Speed Read the Bible!

Five years ago, the publishing company, Broadman and Holman, released the LIGHT SPEED STUDY BIBLE. Who needed the ONE-YEAR STUDY BIBLE? With the LIGHT SPEED STUDY BIBLE, anyone with a seventh grade reading level could read through every word of the Bible, “with good comprehension”! Something tells me this might not be a good idea.

I may not be a born multi-tasker, but I became one pretty early in life. Family members used to get irritated with me on vacations because I would play card games with them—cards in one hand—while reading a book held by the other (and engaging in the conversation.)

Sometimes multi-tasking has been helpful to me. Other times, I think it has proven harmful.

I know more and more people are wrestling with this. Ever have that woman behind you at the stop light during early morning traffic, staring at her rear view mirror, putting on makeup with one hand and talking on the cell phone held by the other? Not good.

The fifty-plus verses in the Bible, talking about meditation, scream out to me the need for us to slow down when it comes to Scripture. Instead of being in such a hurry, God’s Word is calling for us to R-E-L-A-X. Breathe. Chill.

I am all for goal setting. I want to join the many, who want to squeeze everything out of the experience we call life. But we can go too far.

We, adrenaline junkies, probably need to be reminded that the important thing is not getting into the Scriptures; the important thing is allowing the Scriptures to get into us.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Friday night was magical; the Rangers, the Rangers!, are going to the World Series.

2. I told my church Sunday morning that I now understand why Diann Preston, the ETCA volleyball coach, let’s me film the matches from the rafters.

         During Saturday’s match, my daughter, Haleigh, hit a fantastic backcourt spike to gain the point at a critical juncture during the second game. The referee called it out. OUT!

         I knew this ref was ripping off my baby girl. Deep inside, my emotions welled up and I felt a deep desire to boo.

         Of course, this was appropriate, as I long as I booed to the glory of God and with the love of Christ.

3. We lost a heartbreaker Saturday to a team from Amarillo. This was after winning our playoff match Tuesday night against Dallas Westwood. Admittedly, Westwood was a young team and very green. Still, we won one game by a score of 25-1—that would be hard to do without anybody on the other side of the net. (Through the years, just observing teams passing the ball around or serving, I often see a lot of unforced errors. These, of course, are points for the other team.)

         The volleyball season is over. The great thing about sports, though, is it is a lot like life. You’ve got to move on. Now, we move on to basketball and hopefully, a great season.

 

4. Halloween comes up this weekend. I’ve got to confess, I’ve got a desire to have a family night, where all of us watch the old Don Knott’s movie, THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN.

5. On the Rangers TBS telecasts, I kept seeing the same Volkswagen commercial over and over again. Have you seen it? The guy takes all of these odd jobs to earn money to buy a Volkswagen—all to the tune of Wynn Stewart’s song, “Another Day, Another Dollar.” (Hilarious commercial by the way.) That song grew on me so much, I downloaded it to my iPhone. Incidentally, that song was not a hit for Stewart. He died in 1985 of a heart attack at the age of 51. Interesting, the power of the media—a quarter century after a man’s death, an Ad firm selects a song and makes him more well known than he was during his lifetime.

The Rule of 150

According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book, TIPPING POINT, human beings are limited in the amount of information their brains can contain. Once humans “pass a certain boundary, we become overwhelmed.”

Maintaining a relationship with a best friend requires a minimum investment of time. Any more time spent requires drawing from a reservoir containing emotional energy. It is exhausting to care for someone deeply. Most people can handle deep, close, personal relationships with 10 to 15 others. After that, overload begins.

The amount of people with whom we can maintain a simple social relationship expands. Most humans can socially interact with approximately 150 people. As Gladwell says, these would be the people that you and they would feel comfortable getting together in a restaurant, should you accidentally run into them.

This number has held true in various cultures throughout the last several decades. This reality has social implications. Studies have indicated repeatedly that is hard to get more than 150 people “sufficiently familiar with each other so they can work together as a functional unit.”

Corporations exist that recognize the reality of the rule of 150, and organize their corporate culture around this principle. Gore Associates is a privately held, multimillion dollar high-tech firm based in Newark Delaware.

A major portion of their strategy has been this: in organizational planning and structure, observe the rule of 150. No single entity within the corporation grows past this point. If one plant approaches 150 employees, a new plant is built. When it approaches 150 employees, another plant is built. By doing so, Gore assures itself that each employee works well relationally with the other employees in each plant. Output is at maximum capacity.

I'm wondering if the rule of 150 has implications for church work. Perhaps, we in congregations would do well to organize ourselves in such a way that we assure that no member is expected to work with and relate well to more than 150 other people.

Perhaps it would be beneficial for leadership to emphasize community taking place within the context of small groups, Bible classes, shepherding groups, and other units of relationship. Maybe it is time we recognize that to expect our members to know more than150 other members is taxing. In doing so, we are placing a burden upon them they are not capable of bearing.

It could be for this reason the average church in the United States maintains a membership of less than 100. This is not to say congregations cannot grow larger than 150 members. Indeed, our church is larger than this, and I hope we grow to be even larger. There are many blessings a larger church can offer, unique to its size. I know, I have done foreign mission work with groups of less than twenty people. Believe me, there are limits to smallness!

Still, a church larger than 150 could be guilty of asking its members to offer more than they are capable of delivering. This is exasperating to them, and it reduces the ability of the church to minister. Ultimately, members typically express their frustration or pain by quietly leaving the church.

Maybe I should not be surprised to read about the rule of 150. After all, Jesus had huge crowds, but he did not pretend to know each crowd member on an individual basis. Instead, he sought to relate to people on a much more intimate level. He reduced the masses into a group of 120, then there were the 70, then there were the 12 apostles, then there were the three apostles closest to Jesus (Peter, James, and John), and then, finally, there was the disciple whom Jesus loved–John.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1.  TIPPING POINT came out a few years ago, but it is still extremely relevant. I found it a useful read and would recommend you skim it.

2.  Rangers win Game 5 against Tampa, lose Game 1 (heartbreaker!) against the Yankees, and then dominate Game 2. What’s next? Tonight, Cliff Lee vs. Andy Pettitte. It should be fun to watch.

3.  May a church never love me like the Dallas Cowboys love Wade Phillips.

4. Blessings to you, Lady Panthers, in your playoff game Tuesday night.

5. Thanks to John and Trish Eastland, I am in Dallas today listening to Troy Aikman, General Colin Powell, and more. This should be a good day.

The Ultimate Trump Card

“The Lord laid it on my heart…” How many times has a friend said these words to you? It puts things in a special category. “Who am I to go against the Lord?”

Randy Harris calls this statement the ultimate trump card. For this reason, Christians must approach, with extreme caution, the deployment of this phrase for the benefit of other people. I know; I am a preacher; I face this challenge every week.

The problem can be linked to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus said, 33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one (Matt. 5:33-37).

He was not simply saying keep your promises. As Dallas Willard writes, Jesus is also confronting the temptation to use our words, invoking the sacred to manipulate others. I know of no other phrase in the church today that manipulates more people than “The Lord laid it on my heart…”

Of course, I am not saying the Lord refuses to “lay” things on people’s hearts. Nor am I warning others to never approach someone with that phrase. What I am saying is be very, very careful.

You put people in a very difficult position when you approach them with those words. Good manners tug at them to be nice to you, listen to you, and maybe even try to do what you tell them—especially, if you invoke the Lord.

Here is what I recommend you do when you approach someone with this message:

1. Expect, yea, encourage, the individual you are approaching to not simply take your word for it. Ask them to search the Scriptures, pray, and contemplate what you are saying. After all, you, like them, are fallen. I try to remind myself to do this with the Bible in a Bible study or sermon. I will tell people, “Don’t simply take my word for it, read and study for yourself.”

2. Take a page out of Jesus’ book. Jesus let people decide for themselves. He did not manipulate them into doing His will.

3. Maintain a spirit of humility. I cannot tell you how many times, in all of my years of preaching, I have observed personal growth through this observation: thoughts I expressed in an earlier sermon (or even sermons!) were wrong. To me, Scripture is even easier to interpret than the Spirit’s prompting; yet, I have, on occasion, gotten that wrong. I would think that the mysterious prompting of the Spirit is even more difficult to interpret. When it comes to God telling you what other people should do, please remain humble.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1.    Wow! What a strange week for the Rangers. First, I was thrilled they won a game in Tampa. Then, I was thrilled they stole two. Next, I was disappointed they didn’t clinch in Arlington. Now, I’m wondering if they can pull it off in Game 5. Who knows?

2.    At least, we can always count on the Cowboys.

3.    I wish to share an opinion, I believe is not political because I know people in both parties who agree with me. Having lived in Latin America five years, I’m convinced there is a better way to help those countries.

Why spend billions each year maintaining the status quo, when we can empower people to reach their potential and help their countries become first world nations. Anything we in the U. S. and Texas, can do to encourage free trade will accomplish that end. Now, if ultimately we do not wish for Latin American nations to join the “First World”, it is time we own up to that.

4.    Had a friend tell me last week that Disney’s new movie, SECRETARIAT, is one for the entire family.

5. I’ve got to admit, there is something fun about taking Monday’s off.

Hate Crimes

Likely, you have heard about the recent suicide of the Rutgers University student, Tyler Clementi. Apparently, Clementi’s roommate, Dharun Ravi, and Ravi’s friend, Molly Wei, used their technological skills to broadcast to the world on the Internet, Clementi engaging in sex with another man.

Obviously, Ravi and Wei should face the greatest possible punishment by the Law. One does not have to agree with Clementi’s sexual activity to be repulsed by Ravi and Wei’s cruel act. Their work fails to pass any biblical, theological, or religious test.

Because of this case, the past few days, I have been hearing a renewed effort for hate crime prosecution and even stronger hate crime legislation. 

I have a concern about that. How do you determine motive? In Christianity, churches are often visited by people who desire to become a part. When the guest is a complete stranger, the question is sometimes raised–is this person truly a Christian?

Perhaps, one of the reasons the Bible offers as one of the blessings of baptism, entrance into the Church, is because baptism offers an external indication–given by God–that this person is truly committed to serving Jesus Christ as a disciple. After all, in baptism, in front of witnesses, the individual is confessing Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Yet, no one knows for sure what is in the person's heart. Only God truly knows. All we, in churches, have to go on is the external act.

To me, “hate crime” legislation smacks of “playing God.” It is rooted in the fundamental belief that humans are capable of seeing inside another person's heart.

What if people were punished (or rehabilitated) based upon their actions and not upon their motives? I remember years ago, a public official being castigated for not supporting hate crime legislation. As I recall, the case was brought up, in which three Caucasian men cruelly mistreated an African American man—and he died in the midst the brutal acts. And so one question was asked--would not this case be an excellent example of the need for hate crime legislation?

The official answered by saying that the state had prosecuted the three white men for murder. The men were convicted and received the full force of the law. How do you improve upon the justice of a murder conviction?

If everyone is made in the image of God, can we honestly say one crime is more evil than another simply because of the victim’s gender, sexual preference, nation of origin, or race? Is there a hierarchy of intents, each higher rung a motive more evil?

Pondering these things, I could not help but think about what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:

21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

 23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you (Matt. 5:21-23)  NLT.

One could make the argument that Jesus establishes what is in one's heart before any crime—anger, hostility, and contempt. (Of course, Jesus is addressing the heart problems of all humans—something called sin.) This reduces another human being to an object. There can be no greater fundamental wrong.

Perhaps, by the standards of Jesus, every crime is a hate crime.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I was surprised to see the third volume of Larry McMurtry’s autobiography on my public library’s shelf last week. It’s called HOLLYWOOD: A THIRD MEMOIR. It is a short book. A person can read it quickly, probably in an afternoon.             

             McMurtry recounts anecdotes about any interaction he had with Hollywood over the past fifty years. In some cases, he opened the curtain and offered me information I had not known. For example, he goes into detail about the numerous scripts he worked that have been filed away by producers—probably to never be made into films. No matter how you cut it, that adds up to a lot of failure. Without being intentional, McMurtry reminds us that even successful writers fail—probably much more often than unsuccessful writers. (Possibly because unsuccessful writers quit too soon and move into something else.)

            I often found eager to hear his behind the scenes story about a famous movie he worked on—only to be disappointed. I probably should not be. He early on bluntly writes, he had limited involvement in most movies he participated in. Furthermore, he rarely went to the set.

            Still, considering the investment of time, it is a worthy read.

2. I wrote off the Texas Longhorns, when Mack Brown announced last spring, UT was abandoning the spread for a more traditional running game. However, I completely agree with his decision.

            Mack is looking at the big picture. In today’s college world, rare is the time that can carry two big-time quarterbacks, who can run the spread. As we saw in January, qb’s sometimes get hurt.

            Alabama shows a team can win a national championship with an incredible defense, great special teams, an incredible offense line committed to running the ball, and a good, but not great, quarterback.

            Garrett Gilbert will be an excellent quarterback. Next year, should he get hurt, the Horns will be fine with his back up. Right now, Texas is in transition.

3. Want to see the Rangers beat the Rays? Watch this. Tampa Bay wins in four games. You’re welcome.

4. Every year I appreciate Columbus Day more. I stay home with the kids, and it provides a nice break.

5. We’re about to try the NETFLIX trial run, thanks to Patrick Leech. With what we pay each month in delayed REDBOX returns, I’m sure we would more than make up the difference going full-time with NETFLIX. 

What Cooking Shows Might Be Telling Us About Ourselves

Right now, I am preaching through the Sermon on the Mount on Sunday mornings at Shiloh. Recently, we looked at Matthew 5:27–30, the famous passage where Jesus addresses sexual lust.

I came across some famous material from C. S. Lewis, which I did not use. Lewis was addressing the out-of-control sexual appetite that society was demonstrating. This was probably the 1940s or 1950s.

To illustrate, Lewis speculated what would happen were a throng to gather together in a venue. The emcee comes out with a covered plate, and, very dramatically, removes the cover off of the plate. On the plate is food, and the people cheer wildly.

Lewis stated that this would be ludicrous. Yet, Lewis noted, people, typically men, would gather in a burlesque club and cheer women, who would gradually unclothe themselves. This, according to Lewis, was a sign that the sexual appetite of people was out of control.

Recently, it occurred to me, that Lewis’ illustration serving as a foil for sexual appetites out of control, is actually taking place today. There are now dozens of shows devoted to cooking on television. Other shows feature cooking events. In both cases, chefs prepare elaborate dishes and unveil them before a wildly cheering audience.

In an era when obesity is a national health issue, and in an age when arguably our greatest health tribulations come upon us because of overeating, do these food programs serve as metaphors for a culture, whose physical appetites are nowhere close to being under control?

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. SUMMIT was good. I really appreciate getting to stay with Steve and Marsha Ridgell and spending a good deal of time with my old college roommate and Argentina teammate, Tim Archer. I am proud of their ministry at HERALD OF TRUTH.

2. Of all the speakers I heard, probably the most memorable was Shane Claiborne, author of IRRESISTIBLE REVOLUTION and JESUS FOR PRESIDENT. I guess this is because I expected him to be dogmatic and militant. Instead, he was funny and flexible.

3. I just finished reading Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball by Bill Madden. I found it mesmerizing—and I am not a Yankee fan.

4. Happy Birthday this Saturday, love of my life. Don’t worry, I won’t tell how old you are. (Not a problem, Judy never reads my blogs. She says she hears this stuff all of the time.)

5. Tomorrow, September 28, I turn 50. When I was 20, I never thought that, at fifty, I would look as old as I do, feel as good as I do, or be as happy as I am.

Popular Science

[This week I am attending SUMMIT at Abilene Christian University. This is from a blog I posted on January 16, 2009. I “re-blog” in honor of Stephen Hawking’s latest and controversial book—THE GRAND DESIGN]

            Francis S. Collins wrote a book a couple of months ago called The Language of God.  You may remember Collins as the head of the Human Genome Project.  This book is Collin's apologetic where he seeks to harmonize faith in God and science. Collins talks about his conversion to Christianity and his walk with God.  However, what interested me was the fact Collins believes God created the world through a process of evolution. Careful.  Collins is not a proponent of a godless universe, but he does believe strongly in evolution as used by God and explains his reasons. I do not believe in making one's interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2 a test for fellowship.  I know there are plenty of people who are Christians who believe God created the world through an evolutionary process.  Collins' book helps me understand how they think.

            As for me, I am somewhat in the middle.  Not being a scientist, I am not forced to align myself with a scientific theory.  As a student of Scripture, I definitely believe that the Bible is open for interpretation, especially regarding this subject.  For those who consider East Texas to be the backwoods of education, you might be surprised to know that I was raised in an environment and a church that was open-minded when it comes to the creation of the world.

            Instinctively, the members did not want to box themselves into either extreme.  On the one hand, I remember a Sunday school teacher quoting to us from Second Peter 3:8, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." She said who knew how long God took to create the world or what process he used to do so.

         On the other hand, I remember a different teacher in Bible class questioning how much we can know about the formation of the world based upon simple observation, especially when all parties agreed that we were many years removed from the process.  I think Copernicus affirmed this a few hundred years ago, when he noted that all previous observations of the world were incorrect-- the Earth revolved around the sun rather than the sun revolved around the Earth.  The teacher's point was science is an evolving process (no pun intended.)  Who knows what the scientists of tomorrow will discover?

         So, today, I find myself being careful about marrying a position. Science is not God; science can be wrong. Medical science killed more presidents than assassins.  (Examples include the case of the doctors, who bled Washington to death after he caught a cold. Garfield was killed by well-intentioned doctors, who thought they had to remove a bullet from his body.  In attempting to capture the projectile, they gave Garfield an infection that killed him.)

         Religion can also be wrong. Who can forget that Galileo was condemned by the Church for his discoveries?

         We have become comfortable in the church with sophisticated biblical interpretation. No one in Christianity accuses a meteorologist of being atheist because he describes the arrival of snow via a storm system. Even those of us in Christianity who believe that God sends snow do not believe he did so by reaching into his storehouse and sprinkling it on the world (Job 38:22). We know that Job expressed truth about God in chapter 38 using poetry. All of us are comfortable with the unromantic realities of meteorological science.

         What Collins is doing is something I would like to see more people attempted to do: find the intersection between science and religion.  If we can achieve this, not only will our minds benefit, but our souls will as well.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Read LEE AND GRANT by Gene Smith for the third time. I say I read it, what I did was listen to an unabridged, audio version. I own a hard copy, and when I hear something interesting, I will highlight it in my book as soon as I can.

            Gene Smith is one of my favorite writers. His books are popular works of history—easy to read. He is a good story teller. LEE AND GRANT offers the world a biography of two fascinating men—U. S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—two compelling subjects. You might guess since this is the third time for me, I really like it.

2. Sometimes, you experienced something in childhood you want your kids to experience. Typically, they are not impressed.

            When I was a boy in the 60s, a TV show came on, Saturday morning, called THE CHILDREN’S HOUR. They broadcasted movies for children made by filmmakers all over the world. I have always remembered one I saw as a boy—SKINNY AND FATTY.

            The story took place in post WWII Japan. It was about a large, obese boy, who entered a school. Other children made fun of him and tried to make him an outcast. He was befriended by a skinny boy, and together they had a series of adventures. In the midst of the action, a compelling friendship was formed.

            The movie was very touching to me, obviously. I found a copy on YOUTUBE and showed it to Judy and my children. They loved it.

            This gave me immense pleasure.

3. It is always good to return to places that impacted your life. Yesterday I attended worship services at the SOUTHERN HILLS CHURCH OF CHRIST in Abilene and the NORTH MAIN CHURCH OF CHRIST in Winters. I love these churches and enjoyed catching up with some of their members. The churches are different in a lot of ways because their mission contexts are different. Yet both share a passion for taking Jesus to the people. Both do a good job doing so.


4. I heard Rick Atchley open SUMMIT last night. For thirty years this guy has been bringing it in the pulpit. He amazes me. Truly, he possesses a gift for preaching. Only the Lord knows how much of Rick's stuff I have appropriated through the years. I hope I have done a good job giving him credit when I do. Unfortunately, I am sure there has been way too many times when I either forgot to give him credit or forgot that I had gotten it from him.


5. Look out. The Cowboys may have constructed the one scenario that will take them to the Super Bowl. In the span of eight days, not only have they removed all Super Bowl expectations, many have eliminated the Cowboys from the playoff hunt. 16 games makes for a long season. There is plenty of time for the Cowboys to recover. (See the San Diego Chargers the past few seasons.) Wade Phillips' team performs best flying under the radar.

Can a Christian Serve on the Police Force?

Well, as of right now, Reverend Terry Jones is not going to burn the Quran. I am certainly pleased about that. I have not heard a single Christian in Tyler say, “Burn the Quran? What a great idea!”

I heard much talk last week about the lives of military men and women becoming more threatened. I heard renewed debate in some quarters about whether or not Christians could or should serve in the Armed Forces.

Of course, throughout history, there have been a number of Christians who have been pacifists or conscientious objectors. In the Restoration Movement, of which I am a part, there was a strain of believers who were pacifists. I have good friends today who are pacifists, and I respect them greatly. I also disagree with them, and I hope it is in a very agreeable way.

Today, I want to mention only one reason for my disagreement. I will do so in the form of a question, which I have never heard raised: can a Christian serve on the police force?

After all, throughout history, have there not been leaders and officers in police departments throughout the world who have been corrupt? Furthermore, are there not times when men and women in the police force are called upon to take the lives of other human beings? Is not an occasional byproduct of police action violence and the destruction to human beings and property?

I see many parallels between serving in the police department and serving in the military. Perhaps, those who see a difference between the two have good reasons for their beliefs. Perhaps, there are some who believe it is wrong for a Christian to serve in the police department AND in the military. Either way, I would be delighted to hear from you–either in comments on this blog or in a personal way such as email or Facebook.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I am ready to use my iPhone in my vehicles. Anybody found an effective means of doing so? I have yet to meet a person who is satisfied with the FM frequency option.

2. I am currently investigating whether or not Alex Barron is Phil Pozderac’s biological son.

3. I have never attended ACU’s Summit. The last time I was able to attend the old Lectureship was when we lived in West Texas in 2006. I am looking forward to attending Summit next week.

4. I am about to finish JUDE with my Sunday night audience. I am tempted to preach NUMBERS next.

5. The longer I think about it, the more I think it is essential that ETCA get its weight room running again for the athletes. I believe they are not as physically strong as last year. The school's new move has been good; and ETCA can continue to get better, which will in turn attract more students.