What do you do when a convicted sex offender comes to your church? Two and a half years ago, a young man, named Matt, visited our church. He came from a Tyler halfway house. He had been arrested for carrying child pornography across state lines on his computer. He served in the federal penitentiary in North Carolina. While he was there, he was converted to Christ. Two and a half years ago, staying in that halfway house, Matt was looking for a church home. He visited us, at Shiloh, enjoyed the way our church treated him. Knowing he needed a church home, he decided he would ask the elders if he could become a member at Shiloh Road.

There were complications. You see, Matt was listed on the Internet as a sexual offender. Matt knew the problems this would pose for a church. That is why he very graciously and unselfishly told the elders, if he created problems in any way, then he did not want to place membership.

The elders asked me to check with other churches, which had similar circumstances and see how they handled it. I did so.

I found the way they handled them was one of two. Some leaders told their church they were going to welcome this sexual offender, only to have families rise up and threaten to leave the church. The leaders would then back down and inform the sexual offender that he was not welcome.

Other leaders would welcome the sexual offender but admonish him to keep his status a secret. Thus, he was a potential time bomb, posing terrible problems in the future for the churches.

Neither one of these solutions were acceptable for Shiloh. We never found a church, who welcomed a sexual offender in a holistic, authentic, truthful, Christ-like way, so we had to prayerfully ask God to lead us and try to find a way.

The elders spent a great deal of time trying to decide what to do. Ultimately, what they decided was this, Shiloh Road needed to offer forgiveness and reconciliation, but also, discipleship and responsibility. We needed to offer a chance for redemption, but also, let Matt know we were going to hold him accountable. Gradually, a new policy took shape.

Meanwhile, we debated how best to process this with the church. We knew it was a high-risk endeavor. I never will forget the night J. B. Berry, one of our shepherds, said to the rest of the elders and to the staff, “We may lose families over this, but it is the right thing to do.”

Never was I more proud of an eldership. Finally, we conceived a strategy for communicating to the rest of our church leadership, and, ultimately, to the church, we were welcoming Matt into our midst.

We decided to do so in an assembly, where the whole focus would be on God, the saving work of Jesus, and our response to Matt. That service took place on Sunday, July 15, 2007.

During the assembly, our elders shared how they formulated their decision, items of the new policy, and relevant parameters concerning Matt’s accountability.

I began my sermon time, by playing a clip from a passage that I had preached on from the book of Luke the year before. The passage was from Luke 14 and the sermon was on the parable of the great banquet, where Jesus talks about the master sending the steward into the highways and byways to bring in people because those who had been invited to the banquet did not want to participate.

I had asked the church who the present day people were from the highways and byways. Likewise, I had told them about hearing a program on the radio from Focus On the Family, where James Dobson interviewed a former sexual offender. The sexual offender had talked about how he had become a Christian but how no church would welcome him, and so he was living his Christian life in isolation and in exile. On that day in 2006, I had asked the church the rhetorical question, “Were this man to come to Shiloh Road, would we accept him?”

After playing the clip, I arose and preached out of the same passage again. I told the church, I believed God had led a man to come to our church so that we might have the chance to live out the gospel. I told the church about Matt. I alluded to the communication made by the elders, to the new policy, to how there would be areas of the building, where Matt would not go. I told the congregation that Matt would have to earn our trust. We would hold him accountable, but we would also forgive him and offer him reconciliation and hospitality.

I concluded my sermon by doing something we always do for new members to Shiloh, albeit typically in a different part of our assembly. Normally, we have new members stand, so the church may know who they are. We usually welcome them with our cultural affirmation, which is applause.

At the end of my sermon, I asked Matt to stand and welcomed him to Shiloh. The audience not only applauded him, but they gave him a standing ovation.

After the service, the line of those waiting patiently to welcome Matt to Shiloh Road extended out into the foyer. Most poignantly, I saw a sister in Christ, who was wheelchair bound, asking her husband to wheel her to the back of the line so she too could welcome Matt into the Shiloh family.

We did not lose one individual over this decision. Still, there are complications. There are areas in the building where Matt cannot go, just like in our society there are places Matt cannot go. We have a loop, a freeway, that circles Tyler. Matt cannot drive on it because of a state law. He has to drive through other streets and neighborhoods. (Don’t get me started on the idiotic nature of some of our state laws.)

We also have to tell new members, for liability sake, about Matt. Actually, this has become a positive. Every couple of weeks, we have a conversation with potential members in a session we call, Tell Me About Shiloh. There, we recount Matt’s story and give them a DVD of the worship service. Typically, the response we receive sounds like this, “I want to be a part of a church that welcomes people in this way.”

Incidentally, the policy our elders constructed has helped us in other areas. A couple of times, we have had other former sexual offenders visit us. Each time, the elders have met with them and explained our policy. The individuals then rejected becoming a part of our church. Perhaps they had ulterior motives and the elders, in their wisdom, have protected the flock.

Late in the spring of 2008, Matt began bringing a young woman named Samantha to our services. They had begun dating. Samantha had known heartache in her life. She entered rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous at age 15. Her life had known brokenness.

We shared the gospel with Samantha and she became a Christian. We baptized her into Christ in June of 2008. Since then, we had opportunity to fellowship with Matt and Sam and study with them in various venues; most recently, Matt and some other guys in their 20s have been studying the Bible with me in my home. Moreover, Matt and Sam, and another couple, have been working through the Song of Solomon with Judy and me on Tuesday nights.

Tomorrow, June 27, 2009, Matt and Sam will be married and I will have the privilege of performing the marriage ceremony. You can fly me to the moon, send me to the Super Bowl, vote me the Heisman Trophy, but I don’t think anything will top this in terms of offering contentment, satisfaction, and happiness.

Initially, when Matt came to us, we were thinking God had brought Matt so that we could bless him. Now we realize, Matt is the one who has blessed us.

Five things I think I think

(a tip of the hat to Peter King for this idea)

1. Many years ago, a guy I knew told me of his experiences when he worked for Bob Hope. One of the things that stuck in my mind was the superstition in the entertainment world that entertainers die in threes. I don’t believe in superstition; however, it has been strange how many times I have seen three members of the entertainment world die within a short time of each other. This week, they are Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson.

2. Gratitude is a powerful motivator. One advantage that entertainers have is the cultivation of gratitude from their audience. The audience, feeling that it owes a debt, will overlook a lot of strange, odd, or inappropriate behavior. I am not saying this is good or bad, but it is reality. (The same thing goes for politicians and their constituents.) I will be watching with interest over the next few years the world’s response to Michael Jackson.

3. The past couple of weeks I’ve been arising between five and six in the morning to play full-court basketball with my firstborn. This experience is making me feel like a teen-ager again. More specific, it is making me feel like I did when I began two-a-days every summer before football season—incredibly sore in certain muscle groups. The good news is that I do, evidently, have muscles.

4. My family joined my sister and her family for a day at the Canton water park this week. Having gone there the past two summers, I have totally reformulated my views on modest apparel. Lust is no longer the problem for Christian males that it once was. We live in a very unfit world. Most females wearing bikinis are suited for the category that I would be were I to wear a Speedo—crimes against humanity.

5. I’m easing my way back into the pulpit. I preach Sunday morning. Thanks to Henry Holub for preaching this Sunday night.

Have a great weekend!

Let Me Share My Dad.

This September I turn 49. I have now lived at least one third of my life. :) At this time, I, like many men, am taking stock of my life. In doing so, my thoughts naturally turn toward my father.

“Life coach” is a term being thrown around quite a bit today. The concept is built upon an individual who "coaches" another person on how to live his or her life. My dad was a life coach long before the term was used. More than making a good living, more than having fun, I think my dad wanted to be my life coach.

Through the years I have learned how unusual he was. Too many men, I have known, have had poor relationships with their fathers. Some were abandoned by their fathers. Some were separated by their fathers through divorce. Some lived with their fathers but were disconnected in their relationships. So many of these men have had difficulty living mature, adult lives -- a consequence of their relationships with their fathers.

All of the blessings that I enjoy in my life I owe to God, first. After him, my dad would be at the top of the list.

It was 30 years ago this summer I headed out to ACU. I was playing college football at the time. I actually moved out in July to work out a month before two-a-days began.

July, 1979, produced a challenging time in my life. I had dreams of somehow overcoming all obstacles in attaining football greatness. In case you have not been reading the sports pages over the last 30 years, I did not reach my goal. Still, I learned much from God. His chief instrument during those years was my father.

My leaving home placed our relationship in transition. As a teenager, my dad and I spent most Friday nights and Saturdays at our cabin near Sulphur Bluff, Texas. There, in incidental moments, my dad did a lot coaching. With me away at ACU, geography separated us. But dad kept coaching me. He did so in phone calls and mainly, in letters.

I have in my possession a file filled with letters that he wrote during the course of my undergraduate years at ACU. I have photocopied them and given copies to my sister who lives in Seattle. If a fire destroys one set, we will have the other. You carefully preserve that which you highly value.

It is not unusual for me to encounter people who knew my dad and have them tell me how much he meant to them. The latest came from someone I grew up with. Lisa Landers Monday sent me a message through Facebook and told me how much my dad had meant to her. She had worked for him and wrote me that she still thinks about the wisdom he possessed. Whenever someone recounts to me a story like this, it always makes me feel good.

Darvin Edge has blessed a lot of lives, none more than mine. So if you're sitting there as one who did not have such a father, let me share with you mine. I want to share the first page of the first letter I received when I was in college. I say first page because the letter is typewritten, 5 ½ pages long, single-spaced. It is full of advice and wisdom. Before I do, let me share with you a little more of the context.

As I told you earlier, I went to college with dreams of football glory. I prepared hard for two-a-days. I was in spectacular shape. However, the morning of the first practice I was in for a shock. There were thirteen quarterbacks in our camp. Even though at that time ACU was a NAIA school, the level of competition was quite high. Some of the conference football players had gone on to play professional football, including some from ACU.

That first day reality began to sink in, and reality stank. It wasn't long before I began to see that not only was Mark Edge not number one in the coaches’ heart, he might not even be number 18 in the team’s game program. As you might imagine, I became quite discouraged. About this time, a letter arrived from my dad. The letter was dated October 7,1979. As I have mentioned, daddy wrote this on his typewriter. I have edited the punctuation a little to convey to you what he communicated to me:


Dear Mark,

The school of hard knocks sometimes ain’t no fun. I hope I can soften the blow somewhat for you but one thing is for sure, I can't eliminate the school. Life is a series of ups and downs. We are fortunate that one of your first challenges is football, something that is not very serious.

You are going to have problems that cause you concern and worry as long as you live. Look at it this way: the only way you can grow, learn and mature is by these challenges. How you handle these will determine what type of individual you are. It is how you react to them that will determine your character.

If you will see that there will be one after another as long as you live, then you will be better able to see that you will just have to settle down and not get uptight with them because as soon as you dispense with one of them, there will be yet another. So learn to relax and figure out the best way to cope or handle them and do your best.

If it is meant to be that you master whatever it is, it will happen. If not, learn from it and you will be better able to handle the next problem because it will come.

You have to learn to handle anxiety. Do not let it eat on you. You cannot change the outcome one bit by being anxious. Don't get to wanting something so badly that you are willing to get uptight to get it. I do not mean that you can't get excited about it, but I mean "do not get to desiring it so badly that you worry about it.” That is when you get to wanting it too badly. If you believe in Christian providence, then give it a chance to work.

Do not anticipate what you believe is best for you. If you do your part, the outcome will take care of itself. Keep the faith – never doubting that the results will be good for you. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to learn how to cope with pressure in something that is not all that important -- football. If you wait to learn this lesson until you get married and are in a much more serious situation, then it will be much harder on you. I wish I could take away the pains of learning from you but you must go through these by yourself. That is the only way you will learn.

Take advantage of it.


It's funny, some of the same character flaws I had back then I have today. I still am tempted to allow anxiety to eat on me. I still find myself wanting something so badly that it eats away at me.

I still have difficulty practicing the Christian discipline of changing myself by becoming more Christlike -- the only area of life I have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to control -- because I am so distracted by the illusion that I can change others, or even circumstances.

Daddy's words speak yet to me from the grave. If you stayed with me thus far, I hope those words have blessed you as well.

Happy Father’s Day.

Spiritual Formation at ACU

I had a great time at my ACU short course. Rare is the room in a building
that becomes sanctified and holy, but that is the case with the Commons Room in the ACU Bible Building. To explain, let me take you back to a time in my life four years ago.

In June, 2005, I was set to attend a class in my DMin program called Spiritual Formation. I was in a bad way. My life was dis-integrating. My mind, my body, my emotional being, and my spirit were operating on different levels.

I was extremely agitated by my stomach going into this class, so much so that I visited a doctor. The main problem was, I was always feeling extremely full, almost nauseous. Having a great-grandfather, who died of stomach cancer, and a father, who died from stomach cancer, my medical doctor, knowing my family history, excused himself and went out of the examining room.

A few minutes later, he came back and said he had made an appointment for me to get a CAT scan the following morning. A few days later, I visited him for the results. He had a big smile on his face and he told me nothing was wrong with me. I asked him, then, what my problem was; he laughed and said, “Stress.”

“Stress?” I said. “I’m not stressed.”

He laughed again. He said he received that kind of reaction from his patients all the time.

The truth was I was extremely stressed. I was in the DMin program, I was preaching full-time, I had two children, plus two foster children—it was a very difficult time in my life. I had been studying the Bible, as always, but something was missing. Consequently, my life was unraveling.

It was at that short course on spiritual formation that the pieces began coming back together. My life, my being, began to re-integrate. I learned there was a whole venue of spirituality that was biblical, that I had ignored, namely, meditation and contemplation.

All week I was taught about Christian spirituality, and it was modeled for me through strategies and practices that immediately addressed those issues. Ultimately, I began a major reorganization in my life and it made a difference. I have told churches this and I believe it—I was blessed by this class and it has added years to my life. Now, I realize the purpose of the spiritual journey is not to add physical years to a person’s life; however, at my age and with a wife and children, I do appreciate the by-product.

Okay, fast-forward back to June, 2009. Last week, I attended the Spiritual Formation class as an auditor. Fortunately, my spiritual life, indeed my entire life, was nowhere near the mess it was in four years ago. Still, I knew this class offered a time for maturation and fine-tuning.

Jeff Childers and David Wray blessed me again in their teaching of the class. They shared new material and new things they had learned since we had last been together. The other men in the class blessed me as well. In our final session, on Friday morning, each man shared about his spiritual journey. Each man was prayed over in groups of three.

I was the last man to share. As I revealed the details of my journey, David Wray affirmed me. Praying over me last, Jeff Childers expressed the value that he placed on our relationship. He affirmed me with wonderful compliments. He held up my needs and confessions.

I must admit, during that prayer—out of nowhere—tears began to form in my eyes. They rolled down my cheeks. I was so overcome with gratitude and emotion. I knew I had not yet attained that to which God had called. However, I knew I had climbed to a much higher ground than before.

Those moments were a wonderful culmination to a marvelous week. Yes, that room, for me, is holy ground.

Isn’ it funny? A common room, in a common building, can be transformed into holy space.

Time with Friends

The first few nights of my stay in Abilene, I stayed with Steve and Marsha Ridgell. The last couple of nights, I stayed with Tim and Carolina Archer.

Steve and Marsha have been my friends for over thirty years. I have spent many evenings in their home and this relationship has been one that I have treasured throughout the years. I don’t have many relationships that have remained constant like this.

The same can be said about my relationship with Tim Archer, who was my college roommate and, in graduate school, my roommate, yet again. Later, Tim and I were teammates in Argentina. Carolina and my wife, Judy, became close there in Argentina.

Although I am now separated from both families by 300 miles, there is still a bond. The main thing I appreciate about my relationship with Tim and Steve is not dialoguing with them about the things we hold in agreement. Rather, what I really appreciate is the relationship I have with them, as expressed in the areas of disagreement. So often, my thoughts have been sharpened by their disagreements. I think this is the mark of the deepest friendships--when you can disagree, agreeably, and never place the relationship in jeopardy.

Winters

Sunday morning I was able to attend Bible class and worship service at the congregation, where I preached for seven years. It was marvelous seeing those wonderful folks; they were so kind and patient and forgiving to me through the years, and I appreciate them for that. The reception they gave me was so marvelous.

The present pulpit minister, Jordan Hubbard, was most gracious and kind with his words. He is doing a tremendous ministry there, along with his wife and family, and I find great satisfaction in saying that. It makes his words that were complimentary, so much more meaningful to me.

At the very end of the service, Sam Nix, one of the elders, was making announcements and he had me stand up and give a report on Judy and the kids. Although he caught me totally off guard and I was somewhat discombobulated, I still appreciated the generous gesture, especially because (and I think Sam knew this would be the case) the folks were so emotional as they processed how my kids have grown. I could feel their emotional tie to my family. I found that feeling most satisfying.

I had lunch with Ken and Mary Slimp, and their daughter, Zannie, along with Tamra Groman, my old secretary. We were able to make a skype hookup with their daughter, Kelly, who is in Ireland, and their son, Guy, who is in Iraq. A great end to a great time in Winters.

Five things I think I think (a tip of the hat to Peter King for this idea)

1. I think Ronald Rolheiser is one of the great writers of the twentieth/twenty first century. His spiritual insights have changed my life. Currently, I am reading THE RESTLESS HEART for devotional guidance to begin my day.

2. I listened yet again to TRUMAN, David McCullough’s biography of our 33rd president on my Abilene trip. A marvelous book.

3. Thanks to the congregation in Rusk, where I spoke last Wednesday night. You ministered to me in your singing, and I have never had a group more ready to receive a message from God’s Word. You even laughed at my jokes. Out loud! When preaching becomes discouraging, I will think of people like you.

4. I think I am going to quit beating my head against the wall about how we in our tradition, do not commune in communion. Rather, I think I am going to focus on our strength—the Lord’s Supper, for us, is a marvelous opportunity for communal contemplation.

5. Welcome Duane and Lissa Melton, and girls! I look forward to being with you over the next two weeks.

Have a great weekend!

Friday, June 12, 2009

A Day in the Life of a Preacher

I have been at ACU all week enjoying a short course that I was auditing. It was awesome and I’ll tell you about it next week.

Now, though, I need to leave for home, so I’m posting something in response to a question a get asked occasionally—what is a typical Sunday like for you? To answer that question, let me share with you a diary I kept on a recent Sunday--May 17, 2009:

5:15 AM—My alarm goes off. I arise, get the paper, eat breakfast, read a portion of the paper, and drink a cup of coffee.

5:45 AM—I put out the dogs, brush my teeth, and get my stuff together to take to the church building.

6:30 AM—I leave for the church building.

6:45 AM—I preach my sermon to an empty auditorium. This is something I started doing in January. I don’t know if anyone notices any difference, but I think it has helped me minister more effectively. Each year I attempt to find ways to improve my preaching. Last year, for example, I began writing a manuscript of my sermons. I do not read them, but I allow them to help formulate my thoughts. When I preach my sermon to an empty auditorium, I imagine the people in the audience. I sometimes identify things that I had thought would work, that will not. I also have thoughts come to me that strike me as better illustrations or explanations. My goal is that when I preach the sermon in the assembly, it is not a recitation of what I have studied. Rather, I desire that it has become so internalized, I can say my words without calculation. They have been burned into my heart.

7:15 AM—I make any changes on my sermon that I wish to note, turn on my computer, check my email, check the news, make all other provisions needed for the morning, and make a pot of coffee, drinking one cup myself.

8:00 AM—I go home to shave and change into my “church clothes.”

8:35 AM—Cecil Taylor, one of our shepherds, always comes by to pray with me.

8:45 AM—I take my allergy medicine and brush my teeth. I realize this is my second time to brush this morning, but nothing is worse than a preacher with funky breath.

8:55 AM—Head over to the auditorium to get miked for the assembly. I always stay after the assemblies and visit with as many people as desire, but I try to avoid contact before the assembly with people. I am so focused that I am concerned about treating people rudely.

9: 00 AM—the church assembly

10:20 AM—I visit with folks who want to talk with me.

10:40 AM—I co-teach a class for college and young singles with Patrick Leech.

11:15 AM—I visit with people from my class and people who have stayed for Bible classes. When the crowd has thinned down and people are headed to their cars, I go to my office.

11:30 AM—I start looking over my stuff for Sunday night’s sermon and organize my office a little.

11:45 AM —I eat lunch with one of our fellowship groups in the church fellowship hall. Each week, one of our seven fellowship groups offers a meal after Bible classes. They do so for fellowship, as well as, to invite our guests to lunch. I think this is a neat way we're able to offer people hospitality.

12:15 PM—I facilitate a conversation that we call Tell Me About Shiloh. At Shiloh Road, we hold a high view of the church. We don't invite people simply to come down during an invitation song and join our church. We want people to understand our mission, our vision, our church culture, and feel that we are a good match for them. We tell folks there are plenty of good churches from which they can get to heaven, and if they find another place is a better fit, they will not hurt our feelings. On the other hand, we tell them we want them with us and we hope they will ultimately choose us. Joining me are typically two of our elders and their wives. Virtually always, our guests leave telling us that they have been blessed by our time together. And most people who attend become part of our church.

1:45 PM—I go home to spend some time with my kids.

3:30 PM —I return to the building to get ready for our 6 PM service. This day is an unusual day, in that we will be hosting a special prayer vigil for foster children, foster families, and other organizations who are engaged in foster care. John Daniel is the visionary behind this effort. Last year, he found out this week in May is National Foster Care Week. Thanks to his leadership, we offer our facilities for a special service. This day we will do it again. We spend a couple of hours putting the final touches on the assembly preparation.

5 PM —John and I welcome Haley Wielgus, who is a reporter on one of our local television affiliates, CBS channel 19. Hayley had called me during the week asking if she and a cameraman could film a portion of our assembly. I help the cameraman find potential places to shoot from while John gives Haley an interview.

5:30 PM —We begin welcoming people for our 6 PM special assembly.

6 PM—Our special service. One of our members, Matt Blake, tells what it's like to be a foster parent. Gary Miller shares with us from the perspective of Christian Homes. Interspersed in their presentations are prayers for families and various organizations engaged in foster care. A group of our children, between the ages of six through middle school, sing a few songs. My role is easy. I simply share a few scriptures and try to put a theological perspective regarding God and children. The assembly is a tremendous success.

7 PM —Some of our members have prepared a marvelous reception for our guests. I get to eat a lot of good food and visit with some neat folks.

8 PM—The evening is winding down. I go home and eat supper with the family and help the little kids get ready for bed.

9:15 PM—I spend some time with Judy and the big girls.

10 PM —Together we watch the broadcast on channel 19. You don't always know about television interviews and stories. This night, though, the story was well edited and I'm grateful for the message Channel 19 broadcasted on the TV airwaves.

10:30 PM-- I bring the dogs into the house and get ready for bed.

10:45 PM— I do a little bedside reading. This is something I have done virtually every night since I was six years old.

10:55 PM-- Lights out.

It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for (Heb. 11:1-2).

13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Heb. 11:13-16).

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:1-2).

Sometimes, God calls us to follow him and behave in a way that is pleasing to him, but to no one else. We understand what God is about, we understand what God wants, but we do not necessarily see the impact of that. Others may not see the impact either. God sees it. God appreciates it. But we are not receiving encouragement from anyone else. So we operate by faith. And, the writer of Hebrews says, the ancients were commended for living lives that reflected the certainty of what they did not see.

He gives us some examples:

Noah was not hailed by his town as a great visionary. They thought he was a nut. And so, when no one could see the future, Noah built an ark and saved his family.

According to verses 13 to 16 of Hebrews chapter eleven, people like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not get much encouragement. They lived as aliens and strangers. They didn't see much here in this world. By faith they saw something ahead that would be better. They lived for that.

Moses, according to Josephus, was in line to become Pharaoh. But he gave the throne up to follow God and to lead a group of people who did not always give him encouragement. It was tough, yet Moses was faithful.

The scripture says he chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time… because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt and he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.

Finally, in Hebrews Chapter twelve, the author tells us this: we do have some who are watching. We do have some who are encouraging us. It is the great cloud of witnesses. While there is certainly symbolism present, I also believe that the witnesses are real. I do believe Moses is watching and encouraging us, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Abraham.

So, be of good cheer. God and spiritual beings see your good work, even if no one else does.

Let me tell you about someone who could not see his audience. Lyman was born in upstate New York in 1856.[1] He was one of the many wandering Americans of his generation. The late 1880s found him in Aberdeen, South Dakota, first opening a department store and then working on a newspaper. A few years later, he popped up in Chicago; he eventually settled in California.
Along the way, Lyman failed in the axle grease business, managed an opera house and a baseball team. He was a traveling salesman and a buyer for a department store, before becoming the editor of The Store Window for the National Association of Window Trimmers.

In his younger days, Lyman had hoped to write a great novel that would win him fame. However, nearing forty, he surrendered his dreams for greatness. He pursued other tasks that seemed to lead him in the opposite direction. He spent more time with his children. For, as he wrote his sister, “... aside from my evident inability to do anything [great], I have learned to regard fame as a will-o'-the-wisp, which, when caught, is not worth the possession; but to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own reward."

Lyman took to inventing stories for his children, which they enjoyed immensely. So much so, they began to invite their friends who likewise reveled in Lyman’s tales. With the children’s encouragement, Lyman decided to put his stories in a book so that perhaps other children might enjoy them.

The title came to him in an inspired moment in his own living room during one of his sessions with the kids. He had been telling them about a special place—a magical land. The children kept pressing him for the name, “What is the land called?”

Unsure, Lyman’s eyes scanned the room for ideas. Finally, they rested on his file cabinets. One bore the letters A-N, the other, O-Z. “Oz,” he said. “The name of the land is Oz.” And so it was, in 1900, Lyman published his book for children titling it, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Where would the world be without the Wizard of Oz? That book has blessed our planet for over 100 years. Millions of children and adults have enjoyed Lyman Frank Baum's stories through the avenues of books, movies, plays, and musicals. In moments of service to children, L. Frank Baum was laying the groundwork for blessings unseen. Even though Baum enjoyed success in his lifetime, he died not knowing the benefits that future generations would receive from his efforts.

Oftentimes, a person feels unsuccessful because he or she did not meet predetermined expectations for success. However, those who receive the fruits of the labor view this individual with respect, awe, gratitude and even affection.

Christians profit from a reality that no one else enjoys. Christians have the Word of God to tell them what pleases God. And, because of Hebrews 11-12, Christians can know they have an audience who appreciates their efforts, even if no other human beings do.

Play to your unseen audience; they see you. To do so is true faith, and you will be blessed for it. And who knows what future unseen audience in this world will someday be blessed as well?

[1] This “rest of the story” is taken from notes I scribbled from an entry in Civilization –The Library of Congress Magazine, Feb/March 2000. I copied this down in my dentist office that year and have, unfortunately, lost all other data. It is synthesized with a story found in my children’s Childcraft.

Have a great weekend!

A phrase never good to utter—
“I would have made that catch thirty years ago.”

Some of our guys who are in their 20s have started a church softball team. They invited/allowed me to play on the team. Our first game is not until June 15; however, we have already had a couple of practices.

I must confess, I began this endeavor with some trepidation. I have not played softball since 1998. So, I did not know what to expect. Nonetheless, it has not been so bad trying to get the hang of it again. I have been pleasantly surprised.

Still, I have noticed a few things that have changed. Last Sunday, we were taking batting practice and the defenders out in the field would take whatever position they wanted. I moved around quite a bit, including spending some time in the outfield. I've always enjoyed the outfield.
It was a hot Sunday afternoon and somebody sent a screeching line drive over my head. I gave it a halfhearted effort and let it go.

Then I had a flashback. My mind traveled back to the summer of 1979. I had just graduated from high school. Some of the guys from church and I went out to the softball field and played softball. And, I can remember the joy I felt as I tried to go after every ball in the field, the more impossible to catch, the better. Let me tell you, I made some GREAT catches that day.

I no longer have that motivation. Thus, as I let the ball go over my head, with minimum effort to catch it, I uttered the remark, "I would've made that catch 30 years ago." One our twenty-somethings replied, "The woman who gave birth to me was 10 years old 30 years ago." Smart Aleck! I won't be surprised if I show up to our first ballgame and find a rocking chair with my name on it.

You Might Sing That

Let it never be said that we don't have worship services on Sundays that are not inspirational. I overheard my youngest daughter singing last Sunday afternoon one of the songs that she heard during the public assembly. She sang this refrain, "I exhaust thee.” I think she meant to sing, "I exalt thee." However, I think it is possible that what she was singing would at times be descriptive.

Frost/Nixon

I got to see Frost Nixon at last. While I cannot recommend the movie since it is rated R for occasional, really bad, words (which were words these men involved definitely spoke in real life), I can say I’ve found it very interesting. It was definitely an embellishment as these types of movies typically are. Anytime you compress into two hours an ongoing drama, you are bound to have a synthesis not totally reflective of the truth. Moreover, you will often find composite characters. Still, I found this movie much better than many.

The worst I have ever seen, when it comes to historical accuracy, is the movie Inherit the Wind—all three versions. Inherit the Wind is a thinly disguised retelling of the story of the Scopes Monkey Trial, which took place in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. The screenwriters of Frost /Nixon are like biblical writers full of the Holy Spirit compared to those who wrote Inherit the Wind. (Incidentally, Summer for the Gods by Edward Larson is the best resource I have ever found on the Scopes Monkey Trial. It won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1998.)

As for Frost/Nixon, I found David Frost’s own account of this—I Gave Them a Sword—to even be interesting. While the movie seems more in line with Frost’s version of the story, as Hollywood goes, I thought the movie was pretty even-handed in its telling.

Preaching in the 21st Century

When I am preaching, the current of church culture drags me along the channel of only one of our five senses. Guess which one it is? The sense of hearing. There is a problem with this, however. It is an open secret not everybody learns best by hearing. Some people are visual learners (sense of sight), while others are primarily experiential learners (any or all of the five senses.) As we discussed last week, in Scripture, God demonstrated that He knew this fact better than any human.

This week, I want to focus on a different tact. I want to demonstrate how God demonstrates his understanding of learning styles just in the way he encouraged His biblical writers to write scripture. A quick glance of Scripture reveals a remarkable variety of literature styles.

Take the book of Exodus. You start out with a story in chapter one, or what some call narrative. In chapter six, you have factual information with the census. For us, that may seem boring; however, to the Jew, it was an important source of data. The writer in chapter 15 shares with us a song. In chapter 20 and following, you have laws and legal issues, which is a distinct style of writing. Now, I have just shared four styles of literature with you, and that’s just from the book of Exodus.

Consider the book of Psalms. You find there beautiful and challenging poetry. Look at the book of Proverbs. There you have, well, proverbs. Move over to Jeremiah. You have prophetic preaching, you have oracles, and you have narrative.

What about the New Testament? First, you’ve got the Gospels. Even within them, you will find portions of poetry, riddles and parables. You have letters such as those of the Apostle Paul. Maybe the most famous style of biblical writing is called apocalyptic.

In both the Old Testament and new, you will find a genre of literature that emphasis symbols. This style is found in portions of books such as Ezekiel, Daniel, the gospels, and Acts. It is especially found in a book of the New Testament. As a matter of fact, the Spanish name for this book is a derivative of the word “apocalyptic.” The book is called—Revelation.

Note the diversity of literature styles. Why did God inspire these? Because he knows that humanity is diverse. I love narrative. As a book, Psalms is not nearly so appealing to me. Others love the Psalms. We’re different!

I have been sensing for years that we should not appeal to only one learning style in our preaching. Moreover, I shared with you one who shares in my views, Rick Blackwood, who wrote the book, THE POWER OF MULTI-SENSORY PREACHING AND TEACHING. One point he emphasizes in his book is multisensory preaching and teaching is our best hope to cultivate a love for scripture in the younger generations. I completely agree. The key to preaching in the twenty-first century is not to jettison scripture. Rather, we must present God’s Word in a way that is best understood by more people. People are not rejecting Scripture; people are rejecting lectures.

For what it is worth, a few weeks ago, I wrote a memo to myself on Blackwood’s book. I have copied and pasted it here in its entirety:

Memo to Self on:
THE POWER OF MULTI-SENSORY PREACHING AND TEACHING

1. Book has a high view of the Word of God.

2. We cannot escape the fact that a major source of our evangelism is the assembly.

3. God made us with five senses.

4. The “lecture” style of preaching as typical is recent: only the past 400 years. came with the Protestant Reformation and the printing press.

5. God consistently moved his men to address the different learning styles of the people.

6. Goal of preaching in the congregation is to equip Christians to mature in Jesus, not to preach the “perfect” sermon.

Boredom Alley

I cannot help but wonder what role quantum mechanics has played in postmodernism. Here is one reason why. Diarmuid O’Murchu, in his book Quantum Theology, writes about “Schrödinger's Cat.” I must confess to you, I had not even heard of it until recently when Patrick Leech sent me a reference to it. I have since seen several mentions of it in various writings.

Here is the story. Erwin Schrödinger took a cat into his laboratory. He built a box that was opaque. He installed a mechanism that was structured in such a way it had a 50-50 chance of releasing poisonous gas. He then placed a live cat inside the box and closed the door. Hence, the cat had a 50-50 chance of surviving.

After closing the box’s door, Schrödinger activated his device. Something occurred, and he did not know what it was. Either the cat had breathed the poisonous gas and died, or the poisonous gas had not been activated and the cat was still alive. However, since the box was opaque, Schrödinger did not know whether or not the cat was alive or dead.

Here is where things changed. According to classical science, Schrödinger would have opened the box and noted the results. However, Schrödinger leaves the door closed. Now, he wonders whether or not the cat is dead. In other words, there is no outcome until the measurement is made.

According to a number of quantum theorists, this experiment demonstrated one’s observation determined outcome. That is to say, whether the experiment caused the cat to be alive or dead was dependent upon one's observation. (This was called the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory).

You are probably thinking, if I have not already lost you, “The deed is done! Open the box and see what happened!” I would agree. And, in all fairness, I need to state that many scientists did not find Schrödinger’s experiment beneficial. Stephen Hawking famously said, “Every time I hear about Schrödinger’s cat, I want to reach for my gun." Moreover, even some scientists who believe in quantum mechanics do not find Schrödinger’s experiment helpful. However, a number of scientists did and still do.

I side with those scientists who did not consider the experiment helpful. While I reserve the right to grow, my personal opinion is, this was another important event that paved the way to the postmodern view that reality is in the eye of the beholder. “If I believe it, it is true.”

“Schrödinger’s cat” further inserted faith and/or philosophy into a scientific discipline (physics); moreover, it moved this discipline further away from its regimented adherence to recording data. Turn on the History Channel today and you will hear what you will likely consider to be outlandish claims by quantum physicists--claims such as the existence of alternative universes and alternative realities. “Schrödinger’s cat” assisted in creating the environment that made this view of reality possible.

On to ACU

This Saturday, I leave for Abilene. Next week I am auditing a short course in the DMiN program at ACU. The course is called Spiritual Formation. I took it four years ago and it absolutely changed my life. I thought it was time for a tune-up, so I am experiencing it again and looking forward to it very much.

Sunday morning, I'm hoping to visit my old haunts in Winters, Texas, especially the congregation where I formerly preached. I love those people there and have the deepest appreciation for their ministry to that community.

However, it is always hard to leave my family. It is something I don't enjoy. I prefer my leaving though, to my family leaving me to travel. At least when I travel, I am so much out of my element, the concentration required to meet the demands of travel succeed in distracting me somewhat from the pain of being away from my family. If I am home alone, I am in my element. All cues point toward routine, but with my family away, the routine is destroyed.

I return Friday week. It will be good to see my family again. Shortly thereafter, I have something else to look forward to--my sister and her family will visit us from Washington state.

Five things I think I think (a tip of the hat to Peter King for this idea)

1. Haleigh, Abby and I saw Night at the Museum II last Friday night. Not as good as the first, but not bad.

2. I’ve got to watch this TV program, Mythbusters, that I keep hearing about.

3. Saw Vertigo this week with Judy and the two oldest. Third time Judy and I have seen it. Loved it every time. The girls enjoyed it too. It is funny how it was overlooked for so many years and now considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

4. Sorry to see that David Carradine hung himself this week. I still think of him in that old TV series Kung Fu. That was part of my inspiration to study martial arts in Argentina. No, I am not kidding, I really did.

5. It was neat to have H. L. Shirey kick off our Wednesday night speaking series here at Shiloh this week. H. L. baptized me and was the first person to work with me on preaching and being a leader in the congregation. He is now ministering in R.A.A.W.—Reclaiming Addicted and Abused Women. He is has asked me to serve on his board and I am honored to comply. H. L. did a great job in his “sermon.” He had his audience spellbound.

Have a great weekend!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Well, She’s Got a Point

Our middle daughter, Abby, does not like to play volleyball. She has got talent in volleyball and I think she could develop into a fine player. However, the last thing I want to do is put pressure on her to play.

Judy and I have offered several times to send Abby to volleyball camp this summer. While, not wanting to pressure her, we did want to encourage her. This week I told her, “Abby, you have a talent for volleyball.”

Abby’s reply, “Well, if I am so talented, why do I need to go to volleyball camp?” I laughed and conceded the logic of her position. Of course, were she to have an interest, she would allow volleyball camp to help her improve on her talent. Still, I recognize the signs of disinterest. I’ll choose my battles and concede on this one.

The Million Dollar Moment

ETCA graduation was last Saturday. As I mentioned last week, all of the faculty marched in the ceremony in their graduation gowns. I had to buy my last one; at least once a year I know I’ll use it!

I had the privilege of participating in last Saturday’s ceremony. Secondary faculty is asked to write letters to different Seniors. My senior was Collin Danforth.

I enjoyed reading his letter. The only tough part was the logistics. Deb Newman, former president of ETCA, was the main speaker. Deb, one of my favorite people, is, how should I say this? Diminutive. So the podium was hidden behind flowers, while all speakers stood on the next level of the stage, probably two feet higher than the part of the stage where the podium was located. That may work for Deb, but I felt like Abraham Lincoln. I almost needed a telescope to see my letter. Normally when I speak, I’ll pop out my right contact and leave my left in. My contacts are designed to compensate for my nearsightedness and help me see great distances—such as the distance from my eyes to the letter on the podium.

I found myself feeling terribly emotional and sentimental during the ceremony. My oldest daughter, Haleigh, will graduate in two years. Two years! It will be here so quickly. I so wanted to protest the march of time during the ceremony. It was all I could do to refrain from standing up and shouting, “Stop the insanity!” Followed, of course, by sobs and incoherent mutterings. Instead, I’ll save those for Haleigh’s actual graduation.

One bit of compensation for the weekend, though. Friday night, Judy, Haleigh, Abby, and I were going to sit down and watch “The Fugitive” together. Haleigh insisted that I sit on the couch with her saying, she will be gone in two years and that I had to sit by her. So she leaned up against me the entire movie as we watched together.

I wouldn’t trade that moment for a million dollars.

UnChristian

I am late following up on the book UnChristian, which I completed recently. Written by two young men on staff with the Barna Institute, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, it’s basic premise is that those who fall in the 16-29 age group view evangelical Christians, and by extension probably most Christians, as behaving in a distinctly unchristian manner.

The Apostle Paul wrote two statements that have impacted me greatly:

"Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also." (II Cor. 5:18 TEV)

"We have been sent to speak for Christ." (II Cor. 5:20 NCV)

Representing Christ, whether it is speaking for him or living for him, is an awesome responsibility. One we should take seriously. With that in mind, I think we do well to learn more about those who are not Christians. UnChristian helps us in this endeavor.

One of the accomplishments of the book is it quantifies some of the challenges we face as Christians. With each generation, the percentage of the generation who choose not to become Christians (in the loose sense of the word) grows. 23 % of those over the age of 61 are unchurched. 27 % of the Baby Boomers (those born between 1946-1965) are unchurched. However, 40 % of those between the ages of 16-29 are unchurched.

I found other statistics equally interesting. Of all the outsiders who are between the ages of 16 to 29, 91% thought that Christians were anti-homosexual a lot of the time, or at least some of the time. 85% thought that Christians were a lot or somewhat hypocritical.

There were many reasons for the hypocrisy viewpoint. I was shocked by a study that was done where the authors analyzed the behavior of born-again Christians and compared it with the behavior of the unchurched.

In statistical terms, much of the moral behavior of the two groups was identical. When asked to identify their activities over the past 30 days, born-again believers were just as likely to bet or gamble, to visit a pornographic website, to take something that did not belong to them, to consult a medium or psychic, to physically fight or abuse someone, to have consumed enough alcohol to be considered legally drunk, to use an illegal or non-prescription drug, to have said something to someone that was not true, to have gotten back at someone for something he or she did, and to have said mean things behind another person's back. For those between the ages of 23 to 41 who claimed to be born-again, 59% believe cohabitation is morally acceptable.

Perhaps this study reflects one reason why so many unchurched people are skeptical when it comes to Christianity. And remember, we are identified with this group. As the authors phrased it, “born-again Christians fail to display much attitudinal or behavioral evidence of transformed lives.”

The authors also analyze the world view of born-again Christians. They provided eight categories of a biblical world view. The authors write that a person with a biblical world view is one who believes:

1. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life
2. God is the all powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and he still rules of today
3. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned
4. Satan is real
5. A Christian has a responsibility to share his faith or her faith in Christ with other people
6. The Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches
7. Unchanging moral truth exists
8. Such moral truth is defined by the Bible

Guess how many born-again believers between the ages of 18 to 41 believe those eight doctrines? Three out of every 100.

I have found much of UnChristian to be thought provoking. I would even say that I agree with most of the book’s findings and interpretations. I do disagree with some areas and I will highlight one.

The authors’ study found that 75 % of those unchurched between the ages of 16-29 believe that Christians are too political. I have heard this argument over the past few years from Christians as well. I have no problem with that view as long as it is held with integrity. Unfortunately, I believe that typically “being too political” is code for voting for the Republican Party.

Now, the Republican Party is no friend of mine. Neither is the Democratic Party. If you like, I can entertain you for hours with problems I find in both. However, too many folks who are making these charges are being unfair at best and hypocritical at worst.

One typical example: Christian author Brian McLaren is quoted extensively in the book lamenting the political involvement of the “Religious Right.” Brian McClaren has actively campaigned for candidates for the Democratic Party, including his heavy participation in the candidacy of Barak Obama. I think Jesus referred to this attitude as preoccupation with the speck in someone else’s eye, while ignoring the log in your own.

I see McClaren’s behavior as typical and consistent with the tone of this book. Moreover, I understand that many Christians today agree with McClaren.

I do not endorse all of Jim Wallis’ political positions, but he at least comes clean in this book. Wallis, a well-known author, preacher and activist, states, “Christians should be involved in politics. The question isn’t should we engage?” but “how?”

Wallis’ attitude is much more authentic, but he is the exception in this book. I think UnChristian would have been more genuine had the authors been more forthcoming. Inconsistency tends to irritate me.

I would not allow these exceptions to prevent you from reading the book. Just remember it is like eating the proverbial fish—plenty of meat, but pick out the bones.

Preaching in the 21st Century

Most of us have been created with five senses: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching. Do we ignore these in preaching? In his book, The Power of Multi-Sensory Preaching and Teaching, Rick Blackwood makes that powerful case that we do not.

I believe that Blackwood makes a strong case from scripture and religious teaching that God has historically sought to reach us with his message through the senses. For example, in I John 1:1, the apostle John states, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (NIV). Notice he lists three senses with which the incarnation of Jesus connected: “heard”, “seen”, and “touched”.

The sense of smell was emphasized in the tabernacle of the Old Testament through the burning of incense. Indeed, the Tabernacle itself was a visual aid to teach God’s people about the holiness of God and, I think, to help point toward the Messiah.

In my fellowship, every Sunday, we have the opportunity to be reminded of the presence of God through the vehicle of taste. The Bible calls it, The Lord’s Supper. The point is that God has always engaged people through the tools of his creation: the senses. His preachers have done the same, often at His command.

God directed Jeremiah to carry the yoke of an ox, he told Ezekiel to basically build a model city complete with armies laying siege, he told Hosea to marry a hooker—okay, I do not recommend going that far. The point is preaching and teaching in a way that connects with the multiple senses is imitating an imaginative and inventive God. It is a form of WWGD—what would God do.

Want WWJD? Think about the imagination of Jesus. He referred to vines, and branches. He used wheatfields and children. He took his disciples on site to observe people giving money, and, yes, he spoke occasionally to the thousands.

I would commend Rick Blackwood’s book to you for reading. I have purchased a copy for each member of our staff, three members of our worship ministry team, and for each of our elders. Blackwood quantifies and illustrates what I have been learning for myself from scripture and experience.

Preaching with a view to incorporate the senses is biblical and it is acting like God. I think it is also our greatest hope for inspiring our congregations to love scripture. More on that next week.

Five things I think I think (a tip of the hat to Peter King for this idea)

1. Reading Jimmy Stewart: A Biography by Marc Eliot, makes me want to see the movie Vertigo again.

2. I saw where Elizabeth Adeney is about to become the oldest mother in Great Britain. She is eight months pregnant and is 66 years old. Judy, do not get any ideas.

3. From the category of “What have you done for me lately?” I saw that Lee Iacocca will no longer be paid the pension that is owed him and his life-long company car is, well, no longer “life-long.” Because Chrysler recently filed for bankruptcy, that have reneged on their agreement with Iacocca. If you are old enough to remember, once-upon-a-time, Chrysler was on the verge of ruin. Lee Iacocca become the company’s president and CEO and not only rescued Chrysler, but he turned it into a thriving company once again. My guess is that Chrysler’s message, informing Iacocca of their decision, included a word of gratitude from the board of directors for all of his years of service.

4. I want to see “Night at the Museum II” this weekend. I hope it is as funny as the first one.

5. There is not a single TV program that I watch. Is it me or them?

It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming

I have been a part of organizations where I was disconnected. In the sixth grade, I was a Boy Scout—for one month. The troop had already formed. Tommy Cook had invited me to join and I did. I went to three meetings and a weekend campout at Dangerfield State Park. I never really invested myself. Advancing in scouting seemed like so much—work. You earned merit badges. That’s fine if you are about helping people and making your community a better place, but I certainly was not about things like that.

After the campout, my dad picked me up at the Scout Hut. He had purchased me a horse that happened to be with foal. I left for my scout campout without a pet; I returned as the owner one horse, almost two. I retired from scouting to devote myself to my horses. You might say I wanted to spend more time with my family.

Through the years, I have developed a formula for hanging around organizations without making a commitment. Stay at the back, observe but do not participate, say little, and commit to nothing. Then when you want to disengage yourself, it is easy.

I may have stolen my formula from Satan. I have noticed through the years, this has been a technique practiced by many Christians as well. I’ve noticed in Ephesians, one of the Apostle Paul’s methods to head off Christian drop-out. Paul encourages Christians to connect:

11Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, 12so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. 13This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him (Eph. 4:11-14--CEV).

Paul says that God wants the church leaders to cultivate a spirit and an ability to serve so that the congregation can grow strong and mature—like Jesus. Plugging into the congregation = a growing commitment, which = becoming more like Jesus: “Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head 16of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love” (Eph. 4:15b-16) [CEV].

When I lived in Winters, TX, I was preaching, working on a doctorate, and trying help raise a family. In Winters, all of the churches would pool their resources together to help the poor and the people who were hurting. The preachers and leaders from different churches worked together in the administration of this ministry.

I tried to be an “attender” to these meetings—no more. Gradually, members would talk me in to helping out. One month, it would be stuffing envelopes. Another month, it would be helping out at the food pantry. Little by little, I was becoming committed and feeling passionate about the work that we were doing. One day, I attended a meeting, and they voted me president! How did that happen?

Little by little, I had become more connected to the cause. The vision of the community became my vision. One day, the other members of the Relief Fund deemed I had “matured” to the point of being ready to serve as president.

I think Paul has a similar vision for Christians. All Christians are priests. All Christians are ministers. Whatever gift or gifts we have (see also Rom. 12:4-8 and I Cor. 12), we use them to serve the body. The byproduct of this service is an increased commitment to Christ through an increased commitment to His body—the church. Moreover, by letting us serve, the body of Christ helps us to grow to be more like Jesus.

Have a great weekend!

Friday, May 22, 2009

This weekend, we commemorate Memorial Day to remember those who died in defense of our country. This is fitting and proper. We name buildings and structures "Memorial" in honor of the dead.

Growing up in Winnsboro Texas, I attended Memorial Junior High School. I had no idea why our school was named "Memorial." I knew very little about our facilities save that our cafeteria was built in 1912, the year the Titanic sank. (My kids probably think I was present at the dedication ceremony.) I believe I was an adult when I discovered that my junior high school received its name to commemorate the deaths of those young men from Winnsboro who died in “The Great War” -- World War One.

Recently, a wonderful couple in our church named Harvey and Lucile Grant gave me the book on tape, The Century, by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to it, so much so, that I checked out the companion TV series produced by ABC News and the History Channel.

This week, I have been watching the episode dealing with World War One. I was struck by the horror of that war. It was supposed to be the war to end all wars. I saw fresh faces of so many noble young men, who went off to fight but who never returned. So much promise, so much potential, so much hope for their futures, and all was wiped out.
Death to the young is always sad -- especially when it comes at the price of war. In an ironic and sad statement to human nature, it has become more difficult to remember the dead of the First World War because we have had so many wars since. Yet so much of our greatest poetry was written during that era to honor the dead.

I had faintly recalled hearing of the one entitled “I have a Rendezvous with Death”:

…But I've a rendezvous with Death
At midnight in some flaming town,
When Spring trips north again this year,
And I to my pledged word am true,
I shall not fail that rendezvous.
I have a Rendezvous with Death.

I did not remember that it had been written by Alan Seeger. Seeger was a Harvard graduate, who had become a writer and, as a young man, joined the French Foreign Legion in 1914, in order to fight in the great war of Europe. He had written his prescient poem in 1915. Sadly, Seeger was killed on July 4, 1916.

One my personal favorites is a poem called "To An Athlete Dying Young.” Although, written by A. E. Housman in 1896, it gained its popularity during World War One as Europe mourned the loss of a generation of its youth:

To An Athlete Dying Young


THE time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

To-day, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

The most haunting poem of that era was an anonymous one. It is inscribed on a modest headstone of the grave of one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. His name was Hobey Baker. He was a Princeton graduate. He is the only athlete ever elected to both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame. His hockey records lasted for decades. Today, college hockey's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy is called The Hobey Baker Award.

Baker volunteered to serve in World War I. He was one of the first to fly an airplane in war. Tragically, he crashed to his death in Toul, France. He left behind many grieving family members, friends, and fans. We do not know who the author was, but this is the poem written on Hobey Baker’s tombstone:


YOU SEEMED WINGED, EVEN AS A LAD,
WITH THAT SWIFT LOOK OF THOSE WHO KNOW THE SKY,
IT WAS NO BLUNDERING FATE THAT STOOPED AND BADE
YOU BREAK YOUR WINGS, AND FALL TO EARTH AND DIE,
I THINK SOME DAY YOU MAY HAVE FLOWN TOO HIGH,
SO THAT IMMORTALS SAW YOU AND WERE GLAD,
WATCHING THE BEAUTY OF YOUR SPIRITS FLAME,
UNTIL THEY LOVED AND CALLED YOU, AND YOU CAME.


Extraordinary, isn’t it? Such is the power of poetry dedicated to help humanity remember those lost in The Great War. Sadly, we are forgetting their names. It is not with intention. Rather, so many have died since then, and the numbers are overwhelming. They are becoming unknown to us, just like the soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

On November 11, 1921, an unidentified soldier who had been killed in France during World War One was buried in, what would later become, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Later, the bodies of two other unknown soldiers would be buried there as well: one from World War II, the other from the Korean War. (A fourth soldier from the Vietnam War was buried in this tomb. Later, his remains were identified and removed to be buried according to his family's wishes.)

I have traveled to The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was an unforgettable experience and the memory still moves me today. I appreciate what Memorial Day and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier represent. They represent our desire to recognize the relevance of the human being. Even if we do not know who they are, we want to declare their value.

More on this at the end of this blog.

Through Painted Deserts

Yesterday I turned in my final grades for my students at ETCA. They graduate tomorrow. The school asked all teachers to wear their graduation gowns. I spent some good coin last year buying my doctoral graduation gown. I am delighted that at least once a year, I am called to wear it.

One of the final assignments I gave my students was to read a spiritually oriented book, mark up the parts that caught their attention by placing an “A” (agree) or a “DA” (disagree) beside their highlighted passages, and then write a one to two page reflection paper over the reading.

The beneficial thing for me was to view the highlighted comments in their books. They revealed what my students found interesting. Most of the books I had read. One I had not read was Through Painted Deserts. The author was—you guessed it—Donald Miller.

Through Painted Deserts is actually one of Miller’s earlier works. After the popularity of some of his other books, namely, Blue Like Jazz, Miller finally found a publisher. Through Painted Deserts chronicles the road trip that Miller and a buddy take through the American Southwest.

I have started reading it and have found some intriguing passages. For example:

“If I do lose faith, that is if I do let go of my metaphysical explanations for the human experience, it will not be at the hands of science. I went to a Stephen Hawking lecture not long ago and wondered about why he thought we get born and why we die and what it means, but I left with nothing, save a brief mention of aliens as a possible solution to the question of origin. And I don't mean anything against Stephen Hawking, because I know he has an amazing brain and I know he has explained a lot of the physics of our universe, but I went wondering about something scientific that might counter mysterious metaphysical explanations, and I left with aliens….

"...[T]he idea of accidental propulsion was beginning to weigh heavy on my mind, both as an explanation for our existence and as a motive for philosophical suicide, a faulty rotted why holding up the meaningless how. And to put a point on it, here was the greatest physicist of our age, a man who could recite more than 75 pages of theory to his assistant from memory. A man who discovered and explained much of the physical behavior of matter at the openings of black holes, a man on par with Einstein himself, explaining that one possibility for the creation of our universe might be a cosmic seed planted billions of years ago, set in motion by an advanced species of aliens."

"It turns out the droplet of our knowledge is a bit lost in the ocean of our unknowing. So much so we are still stabbing at fairy tales. And what I really mean by this is that science itself is not capable of presenting a why. That is, in order to subscribe to a why (an objective rather than subjective why) you have to subscribe to some sort of theory God or aliens. And yet the mind needs a why, just as the body needs food.”
--Through Painted Deserts, pg. 25-6. (Blue emphasis mine)

I believe science concerns itself with the question of “how.” The Bible concerns itself with the question of “why.” Sometimes, scientists get themselves into trouble by making their theories of the origin of the world a melding that addresses the question of “why” as well as “how.” That is typically the point we as Christians feel frustration. We feel that the scientists have overstepped their boundaries.

Likewise, Christians who spend as much time addressing the question of “how” as they do the question of “why” often frustrate scientists. They feel that Christians have overstepped their boundaries.

Preaching in the 21st Century

Have many of you have ever heard of Walter Scott? Some of us are in Christ today because of Walter Scott. He lived in the 1800s and he made his mark by going around to different areas on the frontier and evangelizing. And guess how he did his work? He did not begin by getting behind a pulpit and preaching.

No, he went to the schools in the towns that he would visit, and he would talk to the children on the playground. (I guess he would get arrested today for doing this!) He would teach them to remember something using the five fingers of the human hand: thumb—faith, forefinger—repentance, middle finger—confession, fourth finger—baptism, and fifth finger—the gift of the Holy Spirit.

These kids would go home and teach their parents what they had learned. Their parents would come out and see the one who so effectively inspired, motivated, and enlightened the minds of their children. As a result, thousands of adults responded to Christ in repentance, confession, and baptism. Question: were those people better off for hearing this message, first delivered in such an untraditional way? Would it have been better for Walter Scott to have preached his message in a more traditional way, behind a pulpit, and have fewer responses to his message?

I believe that we need more Walter Scotts today. Recently, a realization struck me in a very sober way. I realized that the bulk of the Bible study supplement that many of our members were receiving was coming on Sundays alone. Moreover, it came in the form of three “lectures”: two done by me and one by their Bible class teachers. (I know we have some who go to other Bible studies; I also realize some meet in homes in small groups. However, a significant amount of people received their Bible supplement on Sundays through “lectures”.)

One of the recommendations for working with the younger generation coming from the new book, Grown Up Digital, is this: cut back on lectures. Make learning more collaborative.

That is what MIT is doing. In a recent article in the March, 2009, edition of Campus Technology, Katherine Grayson writes about the strategic approach that MIT is taking concerning their freshman introductory physics classes. Instead of placing 300 freshman in a classroom for a fifty minute lecture, they are now requiring those students to attend a small, interactive group-learning-based class.

Check out the before and after stats. In the lecture days, the student failure rate was typically ten to twelve percent. (Attendance typically dropped to less than fifty percent.) Now, the failure rate is four percent. Students are enthusiastically participating in group oriented classes that include new technology, professor input, and collaboration.

These are our nations’ best and brightest students. If they struggle with learning and motivation in an environment dedicated exclusively to lecture, what does that say about our preaching?

God made us to possess five senses. Should our preaching address only one—hearing?

Five things I think I think (a tip of the hat to Peter King for this idea)

1. The children and I saw Star Wars Episode III last weekend. I thoroughly appreciate the way the first three episodes of Star Wars addresses the steady descent of Anakin Skywalker into evil. You see him wrestle with pride, anger, vengeance and fear. You see his descent take time. I have seen this kind of descent in real life. These episodes are good reminders of how the inner attitudes affect our outcome. We all hold the capacity to commit acts of evil—or even to become evil.

2. Is it just me, or does Fox’s Major League Baseball World Series’ theme, written by Jochen Flach, and James Blunt’s song, “You are Beautiful”, sound like the same song? Listen to both of them on YouTube. You decide.

3. I think I am going to save my money and buy a DVD recorder next month. I am too far away from being ready for the Terabyte hardrive. For this reason, the DVR or TIVO doesn’t really meet our family’s needs right now. First the Terabyte, then the DVR.

4. Is there a better TV theme song than Hawaii Five-0?

5. I love Memorial Day weekend.

It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming

Tommy Nelson, a few years ago, called my attention to the spectacle that I had seen when, as a boy, I visited The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Keep in mind, within the tomb lies the remains of a soldier from World War I. He came home to no one. No one knew who he was. No mother, father, or widow received the American Flag in his honor. He returned to no one who had known him and loved him.

For this reason, our military, our leaders, our nation, in 1921, made a major decision. They chose to honor this man, this common man, not the most gallant or heroic man, they chose to honor this common man with the highest of all honors our military can bestow.

The leaders of our nation chose to assign a sentinel at that coffin of that unknown soldier. They chose to symbolically offer him a 21-gun salute. The twenty-one gun salute is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary. To symbolically offer this highest honor, they ordered the Army’s very best soldiers, to march 21 steps south, and, on the 21st step, to turn and face the tomb for 21 seconds. After that, orders were to turn and march 21 steps north, and again face the tomb for 21 seconds. The sentinels were ordered to repeat this procedure over and over until relieved at a guard change.

These solders were to guard this tomb, in this way, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They were to guard the tomb in the presence of great crowds, or at night—alone. Whether under a blazing sun, driving rains, or freezing snow, they were to perform their duty with great precision and military bearing. The only exception was to be when weather conditions, such as tornadoes, placed the sentinels in high risk of injury or death.

Do you know there has now been a sentinel on duty in front of the Tomb every minute of every day since 1937? I have been to the tombs of some of our greatest Americans. I have been to the tomb of Abraham Lincoln, I have been to the tomb of George Washington, and I have been to the tomb of John F. Kennedy. None of them had soldiers guarding their tombs. Our government reserves its highest honor for the American that no one knows.

Do you know what the inscription says on The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? It says, “Known but to God.” It is emblematic that in our humanity, in some of our more noble moments, we demonstrate a yearning to share a connection with the common man who is like us. We want to know him and to honor him in our limited, human way.

What if God were to feel the same about us? Guess what—he does.

In our limited mortality, we can scarce approach the majesty of honor and blessings that God bestows upon those who belong to him. One of my favorite scriptures is this, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15). Throughout the ages, there have been burial locations with the bodies of God’s people whose inscriptions would say, “Known but to God.” However, knowing God and being known by Him was enough.

When you belong to God, you can rest assured that God will never forget you. There are no unknown soldiers to God. As the inscription testifies, even the unknown soldier is known to God. God knows those who belong to Him. He knows them by name. He will never let them go. And in my mind’s eye, when I see the tomb of God’s saints, I see sentries of angels guarding their tombs, even against the Devil himself! “The Archangel Michael, who went to the mat with the Devil as they fought over the body of Moses…” (Jude 9—THE MESSAGE).

Enjoy the Memorial Day holiday. Remember the dead who blessed our nation. Most importantly, if you are in Jesus, remember and enjoy the fact that you are God’s.

Have a great weekend!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Passing Along Your Music to Your Kids

Occasionally, I have the opportunity to share with my kids something that I enjoyed as a child myself. A couple of weeks ago, one of our members, Samantha Siverling, participated in a concert put on by the symphony, of which she is a member. Judy took our two youngest children to the concert. They thoroughly enjoyed it. Timothy was mesmerized.

I have a few of the Leonard Bernstein Young People's Concerts on DVD that I recorded a few years ago. I had wanted to introduce the younger children to these concerts, but was waiting for the proper time. Well, the future is now. I actually introduced them to the first concerts with the series that I checked out from our public library.

If you are not familiar with these concerts, or with Bernstein, let me elaborate. Leonard Bernstein was one of our greatest conductors and composers in the 20th century. Beginning in the late 1950s, Bernstein began holding concerts in Carnegie Hall in New York City for young people. He would use these to teach young people about music and to give them an appreciation for it.

Fast forward to my fifth grade year. During my fifth grade music class, our teacher, Mrs. Glenda Winkle, played these concerts for us on a movie projector. I was enthralled. It was in this class that I began my lifelong love for classical music and opera. I hope that now I am passing along that love to my two youngest children.

ETCA Graduation

I had my ETCA Bible class over this week for a hamburger cookout. This is my way of saying “thank you” as well as honoring them for their senior year. I have thoroughly enjoyed this class. In class, they have great attitudes, they are always on time, they are fun, they provide good discussion, and I will miss them.

After supper, I gave them the choice of several games to play or several movies to view. They chose to watch Flatliners. This proved to be a good selection. At first, only a couple were watching and the rest were kind of talking among themselves. But as the scarier scenes appeared, any talking that they did was to the entire group and it concerned the movie. By the time it was over, some exclaimed that they were going to go home and sleep in the same bed with a sibling!

The item I was most grateful for was this, during the movie, I heard them reflect upon the theological categories and spiritual themes they were seeing. They did this naturally without my prodding. They have learned this in class and I hope this proves some benefit for them as they enter into the rest of their lives.

Weddings

I have a wedding to perform weekend. It is the wedding of Kevan Kirksey and Katie Scott. People asked me a lot of times what it's like to be a preacher and do weddings. I enjoy them, and I'm honored to do them.

On the other hand, when you have children, it is often difficult because weddings typically occur on the weekend. That means you have two nights that are probably lost -- Friday and Saturday nights. Moreover, just because you have weddings that week, does not mean the church does not expect to be fed on Sunday. You still must crank out the sermons. However, you know this before you become a preacher, so there is no room to complain.

The neat thing is there are times when you can make a bond with a couple that will last for life. Some of my greatest memories are of weddings and the relationships that have come out of them.

Preaching in the 21 Century

I Chron. 15:32, “men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do …”

I encountered an amazing quote from Seth Godin’s book, Tribes, last week:

“It’s really easy to insist that people read the manual. It’s really easy to blame the users/student/prospect/customer for not trying hard, for being too stupid to get it, or for not caring enough to pay attention. It might even be tempting to blame those in your tribe who aren’t working as hard as following as you are at leading, but none of this is helpful.

“What’s helpful is to realize that you have a choice when you communicate. You can design your products to be easy to use. You can write so your audience hears you. You can present in a place and in a way that guarantees that the people you want to listen will hear you. Most of all, you get to choose who will understand (and who won’t).”

Seth Godin – TRIBES, pages 117 – 118 (emphasis mine).

When I preach, I choose who will understand and who will not. I can focus on the deep thinkers, or those who are new in the Lord. I can focus on those who learn by hearing, those who learn by experiencing, or those who learn by seeing. If I choose to isolate my focus to only one group, I will probably eliminate my opportunity to impact the others.

I believe one of the biggest myths we face in churches is this: preaching has historically occurred with a preacher standing behind a pulpit lecturing the congregation. This is simply not true. Frankly, preaching as we know it has been a phenomenon of the past 400 years. Luther, the printing press, and Protestant Reformation have played the major role in formulating the preaching experience that most of us know today.

Biblically, preaching was much different. Typically, the preacher was out with the people who needed to hear his message. Rare were the times when the proclaimer was behind anything resembling a pulpit. For example, when Jesus spoke at the synagogue, after having read from the scroll, he was standing perhaps behind an item that resembled our pulpit. Most of the time, however, Jesus was with his disciples away from any building or pulpit.

Jesus’ manner of preaching and teaching gave him an opportunity to help his hearers learn from his message in various ways. When he wanted to address worry and anxiety, he would point to a lily in a field and ask his audience to consider with him what the lily could teach them about God and themselves.

I want to preach less like Luther and more like Jesus. My problem is that I cannot take my audience into the field to see the lily. So, to the best of my ability, I must bring the lily from the field to the people in my church.

The other day, I preached from Psalm 139, that great Psalm that celebrates God's work in our lives from birth. Before I even reached the pulpit, I had our guys in the booth show the Dove commercial I have described to you in this blog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U). If you have not seen that commercial, it is a commentary on our view of beauty in this culture. It shows a normal looking woman being prepared for a photo shoot. Her photos been airbrushed to perfection, and then placed on a giant billboard.

I could have lectured the church all day on how our culture places value on the wrong things. I could have lectured the church on how God has made them like he wants them. Nothing, though, would have had the impact of that sixty-second commercial. The marketers at Dove had tens of thousands of dollars at their disposal to create what I could never afford. I was more than happy to allow them to provide that work for my opportunity.

I was gratified by the positive feedback I received, none more gratifying than from my 14-year-old daughter. She has since gone back and viewed that commercial a few more times. It encourages her because now she gets it— you cannot compete with someone who does not exist.

That Dove commercial was a lily that I was able to bring in from the field, point to, and direct the congregation as I told them to think about what the “lily” teaches us about God.

I think preaching in the 21st century should be more like preaching in the first century.

Five things I think I think (a tip of the hat to Peter King for this idea)

1. I checked out of the library this week the book Jimmy Stewart: A Biography by Marc Eliot. I did not care for the intimate details of Stewart's single years in Hollywood, but the rest of the book has been very enjoyable. I especially like the detail that Eliot delves into as he describes the various movies that Stewart made. Stewart was always one of my very favorite actors. Without question, Elliott praised him as a kind and gentle man—the kind of man that you would want to know.

2. I laughed out loud at Phil Jackson's excuse after the Lakers were defeated in game six by the Houston Rockets in their Western Conference semifinal. He reminded the press that, after all, LA has a couple of players hurt. This after having been defeated by team that has lost its two best players – Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Rick Adelman has got to be coach of the year.

3. I was saddened to see that GM is dropping over 1100 auto dealerships. Through the years, I've had dear friends who have owned GM dealerships and others who have worked for them. I currently own two GM vehicles, I have enjoyed driving. The proof is in the pudding – one is 19 years old, and the other one is 18 years old. (Maybe GMs problems are all my fault!)

4. I finished The Reagan Diaries this week. This is the publication of the diary Ronald Reagan kept during his two terms in the White House. In a disciplined manner, President Reagan every day wrote down his thoughts and opinions by hand. I listened to the book on CD each day while I shaved, brushed my teeth, put in my contacts and got dressed. I think the average person reading or listening to these diaries for the first time would be struck by Reagan's humor; his insights into the country, the world, his presidency, and current events (this has typically been underestimated); his opinions on people; and the sheer work load of his daily life (again, underestimated.)

5. I saw the last thirty minutes of Castaway again last night with Haleigh and Abby. I have never seen a movie that made me feel so indifferent initially and yet, in time, made me appreciate it so much. I’m sure I will watch it again. To me, the nobleness of Chuck and Kelly doing the right thing in the face of severe tragedy, a tragedy brought on by the fallen world and not as a consequence of their own sin, trumps the final scene in Casablanca.

It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming

A few years ago, I saw the movie produced by Oliver Stone called World Trade Center. It was Stone’s take on the events of that fateful day – September 11, 2001. He focused mainly on two families and what they suffered as their loved ones, John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno, laid buried in the rubble of the World Trade Center. Based on a true story, these men were Port Authority policemen, who courageously tried to help the victims of the terrorists’ attack. In doing so, they became victims themselves.

Normally, I am not a big Oliver Stone fan, but I was very much a fan of this movie. I think this motion picture brought honor to those who worked so hard during that tragedy.
Rick Blackwood, in his book The Power of Multi-sensory Preaching and Teaching, tells about a minister on his staff named Eric Geiger. Geiger appropriated an event from World Trade Center that brought clarity to me in describing the mission of Jesus.

The movie moment that impacted Geiger was seeing Dave Carnes onscreen. Carnes had served in the United States Marines in his younger days. He had become a successful businessman, but as he watched events unfold at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, he realized that America was under attack. Deeply moved, Carnes said to his co-workers, “I have to go down there to help.”

Next, Carnes prepared for his mission. He went to a church building and prayed. He traveled to a barbershop and had his head shaved as it had been when he served as a Marine. He dressed himself in his old Marine uniform. He then entered into his Porsche and sped down to lower Manhattan.

Since Carnes was wearing a Marine uniform, he was allowed to go inside the rubble of the buildings. He shined his flashlight into the darkness and called out to any possible survivors. In the rubble, lay the two policemen, John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno. Crushed by the debris, the hours had passed tortuously slow for them in the darkness. Dehydrated, their lives were slowly ebbing away. There seemed little reason to hope.

With one last effort, Jimeno moved a pipe, making a sound just audible enough for Carnes to hear. Carnes called out, and Jimeno replied. Carnes searched out for Jimeno with his flashlight and spotted him—barely. Jimeno cried out to Carnes, “Please, don’t leave us! Please, don’t leave us!” Carnes, the former United States Marine, called out a dramatic and noble reply: “Sir, we are the United States Marines. You are our mission!”

God had planned for centuries to send his Son on a mission. After he came to earth, Jesus prepared himself relentlessly for his mission, including the extreme act of fasting in the desert for forty days as he battled with Satan. In Luke 19:10, Jesus reveals his mission to Zacchaeus, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

I think that was Jesus’ way of delivering to a small, inconspicuous man, who had resorted to crimes against humanity to deal with his pain, a special message. The message was this, “I am the Son of God. You are my mission.”

I want to encourage Shiloh Sunday morning with the knowledge, they are Jesus’ mission. I believe Jesus is saying to the young mother who feels lost and overwhelmed, “I am the Son of God. You are my mission.”

To the young man who feels lost and overwhelmed by addiction, Jesus says, “I am the Son of God. You are my mission.”

To the one who is flailing away at the bitterness of divorce, Jesus says, “I am the Son of God. You are my mission.”

To the child who feels lost because her parents are going through the pain of divorce, Jesus says, “I am the Son of God. You are my mission.”

To the parent who is losing a child, Jesus says, “I am the Son of God. You are my mission.”

Have a great weekend!