Just the right words.

Making it up as you go---

Santa brought my first football helmet and pads when I was in the second grade. The fine points of the game were learned with the Wickliff brothers, Gailiard, Henley, and the other neighborhood boys in the backyard. We didn't know about skill positions or play books or game plans. Three or four of us were on one team and all the others were the opposition. One guy was the quarterback. He was also the team captain. He called all the plays. Normally this would be done in the huddle. He would either point us in the right direction or draw x's and o's on the ground. It was making-it-up-as-you-go kiddie football, drafting our own plays on the run, even making rule changes when needed.

Only later, in the fourth grade, when we were old enough for organized ball, did we learn scripted plays, blocking assignments, hitting holes, cross-bucks, pitch-outs, statues-of-liberty, and the other fine points of grid iron strategy. OK, Knute, I know this is elementary stuff, but it was a pivotal time for a bunch of pigskin novices, I mean, light bulb time! Every day our little minds exploded with the realization that things had ramped up a bit. Now in the huddle, our QB called a play from our playbook, a number or alphabetical letter or color or direction---right 34 on two, left cross-buck 44 on hut, yellow pitch right 54 on set. Heady stuff for a bunch of kids.

What a blessing, that play book. You'll never know how relieved we all were to know we didn't have to make up the plays anymore. I mean, even by the fourth grade innovation was running low, and going five yards down and out wasn't fooling the D-fence anymore. The guys on the other side of the line had figured out all our best plays by now. But, glory, the playbook---tabulated by our Hall of Fame coach---provided a game plan.

Yes, rabbi, TRUTH is our game plan for life. Jesus promised his follower that if they could stay in his teachings, they would know the truth, and the truth would set them free (see John 8:31-32). Equipped with truth, we a re liberated from the trial and error of making things up as we go.

Yes, Mr. Joe Pa, you've already figured this thing out.   God's Word and the Counselor Jesus sent to guide is in all truth is the game plan that liberates us from the one day at a time living, flying by the seat of our pants morality, and the genuine burden of making up life rules moment by moment. A go-with-the-flow culture likes the situational ethics of loose lines and self-drawn plays. Of course, no one actually wins a game with no rules and helter-skelter movement. How do you keep score when the yard markers and goal line keep shifting?

So, get out of the stands and get into the game!

Demonic conclave in your neighborhood tonight!

WARNING: DEMONIC ACTIVITY SUSPECTED!

Beware of demonic activity in your neighborhood tonight!  At left is a highly classified photograph intercepted by the Secret Service during routine surveillance of suspected demonic operatives.  Sources close to the investigation believe this to be the only known pictures of Ralphie andTaylor, under-cover agents of Beelzebub, aka the ancient serpent, the devil, the evil one, the dragon. Close specto-graphic analysis of the image reveals the sinister nature of the covert ops planned for this evening. Residents are reminded that the threat level has been raised to OPCON 3. Security alerts will be broadcast on all channels and frequencies. Updates @ 11:00.

Community Watch alerts and notices have been posted at specified security check-points and in neighborhood watch cells. De-crypted internet traffic reveals code-language used to disguise the mission of the infiltrators. Residents should listen for the words TRICK OR TREAT,  an elongated version of TOT, which is translated from the ancient Transylvanian wiccan dialect, meaning, trick or treat. These imps are specially trained in underground procurement tactics and are adept at pillage and plunder strategies while surreptitiously introducing the dark-side to your household.

Really, now!

Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3

Get a life folks! Halloween is just another hybrid celebration co-opted by commercial interests. Yes, of course, it is an ad-mixture of traditions, pagan, Christian, seasonal, and secular, with a taste of the Celtic festival of the dead to give it a ghoulish twist. The American version has historically been an innocent time for children to make neighborhood rounds and threaten tricks if no treats were provided. The addition of goblins and monsters and horror is relatively recent. The satanic stuff is even more contemporary, escalating with the growth of wicca and other devilish belief systems. Most of the talk about razor-blades and laxatives and narcotics being placed in treat items is urban legend.

You see, we've let another fun time for the family be hi-jacked by our culture. That is really the sad commentary about Halloween, no matter which tradition you follow, or how you dress your children. Yes, evil is real, and the evil one is evident in just about everything. It is a broken world. Just as assuredly, we should not worship or honor the evil one in any way, either purposefully or unintentionally. At the same time, there are fun things, times, and events for families to share. We must not let Satan and his team take them from us.

If they come to your door tonight, they're just little children out for some fun and goodies. They may be angels showing up at your door unaware.

BOO!

 

Waiting for the burning bush...

We all know believers who won't make a move in this life without a word from God, a sign from heaven, or some supernatural event out of which they can discern the mystery of God's will. A pastor friend recently indicated that his entire ministry team was praying for God's will in their discipleship. My response floored him. "Why are you praying about it?", I asked. "Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations. So, stop praying and start making disciples!". I mean, this isn't ancient mystical near-eastern transcendental meditation. Should we have to pray about what the Lord already told us to do? Give me a break!

There must be a case in Scripture for spiritual expedience. Hold it right there! Back off a little on the word "expedience". OK, this is the by-word of the go-with-the-flow groupies, used usually when applied to our guardianship of self-interest. Us moderns will typically go where the currents carry us until the swiftness crashes into what matters to me, myself, and I. So, expediency and its derivatives are usually intimately associated with the easier, more convenient path to just about anything. Strictly speaking, it means that which is appropriate to purpose, you know, the best way to get things done. In a secondary sense, the issue of self-interest bubbles to the top, a contrivance designed to meet an urgent need, to get what you need, or think you need.

Notch it up a level and couple this git-'er-done ideal with "spiritual" and you get what author Garry Friesen calls "spiritual expediency" (see Decision Making and the Will of God, Portland: Multnomah Press, 1977). This is simply making decisions in non-moral areas through the wisdom that God has provided and with the end of glorifying Him in the process. 

Scripture provides many evidences of wisdom being the guiding force in first century decision making. On many occasions, the disciples "thought it best" to go in a particular direction or seek a specified solution to a problem. Matters were sometimes weighed and thought to be "desirable" or "undesirable" for a considered option. Once or twice the Apostle Paul "thought it necessary" to dispatch a helper to one of his congregations. Actions were often taken because they were "fitting" to the situation. In instance after instance Godly people acted on the basis of what God had provided for them in charting a direction or choosing a path. Yes, they were "constantly together in prayer" (Acts 1:14) and yes, they were responsive to the voice of God when He spoke to them.

But, they didn't always wait for a burning bush to move them forward. They were obedient when he spoke and listened attentively for His voice. But, they often made decisions and projected mission on the basis of God's instruction in the teaching of the prophets and Jesus.

James wrote, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17). God's Word is the full revelation of His moral will for us. If we want to know what His desire for us is, we just have to look to Scripture to find it. So, we don't always need a miraculous sign to get us motivated. We just need to do what He's already directed with the provision He promised and gives each and every day.

No wisdom? Just ask. Look up James 1:5 and take a look at His promise.

Faith or poor Christology?

Faith is substantive. Even secular sociologists, psychologists, and social scientists affirm the inner strength actualized by a deeply held belief system. Of course, research indicates that people with a genuine relationship with Jesus generally possess greater levels of assurance and hope for coping with the realities of this life. So, allowing for the variety of personality types, Christians are typically a bit more optimistic and positive. Faith shapes us for life. And, I do mean life in all it's dimensions.

Certainly, humans can and will distort just about everything. Faith is no exception. We'll stretch the polarities of faith to every extreme, from the humanists who have no room for supernatural phenomena, to the word of faith people who presume individual equality with Jesus, along with the personal powers to do even greater things than he did. So, today, the pendulum of belief sways decidedly toward the word of faith people. They are preaching a gospel that is hard to ignore, especially among the poor, the disenfranchised, and the multitudes who need a positive influence in their life.

The axioms of this movement are many---sowing seed, the faith that is in you, the positive confession, the hundred-fold blessing, the anointing, and many others. Among them is the bending of one of our Lord's statements into something that is extraordinary, perhaps heretical. Jesus said, "I tell you, anyone who has faith in me will do what i have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).

OK, kids, the tension here is real. The cultists see Lourdes and an ATM machine here. Out of context I guess you could read a good bit of license into this passage, giving the anointed few spiritual powers that surpass what Jesus actually accomplished in his three year earthly ministry. "Greater things" to them translates to bigger miracles, more astounding supernatural feats, healings and multiplications on a greater scale, things unimagined and immeasurable (Ephesians 3:20, a companion verse) for this crowd.  To do less is a serious lack of faith in this genre of cultic misrepresentation. The word of faith in each of us, if it exists and is real, triggers spiritual powers and benefits greater than those of even our Lord.

People with a lower view of Scripture may de-mythologize a verse like this, you know, remove the miracle-working elements and talk instead about Jesus' teaching ministry, liberation of the poor, pastoral care of the masses, and the social aspects of faith. In this instance the "greater things than these" may infer an increased dependence on the human elements of post-resurrection believers, a ramping up of their faith and abilitites in the post-resurrection period.  But, even this departure from evangelical orthodoxy doesn't rival the health-wealth, name-it-and-claim-it, miracle on demand heresy that is being sold on television today.

It is hard to imagine that Jesus would depict human kind with greater miracle-producing faith than He possessed or demonstrated, more impressive demonstrations of supernatural power than the miracles that he performed. To stretch the boundaries of personal faith beyond the limits of Christ, fully God and fully man, is, quite frankly, serious Christological error. To raise human potential at the cost of lowering our concept of the person of Christ is interpretational misconduct of an aggravated nature.

So, take a second look. First, the primary mission of the disciples would occur after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and under the guiding supervision of the Holy Spirit, who would empower them. Their work would be greater in the sense that the atoning sacrifice would have already been made, thus drawing all men to Jesus in a new way. Also, secondly, the context in which the Gospel was to be proclaimed was unleashed anew in the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and in a world that was growing and expanding beyond the several hundred mile radius of the ministry of Jesus. The "greater things" Jesus talked about would surely have reflected the new dynamics of faith for the Christian community after the empty tomb and under the promise of his continued presence.

Greater things? Get real. Today, the Gospel is proclaimed instantly to millions via satellite, fiber optics, digital technology, translation of the Word of God into thousands of languages and dialects, and the growth of the church to just about place on the earth. Greater things? Look at the marvels of medical science, disease prevention, educational advancement, sacrificial stewardship involving billions of dollars annually, and the awareness and provision of human need. Greater things? Bible translation on iPods, Amazon Kindle, social networking with a Gospel connection, and so many others.

Jesus also said, "My Father is always at this work..." (John 5:17). You don't have to go cultic to understand the "greater things" promise of Christ. To elevate mankind to equality with Christ is not faith. It is poor Christology. Greater things. He is Lord.

Send down your angels, Lord---

Yesterday I was reading all the birthday wishes from friends and family when the IM function of FaceBook flashed an incoming message. It was another kind birthday thought. It was from a church friend serving in the United States Army in Afghanistan. He said he had been praying for me and wanted to connect long-distance for a some trans-cyber space fellowship. He shifted my mind and heart from the comforts of cakes and presents and many friends to the quagmire our politicians are creating for our troops who are deployed around the world, most notably in Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Yes, military service In the United States is completely voluntary. Just as surely, our system of government provides checks and balances to insure protection against tyranny and dictatorships or rule by a military junta. Our commander in chief is a civilian to whom the service commanders report and from whom they receive orders. He further appoints advisers and a chain of command to provide counsel in leading all of the armed services. Since he and most of his national security advisers are civilians, they must depend on the expertise and advice of these professional soldiers, seamen, and airmen in the conduct of war.

Most of us don't realize the constitutional crisis that can exist when protocols of our system are ignored. Certainly, the dynamic tension between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches is central to the way our government works. The advice and consent of Congress is a balancing function. Even more, the day to day operation of government and the critical supervision of our military depends on the interchange between the advisers and the functonaries of the executive branch. This is, of course, essential if the military is to remain prepared to defend our interests at home and around the world. When the Commander in Chief refuses the counsel of his senior military commanders, there could actually be a constitutional crisis.

Recently deaths in the battle zones have been increasing. This most likely is the result of the soft leadership provided from the Oval Office in managing this war, and, even more seriously, the deaf ear the President turns toward the career military leaders he has chosen to command our services. This means that the politicians have the front seats around the table and the men in uniform have been relegated to the back row where their voices cannot be heard. Another Vietnam? Well, yes, if the action is primarily political.

Get focused! Back on point! This morning, one of our troops spoke to me in real time to wish me happy birthday and tell me he was praying for me. What a guy, when in reality, I should be praying for him like never before, the soldier who will put it all on the line for me today because some politicians won't give him the support and command to end this thing.

Here's my prayer for him---

If you make the Most High your dwelling---even the Lord, who is my refuge, then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
Psalm 91:9-13

Join me, please.

OK, do the math---

Join me at the calculator. Think about 60 years. Now do the math---

720 months
3120 weeks
21,900 days
525,600 hours
31,536,000 minutes
1.89216e9 seconds

You know you're getting up there when the calculator won't even do the hard numbers anymore and start giving numerical exponents to the ninth power. Give me a break!

Now, contact the American Time Use Survey site (ATUS) here to do the advanced math on how us Americans use the precious gift of our time. It won't take long to figure out why most of us are dragging on Monday mornings  and, furthermore, why time mania has made us the most psychotic people on earth. Truly, we are people of the clock.

The ATUS stats are interesting for a number of reasons. Really, there are no surprises in the numbers. I mean, most of us have to work for a living, all of us have to sleep, and well, it takes a certain amount of time to do all the things on the day-timer, no matter who you are or where you live. Brushing your teeth is brushing your teeth. One of the interesting comparatives involves the year-to-year shifts in the routine stuff of life. Most categories are relatively constant. Changes are typically incremental, small annual adjustments. Even so, the work is a good picture of who we are, on average.

OK, so I'm on a OCD time fixation right now as I reflect on being a little more long in the tooth. Shoot, I don't feel sixty. But, there's plenty of evidence to affirm it---gray hair, crows feet, spare tires, aches and pains, squinting more, the hearing thing, drooling, snorting, and, well, you get the picture. They are all enough to remind me once again that we have this treasure in jars of clay, that every moment is precious, and that we should use them wisely.

So, I'm going to be a better time manager tomorrow, you know, cut my tooth brush time down by a few seconds, take a few minutes less in the shower, zip through the newspaper more efficiently, and devote more of this treasured commodity to the things that really matter---faith, family, friends, fellowship, and yes----stop and smell the coffee.

Solomon wrote---"Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun---all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all of your might, for in the grave, where you are going,  there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10).

Sound pessimistic? No. It's reality. It just reminds to make the most of the moment too. And, it only took 60 years for me to learn that lesson. Well, duh?!?
 

The tyranny of time

Time is a often a relentless tyrant. That old clock just keeps it's cadence no matter what else is happening around us. On more than one occasion I've looked at the clock with hatred in my heart, wishing that it would see the other things happening in my life and just hold still for a few seconds or minutes. But, unless I remove the batteries or unplug the power source, it pounds on.

Few cultures suffer time psychosis like ours. Around the world people are a little more laid back about schedules, calendars, and the tekkie toys that help us manage our lives so efficiently. Only in America is the stock answer to the "how are you?" question usually a shrug and words about needing more time. Rush defines much of life, and shapes our general life-style outlooks. I mean, road rage is typically a time issue, as is yelling at the kids, foot-tapping at the check-out counter, pounding the key-board, punching the elevator buttons, temper explosions at the teller line, and all the other mannerisms and escape valves of pressurized people. It's not just busy stuff either. Even leisure activities are ruled by the minute hands.

So, the other day, in a rush to get to the office at 6:15 a.m., I forgot my watch. I didn't notice this sin unto death until I was already into the morning, enjoying my second strong cup of HARDY PASSION. Now there is really no sane reason for me to be at the office that early, except that I am wired with a good bit of achiever strength and am a morning person by nature. Anyway, I was manic for a few hours. My wrist was naked and exposed, life was tentative and uncertain. There was withdrawal from the tyranny of time. This is totally bizarre, since I have a laptop with the time always displayed, three clocks positioned around the office, a digital clock on my iPod docking station, and of course, my Blackberry with the time clearly visible on the dashboard. All I need to make this time thing more terrorizing is one of those clocks or watches that speaks the hour and half hour and quarter hour. Fughedaboudit!

Open the Bible for some relief. Oops! There is a time for everything. The clock is ticking. We must do the work of Him who sent us while it is light. Darkness is coming, when no one can work. Just the same, we're supposed to make the most of every moment, redeeming the time. Time is a precious gift from God. We're to be good stewards of that gift as well, avoid idleness and any relationship to the most dreaded of all human motifs, the sluggard. Even in Scripture industriousness and hard work are honored personal traits, laziness evidence of devilish tendencies.  

Then, there is Sabbath, an idea woven into creation, a time for rest, the healing refreshment of moments off the clock, the day when we leave the watch in the top-drawer valet for the day. You see, even with all the Biblical advice about time, you and I should never be slave to anything except Christ. OK, this may be a simpleton's idea of faith in la-la land, especially when the realities of life testify to our bondage to so many things. But, truly, time is a friend, and the watch a helper in the management thereof. If it is a tyrant, it is because our broken world has made it lord.

Jesus was very aware of time. Throughout the Gospels there are repeated references to the hour that is coming, to an appointed time for the Lord. Luke's Gospel affirms in vivid language the purposeful and intentional aim of Christ for Jerusalem, and his time there. In the journey, John records a moment when Jesus steps aside for personal refreshment. "...Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well" (John 4:6). Even when fulfilling his purpose, assigned to him by the Father, Jesus stepped away from the clock for some personal time. The Father used this important encounter at the well, when Jesus was off the clock, so to speak, to change a woman's life and place a witness in Samaria.

By the way, God doesn't stop working when you're out from under the tyranny of time. Jesus said, "My Father is always at His work..." (John 5:17).

Step aside for a moment. Be still. Know. Listen.

The encouragement of presence

Recently our Sunday experience has been expanded to Saturday evening as well, and we can celebrate the unique encouragement of being together as a family of God. The passage in Hebrews recognizes a very special character trait of most humans, that is, the need to be with other humans. So, the weekend gathering of local churches is, in many ways, the most elemental source of human encouragement. it is the encouragement of presence.  

Encouragement of presence is signally powerful. This is the personal lift of touch, human contact, facial expression, verbal communication, the knowing look, the intimacy of connected eyes. Here is the fellowship of one human with others, the inner joys of shared relationship, a connection with people who understand and care. This is the refreshment so often mentioned in Scripture, the reach to others that raises the fallen, gives hope to the downhearted, life to the tired. All of this reminds us that our assembly is a necessary expression of corporate faith, what we give to others, what we receive in the process. How can people live in a world like this one without the encouragement of presence.

Even more, when we gather in His name, He attends us in the mystery of His presence. In some special, mysterious way He is among us, to ministry to us, to change us, to deploy is.

It is our weekend encouragement. Grasp it.

Saturday rocks, too!

OK, I'm not a bike person. I really don't know the difference between a soft-tail, a sportster, a touring bike, or any of the other models. I think I can identity a dirt-bike, a motor-scooter, one the machines called a "crotch rocket", and a chopper. In a line up, I can tell the difference between a helicopter and a motorcycle. But, that's about it.

Still, I am very excited about the first annual Palmetto Master Link Benefit Ride and Fellowship being sponsored by a group of motorcycle clubs at Northwood Baptist Church today. Our own Carolina Faith Riders group has been instrumental in organizing this event, and I know it's  going to be something special as these avid bikers raise money for Camp Happy Days and the Lowcountry Crisis Pregnancy Center. If you're just hanging out today, why don't you come on over and join the fun.

Christian bikers are a passionate group! Yes, they love their bikes, the paraphernalia and attachments that express their individuality and personality, and the freedom of blowing in the wind as they ride. Even more, I have found the Christian bikers to be passionate about Jesus, and ever-ready to give as reason for the hope that is in them. These folks are among the most eager Kingdom evangelists I have known. They open doors of witness to people who may never enter a church. Usually they quick to make a Gospel connection.

So, I am ignorant about biking. But, God is teaching me a lot about bikers, and making me appreciate the Kingdom heart that drives such willing and faithful servants.

The truth about sex

Preparing for the third in our TRUTH series, Black and White in a Grey World, has been interesting, to say the least.  The topic this weekend is the TRUTH ABOUT SEX. Yes, many of the questions texted to me over the past few weeks @ the ASKSONNY site have involved sexual topics, some of the troubling sexual issues so prevalent among believers in a sophisticated, no-holds-barred culture.

So, preparing has been fun! And, I do mean fun. You see, we don't have to talk about human sexuality under our breath or with the wink-a-nod that usually attends churchy discussions of such things. Sure, the sexual revolution that turned values and morality upside-down during the '60's and '70's mocked biblical sexual mores and threw a new liberated sexuality right into our faces. This same revolt, however, brought Christian writers, interpreters, and therapists to the issue. Christianity finally championed human sexuality as a treasured gift from our Creator God. Now, as the world parades the new sexuality in public, and in just about every other venue for that matter, people of faith can get the TRUTH ABOUT SEX in volumes of strong, biblically based information that celebrate God's intention for the sexes.

The most thrilling advisory on sexul issues is the Bible. Throughout the Old and New Testaments are wonderful accounts of God's plan to populate the earth and give His human creation the correct environment to experience, explore, and enjoy the blessings of intimate pleasure. Of course, marriage is the center-piece of sexual fulfillment, the sanctified relationship between one man and one woman for life. Such thinking is inconceivable in pop culture, the exclusivism of male-female union, and narrow boundaries created by marriage. But, if Scripture is TRUTH, and it is to be our guide for faith and life, then it does provide the standards by which we experience sexual fulfillment.

So, what is the TRUTH ABOUT SEX? Simple. Sex is good. A gift from God. A joy for God's creation. His means of propagating the species. Caveats? One. Sex is a marriage thing, reserved for husbands and wives, to be celebrated by those He joins and gives the blessing of becoming one flesh.

Here's a passage for you. Read Proverbs 5:15-19. WOW! Dynamite. The TRUTH ABOUT SEX.