Entertainment of Fear

As any good morning show would do, today CBS had a Halloween related segment. A psychologist was analyzing why so many people are drawn to scary movies. After all, Saw IV was number one at the box office last week. How crazy is that?

He explained something that we probably already knew about fear and excitement. The adrenaline of fear invokes that fight-or-flight response in us, and gives some sort of high. So this kind of fear makes people actually feel good, in addition to being entertained. I don't get it, because I hate scary movies, because well, they scare the Hellsinki-Finland out of me. They really do. But there's no entertainment involved.

And of course many Christians see such horror movies as well, and on that I shall not comment. But I know for a fact that some of them go for the same reasons mentioned by the psychologist.
If fear truly is of entertainment value, then why not do something even more scary than going to a scary movie.

At this moment may I suggest something? How about sharing the gospel with someone? How scary is that? It still scares me today-what if I forget something, what if they think I'm weird, what will this do to the relationship? It is scary, but along with that fear comes some excitement. There is adrenaline rush, particularly when it is uncharted waters.

Or inviting those you already know to church? Or how about stepping outside your comfort zone and meeting new non-Christians? That is hard. It's hard for me. Sometimes I hate it. Sometimes I wish I could just work out at the gym, and not talk to anybody. But as I extend myself, submitting myself to Christ's Lordship, there is fear mixed with excitement.

And as I look back on each new relationship that starts (not knowing where the Lord will take it-I'm scared to even think about it sometimes), I'm always glad I took that step. Always. And it never costs me 8 dollars, or 2 dollars if I wait for the other theater.

Even if you share the gospel/meet new folks/invite friends to church to get a fear-high, you would still be getting encouragement from Paul. He wrote that even if Christ were preached out of envy or to cause problems to him in prison, he was glad that Christ was preached(Phil 1:15-18). I think he would probably look at this fear-high in the same light.

Welcome to the Hotel Rwanda: "Such a lovely place?" Part I

During our Christian Ed hour this past Sunday, we had a delightful discussion on a not so delightful (although extremely well done) movie on a not so delightful subject. The movie was Hotel Rwanda, and it told the story through the eyes of a dude named Paul.

Particularly appropriate in the movie were scenes which revealed his reluctance to help (which made him seem more genuine, not flawless). Now this was at the beginning of the movie, and his heart obviously changed very quickly when a bunch of Tutsi refugees showed up in his living room!

But one of the excuses given to not help his neighbors was, "They're not family." Clearly there is an obligation in scripture to honor your father and mother, be gentle with your children, and to provide for them (one who doesn't is worse than an unbeliever and has denied the faith-according to I Tim 5:8). Ouch. So I would admit there is a special primacy to the immediate family. But there is NOT an exclusion to those outside, is there? That's often what happens.

Is there any explicit command or obligation to help those outside your own nuclear/atomic/whatever you call it these days family? Since many Americans (especially Christians-because this seems less heinous than drugs or sex) hold their family, or their children as their number one idol, I think this is an extremely appropriate question. An issue which I shall some day have to deal with as well.

In Deuteronomy 16, Moses gave specific instructions for families to invite aliens (outside covenant), fatherless and widows (outside family) to the Feast of Weeks. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the neighbor whom we are supposed to love becomes everyone-even enemies. And Jesus described those who obey his commands as his brothers and sisters (Matt 12:47-50).
Do you realize how offensive this would have sounded to his conservative Family First Jewish audience? Seriously offensive.

While your immediate family certainly takes priority (and I understand many have given themselves to jobs, ministry, hobbies first), those within the family of God take a close second, Even those outside the covenant, take a close third. Like it or not, in Christ, "We are fa-mi-ly!"and that obligates us to love, help, serve, and paddle the extra mile for each other. Thanks for reminding us Sister Sledge.

Even the Ravens obey

A week or two ago I heard an amazing rescue story. I really love rescue stories, particularly when folks are rescued from the sea. But land rescues/survival stories are still pretty cool.

A 76 year old woman had been lost in the woods while hunting (which probably goes to show they should stick to driving in the left lane for their sense of excitement!), and the main search party had been called off after 10 days. Her daughters had already finished planning her memorial service when she was found. Talk about emotional roller coaster.

The interesting thing about her discovery was in the how: ravens. Ravens were circling overhead, and the rescue party simply followed those ravens. God is sovereign (in control) over all of the earth and everything in it. This time he used ravens, but He is free to use whatever means He deems fit.

Seeing God use these ravens reminds me that He is still involved in our every day affairs. And to quote Gandalf, "You were meant to find the ring, and that is a comforting thought indeed."

If you want to check out the article, click here.

Emerging Lecture-seriously though, its good

You may or may not have heard of some loose entity known as the "emerging" or "emergent church." Mark Driscoll, pastor of a mega-church in Seattle called Mars Hill, gave a lecture at Southeastern Seminary on the main three streams of thought out there in this non-denominational lumping. At one time he was connected with some folks as part of this "emerging" whatever-you-want-to-call it. So he speaks as a former 'insider' and does so quite honestly, and difficultly, since some of the men are/were his friends and he knows their families and vice versa. This would no doubt be a difficult lecture to give.

In case you don't feel like listening to the hour long lecture (but it goes quick because he is absolutely hilarious), I'll briefly summarize some of his main three divisions, of which only one he really refers to as "emergent."

1.) "Cool/hip churches." These are churches which are completely evangelical, and are willing to consider different ways of ministering to a totally different audience than we had 50 years ago. As far as methods and what each church looks like-that will be different-but they may look a little different than your church (possibly). However, they are distinctly Evangelical and do not compromise the gospel. Such names in this stream include Donald Miller, Dan Kimball. However, they probably don't fit into "emerging church" status.

2.) "Emergent Village"-These are churches who in seeking to win the lost, have really, in Driscoll's opinion, lost touch with the true gospel. He calls them "revisionists"-wondering what God really meant when He said stuff about homosexuality, gender differences, and atonement/symbol of the cross. Reaction to scripture is not obedience, but dialog and conversation. Such names include Brian McClaren, Rob Bell (Velvet Elvis) and Doug Pagett. Unfortunately some of their professed influences include John Dominic Crossan (a dude from the Jesus seminar-denies Jesus' resurrection), Marcus Borg (panentheist-no creator/creature distinction), and Ken Wilbur (wrote A brief history of everything-a Buddhist intrepretation).

Some of McClaren's books are A Generous Orthodoxy and A New Kind of Christian (which won the Christian book award several years ago). NPR's religion editor calls him the "new Martin Luther." Winsome and relational, he has a strong following.

However Driscoll questions whether or not these churches are actually growing. They've compromised to reach people, but they really aren't doing that.

3.) Calvinist stream-These are young, reformed (at least in regards to salvation)
pastors who see an importance in a return to expositional (verse-by-verse) preaching, usually an hour long, elders, more charismatic in worship, and have more of a connection to the historical church. They agree culture has changed, and need to think of new methods to reach the lost. Such include having night services as well (Seattle has more dogs than kids, but many singles), hosting secular concerts in a building they purchased, and more relational evangelism-specifically hospitality.

Pastors include Driscoll, CJ Maheney, Sovereign Grace folk, Matt Chandler, Acts 29 Church planting network.

They tend to be younger but are willing and to sit under older men and be taught by John Piper, D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, and J.I. Packer. Those are names I trust.

Driscoll closed his lecture with some questions that folks in his camp are asking: Why are so many people into video game "World of War Craft" or Ultimate Fighting (the demographic which is least churched 18-34). Paul looked at the idols at Mars Hill and saw what they believed. His goal is to have people take a peak into these cultures and see what's going on-then they will know how to minister to them. To be biblically faithful and culturally fruitful.

Forgivness in a fallen world

I watched a 48 Hours Mystery special (as usual) this week. In every story, it looks like a perfect family from the outside until they dig up something like porn, infidelity, drugs, or other illicit activity. And when they have Christian families, often all or some of the above have been included.

However this time, I found an interesting/wonderful/bewildering display of grace. Thanks CBS.

On the outside the family looked as though it were an all American Christian family in Sugar Land Texas. But I think 3 out of 4 actually lived out the part quite well.

Unfortunately, the oldest son, repeatedly arranged to have his family killed. His 3rd attempt was successful, and his doting mother and younger brother (who looked up to him) were killed that night. His father survived his wounds and forgave him immediately. How?

I know its not easy, but God has granted me the grace to forgive. I know my son and wife are in heaven, and I want the same for my son (who obviously didn't believe at that point).

You bet that forgiveness only came from God. So the father pleaded for life in prison. His pleas fell on deaf ears. Texas kill that joker after some time. Could you forgive your son whom you loved, and yet spurned that love? After all, he claimed the only people he ever hated, were his family members! Repeatedly trying to kill them? He said he never felt loved or accepted by them.

I can't verify or deny those claims, but it sure looked as if the mother and father cherished their son. And it would seem to show in the father's willingness to forgive him! I don't know what I would do, but if my son killed my wife and other child, would I forgive him that quickly? Would I seek the death penalty for him? Hard questions to answer. I know for sure God's grace would allow me to forgive, but how long would it take? Long time I think. As far as the death penalty goes, wow, I don't know.

Neighborly Warmth

Last night while watching the Colts dismantle the Jaguars, Amy and I heard a sustained honking/"car-alarmish" sound. As I turned the corner around the back of my house, I first felt a little fear: I've seen too many movies where if the person just didn't round the corner out of curiosity, he would haven not been killed.

But I had to take my chances, after all, this was real life. I noticed some lighting reflected on the side of my neighbor's house. So I expected something bright. Well I got it.

There was the large, jacked up, pimped out, technicolored dream Oldsmo-Buick with tall flames spewing forth. Because the car was so high, the trees almost caught the blaze. Eventually fire trucks came out and doused the flames.

Apparently yesterday, very early in the morning, someone was shot inside that house. The victim described it as a home invasion, but the cops questioned the veracity of this account. Regardless, the car fire all but proves that something else was going on. But we'll leave that to the authorities, and I'll try not to connect the dots.

This ought to shed some light into the differences of men/women, or perhaps just Amy and myself. I was concerned primarily about property values: what would this do to an already unsellable neighborhood?

Amy was concerned about safety: is the area safe? Are we more likely to get hurt in this neighborhood? We talked about it for a little bit and concluded with this.

Car fires actually do happen in all kinds of neighborhoods (my parents' a few weeks ago/my friend's a year ago), as do break-ins and home invasions. On the 48 Hour Mystery specials, all the murders take place in upper class neighborhoods.

In the end, we can't protect ourselves sufficiently to prevent any worry or 'concern.' But God can protect us sufficiently, wherever we are. We believe, or at least try our hardest to believe in a Sovereign God who doesn't succumb to circumstances, statistics, or trends.

"Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." Psalm 115:3

He will protect us in the end and bring us safely into His heavenly Kingdom no matter what (II Tim 4:18). I'm just glad Amy and I can see He is "our God (meaning He is in covenant relationship with us)." That should provide sufficient security, and help out my concerns about property values!

If you'd like to read the Bradenton Herald Article about this event, click here!

News reporting from Palestine

While reading Mark Driscoll's book The Radical Reformission: I came across one of the better explanations/illustrations of why we have 4 different (but true and reliable) gospel accounts.

First of all (not in the book), regardless of how similar or different the gospel accounts look, there will ALWAYS be a problem for skeptics. The fact that the synoptic gospels are so similar is actually known as the "synoptic problem." How did they get so similar? Well obviously they just copied each other-such is the argument. So for them to be even more similar would could actually make them less believable!

But of course there are some differences, and these differences are often used by some to discount their reliability (perhaps even the same people). However, the differences actually prove that there were numbers of different eye witness accounts; not just one who was the main 'lead.'

Driscoll provides a solid illustration here. Imagine the different gospel writers to be 4 different news sources. CBS, NBC, ABC news affiliates correspond to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But then you have different news sources with more unique perspectives, think of CNN or Fox News. This would represent John's gospel.

News always comes from a biased perspective (regardless of what Fox News thinks), and so the writers presented their accounts, including, and excluding certain details (based upon their Holy Spirit inspired purposes)-you can't record everything. That which is included is intentional; the same goes for that which is excluded.

So we need not be worried about the gospels being too similar or too different. They are just as God intended them to be. Arguments one way or another ought not to dissuade us. Only by God granting faith can they be accepted as true and reliable; but it is also good to be able to express the evidences when evidences do exist-both to ourselves and others.

Depth charged

While I was out fishing today with a friend from church, I had a run in with some large sea animals. I was paddling in from deeper water while trolling a jig behind me. All of a sudden a large swirl/splash/gush of water suddenly erupts less than a foot from the left side of my kayak. Then an explosion on my right, then left....

My heart beat like a hunted rabbit. The explosions continued for about 5 seconds as I yelled out in sheer terror. The kayak rocked back and forth; it was as though I were being depth charged.


After everything calmed down, I signaled to my friend that I was OK. But about 15 minutes later, it happened again. One explosion, then another, and another. I had escaped the onslaught once again.

The second time was not nearly as frightening because I knew what was happening. I paddled directly in front of a pod of large manatees, just before the 2nd set of explosions. So I just held on for dear life, hoping they wouldn't tip my kayak over (they've been known to do it.)

But it was far less scary, now that I knew it wasn't a bunch of sharks or over-friendly porpoises. That did make a difference. Knowing exactly what I was facing changed everything. The next time I face those explosions, my heart shall be better prepared.

Unknown things scare me more than anything. But I guess I have to take comfort in realizing that while they are unknown to me, they are not unknown to God.

On Joel, Part III: Something good in the neighborhood

I probably should have said something positive before I gave my critique of Pastor Joel. So really this should be Part I, but as it is it's, Part III. Just think of the Star Wars movies, and how the more recent one's are technically, Star Wars I-III. So its the same type of thing; they just made a lot more money, and had a slightly larger following. Anyhow, I did find some things commendable with Joel Osteen and his CBS interview. Here they are.


1.) On his broadcasts, he doesn't regularly ask for money from the viewers. He admitted that broadcasts obviously cost money, but still has not become one of those TV preachers/speakers/evangelists/whatever-you-call-them who is always saying, "Now go to the phones. Just make that payment, or buy this prayer blanket, and 'sow that seed,' and all kinds of good stuff will happen to you." You don't get that with Pastor Joel, at least that I could tell. I didn't get the feeling he is a charlatan. What you see is what you get.

2.) When asked about some of the lives he's affected, he began weeping, overwhelmed that God would use him to help people. And it would seem there is a genuine desire to help people, not simply benefit from them.

3.) Finally, he did admit that suffering was part of life, and God helps you amidst the suffering. Though prosperity (healthy, wealthy, and wise) is thrust to the forefront, he did at least mention suffering, and said, "We do talk about that as well."

4.) At the conclusion of his normal broadcast (at least the one's I've seen) he does instruct people to find a church near them. A lot of people listen to Pastor Joel, so hopefully they listen to him and find a bible believing church with which to connect.

Finding something commendable can be hard sometimes, but I do believe it is necessary. Paul did this both with non Christians (Acts 17) and with Christians. Look at what Paul writes to the church at Corinth (I Cor 1:4-5) which was divisive, often drunk, adulterous, and arrogant

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge-

Destructing is easy (and important as well-I Cor 10:5), but constructing and building up can be much harder. And it is just as biblical.

On Joel, Part II: Would James and Joel get along?

Would James (the writer of the book in the bible of the same name/Jesus' brother) and Joel Osteen be, like, best friends, even BFF? I mean after all, neither really use the name of Jesus much if any (the name Jesus isn't even found in the book of James at all). Joel uses it some.

They are are both extremely practical. Joel tries to get people to be better fathers, husbands, etc..(which is a good thing) and James tells people to act like fathers and husbands to those who have neither (1:27).

For both, faith is to be practically displayed in life. If you have faith, then you need to display it. If you have wisdom, show it by your good deeds (3:13).

But I do find several major distinctions. James reminds us that we aren't guaranteed tomorrow (4:13). Those rich who oppress the poor will be judged (5:1-ff), and the material possessions do not last, in fact they are already fading (5:3). So James seems to not be in favor of the prosperity/ health and wealth gospel.

Next, while James never mentions Jesus by name, he certainly mentions Jesus' words and person throughout his letter (borrowing from the Sermon on the Mount, as well as mentioning The Lord's Return). So Jesus is still the basis and motivation for the practical expression of faith.

Christianity is distinct from other religions. The practical 'doing' and expression of one's faith is based upon what Christ has already done for you. The motivation to be better fathers and husbands is based upon the work Christ has done on your behalf. And when Christ starts that work, he continues to perfect it in you (our practical expression and deeds) until He's done.

But, if you leave this part out, you just have someone telling you to do the right thing, and then you can get favor with God and good stuff. Really cool stuff. But that is not Christianity.
One might wonder how acquainted Joel is with James. I think they should hang out some time, and get to know each other.

On Joel, Part I: "Where's my pub?"- Jesus

I love the DVR feature. I love to use it to record things on CBS, mostly the shows with some sort of time measurement like 48 hours Mystery, or 60 minutes.

Amy and I watched a segment of 60 minutes a few days ago that dealt with the popularity of mega preacher (I guess that's what you call a preacher of a mega church) Joel Osteen. After all, he's filling out basketball arenas and has a viewing audience of over 7 million.

Why is he so popular? Part of it deals with the fact that he really doesn't deal with sin. Osteen said something to the effect of, "People already know how bad they are, I don't need to beat them down."

I often need to be reminded that I am that bad, that I desperately need the gospel. That makes me love Jesus a ton more, and live a lot more humbly than if I thought I were good. Believe me. Am I the only one that needs to hear the bad news, so that I can make sense and rejoice over the good news?

Another telling sign was when the reporter asked about his self help book, "There really is no mention of God or Jesus Christ in here. It could just be Dr. Phil or Oprah."

The response was, "Well much of what they say is found in scripture." Sure Oprah does great work in needy areas in Africa (good stuff too), but her be-true-to-yourself ethos is entirely anti-scriptural. Just watch her show. Amy fills me in.

There was another little clip where Osteen was signing books. A man comes up and says, "I'm a Jew, and my wife is a Roman Catholic, and we love listening to you." That might make me a little concerned that Jesus, a huge stumbling block, might not be getting the 'pub' in your messages.

1 Corinthians 1:23 "....but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles."

I (as a preacher about 8-10 times a year) would be a little concerned if a Jew said that he loved my preaching and messages. It would certainly make me question whether I was actually preaching Christ and Him crucified or simply telling people to be good. Every religion tells people to be good. Christianity says you'll never be good enough, Jesus has to be good in your place. And that offends. For some the message is sweet; for others the message stinks like a paper mill.

If you want to watch the special, click here

You can comment now

I'm glad that people are smarter than I am. When talking to a friend today, and explaining that I don't like the fact that non-gmail people can't comment on my blog, he mentioned that there could be a setting I simply needed to adjust (as opposed to getting a whole new site). I don't know why I never thought of that. Well, I kind of do. I don't think of those type things-things related to technology. Anyhow, you can now post comments, because I adjusted that setting. I trust you'll do a good job. Just click on 'comments.' Thanks for your time. Peace.

Real Fellowship-A little deeper than George and Jerry

I just met with a fellow PCA pastor for lunch today at Applebee's. Aside from getting off at the wrong exit, everything went quite well. I was reminded once again today why faith is not supposed to be a private thing.

We were able to share our own weaknesses, confess our own sins, and speak of our own ecclesiastical frustrations. I left feeling refreshed. A brother whom I look up to greatly is a fellow struggler. How freeing.

Without relationships like these, life can become much harder than it needs to be. If you don't have any relationships where you talk about your faith, life, struggles, joys (below the surface, meaning more than football-which we did talk about, albeit last), I would encourage you to seek them out.

We are meant to walk through life with these kinds of relationships. Any sort of deep relationship, whether you want to call it mentoring, accountability, or close friend is absolutely priceless. And for some reason priceless means good. I never really figured that out.

They do exist in the church today, but they need to be sought out. Please don't be afraid to seek them out. You'll not regret it.

Faith: I don't want to talk about it

For those unable to get the Bradenton Herald, here is my every-other-month article. It deals with the American fallacy of a private faith. Oprah might not like it very much. Feel free to forward it to her if you have her email. Click here to read it. For the first time, they actually used my title. They got wise.

Would Jesus call you back?

Last night I had a meeting planned which was very well unattended. I actually had to conduct an interview with a third person listening on speaker phone so that we could have a quorum. That was kind of cool in some way though. O technology.

Some responded and told me of their inability to make it. May their children rise up and call them 'blessed.' One, due to some cyber-black hole (that's the only thing I can think of) didn't even get three emails I sent, which were confirmed to be 'sent.' But several others just didn't respond at all.

I've been thinking about something lately, and I don't have anyone in mind personally (please believe me-I'm not mad at you; if I were I would tell you in person, not via email or blog!), so please don't take offense. Thanks for your belief. I trust you believe me, so don't let me down.

Here's my scenario. Let's just suppose Jesus began his ministry in our day and age, a day of technology with cell phones and emails. 2000 years ago Jesus might have been one of the busiest people on the planet, with people constantly vying for his time (some with good intentions and some with bad). I truly believe he would still have found a way to get some solitude in prayer, which can easily be done by waking up early-and that he did. Really kind of a no-brainer.

But what about emails and phone calls? Would Jesus have returned emails (since his inbox would have probably been full)? Would he have returned them promptly? Would he have returned phone calls? Perhaps he would have returned them by order of importance-how they coincided with his mission? He was a man on a mission. The gospel of John describes him quite often as being 'sent'.

I do know that when he was on the way to Jerusalem to be tried and killed (ultimate plan), he still made time for people even when the disciples ignored those calling out in the streets to be healed. His mission included people, even 'little people' (but I'm not referring to, but neither am I precluding those short on stature). The disciples thought they were totally on board with His mission, but we see them missing the picture some times.

So I can see the disciples not returning phone calls or emails, but would the Lord Jesus take the time to call people back promptly? Certainly there are different levels of urgency in phone calls and emails, but I think Jesus would probably have been pretty good at it since he loved people so much. And we are to put interests of others before ourselves (Phil 2:4) based upon the pattern of Christ.

Just my thoughts, but of course I think they're right! But I know I could be wrong. Nevertheless, I think putting others' interests ahead of our own probably means we need to respond more rather than respond less to emails and phone calls. As I'm writing this I feel convicted to respond to someone who sent me a message a while ago-a message I don't want to respond to! But alas, I shall now.

Words of Wisdom from Tony (not Danza or the Tiger though)

Someone this past week shared an unsatisfying sports experience with me, and it wasn't because his team lost (the opposite was true). Surrounded by rabid fans glued to the tube to cheer their team on to victory, any sort of relational activity was to be put on hold.

Personally I don't like to discuss weighty matters during Buc's games such as finances or family matters, but I had to question my own sports idolatry. Do I replace sports for relationships? Or do I use them to facilitate, increase, or spawn new relationships?

Well due to the fact that the Bucs have often been playing at 4pm, and the other 1pm games I've been tied up with stuff, the annual phenomenon of the Bucs party has not seen the light of day.

I have to admit that while I was appalled at my friend's sporting experience (and quickly condemned such activity), I admit that I had to examine my own heart. My wife helped expedite that process of course!

A quote from Tony Romo (the QB of the Dallas Cowboys) helps shed some light on this issue. Someone asked him if he would ever be able to recover from botching the snap in the Cowboy's last second field goal in the playoff game verses Seattle. He responded beautifully saying, "If the worst thing that happens to me, happens on a football field, I think I'll be OK."

Since professional athletes can move on very quickly, I think we should as well. We probably should be 'moving on' even as the game progresses. And Jesus will gladly help.

License to Pay

On Monday I returned my kayak. This was the third time I've returned a kayak, but this time it wasn't my fault. My large butt (I guess that was it) broke the plastic seat area.

So I headed to Sam's Club to gas up my trusty Protege for the drive to Auburndale, and prepared to load up. But the card reader at the pump would not read my Sam's card. If you're not a Sam's member, then know this-you must have your card read; they don't just want your money, they want your information. Or something like that.

So I continued to slide my card into the reader back and forth numerous times. In my mind I cursed the Sam's Club card readers, as well as the card makers. After all, I was on my 2nd card because my last one got too worn out. After probably 15 slides and 3-4 cancellations, I turned my card over to take a better look. It was my stinkin' drivers license.

No wonder it didn't work. The State of Florida doesn't make dual purpose drivers licenses.
After feeling brilliant for a second and seeing that no one else had witnessed my brilliance, I found my real card and then pumped to my heart's content.

It's amazing how often we make simple, stupid mistakes. The other day I was getting overly frustrated with the Verizon customer service (who had really gaffed on my bill in a few different ways). Apparently they needed to contact my wife before they could give me ANY information on the account. I was quite upset and it showed in my voice inflection. But after about 5 minutes, I realized I had given her the wrong number.

Sometimes knowing that you've screwed up before helps increase patience with others. Sometimes knowing that you could be screwing up even now also helps. At least it would have with me.

Spicing things up

In order to "spice up" my devotional life, I have decided to add (not replace) some devotional literature to my normal diet of God's Word. I have rarely ever used devotional literature, but thought it might be helpful to read reflections from saints who've gone before me.

In the two days since I've started, I've found it quite helpful. I'm currently reading a book edited by Richard Foster called Devotional Classics. It contains entries and excerpts from a variety of different authors from St. Augustine to C.S. Lewis. I found today's entry quite thoughtful. It is a greater cost NOT to follow Christ than TO follow Christ.

".....(Regarding Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship) It was right to point out that one cannot be a disciple of Christ without forfeiting things normally sought in human life, and that one who pays little in the world's coinage to bear his name has reason to wonder where he or she stands with God. But the cost of nondiscipleship is far greater-even when this life alone is considered-than the price paid to walk with Jesus. Nondiscipelship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God's overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil....The correct perspective is to see following Christ not only as the necessity it is, but as the fulfillment of the highest human possibilities and as life on the highest plane." - Dallas Willard, Philosophy Professor at USC

Well written. It does not need any further comment.

Plea Deals

Yesterday afternoon, sprinter Marion Jones announced that she will plead guilty to lying to federal agents regarding her steroid use before the Olympics in 2000 (she won a bunch of medals in those games). Like so many other athletes suspected and questioned about steroid use, Jones simply lied about it.

My first thought was "why would she come out now and admit to such malfeasance (OK that's a bit harsh of a word)?" Because it was part of a plea deal. Apparently they were going to bust her on several other more serious charges related to money laundering and the like.

So in order to escape THOSE charges, she will confess to lesser charges. Now if someone says they've used steroids, and you've seen their 100 meter times drop from 11.2 to 10.6, I believe them. However, is it only I that question the veracity of criminal plea deals?

I mean, in serious criminal cases, you have people who have been lying to cops, juries, lawyers, judges for some time, and then they are presented with a deal. Tell us that you did such and such, and how you did such and such, and we'll get you off the hook for other greater offenses.

Does this seem a little weird? Aren't the defendants just going to tell the courts whatever the lawyers want them to tell so that they can get off the hook? Now I'm no lawyer and I'm sure that plea deals have been very helpful over the years. But I still wonder if the truth is actually what comes out of their mouths, or if its just more lies that will save them some hassle. Maybe its just me.

Why I have to preach through books

For those of you who don't attend Hope Pres, I wanted to at least give you the opportunity to hear my sermon on patience and the Lord's Return. At times I feel guilty about preaching on patience, since I have so little of it-and it often shows both in public and private settings. And I hate my lack of it. I really do.

But when you preach through books of the bible, you preach through topics that you normally wouldn't preach through because they are hard (election/tithing/Hell) or because you feel too guilty to preach them (patience, the tongue, mercy-all of which are present in the book of James).

So I'm glad that the Reformers have set a good example for me by preaching verse by verse through entire books (instead of bouncing around from topic de jour to topic de jour) so that whatever congregation I'm in, they'll hear God's Word-even the sections I don't like to read or struggle to apply. Worst case scenario for the hearers (and the preacher as well!) of God's Word is that they have to repent more and cling more deeply to Jesus. And that isn't too bad, eh?

Anyhow, if you want to listen to that sermon, click here and then click on "When Soon Isn't Soon Enough" James 5:7-11.

The gym: a place where football BS flows like a brisk mountain sream

One thing that I appreciate about football season is that it gets guys together talking. I walked into the dungeon (the back room of the gym where they put all the free weights) yesterday and two guys were shooting the breeze and arguing over which football team was better. It was fairly friendly banter, I think. There was however great disagreement on how good the Bucs and Colts and Raiders really were.

Arguments are most fun when there is no way to actually prove your point. It just leads to more arguing and you can't possibly lose. And you've already won in your mind, so why stop? I guess that's the thinking.

Well the argument never stopped the whole time I was in there! But at least a little headway was made: it was better than trench warfare (how bad of an idea was that!). In order to slow down the arguing, a bet was proposed. If the Bucs give up fewer than 30 points, one dude owes the other 50 dollars and vice versa. So I guess the argument will end in a week. Not too bad.

I think the game of football gets more BS going than any other sport. I have no way to quantify my findings; its just been my observation over numerous years. I guess it's because coaching seems to be involved more so in football than baseball. In baseball, you have one bad managerial mistake, but with football, every play is subject to question. Or maybe its because football is only played once a week?

But it just makes me laugh, this phenomenon of football. I mean, one dude who doesn't know my name (and probably doesn't care), is like best buds with me because we both pull for FSU and talked about it one day for 20 minutes. Isn't that crazy? I think they should do more sociological experiments with football fans. I know the best place to start the experiments!

God is not our football coach

On the way to the church this morning, I was listening to sports talk (big surprise, I know-but I did read the 'ticker' at the bottom of the screen during Good Morning America so I did get some 'real news'). Anyhow a baseball commentator was being interviewed about the New York Mets' tragic and historic collapse: they were up 7 games with 17 games to go. The Sports talk show host questioned if the manager's job was at stake.

They went to the playoffs last year, and barely missed them this year. But each year comes the question: "What have you done for me lately?." How quickly we forget. And it happens in every major sport. Now I'm realizing more and more that things which are perfectly normal to think about regarding mundane everyday stuff often get transferred over to our view of God.

For instance, the coach's job is to win, and they are obviously subject to being fired based upon a lack of wins; I understand that, and they understand that when they enter into this profession. But don't we tend to have a "What have you done for me lately view of God?" If He's provided graciously for a period of time, and then for reasons unbeknownst to me, I hit 'a rough patch,' I wonder what the deal is. He's not performing how I would like Him to perform. I can't fire Him, so I complain.

I look back and see all the wonderful things God did for the Israelites, and they immediately forgot and started complaining. Ultimately they had a "What have you done for me lately" approach with God. However, I'm just glad I wasn't in their shoes. Looking at my track record, I don't know that I would have distinguished myself like Joshua and Caleb with great faith.

One thing I do know is that I look at God like a football coach (by the way-I was ready to fire Gruden, and still am if the Bucs don't make the playoffs). But instead of looking at the most recent of my "wins" and "losses," I really ought to reflect more on the past. He's delivered before, and that's all I need to go on. He's done plenty enough to deserve "His job" and my respect for it.