My Hero

Today is a landmark day in America. Every 365 days, this day is always a landmark day. Today, I will take part in a service that where God's people will pray for the safety, security, and Spiritual health of our nation. I'm all too glad to do it.

In my absence from blogging, I've had some rough patches, some good times, and I've cried twice, which is two more times than I cried in the past two years - once for an overwhelmingly tender moment with my daughter, once for my deep regret for poorly I've treated my wife lately. That happened Monday. I'm the pastor of a growing church, and I think we're starting to see that the road to effectiveness is much different than we thought. Our church has some real demons, which probably makes it like your church. Over the past week, we've identified some and missed others, but we're growing stronger. In an episode of The Office, Michael talks about a special Japaneese massage that is so painful, it makes some people throw up, but leaves the patient feeling great. We're going through one of those massages.

But, since it's 9/11, I should get back to something that hasn't happened since I last blogged - a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. An Ann Coulter column this morning talked about the effectiveness of President Bush in keeping Americans out of harm's way. Coulter commented that we don't even think about Islamic terrorism too much anymore. Who would have thunk (sic) it on 9/12/01?

President Bush is hated by those in the media because he doesn't care what they think. He doesn't cave in to protesters. He doesn't worry about his reputation. At the end of the Clinton presidency, he pardoned a very shady man by the name of Mark Rich. The left, suddenly aware that Clinton was a shifty guy (where were they during the Ken Starr investigation?) dogged Clinton for the pardon. Clinton said that looking back, he wouldn't have pardoned Rich because it wasn't worth the damage to his reputation. Huh? I promise you, President Bush will say no such thing.

So this is the last 9/11 in the Bush presidency. Things are notably different since the first one. We've won a war in Afghanistan. We've won a war in Iraq and have begun the process of troop withdraw. Terrorist networks are so discombobulated that they are unable to function. Even their fallback plan, which is setting IEDs by the roadside in Iraq, is now doomed to failure. Terrorism has been defeated. This is not to say we can end the fight or stop being vigilant, but we can carry with us the fact that real security is possible.

So Bush is a true national hero. He's hated, he's unpopular, but he's kept us safe. He did everything the left said not to do and it worked like a charm. It was harder than we all thought, but he stayed the course. He's fought two wars against vicious enemies while the majority of his fellow Americans dreamed of publicly spitting in his face.

Mr. President, you probably already know that liberals will write the history books. You will be ballyhooed as an idiot, a clueless dolt, and a worthless warmonger. But sir, I'd like you to know that the fact that Americans are still alive to criticize you is a success on your part, and I'd like to thank you for all that you did for our country. Real Americans will always know that you were truly one of our greatest presidents.

On a side note, my new hero is rising up into the national spotlight. Sarah Palin, you are awesome! You are a godly woman who will help John McCain fight for what we believe in.

I'm back

Sorry for the hiatus. My blog has become like the Guess Who - "No Time Left for You."

How To Become A Bad Parent

The answer is fairly simple - have kids.

My daughter has a habit of making me look like a terrible father. She is like the ocean; if you turn your back on her, she knocks you over.

Today, I was attempting to play tennis on my new Wii console. I'm able to keep a pretty good eye on her, even when I'm whacking around a virtual tennis ball. I notice when she's trying to get the camcorder out of our end table. I am aware of when she's trying to put those smooth stones from our coffee table's centerpiece (now relocated to the other end table) in her mouth. I can figure out when she's going into the bathroom to read, er, I mean rip apart our stash of Reader's Digest magazines. This morning, I had my eye off of her for two seconds and I knew that since she wasn't in my sight, she was doing something forbidden, possibly life-threatening. To my dismay, I found her pulling yet another cover off of the electrical socket so that she could figure out how to put it back in.

On Thursday, I was doing something fairly routine. Every morning, like clockwork, she soils her diaper in the most smelly fashion, minutes before we are ready to go see Mrs. Judy, her child-care provider. I've developed a bit of a strong stomach, but one day, her morning offering caused me to run to the bathroom to make an offering of my own. This morning, her present to me was especially smelly. I was horrified to find out that there were no wipes in her little box. It is a simple motion to reach down to grab another bag of wipes. They are in the dresser upon which her changing pad rests. Upon grabbing the wipes and beginning the process of opening the bag, she reached for the bag, falling off the table and onto the floor, landing squarely on her back. I was more hurt than she was.

My wife and I bought a brand new minivan on Friday. On Wednesday, we were at the dealership negotiating a price for the vehicle. Natalie had the time of her life. She romped around the dealership, talking to everybody who would make eye contact with her. She made a friend in one of the female members of the sales staff. She even tried to play with another customer's baby. On the test drive, our salesman was talking about his son who is two days younger than Natalie. He told us how he taught his son to say, "Touchdown!" to which Natalie reached up her arms and exclaimed, "Touchdown!" Later, when we were in his office, Cheryl set Natalie down to reach for a notepad. Natalie, seeing that the gates were wide open for an escape, charged out of the office and onto the showroom floor. She nearly ran right into a car that was backing up. The operator was clearly oblivious to the oncoming two-foot tall toddler, the likes of which generally don't escape on the showroom floor. My wife screamed. People immediately took notice. It was quite embarrassing.

If my eyes are off Natalie for a second, she is off doing something forbidden. Since she has no clue about the dangers that this world contains, she can find herself in real trouble.

Faith is the same way. It cannot be neglected. It cannot be ignored. If you turn your back on God for even a second, you will find yourself wandering into dangerous areas where you need not be. Further, the road to safety is a narrow one. Jesus said that the path to righteousness is a narrow one. If I may be so bold as to add to what our Lord said, but it is also full of wonderful looking treasures to get our attention off goal at the end of the road. Keep your eyes on God.

p.s. As I was writing this, Natalie decided to stick one of her blocks in the blower for our wood stove. Arrrggg.

Why Me?

I've had the opportunity to read a lot of books, recently. Thus, I've had a lot of people engage me with a lot of different ideas. One thing that I have found is that it is fun to read books that make you think. In our ReFocus meetings, Genetta has us read some crazy stuff, not necessarily because the authors are correct in their thesis, but because they challenge you to think. Those types of books are great.


One interesting idea that has come up in a few of the books is the narcissistic view of many Christians. Thus, people say that, "Jesus died for me." People thank God "for all that you have done for me." We sing songs like, "I'll Fly Away" that talk about us blowing this joint the moment that we pass on. We talk about what the pastor does for me. We talk about how church meets my needs.

This post is simply question begging. It's more of an exercise in free-thinking than providing timeless truths of God's Word. Perhaps you'll dialogue with my thoughts. Perhaps you won't. Regardless, I'm thinking out loud and I hope you find something that engages you.

I know there are many narcissistic Christians. I know there are many selfless Christians. One name that immediately comes to mind in the latter category is Dr. Bob Black over at Southern Wesleyan University. We used to joke on campus that he was the definition of Wesleyan holiness. If you're going to be the butt of a few jokes, that's a good one. I remember when my first semester was complete, he called me a few days into my break (and his!). He had written out my entire plan for the next four semesters to ensure my graduation. My wife and I were very impressed. I did not have one professor at SWU that I couldn't stand. On the contrary, I dearly loved every one of them, but Dr. Black had a sort of compassion that I never had seen in somebody else. He was tough, but in a loving sort of way.

On the other hand, I've seen churches who have been rendered useless by the constant bickering and unwillingness to cooperate with others who have different opinions on how church should be done. I've seen an entire movement built on the idea that being a Christian means having access to God's material blessing. Lakewood Church in Houston, pastored by Joel Osteen, has 40,000+ members. His theology is that God blesses abundantly, meaning you will have all the material possessions that you want. This form of narcissism is at the extreme end of the spectrum.

The more moderate narcissist is found in many normal churches. This individual comes because they like the pastor's preaching, the worship team's music, the aesthetics of the sanctuary, the children's ministry, and the people that they worship with. If one or more of these things go away, then the person becomes disinterested and goes away.

This problem is not generational. The younger generation accuses the older generation of being too set in their ways, but the younger generation is not nearly as flexible as they would have you think. Thus, we are focused on what blesses me, what helps me grow, and what makes me happy. We gravitate to churches that are our style. We come to the Lord so that we may go to Heaven. Now, I'm not saying we should go to a church that is totally dysfunctional, but perhaps we should select a church that can use us for mission. Perhaps we should select a church where we can bless others, not where we can be blessed.

And in terms of our faith in God, let me ask you this: If there was no eternal life, would you still worship God? If you were to receive no reward from God for service to Him, would you work for Him? If you got nothing out of your pastor's sermons but were used in effective Kingdom building, would you still go? If you loved contemporary music, but the church really loved the hymns, would you still attend? These questions are not easy to answer, and I cannot pretend that I would respond in the affirmative to them. My prayer is, however, that God would allow me to. I don't want to serve God for me. I want Him to have all the glory, but I don't know if I want it badly enough, yet.

I've been reading a lot of Scripture dealing with the idea of living for others. I'm convinced that the Bible teaches the Christian to forget about self and live solely for others. I'm just not sure how that's done. I'm not that mature. Regardless, I know that it is God's will for me, for you, and for His entire Church.

Spiritual Silence

Doug is a guy in my church. I like to make fun of Doug for being a talker. Truth be told, he is just one of many talkers that our church has. I just single him out because he’s an easy target, and he usually makes fun of me right back. I like it when somebody gives me a hard time. It lets me know they care.

We are told that talking is a healthy thing. It’s no secret that women, who express far more emotion than men, talk much more than men. Women like to pick on men because we don’t know how to communicate. We like to bottle things up, and then when the right (or wrong) moment strikes, we explode. In this sense, talking is a healthy thing.

But when it comes to communicating with God, talking is quite unhealthy. People generally get the impression that prayer is simply talking to God. Therefore, our prayers look a little bit like this:

Lord Jesus, thank you for this lovely day. Thanks that I can talk to You. Please bless me as I try to serve you today, and please help Mary Sue who is sick and Bobby Joe who is having surgery. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

But that is not genuine communication with God. That’s telling God what you think. If my wife talked to me that way, then ended the conversation and went about her own business, I’d take the tweezers and pull my hair out!

This is one reason why I don’t like to verbalize prayers. Some people don’t get it, my wife being one of them. She likes to hear what I’m saying so she knows what I’m praying for. The problem is that if I’m talking, I cannot hear what God is saying. That’s why I never pray out loud in private. God needs to talk to me, too. Actually, He needs to talk to me more than I need to talk to Him.

This is not a slam against public prayer. It’s a great idea. I’m not saying that praying out loud is bad. It’s not. But God knows what’s on my heart before I ask Him. On the other hand, how many of you have felt that you had no idea where God was in your life? We all feel that way from time to time. God knows my thoughts but I don’t know His. If this is true, then who should be the one talking? Not me!

This week, take some time out and listen. Get quiet before the Lord. You will be amazed at what you’ll hear from the heart of God if only you are willing to listen!

Goodbye, Brett

Brett Favre's first throw as a professional quarterback was a touchdown. On November 10, 1991, the rookie quarterback, then playing for Atlanta, threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by the Redskins' Andre Collins. The Redskins went on to win the Super Bowl. Brett Favre's final pass was an interception to Corey Webster, a throw that helped send the Giants to their third Super Bowl win. They were two dubious throws that were the moldy bread which encapsulated the sandwich, the meat of which was a Hall of Fame career.

Brett Favre broke many NFL records. Even so, I will not argue that he was the greatest quarterback in NFL history. He deserves to be in the argument, but he doesn't deserve to win it. Despite his numbers, he was not as good as Elway, Brady, Bradshaw, or Montana. However, he was by far the most fun quarterback to watch in NFL history. His improvisational skills were fantastic. He made so many crazy, goofy looking plays that fans simply shook their heads. Further, one never knew if those throws would result in an interception, further adding suspense to every play. He made more good throws than bad ones, but still, his wildman tendencies made for a suspensful football game. The NFL has had many exciting quarterbacks: Daryle Lamonica, Fran Tarkenton, Terry Bradshaw, Steve Young, John Elway, Michael Vick, and Randall Cunningham. Favre was more exciting than any of them.

Still, he had struggles. In 1996, he announced his addiction to Vicodin, a prescription painkiller. That season, he won his only Super Bowl. His father died on December 23, 2003. Brett was able to put that behind him in order to whip the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football, one of the most touching games in NFL history. His second to last season was his worst, throwing more interceptions than any year in his career. Despite all of his touchdowns, he made many, many ill-advised passes. With each bad one, he had the uncanny ability to shake it off and move on. When he threw his first NFL pass, he amazed Jerry Glanville, then his head coach, by bragging that his first pass was a touchdown. When Glanville informed him that it went to the wrong team, Favre beamed that nobody would remember that several years down the road. With all of his flaws, he never missed a start, and he is guaranteed to make it into the Hall of Fame five years from now, his first year of eligibility.

Brett Favre played one season in Atlanta. When Ron Wolfe hired Favre in Green Bay, the scouting reports said that he had maybe five years in him. Brett started 275 consecutive games over 17 seasons. In his first game in Green Bay, he replaced Don Majkowski, and proceded to stink up the place, fumbling three times. He was able to pull the game together, throwing a touchdown pass to beat Cincinatti 24-23 with 17 seconds left. Even in his first game in Green Bay, he showed that the had the stuff to get up when knocked down.

Humans are flawed. Even the great ones are imperfect. The strongest Christians will sometimes succumb to moments of weakness. What makes all the difference is what comes after the fall. Do we confess, repent, and move on, or do we allow our failures to spin a downward cycle of damnation?

In the Closet

More than likely, this will be my only post this week, as I want to make sure that everybody has a chance to read it without having to scroll down to the bottom of the page. I have a few drafts ready for next week.

We've created a monster...

"The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John 2:4 (NIV)

Holiness is a vital part of the Christian faith. Scripture tells us that we must walk as Jesus did. Jesus tells us that only those who do the will of the Father will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Scripture even uses harsh language, calling those who sin "enemies of God." Thus, if I am a serious student of God's Word, I must come to grips with these statements and teach them as Truth.

I'm hard on my fellow preachers. Part of the reason is that I hear a lot of garbage coming from our pulpits. Turn on WTBI in Greenville and you'll hear it. What they are saying, in some cases, is not unbiblical. The problem is that the rhetoric is overly belligerent. From my pulpit, I have no problem calling sin exactly what it is. That is not my issue with much of the preaching that I hear. The problem that I have is that people preach against sin without a greater point.

If I want to hear "amen," all I have to do is find something to rail against and I'll hear it. If I ask people to be introspective, however, you'll hear crickets chirp in the church. Nobody likes to look in the mirror. If I talk about those dastardly homosexuals, drunks, perverts, and liberals, people like that. Pastors, your congregation will LOVE it if you preach about somebody else.

The problem is that we've created a culture where sin is something that somebody else does, not something that I do. Further, we've created a culture in our churches where people are afraid to speak out and get help for their sin. I'll give you an example. I did a little bit of research and found out that about half the men in our churches struggle with viewing pornography, including pastors, whose percentage mirrors laity. You read that correctly; half of all pastors surveyed admitted to viewing a pornographic website in the past year. If this is true, then half of the men in my church are viewing porn. Half of the ministers that I go to conferences with are viewing porn. Do you know how many confessions that I've heard on the issue? None.

Now imagine this: Let's say that one person in your church during the Sunday morning service had the courage to admit that he was viewing porn . Let's say that he asked you to pray for him. How would your church respond? I told my church yesterday that I better never hear gossip from anybody about someone who has confessed their sins. If I hear it, I will deal with it very harshly. In my church, I really believe that it would start a revival. I believe that others would see that courage and begin to confess as well.

We should never treat sin as something somebody else does. If we do, then we're struggling by ourselves. We cannot fight the Devil alone. In this area, the Catholics really have something. In order to receive the Eucharist during a Catholic mass, you must go to confession. To Protestants, this doesn't mean much; however, let's consider the Catholic view of the Eucharist. Catholics believe in transsubstantiation; the elements literally become the body and blood of Jesus. Thus the Catholics are saying that if you don't confess your sins, you cannot have Jesus! While I tend to disagree theologically on several of those points, I cannot argue with the conclusion.

I don't want to hear your sins so that I can judge you. I don't want to hear your sins to examine your dirty laundry. I want you to confess so that you can get sin's filth out of your soul. It's amazing; sin tends to leave our bodies through our mouths!

But the closet is the devil's home turf and we've created a culture of fear. We're afraid to be judged. We're afraid to look weak. We're afraid to be characterized as "that sinner over there." I told our church yesterday morning that our prayer list looks like this:

1. Mary Jones - surgery
2. Fred Smith - sick
3. Bobby Jackson - cancer
4. Susie Cooper - sick mom.

Imagine if our prayer list looked like this:

1. Mary Jones - gossip
2. Fred Smith - pornography
3. Bobby Jackson - stewardship
4. Susie Cooper - grudges against Mary Jones

We've created a monster. All of our preaching against sin has taught our people that our preacher and our brothers won't love us if we're a sinner. We need to change this now, or we will continue to have spiritually weak congregations. Pastors, be careful how you preach sin. Stand for holiness, but show grace and love. Encourage confession. Laity, quit gossiping, judging, and shunning those who struggle. You are a stumbling block to revival. Show love. Pray earnestly for those in sin. Confess even the darkest sin in your life. Let's have church be a place of grace and healing.

Meet the Editor in Chief

I'm a terrible speller. I know the rules of grammar (and I'm a stinker for them), but sometimes even major errors slip past my proofreading. Thus, it is important that I have a great speller with an eagle eye for typos. This person is my wife, Cheryl, who does a phenomenal job of making sure that nothing slips through the cracks.

If you see a mistake on my site, just wait. As soon as Cheryl gets a look at it, it will be corrected.

Thank you, editor in chief. Without you, I'd look like a real idiot!

Love,
Kenny

p.s. The original post was corrected because I mispelled "phenomenal."

The Power of the Mainstream Media

The television has been the most influential modern invention. Mine is on right now. I'm not watching it, but it's on. As television is pumped into every home in America, it has a tremendous influence on the way people think. You will shape your perceptions based on what you see on television. It's changed the way Americans think about sex, family, feminism, environmental issues, religion, and many other subjects. As the election nears, I want you to be mindful of how television can change your perceptions.

During the 1964 election, it became obvious that the media had tremendous influence on how people thought. Barry Goldwater was the Republican candidate. He is largely credited for bringing back conservative ideals to the party - low taxes, small government, reformed welfare, and strong national defense. Until him, the moderate-liberal Republicans had control of the party and the liberals had unilateral control of the media. Goldwater made it very clear that he would provide a strong military presence during a time when we were faced with nuclear war with the Soviets. He even joked that he would like to "lob one into the men's room at the Kremlin," meaning he would like to nuke Moscow.

Johnson used Goldwater's off-the-cuff remarks to label him as a racist and an extremist who would get us all killed. With the media completely controlled by the liberal establishment, this view of Goldwater was pumped into every home that had a television. On September 1, 1964, the Democrats ran this ad:




This ad was quickly pulled because it was too controversial, but the damage to Goldwater was done. The media kept playing the ad, and Goldwater was destroyed in the election. Johnson then escalated the Vietnam conflict without providing the necessary force to win. His waffling cost American lives, our reputation, our national dignity, and ultimately, South Vietnam fell to Communism.

Goldwater's philosophy continued to gain credibility until it was realized in an actor from California named Ronald Reagan. Reagan went on to build up our national defense, cut taxes to boost a sinking economy, and his policies led to the liberation of Eastern Europe and the fall of the Soviet empire. Reagan was the greatest president of the 20th century, and perhaps, all of American history.

I don't care if you are a Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal. When this November rolls around, do not allow the media to change your perceptions. You will see a lot of ads. You will see a lot of campaigning. The media has built up John McCain, only to trash him when he became the clear Republican candidate. The media has had fun with this back-and-forth between Clinton and Obama.

I'm writing this article in February because the election process has begun already. Do your homework. Read the issues. Find out where you stand. Find out which candidate most closely represents your standing on the issues. Then vote for that candidate. If you don't know who you're voting for, stay home. You're not doing your country any good by pulling a lever like a monkey.

Now, sit back and enjoy the show.

Things to Check Out

If you haven't done so already, I strongly advise you to check out a few of my links. There is an interesting discussion going on among pastors in this district, and I'm thankful that our District Superintendent, Buddy Rampey, is participating in the discussion with us. Wade and Scott are two pastors on this district, and you want to read their thoughts. To people in my congregation and my friends who read this blog, I want you to know that my heart is in this discussion. I want you to think about how we define success as a church. I want you to think about what constitutes a win for us. I want you to think about what God expects of us.

I've said many times from the pulpit that God is expecting big things from us. He's expecting hard things from us. He's going to make us all very uncomfortable as we step out on faith to become something different than we are today. He's going to make me uncomfortable as I lead you through this time. Over the course of our time together, we are going to change what it means to be a church and we are going to change what it means to be a leader.

Greenwood Wesleyan Church, I am so thankful to be your pastor. I see the seed that God has planted in us, and I'm excited to help it grow. I see the hunger that is starting to develop in your hearts. I see the light bulbs going off in many of your heads. I pray that as I teach you how we can become effective, that God will continue to grow you closer to Him. We're not going to reach our destination overnight. We're going to slowly, yet thoughtfully and deliberately institute change.

I believe that we can be all that God wants us to be. I encourage you to get involved in these discussions, contribute to these message boards, and allow God to show you what He has planned.

A Funny Little gif For You Lord of the Rings Fans

Click on the below picture to view the animation. Enjoy!

The Benefits of Confrontation

We "yanks" have a reputation for being a rude bunch. Even though I'm not a "true Yankee" because Maryland is technically south of the Mason-Dixon line, the area of Maryland where I grew up is much more like Massachusetts than Mississippi.

The reasons why southerners feel that northerners are so rude is that we don't shy away from confrontation. If your friend has something to say to you, he says it, you deal with it, and you move on. This method is not considered polite in Southern culture. Here, if you have a problem with your friend, you tell everybody else but him while simultaneously refusing to forgive him. Nothing gets dealt with, but hey, we're not fighting, right?

There are many things that I enjoy about the South. It's slower, it's not as competitive, it's much cheaper, and the climate's nicer. Generally, things aren't too bad, here, but the Southern way of dealing with problems gives me headaches.

Now, there are times when Northerners take the act of confrontation too far. They're aggressive. Sometimes I've been confronted and I really didn't appreciate how the person did it. You don't need to get up in my face for having a hair out of place.

However, here in the South, we simply try to smooth things over and hope that nobody notices that there is a problem. I cannot tell you how many times in my four years here that somebody has alerted me to a problem long after it was possible to do anything about it. Had we dealt with the situation immediately, we could have taken care of the problem, but that would risk somebody speaking up and possibly causing a ruckus. As a result, I am the last one to know of the problem and I look genuinely stupid. I could have fixed the problem with no hard feelings, but by the time it gets through the church circular, I'm the bad guy for not reading people's minds.

If my house catches on fire, but I don't call the fire department for six hours because I feel bad that I'm making them work, my house burns down. They're not at fault. I am. If I go on a crusade to make them look foolish for not putting out a fire that I never told them about, then I am sinning. The same goes for the way people treat their problems. If you don't call somebody to help put out your fire when your house could have been saved, and then you try to make somebody else look bad for not helping you, then you are sinning. This scenario has happened to me, it's happened to my friends, and it's happened to my colleagues, and it drives us all bonkers!

We don't have to walk around looking for something to complain about. What we do have to do is be honest about our issues. If you need help from me, my friends, or the pastor of whatever church you attend, then you have a Christian obligation to seek counsel. If you don't confront the issues in your life, then you'll never grow closer to Christ. All the pastors that I know are smart cookies, but we cannot help if you don't seek to help yourself.

This is a harsh post for many of you. Some of the pastors who read this will shout, "Amen!" I'm not putting any one individual on the spot, and this is not in response to any one incident. But we need to wake up and realize that just because there is no confrontation doesn't mean that there is healing. It's quite the opposite, actually. The only way to genuine healing is to be honest about ourselves, our issues, and our hang-ups. Once we come to grips with those, we must then make ourselves vulnerable by sharing those ideas with the party that hurt us. It is the only method of true healing.

Since You're All On the Edge of Your Seats!

I went to Merriam-Webster's website to look up the definitions for wimple and crisping pin, which are two outdated words from the King James Version of the Bible.

A crisping pin was something that ladies used to put curls in their hair.

A wimple was a piece of cloth used to cover a woman's head.

There you have it. Now you can sleep in peace!

My Life With a Wii

My buddy Sam is the man!! He let me borrow his Nintendo Wii for a spell. I'm enjoying it tremendously, perhaps for reasons one may not expect.

I have an XBox 360. I love the machine. I love knowing that I'm playing a next-gen, state-of-the-art peice of gaming brilliance. There is not a game that I own for the 360 that I only moderately enjoy. They are all awesome.

The Wii is not a state-of-the-art machine. It is a glorified Gamecube, which was so five years ago! The graphics are somewhat dated. They're still good, but they're nothing compared to the behemoth that is the 360.

Why am I enjoying this console so much? Well, for starters, the games are really fun. I grew up on the Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Brothers. It's great to revisit these characters and find out that they are still fun to play with.

But here comes the unexpected part: My wife really enjoys the bowling game on Wii Sports. We actually can play together. I've been trying to get her to play with me for years. Cheryl, however, likes to play games like Zuma and Minesweeper. I like shooters, RPGs, and sports games. But we both really enjoy the bowling game.

Let me just say that I hate real life bowling with a passion. I'm no good at it, so I don't do it. But my wife and I compete pretty well on the Wii. I get to enjoy a fun activity with her, that surprisingly, involves some exercise. So now, we can talk, enjoy each other's company, and have some bonding time while engaging in an activity that we (finally) mutually enjoy.

The Tautology of Calvinsim

One of the great arguments against the theory of evolution is that natural selection is a tautology - a circular argument. Evolution states that natural selection is the process by which nature sorts out the fit mutations from the unfit. Survival of the fittest, as its name suggests, means that the fittest survive. But which species are the fittest? The ones who survive! To quote political columnist Ann Coulter, "Gee, it works every time!"

The way that the theory of natural selection is worded guarantees that it will be proved with any evidence. If any genetic mutation has survived, it must mean that it was most fit. This is not science. It is a logical fallacy disguised as truth.

Calvinism is a little bit like that. Calvinism is simply a five-point plan by which God determines who will be saved.

At this point, I have to stop and be fair to my Calvinist brethren. I don't disagree with everything they have to say. For example, I buy into the idea of total depravity, and I'm sold on the idea that humanity really doesn't have free will when left to its own devices. Let me clarify this statement. The Calvinist argues that humanity is damned not because we sin, but because we are sinners. The distinction here is important. For example, the homosexual does not go to hell because he is a homosexual. The act of sexual contact with somebody of your own sex is not in and of itself enough to send you to hell. What sends people to hell is the fact that their beings are corrupted by sin. Thus, homosexuality is just one symptom of the overall problem of having a sinful nature. I hope you can appreciate the difference.

Thus, because we have a sinful nature, we really cannot be free. I buy into this idea as well. Those who do not know Christ are generally not aware of their own spiritual depravity. Before I came to Christ, I heard the gospel and was unconvinced that it described my spiritual condition. I knew that I wasn't perfect, but I didn't believe that I was a sinner. In essence, I didn't know the state of my own soul, and thus I didn't think about the necessity of divine things. I was not free. The freedom came when God showed me grace and I chose to follow him.

Arminians at this point are warning me that I am growing very close to folly. Truth be told, I am. The reason is because the next logical step is to say that the grace that God showed me was evidence of my election. In other words, the Calvinist says that God chooses to give me grace, and I respond because He, not I, willed it.

But this is only true if Calvinism is presumed to be true. It could just as easily be a defense of Arminianism. One could argue that through the previous hearings of the gospel, God was sowing the seeds of prevenient grace in my life, so that when there came a time to finally make a decision for Christ, I had all the grace I needed to make the call. I could just as easily say that God gave me the grace, opened my heart and mind to make the call, but in the end, it was my call to make.

So we get to the logical tautology of Calvinism. A common argument that Arminians make against Calvinism is that we chose to follow Christ. The Calvinist response is that we chose because we were elect. This is a logical fallacy that is only true based on the Calvinist's assumptions. The elect are the ones who choose. Who makes the choice? The elect! Gee, it works every time!

So where do I distance myself from the folly? While humanity is depraved, no man is without grace. God wills that you be saved. God wills that the world be saved. Thus, through His grace, he cuts through human depravity to allow us that freedom. Free will is not something that humanity naturally has. It is a divine gift from God, allowing us to either accept or reject His salvation. What's your choice?

It's Sunday Morning, Do You Know Where Satan Is?

Well, if you're a pastor, chances are, he's knocking at your door.

I'm growing to hate the devil. I've always disliked him. I always find him when I don't want to see him. He's always bugged me on Sundays. There is a common myth that Satan is the ruler of hell. Satan is not the ruler of hell. When the last day has come, he's going to be just another being in eternal torment. I shed a tear for all of those who are going to be there. I jump for joy that Satan will be there. Be gone with ya, buddy. I won't miss you.

But he got the best of me this morning. Truth be told, it was my fault for giving in, but he got me. He always pays a visit on Sunday. This time, I answered the door. I was having some major computer issues at about 8:00. I couldn't print anything that I needed to print. It sounds like such a stupid thing to be angry about, but I was angry beyond belief. I threw something. I knocked over a trash can. I slammed the lid of my notebook computer. I screamed at my computer. Finally, my wife got in my face and told me that God was not going to bless the service. My response was, "I don't give a bleep." She told me she wasn't coming to church. I told her I didn't want her there.

You're saying to yourself, "That's horrible. This guy's a pastor." Yeah, it was horrible. I calmed down, apologized, and repented. We prayed before service and I confessed that I felt spiritually unprepared to preach. It was the only time I've truly felt that way. Satan set out to ruin our worship service. As a spiritual leader, it's my job to defend my people from this attack, and I failed. Then the guilt set in. Truth be told, the guilt is still there.

This post is very much a confession. I have sinned and I am sorry. I am sorry to my wife, my congregation, and to God. It was not godly, it was wrong, and I have sought and received forgiveness.

I asked my people to cover me in prayer during the service. God answered. Our service started slow but finished strong. It was a great time of worship. Satan, you failed. You will never win. Repentance kicks your tail every time. God forgives and you lose. You will always lose. As I rejoice in the grace that God has given me, your hide is being chapped for the fires of hell. Have fun with that. I actively pray for your demise.

But to everybody else, I write this post for several reasons. First of all, when you go to church, watch out for the devil. He is like a roaring lion looking to devour you. He'll try to get you when he can do the most damage. Prepare for his attack. Secondly, you need to know your pastor isn't perfect, whether you attend my church or not. You may be appalled at what I said. You should be. But even your spiritual leaders need grace. We're all on the same journey. I don't sin every day, but sometimes I get caught in a weak moment. Finally, Satan can try to wreck your worship service, but as long as you're repentant, he won't. Grace triumphs over sin every time. Ask for grace. Don't relish in sin. Should you choose grace, God will whip Satan's tail for you.

Making Church Attractive

Here's a post from Wade Rogers' blog. His thoughts are spot on, so I thought that I would show them here. While they are not my thoughts, I whole-heartedly agree with them. You can find the link to his blog on the right.


Titus 2: 10 states, “…so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”As a church we have to wrestle with the question, “Are we making Christ, and therefore the Church, attractive?” I think the first step is to list the things that make the Church unattractive. Here is my random personal list and I would love to hear from you.

Things that make the Church Unattractive…

• Funeral music at a Sunday morning WORSHIP service


• Disorganization


• Half-hearted effort


• Insider Christian jargon


• Frowns


• Gossip


• Apathy towards children and youth ministry


• Attending church when it’s convenient


• A “What’s in it for me?” attitude


• Pastor worship


• Shallow prayers and prayer requests


• Going through the motions


• An unwillingness to implement change


• When it is 2008 outside the church but 1958 inside the church (and sometimes 1858)
  
• Legalism (man-made rules that the Bible doesn’t require)


• Inward focus


• A Maintenance mindset
  
  If you think of any additions send them along and I will add them!
  

Why I Will Only Read the King James Bible

There are several reasons why I'm going to read the King James Version, and the King James Version only.

1. I believe that English is God's chosen language because it is the most commonly used language. I am too lazy to look up history to realize that many other languages have held this title.

2. I think that the NIP (New International Perversion) changes things. I'm too lazy to learn Greek to understand translational issues with the Bible.

3. The NIV deletes phrases equal to the entire book of 2nd Peter. I'm too lazy to read Bruce Metzger's Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament to see if those deletions were original to the text.

4. The King James version was good enough for Grandpa and Mom, thus, it's good enough for me. It matters not to me if our generation knows not what a crisping pin and a wimple is. By the way, what is a crisping pin and a wimple?

5. My seminary professors said so. I'm too lazy to test them to see if what they say has any merit. After all, aren't they college professors?

6. Only the liberals read the perverted bibles. I'm too lazy to engage their ideas. If they don't agree with me, then it must be them who is in error, not me.

7. If we accept the modern translations, we may as well allow those hell-bound homosexuals into our churches. I'm too blinded by zeal to understand that the two have nothing in common.

8. The King James translators though that they were writing the re-inspired Word of God. I'm too lazy to read the preface to understand that the translators took the opposite view, believing that the translation was only the best that human effort could muster.

9. I believe that the King James Version is re-inspired. I'm too lazy to check Scripture to see that the idea is nowhere to be found in the Bible.

10. It's not hard to understand. Then again, I don't really read it, anyway. Let the pastor read it and tell me what it says.

11. I read it when I was a kid. Who cares if kids today don't understand it? They're an evil generation anyway. Let them go to hell like they deserve.

12. These new bibles are the tools of the Devil that only seeks to put doubt in the minds of vunerable Christians. I cannot see that MY arguments are doing the same thing.

13. 400 years of Church history cannot be wrong! Then again, I'm too lazy to see that the Vulgate was the only translation for over 1000 years, and people made the same arguments with then the AV 1611 came around.

14. There's an entire book of the New Testament, found between Hebrews and 1 Peter written by King James himself. If he has a whole book written by him, his whole translation must be inspired!

In case you couldn't tell, this article is pure sarcasm (In Greek, literally "tearing of flesh"). I hope you enjoyed.

An Encouraging Thought

For those of you who started watching baseball last year, that skinny, ninety pound guy is Barry Bonds!

Whether he did it or not is not really the point anymore. Whether he, or Roger Clemens, or anybody else took steroids has long since become a moot point. I personally think they did. I may be wrong, but I don't think so. I'm sure that most Americans think they did.

Regardless, there are many Americans who detest Barry Bonds. Some of that is the "up yours" arrogance that he has shown to the media and the fans. I don't think that's the major reason. People don't like Barry Bonds because they think that he is a jerk who cheated and wrongfully 'roided his way to the most prestigious record in sports.

I'm happy about this outrage, by the way. This means that I have many Americans going on record saying that they still value integrity. We hear so much about corrupt athletes, corrupt CEOs, corrupt politicians, corrupt clergy, corrupt cleaning ladies, and corrupt doctors (which I don't think is as rampant as people say). If we believe our media and our preachers, then to many, we live in a very dishonest society. In a day and age where the very notion of right and wrong are being challenged, there has been an outcry against men like Bonds and Clemens for cheating. In essence, many are saying that if the accusations are true, then what they did is wrong. Yes, I used the dreaded "w-word."

Integrity is still a value in this country, at least in the sports world. Now, if we Christians can be trustworthy and honest, maybe we'll be able to spread this virtue through our actions.

The Rewards of Ministry

Those of you in the ministry can see my title, see the picture, and appreciate the joke. Notice that fat roll is full of one-dollar bills!

Pastors are guilty of many things. Generally, our primary sin is that of negativity. Immediately, we will jump to discuss what is wrong with our churches. That's because we are fixers by nature. In order to fix something, we must first identify the problem. Thus, we tend to talk about our problems...a lot.

But, there are rewards in ministry. Great ones. These rewards are seldom financial in nature, although sometimes our churches surprise us. They are seldom found in gratitude, although many people do appreciate us more than we think they do. But rather, the reward comes when you see the light bulbs turn on in people's heads.

I love those moments in ministry.

I love to challenge people. I try not to be too hard, but when I think about it, God doesn't seem to object to the frequent, persistent stretching of ourselves. I love it when people step up, trust God in a new way, and find that He is faithful. I had two testimonies in the past couple of weeks where people referenced something that I preached to show how God was working in their lives. I had somebody else say that they were praying for direction, and twenty-four hours later, after a conversation with me, they knew what God was calling them to do. I can deal with a hundred bullcrap comments from somebody, but when one person says that my preaching helped them, I know that God is using me. That's all I want. I don't want credit; I just want to know that God is using me.

When somebody responds to your ministry, makes a decision that God blesses, and then praises God for His mighty work, it's the most valuable thing in the ministry. And pastors, did you know that through their praises, God is whispering to you, "Well done!"?

A Place of Healing?

"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." James 3:6 (NIV)

So that's what the burning in my mouth is. I thought it was that whole can of jalapeno Pringles that I ate. I know it wasn't the buffalo wings.

That's some tough stuff from James. Here's some more tough stuff:

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." James 3:9-10 (NIV)

Ouch! When did James write this epistle because I'm sure he must have been in all of our churches? I wonder, did he zip to our day and age, then get in his Delorean and head back to the first century?

I know that the Bible was written to a myriad of cultures long gone. I know that it wasn't written to people in our day and age. What I do see, however, is a striking revelation that in several thousand years, despite the preaching of many to the contrary, humans have not changed one bit. Not one! We are still the same prideful, spiteful, vindictive, and hurtful people that we were in Jesus' day.

Verbal abuse is not a laughing matter. It can carry long-reaching consequences. I would come home from school as a kid, crying because of the frequent barrage of taunts, slanders, verbal barbs, and downright hatred that I received as a child from my classmates. The old "sticks and stones" retort that we used when somebody said something mean is a lie that is only stated to cover up our pain at the words somebody else used. Truth be told, the words hurt more than any savage beating provided by sticks and stones.

This being said, I still have my head full of the lies that others have told me. I still have my head full of thoughts of my own worthlessness. When I contrast those words with the Truth of Scripture, I begin to understand my value; God said that I am worth the blood of His one and only Son! God said that about me! On the cross, He determined that I was more valuable than Himself, pouring Himself out as an offering for me so that I may be healed. The truth is that I am created in the image of God, and Jesus came so that I may have that image, an image that was tarnished by sin, restored fully by His grace.

Thus, when I encounter fellow Christians, grace should flow from their mouths, and I should be blessed by them, and I should bless them. I go to the church, even as a pastor, to find healing for my soul. Yet, I have found that even in the church, I can have my soul torn by the verbal barbs that are aimed at me, not to build up, but to tear down. Why?

Christians, listen to me! When you direct your verbal comments to another Christian, you are insulting the image of God! Would you call God some of the names that you call your brethren? When I step into the pulpit, provide counseling, or otherwise provide ministerial assistance to somebody, I am speaking and acting for God. When you identify yourselves as Christians, so are you. It's time we let our tongues practice what they preach.

Take Two

Man, there is so much that swims through the head of a pastor! With so many ideas, frustrations, celebrations, and challenges that come my way, I really need a place to vent those ideas. Here are some fears as I begin this blog process for a second time. My first fear is that I will run out of time to do this, and thus, it will stumble out of the gate like my first blog. My second fear is that I will get way too into it and will forget little things like preparing my sermon for this Sunday or stopping by random people's houses to chit-chat (oh, wait, I don't do that!). Regardless, I hope that this blog is a blessing to you, to me, and to God.