Leaning Forward

Weekend Warriors

Legendary Yankee skipper Casey Stengel once said, "Old timers weekends, and airplane landings are alike. If you can walk away from them, they're successful." Of course, Stengel lived in the fast lane of big time sports and resided in New York for much of his adult life. Weekends were probably a little more hazardous for him in that world than for us common folk here in the Low Country. Still, the weekend beckons us to a more daring life---a round of golf with several hundred other duffers firing at you for four or more hours, a day at the local park with four thousand other frazzled campers waiting for something to ignite the afternoon riots, or standing in line at the movie theater, the restaurant, the tourist attraction, the market, or a leisurely drive out to the beach with all the other surf dudes. As someone said in a news article recently, what you have with cars lined up bumper to bumper around the world is the IOP connector on Saturday afternoon. To venture out on the weekend is to take your life in your own hands.

Yet, we remain a culture of weekend warriors! Friday night and Saturday are times to let loose. And, they are often times of violence and danger, when the emergency rooms fill up, the long arm of the law is out in numbers, and when people who have lived on the ragged edge all week just let go of many of their inhibitions. I used to tell our children that nothing good happened after midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. Yes, there's some hyperbole here, because babies are born at all hours, couples often get engaged in the romantic moonlight of late evenings (or is that early mornings?), logger head turtles mate during the wee hours, and bakeries produce some very fine delectables while most of us are asleep. Still, freed from the bondage of the clock and the treadmill of work, people sometimes go a little wacko on weekends. Be careful out there, it's a jungle!

Without football, I must admit, Saturday can be a little misdirected. Something has to fill those hours in front of the TV or at the game. Mischief is in the air! So, chill if you can on Saturday. Use the day to prepare your heart for worship and Bible study with your church. And, whatever you do, pray for  something tame so you won't have to wonder if you will walk away from the weekend like old Casey.   

That's My Final Answer!

OK, let's talk about opinions. The buzz around the Low Country is that everybody has one. More likely many! Like it or not we live in an opinion-driven world. Stroll through the mall, stop at the fast food joint, listen to the talking heads on the cable news networks, punch the numbers on the Nielson box, whatever, and you're transported into the cosmos of surveys, polls, focus groups, and other ploys to find out what you think. Like, everybody really wants to know what I think! More likely, they just want to ask what I think so that they will appear to be sensitive to my needs. Voila! My soft and sensitive side will spend my money with them. Opinions = cash!!! Not a bad scheme if you ask me.

One of the troubles today is that so many people transform their opinions into dogma. Ah yes, the highly opinionated person practices the dark arts of dogmatism. Now dogma is not bad. Generally dogma represents undisputed beliefs, strongly held convictions, of an individual or organization. For us evangelicals our dogma, or doctrine, in based on Biblical truth. This is giant leap above opinions.  Our religious dogma is not relative to our situation or subject to our experience of it. It is true because God said it is true.

Good, so far! Relativism hates dogma. Politically correct nabobs think dogmatic people are intolerant hate-mongers with phobic reactions to just about everything. The enlightened sophisticates of modern liberalism sneer at dogma and dogmatics. No, growl would be more precise! There are many reasons for this prejudice, but one of them is that the most dogmatic people aren't always standing on the firm foundations of  dogma. Instead, they club people with strongly held opinions as if it were the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This is my story, and I'm sticking with it.

Backtrack with me to opinions once again! Everyone has them. Still, they are not always dogma. I love what President George Herbert Walker Bush said about opinions: "I have opinions of my own---strong opinions---but I don't always agree with them." Opinions are just that, opinions, your personal take on things. They are valuable. Every marketing outfit in America wants to know what yours are so they can predict trends and forecast markets, and influence the electorate. They are great, your opinions. But, in a world going you-know-where in a hand-basket, they are not the sword of the Spirit. That would be the Word of God. Biblical doctrine. Dogma.

Think about culture wars for a moment. It's a jungle out there and the Christian worldview is taking a beating. Often it is because we evangelicals go into the fray equipped with only opinions. Yes they are usually well thought and debated with great skill. But here's a newsflash: only truth will prevail in this kind of struggle. And we must learn to articulate truth in a way that the world will hear.

Pre-trib? Post-trib? Pre-millennial? Post millennial? Amillennial? Who knows? One old guy somewhere opted for pan-millennial---everything will pan out in the end. Me. I'm pre-trib, pre-millennial all the way. But I could be wrong. And that's my final answer.

Oh no! Not Leadership Again!

H. Ross Perot  said, "Inventories can be managed, but people must be led." Of course this is a distinction blurred by the velocity of life and the haphazard way many organizations seek to fulfill their mission. Many people talk about the need for leadership and the leadership vacuum in America. What they're really after much of the time, though, is not leadership, but management. They preach the need for good managers to keep the machinery running and the production lines moving.

Several years ago author and researcher Jim Collins penned Good to Great, tracing through research the history of companies that were transformed from good results to systematically great achievement over a period of years. Many of his findings surprised the business community and offered models that often defied the paradigms of industry. One in particular was his finding that great companies are led by Level Five Leaders. These are leaders who demonstrate great personal humility, a willingness to give credit to others in the organization, and are inspired by values and vision, among other attributes. Sounds a little like servant leadership to me, and to many others who rejoice at discovering this kind of truth out there in the marketplace.

Of course, Jesus gave us the ultimate example of servant leadership. He was totally yielded to the Father, and envisioned a world changed by Kingdom truth. How often he talked of serving, of giving his life as a ransom for many, and of the greatness of the concept of servanthood. At the same time, the Lord was never intimidated by the times or fearful of the world. There was a quiet confidence and strength that he always displayed to the people around him, especially the twelve Apostles.

Loud, boisterous, ego-centric leaders don't function all that well today. Oh yes, some of them flash through the headlines, all too often under the sub-heading of a negotiated settlement. These kind of leaders often disarm themselves and render their influence negative through their self-directed rhetoric and personal staging. Arrogant know-it-alls don't usually build good teams and rarely rise higher in the hierarchy than management. Leaders lead. And, the proof is the line of people following them.

This is all old school stuff! Good to Great was released by Harper Business in 2001. People interested in leadership already know about Collin's findings. They are not new. Just as significantly, God's Word is eternal and it's truth has been available for thousands of years. What is shocking is that so many  aspiring leaders, whether in the workplace or in the church, can not grasp these concepts, whatever you wish to call them. More surprising for me is the hard truth that many business leaders get it more than do the so-called spiritual leaders who are guiding our churches today.

Today I'm praying for a cadre of Level Five Leaders who are energized by the possibility of Christ's Kingdom right here on earth, who are willing to give God all the glory, and other hard-working volunteers the credit, and who do not elevate personal ambition and self above the cause of Christ. Collins penned his own label for them and described them in terms that would resonate with people in the business world. But, they are servant leaders, and servant leaders are successful in any field.

A Gift

Sunday, out of the blue, someone gave me a beautifully wrapped gift. It really caught me off guard, and, strange as it may seem, left me searching for words. It wasn't a special occasion and I had not done anything noteworthy to deserve such recognition from this person. As I tried to express my gratitude I was assured that it was a gift. It touched my heart!

Now, gifts are not all that unusual for people in the ministry!  Let's face it, God provides our daily bread through the gifts of people who love Him and His church and are committed to His kingdom right here on earth. They freely give to the church budget to support the ministries of the church, one of which is to provide for the church staff. Every payday I hold my check in my hands and thank God for the sacrifices of so many kind and generous believers whose gifts enable us to live the life that is ours. Each week God teaches me lessons about gratitude

Beyond that, gifts are still a common occurrence. Almost weekly children leave notes and drawings on my desk, or present me with special things they have made in Life Connection Groups, Children's Church, or while I am preaching. Thoughtful people routinely bring books, CDs, magazines, and other kind expressions of love and appreciation. These things adorn my office and bookshelves, reminders that God has permitted to serve a very caring and encouraging congregation. After all these years, though, this kind of giving spirit still amazes me.

Years ago a mentor advised me to learn the grace of receiving gifts so that others can know the joy of giving. When I accepted this gift Sunday I stammered out some words of appreciation and tried to communicate to this individual how very much the gesture meant to me. When I opened it, I was even more stunned. It was three framed water color prints of scenes from The Citadel, my alma mater. Today it is displayed in a prominent place in my office. It will be a constant reminder of the grace of giving, and the grace of receiving.

Are there lessons here? You can count on it. Always. Primarily this: when the package was offered to me Sunday I immediately tried to find some justification for such an expression. What is this? It's not my birthday or anniversary or a milestone in ministry. I haven't done anything to deserve this! There was instant effort to explain such generosity or affix the gesture to some merit on my part. Shortly, however, there was something else, conviction if you will. This is a gift, the still small voice whispered to my heart. You don't deserve it. You couldn't have earned it. It is not about occasions or special events. It's not about you. That's what makes it a gift!

Of all people, believers should know this! This grace is the bedrock of our belief system.  Our salvation is the gift of God. It is gracious because it is grace. And we should stop trying to explain it away by making it always about us.

Here's a different angle for you! I heard this in a meeting devotional recently. "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have ever lasting life." Catch this. God is the subject of this verse. He gave "for God". He did this for himself.

Now, this may not be grammatically correct or even translated accurately but it is good theology. The gift is not about the recipient. It is about the Giver. That thought should make us even more grateful for the special gifts we receive in life, and especially for the greatest gift of all, the life promised to you through Jesus our Lord.

As I look around my office this morning, I am overwhelmed by the givers, and the Giver.

The Best Vacation Ever

Harriet and I have been to Israel four times, spent a week with our children in the Bahamas before they left the nest, and have traveled to other exotic places around the globe and the nation over our thirty five years to vacate the normal routines of life and re-create a little each year. Since Elizabeth and Brian married and moved away our recent pattern has been a week off the beaten path somewhere for total relaxation---good food, great reading, maybe a movie, time on the beach, mostly just fun together. Some have been pretty memorable. Like last year! Check the calendar before you go to Myrtle Beach for a week. Bike Week 2007 added a good bit of zest to our all but relaxing week. Or the time years ago we all did Disney World in mid summer. Talk about long lines! Oh yeah, don't forget the heat.

Our vacation this past week was the best by far! It was what the Post and Courier called a "staycation". We stayed home all week. It is memorable, however, because we spent the entire seven days with our grandson, John Lewis Carpenter, age fourteen months. Now, we've had John Lewis with us for weekends on two previous occasions, and do get to spend some time with him when they come to visit or we make the trip to Columbia. How blessed we are to live so close. But a whole week is a gift for which Harriet and I will be forever grateful. I cannot tell you the joys of being with him first thing every morning, preparing his meals, going to the beach with him, and romping together through the local parks and playgrounds. Bonding with him at this early stage of his development is something that Harriet and I will treasure for many years to come. It was pure delight to hear him say new words, taste different foods, and tackle new challenges. Every day his learning curve expanded as he encountered life with Ganga and Gammy. I wish I could have filmed every single minute.

God taught me some things this week too!

1. Children are a heritage from the Lord and we should value this wonderful stewardship more dearly.

2. My heart rejoices for the loving grandparents and great-grandparents who provide full-time care for over 4,000,000 children in the United States. This week I was convicted to pray for them as they muster the strength to keep the pace that younger children demand, and to encourage those who are close to me.

3. God confirmed throughout the week the personal conviction that we should do all in our power to tell these little ones about Jesus.

4. Spending time with our grandchildren is important and must rank higher than most of lifes urgencies.

5. These little ones are the future and we must prepare them to one day lead our nation in righteousness. This is a Biblical mandate that God has placed before us. We cannot do otherwise.

The best vacation ever did not involve big bucks, miles of travel, or plush hotels. It was seven days with a mischievous, inquisitive, and trusting child. Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven!

 

Groupies

Groupies, as followers of a particular person or group, are really an ancient reality. Throughout history people have attached themselves to people and ideas across the spectrum of human endeavor---religion, politics, philosophy, science, the arts, literature, and just about anything worthy of personal commitment. The New Testament period was no exception. Johns followers thought themselves a little more spiritual than the Apostles of Christ, and of course, the Corinthian congregation was sub-divided into various groups behind Paul, Apollos, and Jesus Christ. Humans congregate according to their likes and dislikes, leanings this way or that, or because they favor one position over another. Crazed groupies, like the Deadheads, follow musical groups, messianic wackos like Charles Manson, cult leaders like Jim Jones, and weird religious entrepreneurs like L. Ron Hubbard and the Scientology nuts.  Sports enthusiasts, bubble-gum chewers, motor cyclists, classic car buffs---just about any special interest group you can name, are prone to be groupie magnets. It's just another element of human nature that causes us to scratch our heads. And, the congregation said, "Amen".

Our denomination has become a tangled groupie web! Since the resurgence, with the debate over the Bible settled, we've discovered at least ten million ways, pastorally speaking, to slice the issues of faith and gather adherents to just about every cause. Oh yes, my brothers and sisters, there are Calvinists, Arminians, people who practice open, closed, and close communion, tongue speakers (excuse me, I meant to say believers with a private prayer language), traditional and contemporary churches, small, medium, large, and super-sized congregations, purpose-driven churches, the Willow Creek model, people who worship in the cowboy way, motorcycle fellowships, shaped note worshipers, and, bless my soul, snake-handlers. We've got the SBTS, SEBTS, SWBTS, NOBTS, GGBTS, and MWBTS alumni, and Baptists lined up behind theologians, teachers, highly visible pastors, preaching stylists, and the not so orthodox practitioners that are drawing crowds. Will it never end?

I love what Dr. Peter Beck, a religion professor at Charleston Southern University, said to the Northwood crowd last night in our Xcav8 lesson on the Reformation. He said something like this: "I'm a disciple of J.C., and I do not mean John Calvin. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ." I pray for Dr. Beck's forgiveness if I misquoted him, but it was something like that, again, pastorally speaking.

That resonates with me because for nearly thirty years I have resisted any effort to pack me in a box or label me as a member of any group other than as a follower of Christ. In many instances, all of our positioning has facilitated a disconnect with the millions of unbelievers who are watching our every move and trying to comprehend the dot and tittle of our affiliations, whether formal or informal. Yes, we should affirm and teach strong, systematic theology as our basis for fellowship, and champion a firm commitment to the only creed in Scripture worthy of our devotion: Jesus Christ is Lord. That really should be the rallying point of people that want to change the world, not some list of peripheral beliefs and practices and cool ideas that bring tension to the delicate issues of preaching Christ and Him crucified.

OK, that's my rant for the day. I really hope Joel and the others will approve. NOT!

Language Arts 401

School is still in session and The Teacher continues to educate me on the importance of language. After thirty years as a communicator you'd think most of the language arts lessons would have been encountered by now, and a few of them mastered. Maybe I'm just a slow learner! Better yet, maybe there are just so many wrinkles in the science of communicating that I'm just now getting around to the really important classroom sessions.

The most recent learnings involve three incidents in the laboratory of real life! Tuesday night another series of thunder boomers lashed the Low Country with their ever present cousins hail, rain, lightening, and noise. At 2:30 a.m. the encore presentation woke our grandson John Lewis from his sleep. When Ganga got to him his eyes were as wide as turn signal flashers and his screams as loud as an EMS siren. He had been startled awake, realized he was not in his bedroom in Columbia, and had this strange older man standing over him. Once again I could not translate his gibberish. But, there was no mistaking what was going on in his young mind. He was afraid. His body language communicated more clearly than words. I held him close, whispered comforting words in his ears, and prayed that my body language would make him feel safe and protected. It must have worked. In a few minutes he was fast asleep.

Thursday Harriet and I took John Lewis on a day trip to Greenville for some time with my mom and dad, his great-grandparents. As you know my mothers progressing ALS is changing her by the day. She cannot speak and can only communicate now through some written words on a marker board. Even that has become difficult for her. But, once again, The Teacher riveted my attention on the glow of her face and the joy of her heart when we held John Lewis down for a hug. Her body language said it all. I instantly thanked God for allowing us to be there. John Lewis felt it too! He patted her and loved her in return. It touched my heart!

A few weeks ago a young man approached me after our 11:00 a.m. worship experience. He was twenty-something, preppy looking, and apparently prosperous for someone so young. He thanked me for the service and my message on "beingYOUng". He was obviously nervous and stumbled around for words. It was gibberish again. He said he was looking for something. I probed a little farther asking all the church questions that I could muster on the spot, after all my years of training. Exactly what are you looking for, I remember asking. He replied, I'm here aren't I.

Now, after the two most recent classroom lectures on body language, the moment with that young man makes sense. He was looking for meaning and purpose in life. His presence at church that morning was the ultimate expression of body language, the vocabulary of feet. He had looked everywhere for something real in life---education, career, romance, good cars, a nice bachelor pad. The Teacher led him to church to find the only thing in life that actually matters. He couldn't exactly find the right words to tell me that! His body language, though, said it all.

Reading body language requires some discernment and perception. This language runs deeper than our words and expresses inner things that all of our formulas and sentence construction just can't always relate. As I prayed with this young man in my office, I asked God to help me communicate with just as much clarity, in both words and physical presence. As The Teacher led him through our prayers, I prayed for actions that would bring him comfort and peace.

I've often said that the world is not listening to us any longer. Words are cheap, and the Christian community hasn't always lived up to the words that comprise our belief system. Instead, the world is watching! And, I'm wondering what our actions communicates to them.

Don't get me wrong, the Good News of Christ has to be spoken. Throughout the New Testament we are commanded to speak the message of this Gospel and articulate a clear verbal reason for the hope that is in us. I mean, whose life is completely worthy of this life changing message? Still, body language is significant and we must learn to read it, and communicate it if our words are to be validated by the authenticity of heartfelt mission.

The lessons in Language Arts 401 just keep on happening. I pray that I will stay attuned to The Teacher as He seeks to get my attention with them. 

Softball

Everybody wants to play hardball these days! Whether the topic is politics, the economy, seminary education, gas prices, or the many wrinkles of faith, few people want to lob softballs in the debates fueling the blogosphere. As a result there is a new meanness out there, a take-no-prisoners style that stifles debate and inhibits real conversation between people standing on different sides of the issues.

Certainly, knowing where you stand on a given subject is good. Far too often today, as one social commentator has suggested, our feet are firmly planted in mid-air on many of lifes most pressing issues. Boo! Hiss! Indecision and fence-straddling are indeed the comfort zones of many softball players.  Learning the conviction of a firm "yes"  or a sure "no" is but another of the graces that each of us should pursue. In a world that worships tolerance such certainty, however, is not viewed as a positive. Fearing the label of "dogmatic", or even worse, "intolerant", many of us run to the softball field to shag a few fly balls.

The cause of this new hardness is not, in my personal opinion, a result of strong or weak stances on the issues that draw us together and just as often separate us. Instead, I think it is the relative anonymity of the new medium of debate. I can post anything I want on my blog and then either edit the responses or simply delete theme if they are beyond the boundaries of my views. This world doesn't require debate or proof-texting or conversation. It is one-way all the way, a real haven for control freaks.

So far, these ramblings have been pretty much slow pitch softball. You know, minor league warm fuzzies about language, our grandson's visit, and other relatively meaningless drivel. Yawn! Doze off! When vacation is over, however, I want to go to the big show with some challenging remarks about things that matter to me. Comment is invited and welcome.

If you want feel-good stuff go the Hallmark store.  

Speaking Gibberish

Foreign languages were not all that difficult for me! Before I was ten years old I was speaking pig-Latin fluently, having learned from the venerable masters Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe, nyuk! Nyuk! In high school I did three years of French, then struggled through Spanish 101, 102, 201, and 202 at The Citadel. Today I can order pommes frites and quesadilias handily. In seminary Greek and Hebrew did their number on me, and then a little German to help in further studies. Since then, I've even learned a little Charlestonese and understand about taking a "bo-at over to Jim Island." Whatever!

Today, though, I met my match. John Lewis Carpenter spoke to me all day in a new language that I just cannot translate. He speaks gibberish. For the life of me I just can't get it. He will have the most serious look on his face---wrinkled brow and all---and point off toward something unseen, and then cut loose with several sentences in this unknown tongue. It is apparent he is trying to tell me something important about the meaning of life or the rotation of the earth around the sun, or the young earth hypothesis, or the theory of relativity. Hard as I try, I just cannot break the secret code of gibberish so that I can grasp the important concepts he is trying his best to reveal to me.

What's supposed to happen to narrow this language gap between my grandson and me? Will I have to learn gibberish so that we can communicate? No, he's learning to speak English and one day we'll be able to have real life conversations in a language we can both understand. He's doing pretty well too! We're not diagramming sentences yet but he's getting very conversant with 'dank ou' and 'uh oh' and 'bye bye'. All the other stuff is still gibberish. But, by the look on his face, I know he really means whatever it is.

Is there a moral here somewhere? I don't know. You figure it out, hidden agenda and all!

Vacation thoughts

Someone said, vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer. Say what? OK, so that statement may contain more than a kernel of truth! When the treadmill gets harder and harder to move it may be time to vacate the premises, enjoy a change of scenery, and relax for some much needed and R & R.

Harriet and I will be on vacation from our regular work routines this week! It won't be our usual pre-summer week at the beach, basking in the sun, reading good books 15 hours a day, and just loafing most of the time. This will be a vacation to remember. John Lewis Carpenter is coming to town so his parents, our daughter Liz and son-in-law Scott can go on vacation. Go figure! For the very first time, we will have this precious fourteen month old grandson for an entire week. Rejoice!!! Celebrate!!!    Pray without ceasing!!!

Just a few months ago we were prodding him to walk and talk---come to Ganga! Go see Gammy! Say "thank you", say "uh oh", and tricks grandparents like to teach their gran-imals (as one church member refers to his grandchildren). Now, John Lewis is a jabbering motion machine and the mantra of the house now sounds like , "sit down", "come here", "NO, NOT THE STEPS",  "don't pull Oliver's (the dog and ruler of the household) tail", and "John Lewis, leave the dishwasher controls alone".

Ganga and Gammy are going to have a vacation to remember, no doubt! We've got every single minute planned down to the nano-second---river walks, the beach, the market area and battery, a picnic at Charlestowne Landing, a day trip to Greenville, some discovery place for children on Ann Street,  people watching at Stuff Mart Friday night, and even a trip to some of the small towns in the area to watch the red lights change if necessary.

All kidding aside, it will be a test for old geezers like  us to keep his pace all week. But, what a blessing to share this wonderful week of vacation with the special blessing in our lives. No doubt it will be memorable.

Still, what another person said about vacation may be true: the person who really needs a vacation is the one who just returned from one.

Is there an "amen" in the house?