Jawbone of a Pastor

Exit Stage Left

2009-03-19T13:17:00.003-04:00

It has become increasingly obvious that I no longer have the time to maintain this blog. My postings are rare and far between. As of today I will no longer be posting on this site. I enjoyed it while I could do it, but there are only so many hours in the day.

There are a number of reasons to end my blogging beyond just the time constraint. I am no longer in pastoral ministry, so my posts were rarely in pastoral mode. The advent of Facebook as a networking and communications venue has helped me to keep in touch with more people than I was able to through the blog. Trying to write something meaningful and pithy has become increasingly difficult. For everything there is a season. The season for Jawbone of a Pastor has passed.

If you want to know what is happening in my life, you can visit my Facebook page or my work website at Logos Christian College and Graduate Schools.

To all my friends who encouraged me to put my thoughts in writing. Thanks.

So, What's Up with J.L.?

2009-02-20T15:57:00.002-05:00

A number of you have asked me to update you on what is going on in my life and ministry, so I thought I would take a few moments of a busy Friday afternoon to get you up to speed.

In February of 2006, while on vacation to visit my family in Florida, I sensed the Lord speaking to my heart that it was time to wind up my stint in pastoral ministry. I loved what I was doing, but received confirmation from my wife, a couple of friends, circumstances in ministry, and prayer that it indeed was the Lord speaking. I took the next year to try to tie up as many loose ends as possible and "retired" from pastoral ministry.

During that year of tying up loose ends, I was invited by a friend to come to Jacksonville, Florida to assist him with a distance education Christian college and Graduate School. I accepted the invitation and in August of 2007 Grace and I moved and I commenced working as a non-paid volunteer for LOGOS. Little did I know that within 6 months I would be asked to undertake the task of the presidency to lead LOGOS into the 21th century.

A few years ago distance education was looked upon with skepticism. Now it has become mainstream as most major universities and many smaller institutions have a distance education or internet division. LOGOS has been providing distance education for over 30 years. In a way, we have been ahead of our time. But time has caught up with us. In a market with so many options we must find ways of assuring our present and future students that we will continue to provide them with a quality, affordable, accessible avenue for ministry training that will be worth their time, energy and finances.

I am looking forward to developing the College and Graduate School and ask all of my friends and colleagues to keep me and the school in prayer as we explore avenues to make us more effective and efficient. Drop me a line from time to time if you want an update, or to offer some moral support, or just to say hello. I value your prayers and seek your support.

In the meantime, I will continue to consult with present and potential students and help design programs of study for them that will assist them in become more productive for the Kingdom.

You shall know the truth . . .

2009-02-10T10:54:00.003-05:00

As a student of theology, the search for truth is my highest priority. Jesus said that, "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Freedom and truth go hand in hand.

I love debate, but not just for debate's sake. Hearing an opposing argument causes me to define my perspective, refine my reasons and take into account that I may not have a corner on a particular truth.

One of my favorite columnists is Thomas Sowell. This guy knows how to frame an argument! He tackles the misconception of conclusions that are accepted as facts without proper discussion and debate.

Our universities have become institutions of propaganda to the extent that any voice that does not agree with the party line is figuratively and often literally shouted down. Once a stance has been taken on an issue, the debate is declared over. But I am reminded of Solomon's proverb, "The first to present his case seems right, tillanother comes forward and questions him."

There is wisdom is hearing both and all sides of a debatable issue. For only then can truth finally be discerned and freedom enjoyed.

See You Later

2009-01-28T14:51:00.003-05:00

Sometimes God gives you a gift bigger and better than you could ever deserve. A spouse who loves the Lord and is a perfect helpmate. Children who are a joy to your life and the lives of others. Friends that fit in your life as comfortably as human friendship can.

Grace is that spouse to me and I try to be that for her. Benjamin, Daniel and Natalie are the joy of our lives. Alan, Julie, Allison and Alexis (pictured left) are the kinds of friends that rarely show up in your life. We are blessed.

About 10 days ago we found out that a job transfer would probably take our friends from our area. Much to our disappointment, the transfer was initiated and the truck came with lightning speed. The family furniture will be on its way sometime in the next couple of days.

We had lunch with them today. We ate at our favorite seafood restaurant where I have always joked that if the food didn't kill you the ambiance would. But of course, I kid you because the food is splendiforous. We laughed, talked about parenting, encouraged each other in the Lord, but avoided any conversation that had to do with parting. It's bad enough that it's going to happen, you don't need to add the pain of rehearsing it over and over in conversation.

In the Christian realm you never say good-bye. I like to say, "see you later." I am reminded of that wonderful, prophetic, songwriter Keith Green who used to say, "if not there, then in the air." What a great reunion awaits us!

We'll make time to text message, call, comment on our Facebook pages, and blogs. But it's the reunion that we look forward to. So remember guys, it's not good-bye. It's "see you later." And we will.

An Early Happy New Year to You

2008-12-29T16:28:00.003-05:00

Since I last blogged about Thanksgiving after Thanksgiving, I thought I'd blog about New Years before New Years Eve. I'm such a rebel.

If you're wondering why I didn't blog about Christmas, it's really quite simple. I haven't been this busy during the Christmas season since I can remember. Actually I don't have time to blog right now, but I thought I'd do it anyway. It is true when they say you will find time to do the things you want to do.

Reflecting on 2008, I'd give it a 9 and 1/2 on a scale of 10. A lot of things happened this year that I am grateful for. I won't bore you with the details except to tell you that I am now working doing what I love to do and actually getting paid for it. It doesn't get much better than that!

But what about 2009? Every four years Americans get a whole new set of circumstances to factor into the equation of a New Year. We have a new administration taking over the leadershipof our government. Republicans are resigned and some are fearful. Democrats are ecstatic, filled with hope about change. As an independent conservative with some leanings toward libertarianism, I can't say that 2009 looks very promising. My experience with government over the years have proven that if you really want to make a mess of things, let the government take it over. We have seen it happen with welfare, education, the environment, Social Security and we may see it happen in health care, banking and the auto industry. 2009 doesn't hold a lot of promise at this particular venture.

But 2009 does have its ray of hope. Many are considering that sometime after the clock strikes midnight things will be different. Pounds will melt away, finances will improve, marriages will be healed, crime will disappear and Jews and Arabs will be at peace. Well, we can dream can't we?

It doesn't cost us anything at all to hope. Hope is what often gets us to roll up our sleeves and do something about the issues of life. Hope can inspire and encourage. It can knock us off center and into the arena of change. Hope is a powerful motivator. Faith is hope realized It is the flip side of evidence, yet just as real.

The little guy with the bomb in his hand is giving us a two tiered message. 2009 can be a disaster, or a brilliant display of fireworks. Most circumstances in life have more than one possibility. 2009 lies before us as a chapter to be written. So take pen in hand and start writing.

Something to Be Thankful For

2008-11-26T10:02:00.003-05:00

Some time in the past few months a turkey laid down his life for my benefit. A thoughtful farmer planted some sweet potatoes with me in mind. Cranberries were harvested from a bog, bread was cut into little cubes and allowed to dry out to be mixed with seasoning for dressing or stuffing, if you prefer. All of these items will be carefully prepared by loving hands and then the call to the table will come.

Amidst a rush of scrambling feet, legs, arms and elbows, seats will be taken. The leader of the gathering of family and friends will lovingly, yet firmly, ask the participants to join hands, or bow their heads together for the giving of thanks.

The prayer will be sincere. It will include thanks for family, friends, jobs, health and all of the provisions for which we can rejoice and show gratitude. The longer the prayer, the more fidgety the crowd will become. Thoughts of the food getting cold will trespass into the mind. Perhaps others will be strategically planning how to get the best cut of moist breast meat and mom's outrageously good stuffing, before it is decimated by the guaranteed food frenzy that will follow the conclusion of the prayer.

Finally the Amen is pronounced, echoed by an enthusiastic chorus. Moms and Dads fix plates for toddlers. The children are dismissed to the kids table. It dawns on an awkward teenage member of the family that there will be no room at the "big" table and she will be relegated to eating with a bunch of younger cousins. You'll never experience a teenager eat and asked to be dismissed so quickly. The family pet parks itself underneath the table partly to avoid the ear pulling from the toddlers but knowing instinctively it will get an orb of people food previously forbidden.

Laughter penetrates the air as previous Thanksgiving memories are shared. One of the toddler nephews manages to get a pea stuck in his nose. Not to be outdone, a younger niece discovers that turkey gravy makes an excellent hair gel. Then panic ensues! A member of the family is in distress. The mandatory Heimlich maneuver is administered to Uncle Joe, who always seems to laugh too hard with his mouth full. After the initial scare, the feeding orgy continues.

Eventually the plates are filled, then emptied and some are filled again. It gets quieter by the moment. Partially because of contented palettes and stomachs but also because of the increased levels of tryptophan taking its toll. Family members begin to roll out of their seats and head toward the couches. The volume level of the television set is turned up so that football junkies can experience the game as if they were there live. The decibel level grows as other conversations compete. The mood will be determined by the score of the game. If the home team is winning, it will be a great holiday. If they lose, it will merely be a good one.

Somewhere along the line, at one time or another, most of the people gathered in the house will slip away for a few moments. Some mentally, some physically, but most will enter into a short period of reflection, which looks remarkably like a nap. They will gather all of the sounds, sights and smells and synthesize them into a warm memory clip to be filed away for future years. Those few quiet moments, individual and hardly every collective, will be the reason for the holiday. For a few moments, everyone will get along. All past hurts will be set aside. Hope for a better tomorrow will linger in the mind and heart. There will be a sense that things are good, and can continue that way.

During that moment, a contented sigh and a whisper of thanks will be directed to the one who births hope in our hearts. The Great Reconciler will appear by faith. And thanksgiving is in order.

"Father, I pray that this holiday will be filled with fun, family and faith. That all of my readers will be filled with your joy. That peace will reign in their hearts. That praise and thanksgiving will flow freely from their lips. Grant them forgiveness as a gift as they give it and receive it. And may they all take a moment to look toward heaven from which our richest blessings come, and give you thanks for all they have, and all you are. For the glory of your son. Amen."

From our home to yours, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

We Still Support Our Troops

2008-11-21T14:59:00.009-05:00

This post is a little late since Veterans' Day was over a week ago, but I thought I'd put it out there anyway.

There is good news on the war front. At this point in time it looks like there will be a gradual drawdown of troops in Iraq. This doesn't really have much to do with the election as the success of the mission has been determined by the superiority of our men and women in uniform and the great leadership they have by officers in the field and strategy room. Afghanistan will continue to present its own challenges, but I think we can be confident of eventually prevailing.

While this has been an unpopular war, there has been a huge difference between Iraq and Viet Nam. In the Viet Nam war our soldiers were singled out for criticism and called horrendous names. There seemed to be no difference attached to the fact that they were mostly soldiers drafted into the service and were not to be blamed for being sent out. The soldiers in Iraq are 100% volunteer. You would think that volunteering for an unpopular war would garner criticism but the American people seem to instinctively understand that for the most part the mission to Iraq has a noble component to it.

Our soldiers exemplify what it is to be an American in unique ways to how other soldiers are trained. They learn obedience with responsibility for their actions. They train in their craft of war with the objective to defend rather than to conquer. They conduct themselves as professionals knowing that they represent the honor and ideals of our country. This has been noted by others in the Alliance. Here is an excerpt:

. . . a post by a French OMLT (Operational Mentoring Liaison Teams) infantryman working with our troops there. A couple of brief excerpts:

Heavily built, fed at the earliest age with Gatorade, proteins and creatine - they are all heads and shoulders taller than us and their muscles remind us of Rambo. Our frames are amusingly skinny to them - we are wimps, even the strongest of us - and because of that they often mistake us for Afghans. [....]

Each man knows he can count on the support of a whole people who provides them through the mail all that an American could miss in such a remote front-line location : books, chewing gums, razorblades, Gatorade, toothpaste etc. in such way that every man is aware of how much the American people backs him in his difficult mission. And that is a first shock to our preconceptions : the American soldier is no individualist. The team, the group, the combat team are the focus of all his attention.

And they are impressive warriors ! We have not come across bad ones, as strange at it may seem to you when you know how critical French people can be. Even if some of them are a bit on the heavy side, all of them provide us everyday with lessons in infantry know-how. Beyond the wearing of a combat kit that never seem to discomfort them (helmet strap, helmet, combat goggles, rifles etc.) the long hours of watch at the outpost never seem to annoy them in the slightest. On the one square meter wooden tower above the perimeter wall they stand the five consecutive hours in full battle rattle and night vision goggles on top, their sight unmoving in the directions of likely danger. No distractions, no pauses, they are like statues nights and days. At night, all movements are performed in the dark - only a handful of subdued red lights indicate the occasional presence of a soldier on the move. Same with the vehicles whose lights are covered - everything happens in pitch dark even filling the fuel tanks with the Japy pump.

Even the French recognize how great an Armed Forces we have. :) I am proud of our servicemen and women. I am thankful that they are standing guard so that people like me can sleep at night in freedom. I am grateful that they will defend our rights against any and all enemies. But most of all, I am in their debt as a fellow veteran. The camaraderie we feel from one generation to the next can't be expressed in words. I continue to fight alongside them in virtual reality. Once a GI always a GI.

Although over 140,000 of them will spend Thanksgiving and Christmas away from home and hearth, our prayers should continue to be with them as we long for the day of their return.

Hat tip to American Thinker

Hallelujah! The Elections are Over!

2008-11-10T15:42:00.006-05:00

I try not to post much that is political on this blog. It's too easy to make enemies when you discuss politics. I do have a few things to say about this past election. I'll try to keep it short and sweet. As usual, I invite your comments,

In my estimation, the campaign season is too long. This one for president has been non-stop for two years.
Way too much money is spent on trying to get elected. The presidential candidates raised and spent almost $1 billion (that's a one with nine zeroes after it!) It is not a big stretch to say that often the candidate with the most money wins locally or nationallly.
This election had the clearest distinction between the two front-runners in a long time. Often it's hard to tell one candidate from another regardless of party. But in this case the candidates were polar opposites on just about any and every issue.
I think early voting stinks. With the exception of absentee ballots for people who are overseas on assignment or shut-in because of health, I think early voting skews the process. What were to happen if a candidate were to fall ill and die? What if we find out that a candidate has really shady connections? What if a person who casts a ballot early dies? (That last one is a gimme, because we all know that dead people vote all the time. :)
Campaign signs and bumper stickers are a great way to divide a community and alienate potential friends. I can see trying to convince family members and close friends to vote for the candidate of your choice, but it gets downright ugly when it spills out onto lawns and bumpers.
Debates should be debates, not commercials or rote recitations of talking points. I was seriously disappointed with the debates this time around. I felt like I was watching a ninety minute commercial.
Talking heads are full of themselves. There was very little reporting and a whole lot of opinionated commentary. It was difficult to get the real scoop on candidates because investigative reporting was pretty much non-existent. Unless you count Obama's missing flag pin and Palin's Gucci purse, you didn't learn a whole lot about the candidates.
We still live in the greatest country in history and on our planet. On January 20th we will have a change of leadership. There will be no tanks in the streets and no bloodshed. The American people will still have the opportunity to write their Congressional Representatives and Senators. We can give money to candidates we believe espouse our best interests and then enter a ballot booth and cast votes. I'd rather live here than anywhere else.

Now that it is over, let's get about the business of trying to make our country better. Pray for our new President. Get involved on a grassroots level. And most importantly, remember the priority of enhancing the influence of God's kingdom through prayer and evangelism. It's our country's only real hope and will truly effect the change that is needed.

Greed

2008-09-25T13:14:00.007-04:00

I hate to admit it, but I'm greedy. I didn't think I was, but upon careful evaluation and introspection I have come to see the light.

Let me explain. I consider myself a simple person. If you were to see the car I drive, the clothes I wear, the house I live in, you would say that all of the above are modest by most people's standard. I don't wear any jewelry, not even a watch. But that's the me you see on the outside.

On the inside a different image often emerges. I used to eat regular hamburger, but now I prefer ground sirloin, a good steak, or prime rib. That's not sinful, is it? But greed shows up in the attitude I sometimes show when I have to settle for hamburger rather than prime rib.

I used to sit in the cheap seats at Wrigley Field (Cubs) or Cellular Field (White Sox). I thought I was enjoying the game until a friend treated me to his great seats a few rows behind home plate. Now I only go to games if I can get a good seat. Greed shows up in that I won't entertain a simple pleasure because I'd rather have something better. Don't even get me started about television sets.

I got to thinking of this because of the current business economic crisis. When you factor in that some of the biggest lending and investment institutions are in big financial trouble, you can only conclude that a big part of it has to do with greed. People spent money they didn't have, to buy things they didn't need to impress people they don't like. And the banks were all too eager to give it to them and the investment companies bought all the "bad paper" that underwrote most of those loans. Greed pure and simple.

I guess I'll have to take a step back and determine where I can eliminate greed in my life. I'll need to learn to be satisfied with things I can afford and not rob myself of simple pleasures waiting for something that I can't afford while what I can afford is right in front of me. And do I really need that which is in front of me? That's a matter for another blog post. I'll let you know when I am under enough conviction to write about that. :)

The Christian Olympics

2008-08-16T13:05:00.005-04:00

Every four years athletes from all over the world converge on a city and compete against each other for the honors of being the best in their chosen sports.

I've been watching some of the Olympic coverage and as an American of course I am rooting for my countrymen. Imagine being so dominant in a sport that all other nations train their sites on you. They give themselves in their training to one pursuit and goal only, to beat you. I cannot imagine the pressure on an athlete like that on the American swimmer Michael Phelps. And yet in the middle of all that stress, he has risen above the challenge and has dominated in every race. As of this writing he has won 7 Gold Medals with one more race to go. AMAZING!

As I have pondered the events of this past week, I couldn't help but draw some parallels between the Olympic games and the Christian life. It is no wonder that the Apostle Paul used sports to illustrate and pound home some of his most important points about being a Christian. Sports can provide excellent analogies for conveying spiritual truth.

The Olympics are made up of individual and team events. Individual events recognize that specialization in one event fits some people's personality, gifting, talents and abilities. In one sense, they are competing against the world, but also against themselves. It is not unusual for an athlete to get her personal best time or performance on the world stage of the Olympics and yet place poorly in the competition. Here is where the parallel with the Christian life gets interesting. Sometimes your personal best isn't enough to win. So then, the victory is not just in getting the medal, but in knowing that you have done your best.

In team sports, an athlete has to contribute his best so that collectively the group can be better than the competition. For example, in basketball your point guard may not be as good as their point guard but it is offset by your forward or center being better than the center on the other team. Your point guard only has to be good enough to disrupt the flow of the ball player from the other team to give the advantage to your side. The synergy and chemistry of the team can be better than the sum of its parts. Scripture teaches that we are members of the Body and the Body functions best when all members contribute thereby maximizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses. Christianity is a team sport.

Christians are called to individual and team effort. Paul reminds us that we must "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Simply put, there are no other team members who can help you in certain trials, temptations or tasks. God expects you to perform at optimum skill level trusting that He will supply the needed tools to accomplish His purposes.

On the other hand we are reminded that we are interdependent on one another so that a "threefold cord will not be broken." There is strength in coordinated and cooperative effort.

I hope we can be inspired by the preparation, effort and courage, expended by these athletes. Most of us know that the Haitian team will probably not win any medals. They have none in their entire history. This poverty stricken country has few athletes and are ill equipped, poorly trained and outspent. Yet they manage to show up for the games every 4 years to represent their country. It is a reminder that you can only determine where you are in the international standings by competing with and comparing yourself to the very best.

While the goal for all Olympians is to win the gold, usually there is only one winner in every event. The rest get their satisfaction from knowing that they competed and gave their very best. Effort is the measure all athletes are ultimately judged by. The Apostle Paul recognized this when he stated the obvious, that only one receives the prize. But all should run with winning in mind.

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but {only} one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." (1 Cor. 9:4)

I hope these Olympics inspire you to run the Christian race to win!

Something to Think About

2008-08-09T14:46:00.004-04:00

I came across this quote by A.W. Tozer and it contrasts so much with the average perspective of today's Christians that I thought I had to post it here on my blog.

There seems to be a lack of awareness of just how far apart the creation is from the Creator. The concept of and effects of sin are downplayed in our culture to the extent that sin is no longer considered to be an important reason for why so much is wrong with the world.

Few people will listen to a sober, grave voice calling us to recognize the gulf that exists between us and God. It doesn't change the fact that this message needs to be heard whether we choose to listen to it or not. I was stopped dead in my tracks as I pensively considers what this pastor had to say and how relevant it is for today. Following is the quote.

"The average person in the world today, without faith and without God and without hope, is engaged in a desperate personal search throughout his lifetime. He does not really know where he has been. He does not really know what he is doing here and now. He does not know where he is going.

The sad commentary is that he is doing it all on borrowed time and borrowed money and borrowed strength–and he already knows that in the end he will surely die! It boils down to the bewildered confession of many that “we have lost God somewhere along the way.”…

Man, made more like God than any other creature, has become less like God than any other creature. Created to reflect the glory of God, he has retreated sullenly into his cave–reflecting only his own sinfulness.

Certainly it is a tragedy above all tragedies in this world that man, made with a soul to worship and praise and sing to God’s glory, now sulks silently in his cave. Love has gone from his heart. Light has gone from his mind. Having lost God, he blindly stumbles on through this dark world to find only a grave at the end."

A W Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship?, 65-66.

What School Do You Go To?

2008-07-20T15:34:00.006-04:00

Well, I did it again. I went walking yesterday morning and this time I was wearing my trusty Notre Dame baseball cap and a Duke University t-shirt. A weird combination I'd say. I have a number of college t-shirts. I own one from Harvard, Yale, Michigan, Air Force and of course Duke. You'll notice that there are no party schools there. Only bonafide strong academic institutions.

I haven't attended any of those fine institutions. I thought about why I wanted to own such t-shirts. Could it be that I have an inward inferiority complex and want to be associated with Ivy League or upper echelon universities? Am I trying to impress others by making them believe that I fit in with that group? After some soul-searching I concluded that I probably qualify to belong to Densa and not Mensa. It wasn't anything like that at all. I'm just cheap. I got the shirts at Steve and Barry's. A great place to get a quality t-shirt for $3.99. The hat set me back $6!

As is my nature, I look for a spiritual illustration in just about everything I read, eat and experience. You'd be surprised what you will learn if you are observant. One of my favorite theologians (Hall of famer, Yogi Berra) says that "you can see a lot things by just observing." :)

An interesting phenomenon has been noted by scholars who follow and report on such things, that the average church going American claims to have 3 church homes. I've heard of people having a home of residence and a summer home, but owning three homes, in most circumstances, seems odd to me. Christians are claiming one church for the preaching ministry, one for the music ministry and one for the youth or children's ministry. To some degree I can understand where they may feel a sense of wanting a "full-service" Christianity. But it is rare to find quality in all levels of a church ministry in one church.

Maybe we want bragging rights within our circle of friends. We want to claim the best that each of these churches have to offer. It gives a perception to others that we have it together. But in reality, are we just attending multiple churches to impress others, or is it because we are cheap? We can get a great worship, teaching and youth experience without having to pay full price. What about taking into consideration that God may want you to actually do something about strengthening the youth, or music ministry in only one church?

We may be able to get away with that with t-shirts and ball caps, but what is it costing us to practice our faith in this manner? We have a consumer culture and we are practicing it in our church life. Our churches are mirroring our culture. The bottom line is that I'm not committed to Duke, or Harvard, or Yale. But the college I attended prepared me for life and service unto the glory of God. I may not have one of their t-shirts, but even if I did, all I'd do is get it sweaty anyway.

What Game Are You Playing?

2008-07-12T14:03:00.006-04:00

A few months ago I started getting up before breakfast to take a long walk. I did it for a variety of reasons. My weight had gotten higher than I was comfortable with. I've been told that walking is good exercise and will make me feel better. I thought this would be a great way to multi-task by spending an hour listening to good Christian music on my IPOD, and praying. It's been a very successful endeavor, although I suspect, after these past few months, the weight thing will always be a problem.

This past week, as I was preparing for my early morning walk, I realized that I had put on a White Sox World Series T-shirt, my favorite Notre Dame cap, and a pair of shorts in the University of Georgia team colors. I chuckled as I imagined what my apparel would communicate to anyone who knows anything about sports. "What team is his favorite?" "What sport is his favorite?" Does he realize that any Georgia fan would think he's out of his mind wearing a Notre Dame cap in Bulldog country! "That boy doesn't have a lick of sense when it comes to style." "Boy, is he confused!"

I like a lot of sports teams on the college and major league level. For some reason I acquired a love for Notre Dame football as a child and it has stuck to me. I love baseball on any level but if pushed for a choice I would have to say Cubs first, White Sox second, but a close second. BTW, that last statement is true and it infuriates some of my friends that I would have the audacity to claim an affinity for both Chicago teams. It's their problem, and they'll just have to deal with it. :) Actually my baseball fanaticism is simple. I want the Cubs to win every time they play. I want the White Sox to win every time they play, unless it's against the Cubs. I want the Yankees to lose no matter who they play. But hey, I digress.

During my walk, my preacher mind kicked in. I started to see the parallels of how discombobulated my sports fan testimony was compared to how confusing it must be to unbelievers who see Christians professing allegiance to more than one team. We claim that God hates divorce and yet Christians get divorced at roughly the same rate as non-Christians. We claim that materialism is a sin, but misspend our money in much the same way as the unbeliever. We say that God loves sinners and yet we show a lot of contempt toward them and the worse kind of contempt is to condemn without offering loving witness.

If it is true, that the average Christian lives pretty much the same way a non-christian lives, then how is our testimony influencing the world? It's like claiming to be on one team, but wearing the uniform of several and trying to play various sports at once. It just doesn't work. I doubt that my exercise apparel will change much. I've got a number of caps, shorts and t-shirts and the matching ones may not necessarily be clean at the same time. But I'm going to work on my witness so that there is less confusion about what team is my favorite.

"That the Man of God May be Fully Equipped. . . "

2008-07-08T18:35:00.005-04:00

I became a Christian through reading a Gideon's Bible. I have shared my testimony many times in various Gideon's camps and from the pulpits of the churches I have pastored or had the privilege from which to speak.

The gist of the story is simply that I was given a Gideon's New Testament when I enlisted in the Air Force. During an intense period of questioning where my life was going, I was directed to reading the New Testament. I read the entire New Testament in 2 days and the entire Bible in a little less than 2 weeks. I was hooked. It seemed that every word I read had relevance for life in general and my life personally. I accepted Christ as my Savior and have devoted my life to learning as much as I can about Jesus as revealed in God's Word the Bible. On the flip side, I have followed His call on my life to tell those who have not heard The Message how they can be saved and then to follow up on them by teaching them about God's character and ways as revealed in The Holy Scriptures.

I love the Bible. I remember when I got saved, every Christian carried a Bible. A full-sized one! We would carry our Bibles everywhere looking for opportunities to open them and learn from its teachings.

As a young Christian I attended Church every chance the doors were opened. During weeks of revival, planned or spontaneous, it was not unusual to find me in a pew or at the altar. My first Pastor was a lover of Scripture. He had one of the most worn out Bibles I have ever seen, even to this day. I wanted to be like him and would spend my time listening to his fully Bible saturated messages, all the while flipping my thumb past the pages trying to wear out the gold edging so that my Bible would look like his.

Things have changed now. Many people no longer bring a Bible to church services or gatherings of Christians. Bibles are downloaded on PDA's or cellphones. Passages of Scripture are flashed on a screen. Often the messages that are heard from the pulpit only vaguely allude to Scripture. I wonder if a lot of Christians even read the Bible at all outside of the few verses they may hear at a church service?

Our culture is showing some strong signs of decay. Our society has changed so dramatically that evil is called good and good is called evil. Christians are caught up in lifestyles that correspond to those of unbelievers and their problems are similar and just as bad as the lives of their unsaved friends.

We need to get back to the Bible. To read it prayerfully, in long sections and in-depth. The Word of God, empowered by God's Spirit will give us the wisdom we need to live life in these perilous times. We need the knowledge of God as revealed in his Word. Our families will once again thrive in righteousness as we humble ourselves before its truths. Our neighborhoods and workplaces will reflect positive change as God's people live by the Word.

The very words of Scripture compel us to commit to living a life of humility and trust in the Lord:

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 (NIV)

My personal life testifies to a simple truth. When I have been diligent in studying God's will and ways through His Word, my life has experienced a heightened level of his peace, joy, wisdom and power. The times I have failed him in the most miserable ways, have been when I neglected his Word and prayer. I hope everyone who reads this simple post will make a commitment to make studying God's Word a new and first priority.

Now Here is a Holiday I Can Celebrate!

2008-06-30T15:37:00.003-04:00

The Fourth of July celebration is rapidly coming upon us. This is no Hallmark holiday. I can sink my teeth into this one. For many of us it means an extra day off work, family get-togethers, parades and of course, fireworks! It is the noisiest holiday of the year with the possible exception of New Years Eve.

Freedom and independence, that is what we are celebrating. The ability to speak freely, assemble, and practice our faith with minimal boundaries. We have lived it for 232 years and we have fought any foe who would try to extinguish the light of liberty.

It reminds me so much of Paul's words to the Galatians when he proclaimed "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free." It is at the root of the Gospel. It begins with being freed from the penalty and power of sin and proceeds to being given freedom to pursue life and liberty. But I must also add, freedom to export it to every person on the earth who is living under oppressive despots and evil regimes.

As we celebrate this upcoming holiday take a moment to think about and pray for our brave men and women who have taken the vow to protect our freedoms and who faithfully serve in places where others are just now discovering what it means to live free. Give thanks that every firecracker you light is not a real round of munitions set off by an enemy, but a reminder of the rounds that had to be fired to stay free.

And when you set out your flag, do it reverently as you recall those who have died so that we can enjoy living as a free people. Have a truly happy 4th of July.

Graduation Time at Logos

2008-06-19T21:21:00.003-04:00

This will be a busy week for Logos. We have two of our church-based Bible institutes with scheduled graduations. One here in Jacksonville at Celebration Church, the other in West Palm Beach at Concilio Cristo Mi Redentor (Christ My Redeemer Church). The latter is hosting a graduation for our South Florida, Universidad Cristiana Logos (Logos Christian University) graduates. An exciting time indeed!

We have individual students completing their educations year round. Some choose to have their degrees or diplomas mailed to them without a formal graduation while others participate in graduation ceremonies hosted in churches, banquet halls or hotels. Logos is not a conventional brick and mortar institution as our students are scattered all over the country and for that matter, the world.

Some of our students take classes through distance education. They are assigned to a Mentor/Program Director, their courses are mailed to them and as they complete their work, it is turned in, graded and credit is given. Classes can be taken anytime and students work at their own pace.

Others participate in more structured classes usually hosted by churches. Semesters are scheduled at times that are more convenient for them and the programs often have an internship or practicum that makes up part of the curriculum. Attending classes year round can fast track a student to finish their degrees in far less time than if they attended more conventional venues. It's an extraordinary way to equip people for ministry.

The hearts of those of us who are faculty or administration swell with godly pride every time one of our students earns their degree. If you would like to learn more about our ministry training opportunities or know of someone who would like information, please help us get the word out by telling them to log on to our website and we'll send them some information. "The harvest is white, but the laborers are few . . ." We're trying to do something about that.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T15:09:00.004-04:00

As anybody who knows me will tell you, I'm not a great fan of Hallmark holidays. I often feel like I am held hostage by the demands to buy gifts or send cards for days that have very little significance outside of some artificial value assigned by relationship terrorists. I know, it sounds a bit cynical but I'll try to help you understand my perspective although I am fully aware most of you will not agree with me when I'm done.

I have experienced more awkward moments surrounding these kinds of holidays than I'd like to remember. As a pastor I have had counseling sessions to try to bring peace in a home where a husband forgot Valentine's Day, or Mother's Day. About the only redeeming quality of these "holidays" is that they may bring to the surface the opportunity to deal with underlying issues that have nothing to do with the holiday itself.

When a husband, mother, father, wife or child forgets to bend the knee to the pseudo-holiday gods, the tension produced in a relationship can be cut with a knife. Accusations of being self-centered, insensitive, thoughtless or just plain selfish fill the air. The offended party feels betrayed, ignored and unappreciated. But therein lies the answer. Being taken out to dinner by people who have been extorted through commercials, advertisement and societal pressure has a hollow ring to it. Deep down inside we know that we aren't being truly appreciated, or being given any real special attention or treatment. The food is served, the check is paid and life returns to normal. Whew! We wipe our brows, punch in our relational time clock and can now coast for a year. Or until the next "holiday."

How do we break this cycle? Try showing appreciation randomly throughout the year. No extortion. No pressure. No hypocrisy. No being a societally conditioned Pavlovian dog. It's a novel concept, but people like to be appreciated for no apparent reason other than the fact that you appreciate them. Actually it is a biblical principle that should be practiced continually and constantly.

Imagine the look of surprise on your wife's face if you were to walk through the door with flowers in your hand, a sitter scheduled to watch the kids for the evening, and dinner reservations made. And it isn't Mother's Day, or her birthday, or the day that corresponds to when you first met, or kissed, or your first visit to the zoo together, or when she told you she was pregnant with your first child! All you would be doing is letting her know that she is appreciated, period. Some of you may have to prepare yourselves to be tailed by a private investigator as she may be convinced that you must be feeling guilty about something nefarious that you did. :)

Today is Father's Day. I've got a great idea. Celebrate it again a week from Tuesday. Chances are he'll still need that cordless drill or fishing rod. But I can pretty much guarantee you that he still won't feel appreciated if you give him a tie.

On Being a Good Church Member Part 8: Finding Your Place of Ministry; Final Installment

2008-06-07T18:50:00.006-04:00

Churches are as complicated as they are simple. They are simple in that they all have been given the same charge; to love God and love people. By loving God they fulfill the first of the 10 commandments given by God. By loving people they fulfill the second part of the Great Commandment given by Jesus. It's as simple as that.

Churches are complicated in that they are comprised of people who come from all walks of life. They represent the full spectrum of economics, politics, education, race, age, size and shape. People are complicated and they bring their complicated personalities into the church. And yet God calls us to live in unity in this complicated environment.

Each person has skills, gifts and talents. Skills can be learned. Talents can be developed. Gifts are God-given. All can be submitted to God to create an environment where God's personality and presence can be modeled for the benefit of those who already have a relationship with God and those who don't already have a relationship but need to see that it is possible.

A detailed listing of some of the gifts God has given to people can be found in Romans 12, First Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. Everyone has a gift. No one is exempt. Discovering your gift is exhilarating and liberating. There are surveys one can take to determine where their skills, talents and gifts may lie. Once discovered they can be developed and ultimately deployed. It is not an option to use your gifts, it is a joyous duty that brings great personal contentment and blessing to others.

We are admonished in Scripture that we can make great use of our gifts and still miss out on an important component of being the people of God. It takes more to be a good church of people than just doing the right things and doing them well. Being a good church member means that we are called to emulate Jesus not only in his works, but in his person. It includes walking in the Spirit and expressing attitudes as well as actions that are consistent with who God is.

As the people of God find their place to use their gifts, talents and skills and do it with the faith, hope and joy of the Lord, synergy takes place. The gifts, talents and skills become expression of faith, love and joy in and of themselves, resulting in building faith, love and joy in others.

The greatest gift one can give and be to their church is to walk consistently with God. While it may not be possible to walk in perfection with God, it is possible to walk with Him in a manner that reflects and confirms His reality. Scoffers will enter the church and see a valid witness to God's reality. Defenses will fall and unbelievers will be drawn to him. Believers themselves will grow in faith as they see God revealing himself in others. It's a win-win proposition.

On Being a Good Church Member Part 7: Practicing the Presence

2008-05-31T17:01:00.003-04:00

A secret of successful church life is the commitment of her members to practicing the presence of God consistently and persistently.

Practicing the presence is a discipline. It means pursuing an intimacy with God that allows you to see Him in the most difficult places, hear Him amongst the distracting voices that clamor for your attention, and engages the will to obedience even when obedience seems an impossible choice.

During the music worship part of the service, it is easier to sense God's presence. Music engages us on so many levels. The eye gate takes in the words we are singing. The ears soak in the melodies that resonate with our souls. In some liturgical churches the aroma of incense reminds us of tabernacle and temple experiences recorded in Scripture and practiced throughout the centuries by the faithful. But what happens when the music stops and other parts of the service follow? The interactive part of our worship gives way to a more passive involvement. Or does it?

The practice of the presence continues throughout the church service. It is at this time that we must pray and discipline our minds to stay connected with God. Let me run you through some of the components of a typical service and how we can practice the presence.

The announcements: During the showing of videos or as the pastor or other church leader guides us through the announcements, we can be prayerfully asking God to reveal to us which of the activities and programs planned He would want us to participate in. We can pray that God would bless the leaders and participants of those programs. We can ask God to meet the needs of the target audiences and that believer and unbeliever alike would encounter God.

The offering: The importance of bringing an offering cannot be overemphasized. Giving imitates God. He showed His love for us by giving His Son. We can show our love for Him by supporting our church as we pool our resources together to expand the influence of the kingdom. Missionaries that are supported by our giving can be prayed for. Programs that are funded can be lifted to the Lord. Our paid staff, can be prayed for and thanksgiving be given to God for his generous provision of dedicated, often overworked and underpaid workers in the ministry.

The passing of the peace: Make eye contact with people as you extend the peace of God to them. Ask God to help you love them and that they would experience a sense of appreciation and love of God through you. Take a moment to extend a bit farther than your comfort zone and reach out to a few people you don't normally greet to pass the peace.

The sermon: Ask God to keep you attentive throughout the entire message. Take notes if that will help. Pray for the preacher, that God would help him/her come across with conviction. Pray for the listeners that they would hear God's voice clearly. Ask yourself the questions, "What is it that my pastor is saying that is specifically for me? What would God have me to do with this new information?"

The Table: Pay particular attention to the corporate prayer of forgiveness. Pray for our corporate and our individual responsibility for sin. Confess and repent of known sin while asking God to reveal to you attitudes and behaviors that are sinful that you may have become unaware of or calloused toward. Approach the table with thanksgiving for the sacrifice of Christ and receive his blessing with joy.

The Dismissal: Remember that this is the church's opportunity to go out into the world to represent God's grace. Commit yourself anew to going forth with faith and commitment to be used as God desires.

If more of us do this consistently, our church will have impact in our community and beyond. Practicing the presence doesn't come without its potential battles. The enemy of our souls would rather that we put our brains and will in neutral and just punch our spiritual time clock. Ritual is a great danger to cultivating the real presence of God. Intentional commitment given to this spiritual discipline will make our time in church most beneficial.

On Being a Good Church Member Part 6: Offering Hospitality

2008-05-24T15:25:00.005-04:00

One of the biggest differences between being a pastor and a church attender was made evident to me at the first church we visited after moving to Jacksonville. We filed past numbers of people who hardly noticed as we entered into their house of worship. The designated greeters did a fine job, but the rest of the church family's reception was tepid, or awkward at best. The people were nice enough, but they didn't seem to know how to offer hospitality. This is not meant as criticism because it caused me to reflect on what church life was like when I was a pastoral leader.

When you are a pastor, everyone seems to feel free to come and greet you. As a pastor you feel you have access to anyone and everyone who comes to the church. It is not quite the same as a member. Since there isn't that pastoral connection, it does not feel as natural to greet and enter into a conversation with people you hardly know. I understand better now why people seem to break off into the same small groups of acquaintances they have at the church and don't venture too far out of their comfort zone to greet and welcome "strangers."

I always wondered why people did that when I as a pastor wanted them to be so much more outgoing and friendly to visitors. Now I think I understand the dynamics better. One church I pastored described themselves as a "friendly" church. My observation was that we were friendly to the people we knew. It wasn't that they were unfriendly to visitors, but most felt awkward outside of their circle of friends.

Now I find myself gravitating toward the same kind of behavior. We have been attending our new church now for about 7 months. We recognize enough faces now so that we find it easy to seek them out to greet before and after the service. It isn't quite the same during the "passing of the peace" because we often sit by people we don't know as well. But we want to change that.

We have fabulous greeters in our church. We have our hand shaken a dozen times before we find our seat. While we know that is a great first impression of our church, we also know that it will take more than that to make a visitor feel truly comfortable. Because we know this, my wife and I have made it a point to find at least 3 new people every Sunday that we don't know and greet them and try to enter into a bit of a conversation with them beyond just polite pleasantries. We don't often remember their names from week to week, but in time we hope to know as many of our new church family as possible.

Many people come to church with expectations of finding friendship and connection even beyond the obvious connection and friendship they are seeking from God. God certainly does his part by extending to us the deepest of relationship we can have, that of Bride and Groom. By his grace he adopts us into his family and calls us friends. Now he wants us to enter into familial relationships with one another.

The Great Commission and the Great Commandment go hand in hand. These two principles can be encapsulated in a simple phrase. God wants us to love Him and love people. Extending a greeting that can open the door to friendship is a very important part of fulfilling the Gospel. My wife and I want to be a part of the friendliest church in our part of the Vineyard. We desire to make our circle of friends as inclusive as possible. We want to become good at extending friendship within our church family, especially to those who are new.

On Being a Good Church Member Part 5: The Altar Call

2008-05-22T20:59:00.004-04:00

When I was in pastoral ministry I loved to spend time at the altars praying with people. Sometimes it was for healing. Other times it was for support during a trial. The best part was during the times I made an appeal for people to join me at the altar if they wanted to make a first time commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There is nothing like praying for someone to be given the assurance that they can claim their place in the family of God by repenting of their sins and accepting the forgiveness offered by God through Christ.

It is during this most important part of the service when I would ask the members of the congregation to pray along with me as the Holy Spirit would do his work convicting and persuading those in the congregation to make their decision. But one thing always puzzled me. Why did so many seem to think that this time of the service was the time to make their preparations to leave?

I would see people gathering their belongings or slip away to get their children from kids church. Some would even head out the door to get a head start to the restaurant they would dine in after the service. I made it a point to always remind people of the importance of this time and the need for their support in prayer. I would plead with them not to become a distraction to someone who may be at the point of making the most important decision of their lives. Many would comply, but some would ignore the appeal. It left me wondering why?

We are privileged to be served by pastors who have a passion for the lost. At every single service they give people who don't know Jesus an opportunity to respond to His saving grace. I find myself thinking of all those times I pleaded for lost souls to respond to God's Holy Spirit. It is during this time that I bow my head and pray fervently for those in our congregation who have not made the decision yet. This may be the only chance they will get to make their decision because we are not promised one more breath. Something, anything can happen that will take away that chance from them and I don't want this opportunity wasted.

I hope to influence my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to be witnesses where they live, work and play. I also want them to support each other by praying for the lost in their families, their workplaces and yes, even in their churches. But I also want them to join with others to pray during the altar call. Souls hang in the balance and this part of the service can be instrumental in tipping that balance in the Lord's favor.

On Being a Good Church Member Part 4: Financial Support

2008-05-12T18:23:00.005-04:00

During the years I was a pastor I estimate I was responsible for approximately 20 million dollars. That's a lot of money. Every year I preached a series on biblical stewardship and most Sundays I gave a mini-sermon at offering time encouraging people to support the work of the ministry. For some people there is a sense of tension surrounding the collecting of money by the church. I was pragmatic enough and biblically literate enough to know that not only was raising money a necessity, but it was mandated by the mission of the gospel. I had no problem asking our membership for it and was very careful in the administrating of the church's finances.

It takes various levels of commitment to do everything the church has been called to do. People are asked to commit time out of their busy schedules to staff various programs and ministries of the church. From serving on a board, teaching Sunday School or accompanying youth on a short-term missions trip, giving time is essential for a church's success. Without the commitment of time, much of the work of the church would not be done.

Church members are also asked to contribute their talents for the glory of God. Over the decades of ministry the churches I have been privileged to pastor have been blessed by people who sing well, or play a musical instrument ministering to my soul. I have witnessed carpenters build furniture for the children's ministry or sets to facilitate those who are gifted in drama. Electricians, roofers and painters have used their talents in our building projects. Bookkeepers have given of their time to help the church keep their financial dealings and records in order. I can create a very long list of members who have been used by God to do the work of the ministry. Without their commitment of talent, much of the work of the church would not be done.

Church members work hard all week at their jobs and professions. They earn their paychecks and are required by God to be good stewards of their wages to provide for their families and to fund the work of the kingdom. Missionaries count on churches supporting them financially on the field, pastors and other staff members are able to concentrate on their ministries full time because of the generosity of the membership, buildings are built that make ministry to the masses easier because of church members obedience to set aside their offerings to ensure quality facilities. Without their commitment of their tithes and offerings, much of the work of the church would not and could not be done.

If it is true that average American evangelicals gives less that 3% of their income to their churches, then there is plenty of room for improvement that would result in the launching of a massive thrust of gospel ministry if giving was increased. While it is true that Americans have been generous in their giving in terms of the size of the total numbers, there are two levels of giving that can be improved upon. One is a level of giving that reflects gospel priorities and the other is giving that is sacrificial. Each of these two challenges would result in tremendous benefits to the lost of the world if the church rises to accept this two-fold challenge.

Giving that reflects gospel priorities can be deduced by looking at our bank statement. Jesus said that, "wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also." A quick review of our checkbooks often tell us that pursuing a material lifestyle is at the root of our hearts. Adjustments can be made that improve the ministry bottom line without jeopardizing much by addressing genuine needs rather than desires.

Sacrificial giving can be addressed by taking some of our cultural "necessities" and converting the dollars that go into that category into a new category for ministry. As an example, most of us can spend less on clothing, dining out, and fringe benefits such as premium cable, cell phones with unnecessary bells and whistles, expensive toys like 3 or more televisions sets in our homes, and other high tech devices that are rarely used. I know, that may sound like I'm meddling into "private" matters, but the point remains that many of us can "sacrifice" some of these luxuries in order to prioritize the disseminating of the gospel.

Most churches today know that they are being scrutinized in the matter of how they allocate their finances. Most churches are excellent stewards of their offerings. If you attend a church that has great vision for spreading the gospel, maintains a quality place for the people of God to worship and grow, call and appoint pastors and staff that are fully committed to serving Jesus, then your investment in that church will get you greater returns than anything you can invest in outside of the ministry. The return may be intangible in some ways, but knowing that souls are being added to the kingdom, the poor are being fed and clothed, the gospel of healing is being preached, and deliverance is coming to those who are bound by sin and devils, well what kind of price can be put on that?

Good church members give to support the work of the ministry. The churches I pastored benefited from many good church members. Now that I am on the other side of the pulpit I get a chance to support God's work from a totally different perspective. After being at our present church for only 7 months, I know what my church is doing locally and in the world. I like where my offering is going.

On Being a Good Church Member Part 3: Listening

2008-05-07T17:49:00.005-04:00

Every week our pastor gets about 30 minutes to communicate with us. These are extremely important minutes because once we leave the church, there is a good probability that the majority of us won't get a chance to listen to him again for at least another week. Whereas in times past I was the one speaking, these days I find myself in the audience.

The Bible says that "faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God." Listening to the prophetic voice of our shepherd is nothing to take lightly. Our pastor has to do a number of things in this short amount of time.
First he has to "rightly divide the word of truth." That means that the hours he has spent in prayer and meditation, reading and studying Scripture, determining context and bridging the gap of 20 or more centuries between today and when it was written, must now be stated clearly and concisely for the average church attending, non-biblical scholar. It is a humongous task that takes relying on the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish. I have to give the same kind of diligence to listening that he has given to studying if communicating God's message is to happen.

Second, our pastor has to take advantage of this short amount of time to communicate the vision God has given to him for leading our church. It is imperative that we members be on the same page in order to fulfill God's destiny for our church. God reveals his will to the leader, and the leader must now communicate to the members. It is imperative that we both be tuned to the same frequency in order to hear what God wants.

Third, pastor has to compete with the hundreds of voices that are speaking into the heads, hearts and souls of our membership. Chores that need to be done, work projects that clamor for our attention, the tiff we may have had with the children or spouse as we piled into the car on our way to church, bills that need to be paid, dental appointments that need to be made, etc. You get the picture. It is easy to be preoccupied with life to the point of missing the most important voice that can bring direction and purpose to our lives.

As a listener I've only got 30 minutes or so to capture what God is speaking through the man he has appointed as my shepherd. It is imperative that I give the best attention that I can to that short period of time.

Being a good church member means I have to prepare to hear. I must attend church in a fit state of mind, purposely tuning out the competing voices. I must be rested and focused. I know a little bit better now of how hard that can be. But I also know what can be done to make that time fruitful. I want to be a good church member, I will cultivate listening skills in order to make all of my pastor's time in the study worth his commitment.

On Being a Good Church Member Part 2 Worship

2008-05-02T18:45:00.006-04:00

Nothing will take the gas out of a worship service faster than an uninvolved congregation. Worship can be introspective to a point, but public worship needs to be unabashedly expressive.

Whenever the people of God gathered together for worship there was action. There were a variety of instruments: drums, cymbals, lyres, flutes, even an interesting instrument called a "sackbut."

The people stood, they bowed, they fell on their faces, they lifted their hands, laughed, shouted, sang, responded antiphonally. They had marches and processions. They danced. It was a raucously joyous time. The celebrations sometimes lasted for hours.

But it wasn't about being emotional. It was about being emotionally connected and involved. Emotional connection happens in all kinds of places. My daughters wedding, just a short year ago, was filled with joyous laughter, dancing, and different people got involved at different times to express thanksgiving, extend a blessing, or offer effusive congratulations. It was wonderful!

I love going to the ballpark. When the bases are loaded and your best hitter is up, the clapping and cheering don't need to be pumped up artificially. It's what being at the ballpark is all about. And when the hitter comes through, the place goes wild. It is spontaneous but also unavoidable.

As a pastor, I was responsible for gathering people every week to celebrate the goodness of God in Christ. Throughout the week I would think about what that Sunday or Midweek service was going to look like. I envisioned my congregation thinking about the devil's defeat, the Resurrection, the parading of the defeated enemy, and the celebration of God's power over the powers of darkness. I would prepare a message to get them to focus on the faithfulness of God and His promises. It was my goal to get them to think about what it would be like to be given a second chance called the New Life. Marriages could be salvaged, fractured families restored, broken bodies healed, depression lifted and God in Christ encountered. I would be pumped. My goal was to lead my team into victorios worship, be doused with Gatorade and carried off the preaching platform by the excited congregation. :)

It has always been easy for me to celebrate God's goodness. Some would be tempted think it was "theatrical" because I needed to "model" worship to the congregation. After all, how could somebody so consistently turn it on between 10:00 and noon every Sunday? But I can assure you that none of it was contrived. It was a matter of being prepared for the opportunity to celebrate. In fact the times when you would think it was the most difficult, because of the typical issues of life, became the easiest time to express my worship most fully. It was during those times that my worship was offered in simple and pure faith. After all, it's easy to worship God when things are going well. To be able to do it during difficult times is hard, but most refreshing.

Now I don't have to "inspire" the congregation. I'm on the other side of the pulpit. I can worship the Lord the way I wanted my congregation to the worship the Lord when I was the leader. Nothing has changed though. God is the audience of our worship and he always has been. I have a feeling that if one won't express herself in passionate praise to God, one will not do it for your pastor.

I wanted our people to express their worship to God. I'm sure my present pastor wants me to fully express worship to God. By pleasing God, we can make our pastors happy as well.

On Being a Good Church Member

2008-04-27T20:36:00.004-04:00

As most of you, my readers know, I was a pastor for 30 years. I enjoyed being a pastor and never thought I would be anything else until the Lord engineered a change of plans for my life. After retiring from pulpit ministry, I have found myself on the other side of the pulpit. My wife and I applied for, and were received into membership in our new church this past week. As I got to thinking about church membership I was faced with the challenge of viewing church life from a totally different perspective. Which leads me to this new series of posts.

For thirty years I encouraged thousands of people to give their lives to Jesus and to follow him with total obedience. I challenged them to testify to their lives of commitment with actions and attitudes that communicated to the unbelieving world that their lives had changed as a result of making the decision to let Jesus be the Lord of their lives. It's my turn now, to practice what I've preached, and I am looking forward this new phase of life.

One of the things I believe is important for believers is to attend church services regularly for the purposes of corporate worship and fellowship. The book of Hebrews reminds us that we are not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together, especially as you see the day approaching." Church attendance is important. While there are some who would suggest that worship can be done on a golf course, on a placid beach or in the comfort of ones living room, corporate worship has a different purpose in the life of the believer.

The Christian life was never meant to be lived in solitary fashion. Believers are to assemble together in order to pool their resources and gifts for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission. There is strength in numbers and God wants us to work together. But the second part of the Christian calling is just as important. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. You can't love your neighbor if you don't have regular contact with them. The romantic notion of loving people without interacting with them fails the test. True loves expresses itself when we learn to love others, warts and all. If we find it difficult to love the members of the fellowship to which we belong, how can we love those we don't know, especially those who are completely different from us in race, color, creed, economic, educational and even religious makeup.

Church attendance is a great workshop and laboratory for learning to practice the principles of the kingdom. Grace and I are looking forward to getting to know our new brothers and sisters in Christ by worshiping and fellowshipping with them as often as possible. We are looking for ways to be of benefit to them and to receive from them what God wants us to have in order to grow in our relationship with Him.

I want to be the kind of church member I preached about. A believer engaged in the life of the Body of Christ. It's what the Bible teaches and I want to be obedient to its teaching.

A Pastor's Prayer

2008-04-15T21:34:00.003-04:00

My last post was an exhortation for you, my readers, to pray for your pastors. I can't make a better case than the one that was made by the link on that post.

This time I want to share with you the flip side. For thirty years I labored in the pastoral ministry. There were so many times that I felt totally inadequate. If it wasn't for my faithful friends who prayed for me and God's grace, I am sure I would have either quit, or at the very least not enjoyed ministry quite as much as I did.

Every week I was expected to speak a word from the Lord to the congregation. Sometimes I would have to deliver 2 or 3 different messages from the Word of God. There never seemed enough time in any given week with counseling, visitation, phone calls, meetings, organizing, and planning for prayer and preparation. There were times when I would pray a simple prayer of faith and launch out to do what God had called me to do, preach and teach the Gospel.

The following prayer reflects much of what was in my heart during most of the years I served as a pastor. Although I was never so eloquent, this prayer hits the nail on the head. For those of who are pastors, I'm pretty sure you'll agree with the sentiments expressed. For those of you who are church members and attenders, this will give you a glimpse of a typical pastors heart.

A hat tip to Justin Taylor's blog for posting this first:

The following is a prayer for those who preach, adapted from The Valley of Vision:

My Master God,

I am expected to preach today,

but go weak and needy to my task;

Yet I long that people will be edified with divine truth,

that an honest testimony will be given for you.

Give me assistance in preaching and prayer,

with heart uplifted for grace and passion.

Present to my view things pertinent to my subject,

will fullness of matter and clarity of thought,

proper expressions, fluency, fervency,

a deep emotion to accompany the words I speak,

and grace to apply them to people’s consciences.

Keep me conscious all the while of my defects,

and let me not gloat in pride over my performance.

Help me to offer a testimony for yourself,

and to leave sinners inexcusable in neglecting your mercy.

Give me freedom to open up the sorrows of your people,

and to set before them comforting consolations.

Give your power to the truth preached,

and awaken the attention of my slothful audience.

May your people be refreshed, melted, convicted, comforted,

and help me to use the strongest arguments

drawn from Christ’s incarnation and sufferings,

that people might be made holy.

I myself need your support, comfort, strength, holiness,

that I might be a pure channel of your grace,

and be able to do something for you.

Give me then refreshment among your people,

and help me not to treat excellent matter in a defective way,

or bear a broken testimony to so worthy a redeemer,

or be harsh in treating Christ’s death, its design and end,

from lack of warmth and fervency.

And keep me in tune with you as I do this work.

Pray for Your Pastor

2008-04-07T10:59:00.005-04:00

Well, it's been about six weeks since I last posted. There were two reasons. One, I wanted to give full attention to my 11 part testimony and didn't want it to get lost amidst new posts. This is a significant milestone in my life so I let it linger for awhile. Second, I want to start a consistent routine of posting once per week on something meaty, instead of just odds and ends that were interesting.

For those of you who contacted me via phone, card or email about my journey, thanks for your support. A couple of you mentioned that you felt it helped you understand me better. A couple of you wondered if I had left the world of "Pentecostalism." I'm happy to report that I am as "pentecostal" as I have ever been. It is no longer a denominational, or traditional moniker. It does not refer to my theological underpinnings. It is a description of my experiences as a follower of Jesus Christ. Being "full-gospel, charismatic, and pentecostal have never meant as much to me as it does now, but there is a whole new dimension in Christ to complement that experience. It's an exciting time for the Riveras.

I'll try to post something at least weekly now, although I fully expect that my schedule will get very busy as I embark on a wonderful new project. I'll let you know about it in weekly installments, but suffice it for now to say that it involves the passion of my heart. I will be actively involved in training people for ministry, many of whom will be church planters. I will be doing it in partnership with Logos Christian College and the Communion of Convergence Churches. More details to follow.

And now, on to today's post. Pray for your pastor. Serving as a pastor for 30 years, I came to appreciate those in our congregation who reminded me from time to time that they were praying for me. Some were praying for me because they were painfully aware of my weaknesses. Others prayed for me because they recognized my calling and gifts and wanted the Lord to bless me. Some prayed for my family, my finances, my health, my vision, my relationships and my sanity. I leaned on those people, especially when the load got heavy, when I got distracted, or when the frustrations of life got the best of me. Thank God for those who prayed for this weak earthen vessel.

The link above is a great little prayer list for your pastor. I have been on the "pew" side now for about 10 months. With each passing Sunday, I am more aware than ever of the necessity of praying for the leaders of our church. We have a great pastor and staff. It is a joy to sit under their ministry. I want my pastors to be healthy, and wise. I want them to have many more years of fruitful ministry. I want them to lead us into God's presence in worship, preach with anointing and counsel with compassion. I want them to dream big dreams and to have God provide them with the resources and people that will make those dreams for the kingdom to come to pass.

I want to be as faithful in praying for our pastor as those who prayed for me when I was their pastor. So I encourage and challenge you. Pray for your pastor.

The Journey Part 11: The Pieces Fall Together

2008-02-16T13:03:00.006-05:00

Upon resigning from Christian Hills Church, Grace and I took an extended sabbatical/vacation. We worked on getting our house ready for sale, listing it and making our plans to move to Jacksonville. Our house sold in 2 and 1/2 weeks even though it was in a rapidly weakening market. During that time we connected with old friends, said goodbye to our church family and I took advantage of some preaching opportunities that were made available to me.

So we loaded up the truck and moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Colleagues, friends and family thought we were crazy, or at the very least going through a mid-life crisis. Nothing could be further from the truth. We felt a sense of destiny. Although we had no real clue where we were going or what lay ahead we were confident that God had spoken to us and obedience was not an option.

Logos had plenty of work that needed to be done, but as with most non-profit religious organizations, insufficient financial resources to pay us. Since we knew God wanted us in Jacksonville, and we knew no one else but Dr. Travis, we agreed to work for Logos on "deferred compensation." It wasn't a hard choice as we believe very strongly in the Logos ministry.

In the meantime we set about looking for a church to call home. I'm a firm believer in the church. Whereas many claim that the church is inconvenient, or irrelevant, or even outdated, my understanding of the Scriptures is that Jesus is coming back for the church as His bride. I agree that the Church has many different manifestations and expressions, but it is the Church that Jesus loves, and if He loves her, so do I.

Not wanting to be presumptuous we decided to visit a number of churches of various denominations asking God for discernment as to where he wanted us to fellowship. We wanted more sacramental/liturgical components in the next church we would commit to, but we certainly were not going to compromise our evangelical and charismatic roots.

We visited Presbyterian, Methodist, and Lutheran congregations. All different, but excellent churches. We were warmed by the ancient and yet modern expressions of liturgy. We liked each congregation, as we saw a genuine Christian community of people who loved Jesus. Our appreciation for the traditions that have survived the test of time grew as we went from church to church. After 7 weeks of visiting churches, we decided to once again visit where it had all begun in February of 1999.

At the Church of the Messiah we were greeted with an Ancient-Future reality. God, as he had been worshipped for centuries was present in the incense, pagentry and symbols. The worship music easily drew us into the presence of the Lord. There were multiple instances of tongues, interpretation and prophecy. The Word of God was preached with anointing and prayer for the sick with the anointing with oil was offered. And the people were among the friendliest we had ever met. We were ready to settle in, but something wasn't clicking.

Grace and I discussed it and decided that the Lord wasn't giving us peace about settling in at Church of the Messiah. In one sense we were somewhat bummed out about it because we really liked it, but we were at the same time excited because that meant God had another place for us to find, and I like the journey as much as I like the destination.

During the ensuing week one of my co-workers asked if I had visited Christ the Redeemer in Ponte Vedra where Daniel Williams is the lead pastor of the congregation. I had never heard of Christ the Redeemer or Pastor Williams, but I was told that it too was a convergence church. Convergence is an embracing of the Sacramental, Evangelical and Charismatic streams of theological and historical expressions of being the church.

Christ the Redeemer Church in Ponte Vedra is a bit out of the way from Logos and where we live. The weather is beautiful in North Florida, so the ride isn't bothersome. We decided to give the church a visit. We pulled up to a modestly beautiful, new church building and walked in to participate in the service. It didn't take us long to realize that we were in a special place.

The church decor was simple, but beautiful. The worship music was great, the preaching was very good. Even though the Pastor was out of town, his Assistant Pastor spoke and did an outstanding job. The congregation engaged in every aspect of the service. When it was time for the Communion celebration, there was a time of communal prayer for forgiveness and we partook of the elements by going forward to the altar. God's presence was very real.

On the way home, we discussed our experience and both agreed that we would come back. We haven't gone anywhere else since. The missing piece of the puzzle had been found and it fit. I scheduled an introductory meeting with the Pastor. After speaking with him it was obvious that the main reason for us coming to Jacksonville was to learn about Convergence ministry, and Daniel Williams was the one we were to learn from

Grace and I couldn't be happier. We've had some financial curve balls thrown at us since we've been here, but we know that it is just an attempt by the Enemy to try to get us to doubt. It has only served to solidify our resolve. We are as confident as we can be that our move to Jacksonville was ordained by God. We look forward to our growth as Christians and development as ministers in the work of God as we learn how to facilitate three streams of God's move within his church. The beauty of the Sacramental, the spontaneity and power of Holy Spirit through the Charismatic, and fulfillment of the Great Commission through Evangelical heart and preaching.

We couldn't possibly be more content or fulfilled.

The Journey Part 10: Shooting at an Unfocused Target

2008-02-06T15:17:00.000-05:00

If words could describe what was going on inside my head, heart and spirit, Chris Armstrong has said it better than me.

“ . . . On Sunday morning, I would walk in and feel the palpable presence of the all-powerful and all-loving Lord. On Saturday nights, at cell-group prayer meetings, I was mentored by wise “fathers and mothers in the Lord.” On Monday nights, I participated in the music ministry of a dynamic youth group.

Yet through the years, though this wonderful church formed me in the joy of the Lord that was my strength, I felt like we were missing something. As a stalwart outpost of the kingdom in a threatening world, our faith seemed somehow precarious. We stood, as we faced the world, on a foundation made of the words of our favorite Bible passages-our “canon within a canon”- and the sermons of our pastors and a roster of approved visiting evangelists. There was utterly no sense of the mystical massiveness of a church that had stood firmly for 2,000 years. No sense that our foundation actually stretched down and back through time. I didn’t have a clue who John Wesley, Martin Luther, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Ignatius of Antioch were. I just knew that I felt like I was part of a church that was in some ways powerful, but in other ways shallow and insecure in a threatening world that did not share our faith.

I now see that my early sense of the church’s insecurity stemmed from what J.I. Packer has called evangelicalism’s “stunted ecclesiology,” rooted in our alienation from our past. Without a healthy engagement with our past, including historical definitions of “church,” we are being true neither to Scripture nor to our theological identity as the church. Though Packer doesn’t put it this way, it is easy to see ways in which their stunted ecclesiology has led evangelicals to allow the world to shape the church.” (Chris Armstrong, The Future Lies in the Past, Christianity Today, February, 2008)

I could sense that I was getting closer, but the target was still unclear. The situation took a dramatic turn in 2006. It turned out to be a difficult year, but in retrospect I now see God's direction clearly.

2006 saw the passing of my father, my wife's retiring from active ministry work because of a serious back pain condition, a short lived, but life disrupting back injury and subsequent surgery for me got my attention. During times of deep contemplation I continued to seek the Lord about what I was doing and what and where he wanted me to go next. As the intensity of my feelings increased, my desire for a more ancient-future worship experience increased as well.

I consciously knew that whatever work the Lord had for me to accomplish at CHC was now coming to a close. In ministry there are always things that need to be done, but I believe that God calls certain people, for certain tasks at certain times. I had been putting off a church restructuring project for several years awaiting an opportune time. Through a time of prayer and conversations with the church leadership I sensed that time was now or never. We approached the membership with the idea for a new leadership structure. Our Elder Board was in agreement with the plan. According to the existing church constitution, it had to be ratified by the membership. To make a long story short, the plan went over like a lead balloon. It was the final piece of the puzzle that led me to conclude that my leadership days at CHC were over.

It was now January of 2007. I approached the Board of Elders again with my feelings that it may be time for a new pastor. I informed them that I would go away on my usual February vacation and that I would let them know if God reconfirmed my calling to CHC, or if he would confirm my feelings that it was time to leave. We headed for our vacation spot in South Florida where my brother lives and enjoyed a couple of weeks in the February sun. Most of our time was spent on the beach, reading, talking and trying to discern what God was saying. At the end our our time my wife and I came to the same conclusion. We were to move to North Florida. It was not a real logical decision as we had all of our family ties in South Florida and had only one connection to North Florida.

Dr. Charles Travis and his wife Deborah live and minister in Jacksonville. They have been close friends of ours for over 30 years. Chuck was my first Bible college professor and I had the privilege of presiding over his and Deborah's marriage ceremony. We have kept in contact over the years and valued each other's friendship. Dr. Travis is the president of Logos Global Network. A ministry that includes Logos Christian College and Graduate Schools. Dr. Travis had been asking me to move to Jacksonville to assist him at the College. Although I have always wanted to teach in a Bible college and had 14 years of experience as an adjunct professor in another college, I didn't feel that Logos was in God's plan for us.

Again, to make a long story short, I'll cut to the chase. I had been asking the Lord to give me some extended time away from pastoral ministry in order to rest and reconnect. I distinctly discerned that God wanted us to move to Jacksonville so I volunteered to work with Logos after my sabbatical until the Lord opened up whatever next chapter he wanted to write in our ministry lives. We moved to Jacksonville and the developments that ensued have been a wonderful surprise.

Tune in again in a few days and I'll have another installment ready for you to read. I hope you are having 1/10th the fun reading this as I have had writing it.

Peace

The Journey Part 9: The Journey To Jacksonville

2008-02-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

The road to Jacksonville, Florida went through Orland Hills, Illinois, specifically through Christian Hills Church.

In April of 2001, what I thought was unimaginable, happened. The Lord moved us from Cross and Crown (C&C), the church we had planted and served for over 20 years, to assume the Senior Pastor role at Christian Hills Church (CHC) in one of the southwest suburbs of Chicago.

Leading up to the change in ministry assignments to CHC was the initial trip to Jacksonville where we were exposed to the ministry of convergence. Upon our return, from February of 1999 to April of 2001, we had introduced elements of sacramental and liturgical worship in our church in Chicago. The church membership was very receptive to the new approach, although it wasn't introduced as a new program, idea, or theological discovery. We had a history of being innovative in our worship services and the new expressions of worship were accepted as a normal growth experience. We recited the Apostles Creed or the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes or the Ten Commandments, while joining hands. We also observed communion more frequently. Prior to this time we celebrated the Lords' Supper periodically, but now we were consistently coming to the Table monthly.

As a contemporary church known for being on the cutting edge of worship music, we found ourselves rediscovering hymns and anthems that were centuries old. Our blended worship was enhanced by skilled musicians who were versatile enough to change styles from song to song seamlessly. Our worship experience was enhanced, and the preaching of Word was always of a high caliber as we had 3 good preachers on our staff. We were moving the church slowly into a greater appreciation of God by introducing elements that were proven to be inspired of the Holy Spirit, although in many cases hundreds of years old. It was a fulfilling experience but certainly incomplete.

The call to CHC came. I never thought I would ever leave the church we planted, but we were convinced that the Lord was speaking. CHC couldn't have been more different than the church we had planted. While C&C was a church plant with only the history we were able to write, CHC was a church that had 75 years of illustrious history. God certainly has a sense of humor. There were many differences between the two churches, but as the old theologian on Sesame Street has said, "Peoples is peoples is peoples." Ministry was a fun challenge no matter where we found ourselves ministering. The full story can be told some other time, but we answered the call obediently and joyfully. CHC was going to be an exciting place to see the hand of God at work.

CHC was more of a classical Pentecostal environment. I wasn't sure how I was going to fit, but I believed that both of us had something to offer and receive from each other. I assumed the leadership and began to create the leadership and ministry structures for moving the church forward. We loved the people and the challenge.

While busily leading the church, I couldn't shake the idea that what I had been exposed to in Jacksonville, FL was not solely for me personally or Cross and Crown. I looked for ways to introduce Ancient-Future ideas at CHC. Like most contemporary churches, CHC desired to be on the cutting edge of what God was doing, and being Pentecostal they hungered for a fresh charismatic outpouring. For the most part the simple elements we had introduced at Cross and Crown had crossover effect. CHC was a vibrant, God loving church and their desire to grow in God made it easy to serve.

It was during my time at CHC that the uneasiness in my soul began to grow. I couldn't rationalize that although preaching the Word was fulfilling, the worship was exuberant and dynamic, interpersonal relationships were growing, there still seemed to be something missing. In the midst of all of that we made an interesting discovery.

The first two years we were at CHC we had to preside at 50 funerals. Most were for members or extended family. The south side of Chicago was known for its Irish Catholic population. I had grown up on the north side of Chicago. While there were plenty of Catholics on the north side all the ones I knew were nominally Catholic. The south side had a high percentage of practicing Catholics. My new neighbor actually attending Mass every morning.

At many of the funerals there was a large number of Catholics. Many of the church members who had died were former Catholics who had found their way to CHC through the charismatic renewal. They had left the Catholic church as they discovered the way of salvation through a personal relationship to Jesus Christ leading to a subsequent Baptism in the Holy Spirit. As a Protestant officiating at funerals of ex-Catholics I wanted to make a connection with those attending. I would often start the funeral service by making the sign of the Cross over them and saying "The Lord be with You." As Catholics they would always automatically respond, "and also with you." The ice was broken and you could feel the focus of the attendees as they listened with respect to the preaching. I would always conclude the service with a corporate recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Without exception, after every funeral, a number of these Catholics would pull me aside and thank me. They never knew that a "Protestant" could speak about the things of God in a meaningful way. Often they would state that they had understood biblical principles for the first time through my preaching. Connecting with Catholics was an enriching experience.

Also, there were times when I would attend a funeral Mass for one of our church members family in a Catholic church. There I heard the Gospel being preached clearly. I saw Christ in the ritual and the liturgy. It was becoming very obvious to me that throughout my early life I hadn't heard the Gospel, but it wasn't because it wasn't being preached. I hadn't connected because I wasn't listening correctly or because the message had been obscured by tradition and symbol. My heart ached for those who were caught up in this same obscurity. I continually looked for ways to connect with liturgically minded people to help them understand who Jesus was and how he could be understood even through liturgy. I actually looked forward to going to Catholic funerals and weddings.

January of 2006 we (my wife and I) starting feeling a stirring in our soul that our time at CHC may be coming to an end. We broached the subject with our Elders and at the time they didn't feel that the timing was right. I honored their input, but the feeling wouldn't go away.

I'll pick up that part of the story in my next post.

The Journey Part 8: Ancient-Future Worship

2008-01-27T13:48:00.000-05:00

My biggest sense of dissatisfaction in ministry stemmed from the lack of connectivity between what the church was and what it was becoming. From a Pentecostal perspective there was, and continues to be, a great emphasis on discovering what God is doing now, and getting in line with it. To be fair to my full-gospel family, the same thing seems to be true about evangelicals in general. A case in point is worship music.

In many circles, songs or choruses that are more than a few years old are considered to be ancient, old, and no longer relevant. While it is true that some churches find a few choruses or songs from any age and they become their favorites, most "cutting edge" churches are continually teaching their congregations new songs week after week. The result is that there is little or no "common language" in worship from which to draw a meaningful worship dialog between worshipper and God. The same can be said about the Bibles that are used in church.

Bible publishers have become quite adept at identifying new markets and creating specific new Bible products for that market. As a result, the typical congregation seems to have a dozen or more Bibles being read by individuals and again there is this loss of common language. While I personally found it tedious to keep track of all of these new translations, the bigger loss was that the congregation didn't have a common language to communicate in.

The good news, is that there is always the language of the Spirit bridging the gap to help a congregation enjoy a unified worship experience. This was true in the days of my Catholicism where, although the mass was done in Latin, the cadence of the language and liturgy drew us together. There was never any doubt that we had experienced "church" in the Mass, even if we didn't understand what was specifically being said and sung. This was really brought home when Vatican II allowed priest to say the Mass in the vernacular. The little light came on as we would look at each other and say, "so that's what we've been singing and hearing?" The language of the Spirit bore witness that we were unified in this spiritual observance called the Mass.

While I am not advocating returning to using obscure languages in church services, I am advocating for a common language that draws God's people together in understanding the Gospel. These common elements can be drawn from historical developments within the church over the centuries. Enjoying the baby and throwing out the bathwater.

This is what I experienced at the Church of the Messiah in Jacksonville when I visited in February of 1999. There was a historical connection, clear preaching and teaching from the Bible, charismatic worship and an appreciation for all of what God has done and is doing, while maintaining an expectation of what God is yet to do. For the first time in over 20 years of being a Christian and pastor, I felt a part of the timeless God's agenda. I felt a connection with all the saints that preceded me, all of the worshipers around me, and a sense that this is what it is going to be like at the consummation of the ages when the Church from all time and around the world is gathered in worship before the Throne.

A small bit of eternity future and eternity past had invaded my present. I saw before me a partial fulfillment of Jesus' prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." My heart leaped for joy. I was shaken to my foundation and I knew things would never be the same again. I took this new found revelation back with me to ministry and tried to implement its essence in our church services in very practical ways.

I instructed our worship leader that we would find the best songs, whether they be ancient hymns or band new choruses emphasizimg whatever doctrinal or theological principle I was going to be preaching on. I dug out a couple of the ancient creeds and we would recite them together as a congregation. We changed the way we did Communion so that it would be a participative rather than a passive experience. Our worship was still great, our appreciation for the Table grew, and the preaching of the Word of God was still critically positioned in our order of service. But I also instinctively knew that it was more than just changing the order of service. I needed to learn more about "blended" worship and the Ancient-future connection.

For the next year, my prayer life and reading became more focused. With the heavy responsibilities of ministry it was all done in fits and starts, but the sense of mission was embedded in my heart. I wanted more. I didn't know where to get it so I prayed harder. God began to prepare me for the biggest move of my life.

I'll share that in Part 9: The move to Jacksonville, Florida.

The Journey Part 7: Common Ground

2008-01-22T20:43:00.001-05:00

If we were going to realize unity in the body of Christ, we had to start with those who were at least somewhat similar in belief and practice. So I started with the group of pastors in our city who had a similar background of charismatic/pentecostal theology. There were about 12 participants who started meeting every other Friday for prayer, although on most weeks 6 or 7, whose schedules didn't have a conflict on that day, would show.

We talked about unity within our little fellowship and believed that if we showed unity amongst ourselves then our church members might catch the vision as well. I suggested an idea that we have a worship service together, not just occasionally but on a regular basis. We chose the 5th Sunday of the months that have five Sundays. This occurred four times a year. We wanted a venue where we could gather together on the basis of what we agreed upon rather than trying to highlight our distinctives which often kept us apart. We called our gatherings "Common Ground," and set a few basic parameters for our gatherings that would encourage unity. The rules were simple.

We would rotate our meetings from church to church.
The host pastor was not allowed to preach in his own church.
Our worship teams would combine as much as possible to form a unified team.
Our church members were encouraged to bring a two liter bottle of soda or a snack for a time of fellowship afterwards.
The host church would be responsible for set up and the guests would clean up afterwards
We would take an offering to be given to an organization that was not affiliated with any of the churches represented in our group.

The meetings were an incredible success. The cross-pollination that occurred created a wholesome sense of unity as our church members became aware of the extended Body of Christ. The worship part of the service was intense and we envisioned ourselves as a microcosm of the worship scene in heaven. But there was one thing that happened that we were not expecting. The profound respect that was shown for the other pastors by the people was an immediate confirmation that the old saying was true, "as the pulpit goes, so goes the pew."

The pastors committed to a covenant that we would not receive any church members tranferring from our midst without interviewing the incoming visitors, and then subsequently calling the minister of the church from which the visitors originated. In honoring one another's calling, the people followed suit. Church hopping slowed to a trickle and eventually stopped. There was no place to hide for disgruntled members with unresolved issues, so pastors and people dealt with issues of conflict and the churches became more healthy. John 17 was becoming a reality.

Other churches from other denominations joined us. We continued in our Common Ground services for 6 years until my subsequent calling to serve another church. I learned that leadership was critical if Common Ground was to be a reality. When I left to serve elsewhere, no one followed up on the concept and the meetings eventually ceased. I tried to replicate the idea in my new ministry assignment, but it never got off the ground. But my passion to see Christians come together was stronger than ever.

Yet another stream was running as an undercurrent in my soul. I was discovering ancient worship traditions and saw value in integrating this stream into my personal life and in the life of the church I was leading. I discovered Robert Webber and started reading his books. The Evangelical and Charismatic parts of my life and ministry would expand to include a Sacramental element. I tried to experiment here and there, although I really didn't know what I was doing, . My attempts weren't very fruitful because they seemed choppy and disconnected. I hadn't seen "blended worship" done successfully anywhere and so I had nothing to compare my effort to.

My trip to Jacksonville was on the horizon. Little did I know that my search was going to lead me to the fulfillment of my hearts yearning.

Stay tuned for Part 8: The Ancient Future Connection

The Journey Part 6: The Church Planting Years

2008-01-20T19:50:00.000-05:00

It was early in December of 1980. I had just resigned from a church where I had served as an assistant pastor for all of 6 months. Upon assuming the position I became aware that the senior pastor was involved in all kinds of immoral and unethical behavior. Not wanting to have this revelation become a cloud of suspicion about my own ministry, I informed the presiding Elders of the information I had and quickly resigned, hoping that they would address the situation.

I was in prayer in the bedroom of our apartment seeking the Lord over what to do next in ministry. I sensed the voice of the Lord speaking to me. I was led to the window and through all of the clutter that was in my brain I heard, "What do you see?"

As far as I could see, there were endless numbers of homes and apartment buildings. The next question I heard was, "What is inside those buildings?" "People," I responded. Immediately the light went on.

My calling was to lead men and women to a saving knowledge of Jesus and to disciple them to live for and serve Him. I knew that as long as I lived I could expect to have plenty of work to do in this large, sprawling city of Chicago. Within 3 weeks we had secured a meeting place renting from a Baptist church that had been reduced to about 10 or 11 members all in their late 60's and 70's. They needed the rent money to keep their church open and we needed the space to start a church.

We began on January 4th, 1981. It was 6 degrees below zero. A perfect day to start a church. 5 people showed up and we were on our way.

As a young pastor, I didn't know any better so I started preaching and teaching on how I understood the church according to my understanding of the Bible. I fellowshipped with a handful of pastors and imitated some of what they did, but deviated whenever I saw no clear biblical reason to do what they did. God blessed us and we grew. Very slowly, but steadily we increased the numbers until we were in a position to buy our own building. I can write a book about this wonderful season in our ministry lives, but I'll cut to the chase.

During the time we were planting the church, I took on a side ministry job of teaching in a Bible college. This helped me to expand my studies in the Scriptures and the nature of the church. Over and over I observed that much of what churches did was steeped in tradition. Some of it good, some of it not so good. I noticed that the Pentecostals idea of history stretched all of 100 years. Reformed Churches went back about 500 years and Catholic and Orthodox churches went back 1500 years or more. With each succeeding revelation of the need for a correction, the new movement would pretty much abandon much of what the church had experienced before.

I also attended seminary at a Covenant graduate school. I was introduced to some beautiful liturgy that was absent from the typical charismatic/pentecostal church of my most recent experience. In the beauty of the liturgy, I saw God. Although I appreciated what I was learning and experiencing, I looked for ways to incorporate some of these beautiful elements into our church services. Occasionally we were successful. We began to experiment with novel approaches to the Communion table, we recited some of the ancient creeds, and studied some of the ancient fathers of the church in spiritual disciplines. But our efforts lacked continuity and consistency.

Our church loved to worship long, loudly and deeply. We incorporated all manner of instruments, dancing, and royal processions. We experienced spiritual gifts in abundance and the word of God was preached with liberty. The church was healthy. People were being led to Christ, discipled and equipped for ministry.

During that time I enrolled in graduate studies at the Moody Graduate School. Although Moody is not a full-gospel school the student body represented many different denominations. As I studied, I rubbed shoulders with many wonderful men and women of God. I saw their commitment to Him in the way they worked the ministry from the template that they had been trained in. I marveled at the many colorful threads that make up the tapestry of God's church. I desperately tried to glean and put into practice some of the elements of their understanding of worship and church life. The more I learned, the more I wished my other full-gospel colleagues would embrace more of a spirit of unity in diversity.

I started to seek out other ministers of other denominations to cross pollinate our understanding of God and how we pastored our respective congregations. The fellowship was sweet. I only wished that this kind of unity would grow, but I saw ever increasing division as new fellowships, denominations, and independent local churches continued to crop up during the 80's and 90's.

As my understanding of God's word increased, thanks to my studies at Moody Graduate School, and as our church benefited from the charismatic/pentecostal experience, I felt more complete, but also that something was still missing.

A big step forward occurred when we started our "Common Ground" services. More on that in Part 7.

The Journey Part 5: Denominationalism and Exclusivity

2008-01-17T19:17:00.000-05:00

After having our Christian foundation laid within the Assemblies of God, I moved on to formal Bible training. I was exposed to the independent charismatic movement through the year and a half that I spent at Christian Life College in Chicago. It was there that I learned about local church autonomy, and leading a church by flowing in the Spirit, while making friends and colleagues who were zealous about winning people to Jesus Christ.

It is amazing, while looking back at my past experiences, how the influence of men and women you respect will dominate how you look at Scripture and how you lead in ministry work. I was discipled by wonderful men and women who loved God, His Word, and the Church. Their model of ministry made a lot of sense, so I adopted much of what I had learned from them into everyday ministry.

I was privileged to be pastor of a small church during my first year of Bible School. I didn’t know much at the time, but everything I learned in my classes during the day, I put into practice on evenings and weekends. If you were to attend our church during that time, you would have found the same zeal for God, His Word and the Church that I was learning about in the classroom. In a very humble sense I found myself on top of the world, as fulfilled as one could hope for. But it didn’t last long.

Many of my fellow classmates and colleagues in ministry had a tough time with liturgical, traditional churches and were quite vocal about it. They were quick to label them as the “frozen chosen” or to suggest that they had “all the wood but lacked the fire.” Their complaints encompassed just about everything done by traditional pastors in their churches. Everything was fair game. They showed their disdain for money that was “wasted” on stain glassed windows. They couldn’t understand how following a lectionary could benefit a church body. In their minds, singing out of a hymn book was part of a dead ritual and they lamented about the lack of the presence of the Spirit in the services.

Many of these critics had never stepped foot in a traditional church, but a number of them actually grew up going to these churches. It was unanimous. If you wanted to fit in with this bunch, you had to join the choir of criticism. Nothing good could ever come out of the liturgical churches. But I was uneasy. Surely these movements must have had relevance and significance in their day! What caused them to become dead? Were they indeed dead? Would it be acceptable for us to just write them all off? Was renewal the answer, or did we have to convince and convert them?

I transferred to another school in Southwest Missouri to get my undergraduate degree. The town had two Bible colleges, one Assemblies of God and one Baptist. It was there that I was shocked into the reality of denominationalism. On two separate occasions I was exposed to the dangers of exclusivity.

During my junior year I was asked by one of my classmates if I was going to seek licensure with the Assemblies of God when I graduated. I responded at the time that I couldn’t see myself aligning with the A/G’s because of some differences in eschatology (view of the end-times), and because they wouldn’t allow anyone to be licensed to ministry if they or their spouses had been previously married and divorced, regardless of whether the marriage happened before or after a conversion to Christ. I couldn’t reconcile their views with how I was understanding the Bible. This classmate’s reply stunned me. “If you aren’t A/G you’re not going anywhere in the ministry.”

I realize now that it was a childish response on his part, but it went against everything I held dear in my heart. Jesus prayed that we would be one (John 17) and I wasn’t going to be a part of something that would exclude other bonafide Christians from the Body.

A few days later I was driving to class. Ahead of me was an automobile with a bumper sticker that read, “Accepting Jesus as my Savior made me a Christian, Reading the Bible made me a Baptist.” There it was again. That sectarian, exclusive spirit wasn’t limited to Pentecostals. I later found that it exists in just about any denomination I have encountered. Maybe I was naive, but I was grieved. I committed myself to being interdenominational in scope and Spirit. And although it gave me much peace, it repeatedly became a stumbling block to others who weren’t like-minded. Some questioned my commitment to pure doctrine. Others called me confused. But I never wavered. Something inside of me kept pointing to the fact that real Christians could be found in all denominations and we should be striving to fellowship along the lines of what we agree on and stop drawing new lines that would further fracture the Body of Christ.

After graduation, I moved back to Chicago and we planted a church. I’ll pick up that heart-warming part of the story in Part 6: The Church Planting Years.

The Journey Part 4: The Assemblies of God Years

2008-01-13T20:39:00.001-05:00

I returned back home and told my girlfriend that my life had changed as a result of my decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. At the time I didn't know that she had made a decision as a youngster but had strayed from the faith in her early adult years. She had been taught that a relationship would not work unless both partners were committed to serving the Lord. She rededicated her life to the Lord and a few short weeks later we we started a new life together as a married couple.

Since the only church background I knew was Catholic, we visited a Catholic church. The mystery was there, but the understanding was still missing. The following Sunday we attended a Nazarene church and I knew that we were on the right track. The pastors sermon helped me to understand what was in the Bible, the people were incredibly friendly, and the hymns we sang were spiritually enriching. We were only there a few short weeks as we moved to a house closer to the base where I was stationed.

One of my friends had also become a Christian while I had been doing my tour in Guam. He was attending a local Assemblies of God church and invited us to attend with him. I didn't know the difference between a Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic or Pentecostal, but on our first visit to this A/G church I sensed a genuineness among the people, the pastor had passion as he preached and the singing was extraordinary. There was much audience participation and it was there I was introduced to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of spiritual gifts. We made it our church home for the remaining 3 years I had left in the Air Force.

I learned about Bible study, worship, evangelism and serving. During those years we were very active in street witnessing, jail ministry, worship leading, and teaching Sunday School. Eventually I was asked to serve on the deacon board. These foundational years exposed us to the charismatic stream of the Church. During that time my calling into ministry was confirmed as my love for God, His people, and those who were still in need of salvation, continued to grow. I was asked to preach my first sermon a couple of weeks before I was discharged from the service. I was scared to death and I felt that I had bumbled my way through, but I had enough confidence to give a simple altar call and four people responded to received Jesus as Lord. I was hooked. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that being full-time in ministry was the Lord's calling on my life.

The intimacy of living and walking in the Spirit filled a great void in my life. The study of the Bible increased my understanding of God, and the experience I was able to get in various sorts of ministry whet my appetite to want more. This yearning has not ceased to this day as I have found that growing in the Lord is a lifetime pursuit.

I knew if I wanted to serve God in full time ministry, I would have to go to Bible college or seminary to properly prepare. The journey continues with my attending a variety of Christian colleges and seminaries which have helped me to be open to the valid and various expressions of church life that comprise the Christian church. While I have certainly seen that each group has its strengths and weaknesses, I have found my greatest fulfillment in concentrating on what these groups have in common rather than in their differences.

The journey continues as I fill in the background of the experiences I have had while doing and being trained to do ministry. Come back for The Journey Part 5: Denominatinalism and Exclusivity.

The Journey Part 3

2008-01-07T19:39:00.000-05:00

It was the summer of 1973. The U.S. was looking for a way to save face and get out of Viet Nam. I was a B-52 mechanic in the U.S. Air Force. I was stationed in Guam. We were working 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week launching and recovering up to 30 aircraft per day. Each one was loaded with up to 66 five hundred pound bombs. We were carpet bombing Viet Nam and Cambodia providing cover for our troops as they were loading up to leave the country. Then it dawned on me. Those bombs were killing people, and in many cases innocent civilians, some of who were children.

It was the first time I understood that "collateral damage" was a term used as a euphemism that included not only property, but people as well. This thought played on my mind each day as I reported for duty and left me restless each night as I tried to sleep.

One evening, after completing my duty shift, I returned to the barracks to find one of my fellow airmen passed out drunk sleeping on my bunk. I literally lost it. I flew into a blind rage and I grabbed the guy by the neck and started choking him. I was later told that it took 5 guys to pry me loose. I didn't remember much, other than I was angrier than I had ever been.

I stripped the bed of the sheets and headed to laundry supply to get some clean bedding. I returned, hastily made my bed and lay down on my back with my hands behind my head staring at the bottom of the bunk above me. One of the other fellows in our cubicle of bunks whom I had never even shared a greeting said to me, "The answers to the questions you have are found in the Bible." That's all he said. I never saw him again. I later learned that he was transferred to another base the next day.

As I lay there stewing in my frustration, the words played in my head like a tape recording over and over. All at once I remembered that I was given a Bible by the Gideon's when I was inducted into the armed services. I had carried it dutifully with me to basic training, technical training, my first home base assignment and then on to my tour of duty to Guam. I had never read the Bible, and it wasn't much more than a good luck charm to me. I proceeded to open my locker and dump all of the contents on my bed. There at the bottom of the duffel bag was the little green Gideon's New Testament.

I started to read at the beginning and sensed that the words were written specifically for me. I was introduced to the person and work of Jesus and his followers. I read the entire New Testament in two days. At the back of the Bible was a "decision" page. It had a simple prayer to recite and a space to sign my name and provide the date. On November 11, 1973 I surrendered my life to Jesus as my Savior and Lord.

There are a lot of details that add color commentary to this part of the journey, but the most important part has been recorded. I was now a new creature, a believer and follower of Jesus.

That night I set my radio alarm clock for 6AM. At precisely 6AM the radio turned on and I was awakened to Johnny Nash singing, "I can see clearly now the rain is gone. All of the dark feelings have disappeared. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It's gonna be a bright, bright sun shiny day." My heart leapt inside of me, as I was instantly convinced that those words were absolutely true. To this day every time I hear that song I remember that I have given my life to Jesus and his promises are true and sure. Imagine that, God would use a secular singer, song-writer to confirm his work in me. I l ike to jokingly say that Rod Stewart and Johnny Nash were instrumental in leading me to Jesus.

I was transferred back to the States four days later. That's where I'll pick up the story.

The Journey Part 2

2008-01-04T20:34:00.001-05:00

I was born and raised in a Roman Catholic family. Coming from a Hispanic background it was expected that the family would be Catholic and raise their children as Catholics. Although we were baptized as infants, my parents were mostly non-practicing Catholics except for a couple of periods when they experienced a spiritual awakening of sorts and attended Mass regularly for a period of time.

I remember as a youngster being taken to the neighborhood parish. The first thing that I saw upon entering the church was the very high ceilings, the smell of incense and the beautiful stained glass windows. I recall very intense feelings of awe and mystery but didn't understand much of what went on during the service because it was done in Latin. Nevertheless I saw people young and old genuflecting (kneeling and crossing themselves before they entered and left the pews), holding rosary beads, and women with their heads covered with shawls and hankies. In the midst of all of the ritual, symbol and liturgy, I was convinced that there was a higher power behind it all, but He seemed obscure and hidden.

At that time the public schools had early release for children who wanted to leave class in order to participate in catechism (instruction in Catholicism to prepare for First Communion). I took advantage of early release, certainly to get out of school, but mostly because I was interested in spiritual matters. I finished the catechism course and partook of first communion at the age of ten. It was a big deal in our family. My parents bought me a suit and even threw a party. I was now officially able to participate in communion every Sunday if I also went to confession on Saturday evenings in preparation.

I continued in Catholic instruction in order to be confirmed. The bishop was invited to confirm our confession of faith and to impart to us the Holy Spirit. At least that is the way it was explained to me although I never fully understood it. It was another excuse to have a nice party and I felt more spiritual than ever. This was all well and good, but then puberty struck. I drifted from Catholic mass observance and got involved in what all adolescents do during that stage of life. I won't bore you with the details.

About that time (15 years old) my Dad had another awakening experience. Although I wasn't all that interested personally, I was impressed with what this awakening did for him. I especially remember a time when he was preparing to drive me to school in subzero weather in Chicago. He hummed spiritual songs as he scraped ice off the windows and he seemed so calm, peaceful and unbothered by anything at all. I was glad for the influence on his life because those couple of years of his spiritual renewal were some of the best years I remember as a young man growing up.

During high school I felt a sense of emptiness, like something was missing, but I didn't necessarily associate it with a spiritual need. I got involved in all manner of things to attempt to fill the void, but nothing seemed to work. High school was a bore and I made the ultimate bad decision of adolescence, I quit high school 3 months before graduation.

I loved the freedom of not being confined to school. I had a decent little job and just hung out and had fun for a few months. It wasn't until the next fall, when all of my friends went to school (high school and college) that I felt that emptiness return. I was walking to my job listening to my transistor radio when Rod Stewart's "Maggie May," was played. "Wake up Maggie I think I've got something to say to you. It's late September and I really should be back at school." The words hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was later able to interpret this experience as one of the first moves the Lord inititated to get my attention. Imagine that, God used Rod Stewart to get my attention. I did an inventory of my life and realized that I wasn't going to get anywhere unless I finished high school. I enrolled in the Air Force and finished high school through the Air Force Academy. I knew at that point that I had filled the gap that existed between where I was and where I thought I needed to go. Through the G.I. Bill I intended to go on to college, then law school and become an attorney. Apparently there were other plans for my life, as the emptiness returned. The spiritual void seemed more intense than ever. I commenced with asking the hard questions of life and had no answers.

Another chapter was yet to be written.

The Journey Begins

2007-12-30T13:03:00.000-05:00

In February of 1999 I made a visit to Jacksonville, Florida for the graduation exercises at Logos Christian College and Graduate Schools. I was to receive my doctoral degree in ministry at the convocation, but little did I know that my whole spiritual and ministry life was going to be revolutionized by a wonderful experience in a convergence church. I'll keep the testimony short and follow up with other posts in the coming days.

Since graduation was on Saturday evening, I decided to extend my stay in Jacksonville to enjoy the warm weather, planning to fly back to Chicago the upcoming Monday. I was invited to attend what was described as a "charismatic episcopal" church. I thought the invitation was to an Episcopal church that was experiencing a charismatic renewal, but it didn't take me long to realize that I was totally wrong.

The service began with an opening procession (the ministers of the church were decked out in clerical robes), the aroma of incense and the blowing of a shofar (ram's horn). But then things got really interesting, the worship was as contemporary and intense as anything I have every experienced in any pentecostal church I have ever attended or lead. The preaching was clearly as biblical as any evangelical preaching I have ever heard. The time of communion was memorably meaningful, and an altar call was extended for accepting Christ, being prayed for if you had a need, or if you just needed to spend some time on your knees or face before the Lord. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. The blending of ancient liturgy with modern practices was seamless.

I cried from the opening procession to the final benediction, non-stop. One of the clergy approached me after the service and without introducing himself, or greeting me, simply took my hand and said, "Welcome home." It was a prophetic moment. Something inside of me came alive and I knew instinctively that I would never be the same again. And thus began my slow journey to investigating the convergence movement which has brought me back to Jacksonville 8 plus years later.

I know that whatever God has in store for me will incorporate ancient and modern elements in a way that will allow me to communicate to whatever audience the Lord gives me, that he has been alive and working in the affairs of men continually through the ages. Rather than simply acknowledging what God is doing in this age, I have been blessed to discover that it is possible to meld into what God has always been doing. To understand what it is to be part of the eternal church without interruption is a fascinating thing. To feel connected to the earliest expressions of Christian worship is incredibly fulfilling.

Even though this movement is young, it is not just a new expression of worship or another fad to grab onto, or another wind to move the sails of the church. I believe this is going to catch on to bridge the gap between evangelicals and traditional churches in fulfillment of Jesus' prayer in John 17 that, "they would all be one."

I am excited! I'll write more in a couple of days.

T'was the Day After Christmas

2007-12-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

While we were celebrating yesterday there were 190,000 of our fellow Americans who weren't home with their families. Some have missed more than one Christmas at home over the past 5 years and their sacrifice should not go unnoticed.

Their mission is a personification of the teaching of Jesus who said, "greater love has no man than this, that he would give his life for a friend."

To all of our military personnel who have given so unselfishly to insure that our freedom remains intact, Merry Christmas! May God reward your efforts by placing a hedge of protection around you. May your mission to provide security and democracy for the Iraqi people be successful, and may you return back home to be reunited with your families and loved ones.

Thank you for your sacrifice. You will not be forgotten!

Incredible Techology

2007-12-25T11:16:00.000-05:00

Did you see this? Israeli scientists have figured out a way to put the entire Hebrew Bible on a silicon chip smaller than a half grain of sugar! It's amazing to me what can be done with modern technology.

I remember when Bible's were made pocket-sized and I thought that was a great accomplishment. Of course it made it easy to misplace your Bible. Now you have to be careful not to dissolve your Bible in a cup of coffee.

The Psalmist says that that hiding His Word in our hearts will help us not to sin against God. As difficult as it would be to read the text on such a small silicon chip, no one is able to access the word of God that is written on your heart. Except you!

I especially found it interesting that of all the things that the scientists could have etched on the chip, they chose the Hebrew text of Scripture. There is just something special about the Book that causes it to surface in some of the most interesting places.

It reminds me of the words of Jesus when he said that the Holy Spirit would bring to our remembrance what God has to say in a specific situation when we may be concerned that we won't have the words. God's word pops up when and where you need it most.

But the most exciting event in history is when the Word became flesh. While it may be difficult to read the word on a chip, or in some one's heart, the Word dwelt with us and was seen and touched. His Word can be read in His life.

It is something to celebrate when technology can do something as remarkable as putting the entire text of the Hebrew Scriptures on a surface the size of a head of a pin. As difficult as that would be to read, during this Christmas season, celebrate the Word that became visible. The mystery of God revealed in the life of Christ, for all to see.

Merry Christmas to All

2007-12-22T17:43:00.000-05:00

Your idea of Christmas is probably a combination of mangers and Santa Clauses. Somehow they have melded seamlessly in our culture. It is not unusual to walk into a home and find a creche and a tree, gingerbread men and wise men, shepherds and elves. Few seem to mind that together these images make no sense, but we mix them nonetheless.

As parents, raising children is a challenge. But children are amazingly resilient. They can process Santa Clauses and mangers with little or no effort. But sometimes the message behind the images gets lost in the vehicles used to communicate the message.

Children need to understand the real story of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus). It is a wonderful story that will warm the heart. They also need to understand the Incarnation that will not only warm the heart, but actually change it.

I hope you will take the time this Christmas season to appreciate the wonder of what we are celebrating. Enjoy all the bells and whistles, but go beyond the trimmings and celebrate the mystery and wonder that is awaiting rediscovery.

Feeding the Poor and Speaking Eloquently

2007-11-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

When I was younger I was fascinated by language. I love words. One of the reasons my vocabulary was enlarged is because I had a fifth grade teacher who didn't believe in suspensions or writing sentences for bad behavior. Whenever one of her students was busted she would have us sit out our recess time by pulling out a big dictionary, turning to a page and telling us to write the words and their definitions as our punishment. Needless to say I learned a lot of new words during the fifth grade!

When I became a Christian, one of the mandates of Jesus that truly challenged me was his command to minister to the poor as often as I had the chance and means. I take that directive seriously. Now I have found a way to kill two birds with one stone. I was directed to a great little website, www.freerice.com that allows you to build your vocabulary while at the same time donating rice to feed the poor. In about ten minutes of having fun while learning new words I was able to contribute the equivalent of about two pounds of rice. I plan on spending my coffee breaks at this site for the next few days.

Give the site a visit. Learn a few new words and warm your heart knowing that you have fed a few hungry children effortlessly.

The True Meaning of Christmas

2007-11-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is behind us. Well not really. We should always be in an attitude of giving thanks. After all, we certainly are blessed beyond measure. And now the Christmas frenzy begins.

There are homes to decorate, cards to send, food to prepare, trees to trim and gifts to buy. It's all part of this exciting time of the year. And here is something you can pretty much count on. One of the networks will undoubtedly show the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.

In what is commonly a secular arena, the true meaning of Christmas will be broadcast prominently. It wouldn't be Christmas without it. In the middle of all of your preparations you may be tempted to be a bit Grinchy. But pause for a moment and watch this clip and it will put it all in perspective.

Here's wishing you all a Merry, Merry Christmas.

None of Us is Average

2007-11-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

No one wants to be average. Average is not only boring, but weird. As an example, read this exerpt from TIME magazine:

" . . .finding the Average American is a challenge, since means and medians and majorities can hide as much as they reveal: pity the statistician whose job it is to flatten us into a trend. The average household has 2.6 members, but most families prefer their children whole. On average we are 36.6 years old, but in reality we are newborn and toddling, aged and wise. We exercise close to the recommended 20 minutes a day—but that's because 17% of us exercise for well over an hour, while the rest of us scarcely stir at all. The vast majority of Americans believe in God, and more than 90% own a Bible, but only half can name a single Gospel, and 10% think Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. So what's the average state of our eternal souls?"

To read more click here. Now, how does that set with you? Where do you fit?

Young People Abandoning Church

2007-11-15T19:57:00.000-05:00

I've written about this before, but it bears repeating. Young people are leaving the church in droves. And even among those still attending, many are living lives that don't reflect a relationship with Christ at all.

One of my many favorite blogs is Lifeway. This blog has many great articles about faith issues in everyday life. This article about youth leaving the church really caught my attention and heart.

Although I no longer have children at home, I am burdened by what I see around me. Many of these young people have broken homes, bad neighborhoods, negative peer pressure and media bombardment that eats away at any resolve they may have to try to live for God. Add to that the typical rebellion or challenging of rules that comes with this age group and you have a formula for disaster.

Some say that it is a stage they are going through and many of them will return to the Lord and the Church when they get older and have children of their own. But I believe this generation is different. The information and technology age has created an environment of pseudo-intelligence. Never before has a generation had more "facts" to challenge the existence of God. As a result many young people are making an "informed decision" to reject God. The enemy of our souls has found the perfect recipe for cooking up doubt and unbelief while looking and sounding respectable.

What can be done to encourage young people to have and continue having a relationship with God? Although I am grateful that our own children are pursuing God, I am not content with watching this generation drift away. There is too much at stake.

So, How Would You Describe the Christians You Know?

2007-11-13T20:48:00.000-05:00

I love to read surveys and polls and the conclusions that are drawn from the collected data. I especially enjoy reading those that help me understand how Christians and Christianity is understood. One of my favorite blogs gives a summary of some information that has been collected classifying Christians under 5 categories.

Personally, I agree with the findings. After 30 years of being a pastor, I have found that these categories are not limited to professing Christians who are CINO (Christians in Name Only). Several categories of these people who fit in these categories are regulars in many of our churches.

You can read the entire lengthy article here. It's really worth the read. Do you recognize people who fit in these categories? Do you find yourself fitting into a category that may have taken you by surprise?

Quote of the Week

2007-11-08T11:06:00.000-05:00

Quote of the week: Sometimes 80% is 100%.

I have always struggled with the idea of “excellence.” Often proponents of “excellence” are really perfectionist. These people slave over every little detail believing that God is in the details. However sincere they may be, they come across to me as insufferable. I’ve come to grips that not everything we do requires a perfect end result.

I don’t like chain restaurants. I avoid them whenever possible. They shape every hamburger perfectly, they weigh their French fries and measure each ingredient so as to have a standardized product. This method has its place. When you are on the road you can expect that McDonald’s in Phoenix will pretty much look and taste the same as McDonald's in Portland. No one likes surprises when they are traveling.

But given the choice, I’ll go to a mom and pop restaurant where the burgers are hand shaped and custom cooked. These kinds of restaurants don’t bother with the details of trying to make a perfect hamburger. They settle for making a good one and for most of us that’s good enough. Every hamburger looks different, but they’re all good.

I work in a high demand environment. We have a small staff and a huge load of work. We have deadlines to meet and they come upon us at the speed of light. We often have to send out a product that isn’t perfect, but it is certainly good enough. We agonize over our imperfections, but if we waited until every detail was wrapped up, we’d never send anything out.

There are situations that call for perfection. I expect nothing less than perfection from a nuclear physicist. I want my surgeon to pay attention to the details. I want my bookkeeper to balance the books to the last penny. But I’ll settle for my clean-up hitter to hit .300. I’ll gladly accept an 8% return on my investments. I’ll continue to work on bowling a 200 game. Sometimes 80% is 100% and knowing that takes a lot of stress out of life.

Mike Huckabee for President?

2007-11-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

Could this man be your next president? Do you recognize him? He's Mike Huckabee former Governor of Arkansas and Republican candidate for president. He has been making slow progress in the ranks of the Republican party but he is winning over evangelical, Christian voters in large numbers over the past few weeks.

I have never publicly discussed politics although I have had a number of animated private discussions with family and close friends over the years. I was born and raised a Democrat but became a Reagan Republican and have voted mostly Republican since because it was the party that best reflected my understanding of issues from a conservative and often Christian perspective.

I am stepping out of character and telling as many of my friends as possible that they need to look into this man' s campaign. Mike Huckabee is the most consistent conservative running in the race. He has a track record that has so far failed to bring a challenge, or revelations of a scandal from any of his opponents. He seems to be the real deal.

A few months ago I had never heard of the man. I was challenged by a fellow blogger to look into Huckabee's story and it got me to thinking. Why would I want to waste my vote on another candidate that didn't hold my convictions? Why be sucked in by the media into believing that it is inevitably a Rudy vs. Hillary race? After all, it is only the primaries. The primaries are when you vote your conscience, the general election is when you may have to settle for the lesser of two evils.

Some of the most respected Christian bloggers are trying to get the word out. Randy Alcorn is one of them, and so is Justin Taylor. They have put their support behind Huckabee and written excellent blog posts explaining why.

Christians should make informed decisions. They should vote for a candidate that holds the closest biblical and moral views. If you want to know more about Mike Huckabee, you can go to www.hucksarmy.com and view some of his videos. There is even a place on this blog to put your money where your mouth is if you believe that this candidate is a good choice for conservatives and Christians.

And by the way, if you are concerned about electability, Mike doesn't stand a chance unless people vote for him, but neither do Hillary and Rudy. It's the voting that counts, not the polls and surveys.

For what it's worth. My primary choice for the President of the United States is Mike Huckabee. I think he is the best choice for Christians and conservatives based on his stated positions and his record.

Long-winded Preachers

2007-10-31T21:39:00.000-04:00

We've all had nightmares of being stuck in a church service where the preacher started his message and proceeded to cover everything from Genesis to Revelation with a couple of visits to the the apocrypha and pseudipigrapha to boot. Help!

Well this preacher couldn't stop himself from communicating everything that came to his head so he started writing it down. 3.5 million words later, he is still going!

I'm a preacher. I am sure that there have been times when I wore my audience out. Not every message can be a barn burner. But this has to rank as the ultimate extreme.

I often wonder what goes through the mind of a listener when the message goes long. What has gone through your head? Do you daydream about your consummate vacation? Are you planning your work week? Maybe you won't want to say. But the next time I'm accused of speaking too long, I am going to refer my critics to this guy and tell them to thank God they weren't a part of his congregation. :)

How Being Old is Cool to the Young

2007-10-29T14:42:00.000-04:00

I don't know if there are too many things that aren't more pathetic than a bald-headed old guy driving a Mazda Miata while sporting a ponytail. There is just something about getting older and denying it that just isn't cool. But there is a time when being old is cool.

Over at Reformation21, one of my many favorite blogs, you'll find this little essay reminding us that old isn't necessarily old-fashioned. Interspersed with some humorous observations are some timeless spiritual insights.

I recently visited a church where the average age was 25. It's a booming church, growing by leaps and bounds. It is listed as one of the top 100 fastest growing churches in the U.S. I felt antiquated as I took in the sound (loud), the music (edgy), the use of video (I think I had a seizure in the middle of the service), and the preacher's vocabulary (there were words there that had the opposite meaning of what they meant a generation ago).

But then I caught myself. I had something that most of the audience didn't have. Experience. And good experience to boot. My faith had been forged by the crucible of life and my understanding of grace, mercy, justice and redemption were as deep as the ocean. I could make my home in this church and offer a valuable service.

I loved the energy in that church. I would recommend that church to anyone. Their vision and passion is second to none. Many churches grow in intellectual understanding of the will and plan of God, but lose their excitement of serving the Savior. I hope they maintain their zeal as they mature so that they won't be spiritual bald-headed men, sporting pony-tails and driving Mazda Miatas.

Quote of the Week

2007-10-20T10:39:00.000-04:00

This week's quote: “57% of all statistics are made up on the spot.”

In other words, don’t believe everything you see in print and/or hear. One needs to retain a healthy measure of skepticism without become a cynic. Sometimes a person wants to add some credibility to her opinion so she makes up a “fact.” Sometimes the “fact” is rooted in truth but the one making the statement can’t remember the source so they approximate. But just as they may be approximately correct, they can be approximately wrong.

Facts don’t lie. Facts may be misinterpreted, but they don’t lie. Take the time to get the facts. Interpret them carefully and be open to the idea that you may inadvertently make an error in interpreting the facts. Be open to correction.

When in doubt, don’t make up a statistic. If you don’t make up a statistic, there will be a 63% chance that you’ll be right.

What the #$%@*& is Going On!

2007-10-17T20:30:00.000-04:00

Is the above caption offensive to you? Even though actual words weren't used? I guess we don't have enough swearing in the home, on television, during traffic jams and golf games. Now it seems that we are being given permission to swear at work.

I don't think it's my imagination, but language in the public square has gotten more guttural. It is not unusual to hear children cussing in front of adults, and even their parents. What used to be reserved for the locker room has now become mainstream.

With a language as rich as English, I find swearing to be a lazy man's shortcut to expressing himself. I have long admired the British legislators who are able to cut down their opponent in Parliament without using a single off color word. Now that is verbal craftsmanship!

I have heard of tests being done where people carried around tape recorders for a full day. These people were amazed and some actually ashamed to find out just how much swearing they do. It has become so normal, that many don't even realize they are engaging in it.

Jesus reminds us that "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." He also said, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." There must be an abundance of really bad stuff in a lot of hearts.

How about it? Would you be willing to carry a tape recorder in your pocket for a full day to find out whether you have a problem with coarse language?

The Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers

2007-10-16T21:33:00.000-04:00

We no longer have teenagers in our home, and believe it or not, we miss them. Children grow up and get their own lives. Christian parents want to pass on their spiritual values to their children. Committed believers are elated when they are successful.

George Barna has done some very interesting research about teenagers and their spirituality. I think you'll be surprised when you look at the data. According to your experiences, are the spiritual lives of the teenagers you know as vibrant as the evidence would suggest? How much of this spiritual vitality, in your opinion is real?

If it is true that Christianity is always only one generation away from extinction, how would you rate the future of the church in America?

Couldn't Have Done it Without You

2007-10-16T20:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Anniversary! We are completing one year of the new and improved JawboneofaPastor blogsite. I couldn't have done it without the help of two really great and talented guys. People behind the scenes often don't get the credit they deserve if at all.

I want to give a shout out to the designer of the website Scott S. He created the graphic, which after a year I still think is cool! He is a great graphic designer with his own business and he does some really good work.

I also want to say thanks to another Scott. Scott B. often bailed me out on some of the more complicated techy stuff. He helped me understand how to write certain basic codes in the template to get the results I needed.

Between these two, they helped me to learn how to embed graphics, links and some of the other stuff that doesn't come easy for a guy who has 10 thumbs. They encouraged me to keep blogging when I hit a creative snag or when I wondered if people were even reading some of this stuff.

I am no longer working directly with them as I have relocated, but from time to time I email them with a problem and they continue to come through for me. Thanks guys, I couldn't have done it without you.

Big Mac or the Big Guy

2007-10-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

I was amused and saddened at the same time. It seems that more people know the ingredients of a Big Mac than know the 10 commandments. You can make the case that there are only 7 ingredients that make up a Big Mac versus 10 commandments, but you are checkmated by the importance of knowing the latter over the former.

It's amazing what one can remember because of a good commercial jingle. Advertisers and merchants count on it. Bumper stickers, talking points and sound bytes make up a lot of our social dialogue. If it can't be put on the front side of a t-shirt, then it's probably too complicated. But we are paying the price of shallowness instead of reaping the benefits of depth.

But a snippet created for an easy sell hasn't been lost on the Christian world. After all, Calvinists have created TULIP as an anagram for a very complicated theology. And who can forget the "4 Spiritual Laws" for sharing the faith. It isn't a sin to create a memorable advertising campaign if you believe in your product and want to sell a lot of it. Maybe we need a few more gifted people handling God's PR?

By the way, I forgot the jingle for the Big Mac, but I also have to confess that it took me a few minutes to jog the memory of all 10 commandments again. :)

The Pro-life Issue in the Next Presidential Election

2007-10-12T14:15:00.000-04:00

This is a long post, but stick with it. Justin Taylor over at Between Two Worlds hits the nail on the head for the upcoming election if the scenario ends up being Hillary against Rudy. I've copied the whole text of his post here.

Denny Burk explains why he will not vote for Rudy Giuliani if Giuliani receives the Republican nomination.

And while John Piper hasn't specifically addressed the Giuliani issue, it's clear from this article that Piper is a one-issue voter (abortion) who would never vote for a pro-choice candidate.

Also advocating the single-issue voter model and specifically applying it to Giuliani is Joe Carter. Joe is "an unabashed single-issue voter -- and that issue is justice." In response to the notion that the "perfect can become the enemy of the good," Carter responds: "Indeed this has often been all too true. Politics is the art of the possible, which sometimes requires the sacrifice of the ideal. But we must not compromise too easily or too willingly, lest we forget that the 'good' can become the enemy of the 'just.'"

On the other hand, John Podhoretz (a Jewish conservative commentator) has recently written, "A third-party candidacy on the Right undertaken by even a minimally serious person will, it is true, almost certainly doom any GOP chances in November 2008." Podhoretz goes on:

The purifiers really do face a very stark reality going forward — if they pull the trigger against the GOP and the Democrats win by not much, they will bear the responsibility for the election of someone who will be worse for their issues. Therefore, it should stand to reason at this point that conservatives fearful of a Giuliani candidacy should be rallying behind Thompson. And yet James Dobson has spoken insultingly of Fred and others don't seem particularly excited by him either. The conduct of Religious Right leaders has been entirely baffling. They've have several candidates they could have rallied around as a matter of principle — Huckabee and Brownback in particular. But they haven't done so. It's almost as though they're paralyzed."

As someone who is passionate about the cause of justice for the unborn, I frankly admit that I am conflicted on the issue of what to do if it comes down to two pro-choice candidates in the general election. I think there are compelling arguments on both sides.

I'm inclined toward Melinda Penner's football analogy:

A pro-life candidate gives us the touchdown option. But given the possible scenario of the two main parties having pro-choice nominees, the touchdown is off the table. Pro-lifers can only choose between tying with a field goal or losing the game. A third party candidate doesn't offer the chance for a touchdown . . . .

It would be much better if one of the main candidates is pro-life and offers the winning option. Go for the touchdown, of course. But if our alternatives are lose or draw, I'd prefer to go for the field goal and stay in the game. Stay on the field rather than stand on the sidelines and watch a pro-choicer nominate the next Supreme Court justice.'

Here are a few thoughts I have in trying to work through the issues:

I do not want Giuliani to be nominated for the Republican ticket. For those who are convictionally pro-life and want to see justice for the unborn prevail and Roe v. Wade overturned, it seems difficult to support Giuliani's candidacy at this stage when there are other viable pro-life candidates.

The ballgame changes if the race comes down to a pro-choice Republican vs. a pro-choice Democrat.

One has to ask whether or not it can be reasonably ascertained if one pro-choice candidate would be better than the other in terms of the cause of life. The key word, I think, is reasonable. We're not talking infallibility here.

The next president will undoubtedly get to nominate justices to the Supreme Court. No one doubts that Hillary Clinton will nominate judges with a judicial philosophy at odds with constructionalism and originalism.

I think there are good reasons to believe that Giuliani would appoint constructionalists and originalists, as he has promised to do--in part because I think he will want to placate the Republican base. (Even if he does this for only one term in order to win reelection, which I think is doubtful, then the next point still stands.)

One must recognize that if it comes down to Guiliani vs. Clinton, a vote for a third-party candidate will undoubtedly guarantee a Clinton presidency (likely for the next eight years). Read that sentence again. Now read it one more time. I think it's incontrovertible, and I'm not sure some pro-lifers have sufficiently recognized this.

The irony, then, is that being a single-issue voter on the cause of justice for the unborn can actually lead to increased injustice for the unborn.

At the end of the day, perhaps we can categorize the two positions as (1) principled pro-life purity and (2) principled pro-life pragmatism.

It seems that the Religious Right (by which I mean the James Dobson Republicans--the elite evangelical political influencers of soccer moms and the like) are in a pickle: Mitt Romney is a Mormon, Fred Thompson doesn't seem like a Christian, and Mike Huckabee doesn't seem electable. From my seat in the bleachers, it seems like they should pick one and stick with him.

It is a valid, legitimate point that if the Republicans nominate a pro-choice candidate, then this precedence opens the door for the nomination of pro-choice Republican candidates in the future.
What do you think?

If you've never visited Justin's blog, you're in for a treat. His is one of the most insightful blogs out there.

The Church as Comedy

2007-10-09T19:00:00.000-04:00

I enjoy a good joke, some wry sarcasm, and funny irony. I have used humor in my preaching and for that matter, I look for humorous things in every aspect of life. But I draw the line at sacrificing the sacred for a cheap laugh. I have seen "funny" videos of a kid doing a cannonball into the baptismal tank, and there are enough "jokes" about getting drunk on the communion wine to baffle the mind.

What happens when the line is crossed. Christianity Today has published a good article to make you think about goofiness and the gospel. Here is a sample of what you will find in the article:

"When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public business a comedy show, then a nation finds itself at risk."

Do you take offense at jokes using Jesus as a punchline? If not, why not? While some funny conclusions can be reached about some of the things that happened in Jesus' ministry, have you felt uncomfortable over some of the ways he is protrayed by comedians?

I love to listen to good preaching that includes humor, but I draw the line at cheap laughs at the expense of my Savior.

What is the Church?

2007-10-09T18:50:00.000-04:00

Evangelicalism is being challenged by the emerging church. Actually the challenge is to what the Evangelical church has become rather than its premise when it started. Evangelicalism was born through rediscovering the truth that the gospel had to be applied personally before it could address and transform the culture. Unfortunately the emphasis on "personal" salvation has created a hybrid of the gospel that sounds and is practiced as more of a self-help, self-realization, self-transforming message, rather than being seen as a call to become part of God's plan for changing the world through reconciliation.

Over at Out of Ur, David Fitch takes and makes this fascinating and insightful quote:

"The term missional asks this question: what is the purpose of the church? To enfold and warehouse Christians for heaven, protecting them from damage and spoilage until they reach their destination? Or to recruit and train people to be transforming agents of the kingdom of God in our culture? The missional church understands itself to be blessed not to the exclusion of the world, but for the benefit of the world. It is a church that seeks to bring benefits to its nonadherents through its adherents." (Brian McLaren)

It seems that too many of our churches are becoming warehouses for the redeemed rather than training camps for world changers. The goal seems to be to insulate believers from cradle to grave with Christian programming and facilities dedicated to making them comfortable and entertained. This approach funnels too much of the kingdom's resources to non-essential activities while those who need to hear the gospel are left with their noses pressed up against the panes of our Christian country clubs.

I don't want to be misunderstood. I love beautiful facilities built to the glory of God. I believe that there needs to be extensive numbers of groups, classes, workshops and other opportunities offered for equipping believers to live like Christians. But somewhere along the way the trained army must be deployed. We are saved to serve. Not saved to sit or saved to be satisfied. Ultimately all of our energy in discipleship, mentoring, equipping or whatever new buzzword is being used, must result in engaging in the work of reconciling the world to Jesus. That is the essence of being a church

Quote of the Week:

2007-10-05T18:55:00.000-04:00

This week's quote: "Just because you’re necessary doesn’t mean you’re important." or "Just because you’re important doesn’t mean you’re necessary."

Most of us have met someone who is "full of themselves." These are people who are impressed with a sense of their own importance. Some are like this because they are egotistic, others because they really believe that their world wouldn't be able to make it without them.
But history tells a different story.

Churches with charismatic and competent leaders have had those same leaders leave, fall from grace, or pass away and the church continues to exist. Families lose their matriarch and adjustments are made. Employers lose a key employee and in a matter of time a replacement is found. That's not to say that the key player isn't missed, it simply states that "life goes on."

I've held many positions where people thought I was "irreplaceable." I've never felt that way personally and proved it by leaving those positions and watching the work continue on, and in many cases thrive. It is humbling to know, that just because I was important, it didn't mean that I was necessary or vice-versa.

The next time you cancel your vacation because you think the place will fall apart without you, get over yourself. If your vacation turned into your demise, they'd figure out a way to make it.

Trying to Understand Divorce Biblically

2007-10-05T18:26:00.000-04:00

When I was a young Christian I was very dogmatic about many issues. I saw them primarily in black or white. As I matured I learned that there are a number of gray areas that don't easily fit into black or white understandings. As I've matured even further I am convinced of two things: there are a lot more gray issues than I initially calculated, and there is a movement in our culture to reconstruct truth, which is always black or white, into palatable shades of gray.

Divorce is one of those issues. Christianity Today has published an article available here that attempts to shed some light on the tricky issue of divorce. While some may immediately jump to the conclusion that it is a capitulation to the culture, others will be just as quick to accept much of our divorce culture in a pragmatic attempt to be biblically relevant.

There are two basic principles of Bible interpretation that most, if not all, scholars agree on. Rule number one is that we must try to determine what the original authors actually said, and the second rule is that there is only one interpretation of scripture although there may be many applications. Scripture cannot be made to say today what it didn't say when it was written. And that is where we find the sticky wicket.

There is 2,000 years of history separating us from the original writers and message. Add to that a foreign language and culture and the difficult task of properly interpreting scripture is easily understood. But that doesn't mean that one has to be a scholar in order to grasp the truth of God. It simply means that we must approach the text with humility saturated with grace.

We must do our necessary homework before we pronounce something as true or untrue. We then live in the light as we understand it with an open heart and mind seeking further illumination. Until then, we can live with a clean conscience. Sloppy interpretation may lead us to live in the bliss of ignorance, but only knowing the truth can keep us free indeed.

I am grieved by the number of divorces that happen whether to Christians or non-Christians. The subsequent brokenness and pain to the persons involved takes years, and often decades, to work through. Add to that the dysfunction that often exists in the lives of children caught up as innocent parties, the poverty that often exists in single-parent families and that alone would make me want to take a strong stance against divorce.

But once the divorce has happened, I am motivated by wanting to bring healing to those same broken people in need of God's grace and mercy. Read the article and share your experience or thoughts. This is a topic that has many sociological as well as theological ramifications.

The Boomer Generation, Pastors and Technology

2007-10-04T19:25:00.000-04:00

If you are over 50 and still afraid of the internet, you are missing out on a great opportunity to reach the next generation with the Gospel. This simple little article will help you to find ways to bridge the cyber gap that may exist in your ministry.

I consider myself somewhat computer savvy. The speed of the changes that occur in the world of technology make me feel like I am getting hopelessly behind. And yet, I find that growing at least in one area at a time can reap generous rewards.

When I first undertook blogging a couple of years ago, All I knew how to do was enter text. Then I learned to create links within my posts, add pictures, and add other features. I will eventually learn how to embed video and other stuff. In the meantime, I am continually amazed at how many people read my blog. While I often don't get a lot of comments, if I fail to post anything new in any given week, I'll start getting emails wondering if I quit blogging or asking if everything is all right with me.

I want to challenge those of my generation to stay current with computer technology. Just as you don't have to know all of the parts of a cars engine to enjoy driving a car, you don't have to know everything about computers to enjoy using them to communicate to friends, family and even strangers who happen to trip over you blog on the way somewhere else.

GO CUBS!

2007-10-04T19:22:00.000-04:00

Rick Moran, over at the American Thinker, has written a nice piece about the interminably optimistic (or maybe futilistic) Cubs fans. Can you believe it! It's October and the Cubs are still playing baseball.

I love baseball. I'll watch the Toledo Mudhens play against the Brimingham Barons if that's the only game on. I grew up using a baseball mitt as a pillow at night and rising as early as my parents would let me to go play baseball, in an alley, a vacant lot, or sometimes even in an actual league with uniforms.

I was there when the Cubs blew it in 1969. I mean literally. My dad was a security guard and he was allowed 2 free passes for each game. I must have taken in 50 games that wonderful and yet dark summer. While everybody makes a case for how the Cubs blew the lead losing 17 of 25 games in September, sometimes what is forgotten was how the Mets went 21 and 10 in August and 23 and 7 in September, the stretch that overtook the Cubs. While some people take pleasure in bashing the Cubs, I make excuses for them.

Call them lovable losers, or just plain losers, but any player that has every worn the uniform and played in a packed house, even when the team is hopelessly out of the race, can tell you that there is no place like Wrigley Field, and no fans like Cubs fans.

It was exciting when the White Sox won the World Series in 2005. Cubs fans watched in wonder at the parades and accolades given to the Southsiders. Can you imagine what would happen in the city of Chicago if the Cubs won the big games? It's gonna happen, you watch. Either this year . . . or next year.

Keys to Successful Relationships

2007-10-03T18:50:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid of Oprah, yet I like Oprah. I believe she is sincere in offering all of her advice and help. What scares me is that she has so much influence over so many people. Anyone with that kind of influence should be respected and feared.

The latest issue of Oprah carries an article about conventional wisdom regarding relationships and the new rules that threaten to stand that wisdom on its head. Much of this conventional wisdom is held by many as papal edict. It is unchallengeable. Or is it?

After reading some of the new rules, I have to agree with many of the points made. As an example. Men don't like it when women try to change them. As a pastor, I have counseled many couples and have made note of the resentment that grows in men as their wives make demands. Women call it constructive criticism, men call it nagging. Often the demands are very constructive and should be made by the men. The difference in the old rules versus the new rules is that women should seek change in smaller bite-sized increments. Those in the study that did were much more effective in the long run.

If the old adage is true, that "men marry women believing they won't change and women marry men believing they will change," then the concept of change is a potential war zone. How do you traverse this battlefield and survive?

There is much good advice in this article. There are biblical principles disguised as social work and psychological research. I try to get all of my life changing advice from the Bible. The truth is that many people don't read the Bible and a lot of believers don't read it either. Read this article and make a note at the biblical principles it teaches. Then ask yourself, will I get my life lessons from God or Oprah. But then again, to many Oprah is God :)

Faith and Football

2007-10-03T18:28:00.000-04:00

It's football season. My Chicago Bears are stinking up the joint so I'll have to focus on something else besides the game.

Christian athletes have always intrigued me. How do you justify being involved in violent sports with being a follower of Christ? I guess it all has to do with the attitude you have while you play. Is it your intention to ground and pound your opponent to submission? Or are you more interested in following the rules of the sport, competing fairly all the while maintaining your joy in the Lord and testimony.

The Detroit Lions have Jon Kitna, a professing, devout Christian at quarterback. This fascinating piece is done by ESPN the Magazine, a decidedly secular sports magazine. It is a fair piece and doesn't pull any punches about Kitna's testimony on and off the field.

Many of us have children who look at sports figures as models. It is imperative that those athletes who claim Christ as Savior be excellent witnesses with such a public podium. When they exemplify a consistent vibrant walk with Christ, they will be noticed by the secular and the religious.

Have you been influenced by a Christian athlete's testimony or lack of it? What lessons have you learned as a result of this influence?

Quote of the Week

2007-09-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

This week's quote: "Never apologize. Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe you anyway."

Of course this quote is not advocating the abolishing of apologies. Its origin stems from the idea that under some circumstances the offender and the offended know that an infraction has occurred and internally both sides know that either an apology isn't needed, or it won't matter.

The Bible says that "love covers a multitude of sins." When two people love each other their actions and behaviors are not meant to offend. There is an understanding that weariness, or perhaps a lapse in judgment may have been the reason for the offense. Under those conditions the apology doesn't have to come in words because it can be sensed by the persons feeling of remorse or a corresponding action attempting to rectify the wrong.

On the other hand, some people are prone to wanting to exact revenge when they are offended. No amount of apologizing or acts of restitution seem to be good enough for them. You might as well save your words and watch your back. Settling the score, in their mind, is the only way to fix the wrong.

Pay attention to your relationships. Build strong loving ones and you won't have to do a lot of apologizing. Your love or theirs will cover the wrong. And when you identify your enemies, do your best to not to offend them and when you do, don't waste your words, do your best to right the situation and get a good nights sleep.

Too Much Contact in Public?

2007-09-28T22:14:00.000-04:00

Most of us have been there at one time or another, the uncomfortable environment where two people are engaging in personal displays of affection or PDA. You can read this article that attempts to define what is appropriate or inappropriate.

It seems that some of the displays are more exaggerated than ever. What is it about people who think they need an audience to show their affection or attraction? Is it just plain lust?

I remember as a parent having to shield the eyes of my children from some of the more blatant displays. On some occasions I have even asked the offending party if they would be a bit more respectful to the people around them. That approach usually was met with a glare or some words that were ruder than the behavior.

What do you do when you see people in public groping and grabbing? What have some of you parents done to instruct your children about public displays of affection? What kinds of public displays, if any, would the Bible condone or encourage?

Who's Your Favorite Candidate for Prez

2007-09-26T19:42:00.000-04:00

Take this simple quiz, some might even say simplistic, and find out which presidential candidates agree with you on the issues most pundits feel define the presidential campaign.

These kinds of quizzes are quite black and white and fail to factor in nuances of the issues, but at least you can look at the candidates websites, provided by the quiz answer page, and compare your views more in-depth.

I was somewhat surprised at who agreed with me most. If I get at least 5 responses to this post I'll put my neck on the line and reveal who I am most in line with. Better yet, why not take a guess and I'll reveal the answer after 5 guesses.

Quote of the Week

2007-09-21T19:40:00.000-04:00

It's Friday, and here is today's quote.:

"Remember, potential means you ain't done nothing yet."

You've heard the phrase a thousand times. It is used of up and coming athletes, young school children, and musical prodigies. These are people who are highly gifted, skilled, and talented. They often wow the socks off of you. They leave you envious of their obvious abilities and yet ten or twenty years from now you never see them or hear from them. They never reached their "potential."

Potential is often wasted through lack of opportunity, sloth or an inability to be disciplined. In order to achieve the fulfillment of potential it must be developed and applied. My father used to say, "The gutters are full of potential." I remember the first time he said it. We were in a car heading to an electronics parts store. We had to pass through an area of town known as skid row. Building after building of flop houses (as they were called in those days), and the streets were littered with alcoholics passed out on the streets. My dad looked at me with the most serious look a father can give a boy. He said, "Everyone of those men started out with potential. They all got distracted by alcohol or drugs and they never lived up to their potential. The gutters are full of potential."

After I became a Christian I read the parable of the talents. The talents are potential. Two of the recipients doubled their talents. The third one buried it. Jesus was telling us that each of us is given potential. Until we do something with this potential, it doesn't mean much, if anything at all.

Just as those words from my father impressed me as a boy, the Scriptures reinforce the truth that potential can be realized by applying ones self. Until then, potential simply means that "you ain't done nothing yet."

Last Words

2007-09-21T18:00:00.000-04:00

Let's say you knew when your number was going to be called. Let's also say that you would be given a megaphone big enough for the world to hear you. What would you say as your last words to the world.

The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating article about a young professor, who as a part of a lecture series on last words, addresses a packed audience of friends, students, family and colleagues. The clincher in this particular speech is that the professor really has a short time to live and what he has to say are carefully chosen last words.

After reading the article, pause for a moment and ponder. What words would you like to leave with your family, friends, and colleagues?

Are You Ready for Some Bible Study!

2007-09-20T12:55:00.000-04:00

It is no secret that men are in the minority in most churches. For decades the split has been about the same. 60% women, 40% men. Even the men who are church members rarely engage in in-depth Bible study, service ministries (beyond ushers and board members), and spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, worship etc.

One church has found a creative way to engage their men. They bundle MNF (Monday Night Football) with a topical, timely study. It combines, fellowship with Bible study. It is similar to what some parents are doing to get their children to eat their vegetables. One mom put some butternut squash in a blender, mixed it into some mac and cheese and her children didn't know, but loved the concoction. She has taken to finding other creative ways to sneak some vegetables in other dishes thereby helping her children eat more healthily.

Everybody knows vegetables are good for you, but cheeseburgers taste better. Pastors and Christians know that Bible study is good for you, but watching MNF is more fun. By blending the two churches are helping their men become healthier.

A funny thing happened to my children who hated broccoli when they were young. When they got older, they developed a taste for it. Now they eat it all the time. Hopefully the men in our churches will mature beyond just football and develop a taste for God's Word.

Back in the Saddle

2007-09-18T18:14:00.000-04:00

Finally! It's been some time since I've been in the classroom but I got my first chance in awhile today. The professor for our Christology class was out of town and he asked me to substitute. I was treated to 19 hungry young people who are part of a mentoring and Bible college campus offered by Logos through the Celebration Church here in Jacksonville.

"Equipping the saints for the work of the ministry" is the charge given to the five-fold ministry ordained by Christ. There is an increasing emphasis in churches throughout the country to raise up their own ministers through mentoring, discipling and church based Bible institutes. No longer do people have to leave their homes and churches to go to traditional ministry training centers as distance education and church-based Bible institutes are becoming the norm rather than the exception. The advantages are many. The most attractive benefit is that the local church can keep many of their best minds and bodies while offering practical application for theological and ministry principles that are taught. Many of these students end up being offered staff positions in their own churches.

I am excited to be a part of this movement. Soon I will be able to teach classes of my own. In the meantime I will finish my initial project which is to analyze and evaluate all things Logos and make recommendations on how to make us more effective and efficient. So far it's been quite a challenge but very fulfilling.

From 1978-1999 I was in the classroom as a student or professor each semester. It's good to be back. There is very little that is more fulfilling to me than to meet former students who are active and effective in ministry. I am hoping that more churches will adopt this model of church-based Bible institutes to equip, not only future staff members, but also their general membership.

There is a tremendous need for in-depth Biblical and theological teaching in our churches. Too many churches resemble more of a community center or country club environment. They expend the bulk of their energies and resources trying to make church members more comfortable or their programs more enjoyable. In the meantime hordes are lost and in danger of spending eternity separated from God because too many Christians are not effectively sharing their faith. I am glad that the next generation is taking training for ministry very seriously and are enrolling in discipleship programs through their local churches all over the country.

It has been a deep conviction of mine since I entered the ministry that every Christian should have at least one solid year of Bible college under their belts. In the past that would have meant having to leave job, home and church and relocating. Now this is possible like never before through distance learning and church based Bible institutes.

Feel Free to Comment

2007-09-17T19:38:00.000-04:00

I have lifted the comment moderation feature for the time being. In the past this was the only way to insure that comments made weren't personal or offensive. I will continue to personally moderate the blog, but without the restriction of having to wait for your comment to be cleared before it appears.

I have enjoyed most of the comments left in the past, but would like to hear from more of you and more often. You can leave a comment anonymously, but let me encourage you to pick an anonymous name to distinguish your comments from someone else's. No one will know who you are, but someone else may want to comment on your comment.

If you have a topic, or news item that you would like me to comment on, just email me and I'll look into it. For my faithful readers who have been following the blog since its inception, thanks for your support. For those of you who are new, welcome aboard. This blog is meant to be a forum for civil Christian discussion.

Quote of the Week

2007-09-14T21:54:00.000-04:00

"If at first you don't succeed, use a bigger hammer."

Don't you wish everything you did went smoothly? I have found that many things in life that have to be done come about as a result of overcoming obstacles. Chances are, if it is worth doing, it won't come easy. Some people are talented and their talents make things look easy. The rest of us have to plow our way to success.

At times you may have to look for a different way around, under or over an obstacle. Sometimes you just have to use a bigger hammer. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." When the enemy attempts to hinder you, use the weapons and tools that are necessary to move the kingdom agenda forward. And the tool just might be a bigger hammer.

Missionary Dating

2007-09-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

What do you say to a believer who is contemplating dating an unbeliever? This article will certainly put a few things in perspective. It starts out with this funny (but tragic) skit from Seinfeld.

"In an episode of "Seinfeld" that lays bare the characters' secular sensibilities, Elaine is shocked to learn that her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Puddy, is a believing Christian. "So is it a problem that I'm not really religious?" she asks him upon realizing their differing worldviews. "Not for me," he answers. "I'm not the one going to hell." Though Elaine herself acknowledges that she doesn't believe in an afterlife, she becomes increasingly angry with Puddy for not caring more about her eternal damnation. Finally, she explodes: "You should be trying to save me!"

When the Scriptures warn of certain behavior and actions our human nature kicks in overtime to look for a loophole. It's as old as the Garden of Eden experience of Adam and Eve. They were told they could eat from every tree except one. The serpent emphasized the "every tree" and tried to disavow the importance of the exception to the rule. The result was a plunging of the human race into the spiral of sinful behavior and its subsequent effects.

Paul warned that believers are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, and for good reason. Nowhere is this more important than in the area of romantic relationships. Some have tried to get around this principle by the concept of "missionary dating." An attempt is made by the believer to justify the relationship by trying to bring the unbeliever to faith. The tragic result, more often than not, is that the believer waters down his faith and often is drawn away from practicing his faith with heartbreaking results.

Kathy Griffin Has It Wrong: Jesus Has Everything to Do With Her Award

2007-09-13T15:14:00.000-04:00

Respected columnist and journalist Lauren Green has something to say about Kathy Griffin's remarks. It's worth reading.

Comedienne Kathy Griffin took it upon herself to insult the bulk of Christians in America, even the non-practicing ones. You can read an excellent rebuttal to her comments after she won an award telling Jesus to "Suck it." I'm only repeating what she had to say to show just how offensive her remarks were.

You can be sure if these word were used about Buddha, Mohammed or any other religious figure, they would evoke an immediate and maybe violent reaction. Jesus is fair game, but don't touch the others.

The good news is that reaction from Christians is on par with the teachings of Jesus. For the most part we are turning the other cheek. We are stating our case without blood in the streets. It's what Jesus would want.

On Second Thought . . .

2007-09-12T18:50:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I stated an opinion about what people may be looking for when they visit a new church. Apparently there is more than one valid point of view. Imagine that! Not everyone sees things my way:) It may pay to get a second opinion. I was sitting in a meeting as one of my colleagues was sharing his experiences in South America. As part of the requirements for a course he was teaching, he had his students visit 4 churches outside of their normal circle of churches. He asked them to evaluate the use of technology in the churches and their relative effectiveness in creating a good environment for worship and Body life.

To my surprise, the younger generation reported that they would rather go to a church where the technology was up to date than one where everything was shared through personal word of mouth, or more traditional ways of communicating. They revealed that their use of email, text messaging, cell phones and other media gave them the sense of community that kept them connected to their church. Apparently, the next generation experiences intimacy in fellowship totally different than what I may be accustomed to.

I guess it goes to show that pastors and other church leaders must evaluate the needs of their churches and develop unique ways for developing community within their congregations whether it is high tech or high touch.

The lesson to learn? Don't take anything anybody says at face value. You can profit from a second opinion.

Yet Another Post on Women in the Pulpit

2007-09-12T17:33:00.000-04:00

Talk about a debated issue. There are few issues that can stir it up like the issue of "women in the ministry." Over the years I have spent a lot of time researching the topic. I have some personal convictions on the subject, but I am always intrigued, sometimes befuddled or amused, and always interested in what fellow believers, especially theologians, have to say on the topic.

Some denominations or fellowships have recognized and allowed women to be ordained since their inception. Others have debated the issue to a compromise, while others strongly object to the concept. They all use scripture to justify their conclusions, but obviously they can't all be right . . . or wrong.

Obviously God created men and women with the capacity to minister. How, when and where women minister is what the debate is all about. Women ministry very effectively as child care providers in our churches, choir members, ladies bible study leaders etc. But there is a glass ceiling that has been put over their heads in many churches and fellowships. I've never understood the logic, for example, of groups who don't allow women to pastor or preach, while allowing female missionaries to do so in foreign lands. I also think it is somewhat demeaning to suggest that if you can't find a man to do it, then it is OK for a woman to do so. I believe this delegates a woman's ministry to a second class status.

But I also can't escape that the biblical context is very patriarchal. Male and female roles were much more clearly defined when the Text was written. As society and history have evolved, how do we revisit issues that seem so cut and dried in one generation and oh so gray in the next? For example, when was the last time tattoos were declared a sin? (Leviticus 19:28) They are much more mainstream now and there is even a Christian Tattooing website. But we must always be careful when relegating a biblical topic to "culture" or "the times" just because societal norms have become more accommodating.

I suppose this will be an issue for debate in some circles for some time to come. In the meantime, it's fun reading and mind expanding to see how other brothers and sisters are interpreting the Scriptures and trying to find the best way to integrate their findings in ministry.

Best TV Shows Ever

2007-09-11T20:07:00.000-04:00

TIME magazine has issued a list of the 100 best TV shows ever. With today's preachers having a penchant for video sermon illustrations, many of the past shows had great moral and sometimes immoral lesson as preaching fodder.

Television has changed dramatically in my lifetime. Much of what was edited or censored even a few years ago has become normal and even predictable. How do you feel about TIME's list? Were any of the programs listed a surprise? Were you disappointed that some of your favorites weren't listed.

Welcome to Our Friendly Church

2007-09-09T20:17:00.001-04:00

I was a pastor for 30 years and I always wondered what visitors thought about our church. Well now the shoe is on the other foot. I have relocated to Jacksonville, Florida and I am no longer in pastoral ministry having taken a new ministry assignment at a Christian college and graduate school. I now find myself as a church visitor looking for a church home for my wife and I.

In the past 4 weeks, we have visited 3 churches, one of them twice. Our observations were mixed as we found that all three churches had much to be commended. The ushers and greeters were friendly, the worship services were orderly and well developed, the preachers were well prepared and delivered their messages with passion, and their church ministry programs were plentiful and practical. But all three churches had one thing in common.

At the conclusion of the service, everyone pretty much filed out the door with little or no interaction. There were a few small groups of people having conversations, but the vast majority of the people just made their way to the door and parking lots. It left me wondering about the depth or lack thereof in relationships within the church.

I am mindful of the fact that we only made one visit to two of the churches, but it was somewhat odd that people who are going to spend eternity with each other have so little interaction after having not seen each other for at least the better part of a week.

I left more convinced than ever that small groups are essential for intimacy and relationship development. I would even venture to say that unless church attenders participate in some sort of small group, there is very little in a typical church service that would warrant all of the preparation necessary to put a church service together.

Every week each of the churches we visited has hundreds of people who will set their alarms, take showers, dress appropriately and drive to a building for an hour or ninety minutes. They sit through some decent music, somewhat meaningful rituals and a message by their pastor that is meant to feed their souls. Then they file out. With the exception of those who hung around, or are involved in a small group the service could have been dispensed with by the majority of the crowd and be substituted by a longer night of sleep, singing along with a worship CD while taking your shower and tuning in to the radio or TV to one of our fabulous national preachers.

That almost sounds sacrilegious. I'm not saying that Sunday morning services should be eliminated. What I am suggesting is that all Christians engage in a small group. Doing life together is what being the church is all about. The large group celebration is wonderful, but the smaller group interaction will allow you to learn more about intimacy with God and His people than the church service allows for. As a matter of fact, I believe that the collective gathering of the saints on Sunday will be more meaningful because you will have the added dimension of the reunion of your small group, conversing, sharing stories of your week, praying for each other and reminding each other of the upcoming small group meeting that will be held later in the week.

I have a feeling it will make a greater impact on church visitors as they see a bigger part of the church attenders co-mingling after the service. Better yet, look for new people and invite them to join your group. It will make the church experience so much more meaningful.

Quote of the Week

2007-09-07T11:15:00.000-04:00

This weeks quote: "This too shall pass."

From the perspective of over half a century, I have learned a valuable lesson - "this too shall pass." I have been on the mountain tops and in the valleys and many places in between. As stated in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Times of grief have transitioned to joy, times of want to plenty, times in the desert to an oasis and then the cycle starts over again. Each has been a learning experience that has prepared me for the next round, but all have passed.

I have learned what Paul says in Philippians 4::6-7 is true, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Now when the valleys come, I turn them over to God and look forward to see how He will bring me back to the summit - and He always does.

I have learned to rest in Matthew 6:31-34, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Much of what we worry about, if we trust in the Lord, never comes to pass and we've wasted time, energy and our health for nothing. I have learned that every time on the mountain top passes and every time in the valley passes, but this is good since without the valleys we wouldn't appreciate the mountain tops. So the next time you're in a valley, remember, "this too shall pass."

Hat tip to Nancy.

Law and Justice for Christians

2007-09-07T10:08:00.000-04:00

Love him or hate him, but you may have to admit that biggest contribution that Pat Robertson has made to American culture is the founding and establishing of the American Center for Law and Justice. You can find an excellent article here about how influential this group has become in addressing first amendment rights issues affecting Christians.

In many cases, what couldn't be accomplished with peaceful protests, the voter's booth and letters to congressional representatives, is now being successfully addressed through the courts. This change in strategy is being noticed by liberal groups and they don't like being beaten at their own game.

But let's not forget, that it is "not by might or by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord." Our prayers must under gird those who are courageously fighting on the front lines of the legal battlefield. With excellent minds, passionate hearts and an under girding of prayer, we may yet be able to get God's ear and His healing of our land.

A Challenge to the Church to Be the Church

2007-09-03T14:28:00.001-04:00

I came across this post while visiting one of my favorite blogs. what do you think?

In his book God in the Wasteland (pp. 214-215) David Wells writes:

I want the evangelical church to be the church. I want it to embody a vibrant spirituality. I want the church to be an alternative to post-modern culture, not a mere echo of it. I want a church that is bold to be different and unafraid to be faithful . . . a church that reflects an integral and undiminished confidence in the power of God’s Word, a church that can find in the midst of our present cultural breakdown the opportunity to be God’s people in a world that has abandoned God.

To be the church in this way, it is also going to have to find in the coming generation, leaders who exemplify this hope for its future and who will devote themselves to seeing it realized. To lead the church in the way that it needs to be led, they will have to rise above the internal politics of the evangelical world and refuse to accept the status quo where that no longer serves the vital interest of the kingdom of God. They will have to decline to spend themselves in the building of their own private kingdoms and refuse to be intimidated into giving the church less and other than what it needs. Instead, they will have to begin to build afresh, in cogently biblical ways, among the decaying structures that now clutter the evangelical landscape. To succeed, they will have to be people of large vision, people of courage, people who have learned again what it means to live by the Word of God, and, most importantly, what it means to live before the Holy God of that Word.

HT: New City Church Blog

Quote of the Day

2007-08-31T14:03:00.000-04:00

Beginning today I will feature a quote to live by every Friday. These are quotes much like the proverbs in Scripture. In essence they are generally true and worth pondering. I have found them to be useful over the years for overcoming a crisis, addressing a challenge, or just helping a particular situation make sense. If you have a quote you would like me to consider, just email me at rivera93342@juno.com and I will gladly take a look at it.

Today's quote: I have done so much, with so little, for so long, that I can do the impossible with nothing."

I first learned this principle when I was in the Air Force (1972-1976). I was an aircraft mechanic. We were always short of parts for our airplanes, but needed to repair them and ready them for scheduled flights. When you are working with B-52's and you are under orders, it causes you to be creative. At times we had to borrow parts from other aircraft, fashion new parts from several other parts that had previously been replaced, scavenge from an already grounded aircraft, or rig up the existing part to make it work, at least for the one flight that was scheduled. You'd be surprised how creative you can be when you are working with limited time and resources.

There are parallels in ministry. Lack of resources is always a challenge. But the mission must be engaged. You can't afford to shut down in ministry because the enemy is very adept at securing resources to undermine the kingdom of God. Christian are called to be resourceful, creative, innovative and ultimately successful at finding a way to make sure the work of God gets done. While it is true that "God will provide," it is also true that "seek and ye shall find."

In the Air Force we weren't allowed to use excuses. Sometimes our Chief Master Sargent would bellow, "Don't tell me no, tell me how." But that's a quote for another day.

Faith is at Its Best When It Quits Working

2007-08-24T17:18:00.000-04:00

The recent revelation of Mother Theresa's crisis of faith has left far too many confused as to what constitutes real faith. Mother Theresa had mountainous doubts. As she labored among the poor and castaways of society she saw more misery than miracles. Yet she labored on.

We live in a results oriented world, believing that our efforts are worth undertaking only when we see viable empirical evidence. We step back from our endeavors if they fail to give us instant results. We bail out of marriages when our efforts fail to change our partners in what we measure as a reasonable amount of time. We quit our jobs when we hit a stream of unfulfillment. We discontinue pursuing morally correct actions when we don't get the results we expected. I describe this as an absence of faith in our actions of faith. It sounds oxymoronic, but it is the malady of our time.

Christians are called to live obediently and do good words simply because it's the right thing to do. We are to love our children even when they disappoint us. We continue serving our spouses when their annoying habits drive us up the virtual wall. We show up for work because it is the avenue through which our bills are paid, our children are put through college and the two weeks at the beach once per year are made possible.

Every Christian will eventually walk through the darkness of the soul. Giving up on God is not an option during those times. Plodding through these seasons of doubt is true faith. Trusting that God is there when there seems to be no results is what the book of Job is all about. There should be no surprise when a believer is tempted to question his/her faith. As a matter of fact, the longer we question our faith continuing to live in obedience, the greater the case can be made that our faith is more real than when everything seems to be "working."

Personally, I wouldn't want to go though an extended walk in the "valley of the shadow of death." But even then the 23rd Psalm reminds us that God is there. I have had my times of doubting aspects of faith. Thank God I have survived. During those times I have learned that faith is at its best when it quits working.

Settling in Jacksonville

2007-08-20T19:13:00.000-04:00

Well, we finally made it! We've been here a whole week now and most of our boxes are either unpacked or in storage. It's been an interesting transition going from a 7 room home to a bedroom and shared living/dining room and kitchen. We are living with our son and daughter-in law and it has been delightful. They are a great young couple to accommodate our living with them for the next few months. The weather is hot, but consistent. It is 90 degrees and sunny every day. Thank God for the invention of air conditioning.

Tova has started teaching at Biltmore School. It will be a challenge going from being a kindergarten teacher to a class full of rambunctious fifth graders. She is more than up to it. Tova is incredibly intelligent, works hard and loves teaching. We are proud of her.

Daniel will start working later this week. He will be working at a Barnes and Noble. His experience at Starbucks will come in handy when he works the cafe and his love for books will be put to use when he works the bookstore end of things. He has been a tremendous help in our move and welcoming us into his home.

I put in a few hours at Logos today. I met the entire staff and introduced myself and what I will be bringing to the College and Graduate School. My official title is Dean of Academic Administration. I will be responsible for coordinating, overseeing and developing much of the academic and administrative aspects of the school. I will also teach courses, create courses and develop the internet school. My plate is full, but I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves.

Logos is primarily a distance learning school. Although we have established a number of church based institutes worldwide, our training leaders over the internet is our principle endeavor. In the past a student would have to uproot his/herself and family to go to a standard campus based college. Now they can study at home with all kinds of interaction with their professors and work at a pace that suits their schedule. No commuting is necessary. I think it is much better stewardship of time. The next generation will find this a welcome innovation. The older ones will have a traditional mindset that probably won't understand that this can be an excellent way to train for ministry while putting into practice what they are learning directly into their local churches.

I'm believing that this will be my last ministry assignment. I would like to think that I have about 15-20 years of productive ministry left. To spend this time training up the next generation of leaders warms my heart. My thirty years of pastoral ministry and my professional training gives me a great sense of confidence in communicating with future pastors, missionaries and lay leaders.

I hope to settle in to being able to post every couple of days or so. Tune in. And especially let me know that you are by emailing me, or commenting on the posts.

Sold!

2007-07-17T13:11:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all who prayed with us about the sale of our house. It was only on the market for 2 weeks! Our realtor gave us an estimate that it would be on the market for 100+ days. We only had until the end of August to sell because we are relocating to a new place of ministry.

God is good! We worked hard to fix it up and prep it for sale. The house is in extraordinary shape and should be a blessing to the new owners.

I haven't done any blogging the past two weeks because I was busy cleaning, painting and moving things to storage. I jokingly told my wife that I should love her enough to do these things for her rather than doing it for the person who is buying the house.

We plan on taking a trip to Jacksonville early next week to solidify our housing there. We will initially rent, actually our son and daughter-in law will rent and we will move in with them temporarily while we figure out our long term living arrangements.

I plan to start work in early September. This allows us a couple of weeks after closing to settle in and maybe throw in a mini-vacation before the daily grind.

Many of you have asked what it is exactly that I'll be doing. I promise you a full post on the topic in the very near future. I am excited about what I will be doing. I know that I will miss pastoral ministry, but the next challenge ahead has it's own blessings to enjoy.

Blessings to all of you

When People Leave Your Church

2007-07-17T12:58:00.001-04:00

After 30 years of ministry, there is one subject that was perhaps the most sensitive to me. What do you do when people leave or are talking about leaving your church? I always struggled when anyone would leave. I have loved every single person I had the privilege to pastor, but many times the love was not reciprocal. That doesn't mean that I got along with every person, or that I or they didn't have quibbles and faults that were annoying. People are people. All of us have faults. We can't get along all the time. But we can learn to disagree without being disagreeable.

This pastor has an insightful column dealing with the issue of people leaving our churches. Take a moment to read his response to an honest question and then let me know your thoughts.

Where's the Pastor

2007-06-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

I've been off for about 7 weeks now and am itching to get back in the saddle. I've accepted a few speaking engagements in the Chicago area. I'm excited about sharing the Word of God with the extended Body of Christ.

This Sunday (7/1) I'll be in my old stomping grounds Cross and Crown. This is the church Grace and I planted way back in January of 1981. We served there for a bit over 20 years and have many fond memories and experiences of God's working in and through us. It will be great to be reunited with old friends and have the opportunity to make new acquaintances.

On July 8 we've been invited to speak at Rock Church in Rockford. Our good friends John and Becky Sprecher are the pastors of this great church. They have faithfully served Rock for over 25 years. I had the privilege to speak at a worker appreciation dinner there a few years back. The good folks at Rock are an engaging and delightful audience. We're believing God for a timely word that will challenge and inspire the people of God.

July 22 finds us at Church in the Word in Elgin. Pastor Patrick and Tami Hoban lead this new and young congregation. I remember when Pastor Patrick and I first met. He was just then thinking of planting the church and we invited him to share their vision with our church in the city. What a great work they have done in a short 7 years. The church is growing and making their presence felt in the Fox Valley. I was excited and humbled by their invitation to share the Word.

Please join with Grace and I in prayer as we prepare to visit these churches. We count it a blessing to contribute something to their growth and development and take our charge very seriously.

House For Sale

2007-06-27T18:52:00.000-04:00

Blogging has been light the past couple of weeks as I have taken all available time to prepare our home for sale. It's amazing how many little things you let slide and learn to live with, but have to repair in order to sell your home. Most of these things really don't need attention, but you convince yourself that others would notice if they weren't done. Take one example:

We have two maturing trees on the parkway in front of our house. They have been growing aggressively over the past few years and would be the envy of many homeowners for the shade they provide as well as the natural beauty. But they obscure the view of our home. In order for a potential buyer to get enticed by "curb appeal" I had to spend the better part of a 90 degree day trimming back and cutting limbs. The next owner will probably allow the tree to grow uninterrupted for another 5-10 years.

Here's another example. We painted our bedroom a rich color to reflect our tastes. Upon making the decision to move, we had to repaint it a boring, neutral color because a potential client might make his/her decision based on a paint job they didn't like. Ironically, the new owner will probably paint the boring color within a few weeks or months to suit their tastes. I would have preferred if the new owners just told me what color they wanted and I would have saved them the trouble of having to paint after they move.

We are now officially on the market. All indications point to a slow market. We need to sell our home relatively quickly. We did our part of prepping the home, now it is totally out of our hands. We'll trust the Lord to prepare the new owner for us.

Hot Button Issue #8:: MARRIED IN THE EYES OF GOD…

2007-06-21T12:23:00.000-04:00

A young couple asks you to dedicate their infant daughter to the Lord in a worship service. While explaining to them the significance of dedicating children, you discover they are not married. “If you’re going to commit yourselves to raising this child ‘in the fear and admonition of the Lord,’” you say, “you need to line your actions up with your words.” You explain that you will be happy to dedicate their child after they marry, since living out of wedlock does not teach Christian values.

“We can’t marry,” they reply. He provides well for his ex-wife from his salary, but she would extract an exorbitant amount from any joint business venture by the new couple. Remaining single enables them to avoid an unfair situation with his former wife.“Anyway,” they say, “we’re married in the eyes of God even if we’re not married in the eyes of the state.” How do you respond? And do you dedicate the child?

Some Parenting Rules that Actually Work

2007-06-21T11:58:00.000-04:00

Are you a parent spending more time pulling out your hair rather than combing it? Are your children under your feet incessantly whining about every little thing? Try reading this simple column and find some answers to parenting that will lighten your load.

My wife have always advocated that parents need a few, not many, but a few simple rules that are applied consistently and parenting becomes a much easier task. When the rules are clear, and they are applied consistently and fearlessly, the lines of authority are not blurred. Parents can be parents, and children can be children.

Children exhibit two kinds of behavior. Normal behavior, and acceptable behavior. You must expect a child to act their age, but it is your responsibility as a parent to teach them to act in a responsible, acceptable manner. At age two, tantrums are normal. At age 8 they are annoying. At age 12 they become a manipulative tool used against parents because apparently they work. Establishing a few basic rules will wean a child away from childish behavior and cause them to act at a socially acceptable level. The key is consistency.

Many parents fail on this front. It seems easier to just give in to a child's demands so that they are not creating a scene. But it only prolongs the inevitable confrontation. Putting in the hard work of consistency in the beginning will pay big rewards in the long run. Children will always test the boundaries until they know where the boundaries are. After finding out where the boundaries they will occasionally test them again to see if they have been moved. That is normal. Be ready with your consistent, but firm application of a few simple rules and you will end up with well adjusted children. For the most part:)

"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)