Leaning Forward

Get out the duct tape

Rummaging through some old sermon note files the other day I came across this joke. It's not new and so will be old hat to most readers. But, it does make a point.

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump. I ran over and said: "Stop. Don't do it."
"Why shouldn't I?" he asked.
"Well, there's so much to live for!"
"Like what?"
"Are you religious?"
He said, "Yes."
I said, "Me too. Are you Christian or Buddhist?"
"Christian."
"Me too. Are you Catholic or Protestant?"
"Protestant."
"Me too. Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"
"Baptist."
"Wow. Me too. Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"
"Baptist Church of God."
"Me too. Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?"
"Reformed Baptist Church of God."
"Me too. Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?"
He said: "Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915."
I said: "Die, heretic scum," and pushed him off.

If this is funny, it's only because it mimics reality so much. Us Christians know how to draw our lines and move into our camps. And, much of it is valid as we deal with theological positions and interpretations that are dearly held, principles that we cannot compromise or violate. Then again, sometimes our unity is threatened by thinly veiled preferences that may not hold up under Biblical scrutiny.

We are a diverse group, us Baptists. We touch every age demographic, regional dialect, socio-economic strata, educational background, worship style, Bible version, choral presentation, preaching dynamics, homecoming tradition, visitation program, and how we sing the chorus to "Count Your Blessings". We are First Church, Pleasant Meadows Baptist, New Hope Baptist, New Hope Number 2, Reformed New Hope, and New New Hope. There's a cowboy version, motor-cycle congregation, up town church, down town church, out of town church, urban, sub-urban, ex-urban, and turban. 

We've been held together through depressions, wars, sexual revolutions, civil rights movements, revivals and crusades, scandals, heresy trials, boycotts, college football rivalries, and political upheavals.  Our common belief in the Lordship of Jesus, The Baptist Faith and Message, and our vast global missions enterprise has been our glue, among other ties that bind.

Now, there's tension about, of all things, the Great Commission. Do we need to get out the duct tape? Or, is our mission and doctrinal confession enough to keep us in sync?

Ummmm.

Let's Turn Down the Volume

Years ago my dear sweet grandmother taught me and my cousins a valuable life truth. She told us God had given us two ears and one mouth. The lesson in this was clear: we should listen twice as much as we talk. Years later this wisdom makes more sense. What is more, I understand the Biblical basis for it. We are advised to be slow to speak and quick to listen (see James 1:19). Wisdom indeed!

Easier said than done, I know, especially for us preacher types. Typically we have something to say about every topic and if you want to know what is going on you usually just have to ask. Our faith is made to be verbalized and some of us have mastered the word arts with great skill. This world of ours is about clearly articulating the stuff of faith, explaining the unexplainable with human language. But for the grace and calling of God this would be impossible. With God, all things are possible, even in our blundering.

Because we tend to be (1) very opinionated, (2) verbally profuse and maybe proficient to some degree, and (3) more than willing to insert our two cents about most topics, the volume can get a little loud. This has been the case since SBC past President Johnny Hunt appointed the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. This process and resulting report have ignited a good bit of passion in our ranks, and as a result, fueled more than normal rhetoric about our work as a denomination. Today the volume has exceeded the normal interpretative range of most listeners, especially as we've started analyzing what it means to the local elements of our denominational work.  Occasionally it has reached unhealthy levels, even to the point of being destructive.

As the newly elected President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, I am asking everyone to turn down the volume a notch or two. Much of the talk is little more than fear baiting and scare tactics designed to frighten us into doing nothing or to construct of wall of defense around the work highest on our personal priority list. Really, the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report is nothing more than a group of suggestions until we decide, at the state level, how the various recommendations will be implemented in our state. More to the point, every local congregation and association will decide, as autonomous bodies, how this resurgence will affect our work. The vote in Orlando isn't binding on us locally. So,speculation about how the GCRTF report will touch South Carolina is just that, guess work.

So, the talk about eliminating this, reducing that, re-allocating this money, de-funding that work, and all such rhetoric is just, well---let me be nice, gossip. If the Bible is to be our guide, then this kind of talk just doesn't have a place in God's work. This is even more true when the talkers are usually the pastors and leaders who are supposed to set the pace for our work. So, can we give it a rest?

Past SCBC President Dr. Fred Stone has appointed a local task force to determine the place the GCRTF report will have in the work of our state convention. Let's permit them to meet and deliberate before we jeopardize their work with our unhealthy talk.

Several people have asked about my agenda as convention President. Well, I'm not a member of any group, have no axes to grind, and am not aligned against anyone. As a life long Southern Baptist and member of a South Carolina Baptist Convention church for 50 of my sixty one years, I am committed and passionate about the Kingdom assignment entrusted to us by Jesus.  We are facing serious times and I am convinced that we must make some adjustments in how we pursue this stewardship.

Faith in Jesus and a strong reliance on the Word of God gives me a joyful optimism. Not is us. No, in Him and the mission of His church. This said, I will not be using inflammatory, negative language to speak about our challenges. Prayerfully and under the sufficiency of His grace we can tone down some of the rhetoric and lift the discussion to a level suitable to Kingdom endeavors. Hopefully we can stop talking about the things we cannot do and focus instead on what God can do. Call me naive, but this I believe with every ounce of my being. 

I'm no boy scout either. My accounting major permits me to understand the basics of an I & E statement and the fine points of a balance sheet. We face some truly intimidating financial realities. Even so, when Jesus changed my black heart he taught me the economy of heaven and I'll do my best to think from that perspective. Pray for me. Join me.

Let's turn down the volume a bit. Maybe we can listen a little more.

One of my favorite songs captures that sentiment. It's a secular song so some of you will discount the thought entirely. But I like it. It speaks of someone on a long, very lonely road---

If I had stopped to listen once or twice.
If I had closed my mouth and opened my eyes.
If I had cooled my head and warmed my heart,
I'd not be on this road tonight.

 

'Tis the Season

The Exodus was one miracle after another. At every stage of the journey God guided the Israelites to the Land of Promise. He provided their every need. The Book affirms that their clothes and sandals withstood the rigors of their 40 years. He gave them water from a rock, manna in the dessert, quail for breakfast, and victory against their enemies. What is more, He led them to a good land, a land reported to be flowing with milk and honey.

But, he knew them all too well. So, in the Book of Deuteronomy he warned them to remember. He knew they would soon forget His generous provision, the way He had led and nurtured them. Success would blind them and they would think they had done this all themselves.

Opulence has a way of distorting things. Comfort and wealth can give the illusion of self-sufficiency, make us more independent, less reliant on God. Thanksgiving become academic, perhaps rhetorical, when our personal machinery of gratitude is self-directed. Like the Israelites, we may "...say to yourself, My power and strength have produced this wealth for me" (Deuteronomy 8:17). God had warned them sufficiently, "...then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery" (Deuteronomy 8:14). There it is! The pride word!!!

God also reminded them, "Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth..." (Deuteronomy 8:18).

So, that's where we're going today in a stand alone Thanksgiving message. I'm praying that our material blessings have not jaded our dependence on Him, and that we'll be open an aware of His abundant blessings as we transition into the season of the Christ.

Bah whatever? Nah. Rejoice and be glad.

Turkey season

Enter "turkey" into your search engine and you'll be surprised at some f the hits you'll receive. Yes, there'll be pix of the country, a couple of people who are "turkeys" in real life, and just about every variation of the edible turkey you can imagine, some of them pretty gross. You know, turkey hash, turkey burgers, turkey loaf, turkey couscous, turkey salad, turkey pot pie, turkey soup, turkey roll-ups, turkey gelatin(?), turkey quiche, turkey patties, turkey casserole, turkey and rice, turkey flambe (?), turkey stew, turkey pudding (?), and my all time favorite, turkey flan. Yuk! Just give me a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with Duke's Mayo, if you please. Let's not stretch this turkey thing too far.

But, it is turkey season and that's why we may do the Clock Drive In (Greenville, SC) for a chili cheese half-in-half with tea before the Thanksgiving weekend is over. We like our turkey, though, consuming approximately 46,000,000 turkeys at Thanksgiving alone, and another 22,000,000 at Christmas. It's amazing we don't all grow feathers and go "gobble gobble", such is our turkey consumption. Even with that, we're not the most prolific Turkey eaters. They eat more turkey in Israel. In fact, we're down the list. Still, we're in turkey season and we'd better pioneer a few new dishes so the taste of this bird doesn't grow fowl (hardee har har).

A college friend of mine said that he and his pals were going ice fishing for Thanksgiving and have wild turkey with all the trimmings for their man-day meal. He sent me this picture. Sounds like a memorable Thanksgiving feast to me---

Now, I'm not into alcohol and am not promoting
consumption of alcoholic beverages or trying to recruit for AA. But, this was funny to me. It just proves that you can take any topic in whatever direction you choose and justify it. 

So, don't go in that direction for turkey season this year. Enjoy your turkey hash and eat all you want. At least you'll be able to stand up when you've had your fill.

Ummm. Turkey ice cream. My favorite!

Black Friday 70

Now appearing, at your local mall, shopping center or Stuff Mart---BLACK FRIDAY 70, the seventieth re-make of the original block buster released way back in 1940. Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, RIP, would be proud of the way we have captured the horror and fright of the monster that was loosed on our population at 12:01 a.m. today. The seventieth remake is that much more terrifying because we are the stars, the names splashed across the marquee, the contorted faces of people frightened out of their wits. Ooooh! It's BLACK FRIDAY 70.

Letting your fingers do the shopping more and more can't replace the sensations of becoming part of the madness on Black Friday. There's something perversely attractive about long lines and huge crowds going a little nuts over the deals retailers offer. The scare factor this year will be raised by the promise of electronics at especially cut rate prices---TVs, Blu-Ray Disc players, iPods, X-Boxes, Wii, Kindle, Nook, iPad, smart phones, and the all new Popeil Pocket Fisherman. Whatever! It's the stuff of a genuine horror flick, the nail-biting drama of millions of shopping maniacs on the loose.

Of course, the economy plays a cameo role in this screen-play. While the cameras capture crazed and frenzied shoppers pillaging Best Buy stores and Belks, bean counters are toting sales and calculating profits. This is bottom line day for many retailers and most small businesses. What happens on BLACK FRIDAY 70 will determine whether some companies will remain solvent for another year. Poor results on BLACK FRIDAY could drive a stake in the heart of many mom and pop businesses and non-chain stores. So, the business community and government are hoping for a silver bullet this year to pull us out of this particular business cycle. Here's praying for the most profitable BLACK FRIDAY in years.

Ooops! Without the attending greed and avarice, if you please. Stories of people being mauled and crushed by frantic shoppers testify to the underlying mania of days like BLACK FRIDAY. Eight or nine years ago our family went out at 3:00 a.m. to catch a $300 RCA 32" TV for Liz's Christmas. You would've thought they were giving them away or including a new Lexus with each purchase. The place was total pandemonium. People were grabbing stacks of DVD players and computers and electronic games, hoarding them just to keep someone else from getting them. Then, they went to their corners and started trading for the things they wanted. I mean, this may have been greed elevated to grand larceny status. Mad shoppers were frothing at the mouth and yelling at each other. It was mean.

So, while we're praying for a great retail day, mammoth sales, and companies moving into the BLACK for the year, we're also praying for some Christian virtue to claim the day. And, this is what I'm always preaching about, anyway. If believers are out there, and I'm thinking they are, and they act like the people they say they are, and I'm hoping they will, then some kindness and charity and patience and all those other character traits will define the day.

I'm staying home to watch the game. Later in the day, the Owen's Clan will gather for the annual family gig. And, you haven't seen madness till you see this great family unleashed on the food line.

You do, and it will become BLACK AND BLUE FRIDAY for you!

Name them one by one---

That old hymn says something very profound, a truth that may have slipped by me for the past sixty-one years. The lyric advises, "..count your blessings, name them one by one...". It's the "...name them one by one..." part that strkes me after singing this church standard for so many years. Voila! Most of my blessings have names.

So, today, I am naming them. We're enjoying a nice Thanksgiving with family in Greenville, SC, and will be around the table with some of them. But, we'll think of them all. And, we'll remember a few who are now with the Lord. So, here we go---

Harriet. Liz. Brian. Scott. Katie. John Lewis. The Chester. Mike. Christie. Sally. David. Matt. Josh. Mollie. Laura. Dorothy.

All the Holmes relatives. The Owens clan, too numerous to mention. The Northwood Baptist Church Family. The South Carolina Baptist Convention staff. The Hampton Heights Baptist Church family. The First Baptist Church of Goose Creek family. The Woodland Baptist Church family. The student body of Wade Hampton High School, 1964-1967. The Citadel cadet corps, 1968-1971. The 750,000 members of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. 1,652 Face Book friends.

It is an enormous list, the people who have touched my life. I thank God for each of you. Thank you for being such a special part of my journey.

Happy Thanksgiving.    

Me, myself, and I

Now, there's a reflection of our times, is it not?  A new magazine as catered to individual tastes and whims as your own lap top screen saver. In 2009 Time, Inc. introduced Mine Magazine, an experimental five issue 10 week personalized news journal that wasn't received too well. It was supposed to cash in on our self-absorption, the national trinitarian ethos---me, myself, and I. People in the executive suite also expected the new publication to revive a flagging print media industry. Ooops. The first issue was a total flop, too generic to appeal to self-interest.

Nice try, though! Some creative mind envisioned glossy magazine paper where consumers could see their name in print, pictures in living color, and other vanity touches to raise the spirits of a depressed nation. You know, the name in lights thing, a little something to inflate the corporate ego, make us feel a little better about life, one individual at a time. That is failed may be more testimony to Time's incompetence in pulling it off than to the nation's self-interest. Evidently, the first issue just didn't give people enough of themselves.

So, we love ourselves. It is perhaps one of the first human instincts, the infant that knows "mine" before just about any other concept. Self-preservation beats heavy in the human chest. They tell us we'll fight for breath and life, struggle to keep the organism alive, resist the forces that threaten us. Yes, we are equipped with the machinery of survival.

An egocentric world moves survival up a few notches. A recent article in Psychology Today Magazine (August 2, 2010) addresses "The Narcissism Epidemic", the belief that younger generations are more vain and self-centered than older Americans. Further study, however, indicates that egotism actually does not decline with age. Their findings, rather, prove that our entire culture is a "me" generation and that this love affair with self increases as our incomes and toys progress through the stages of independence. No big deal here! More money means we can afford more treats.

Truly thankful people are not obsessed with "mine". At the heart of a Christian world-view is the basic realiztion that "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof". So, things---mammon, money, wealth, stuff, possessions, bling---don't totally define people who have relinquished their hold and reliance on material objects. Money and all it's trappings are not evil. Loving them is. It is an unhealthy regard for stuff that triggers the "mine" buttons of life.

Ours is a stewardship. We are entrusted with the blessings of this life---wealth, environment, things, work, faith, community, relationships---and must care for them while understanding they are not ours. Gratitude then is a natural response when someone provides us with something that is not ours. 

It's Thanksgiving. We're going to thank Him.

Thankful isn't "whatever"!

You can learn a lot by eaves-dropping on other people! So, Monday, as I waited for Harriet to compete a nuclear stress test, I tuned in to a young couple debating Thanksgiving. They were from out of town, were not planning to travel to parents for the holiday, and were undecided about their Thanksgiving Day meal. She wanted traditional, he was looking for simple. Turkey and all the trimmings were on her list. He was thinking burgers, maybe even IHOP. She said, "It's Thanksgiving. You can't have Thanksgiving without turkey. We've been blessed. We must give thanks." He said, "whatever!"

Maybe it's priviledge, maybe a bad case of what one author calls, "affluenza" (see Affluenza: the All Consuming Epidemic, John deGraaf, David Wann, Thomas Naylor: Berrett, Koehler, 2002), but much of our culture has adopted a "whatever" attitude about the stuff of life. Even in lean times, Americans are well heeled by world standards. In spite of our jobless numbers, a growing homeless population, and other depressing statistics, Americans enjoy a standard of living greatly larger than most nations. We still own more cars, more homes, more televisions, more smart phones, laptops, e-readers, and techie toys than any population on the globe.

Demographers also tell us that a majority of our citizens profess faith in God. Yet, an intro-spective family holiday like Thanksgiving elicits little more than a "whatever" nod from a sizable portion of our inhabitants. Take away some of the glitz---the Macy's parade, grudge football matches, Black Friday,--- or the traditions---turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, pilgrims, grand pa asking the blessing---and it's just another day. I mean, people that take life for granted and ignore God's provision of all things 364 days a year aren't going to turn turn instantly grateful when the pumpkin pie is placed on the table. Sure, many of us will go through the motions, play the "I'm thankful for this" game before a verse or two of Kumbaya, maybe even attend church with the family. But, for most, after the formalties it will be "whatever". 

The Epistle to the Romans includes a brief historical survery of Israel's decline in ther distant path. Paul wrote that "...although they knew God, they neither glorified him as their God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:21). This is such a vivid phrase. It pictures a nation that is both rich in intellect and deep in heart but has become empty and shallow. As a result, they failed to honor God. Even more, they stopped thanking him. Maybe they were a "whatever" culture too.

This week is Thanksgiving in America, a national holiday. Many of us will count our blessings and attribute them to the gracious hand of a Loving God. Prayerfully, it won't be just another day, another "whatever" in the drudgery of life. Every item on the list came from somewhere. You know where.

Don't shrug and say "whatever". Thank Him!

Water to the river

Maybe it's an apt analogy, maybe not. But, much of our mission strategy reminds me of taking water to the river. This image is perhaps the most compelling reason I've supported the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report  approved at the Southern Baptist Convention last June. It's also the reason I permitted my nomination to be President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Just maybe I can have a voice in the implementation of the GCRTF Report in South Carolina. You see, I am convinced that the Lord Jesus commissioned us to take water to the dessert, not the river. And, for this reason, we must re-examine our work, how we are deployed for mission, and the ways we seek to fulfill the commission he gave us.

Kingdom math gets a little complicated at this point only because our priorities have shifted. Taking the living water to the wilderness has comprised the heart of our mission for much of our history as a denomination. The water to the dessert image was the impetus not only of our founding in 1845 but also the introduction of the Cooperative Program in 1925. Under the banner of this commission the vast machinery of the Southern Baptist Convention thrived. Then, however, something changed. 

Today, a majority of North American Mission Board funding is allocated to regions populated by local congregations. What is more, in South Carolina, more of the money given to the Cooperative Program by our local churches is used within the state, already served by 2,200 churches. It's more of the water to the river thing that troubles so many local pastors and church members. What is more vexing is the way this situation has become pro forma and entrenched into the operating system and structure of our very complex denominational bureaucracy.

Everyone goes simple on the way to balance the books and get more of the living water to the dessert. Some of us Baptists only understand the mathematics of substraction. So, the only solution is to rob Peter to pay Paul, to hit the agencies and institutions who rely on our help. Somewhere, our priority system has been reduced to an economy of reduction. We've strategically forgotten about "immesaurably more" and "glorious riches" and the "the windows of heaven" and a whole denomination of "cheerful givers". 

Ours are a resilient people because our mission is the command of our Lord, a constant in a world of ups and downs. Southern Baptists will rise to the challenge of taking water to the dessert because it is what God has promised to bless, the one final commission entrusted to us by Jesus, the work that holds this enormous enterprise together. It is what inspires us because it is the assignment that honors and glorifies our Lord. 

Taking water to the river isn't all that inspiring. But, speaking the life-changing good news to the all of the unreached people groups at home and around the world, now that is something to raise the pulse, make the heart jump. It's taking water to the dessert. 

That's what I'm talking about.                                                                                       

A final thought about our life "with"

Living in authentic Christian community will always be difficult for mere humans. Even at our best we are flawed by experiencing this journey in jars of clay and being by nature fallen creatures. By God's act of incredible grace new creation is possible, and we are invited to encounter life in the community of Christ, more, the Body of Christ. It is both a particular trial of life this side of heaven, and a supernatural blessing.

This community is governed by the character of Christ lived out in our relationships. The New Testament contains the many "one another" passages to mark the boundaries of this unique and mysterious bond, the Body of Christ. Sadly, many of these traits are left on the shelf with the Bible and never make it into the church. This is perhaps the most significant disconnect that separates people of faith from the world. If lifestyles and confessional statements aren't equal, this chasm is wider. Remember: they are no long listening, but are watching close.

Today I will speak the final words over this very informative and challenging series. What is the goal of a project like this? Simple. To challenge each of us to go deeper in our relationships and to become active participants in the small group life of the church. My prayer is that more of us will be open to "kitchen" experiences with others. It is where genuine growth happens.

Next week I am presenting a one message, stand alone Thanksgiving message. Then, to bring in the joy of the holidays, I will bring messages from the Gospel of John, under the series title WORD: CHRISTMAS WITHOUT THE BLING. I'm praying for a rich holiday experience for the entire community.

God has entrusted us to each other till the day we meet Jesus, whether in death or at his glorious return. We are an essential part of His "with" promises. Each day I am thankful for being part of this wonderful spiritual family and experiencing the journey with Northwood Church. As Harriet and I prepare for Thanksgiving, we'll be expressing our deepest gratitude for being in a place when we can be real.

Thanksgiving blessings!