topic without even blinking. But God will have none of it. You can’t claim to love Christ and with a clear conscience play loose and fast with his word.

If 1 John 2:3-5 tells us anything it says that fidelity of faith is found not in profession but submission.

By God’s grace, may we seek and struggle to demonstrate both.

Like Son, Like Father

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus”
– The Epistle to the Philippians 2:3-5 (ESV)

Saturday we spent time with some sweet friends of ours. It was one of those all-day affairs because we see them so infrequently. So after we had my eldest son’s basketball game early in the morning we raced home to throw toys back into their rooms of origin, sweep up stale cereal that had dried and adhered to the kitchen linoleum with the bond of industrial strength super glue and all the other various and sundry activities you engage in to get your house ready for guests. I anticipated a time of laughs and smiles. Little did I know there would be a tear or two in there as well.

Our friends have a child named Claire who, for all intents and purposes, suffers from a severe case of cerebral palsy. She cannot talk (at least like we do), does not walk and moves with the help of her loving parents and a wheelchair.

My oldest son Thatcher was super excited to see her. He kept waiting at the window for her to arrive with her parents and younger sister. When she came he wanted to help with the wheelchair, ask her to play (with childish naiveté, “Let’s jump on the trampoline!”) and generally wanted to hang out with her. I was all smiles to see him take such a liking to her. But it was more than liking for Thatcher. He wanted to “do stuff” with her. When Claire's mom asked if he would read a book to her Thatch lit up like he’d won the lottery! Even though he is in kindergarten Thatcher reads at a third grade level (chalk one up to my wife’s home schooling efforts) and reading books is something he loves. And I love that he loves reading. Thatch sat on the couch as Claire’s mom wheeled her over next to him, then he opened a book about King David in front of her and began reading.

For the better part of twenty minutes my son displayed a grace and servant-heartedness that not only warmed my soul but also humbled and convicted me. As he was reading to (his words) “Clairy-Beary” with the exuberance and intensity of a professional narrator, I was questioning how many opportunities have I squandered to be a blessing to someone else? Or when I do serve others, how pure are my motives…how altruistic are my aims? Do I serve with joy or do I serve because that is what I’m supposed to do? Sadly, there are probably more times than not where my son far outpaces his father in taking joy in serving others. Still, my aim is to win at this more times than lose.

I also saw in my son as a five year old what I hope to see in him as a fifteen year old, twenty-five year old, and any other age you can think of. May I be the kind of father that models Jesus for my sons (I’ve got three of them) in such a way that "reading books for others” is their default mode, the sine qua non of their life. If that would be true for them then I would know in some small measure I will have helped guide them in the way (and mind) of Jesus.

But Saturday, my son modeled Jesus for me.

The Two Tenses of Truth

"The bond of tears is the strongest bond of all."
- William Barclay

You know what’s tough? Looking in the eyes of a 16 year-old girl who’s late-40-something father suddenly and unexpectedly died two days earlier.

Through the little pain in my own life I’ve learned that there are two tenses of truth. There is “Now” truth and “Then” truth. Today, at the funeral home viewing, I crossed paths with my departed friend’s little girl. Upon seeing me she came over and I sensed she expected me, as her pastor and her dad’s friend, to do something “preacherish”. I didn’t try to cheer her up and utter some scripture on heaven. That is “then” truth – stuff we need to hear, stuff that’s true but stuff that probably is better suited for another time and place. I definitely didn’t say, “Don’t be sad, your dad’s in a better place.” That would be just plain stupid.

I just looked her in the eyes, placed my hand on the back of her head and traced it down her hair maybe as her father would’ve done and began to cry (as she did). Through the tears I told her I was so sorry at what had happened and that I knew she missed her daddy. Then I simply hugged her.

I think that was “now” truth.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

- The Epistle to the Romans 12:14 (ESV)

We Got Radicals, Yes We Do; We Got Radicals, How About You?

This evening while channel surfing I stumbled across a report on Fox News centering on extremists in Islam from which so much of today’s terrorism flows. I caught only the last ten minutes. Most of it was the same stuff you’d see any other time of the day – “death to America” chants, burnings of the Stars and Stripes, rhetorical antipathies toward Jews and Christians and guns…lots of guns. But what struck me in the piece were the examples of how some in the Muslim (and I’m assuming Middle Eastern) media were promoting the extremist agenda with their programming. One incredibly disturbing example was a cartoon for children that showed a plane (with “made-for-kids” eyes and mouth on the front of it) just flying happily along until a Jewish man (his yarmulke for all to see) pushed a button which somehow transformed the happy face plane into a mean-faced plane that now was rushing towards the Twin Towers to meet its 9/11 destiny.

That is sad on so many fronts but what stood out to me being a teacher, and a religious teacher at that, was that everyone who felt this cartoon was okay (the creators, the TV programmers, the audience of adults and children) was taught to believe that this was okay. My assumption is that most, if not all of it, was under the guise of religion. That God believes these murderous thoughts, feelings and actions are good and noble. This is somehow his plan.

I’d like to throw some stones at them. I’d like to live with a heavy dose of righteous indignation toward their lemming-like following of teachings so ruinous. I like to show people why being a Christian is so much a clearer choice in contrast to Islam by using delusional stories like the one I’ve just told you. The only problem is Christianity has its own set of wackos preaching delusions that are just as ruinous. Many of these teachers, like their radical Islamist counterparts, are lauded by millions, watched on television and followed like rock stars (to which many of them live like such). While their teaching doesn’t promote violence or hatred against another group or race of people it still is a far cry from God’s heart. Maybe you’ve come across it…

It makes God your personal market-money manager who guarantees financial gain. It says that no one should ever be sick, be poor or be anything they don’t want to be. It promotes man as all-powerful teaching that life is all about the fulfillment of his destiny, dreams and desires. They see the “not yet” as the “already”.

Subtler cousins of this teaching equate following Jesus with the great American Dream, allowing you to choose Jesus like you would anything down the supermarket aisle – just buy it for when you need it, use it when you’d like, jettison it when it gets old, boring or just doesn’t “work” for you anymore – didn’t make my marriage stay together, didn’t improve my business, didn’t give me obedient kids. Still, it can all be yours for a prayer and an ounce of emotion. Don’t worry about denying yourself and taking up your cross, this is easy.

Friends, the sad truth is we have our own radicals. We have teachers who have a radically different version of what it is to follow Jesus. It is radically different from what we see predominantly around the world, in early church history and definitely (and most importantly) from the scriptures. Yet many embrace them. They’re given lucrative book deals, worldwide television programs and packed out churches, and, like their Islamic counterparts, are taking generations down with them.

So maybe the next time you click through your television programming and run across some slick, bejeweled and bedazzled preacher weaving the latest and greatest from God on the loom of prosperity and/or consumerism be reminded that Western Christianity has a terror of its own.

"Helping" Others

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?
Or am I trying to please man?
If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
- The Epistle to The Galatians 1:10 (ESV)

Today I had to speak with an engaged couple who was living together and wanted me to officiate their service. I wasn't just a "rent-a-preacher" either. These were two people who had begun their journey at my church and felt like they were at a place where God was making some inroads to their life. They believed I was a major part of it. I was humbled and yet I was burdened - burdened by the conviction that cohabitation, as popular as it is today (roughly 50% of all couples live together before getting married), is not only an unwise move for any person but clearly sinful for followers of Jesus (e.g, I Corinthians 7:2-4).

So I tried to explain to them as clearly and compassionately as I could why I would not perform their wedding ceremony. Needless to say, they weren't happy. But in their crestfallen state they still managed to be very gracious (something that not always is the case) with the impasse at which we'd arrived. As tough-minded (some read: arrogant) as I think I can be, it wasn't much fun of a discussion.

But it did give me a gut-check question: Who do I serve? Pastors only serve their people as they serve Christ. Period. That's it. No debate. (That's my either tough-mindedness or arrogance chiming in, I can't tell) Yet I think sometimes we pastor-types can answer "people" without any modifiers, without any exceptions. The thin-ice danger of that is it places the person's emotions, convictions and values over God's prerogatives. Thus when a conflict arises between them guess who loses out? God. All in the name of helping others.

But in "helping" them, all we've done is move them further from God's purpose and plan for their lives. Like spiritual Jack Kevorkians we give people what they want in the name of what's best but in the end it brings death...which is the end of all who believe their choices are supreme and God can just go his own way.

This is not our path. This should not be our practice. You can serve men or you can serve men by serving God. Don't be confused. Don't blur the lines. The difference will mark you a either a slave of man (and really yourself) or a slave of Christ.

O God, grant me the grace to be the latter. Amen.

"Christian" music

Is it just me or does it seem that the best songs about God and spirituality are the ones played on secular stations? Is it the cheesed-out triumphalism, the one (or ten)-step behind cultural "coolness" or the dripping inauthenticity that seemingly accompanies much mainstream Christian music?

Some might counter, "How can you say that? You don't know them."

You're right. I don't. I don't need to. Their music tells me everything I need to know. It tells me that, for many, it's about income more than artistry, about "catchiness" more than sound theology, about how it makes you feel more than how it makes you think. Sorry I'm painting with such a broad stroke. Yes, there are exceptions. Yes, there are those who's artistry and theology aren't compromised by selling a few CD's. Yes, you can sing a song that both moves you and makes you think. The only problem is that these guys (and girls) are exceptions to the rule - square pegs in a world full of round holes. Sadly, I find much more authenticity in the music of those who either don't affirm Jesus or at least don't do so as "Christian musicians in the Christian music industry". What they offer is much more substantive and engaging than the overwhelming pablum sold in the music section of Christian bookstores.

Who are some people that fall into either category? I'm not giving any names. That's your job to find out. Plug in Philippians 4:8 (ESV), "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things," to a keen sense of discernment and you'll do just fine.

Here's an example. Take clips from these two songs about heaven. One from Christian band Audio Adrenaline, the other from Ray LaMontagne. First AA...

Its a big big house
With lots and lots a room
A big big table
With lots and lots of food
A big big yard
Where we can play football
A big big house
Its my fathers house

Ibidibidee bop bop bow whew! yeah!

Now it's Ray's turn...

All my heroes have gone to heaven
Where all them saints wear flaming shoes
The junkies and the whores are behind them pearly doors
I guess I'm going to go to heaven too

Now all my heroes have gone to Heaven
Let all them "Righteous Joes" take to shoveling coal
The killers and the cons
The pushers and the pawns
With halos, wings just hovering over paths of gold

So mama don't you cry
When I'm dead and gone
'Cause Jesus loves his sinners
And Heaven is a honky tonk

Now all my heroes have gone to heaven
The liars and the gamblers and the fools
The drunkards and the thieves
All wearing silk upon their sleeves
And every gal is like a silver pearl in bloom

So mama don't you cry
When I'm dead and gone
'Cause Jesus loves his sinners
And Heaven is a honky tonk

Now from what you know of the Bible and the Person of Jesus, which of these songs scream CHEESE and which has some weight to it? It's not hard. At least it shouldn't be. This is a pitch right down the middle. If you don't know, find a solid church, get in a sound small group and have someone disciple you in the way of Jesus!

Of the two, AA's makes me feel like I'm at that bad part of a church camp when the kids aren't pumped up enough so the camp musician/rock star pulls out this oldie-but-goodie. The trivialization and me-centeredness of the song only reminds me of the syrupy, dishonest, shallow, consumer-driven music that makes up most of what I hear on Christian radio stations. I don't think it passes the Phil. 4:8 test. I bet there are a few campers out there who's best move would have been to gather up their "christian" music and toss it in the campfire!

LaMontagne's song on the other hand makes me question how I see the mission of God in my life. It forces me to ask: Who did Jesus run after in his ministry? Prostitutes followed him, tax collectors dined with him, and he was known as a "friend of sinners" (cf., Mt. 11:19, Lk. 7:34)...people that you might find more at a "Honky Tonk" than a country club. Jesus was quite clear in Luke 5:31, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." What's even more ironic about this song is that one of the ways you'll ever hear it is probably going to a honky tonk. RL stands well outside the camp of the Christian industry. I don't know if he is a follower of Jesus or not, but his music and the circles he runs in are very "secular".

Isn't it ironic that the more Christian song is sung by the non-Christian, secular artist?

I would hope that AA's song was just an exception of their musical output rather than the rule. I wouldn't know. But I can tell you this, this isn't an isolated incident. Just turn on the radio to your local Christian station and apply the Phil. 4:8 test yourself. I think you'll be surprised (appalled, ticked, angry, sad) as well. As for me, I'll be looking for and listening to the square pegs in the Christian music scene as well as enjoying music outside that circle which reminds me of what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellence, and worthy of praise.

Ibidibidee bop bop bow whew! yeah!


P.S. - Ray sang this song on Austin City Limits and it's definitely worth the watch!

Dependence and Maturity

“And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said,
"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

– The Gospel According to Matthew 18:2-4 (ESV)

Today someone from our children’s ministry placed a collection of prayers our church kids (Kindergarten-1st Grade) had written/drawn on sheets of red paper and posted on a wall (in somewhat the spirit of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem) this past Sunday. So during my lunch break, I thumbed through the now-taken-down pages that waited on our office kitchen table…

• “God ples help me on my speleg test.” I think he needs to pray harder ;)
• “Tank you for all of the blessings that you have gave to me.”
• “Der God, thak you fir my femlee.”

Cue the laughs. Cue the warm smiles. Cue the quick joy that these things bring with them. But they also bring something else…

• “Dear God, help my frids because some of htem are sick.”
• “Plese help me have gud frens."
• “This weekin has ben so bad, my mom and dad have been fiting and me and my brothers have ben fiting and I hope that you can fix that.”
• Indulge me with one more prayer. It was the last page and folded in half like a note you would pass along in junior high. The cover: To God. The contents: “My dog died. Please take hem and have fun with him.”

Cue the tears. Cue the sobriety of spirit. Cue the solemnity of the moment.

As I looked at these requests one of my initial responses was, “Man, these kiddos ask God about everything.” From success on school tests to the ability to play soccer (lit., “Help me to play sacr ball.”), there seemed to be nothing in their eyes that was taboo for God to address. I wonder if that’s one of the things Jesus had in mind when he said in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." or Mark 10:15, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Isn’t it funny how, as we get older, we’re trying to be more and more independent? Our parental mandate is to produce adults who can fend and think for themselves. That was my experience: I graduated from high school a little more independent than when I was in it; then college, where my blossoming independence expanded; then a bigger graduation and now I was “on my own”. The rule being that the more independent I am, supposedly the more mature I am. Yet in God’s economy it seems the opposite it true: the more mature we are as Followers of Jesus the more our sense of dependency on God deepens. In other words, like a child, I am to see everything in my life as in need of God’s sustaining power. My teaching ministry, leadership of my home, being a friend, parenting my three sons, loving the unlovable, strength, etc...

No wonder Jesus spent much time in prayer. No wonder I don’t.

You see, I know me. I know I trust myself too much. I do first and think (or pray) later. I’m amazed at how much I do in life that I don't connect with God about ahead of time. I’ve gotten older but I haven’t really matured. Maybe I need to take out some red sheets of paper in the morning and not leave the house until I’ve crayoned a few prayers to God for the day and turned my heart’s attention to the One in whom I must depend…for everything.

James 1:16-17, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

How are you doing? Are you maturing or just getting older? Your dependence on God (or lack thereof) will tell you the answer.

Jesus, forgive me for my independence as it concerns following and learning from you. May I learn the life of a slave for God not one of self-assurance and pride. This for your glory and the spread of your name.

“I luv u beekus u dide on the karos.” Amen.

Ruined

Today I ran across Justin Taylor's blog (Between Two Worlds) and noticed towards the bottom a piece entitled "This is Abortion" accompanied by a video. There was no doubt what it was about when the initial image was a partially dissected fetus laying next to a quarter roughly its same size. Gulp! This wasn't your basic You Tube fodder. As a matter of fact, I didn't think it was something I wanted to view at all. But I did.

It was ruinous...for many reasons.

The legacy that abortion (specifically Roe v. Wade) in America has left us with today was graphically and explicitly hammered into my consciousness with image after image, movie after movie of torn and tattered unborn babies. Statistics have been shown that in all of America's major and minor wars since 1775, the total dead is 1,329,991 - an amount equal to just one year of Roe’s infernal tally (see Taylor's blog on Nikolas Nikas' article). That's a lot of dead children. It is staggering to think about; the video only heightened my uneasy and sickened feelings. Just eight months ago my youngest kid Beckett was in the womb of his mother...just like these kids on videotape minus the broken and rent body unnaturally exposed from a life-giving womb that my son enjoyed. Needless to say, the video weighed heavily on my heart.

I came home a mixture of anger and sadness. My wife, God bless her, let me emotionally vomit all over her. I was ruined for the day. I still am. Detached appendages, limp bodies, and the closing scene of a lifeless (and seemingly fully grown) infant being wrapped in what amounted to butcher-paper by someone with latex gloves to be disposed of in some hazardous waste bin still haunts me. It didn't help that when I opened the door to my study after arriving home I saw Beckett's sonogram pictures lovingly hung on the inside of a closet door. It only added more pounds to my already leaded heart.

And yet I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything right now. I've observed that in the regular pace and pattern of my life that I'm probably far too detached from the evil in this world. Like a superhighway suspended over a decrepit and decaying downtown, my existence can be relatively convenient emotionally due to the fact that I don't have to make too many stops in unseemly and unbecoming places - areas that show me the ugly, sinister, lethal, broken side of life. I wake up, hit the office, get home, play with the kids, hang with the wife, jump in bed.

No genocide (see Darfur). No abortion clinics around the corner (see downtown Houston). No homelessness in my city streets (also see downtown Houston). No car bombs killing innocent people indiscriminately (see Baghdad, Iraq). No pandemic case of AIDS chewing up moms, dads and all their kids with them (see Africa). No young children working in sweatshops under horrendous conditions and tiresome hours for wages we wouldn't even tip our waitress at Chili's with (see Asia).

While I'm the first to think that our culture's addiction to over-consumption (see prior blog) is just as ugly and ruinous as the next great evil on the list, I still stand back and see the gap between me and the evil that many struggle with daily. I mean, the biggest arguments in my neck of the woods centers around who is the best on American Idol? Was the last episode of LOST worth Tivo-ing? How do you feel about the price of gas? Should the Texans keep David Carr?

But the video I saw today reminded me of a very sobering truth(s): Evil is real. It is with us. It is everywhere. And until Christ returns, it is here to stay. And if I'm to be engaged in the battle it may do my soul and my ministry better to take a few darker exits in life - detours and roads that lead me closer to that darkness which, like some murderous, cowardly, defeated enemy who has a few rounds left in his weapon and sees his victors approaching, seeks to carry people away from the Kingdom of God into the hellish abyss with it.

Proverbs 24:11 (ESV), "Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter."

So I don't really know what this means for me. All I have is feeling at the present. I would hope that those feelings are only square one of a greater awareness for helping others (both born and unborn, here in my community, in my country and in my world) and seeking from God the steps that a Follower of Jesus should take in accomplishing the mission he gave us of loving him and loving man.

"For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
-Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV)

gucci little piggies

Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."
- The Gospel According to Matthew 19:21-24 (ESV)

Ambition makes you look pretty ugly
Kicking, squealing gucci little piggy
-"Paranoid Android", Radiohead

I am convinced that the hardest people to save are consumers. And if you haven't noticed, our culture (the good ol' USofA) is full of them. The fact that I'm "blogging" using my high-speed internet with my wireless keyboard, looking at a 20-something inch flat screen while listening to mp3's through a harmon/kardon speaker system (with woofer box, of course) makes me sweat a little as I type this. The truth, even though I don't like to admit it, is that I'm a gucci little piggy. I like stuff. I like to get stuff. Like the prodigal son, I'm eating my fill (or lack thereof) on the empty pods of prosperity and the Great American Dream. I am a consumer.

I remember reading about the "rich, young ruler" in Matthew 19 (incidentally, the chapter mentions nothing of him ruling anything; the truth is, it was what ruled over him that was more central to the issue) and never thought it would be autobiographical to a point. But, as consumers do, I tend to like my possessions - nice house, two cars, sweet subdivision, ad infinitum, ad nauseum - and more often than not, I don't realize how much of a hold they want of my heart. I don't think I'm alone. I think most of us "have great possessions."

And yet what does Jesus say of the young man (and possibly us as well)? He says, ""Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." (23-24) Does that have any implications for a culture...and even more to the point, a church who is trying to make fully devoted followers of Jesus out of consumers? I think so.

Like trying to nail a dive from the top platform, there is a higher degree of difficulty to call people to follow Jesus who see $20 in their hands as such a little amount at the mall but a huge sum when sitting in a pew. People who, as David Wells describes in his incredible book Above All Earthly Pow'rs, "have the ability to hope for what we want, shop where we want, buy what we want, study where we want, believe what we want, and treat religion as just another commodity, a product to be consumed." (p. 77) Consumers want to be at the top of the depth chart. They want to call the shots. And why shouldn't they? The pathos of the culture feeds that very appetite.

Then there is Jesus. Jesus, the One who extends his hand to every gucci little piggy saying, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mt. 16:24) Now his words about the rich young man (i.e., consumer) having much difficultly coming into the Kingdom make even more sense. The door to salvation has always been fastened with the handle of repentance; it just seems much more slippery upon the fingers of the rich young man and all the gucci piggies behind him. And yet there is no other way. The church can't placate the piggies with the [false]gospel of better living and more of more. Yes, the crowds will grow but the disciples will diminish. And which is the church's called to produce?

Will you indulge another Wells' quote (I told you this guy's good)?

It is very easy to build churches in which seekers congregate; it is very hard to build churches in which biblical faith is maturing into genuine discipleship. It is the difficulty of this task which has been lost in many seeker churches, which are meeting places for those who are searching spiritually but are not looking for that kind of faith which is spiritually tough and countercultural in a biblical way. (Ibid, p. 119)

Now, being a part of a seeker church to which he speaks I would say we must be careful about painting too broad a stroke when speaking of "seeker churches", but that notwithstanding, Wells' words are a good salve for ears mucked up with consumerism. Move your life, your family, your church to a place where genuine discipleship is happening. Where people are actually knowing Jesus better and looking like him more. How does this happen? The same way a gucci little piggy will find the power to "deny himself and take up his cross and follow [Jesus]", and believe me, it's a huge relief...back to Jesus and his young piggy:

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:25-26)

The reason I came to faith in Jesus, the reason other gucci little piggies came to Jesus, the reason anyone comes to Jesus is when God steps in. You don't have to be a Calvinist to believe this (it probably helps though), you just have to read through the New Testament and see time and time again when God must make the first move for us to do what he calls us to do (cf., I John 4:19). It takes God to love God.

That is something I need to be reminded of for at least two reasons:

First, I still struggle with being a piggy. I see the vestiges of consumerism in my life and realize how much of a stench it must be in God's nostrils. Every day is a day of repentance. I'm terrible at following Jesus more times than I'd like to admit. That's why God stepping in on my behalf and doing for me what I could never do for myself (and still can't) is a very humbling, praiseworthy thing. Jesus, kill the piggy in me!

Secondly, even if the hardest people to come to Christ are consumers they have more than a good shot if God is behind it. As a matter of fact, if God is behind it, they will come (cf., John 6:39). So that leaves me in a very thankful place - thankful that God's grace lit upon my life, gave my fingers traction and action to turn the knob and still keeps me in that room today...and he does it for other gucci little piggies. I don't know how many consumers I will see genuinely cross the line of faith in my life and in my church, but I pray that as many who come do so because the God of the Universe has done the impossible. And instead of bemoaning the fact that I live in a consumer-culture, I pray that I and my church will expend all our resources at reaching them (I live in consumer-ville) and will do so in a way that extends the call to salvation exactly as my Master would.

Calling all gucci little piggies...