Leaning Forward

Friday Night in America

OK, ya'll, check out New Grass Revival's last and final disc Friday Night in Americaand listen to the title tune before you take the exit from your work week drudgery and a little weekend detour. It's an upbeat reminder, via their hybrid brand of rock-a-billy newgrass music, that Friday night is truly what's happening in these here United States. It's three minutes and fifty-six seconds of good fiddle and banjo licks, along with some great vocals, all exhorting the values of Friday nights in our work-a-day, treadmill culture. One line says, "hit the lights, hold on tight, it's Friday night ya'll." Yeeeehaaaa!!

We encountered this music when our children were attending Riverside High School, Greer, South Carolina, and participating in all of the school rituals, most notably, Friday night football. When Brian played on the Warrior football team we could gather in the parking lot before the game with a host of family members and friends to listen to this great song blaring loudly over our car tape player. On a few occasions, when the Warriors were on the road, we'd play this particular song down main street of the little towns around the upstate, towns where the sidewalks were rolled up at 5:00 p.m. and the whole community shut down for the game. It was in these smaller locales where Friday Night in America was most apparent, the homespun Hoosier-type place where everyone is related and have known the boys on the team, the band members, cheerleaders, booster club members, all their lives. The only new people regularly on the scene were the coaches, who changed in some places faster than the pastors at First Baptist Church. It was Friday Night in America.

Yes, legalists, we did hold hands and pray for our boys and girls, and may have listened to some good Christian music in the car on the way to the game. But, we understood that the Friday night thing is really a big deal. Here's a factoid! Did you know that Friday night high school football attendance is bigger than college football and professional combined? For comparison sake, 48,000,000 college football fans gathered for games last year. The Friday night thing is big. And, those numbers don't include all of the rest of the Friday night revelers who assemble in juke joints, red-neck beer halls, chic clubs, bingo parlors, casinos, movie theaters, and eateries from sea to shining sea. Things are hopping. Get dressed ya'll, it's Friday night.

Oh, yeah. Friday Night in America also has a dark underbelly. They say police activity increases on Friday night. Emergency room visits see an upturn when the frolicking gets too merry. Muggings occur with greater frequency. Automobile accidents happen. Fights break out. Some people wake up on Saturday mornings and don't know where they are, or how they got there! Yes, it's a good night to kick up your heels. And, maybe get stabbed, or axed, or shot. I remember my dad saying to me many years ago, "Son, nothing good happens after 12:00 midnight." I'm sure he meant that double for Fridays.

What's the point? OK, impatient, here it is.

#1. We all do need a way to blow off a little steam after our busy work week. By and large American's are working harder and longer. Therefore, Friday Night in America can be a good thing if invested wisely.

#2. Our Friday night diversions often involve activities that are either illegal, unhealthy, downright dangerous, or, get this, ungodly. We should all color between the lines when we're doing our Friday night thing. Aside from attending our children's school activities on Fridays, our other family diversions involved a burger out and a visit to the book store on Friday nights. When Elizabeth and Brian grew past spending Fridays with their parents, there was a curfew at midnight.

#3. Christians should act like Christians all the time, even in their Friday night frolics. Think how much more sane the world would be if Christians refrained from all the questionable activity that often makes Friday nights fright night around America. Don't be fooled,there's plenty of church people out in that mess. Get it right Christians! Don't be part of the problem.

Or, you could do what us old geezers do on Friday night. What time is The Lawrence Welk Show, dear?

See you Sunday, I pray.

Plodding along

There is a day-by-day, plodding quality to Christian living. Our mystery friend, you know, "someone", once said, "the hardest part about life is that it is so daily." After a chorus of "amens", a round of affirming nods, and winks of assent, a second glance reveals even more. Under a little closer scrutiny the truth lurking in the shadows of such a statement emerges. It is simply this: the Kingdom life is totally thrilling, rewarding, and blessed in every possible way. Still, these benefits derive so very often from the dogged, repetitive, day-after-day disciplines of living the Kingdom life.

Scripture speaks of the daily-ness of spiritual living in many places. Yes, for a fact, we must take up our cross daily, and follow Christ (Luke 9:23). As certainly, the inner man is renewed in this same day-by-day fashion (2 Corinthians 4:16). According to the model, we pray for daily bread (Matthew 6:11), and get out there with the Gospel message day-after-day (Acts 5:42). It is our daily life that should win the respect of those outside the community of faith (1 Thessalonians 4:12). The Bereans examined the Scriptures every day (Acts 17:11), and the early church met every day (acts 2:46). Reading through the New Testament you will quickly discover a couple of personality traits among the early believers that is in short supply today: perseverance and consistency.

It is the daily-ness of the Kingdom life that short-circuits the faith experience of so many believers. According to the experts, whoever they are, this culture majors in sprinting---short-term assignments, you know, ad hoc teams, involvement without entanglement, service minus the commitment, test relationships, myspace friends, and brief encounters. Today we want it fast and furious, a thrill a minute, HURL if necessary, at the end. There's little patience for developmental process, the exercise of daily discipline, genuine spiritual growth. If it moves too slow, paint it! Give us action, or give us the B word---boring! That's it, the Christian life is just---yawn, stretch, roll your eyes---boring.

Of course, to bang an old gong, disciple and discipline are brothers! It's that old routine again, you know, Bible study, prayer, worship, fellowship with other believers, sharing your faith, ministry and service, over and over again, the Kingdom's daily dozen to maturity. There's no way around it, living the Kingdom life involves instantaneous change, and then the plodding, daily experience of walking with Him. Now, this is just one's guy's opinion, it is never boring! Repetitive, yes. Perhaps, if by repetitive you mean doing the same things over and over again. For me, a little OC, pretty much a creature of habit, a rut is a pretty good thing. But, my time with Him, in His Word, and with His people, doing His work, is never boring. There's always something new, because it is new every single day. He is making all things news.

Plodding along? Perhaps. Learning something wonderful and new every step of the way. Glory.

The real altar

OK, so Baptists don't have an altar. True enough. As a result, we don't offer sacrifices at our services to atone for our sins. Theologically, that was accomplished in the once-for-all death of Jesus on the cross. The sacrifice is completed. As Jesus said, "It is finished!"

That's beside the point, though, because the altar for a multitude of baptists and other evangelicals is not in a church anyway. It is in a football stadium. And for genuine enthusiasts, tonight is the ash Wednesday of the holiest five months of the year, the beginning of the college football season, an aliyah(Hebrew for "ascent or going up")to the high places of worship around the country. Here, the scattered tribes can re-assemble from their dispersion and offer sacrifices to the real icons of their worship. This is holy ground for many Americans, serious stuff. Tears will be shed, clothes torn in sorrow, sack clothe and ashes will be worn, verily, families divided, dreams dashed, multitudes in awe of miracles, hail Mary passes caught and dropped, prayers lifted, heads bowed in dejection, words spoken in unknown tongues, and other supernatural phenomena during the unfolding drama of this holy season. Vows will be made and broken, curses and blessings invoked, the incense of burnt offerings lifted in pre-game rituals, and tribal body markings provided for the new initiates. It's holy season again, and the devotees are gathering.

A little cynicism detected? Not me. I've got my season tickets, car flags, logo hat and shirt, tail gate paraphernalia, and for away weekends, a new comfortable chair stationed in front of my new forty-two inch plasma TV. At the same time, we'll make a good bit of effort to keep some perspective here, to participate in this mania at some level way below idolatry, to keep this team loyalty thing low on the priority list, to avoid the starry-eyed reverence of worship when we take our seats in the new stadium. We'll still attend our church every single Sunday, insure our tithe has not been sucked up by hot dogs and potato salad, and look to our Heavenly Father as the giver of all good gifts. Win or lose we'll confess faith in a God who knows all things and provides the manifold blessings of life. Regardless of all the hype and media, we'll remember that being "prepared in season and out of season" actually has nothing to do with football, that life is not a game, and church is not a holy huddle. Give me a break! You can enjoy all of this without bowing to the sports gods. Get real! It's just a game.

Many football players know this! At the end of the game they will gather at mid-field, combatants from both teams, school administrators, opposing coaches, and a few fans, get down on their knees together, often holding hands, and worship the living and true God in moments of corporate prayer. The TV people hate this and usually will not include it in their telecast. It distracts from the real deity of game day---big bucks and mega profits. Still, just knowing it happens in stadiums around the country, at colleges big and small, even at professional events, offers some perspective in all of the  spectacle.

So, tonight when Carolina takes on N.C. State, and the 2009 season begins, enjoy. Gather with old classmates and other enthusiasts for a good time. But, keep it in its rightful place. And, in your  heart, keep God in His. No, we don't have an altar in our church. There shouldn't be one at the stadium either!

Go Dogs!

Read a good book

Each day I am thankful to God for a love of reading. Since cancer surgery and the demise of my golf game over the past couple of years, reading has become my favorite personal diversion. In reality, I cannot imagine doing what I do without the wide exposure that comes directly from a variety of good books, the daily newspaper, a selection of popular magazines, theological journals, and even the backs of cereal boxes. Yes stickler, the Bible is my all-time favorite volume, and I certainly spend more time reading and studying it than any other written material. At the same time, each day I thank the author of all things for placing a love for books and reading in this heart of mine.

When I served as Pastoral Ministry Director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention I met with a wide array of pastors and ministry staffers almost every day. Often we would discuss some of the pressure points in ministry. Invariably they would ask how to connect with people in the pew, you know, the old view from the pew deal. If they were experiencing some kind of disconnect, I usually asked them what they were reading, to show me their reading list. More often than not I discovered that they were reading nothing. Yes, the Bible in most cases. Rarely anything else. So, as I traveled around the state speaking to pastor's groups and staff meetings, I carried a book satchel loaded down with my favorite reads. After a good bit of urging, I developed a personal reading plan to share with them. It won't work for everyone, and its not scientific in any way. But, it keeps my reading life varied and helps provide a connection to the people around me. Here's the basic plan, for what it's worth---

I usually read material in three categories:

#1    Things that make me a better person. These usually include books, magazines, and other written
        materials that benefit me personally. My shelves overflow with topics like leadership, personal
        finances, language development, health issues, marketing management, technology, culture,
        demographics, and the like. Several technology magazines are good and keep me posted on what
        is coming down in this fast-moving world. 

#2    Materials that make me a bettor pastor. OK, there are tons of stuff about church, ministry,Bible 
        study, pastoral care, spiritual development, leadership, preaching, church architecture, and just
        about every topic under the sun, all designed to improve pastoral skills and development.

#3    Writings with absolutely no redeeming social value. Let me clarify this. I don't really read fiction
        very often so I'm not into the police-thriller-romance-lawyer-historical-spy-religious themed books
        that the novelists crank out so often. But, I do love history, biographies, sports accounts, works
        by and about great leaders, non-fiction best sellers, most of what we would call classics,great 
        literature, and weekly news magazines. They all keep me informed about a variety of topics
        and issues, more connection points with the people around us.

In their 2002 book Futuring (Grand Rapids: Baker books), authors Samuel R. Chand and Cecil Murphey   recommend life-long learning as one of the traits of futuring leaders. They conclude that "Church leaders need to be committed to more reading and life-long learning with a broader base...Today smart leaders know what's coming off the presses in fiction and non-fiction. Because they keep up, they can answer questions about reincarnation or communicating with the dead." Say what? Still, you get the point. We need to be able to talk to people about what's happening out there.

Someone said, according to Chand and Murphey, "it takes a long time to prove to people that you're smart. It only takes a split second to prove that you're ignorant." Well-read people can keep up with current events, talk about the front page, and well-read spiritual leaders can connect with people in the pew beyond the latest Sunday School lesson.

I remember advice my dad gave me as I started seminary at age 30. He said, "Son, always preach with the Bible under one arm and the newspaper under the other." Now, that was some good advice. He meant to stay informed, to be up-to-date, know what is going on in the real-world beyond the sanctuary.

I don't know this "somebody" people are always quoting, but he supposedly said, "you can't do anything about the length of your life. But you can do something about its width and depth." When you're feeling a little distant, somewhat removed, having a hard time connecting, read something. It may just grow you some, and help you connect a lot.

You are what you eat, and you are what you read.

 

Why the truth hurts

Someone said long ago, the truth hurts. The reason is very simple: the truth is always the truth. You see, it goes something like this. We humans don't always see things too clearly, cursed as we are with an affinity for reality as we perceive it. There is in the human spirit an aversion to things as they really are. So, we have a tendency to shade things, to color events and circumstances so that they make us look good or feel good or appear better than the real deal. That is to conclude that we have genuine creativity when it comes to hiding the truth, or running from it, or disguising it, or covering over some flaw. When the truth finally explodes over us, it usually involves some level of pain, the recognition that things are not what they seem and that our hidden code of avoidance has been broken.

I remember the day truth exploded over me to expose an area of reality that I had refused to acknowledge. This moment of truth occurred several years ago and it came from an unexpected source. And, yes, it was immensely painful. I was preaching the early morning devotional shift at a local homeless shelter each Monday morning at 6:00 a.m. The residents were a mixed bag of unfortunates---drug addicts, alcoholics, ex-cons, and people who had fallen through the proverbial cracks of society. I usually tried to bring a message of encouragement, a joke to begin the day, and a lesson from Scripture about the never-ending reservoir of God's love and grace, the promise of a new life in Christ, the hope that God can change anything. One Monday morning I noticed a young man hanging back when the devotional time was concluded, obviously wanting to say something to me. He was about thirty-fives years old, a college graduate I would later learn, and had lost everything in one of those crack cocaine addictions thatcan steal your life---material blessings, his job, his wife and children, and his hope.

When I approached him he asked several pinpoint questions. Do you really believe God can change everything? Yes, I told him, of course. Do you really believe God can do anything? Yes, again. Do you really think God can restore my marriage, my relationship with my children, my career, my relationship with my parents. Yes, yes, yes! Then he said, that just doesn't compute for me. Why not, I asked, it's the truth.

Then the knife, the stabbing pain of real truth. He said, if you believe all of that, then why do you weigh 300 pounds? Ouch. The truth hurts.

It was perhaps the most sobering minute of my ministry life, maybe of my entire Christian experience. I sweated bullets and stammered some kind of response. When I got home that night I stood in front of the mirror and faced the truth of what that young unbeliever had said to me. He was right! All my talk about Jesus changing everything, about God making a difference in life was negated by the truth that I had not allowed Jesus to change me. My words were empty to him because he saw the truth behind my well tailored suits and seminary words. His final words stung even more. He said, don't tell me what Jesus can do for me until you are willing to show me what Jesus has done for you! Ouch.

OK, forget the weight thing. Many of us struggle with that demon and I am one of them. All my life I have fought this battle. Sure, there could be something in my gene pool that suggests a spare tire around the middle, or maybe some kind of gland trouble that affects my metabolism. That day, though, I knew it was my fondness for biscuits and the undisciplined life that I and hundreds of other ministers live. Ouch, it still hurts. It was the truth.

Well, for the record, that was 100 pounds ago. Still, I desperately need to shed a few extra pounds right now. More than any of the lessons of that early morning, though, I understood an important truth that day: to the waiting world, talk is cheap. Faith without works is dead.

Let's get real.  Many of us hide behind the veneer of well-phrased words and flimsy excuses. Weight is just one among many issues that invalidate our best words. It may be a low boiling point, a lustful glance, road rage, loose lips,a vindictive spirit, plagiarism, or any number of other publicly visible lifestyle realities that we just don't want to admit. They are easily ignored when viewed through a relativistic lens. Up against the truth, they are what they really are---self-deception.

Jesus said it well. Continue in my word, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. That is the real deal, and it's time for us believers---especially us ministers---to own up. Then, maybe we can actually influence our world.

Gloomy Sunday

Hungarian pianist and composer Rezso Seress wrote "Gloomy Sunday" in 1933, mourning the death of a lover. The haunting of a reunion in death, the blessing that such a gloomy day could actually bring peace in the face of tragedy. Popularized by torch singer Billie Holiday in 1941, "Gloomy Sunday" has also been recorded by such popular artists as Ray Charles, Mel Torme, Lou Rawls, Sara Vaughn, and in contemporary times, Mariann Faithful, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Sinead O'Connor, Sarah Brightman, and a whole host of the goth-rock genre bands obsessed with suicide and many other dark themes. A false urban legend purports that the song was banned in Europe because of the number of suicides which resulted from its popularity. In 1968 author Seress did actually jump to his death from his small apartment in Budapest. I wonder if it was a "Gloomy Sunday"?

Yesterday, as we worshiped together, I thought of the joys of being with my church family celebrating the miracle of life in Christ, and the distinct blessing of living on this side of an empty tomb. I suppose we take the first day of the week for granted in some ways, being accustomed as we are to the atmosphere of celebration that attends our worship. As I sang and lifted my hands to the Father I was reminded of the many people close around us for whom our special day is just "gloomy Sunday", a day to sleep in, to veg a little, empty of meaning beyond recovery, melancholy hours to wile away before the action of life kicks into gear on Monday. How sad that our secular world has permitted Sunday to slip to back of the week, the meaningless end to our endless activity. I mean, the latest computer calendar programs permit users to select which day will the the first day of their week. Many Americans, it seems, are choosing Monday. It's a psychological thing: why start a new week on "Gloomy Sunday"? Bummer.

A few years ago I was driving through rural South Carolina on my way to a speaking engagement. Out there in the country was a very small church building on a secluded road. The sign out front said Weeping Mary Baptist Church. I stopped and drove through the unpaved parking lot, deeply affected by the troubling vision of a church with such a dark, pessimistic name. While there, I grabbed my Bible and read John's account of the resurrection again. "...but Mary stood outside the tomb crying." She was crying because Jesus was not there. Perplexed by his absence, she wept, having yet understood the miracle of the resurrection. It was "Gloomy Sunday" for her at this point. She had not grasped that Jesus' promises had been fulfilled. It was in fact Resurrection Sunday, just as He had said. But, before comprehending the empty tomb, it was "Gloomy Sunday", a day of loss, defeat, pessimism, tears of sadness and grief, broken-hearted mourning, absent of meaning.

Traditions don't always do it for me, but here's one I am very thankful to acknowledge each week, the thrilling joy of celebrating His resurrection on the first day of the week, Glorious Sunday. You know, it really is alarming how many people live in a dark, meaningless world, empty of encouragement, filled with fatalistic attitudes and values. Much of youth culture is especially dark, suggesting little hope, providing few answers beyond the superficial advice to gather as many toys as possible before the end. More people live under the dark clouds of doubt and uncertainty than ever before. It is an ominous world, a "Gloomy Sunday" world.

Like it or not, here we are in that world. I pray that God will somehow use us to bring a little glory to the gloom by sharing the eternal joys of the Kingdom with those around us. We can all start by inviting someone to church next Sunday. It's as simple as that, an invitation. Who knows, it may be just what that person needs to turn another "Gloomy Sunday" into a glorious one, and discover the peace and joy that accompanies faith in Christ, and that guides His people through the demands of life.

A blast from the past---

OK trivia nuts, figure this out. What do these terms have in common?

• Rock the Baby
• Sleeper
• Around the World
• Flying Saucer
• Split the Atom
• Trapeze
• Gravity Pull
• Over the Falls
• Three Leaf Clover
• Skin the Cat

Need a clue? No, they're not the play list of an obsolete 60's rock band. Art? Are they a catalog of great paintings or photographs on display at a Soho gallery? No again. Circus acts? Not quite, though they might just draw a crowd of curious onlookers if they were. Best selling titles? Nah! Canceled television shows from the 50's? Nice try. Episodes of Star Trek? Get real.

No, no, my friend, these are yo-yo moves, the tricks that us 50's-60's kids learned during the yo-yo craze of the happy days. They're the blast from the past occasioned recently when my pal Chris Donnelly gave me a brand spanking new yo-yo. Not just any old yo-yo mind you. It's a Yomega Power Spin modular design yo-yo, with the famous trans axle, super-charged construction that spins three times faster than ordinary yo-yos. This baby is translucent royal blue with a bright silver axle, a sleek look, silent movement, and constructed for action. 

When I removed Ezekiel's Wheel (that's the name I christened my new yo-yo) from the packaging, I was transported in time to 1960. It was the age of The Jetsons, Red Skelton, The Sound of Music, and American Bandstand. All the neighborhood kids had wooden Duncan yo-yos, and showed their stuff any time they were gathered. Teachers had to collect yo-yos at the door. Parents had to perform body searches before church so their young yo-yo fanatics wouldn't smuggle them to Sunday School. Trading yo-yos became a children's black market, a reprise of the marbles craze. There were traveling yo-yo exhibitions, professional yo-yo teams, and yo-yo masters appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.

All before the techno world of ipods, wii, xboxes, MySpace, and digital circuitry. As Ezekiel's Wheel made its (or is that her, or his?) first moves, I instantly remembered erector sets, Lincoln Logs, whiffle balls and bats, spinning tops, and Chutes and Ladders. In this multi-phasic setting names like Chubby Checker, Howdy Doody, and Hoss Cartwright blipped across my radar screen, Dave Garraway, Del Shannon, Fred Flintstone, What's My Line, and the Hardy Boys. It was a blast from the past.

Suddenly, an eruption, or would that be interruption!  My cell phone played the digital strains of a tune signaling an incoming call. The screen on my laptop chimed, "you've got mail". The voice mail system in the office flashed, something or someone important is waiting. Fast-forward to right now, 2008, real-time existence, yo-yo in hand. Torn between two worlds, the tension mounting.

Then it hit me! What a great time to live, to minister, and to serve our living God. I mean, right now. Yes, that was a good time too, back there when all the kids had a yo-yo, when I was eleven, everything was kinder and gentler and simpler. But, there is no better time than right now. Titus 2:12 reminds us to "...live self-controlled , upright, and Godly lives in this present age."  We are clearly instructed  to understand the present time (Romans 13:11), live in it, and communicate the incredible Good News in it. As we said it in our own weird, reversed vocabulary then, we are to be about life NIGHT ROW.

I love my new yo-yo. As someone said, it may be because I R 1. Who knows! But, as I attempted a few of these great old tricks once again, it was good to put it aside and get back to now, a great time and place to serve.

Talking to young people and being cool

The pressure to be cool is one of the self-imposed burdens that ministers should just downright reject. Aging has enough predictable limitations and stresses to keep us adequately befuddled a good bit of the time. Trying to be cool should not be one of them! It's like any other kind of pretense, you know, being something that you are not. It's fake, bogus, superficial, artificial, and totally transparent! I mean, isn't there a Bible word for this. Like hypocrite! 

The basic premise of coolness misses the boat anyway! Here's how it goes. Unless you're cool  you cannot connect to younger generations. So, us geezers are tempted to young it down somewhat---a new chiseled body, chic haircut, designer jeans, electronic devices that we don't know how to use, spiffy eyeglasses, sleek wheels, maybe a bike, head-set microphone, new vocabulary, and all the other paraphernalia of youthdom. Do all the right stuff and you'll be cool. If you're considered cool, they'll listen. Voila! Mosh pit in front of the praise band. Ooh's and aah's from the coolness groupies.

Let me admit something. I do love contemporary Christian music and prefer the casual dress of most contemporary services. My faith today, approaching age 59, is more intimate and personal than ever before, and I am really blessed by the informality of these worship times. There's an authenticity about it that resonates with my heart. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to serve a congregation that enables that kind of environment.

But, I am not cool. When we announced a new, more contemporary Saturday evening worship service, pitched to 18-30 year old individuals, we all talked about this very topic. Could I relate to this age group? Should I be the one to bring the message each week? Well, we all debated the pros and cons. The staff presented and discussed this thing from about every conceivable angle. During the deliberations my daughter Elizabeth Carpenter weighed in by phone. She said, rather bluntly: "Dad, don't try to be cool." Ouch! Somewhere along the way I passed the cool stage. It's behind me somewhere, out of reach, beyond my grasp, paradise lost.

No I cannot connect. But, Jesus can. One of the hard lessons of ministry life is that Jesus is always relevant. He was relevant two thousand years ago and he still connects today. He does it for Chinese people, Hungarians, gypsies, Brazilians, and North Carolinians. Jesus makes it happen for skinny people, blimps, tall, short, male, female, young, and old. Blond hair, red heads, and baldies. Gangas and gammmies. He's the real deal, all the time. What we all decided is that it doesn't matter who does the preaching. It matters what is preached.

Well, okay, I get it! Time for a little disclaimer. You can be so outmoded that you are, in fact, a dis-connect, perhaps a throwback, a retro-living person giving witness to a worn-out faith that existed way back when. Don't hear me say that the communication should not be fresh, the presentation up-to-date, the language reflective of the latest dictionary, the scholarship exemplary, and the application actually applicable. I mean, you can be an eight-track tape in an Blu-ray world. But, brethren, you don't have to be cool. Jesus is plenty cool enough.

Careful, however. This is another regrettable miscalculation, that young people won't respond to truth! In fact, run the numbers yourself, check out the research. A Teflon gospel just doesn't stick with them. They don't want it soft-boiled or watered down. Give it to them straight! That's the deal. So then, the messenger doesn't have to be cool. The message is cool---miraculous, incredible, fantastic, stretching the envelop of human comprehension. Jesus said, "My father is always at his work, and I too am working" (John 5:17). His word is eternal. Always. The ancient Hebrew for that is always!

Now, that's really cool. What a load off my mind!

Groovy....

A little pat on the....

Back. That would be back. What many of us need is a pat on the back. By that, I simply mean most of us could use a little encouragement now and then, you know, some positive reinforcement as life has its way with us. Well, yes, you can tune in to Oprah or Dr. Phil every day and get a good laugh or some  warm fuzzies from their psycho-babble and new-age karma. In the same way, there are plenty of health-wealth gurus on the tube as well, selling their brand of positive vibes for a seed investment. My dad said one of these guys was having a sale this week---healing and prosperity for an $88 dollar seed of faith, down from $500 last week. What a deal!

You know, this positive thinking stuff is not what I'm talking about! Sure, there's a good bit of virtue in the ability to perceive the glass as half-full. Grasping the dynamics of aptitude, altitude, and attitude through life produces some balance when you're facing adversity. Yes, learn a few maxims from Poor Richard or Norman Vincent Peale and life will take on a different tone at times. Still, a lot of the feel good salve washes off in the hot water. What is needed is Biblical encouragement!

Three Biblical words are typically translated "encourage". They each depict a vivid word picture of support at a level greater than our stock phrases and trade-mark slogans. Protrepo means to push forward, to give someone a shove, to urge them beyond the inertia of the moment. Paramutheomai connects two similar ideas---with and counsel, meaning to surround someone with counsel, to influence them with words that cheer or comfort. Then paraklesis, akin to the term that is translated comforter, as a descriptive of the Holy Spirit, means to be called along side someone.

Each of these Biblical concepts of encouragement indicates active movement, forward, with, or beside. Genuine encouragement is not sympathy or greeting card sentiment. Rather, it is heartfelt movement toward another person, joining them and urging them forward, walking with them through their circumstances, lifting them with Godly counsel. This kind of lift knows many expressions, and is communicated in a variety of ways.  Certainly spoken words are primary among them. Lately I have been encouraged by cards, letters, phone calls, the physical presence of another person, kind words  spoken from the heart, flowers, and the silent hugs of people who just wanted to show their love. At the visitation following my mother's death one old friend just stood in the corner so that I could see him, just to let me know he was there.  

Author and motivator John Maxwell said, "man does not live by bread alone; he needs a little buttering up". Well, that's a little simplistic, perhaps another clever witticism that brings a grin but rings a little superficially. But, it does indicate the need for an encouraging touch, something beyond the sustenance of our daily physical need. Many people live on the ragged edges these days, in a world defined by speed, vastness, and distance. Technology has created an impersonal sub-culture where anonymity is the ultimate cover, a new frontier ruled by the "delete" button and the camouflage of keypad relationships. In this new world some people just need a hug, or a pat on the back, a gesture from a friend that telegraphs the encouragement of another.

"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up..." (1 Thessalonians 5:11). That's pretty clear, and not all that complicated. Sometimes all that is needed is a little metaphorical pat on the back---a well aimed word, a kind gesture, some needed counsel, or just being there. It's what is supposed to happen in the Body of Christ, an expected behavior. And, there's this: if you're busy patting on the back, you won't be able to point the finger as much. Just as certainly, you won't be able to stab someone in the back either.

A little pat on the back will do...

Voting with your head

Because of church commitments Harriet and I missed the candidates forum at Saddleback Church Saturday evening. People tell me it was very informative and well done. Pastor Rick Warren is to be congratulated for convening this impressive pre-convention meeting, providing many voters with a stage to compare the two party choices under the lights of a more spiritual setting. Of course the media give nods to both candidates, usually depending on their leanings. Reports vary from praising McCain for his direct, on-point responses, and mention of Obama's answers to questions that he knew would alienate many religious voters.

Still, I'm not sure watching the event would sway my vote anyway. That's mainly because I really try not to be an emotional voter, that is, a citizen who's vote depends on how I'm feeling at the time or how the particular candidates makes me feel. I get a little more than wary when another human being pulls my emotional strings or seeks to manipulate matters of the heart. I remember when a certain elected official looked me straight in the eye on national television and said without flinching, "I did not have a sexual relationship with that woman", or something to that effect, lip quivering and all. It was all actor's guild stuff designed to make me feel sorry for him. And, of course, political strategists position their campaign staffs and candidates for maximum emotional appeal, knowing that a tug at the heart delivers at the ballot box.

This campaign is no exception. Most of the rhetoric inflames the senses for emotional effect. Getting people fired up isn't really that hard, especially if you touch the right buttons. And, they're touching them everyday---religion, race, gender, opportunity, taxes, the economy, and all the other issues that ignite passions and fuel our differences. And, we can expect more fireworks as the margins narrow and the real effort to garner our votes cranks into full gear.

Far too many people vote with their hearts, allowing ever-changing human emotions to drive the whole electoral process. Of course, what feels good today may feel pretty bad tomorrow and change the entire equation. That's why we should vote with our heads, you know, use the mind a little in the process, and think through the options, position statements, and platforms. This is especially true of Christian voters, who should bring strong values to the debate. It's this "thinking like a Christian" stuff again, you know, this idea of having the mind of Christ when we go into the voting booth. Of course, all the hype is designed for show, and the show is built on heart-throbs rather than brain waves.

And, that's why I didn't have to watch the Saddleback event to know how I'm going to vote. I've already thought it through, weighed the candidates positions, examined the issues, and clarified the fuzzy areas on those matters that are most crucial to me, and yes, my personal faith. I mean, it's not like the information isn't out there. You can examine Senate voting records, read biographies from just about every angle, search the files of nearly every newspaper in the nation, and compile data on the candidates as deep and wide as the ocean. Uh oh, I didn''t mean to mention deep! That's one of the problems: emotional voters don't typically go very deep. The touchy-feely stuff is really shallow!

Are there emotional issues in this election? Surely. I am very passionate about a few. But, I really do try to inform my stance on the issues with a little truth, you know, as in Biblical, and not just how I feel about everything. God promises wisdom to those who ask Him, and provides guidance for those seeking knowledge and understanding. These are Biblical processes that engage the mind and provide the means for great decision-making, even voting. 

Proverbs 25:2 indicates that "...to search out a matter is the glory of kings." Wading through the fine print and minutiae to wrap your hands around a topic or issue is the path to great decisions. Finding the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to this consistently is a discipline that yields good results when crucial choices are being weighed. Proverbs 2:6 reminds us,"the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." In this way, God teaches us to think like a Christian and vote with our mind.