Out of the Box

A Slippery Slope

This is a note I just received this morning. It is in response to all who believe I am too reactionary in my views toward the direction we are headed as a nation. It is an email sent to one of our members from a well known ministry offIce. It will be printed without comment.  

Name withheld,

 

We received this info at "our office" today:

Shirley Dobson will be giving a deposition today from 8:30-4:30 pm.  She is being sued by a group “Freedom From Religion” because she asked the President and other political leaders to pray for our nation…as leader of National Day of Prayer.

 

Just the beginning of fall out from the Hate Crimes Bill!

 

Please pray!

 

Thanks,

 

Name withheld

Heartbeat of the Spirit

Now that heart surgery is inevitable I have found I pay more attention to it's activity as it beats hidden in my chest. What used to go unnoticed is now reason for worry. A skip here, a vibration there and even an occasional pause sometimes startles me from my sleep. It is tough to think about your heart. When you do suddenly you are aware it's there where in the past you knew it, you just didn't think about it. You know what I mean. Kind of like your tongue. Have you ever really concentrated on your tongue. It suddenly seems to swell in size and you begin to wonder how it is contained in your mouth at all. How can you get food around that serpentine thing? And air, how can air pass by it if your nose is plugged? What has previously lived in almost total anonymity is now in your every thought. Whether it is your heart or your tongue, what was once almost totally ignored becomes your focus when pondered upon at length. And how can yo not think about things so vital to your existence?

I have also become keenly aware of something else since my heart problems have been diagnosed. My spirit. Or maybe better yet, the Spirit within me. God's Spirit. The Holy Spirit to some and the Holy Ghost to others. In my angst over my physical health I have also begun to ponder my spiritual health as well. I have become acutely sensitive when I do not feel His presence in my life. I find myself constantly checking my spiritual pulse. Sometimes I am jolted from my sleep by His seeming absence. When the pulsating power of the Spirit is irregular I become concerned about my spirituality vitality. Others have been telling me that they sense the Spirit controlling me while I preach. I'm grateful for that. I feel no different on the inside, but the testimony of others is expressing a different truth. He is there. He is active and controlling at least that part of my life. Now my prayer is that God would show His presence to me the way others have begun to see Him in my preaching. In pouring myself into my calling I have become a little dry. Kind of like when I awake from a sound sleep because the beating of my heart has taken a breather. So I am alert spiritually to feel the presence of the Spirit working in me. I am ready for God to pour Himself into me.    

A Reason to Grieve

It was not easy to find. Very little mention anywhere on the internet. Nothing on my homepage news section. So I had to go to Foxnews.com. It was hidden deep on the page two levels under politics and obscurely worded on the White House daily agenda section like this:

1805 President Obama will host a reception to commemorate the enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. He will deliver brief remarks at 6:05 PM, and will be joined by Attorney General Eric Holder, civil rights community leaders and others.

Let me expand. This evening at a few minutes after 6 the president will sign the latest installment of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. He will be joined by lesbian, gay and transgendered activists to celebrate the occassion. These people are now the most protected minority in America. Look for lawsuits to be flying from the cubicles of ACLU lawyers as early as tomorrow morning.

As a Christian I am commanded to pray for our leaders and I do. I am told to love others and treat them as I want to be treated and I try. But it is getting harder and harder to turn the other cheek. I think of all our founding fathers and past presidents. How it would burden them to know that a country founded on a firm belief in the truth of God's Word has fallen so far from it's roots.

May I stately as firmly as I know how in the love of Christ. God loves every man, woman, boy and girl equally and abundantly. He loved us all so much that He gave the ultimate sacrifice to bring us all to a saving relationship with Himself. However, we must not forget that while His love for us was the motivation for His death on the cross; our sin was the ugly scar that made his painful death necessary. How it must grieve the heart of God when people flaunt, protect, and promote their sin openly before the world. It should grieve the heart of His children as well.  

Let's Not Give the Devil His Due

Eleven days from now it will be October 31. Halloween. The night before All Saints Day and thus All Hallows Eve. I approach this time with mixed feelings. Growing up I always looked forward to the grocery store setting up displays of children's costumes. Yes, I said grocery store. I grew up in Daisy, before it became Soddy-Daisy, and we didn't have a toy store. So you bought your costume at the grocery store. I was Casper one year. I went as Spiderman another. Not that these costumes would fool anyone mind you. They were packaged in flat boxes with the mask peering out through a sheet of cellophane. The picture on the box was not at all like the costume in the box. Kind of like that 7 foot Frankenstein in the back of comic books that you could order for $1. The cardboard creature bore little resemblance to the scary picture on the page. And just try and get your money back!!! I'm sorry, I had to let go of some childhood pent-up frustration. Anyway, I always liked the night of Halloween and as far as I can remember my church spoke little for or against it.

I even went to a few Halloween parties as an adult. I found out these parties were different from any other time of year only in that the guy passed out in the hedges was now dressed like Batman. It kind of lost it's luster. Then a few years ago I talked to a police detective who shared some info with me about this time of year. He told me of places where dis-membered cats were scattered around make-shift altars in woods around Chattanooga. He talked of suspicious vans that drove slowly through neighborhoods while children played alone. I began to look into these things for myself and found them to be true. I learned later that animal shelters ceased cat adoption in the week prior to Halloween for fear that they would be abused. I learned that both witches and devil worshipers understood the dark significance of this night even if the church chose to ignore it. As a Christian and a pastor I began to be convicted of not taking a stand during a time when death and darkness were being marketed to our children. After all the Bible says, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." Col. 1:13 Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, commanded believers to "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5:11.

So it has been years since our family handed out treats at the front door. Instead we began a Fall Festival at church where we give kids an opportunity to have fun in a safe environment. A place where death and darkness are not portrayed. It has been a great success. I even deliver what many have come to call my "pumpkin smashing message" on the Wednesday night before Halloween. So mission accomplished right? I thought many of the things I used to warn parents of during this season have become non-existent. I know the old razor in the apple has proven to be an urban myth, but many of the other atrocities really took place at Halloween. And recently a very prominent story about an abducted little girl has become headline news. But not around here, right? Just this Sunday morning a concerned grand-mother asked me to share this story. Her grand-daughter and another little girl were playing less than a mile from our church when a dark truck slowed down nearby. A man in a black hoody jumped from the truck as the two girls ran screaming to a nearby neighbor's house. The mother reported to the police but no one has been detained. So the battle between darkness and light, good and eveil goes on.   

I may be a little one-sided now when it comes to my views about Halloween, but I would rather err on the side of safety than give the devil his due. "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 I hope you can be at DBBC on the 28th when I share wat the Bible says about the Christians response to the occult and the history of Halloween. See you then.    

Waiting to be Moved

I want to continue the discussion I began in my last entry. If you haven't read it I will wait until you do before I continue......some of you are sure slow readers......OK that got everybody caught up? The subject is power. Not just any power, but I'm talking specifically about the power of God. I have been reading books about people's experiences and interviewing men and women about the times God has manifested Himself in their lives. I have become convinced God wants to move today as He did in the past. Too often when I hear preachers speak about the power of God it is often in the past tense. Sort of like being shown the remains of an old church as the tour guide speaks of how great things used to happen in the church centuries ago. I have even heard one Christian radio host say that we don't experience the power of God anymore because we have His Word. It's like the power and the presence of God cannot co-exist with the Word of God. I strongly disagree. I believe they work hand in hand with one another. They are two sides of the same coin if you will.

Jesus was the Word of God incarnate. In John 1 John writes, "the Word was God" speaking of Jesus. Then in verse 2 he says, "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." That's the power of God. Paul writes in Romans 1:16 that  the gospel is "the power of God unto salvation." Once again associating the power of God with the Word of God. Acts 4:33 says that with "great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus". Two verses prior the Bible says that "the place where they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke Word of God with boldness."

The two were never meant to exist in a vacuum. I believe that where the Bible is taught and preached that it should be coupled with the presence of God and where His presence is known His power will be evident. A great example is D.L. Moody. Listen how remembers a day that God manifested Himself in his life.

"My heart was not in the work of begging. I could not appeal. I was crying all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit. Well, one day, in the city of New York- oh what a day!- I cannot describe it. I seldom refer to it; it is almost too sacred an experience to name...I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of HIs love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand. I went to preaching again. The sermons were not different; I did not present any new truths, and yet hundreds were converted. I would not now be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you should give me all the world."

I spoke to a gentleman just yesterday who was a student at Asbury College in Kentucky when the great move of the Spirit broke out unexpectantly years ago. It seems that during chapel service a young man asked if he could stand and give a testimony. In his testimony he confessed his sins and sought God's forgiveness. In moments hundreds of students filled the aisles weeping. It was not until 17 days later that this great move of God relented. The school held no classes for 10 days. The revival broke out in the city as well as on the campus.

I firmly believe God is going to do this again. He is waiting for true repentance and broken hearts. God has not changed. He wants to be known and experienced. His power has not diminished. Pray with me that we are a part of that movement of God. That we remain flexible enough to move when He says move. To be sensitive to His prompting and to stay pure in our motives. If we desire His presence then His power will surely follow.  

Real Power or Just Slick Packaging?

I am looking at the latest deluge of mass mailings on my desk. I have shared this with you before. Most of what I get is never read, examined, contemplated or even opened. You probably have the same problem. If all the unsolicited mail that I receive were never produced my world would be less cluttered and many more trees would populate the landscape. However, something more than just waste is the reason I'm ranting. Most things I get in the mail are Christian in nature. More than just Christian, I would call it the Christian industry. You know, books, art, music and movies. Wow, have we ever gotten good at packaging ourselves. This is slick stuff. You used to spot something inspirational in nature by the "cheesy" or cheap way it was packaged. Regardless of the product it seems there was always a lamb or a sword, or both, somewhere on the cover. Not now. I'm looking at some CD covers as I write. Hollywood or Nashville would be proud. Cool looking stuff with awsome graphics and thought provoking images. We have really learned to compete on the secular level for the almighty dollar.

Why is that with all our marketing prowess that Christianity is in decline in the countries that have the most to spend in marketing our message. I think I may have a clue. What I have discovered in my own life may be true for society in general. Marketing no longer impresses me. It is not so important that we can illustrate the gospel as it is that we demonstrate it in our lives. It is possible to produce a flashy package with no content on the inside. In my spiritual life I am more and more discontent with fluff. I'm looking for substance. Paul writes, "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." 1 Corinthians 4:20 Mere words are not enough. Just to be fluid or persuasive in speech no longer satisfies. I'm looking for the manifest presence of God to show up in my life. I want to know that we are not just proficient at marketing the message but that the power of God in our lives convinces unbelievers that our God is real. Luke records that it was the power of God displayed in the apostles lives that led unbelievers to be saved. "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33

When faced with great trials as I know many of you are, it is the presence and power of God that gives us strength to face the uncertain. My prayer for you and me is best expressed in the prayer of Paul for the Christians at Ephesus, "that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power."  That is powerful stuff, indeed.

Simple Faith

While my wife and I were away at a conference in the Smokey Mountains we heard an author speak about the basic pinciples of his book. I had already read his work, Simple Church, and knew mostly what he was to say. Basically, he suggests the church has become too complex and is trying to do more things than it was ever intended to do. His contention, and I think an accurate one, is that too many things done does not allow any to be done well. That core strengths are sacrificed to support areas of weakness. Resources, particularly time, are limited and  we should spend those resources doing what we have been called by God to do. I was not on the edge of my seat. Not because I do not agree, I do. It's just that I have tried to follow that same lolgic for years at DBBC and for the most part it is a viable and efficient way to do church. It's kind of like the "purpose driven" concept written about from Rick Warren. Many churches, including Dallas Bay, were following the purpose driven model before Pastor Rick made the term well known. Unfortunately, none of the rest of us had the spiritual foresight to make it into a best selling book. If I had we would not be meeting for multiple services in a overcrowded worship center, our mission teams would never have to delay trips because of lack of funds and our staff would be better compensated. But I digress. Back to the simple church. While the church I pastor does a pretty good job of keeping ministry simple, I'm learning in my spiritual journey that I have gotten too complex in my thinking. Let me explain.

Just a few days ago our small group met at my home for dinner and a study. We are discussing Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven." It's a good book and Mr. Alcorn is a competent author and scholar. What should be a learning time for all of us sometimes becomes a time of confusion when we we try and determine the differences between the "past heaven, "present heaven (intermediate heaven if you like)", and the future or "eternal heaven" which is also called the "new heaven and new earth." Or we try and determine if there is a body unlike the body we have today but before our glorified resurrected body that we inhabit after the grave and before the resurrection. (If you got confused after that sentence then you probably belong to our small group.) Do we eat in heaven? Do we work? What about people who are alive when the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth begins? What happens to them? Can they get saved? Why does God release Satan one last time anyway? The discussion leads us to places where we need to drop breadcrumbs just to find our way back to the book. The problem is I am the facilitator and I often lead us into these shadowlands by my own questions. You know what I have found. While pursuing the answers to our questions is intellectually challenging they do nothing to build me spiritually. Sometimes I find my faith strained by unanswered questions that nag at the back of my spiritual mind. Enter God.

God, knowing I was being eaten alive by spiritual minnows of my own making was all the while protecting me from the sharks in "heavenly places" that sought to destroy me, had me sick enough to stay home from work for the next few days. While resting on the couch in front of the big screen I turned to a 30 minute Billy Graham Evangelistic Association program. I usually don't watch BG programs. Instead I lean toward the more "heady" stuff. You know the stuff that makes you think; like apologetics or eschatology. But God entered. He had me watch this program where Franklin Graham joind with several contemporary groups to hold a concert under the arch in St. Louis. I thought I would listen while the groups sang and turn the channel when Franklin began to preach. By his own admission it would only be a 5 to 10 minute simple gospel message. I was intrigued as the thousands of kids and adults entered the grounds and began to rock to the music. They had followed some of the kids there and for the most part they were runaways living on the street. When Franklin Graham walked to center stage wearing a ball cap and holding a microphone I reached for the remote. His first words, "God loves you!" He repeated it several times. He told the kids God wanted all of them to know Him and live with Him forever. It didn't matter if they were involved in drugs, sex, or alcohol. God still loved them and died for them. I was captured by the simplicity of the message. I put the remote down. The camera began to pan across the faces of the people in the audience. They were captivated by the thought. God loved them. They listened. They watched him speak as if they were mesmerized by every word. Mr. Graham was honest in his appraisal of his message. It was simple and brief. He concluded as his father had done for decades by asking them to come forward and speak to counselors at the big screens. I watched with eyes filling with tears as kids, preteens, teens and young adults came forward with their eyes filled with the same tears. I saw grateful parents with their hands in the air praising God for answered prayers. I watched as teen counselors opened their Bibles and led their peers to Christ. At that moment I don't think anyone there was concerned whether Jesus was returning at the beginning of the tribulation or in the middle. Or if we eat or play golf in heaven. And neither did I. I was reminded what is most important about my faith. Jesus loves. God entered.  

Days of Awe

This is the 22nd of September, 2009. For the Jew it is the 5th of Tishri 5770. For many of us the most significant thing about today is that it is the first day of Autumn. Fall officially begins at 5:18 EDT this evening in the northern hemisphere. So as you read this you are just enjoying the last few fleeting moments of summer or fall has just overtaken you and summer is just a memory. The most important thing for a Jewish person is that we are in the middle of the "Days of Awe."

Five days ago, according to the Jewish lunar calendar, the month of Tishri began with the Feast of Trumpets. This feast is also known as Rosh Hashanah. It literally means "head of the year." While the Feast of Trumpets is 5 days behind us, the Day of Atonement, or "Yom Kippur" is only five days ahead. The intervening days are known as the "days of awe." According to Jewish tradition three books are opened in heaven between these two high holy days. The book of life for the righteous, the book of life for the unrighteous, and the book of life for those who are in neither book. If a person is deemed righteous he is written in the book of life for those who are righteous. If he is a bad person then he is written in the unrighteous book of life. He is not expected to live through the year. If a man is in-between he is given ten days, the days of awe, to repent before the book is closed and his destiny is sealed forever. This is a period of time for many Jews to do acts of kindness and service and repent.

At the end of the "days of awe" is the Day of Atonement which begins at evening this Sunday. This is the highest holy day on the Jewish calendar. When the Temple was still functioning in Jerusalem it was the day the high priest went into the Holy of Holies. This only occurred once a year. On that day he would enter the Holy of Holies three times. First he would light the incense to fill the room with fragrant smoke that represented the prayers of all the people before the throne. He returned a second time. There he would sprinkle a bulls blood on the mercy seat which covered the ark of the covenant. Yom Kippur, is literally day of covering. The blood of a the bull covered the ark and thus covered the sins of the people until the same time next year. He would then sacrifice a goat set aside for the Lord. He would return for the third time to repeat the sprinkiling procedure just as he had with the blood of the bull. After leaving the Holy of Holies he would stand at it's entrance and sprinkle the blood of both animals on the floor. Everyone who entered that room would have to enter by the way of the blood.

It is not hard to imagine how important it was to be represented in the Holy of Holies by the priest. During the ten days of awe much repentance and good deeds were done. It is interesting to note that because the Jews use a lunar calendar that the days of awe began when the moon was the darkest in the sky. The darkness would remind them of their sins and how they separated them from God. Isn't it true that all of us are more likely to be burdened the most by our sins in the darkest days of our life. Don't we most often repent when we are in darkness caused by our sin. In these days it is important that we make sure our names are written in the righteous book of life. We can know that because our High Priest, Jesus Christ,  has entered into the Holy of Holies on our behalf. He has spilled His own blood on the Mercy Seat for our forgiveness. And anyone may enter into the presence of God by walking through the blood. In these days of awe let us covenant together to pray for one another until that last and final Rosh Hashana, "Day of Trumpets." On that day the dark days will be over when the Trumpet of God sounds to call us all home.  Until then keep the faith!

There Is Rock Under That Sand

I was listening to a cd in my car during lunch today. Not a music cd, remember I'm a pastor, but it was a conversation with a another pastor who had been dealing with some issues in his life. He made a few insightful comments that struck a chord with me. He mentioned that he had prayed for hundreds of men while working for "Promise Keepers." He had prayed for miracles in their marriages, their ministries, their health and their faith. Knowing and believing that God was answering many of those prayers in miraculous ways he wondered why it seemed God did not answer his personal prayers for healing and faith as well. His willingness to share his struggles with others had differing consequences based upon the experience of those who would listen to his story. To many it gave hope. To know that this man who was a "professional" Christian had struggles of faith similar to theirs. Still others were turned off by such talk. Many of these were people who had been through difficult times in church struggles where they had left wounded or spiritualy depleted. They did want to know of the ministers struggles. He was to be strong for them and always on top of his game. His transparancy was a sign of weakness.

One particular crucial moment in this man's life came when he finally cryed out to a former under-graduate teacher. In the phone call with his former mentor this man admitted that his faith was nearly gone. Through pressure from theological liberals and suffering in his own family he no longer felt like he had a faith that could withstand the onslaught of negative emotions. He described it to the teacher this way: "I feel like I have been standing at the edge of the ocean for years staring out at it's expanse. I could feel the rush of the waves against my feet as I just barely touched the edge of it's greatness. But now, I no longer feel the waves and it seems the water is receding further and further away. I am now just standing on sand." His professor responded; "I only know that when all the water is gone and even the last grain of sand is gone from beneath your feet you will be standing on a solid rock."

The pastor now understands that he is one of the people that God speaks the loudest to through trial and struggles with faith. He believes God listens as he cries out of his darkness. It is in those darkest hours that he has known the power of God in his life. I think I understand. I have often thought about the man who had been lame for 38 years as he lay beside the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. The Bible says in John 5 that around him lay a "great multitude of impotent folk." For some reason God chose this one man to heal. While others lay watching, this man stood up and took his bed and began to walk. Their must have been a great and collective cry for healing as the others watched their former neighbor move to another neighborhood. If I were in the crowd of "impotent folk" I would have raised my hands in the air and begged Jesus for a mirale. If we were all honest that would be the response of every suffering human being. We would have been angry at God few hand picking just one out of many to receive His blessing.

In my own personal struggle I am finding that in a pit of despair God offers not immediate rescue but enough of His presence to give me places to hold on. He offers nuggets of truth in the words of others enough to keep me from looking down at the pit and instead casting my gaze up at God. I have to return to the simple truths of my faith where "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so." It drives me to a place where the presence of God is more important than the answers to my questions. I have learned that while God does not stop me from seeking healing; He wants me to more fervently seek the Healer. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. You all are a blessing!   

I Never Moved

Last post I wrote of my recent disappointment with the status of my faith. There was so much feedback from that entry I thought I would catch you up on my progress. Thanks to the many of you who said you were praying and would be praying for both my spiritual and physical well-being. I am certainly not where I wish or should be at this point, but I have noticed some improvement.

I have come to realize slowly over the years I have allowed more input into my life that is not spiritually beneficial. I enjoy talking finances and listening to talk radio. I am quite fond of 60's and 70's classic rock and roll. After getting the bad news from the doctor last week, I suddenly found those to be less than comforting. I was driven back to listening to more Bible teaching than just political or financial ramblings. While I still enjoy Fleetwood Mac and the Doobie Brothers, the words to their songs don't edify me like music with Christian lyrics. I also realized I was doing more and praying less. I have been spending a lot of time on my knees lately. I'm still not satisfied with the results and I have told the Lord as much. He still sits silently in the wings without a noticable move in my direction. I am coming to believe my problem may be more like the joke I used to tell. When an old farmer and his wife drove past a young couple sitting close to one another in an approaching car, it prompted the farmer's wife to ask why he didn't sit that close to her anymore? His response as he sat securely behind the wheel,"I never moved."

This week I go back to the hospital on Friday to have a test to look at my heart again. Based upon the results of this test I will learn what type of treatment they will recommend. Prayers are appreciated.