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Blessing??

Monday, April 29th, 2013

You have probably suffered through the same ~~garbage~~ ~~junk~~ whatever-you-want-to-call-it as I have.

“I’d like to thank the Big Man Upstairs for this award.” (My note: GAG!)

A foul-mouthed, sexist, woman-hating rapper says, “I’d first like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for helping me make music and for giving me a reason to sing.” (My note: First, I question his use of the term “music” for his…ahem…stuff; and two, I have this sneaking suspicion God is leaning down from heaven saying, “NO, NO! Don’t give me credit for that filth!)

Award show after award show. Media event after media event. Talk show after talk show we hear people giving credit to “God” for their success.

NOW. THIS.

First, a disclaimer. I can count on one half of a finger the number of times I have made political comments on this blog. I just don’t go there for several reasons. However, this is not a political comment. I don’t care if you are a ReDemTeacan. This is a moral comment. Last Friday our president made a 12 minute comment about Planned Parenthood (PP). In that comment he praised PP for:

“Lives you saved, women you’ve empowered, families that you have strengthened. That’s why no matter how great the challenge, no matter how fierce the opposition, there’s one thing the past few years have shown. It’s that Planned Parenthood isn’t going anywhere. It’s not going anywhere today, it’s not going anywhere tomorrow. (There is more but speech edited by me for space)

If that wasn’t enough, the last sentence about did me in.

Thank you Planned Parenthood, and God bless you.

God bless you? Are you kidding me? I am not sure what he’s been smoking, and I’m certainly not sure what God he’s talking about, but I’m pretty danged sure that the God who knew us “before we were formed in our mother’s womb, and consecrated us before we were born” (Jer.1:5); and the God who “formed our inward parts; who knit us together in our mother’s womb; who fearfully and wonderfully made us; whose eyes saw our frame when we were being made in secret and intricately woven in the depths of the earth; who saw our unformed substance; wrote all our days in a book; and has precious thoughts of us” (Ps.139) would have a huge difficulty “blessing Planned Parenthood.” I picture God leaning over and saying, “NO! NO! Don’t even go there! Don’t even think of it. Don’t even say that!”

God cannot and will not bless sin. Churches. Pastors. Hucksters. Politicians. Tycoons. Presidents. Senators. Doctors. Lawyers. Indian chiefs. There will come a day of reckoning (skip ahead to 2:08). Count on it! Funny thing (not haha): there will be plenty of “religious” people who will take issue with my words, but not his. Go figure.

Okay…your turn. You are free to express your thoughts. Just be kind.

Posted in Opinion, Sin | 36 Responses »

Rattlesnakes

Sunday, March 17th, 2013

In 1993 our family took a trip out west. It was our oldest daughter’s year of high school graduation and we knew family vacations were going to be in short supply from that point on. One of our stops was at the Custer Memorial, as you might guess, the scene of Custer’s last stand. While there I was on the walking path and looked down to see a sign:

PLEASE STAY ON THE PATH. SNAKE DANGER.

(or something like that). Yeah, like they had to tell me twice! In fact, as I recall, I spent very little time on that path at all.

The late evangelist, Billy Sunday, a predecessor to Billy Graham’s type of evangelism, once stated “too may Christians treat sin like cream puffs instead of the rattlesnake which it is.” That reminded me of that stopover at Custer’s Last Stand. It also led to some reading on rattlesnakes. Did you know the baby rattlesnake is actually deadlier than the adult rattlesnake? (They are both deadly obviously, but hear me out). They say it is because the baby rattler gets so nervous and excited that it strikes and releases more venom at one time, whereas the adult rattler has better control. Well…that’s always nice to know. I reckon I won’t think a baby rattler is so cute and reach down to pet it or pick it up. How about I just never run into one and call life “pleasant” as a result?

My point is this: Don’t be fooled by what appears to be small misdeeds. Good things don’t always come in small packages. Dynamite. Poison. Diapers. All kidding aside, and in total seriousness, yielding to small things often leads to bigger things. If not right away, it begins to lay conditions for smaller sins to become bigger ones.

We often use the phrase “faithful in little, faithful in much” when referring to being accountable with God’s blessings. Perhaps we can use that phrase when referring to sin as well. If we learn to turn away from the “little” snakes that come into our path, perhaps it will be easier to say “No” to the bigger ones that block our way. Or maybe we can take the view this man had. Me? Ain’t no way I am going to get close to them. Not a bad idea for the snake of sin either.

Any thoughts to share today? As I write this, Jo and I have briefly mentioned leaving town for the night and not take any iPad, books, or computer with us. If that happens, I will not approve or respond to messages right away. I’m sure you understand.

Posted in Christian living, Just Wondering, Miscellaneous, Sin | 29 Responses »

Hardened

Thursday, March 14th, 2013

It is not unusual to read a book/magazine, watch a TV show, or hear someone speak of a “hardened” criminal. That description is used to describe someone who is jaded, desensitized, and/or usually practiced in criminal activity. While looking for a definition for “hardened criminal” I came across an article on a 13 year old who is being branded as one. All I can say is “Ay-yi-yi!” (spelling dubious). Hardened criminals are often seen as incorrigible. Unreachable. Unchangeable. ‘Course I am of the belief that no one is until they breathe their last breath.

That, in part, is why we are drawn to the thief on the cross. We like the idea that he was near the end of his (miserable) life and one word from Jesus changed everything. Let’s face it: unless you are really, really, really (did I say really) unique, we have all done things we would just as soon forget. It was a big thing among bloggers a couple of years ago to write letters to their younger self. Australian blogger, Rodney Olsen, took a unique approach this past week to that. I followed suit in my comment with a much shorter one. “If I had to do it all over again…” can easily become the moniker of many of us. There are many things I would do differently that’s for sure. But one thing I do know is this;

GOD’S GRACE IS SO MUCH GREATER THAN MY SIN!!

And man am I glad! That doesn’t give me a license to sin. This Scripture says so. I am one of the blessed ones-I came to know Jesus early. But what about those whose whole life has been about lying, cheating, stealing, murder, war, mockery, and various other “qualities?” Take, for example, the two characters I will be dealing with this Sunday in my series “Reclaimed.”

THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

THE CENTURION

Both hardened, but in different ways. One hardened by his evil life; the other hardened by his military life. One by his sinful choices; the other by his life choice. The centurion may have been a more honorable man than the thief, but they both needed the Savior. They both realized they were in the presence of majesty. One found peace and promise at death; the other found truth at death (Someone else’s).

What matters is not how hardened someone’s life is at death. What truly matters is how hardened someone’s heart is at death. I believe, without a shadow of a doubt, it is never too late for salvation…except when that last breath is breathed. Thief on the cross. Roman centurion. Bill. No matter. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Just don’t come with a hardened heart.

I’d appreciate your prayers for Sunday. Have any thoughts you would like to share on this topic?

Thanks to Dan for the banner.

Posted in Easter, Preaching, Scripture look, Sermon Series/Topic, Sin | 27 Responses »

Perfection

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

First a disclaimer: I have no intention of offending any of my readers. I know there are some religious groups/denominations who believe in obtaining sinless perfection here on earth. While I disagree, I am not writing this post to incite hard or harsh feelings toward me or anyone who comments.

If you read this post, you will know I am in the process of reading Mud and the Masterpiece by John Burke. It is blowing me away! Case in point: I went to bed Tuesday night at 9:30 (I get up at 4) and got back out of bed to read until after 11. Yeah, I questioned my sanity when the alarm went off, but I have been captured by his book. But it is not the first time John has written a book that has done that to me. If you were to look at our website you will find that OVCF is a

“Come as you are church where No Perfect People are Allowed.”

While I have wanted to pastor a church with that focus, I could never articulate it. Until I read John’s book No Perfect People Allowed shortly after I moved here in 2005. I didn’t just read it once. I read it three times and then preached a sermon series based on the idea, plus we offered small groups. It ~~drove~~ brought the point home, and it became our moniker and motive for ministry.

I firmly believe the church ought to be the one place people feel safe. Comfortable (in a good way). Covered in love and acceptance. Now… please understand I am not saying sin ought to be sugar-coated and the gospel (good news) of Jesus should be compromised. But the love of Jesus can be shared and the conviction of sin can be shared with a heart of love. No, let me restate that: the love of Jesus and the conviction of sin MUST be shared with a heart of love. We can’t expect a secular culture like the one we live in to embrace our “Christianese” and our strong condemnation of ~~sin~~ them. Why should they? Heck, I know churches and “followers of Jesus” who don’t even do that. A few years ago I read a book called “They Love Jesus but Not the Church.” With our screaming judgmentalism and wall-building sectarianism why should they? They certainly don’t “feel the love” emanating from us. Sadly, in today’s world, the message and the messenger are almost inseparable.

Here’s what I am advocating: The church is to be like Jesus and be His representative. Take the woman at the well or the woman caught in adultery or the woman who anointed his feet. How did Jesus approach each of them? He didn’t judge and castigate, but He also didn’t pooh-pooh their sin. “Go, call your husband, and come here.” “Go, and sin no more.” “Your sins are forgiven.” He loved them, but didn’t excuse them.

What a difference we would make if we approached people as Jesus did. Do you struggle with this? How are you doing? How does your church do? Any thoughts?

Posted in Christian living, Church, Doctrine, Jesus, Leadership, Legalism, Scripture look, Sin | 30 Responses »

Unshockable

Monday, March 11th, 2013

They walk in hand in hand. You don’t give it a second thought until you look a little closer and realize they are a same-sex couple. What do you do?

You thought you recognized the face. In fact, you are almost sure you were staring at it just this past week in the newspaper. Then it dawns on you! Of course. He/she was plastered across the front of the paper for a DWI.

The shame written across the face was evident. The downtrodden and down-looking eyes were another piece of evidence. Something about them said, “I don’t belong here. Please judge me so I can agree and never come back.” You realize they were in the paper for a child porn case.

The young woman can’t look you in the eye. You try to welcome her, but her guilt is too great. After all, what would you think if you knew she had just had an abortion? Or was a teenager who had had a sexual encounter and now the consequence is weighing on her. She is scum and everyone else will think so too.

All scenarios. But all scenarios that we probably have faced in the past or may face in the future. I gotta tell you, in all honesty, I would not have given a rip about these people several years ago. I could preach God would forgive, but that didn’t mean I had to have a part in it. Plainly put, I was a Pharisee. Lock, stock, and barrel.

I’m not going to presume how you would handle these or similar situations. As a pastor I have a unique view of things in many ways. That was how I got to be a Pharisee. But you can’t be one when God ~~slaps~~ slams you upside the head with a 2×4. Slam He did and it was not a pretty sight.

I’ve been reading Mud and the Masterpiece by John Burke. WOW!! I’m hooked! It’s not the first time John has done that. Later on that. Read this passage please. Substitute the above examples in the place of the woman. Jesus’ response would have been what? While the above examples are mine, the reference to Luke 7 that I am about to give is John’s.

Jesus looks beyond the mud to the masterpiece this woman is. He doesn’t ignore her sin (“Go and sin no more”), but His parable shows the debt she (and the Pharisees) owe could not be paid. John makes this statement:

The reason I believe Jesus wants His followers to be unshockable has nothing to do with hating sin or not hating sin. It has to do with seeing sin for what it is-it’s foreign matter. Sin is not our true identity-that’s the whole problem. We need to help people identify with God’s image in them. (The masterpiece under the mud-my note)

That is not sugarcoating sin. It is about not allowing it to be their/my identity. This post is getting long so I will continue it later this week. Till then, what are your thoughts? How would you react to the above scenarios? And if you get a chance, please listen to this.

Posted in Christian living, Church, Friendship, Jesus, Just Wondering, Leadership, Sin, Story | 26 Responses »

Possessed

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

According to the online dictionary, possessed has three definitions:

Owning or mastering something. He possessed great wealth.
Controlled by or as if by a spirit or other force; obsessed. That person is possessed by a demon.
Calm; collected. He remained possessed during the trial.

For the purpose of this post (and the message Sunday), I am using the second: “controlled by or as if by a spirit or other force.” My theme over the next two months is dealing with the change in people as a result of contact with Jesus. I like the following quote:

When we sin and mess up our lives, we find that God doesn’t go off and leave us-He enters into our trouble and saves us. Quote by Eugene Peterson used in Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli

Many of us live, or know people who live messy lives. Lives filled with divorce, death, drugs, drinking, an addiction of some kind. Really messy, messy lives. Some wrote us off. Some are still writing us off. Some have written others off as “incorrigible.” “He/she will never change.”

Good thing nobody told Jesus that about Mary Magdalene. We aren’t given a whole lot of background information about her except what Mark 16:9 tells us: “Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.” Whoa! Back the truck up!! Seven demons??? Like I said, good thing they didn’t tell Jesus MM was beyond saving. Truth be known: I may not have been possessed by seven demons (I wasn’t); I may not have done some dastardly deed worthy of imprisonment; I may not have driven drunk and almost taken someone’s life; I may not have snorted something up my nose; but I am still no better off than MM. I have my own sin that needs taken care of.

MM became an avid follower of Jesus (and don’t believe those cockeyed stories different media want to present about their relationship). But her coup de grace is found in John 20: 11-18. Imagine the honor given her by being the first to see Jesus alive. They had come to the tomb and it was empty. The angel had appeared to the Mary’s; Peter and John had already made their appearance. They had all left…except MM. It was then Jesus rewarded her patience and devotion with His appearance.

We will not see the risen Lord as MM did. But He does come to us in our brokenness. No one can take that away from MM. No one can take that away from us. Enjoy your weekend. Enjoy your worship. Enjoy knowing you matter to Jesus no matter what.

Thanks to Dan for the banner.

Posted in Church, Jesus, Preaching, Scripture look, Sermon Series/Topic, Sin | 24 Responses »

Rebels

Thursday, February 28th, 2013

As you can probably gather, I am starting a new series this coming Sunday called “Reclaimed.” My plan is to divide it into two with Resurrection Sunday being the splitting point. March will be spent with characters reclaimed by Jesus before the cross, and April will be spent with people reclaimed after the cross/resurrection. When I was working on my sermons last October or so, I had a totally different series planned. It is a pastor’s nightmare (well at least one of them) to realize that what he had worked on was garbage and needed to be redone. Needless to say, when a series doesn’t turn my crank, I certainly can’t expect it to light a fire under anyone else. So I went back to the drawing board. This is the series I felt God leading me to. First up…

R.E.B.E.L.S.

Now before you say, “Hey, wait a minute. These people weren’t affected by meeting Jesus”…you are correct. Just don’t shoot me when you find out why. See, they weren’t affected directly by Him, but they were used to tell a story by Him. Now you know I can justify about anything!!

The passage is here, but I suspect it is one you are already familiar with. Everyone calls this the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I think it is a much better picture of the Loving Father. For several reasons, but the most glaring is there were two sons who were rebels. One was very blatant; the other hidden. One was an outward rebel; the other more an inside rebel. One was an “I’ll take mine now” rebel; the other was an “I can’t wait until he dies” rebel. Point being: neither one was more rebellious or more hideous than the other.

The beautiful part of this story is the loving father. His actions with his younger son showed he was not a tyrant; while his actions with his older son showed he was insightful and knew all along where his heart really was.

In essence we are all rebels. Some of us are more blatant in our rebellion. “Give it to me now!” Others put on facades of outward acquiescence, while inwardly we are crying for freedom from all this religious garbage. Through it all is the loving Father who wants to make something of our lives.

Hope you are one of those who are willing to submit. Thanks for praying for this weekend. There is always some ~~anxiety~~ anticipation when beginning a new series. Oh, I am also introducing the message with this video. Enjoy and be amazed.

Thanks to Dan for the banner.

Posted in Preaching, Sermon Series/Topic, Sin, Story | 16 Responses »

Misconceptions

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

You have probably read or heard the following fable. If not, then consider it:

There is an old fable about six men blind from birth who lived in India. One day they decided to visit a nearby palace. When they arrived, there was an elephant standing in the courtyard. The first blind men touched the side of the elephant and said, “An elephant is like a wall.” The second blind man touched his trunk and said, “An elephant is like a snake.” The third man touched his tusk and said, “An elephant is like a spear.” The fourth touched his leg and said, “An elephant is like a tree.” The fifth blind man touched his ear and said, “An elephant is like a fan.” The sixth man touched his tail and said, “An elephant is like a rope.” Because each blind man touched a different part of the elephant none of them could agree on what the elephant is really like.

Bringing that analogy into the spiritual realm brings up several scenarios.

The most obvious is how people have misconceptions about God and what He is really like. For example, it is real popular to talk about and like a God of grace and mercy. And He is. If not I’m in deep, deep trouble. But at the same time, those same people don’t like to think of a God of justice and wrath. Another is hearing that God is Omniscient (All-Knowing), but believing God has limited knowledge (Open Theism). He can’t know tomorrow and is surprised by things happening. (Picture God with the McCauley Caulkin look on the packaging from Home Alone).

Another scenario is when we have misconceptions about people. We jump to conclusions about motives (very dangerous to judge). We write people “off” as Losers. We have a misconception of who they are based on several factors. Jo called me on something I said the other day. We were driving and a jogger was running with her back to traffic on a pretty narrow road. I commented, “Idiot.” (Yeah, real nice coming out of my mouth). She said, “I don’t like that name. I don’t like to be called that.” You see, she works at the BMV and has been called every name in the book, and then some, so she knows the sting of unwarranted comments. I have no clue why she was running with her back to traffic. Perhaps she had just crossed over and was turning down a street. My misconception judged her- and worse- called her a not-so-nice name.

Be careful of having misconceptions. It saves a lot of embarrassment…like having to apologize. It also saves from wrong views that need corrected. Do you fight misconceptions on a daily basis or is it a rare “ugly” that rears its head?

Posted in Christian living, Doctrine, God, Just Wondering, Miscellaneous, Sin | 22 Responses »

Models

Sunday, January 20th, 2013

The talk of the sports world, and it seems newscasters over the past week has been the “Lance saga” and the Manti Te’o scam. In case your head has been buried under 100 pounds of rock, let me give you a very brief summary.

Lance cheated, lied, bullied, finally ‘fessed up.

Manti was the victim of a “your girlfriend is dead” scam.

There you have it. All neat and tidy. Well…as neat and tidy as it ~~will~~ can get. The underpinnings of both these events will unfold like an onion. I suspect they won’t be pretty either. I have my thoughts-more on the first than the second (which I know very little about)-but will largely keep them to myself. There is enough chatter to last a thousand lifetimes.

One of my long time friends whom I just found out was blogging again (after a long hiatus) wrote this post. I most definitely could not have said it better.

There has been lots of talk down through the years of whether athletes are role models for our kids. I would have to say yes, and no. Yes, because kids do look up to them. No, because we are all models. I don’t care whether a person is an athlete, an actor, a businessman, a coach, a father or mother, or someone else, we all influence those around us. Like it or not, I am a model to those around me. Not a very good one I am afraid at times, but I am one. More than anything, I want people to leave my presence knowing I have been with Jesus. Check out this post by my friend Jay. Since I am a cyclist, it is obvious that Lance’s escapade affects me. Fortunately, I am not a kid or a young dreamer, or especially his own children. I am an adult who can make decisions on my own. But that does not leave me immune to looking up to people who accomplish some major feat. I am not excusing his behavior by any stretch, but 7 Tours is a feat under any circumstances. But still he cheated. Maybe he thought he was invincible. Untouchable. Insulated. What this does is show me one thing:

WE I AM LANCE.

Maybe I ought to clarify. We are all Lance. We are all sinners. It will be easy to point a finger of judgement at him and say, “Bad boy. You doped, lied, cheated, bullied,” (and heap other sins on the pile), but before we do, STOP AND LOOK IN THE MIRROR!! Can I really and honestly say I am better? My answer? NOPE.

There is really only one thing that sets me apart from him (besides the ability on the bike). I am forgiven eternally by the blood of Jesus. One day I came to the point of acknowledging my sin and my need for a Savior. That, and that alone, separates me from him.

“HELLO. MY NAME IS BILL AND I’M A (REDEEMED) SINNER. “

Any thoughts?

Posted in Christian living, Just Wondering, Leadership, Sin | 30 Responses »

Criticism

Monday, January 14th, 2013

Have you ever heard the story of the pastor who was criticized because he supposedly went to a meeting his wife was attending and forced her to leave? In self-defense, he took out an ad in the local newspaper, which read:

In the first place, I never attempted to influence my wife as to her choice of a meeting.

In the second place, my wife didn’t attend the meeting in question.

In the third place, I did not attend the meeting.

In the fourth place, neither my wife nor myself had any inclination to attend the meeting.

In the fifth place, I do not now have, and never have had, a wife.

WOW! Did that make you chuckle? Sometimes confrontation is important. We often have to confront our critics, but even if we do it should be done with gentleness and love. I might also add in the right spirit and in the right place.

Much is said about people being critical of us. In the OT there is a story that lays it right out in the open and shows us God’s heart in this matter. The story is here. One look at verse 8 shows us point blank what God’s heart is about criticism. In other words, just who do you think you are criticizing Moses like that?

We get our feathers ruffled and our undies all in a bunch when someone criticizes us, but we often fail to look long and hard into that same mirror as we rip someone’s head off. God considers criticism a sin. Sometimes criticism is just pure judgmentalism…nothing more, nothing less. And simply put, God will not tolerate it.

If we have a critical spirit toward someone, we are hindering our fellowship with God. He hears that bitter spirit come out of our mouth and can’t stand it. He wants nothing to do with it. I recently read a post here about forgiveness (can’t wait to read the book), and we often talk about how failing to forgive blocks God’s work in our lives. The same can be said of criticism. Can anything be uglier than someone whose presence you dread because you know the venom that will spew out of their mouth? The tragedy is so many don’t even know they carry that “gene” with them. That toxic gene. Is it wrong to be discerning? No, of course not. But to spew the venom from our mouth, especially in a harsh way, is not what God would want.

Do you find yourself a critical person? When did it start? What are you doing to stop?

Posted in Christian living, Church, God, Just Wondering, Leadership, Sin | 22 Responses »