Most of you will be doing candlelight services tomorrow. We had ours last night. (I'll explain if you ask.) It is always a highlight of our church calendar for me. Perhaps it is the utter simplicity of the time. Were it not for the fact that the folk at our assembly are addicted to sitting in the back of the Worship-Center, we would probably do away with microphones.
Our room is lighted by candles, we sing familiar Christmas carols, and read scripture. That is only about half the program, though; the other part is made up of people sharing about what God has done in their lives.
The angel told Joseph, Mary "will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) We heard about that last night. There were reports about God, in His grace, had delivered people from the ravages of sin, as well as praise offered for God's hand in keeping folk from sin's power.
Matthew 1 gives another name for God's Son become human--Immanuel. It comes from the Prophecy of Isaiah and means God with us. John points out, in his gospel, that for a time God tabernacled--pitched His tent--among us. From the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem it is always God's desire to be in the midst of His people. Last night I was powerfully reminded of the desire that ought to be in our heart for Him to be with us.
Simplicity vaulted to profundity. I don't know about the others who were there, but the lesson on the names of Christ had a greater impact on me than any sermon I can remember.

Lord, may I remember what those names mean--not just in abstract, but what they mean to me.
Amen.

It's STTA.

As I type my wife is doing something very Christmasy--standing in line at the post office.
I wonder if Mary or Joseph sent a note back to Nazareth after the birth of Jesus. We know people sent mail in First Century Israel. Many letters from the era have been discovered. What would a note to the family say?
"The baby is here. All are well. Much to tell you."
Or perhaps:
"No time to write much. We have to leave for Egypt. If soldiers come don't say anything. Will write more when we can."
We don't know. Part of the reality into which Jesus was born was that Mary and Joseph were real people. They had families and friends and history. Luke and Matthew give the genealogy of His earthly family. I'm a grandpa. Did Jesus have grandparents who were still alive. Did they hold Him on their knee, and talk baby-talk to Him. I figure so.
I do know that when Jesus grew up he talked about the games children play. He became like us, so that He could save us.


It's STTA.

It is Simple:

I try to read things that challenge my mind. I enjoy talking to people who make me think. At this point in life, I find myself scanning articles or blogs and saying, "This is old stuff--material I've already thought about--I don't need to read this." When my intention is to use my time more wisely--trying to stay on the growing edge--that is sound analysis. The problem is when my filtering becomes snooty, elite, "I'm beyond all that." As if everything important is on an upper intellectual shelf.
Last night I was reminded about the wonder of seeing things through simpler eyes.
Regular readers of STTA, know that CBC recently presented a live nativity to our community. I've been posting pictures from the program in these emails. We really try to make the scenes and the narration represent the truth put forth in Scripture. Maybe it's because I have been involved in the program for years, but my thoughts about our presentation are mostly analytical. "This would be better if . . ." or, "That isn't quite accurate." etc.
My friend's comment was something like, "When I saw the donkey, and the sheep [Actually it was a goat, but there I go being all analytical.] it helped me see that Jesus coming was real."
We need more of that refreshing bottom-shelf, basic reality kind of thinking.
To paraphrase a famous Christmas story, Yes, Virginia, The Son of God really did become man.

Find out more about what it means to you here.

It's STTA.

Snow!

If you open the door you can hear two sounds--one very slight and the other emanating from many sites some distance away. The snow that is falling has just enough iciness to it that, if you listen carefully, you can hear its fall. The other sound comes from the throats of children, cheering the Snow Day, NO SCHOOL!
This close to Christmas, in my part of the world, folk join Bing in dreaming of a White Christmas.
Maybe.
The snow does serve as a reminder as to why the Son of God came to earth. The Prophet Isaiah, who has much to say about the Savior born in Bethlehem, said, "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. . . ."
That is the kind of White Christmas that ought to really interest us. Another prophet, John the Baptist, proclaimed when He saw Jesus: "Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.

You can have that kind of a White Christmas. Find out more, here.

It's STTA.

Coming into a cold world:

My church just gave a Christmas gift to our community. Like most really good gifts it was a present that we made ourselves. We presented a Live Nativity, portraying the birth of Christ and seven other scenes. I would say most comments members of my church family made about the event had to do with what a joy it was to share this wonderful story with our neighbors. A close second was, "It is cold." I'm not sure if some of our dedicated volunteers were completely warm for a week.
Yesterday, when some guys were involved in the tearing-down process, between the cold and the wind, it was frostbite cold.
The Gospel of Luke records the simple fact that Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths. She wasn't getting Him ready to pose for a Christmas card picture. Like all babies He had to be kept warm. We don't know exactly what time of the year Jesus was born, but whenever it was He was born into a world that hostile to Him. Isaiah predicts that He would be despised and abused. In Philippians 2, Paul speaks of Him being "obedient unto death, even death on a cross."

If we aren't careful we'll get the idea from Christmas cards and such that the world welcomed its Creator with candles and a warm embrace.
No. It was cold.

It's STTA.

People, trouble, & sparks:

". . . man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward." (Job 5:7, NASB95)
So said Eliphaz in his first speech in the book of Job. Eliphaz and Job's two other buddies had come to comfort him in his time of affliction. They were so appalled at his wretched condition that they sat with him in silence for a week. That was the best thing they had to say. Not that they didn't say true things. Much of what Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad pronounced was true, but if you take the overall thrust of their reasoning it is patently false.
This afternoon I was saying "Amen!" to Eliphaz's proverb about people, trouble and fires.
We are getting ready to launch a major outreach to our community. Our live nativity is a highly labor intensive activity. Today I was getting some vehicles ready for the operation. There were untimely flat tires, lugs that froze up and had to be cut off, a dead battery, and parts that stores didn't stock.
It is the way things are in this world.
Where Eliphaz was wrong was in his conclusion that Job's trouble was a specific response by God to some specific sin on Job's part. No, it's life.
Even Jesus faced trouble in His walk on this earth. The Apostle Paul said that "all who will live godly in Christ will suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12)
God doesn't insulate us, but He does give us grace. (see 2 Corinthians 12)

It's STTA.

I Learned It In Romper Room:

Romper Room was an incredibly low-tech, very pre-politically-correct TV show for children--Sesame Street minus the Jim Henson Muppets and without the computer generated graphics. In other words it was really BORING. I think it was kind of a franchise show. Local TV stations all over the country would bring a group of kids and kindly teacher to a studio and broadcast what amounted to a kindergarten, or pre-kindergarten class.
I still remember from the few times I watched it (I found it boring even in my pre-wired state.) how before snack time the teacher would get the kids to bow their heads and they would recite,
God is good, God is great. Let us thank Him for our food."
I don't remember if they said, "Amen." or not. Looking back now, that simple prayer is a sign of how far our culture has come. You supply the direction.

Is God good?
Is God great?
Is He worthy of our Thanks?

I proclaim that He is. If you have time between the turkey and the football I encourage you to consider Psalm 107 & 73. You might also be interested in some thoughts I jotted down earlier today about hauling water.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving. Know that I am thankful for each of you who take the time to read these rambling thoughts of mine.

It's STTA

In spite of what some of the youngsters in my church think, I wasn't around to vote for Abraham Lincoln, and I certainly wasn't a guest at Plymouth's Thanksgiving feast.
Our nation has a long history of being thankful. I wonder if many Twenty-first Century Americans would find much for which to be thankful in the fall of 1621 at Plymouth Colony. The living arrangements of the colonists would be considered cruel and unusual if a batch of today's convicts were put in a similar situation. In 1863 when President Lincoln declared a national day of thanks our nation was in the midst of the Civil War. There was a strength about the thanksgiving of these forebears of ours that I fear is missing from our current version.
I fear that our "Thank You, Lord." is like the "Thanks." that is tacked on the end of most business transactions--a formality, a way of being polite, lacking in real sincerity. True thanks is based on sound Theology. God is in charge. He doesn't owe us. Our lives ought to be lived in submission to Him. I would encourage you to read Job 1&2 and Psalm 73 for examples of this robust offering of thanks.

Not only tomorrow, but especially on this day set aside for the offering of gratitude, let the knowledge of Who God is and who we are inform our Thanksgiving.
"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow."

It's STTA

A fascinating concept, in recent years associated with actor Kevin Bacon, is often called the
"Six degrees of separation." The term refers to the idea that everyone is on average six steps away from any other person on earth. "Bob, my friend, has a neighbor, who works with Pete, whose brother-in-law used to deliver President Obama's mail." I made that one up; actually, I can make the connection with the President in fewer jumps. Believe it or not we aren't merely talking a parlor game here. Serious research has been done on this human web.
With words that leave a knot in your gut John Donne proclaimed almost 400 years ago,

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main. . . .
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

(Click here to read the entire piece)
I read about a murder just the other day. Adjectives likes senseless, cruel, and tragic rang in my mind. The young man used to sit under the teaching of my brother-in-law. My son was involved in a big youth event with his older brother. I hear the bell toll with sadness.
Let's not leave it there, though. Whether it involves a computer or a fence we lean across, every one of us is involved every day in a web of communication. What are we communicating? The Great Commission, the mandate that Jesus Christ gave to his followers to share the Good News and make disciples, is not a set of instructions for the professional few, rather it is a command for all of Christ's followers, wherever they go, to share the message of hope for eternity that comes through Christ's death burial and resurrection.
It's STTA.

Thanks, Vets.

Part of my task on this Veteran's Day is to finish up a message based on the end of the Book of Judges. The book ends with these ominous words, ". . . there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." From a social, religious, and domestic perspective, life was a mess in Israel. A letter by an Egyptian official who traveled through Israel at the time records that the roads were overgrown with cypresses, oaks, and cedars, that lions were numerous, and he twice encountered thieves.
Our nation's fathers adopted our constitution in order to guard against those kinds of conditions--to "establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, and promote the general welfare." As surely, though, as wood rots, steel rusts, and all things deteriorate, in this fallen world the good intentions of those who found governments must be upheld by those who protect them.
On a weekly basis I meet people who, and the families of people who are serving our nation in the armed forces. I know some who lived underwater or manned missle-silos, and maintained our readiness during the years of the "cold" (but very tense) war. Many of my contemporaries served their nation in Vietnam, my neighbor in Korea, my dad and his two brothers in Europe in WW2, my great-uncle in WW1. I have stood at Gettysburg, and read about Valley Forge and Yorktown. In large part the reason I live in a place of peace, prosperity, freedom, and security is because of those men and millions of men and women like them.

Thanks!

It's STTA.

If I were wearing a hat I'd take it off to the people of Weston Missouri. Weston is a town of 2,000, yet last Saturday hundreds of town's people showed up for the funeral of Sgt. First Class C.J. Sadell, who was killed last month in Afghanistan.
I live in a small town and one of the times when I am most proud of my community is when we come together to honor one of ours who has passed. People pull over and stop when the funeral procession passes. Friends, associates, and neighbors come together to let the family know they care. It is common for the grieving family to receive more food from neighbors than will fit in their refrigerator. But the gathering of people in this heart-of-America community was beyond that.
News had come that Fred Phelps and his, so called, Westboro Baptist Church, were coming to hold one of their despicable protests at Sgt. Sadell's funeral. The good people of Weston weren't going to wait for the Supreme Court to decide whether what Phelps and his ilk are doing is legal. They said, in essence, "This is our son. He gave his life in service to our nation and these creeps are not going to keep our neighbors from burying their loved one with the honor he deserves."
The picture above came from a KHQA news story (http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=537382). It's worth watching the ad that precedes the short video to see the account of small-town America doing good.

Here is the conclusion to Lindsey Boetsch's story: "Westboro Church members disappeared."

Lead on Weston!


It's STTA.

Waking up beside the bed, with fleas:

Folks who sleep with hound dogs are liable to wake up with fleas. Then there was the little girl with the perfectly logical explanation about why she fell out of bed. "I went to sleep to near to where I got in." It is not only the fact that Samson was sleeping when he met his ruin at the hands of Delilah that causes me to think of those two proverbs when I read his story. The strongman of the Book of Judges is a poster child for the Brotherhood of Poor Choices. He went where he shouldn't go, desired what he shouldn't have, demanded that which would lead to his ruin, and refused to turn back thinking he was immune to fleas, and secure on his perch on the edge of the bunk.
A thousand years before it was written down Samson lived the deception of thinking he could sow without reaping. (Galatians 6:7).

Though his death resulted in a serious blow to Israel's enemies, there is no doubt, Samson's life was a waste. Incredible potential, in spite of heroic exploits, limited production. Hound dogs. Way too comfortable way too close to sin.

You can read his story in Judges 13-16. We'll be looking at this Sunday at CBC.

It's STTA.

The Election: What Does It Mean?

Right now I'm listening to a lot of very smart people trying to figure out what happened? By this time there is little doubt as to who won and who lost. In particular states or regions patterns are emerging--the political landscape is different in some definable way. The big question is, though, what does it mean to our nation?
Tea-Party advocates say their emphasis is the explanation. Maybe, but voters left some very visible candidates holding the bag--tea-bag. Some cynics point out that last night's results show that elections can be bought. A couple of ladies in California would beg to differ with that opinion. Incumbency also brought mixed results. Some were voted out on a wave of anti-incumbency, while others, partly on the basis of the power and prestige of office, kept their jobs in the face of well financed and organized opposition. Tip O'Neill's wisdom that "all politics are local," carried the day in some places, while others lost because the race was "nationalized."

Maybe it just is what it is, the wonderful Mulligan Stew called democracy.

Here, though, is an overarching truth. Babylon wasn't a democracy, but change was in the air when God spoke through His prophet, Daniel, "It is He [God] who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings;" (Daniel 2:21) The same point is made in Daniel 4:17&32, and Psalm 75:7. "He puts down and exalts another," and, "He bestows [power] on whom He wishes." Romans 13:1 says "there is no authority except from God." I'm fairly sure that includes winners I didn't support.

"OK, Merrell, having stated the uber-macro truth, that God is in control, tell us how that works out. Why and how does God do that?"
I'm really glad you asked, because I have an answer. I don't have a clue. Furthermore, I'm convinced that those who claim to explain it don't know either. I'm reminded of the answer a wise--not to mention wise-cracking--father gave to his child when she asked, "Where did God come from?"
Dad's reply: "Anywhere He wants to; He's God."

Here is what I need to know based on those statements of God's sovereignty over politics:
My hope is in the Lord.

It's STTA.

Checking it Twice:

Getting ready for Sunday's message--encouraging a saner, more Christian approach to Christmas--I have seen some astounding statistics.

• A couple of billion people have never heard about Jesus Christ in any way that remotely could lead to salvation.
• Many people in the world live on less than $1/day.
• The average American adult--even though Holiday spending is down more than 50% since 2001--will spend 14 months worth of these folk's income on Christmas ($417 in 2009).
• The median annual giving for an American Christian is about $200--half what the average American consumer spends on Christmas--just over half a percent of after-tax income.
• The average person in the world owns 5 possessions.
  

Yet the statistic that over the years seems to have gained the most interest has to do with the chances of a White Christmas this year. In my area it is about a 17% chance of having at least 1 inch of snow for the holiday.
Clearly an examination of our Yule-priorities are in order.


It's STTA.

Somethings Shouldn't Be Said:

Many of us desperately long for political dialogue where the participants would simply say what they mean. Unfortunately, what we are getting more of--too much of--way too much of--are participants who say everything they think. It doesn't take long. I'm not really surprised at that. James spoke of the uncontrolled tongue two millennia ago (James 3:1-12). What seems different to me--and bothers me a lot--is that this lack of discretion, ad-hominem on steroids, mouth-rage, or whatever you call it is looked on by many as an acceptable, even desirable, way of arguing. My concern is increased by the fact that these outbursts are related not to who will win the world series, but who will set the course of our nation's future.
Good rhetoric often involves a smack-up-side-the-head--the equivalent of the 2x4 in the old joke about getting the mule's attention. The problem I see is so often there is nothing in the way of actual intelligent discourse to go along with the verbal shock-&-awe. We call someone an "idiot" not because we have evidence to show their lack of intellect, but to intimidate any who might disagree. "Perhaps if I defend X, others will think I am an idiot as well." When the words in play have to do with what is called the "world's oldest profession" or what is technically the name for a female dog, the effect, and the damage, are even greater.
If I tell these mouthpieces-desperately-in-need-of-control (Psalm 141:3) to be quiet, they will probably just call me a "bigot," "fascist," "First-Amendment-basher," or maybe even a "Fundamentalist." I figure so much blood is rushing to their tongue that they can't hear, so I make my appeal to the rest of us. Don't listen! With remote, subscriptions, and voting machine, lets say we expect more.

It's STTA.

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer & She's Not Alone:

Three sources of information are coming together in my thinking in an unusual way--some of you would say, "weird!"
I noticed some time ago when Jesus came to Martha and Mary's house (Luke 10:38-42), that Martha was "distracted," and "bothered." Both of those are passives. She was being acted on by forces outside of herself. As a result we see her action, "all her preparations," and she "worried." Mary on the other hand, "has chosen the good part."
I was reading this morning about choices that American consumers have made in regard to Christmas shopping. BIGresearch put it this way: ". . . the economy will affect [shopper's] holiday plans," consumers are "adjusting," and even, "the economy is forcing" Americans to travel less. Those quotes came from a year ago. I see no reason to think there will be significant change this year. Like Martha, many Americans, as they begin their Christmas preparations are reacting--to that extent, they aren't choosing.
Finally, the lyrics to a well loved Christmas song brought it all together. "Grandma got over by a reindeer." (I'll let you do your own websearch for that one.) I'm afraid Granny isn't the only one who is a Christmas casualty. Just notice how often statements about Christmas preparations begin with the words, "I have to."
Sunday we'll look into this some more at CBC.
I hope yours will be a Mary Christmas.

It's STTA.

The Marketers Are After Our Christmas Money:

OK, the shopping areas in my little community don't quite look like the picture above, but I just received an email indicating that they are after my Christmas-shopping dollars. I hope my neighbors are able to keep more of our money at home, but this isn't a "Shop-at-home" ad.Really, I'm hoping that God's people will evaluate the whole Christmas = spending a great deal of money + investing enormous amounts of time, yielding dividends that seldom last beyond December 26. This Sunday I'll be doing what has become an annual tradition here at CBC. In the past we have asked "Will Yours Be A Mary or Martha Christmas?" based on the way the two sisters entertained the Lord in Luke 10:38-42. Instead of longing for a "White Christmas" (the chances of that happening here in the Alleghany Highlands are less than 1 in 5) I have encouraged folk to be "Dreaming of a Sane Christmas." This Sunday we'll consider Doing Christmas Without It Doing Us In. If you are close enough, I'd love for you to join us. I'll try to get an audio file posted so you can listen to it if you are unable. At any rate, I hope you will do Christmas God's way, so doing it the world's way won't do you in. It's STTA.

The firing of Juan Williams has stirred up a lot of outrage on the news shows; maybe some of it is even genuine. A guy works for both a liberal leaning radio network, and a conservative TV news organization. Is it surprising that one would fire him for something he said on the other? I'm surprised he was able to pull off the stretch for as long as he did.
Bottom-line: Williams said something to which one of his bosses objected. We live in a world in which groups and individuals increasingly enforce speech-codes, written or unwritten, with whatever sanctions are available. In the workplace people may find themselves in a situation like Williams--say the wrong thing, and lose your job. High school students may find themselves on the outside of the social circle looking in. Some college students have been hindered in their academic progress. One of the mores of our culture is no one should have their feelings hurt; speech should be policed accordingly.
One of the groups whose speech is being scrutinized is one to which I belong. Some of the central doctrines of Biblical Christianity are seen to be offensive--no, they really are offensive. Look at 1 Corinthians 1:23. "So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense." (1 Corinthians 1:23, NLT) We claim that the Bible is a book which categorically gives truth about God, and therefore words that need to be applied to all people. We believe that Jesus Christ is not just one among many, but the only Savior. I could go on, but one of the realities of life in Twenty-First Century America is that speech is policed. There may be a price to be paid. That is nothing new. In the First Century Roman Empire it often cost Christians their lives.
I'll let others sort out whether the journalist should have lost his job or not (In case you are worried, be at ease, Williams will likely find a way to get by on his new two million a year contract.), but I see what happened to him as an indicator of what is likely to happen more often.
As God's people let's stand tall for His truth.

It's STTA.

Ironic:

Life is full of irony--so abundant that I often, like a fish oblivious to the water in which it dwells, fail to recognize it.

At CBC we are working on a series about labor, Taking Jesus to Work, on Sunday evenings. This Sunday morning we'll work through one of the many narratives in the Bible that talk about what we can never accomplish no matter how hard we work.
The deliverance that God brought through Gideon in Judges 6 and 7 had nothing to do with pitcher-
holding skill or finesse with a torch. One of the clear tensions of scripture is that it promotes work, but also clearly teaches that what we need most must be accepted as a gift because we can never earn it.
That is part of the goodness of the Good News. We are driven to the end of our capability, then having arrived at the point where we see that we are helpless, God's limitless grace appears. Part of what God's grace does is enable us to serve Him with works never before possible.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NASB95)

It's STTA.

Making a Difference--We Were Made For It:

Sometimes when I look at the products in stores, the stuff I bring home, and the closed factories around the country, I wonder if we make anything anymore. But that is politics and economics--or some kind of "ics," so I'll leave that to someone more qualified.

I do notice in Genesis 1:28 that God created people to subdue the rest of creation. Even before the entrance of sin man had a job to do. He was to take care of and work the garden (Genesis 2:15). I figure that patch of ground must have been something to behold. Without wrongly exploiting the earth, Adam and Eve brought the dirt and vegetation under their control to make it a work of living art. I think I sense a bit of their pleasure when I work a piece of wood and make it into something useful and/or beautiful.

Nearly at the other end of the Bible, though, 1 John 2:15-16 says that we shouldn't love the world. God made us to be over the world, to follow the creative lead of our creator, to leave our imprint on this world in a positive way. Too often, though, we live under the world's dominion--controlled by our longing for its products.

Are you making a difference in the world, or are you letting it control you?

It's STTA.

Bye Mrs. Cleaver,

June Cleaver just died. Well, really she didn't. The fact is she, Ward, Wally, or the Beaver never existed. They were just characters in a TV program. Barbara Billingsley, the actress who played the well groomed, always together housewife/mom just died at age 94.

The Beaver and I are the same age. I used to like to watch his adventures--still do, if I catch a rerun. It is popular to criticize the Cleavers as representing something that never was, and to the extent it was, shouldn't have been. OK, I can't remember my mom wearing high-heels unless she was going to church or another dressy occasion. Maybe no one is as unflappable as Mrs. C appeared. Still, I think little Beavers today would be a whole lot better off if more of them moms more like June.

There was never any doubt that she loved her boys, or their dad.
She made sure that their home was a haven.
She was nice to Eddie--because she was nice to everyone, but she saw through his smooth talk and didn't trust him any farther than she could through Lumpy--didn't she insist on calling him Clarence?
Later on when there was Beaver movie, it made sense for him to find refuge with mom. She was as dependable as a happy ending at the end of the thirty-minute show.
The Cleavers of Mayfield never really existed, but entirely in the realm of reality are these words from the Apostle Paul:
". .. encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." (Titus 2:4-5, NASB95)
It's STTA

Nothing is done until its done, and the real result of our life will not be clear until we stand before the Lord; still I was encouraged by a preliminary evaluation I received yesterday.

It was my privilege, yesterday, to team up with Joshua, as, together, we pointed out the indisputable logic and moral-mandate for fearing and serving the God of the Bible. Joshua 24 includes that powerful statement, uttered by the patriarch, that one often reads on plaques in Christian homes--"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I didn't know it at the time, but about when I was finishing up the message here in Covington, my two sons, in Louisiana and Texas, were beginning sermons, sharing the word of God with folk in their places. My younger son is a pastor, but does not preach on a weekly basis. Yesterday he spoke at Two Rivers Bible Church. My older son spends his days, or in his case nights, helping to prepare Sunday dinner, rather than Sunday sermons--he manages a poultry plant--but yesterday he filled the pulpit at Lighthouse Baptist Church.
Last evening I spoke with my eldest grandchild. It was encouraging and convicting to hear him share his passion to live for the Lord at school and everywhere. He is a drummer. He spoke of the honor of playing music for Jesus.
We aren't done yet, but with more confidence than before, I can quote Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

It's STTA.

We need more of this kind of struggle:

Al Mohler, whose online commentaries helps me think more clearly, forces conservative evangelicals like me to ask whether we care about people as well as truth. You can read his entire article about Tyler Clementi's tragic death, here, but here are a few lines that brought me up short.

What if Tyler Clementi had been in your church? Would he have heard biblical
truth presented in a context of humble truth-telling and gospel urgency, or
would he have heard irresponsible slander, sarcastic jabs, and moralistic
self-congratulation? . . .
The teenage years are hard enough to navigate.
Most boys do not struggle with homosexuality, but there is not a teenage boy
alive who does not struggle with sexual confusion. There is no deacon, preacher,
or pew-sitter who went through male adolescence unscathed and without sin. There
is not a human being who reaches school age who would not be humiliated by a
well-placed webcam. And yet these boys - along with girls facing similar
struggles - imagine themselves to be alone in their confusion and helpless in
their anguish.
Was there no one to step between Tyler Clementi and that
bridge? . . . Was there no one to put into perspective the fact that people who
did not love him had taken advantage of him, but that the many who did love him
would love him no less?

We Evangelicals need to remember that the Fred Phelpses of the world are out there waving vulgar signs and shouting at news cameras. Thanks to Mohler for using his considerable clout to let others know that there are those who care. We are struggling, too (intended in no way to belittle the kind of struggle in which Clementi was engaged.). We hold to truth that we can't simply throw over the rail, and we love people that we can't allow to jump off the bridge.

It's STTA.

Worry #5

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus asks a question with a completely obvious answer. ". . . who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"
I am engaged in a number of activities that I hope will enable me to enjoy my grandkids for a longer time-I ride a bike, wearing a helmet, take meds for my high cholesterol, watch my weight, use my seat-belts, and look both ways before I cross the street. Sometimes I worry about those things. Worrying doesn't help. Doing the right thing does.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I have counseled people, who are consumed with anxiety, to begin doing the Biblically correct activity to address their concern.

Let's look at an example. In this case God Himself is the counselor:

When Cain entered the office his countenance was clearly fallen.
Lord: "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?"
Cain: (No answer, no doubt accompanied by more sullenness.)
Lord: "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:1-7)
The counsel the Lord gave to the worried son of Adam and Eve is all built around the word "do." Stop doing what is wrong. Start doing what is right. A recent STTA identified two actions that are always appropriate-trust the Lord, Pray. Depending on what it is that is inducing anxiety in our lives there are probably other actions we need to take. Counseling is not magic. A simplistic description of good counseling is: Helping the person in need to find out what he/she needs to do and then helping them do it.

Don't worry. Instead, trust God, pray, obey.


It's STTA.

Worry #4:

I think can say "Never."
The Bible never tells us to simply quit doing something. It always gives us a worthwhile activity to take the place of the negative practice it tells us to stop. In the case of worry, which the Bible says to not do, there are actually a couple of activities the Lord tells us to put in its place.

The most straight-forward substitution is found in Philippians 4:6, "Don't worry, pray." (paraphrase summary) It has been said that there are likely many things that can be done about a problem after prayer, but nothing of consequence can be done until we have prayed. ". . . in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6)
In Jesus teaching about the avoidance of anxiety He counseled trust, based on the knowledge of and our experience of the way things are and Who He is (Matthew 6:25-30). What is really important in life? The answer to that question tends to be what we don't worry about. And, don't you think your Heavenly Father knows and cares? The answer to that is affirmative, in which case, why am I wasting my time worrying? The summary of all of that is, Jesus is instructing us to trust God, which is the foundation of prayer. Why would you pray to a God you don't trust? And, if you do believe that He is benevolent and powerful, why would you not pray to Him?
I think it is Warren Wiersbe who once described trusting God as "living without conniving." How often I find myself, when faced with worry-inducing situations, concocting plans, creating scenarios, evaluating possible-though often improbable-outcomes in my mind rather than following Hezikiah's example. He "spread it out before the LORD." (Isaiah 37:14)

Often, when our natural habit is to slip into worry, there are other actions we can take after we have prayed, but let's make sure we begin there.

It's STTA.

Worry #3, Misplaced Focus:

My umbrella is broken:

The counter in Kathy's kitchen was just covered with tiny parts from a broken umbrella. It was really a nice rain-shield--one of those little jobs that folds up into a nice, small bundle and deploys one-handed with just the push of a button. At least it did. Right before I disassembled it all pushing the button did was cause the nice little bundle to shoot out to the end of the spring-loaded shaft. Actually opening the umbrella required three hands, and to keep it open you had to grasp the shaft up next to the cloth--so much for convenience.

It insulted me:

I figure that when the Lord said that people are supposed to take dominion over creation that the mandate included recalcitrant bumbleshoots, so I tore into the thing. My hat is off--leaving my head wet--to the engineers that designed that thing.

I gave up:

Maybe--and that is a big "maybe"--if I had hung in there I could have gotten the broken string re-strung and all the springs and pins back in place, but after a few minutes I decided that continuing to work on the portable foul-weather-shelter would be a wrong use of my time and energy.

I decided not to worry about it.

Worry always involves a misplaced focus.

In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus tells us that when we worry about earthly stuff that we are focused on the wrong thing. Colossians 3:1-2 reinforces the thought.
When Jesus visited the home of Martha and Mary, He told Martha that her focus was wrong. She was worrying herself about all the tasks she saw as necessary. Homemakers everywhere rise up in her defense, but the Lord told the busy hostess that Mary her sister had made the better choice.
In Philippians 2:20 Paul spoke approvingly of Timothy's "genuine concern" for the believers at Philippi, yet he used the very same word in 4:6 when he told them, and us, to "not be anxious for anything." The key is focus.
In Matthew 10:19 Jesus carries this matter of focus to an extreme that makes me uncomfortable, yet there it is. Even in life and death situations my focus is to be on trusting God rather than figuring out how I can make it happen.

OK, I've raised more questions than I had umbrella parts on the counter.

Stay tuned. It continues to be . . .STTA.

Worry, #2

"Don't Worry?
I don't think He was talking to me."

We moderns, or postmoderns, or post-postmoderns often really over-inflate the importance of our time. It is only natural; after all, it is our time. One of the ways we do this is to look at the troubles we face in our time as greater than any group of people has ever faced. "Surely," we reason, "if Paul, or Peter, or the Lord Jesus, were speaking of the day in which we live, they never would have told us not to worry. They would have to have known that living sans-anxiety is unreasonable in our disturbed world."
Really?
The Lord Jesus Christ who told us to not worry about food or clothing (Matthew 6:25-30) clearly warned that His followers would find trouble in this world (John 16:33).
The same group of Christians Paul instructed, "Don't worry about anything." (Philippians 4:6) Paul also described as being "in a great ordeal of affliction . . . and . . . deep poverty." (2 Corinthians 8:2)
Peter, who instructed his scattered congregation to be, "casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you," (1 Peter 5:7) had already described these persecuted, refuge believers as "aliens," "scattered," "distressed by various trials," and slandered (1 Peter 1:1-6, & 2:12)
Clearly the instructions to live without worry were not given in a vacuum, and certainly not in a time and place in which there was nothing to worry about. If anything these First-Century believers faced more difficulty in a week than some of us do in a year. We can't just dismiss these admonitions to trust rather than worry.
Stay tuned. There is more to come.

It's STTA.

Worry?

In Philippians 4:6, the Apostle Paul commands the believers at Philippi to be worried for nothing. It is a command that applies to all of us who follow the Lord. In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says that those who follow Him should not be worried about life, food or clothing. These instructions to live worry free seem so out of sync with our very worrisome world. Just in my circle I know a child who is picked on by schoolmates, parents with kids who have taken very worry-inducing tracks in life, people with health issues that affect them and their family, and folk who have lost jobs, been seriously down-graded, or live with a constant threat of loss of employment. Does it make sense to tell people in such a world to seek to live worry free? Wouldn't a measure of worry keep them sharp and alert, help a child avoid a beating from an abusive parent, or an employee a reprimand from an unreasonable boss? We will explore this matter in days to come, but let me simply say, "Yes, it the goal of living a worry free life is one we ought to pursue. Even in this inflated, recessed, pornographied, out of control world in which we live the counsel to "cast . . . all your anxiety on Him," makes sense, "because He cares for [us]." (1 Pe 5:7)
Don't worry; there will be more in a day or two. For now, though, its STTA.

A Hot Swing:

Sports talk is full of images about fire and heat. A "hot streak" is good. "Cold" is bad. Normally telling a golfer, post match, that he set the course on fire would be a compliment, but recently it was a statement of fact. (http://outofbounds.nbcsports.com/2010/08/errant-golf-swing-sets-course-on-fire.html.php)
It sounds like something from a wacko comedy movie, but it really happened. Golfer hits ball into rough. On second swing to try to get it out his club hit a rock. Spark. Grass catches fire. One-hundred-fifty fire-fighters show up to put out the fire that spread to two hillsides.
I'm sixty years old. It is the first time I ever heard of a golfer starting a fire
with an errant swing. James and I, though--I speak of the Lord Jesus's half-brother, the human author of the book by that name in the Bible--have seen many fires caused by the human tongue.
If you enjoy golf, go ahead and play. It is likely that any fires will be completely metaphorical. Watch out, though, for the damage--intentional and colateral--that comes from the tongue. Like David, we would all be wise to guard our speech.
It's STTA.

Paul Harvey would have loved it!It would appear that a local bank robber, dropped a bag he had used during the robbery, which contained the clothes he wore during the stick-up and an ID card. (http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/260586)If people are determined to rob, let's pray that they will all be this incompetent. I'm afraid, though, that I have much in common with this inept thief.When I do wrong, I hope to not be seen, not get caught, get away with it, when the reality is I am totally incompetent in my efforts at track-covering. Often I can't even keep my activities hidden from other people, and never are they unseen by the Lord. The answer is not to become better at hiding my sin; what I need to do is reduce the kind of activity that I desire to hide.It's STTA.

The response to yesterday's STTA, and other statements that recommend respect and restraint when dealing the Muslim community reminds me that I probably need to make the case once more for the Doctrine of Minding Your Own Business.
I have never seen a Theology text where this teaching is explained, yet it is a concept that is found in many contexts in the Bible. It is a prime aspect of the Bible's teaching on the home, forgiveness, doing good deeds, and more. The doctrine counteracts the universal human tendency to focus more on what others should do than my repsonsibility.
I saw a gentleman--I presume Jewish--carrying a sign that read, "You can build a mosque at Ground Zero when I can build a synagogue in Mecca. Christians frequently make the same point. The lands where Muslims are demonstrating, objecting to the burning of the Quran, planned for this Saturday, are almost universally places where the distribution of the Bible is seriously, if not completely, prohibited. The ban is so complete that in some cases our armed forces serving in those countries have had to receive special permission just to have a Bible, and then they are expected to not allow it to be seen in the open.
I could go on. There is no doubt that the Worldwide Muslim community wants to play the game of "How Outraged Are You?" on a seriously sloped field.
They are wrong. Muslims in Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and scores of other Muslim lands should stop persecuting, kidnapping, repressing, and murdering Christians and Jews. But I am a Pastor of a conservative Christian congregation. My thoughts yesterday were addressed to a fellow-pastor, and others who read the open letter. On my side of the piece of paper what does it say I should do?
The fact that many Muslims are not doing what they should, and many more maintain a deafening silence while their fellow followers of the Quran act like very poor neighbors does not change the responsibility that I have. Sure I should protect myself. Certainly I ought to lobby for laws that will enforce a true freedom of religion, but I ought not publicly desecrate what others hold sacred just to make a propaganda point.

It's STTA.

From one Pastor to Another: Don't Burn the Quran!

An Open Letter to the Pastor and congregation of Dove World Outreach Church in Gainesville, Florida:

Pastor Jones, you and I have not met, and I'm not familiar with your church. I was glad to read a statement attributed to you, that your ministry stands for the "truth of the Bible." That is a passion that I share. It is on that basis, and that we both lead flocks entrusted to us by the Chief-Shepherd, that I ask you not to burn a copy of the Quran.
Several of the news articles I have seen and heard ask you to reconsider Saturday's ceremony, because it is offensive to Muslims, or because it endangers people--in particular members of our armed forces. I agree in part with your reply to these critics. While these ought to be, and I am sure are, matters of grave concern to you, they are not sufficient reasons to compromise the truth.

However, I would ask you to consider the following:

Islam is a religion that knows no separation from the state. In the mind of the Muslim there is no secular and sacred. A "good" Muslim government provides an environment in which its citizens can--in a sense must--be good Muslims. Of course the Mosque is in total support of such civil rule.
The church, on the other hand, always has been, and very much needs to continue to be, counter-cultural. While Christians are instructed to be good citizens, we do so in full awareness that we are citizens of another, a greater, an eternal realm. The civil authority put our Lord to death, and sentenced millions of our sisters and brothers to the same fate. The Bible does not encourage us to expect much more from the goverment. We are to be the conscience to our nation, not the Bureau of Publicity-stunts.
Yes, we are at war--ideological as well as military--but it is not the task of the church to wage that war. Let us not repeat the mistakes of the Crusades.

While we disagree with the truth claims contained in the Quran (and other purportedly holy books that contradict the Bible) we ought to treat these books with respect--at least in the presence of those who honor them.
When the Apostle Paul was building his case that all the world stands guilty before God, one group of people he addressed was his own nation, the Jewish people. Of course Paul's countrymen were adamant about avoiding any hint of idolatry (Romans 2:22). The apostle challenged them, however, with the possibility of having desecrated temples through robbery. Apparently this was a practice that was not unknown. When Paul and his companions were brought before the judgment seat in Ephesus it was said in their defense that they were "neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess [Artemis]." (Acts 19:37)
Acts of desecrating the objects of worship of others--even false objects of worship--are not in keeping with the pattern we find in the New Testament. (The fact that we do find such actions in the OT I can't consider at this point, beyond saying that we know things this side of the cross that were unknown in that era.)

When Paul found himself in one of the most pagan places in the world, Athens, he did not go about knocking down or defacing the idols and altars to false gods that were there in abundance. Rather he used the presence of these objects of worship, and the hunger in the hearts of the Athenians that these objects brought to light, to engage in one of the most brilliant pieces of evangelistic discourse ever recorded (Acts 17).

We are told, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." (Romans 12:14, NASB95) And to not "pay back evil for evil to anyone. . . . If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."

While burning a copy of the Quran might make some of us feel courageous and righteous, I would recommend that which takes far more courage, and not only feels righteous, but is righteous and spreads righteousness.

Some folk I know have offered to study the Quran with nominal Muslims. As the emptiness of the book--and even more so, the emptiness it leaves in the heart--is made clear, my friends have been able to share the truth of Jesus Christ with these folk.

Another friend of mine--a tall red-head (well, it is mostly gray now)--pastors a church and leads a school in a Muslim land. He has not led followers of Mohammed to to become followers of Christ by burning copies of the Quran. He has done it by loving those whom others--even their own Muslim neighbors--have rejected. That kind of love will shine brighter and farther than any fire you will start this Saturday.

Pastor Jones, I urge you not to burn the Quran, not because it is risky, but because it is wrong.

Sincerely in Christ,

Howard Merrell
It's STTA.

My mother-in-law was a lady who not only knew her Bible well, but expected others to know it too. She would often make points in conversation by referring to incidents or people in Bible stories. I remember her referring more than once to someone who supports one of God's servants as being Aaron or Hur. If you know the story it makes perfect sense. Mom would want you to read it for yourself, so I'll just give you the reference, Exodus 17.
Today, it was my privilege, several times, to fill that wonderful role. When we invest ourselves in those who are doing the work of God, we are helping to get God's work done. Even though Aaron and Hur were men, my Mother-in-law was certainly one of them (maybe both!) to me. In many ways I am who I am, doing what I'm doing because of her.

It's STTA.

This could get me in trouble, but think about it:

At this point I can't imagine that anyone in the whole country is unaware of plans to build an Islamic-Center/Mosque at a site so close to where the twin towers were destroyed on 9/11 that the building currently on the site is damaged from the landing-gear of one of the planes. Various polls indicate that most Americans are opposed to it being built there. If Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf calls me and asks my advice, I'd encourage him to build the center elsewhere. (If you are reading this Feisal, my number is in the book.) However . . .

Whether our nation is a "Christian" nation or not, from a historical perspective is a subject of sharp debate. Based on influence that the Bible and Christian thought have had on our culture and institutions, it seems to me that in that sense we are. We need to be aware, though, that our Founding Fathers clearly, and purposefully chose not to create a government that supported a particular religion over others. I doubt that their thinking went much beyond a consideration of the spectrum of Christendom, and perhaps Judaism, but the laws they left us, confirmed by two-and-a-quarter centuries of practice clearly extend freedom of conscience even to those whose faith is radically different than the majority view. One of the wonderful freedoms we enjoy in these United States is that minorities are protected by law. As long as the few are exercising their rights lawfully, the majority cannot deprive them of that freedom.

In recent years many communities have become opposed to churches being built in their "back-yards." Objections range from traffic congestion, to noise, to loss of tax revenue. I wonder if there are other reasons that lurk below the surface. I'll not step in the same mud-hole as our President, but I do think we have to be careful how we frame our argument. Some of the rhetoric being used to discourage the building of the Cordoba Center in Lower Manhattan could be, with little change, used to oppose my grandmother's church from building a new Worship-Center on the south side of Hometown USA.

Let's just make sure that we speak in favor freedoms that we might need.

It's STTA.

My Culture Right or Wrong--That's a question, not a declaration.

As I have been privileged to visit different people around the world my questions about culture have grown. I have seen the result of the "Ugly American" type missionaries who try to impose their culture--seemingly never seeing the evil inherent in it--on other people. Likewise I have seen the idea, that comes from the swing of the pendulum to the other extreme, that all cultures are equal--perhaps that "primitive" cultures are even more equal--and no attempt should be made to change them.
A friend of mine is involved in a pioneer work among a group of people whose way of life is a great deal different than mine. In a recent communication he said, "... it is really exciting to see these people honestly grappling with the issues from their own world as they are beginning to measure their culture against the Word of God, and to ask “Where do we need to change?”
Wow, it seems to me that my friend's observation represents a truth that is trans-cultural. Because culture is the accumulation of a people's ways of explaining and dealing with the world--things like food, language, work, standards of maturity, enforcement of mores, etc.--all cultures are marked by two Theological realities.

1. Because of common grace every people group in the world has qualities that are in keeping with the fact that these God's creation. In other words the image of the Creator can be seen in aspects of the way they live.
2. But because all the people of the world are children of Adam, we share in his fallenness. Sinful people do sinful things and because culture is made up of patterns of behavior practiced across time by sinful people, all cultures have elements of sin within them.

The folk my friend is working with are asking the right questions. He goes on to say, "Their questions may not be the same ones we would ask. The question is, are we asking? Are we evaluating our culture against the Word of God, or are we just letting it shape us into its mold?" (Check out Romans 12:2, on that.)

It's STTA

Radar and the Power of the Gospel:

The car that I generally drive has cruise-control. Typically, when I drive on the interstate I set the control for the posted speed, and go about my business. It appears to me that most of the traffic passes me, except . . .

From time to time it looks like many of the cars around me hit a stiff head-wind or had sudden engine trouble. I find myself passing cars that just passed me doing ten or fifteen miles-per-hour more than the speed limit. A check of my speedometer shows there isn't a malfunction. Generally, I quickly see the reason for the sudden drop in speed--a police cruiser.

It is a powerful illustration of the limitation of governmental/police power. By and large cops can only make us do what is right. Force, intimidation, fear of negative consequences are the tools at their disposal. I don't mean that to be negative, I'm glad they have those powers, but these tools have serious limitations. As I have pointed out in the past, if our culture becomes one in which people only do right when they are made to, we'll have to have one police officer for every citizen, and then one supervisor for every cop. You can see the collapse coming with that paradigm, can't you?

The church, God's people, on the other hand, have a message that addresses the problem of evil in a different way. The Gospel has the power to change hearts. When the grace of God changes people they do what is right without being made to do so. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that Christians never do wrong. Unfortunately, our record is not as good as I wish it were. Still the difference between the motivation of those who get a good dose of the good news and those who are in the rat race with the conscience of a rodent is stark.
Yet many Christian leaders are focusing on political victory. Part of living right is to responsibly exercise our political responsibilities and freedoms, but political power should not be our main goal. We have a power far greater.

It's STTA.

Just Do Right:

I serve on the Planning Commission in the small city where I live. One of the tasks we have been working on for the last few months is to come up with some recommendations for controlling "nuisance vehicles"--commercial trucks parked in residential areas, too many cars, trailers, and trucks parked on a small lot, inoperative vehicles, etc..
As I sat there last night listening to the discussion I thought about the mess that President Obama recently stepped into. Some Muslims--the some being a group with the resources to actually do it--want to build a mosque basically on the site where the twin towers were destroyed by a terrorist attack motivated by sect of Islam. The President is trying to thread a needle in the midst of a storm. (Why he chose to take thread and needle in hand is beyond me.) Those creating the public relations/political storm can't even agree which end of the needle has the hole.
Should people have the freedom to worship according to their conscience? Certainly. In the same way, on a much smaller level, people should have the right to control their own property. I don't like the idea of telling my neighbor how many or what kind of car or truck he can have.
Should the Muslims build a place of Islamic worship on the spot leveled by the attack of Islamic extremists, or should I use my property, and the public areas adjacent to it, in such a way that it becomes a nuisance to my neighbors? Absolutely not.
The struggle has to do with the stress between should and can. Another version of the dilemma has to do with the despicable Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist "church." Should he interrupt the funerals of fallen service women/men? I can't say "No!" loud enough. But trying to craft a law that will make him do what he should do without interfering with rights that we want to preserve is really tough.
Chuck Colson pointed out in a recent article that ours used to be an honor culture. People would do what is right without being forced to do so.
No more. Stay tuned.
It's STTA.

For Whom The Bell Tolls:

One of the problems with our wired world is that we get so much news that it is impossible to deal sufficiently, or responsibly with all that comes our way. We become jaded. I look at a news story of some tragedy, and take note of how many were killed or hurt; seldom does the fact that these are real people, related to other real folk, sink in.

My insulation has been recently punctured, however, in regard to two incidents.

• A team of medical workers in Afghanistan was murdered by Taliban thugs.


• A short term missionary to Zambia died in a truck wreck on his way to the hospital.

I found out that one of those who died while trying to help the Afghans was the son of a man who had once sung in my church. Likely the young man was in the service as his father, a member of a quartet with a man who grew up at Covington Bible.
The gentleman, who was active in a number of ways in sharing the Good News in Zambia, was the member of a church where some folk who used to be members of CBC are now worshipping.

I'm trying to remind myself that every time I hear that somebody died, or was kidnapped, or wounded, that they are SOMEBODY. I know there has to be some proportion here. If I grieve for every death as I would grieve for the loss of my son, the rest of my life would have to shut down. Still I need the reminder. Here are a couple of ideas for trying to maintain balance:

• I ought to never watch or read news just for the thrill. If I'm not careful what I call "being informed" might be little different than Romans watching others die for amusement. My focus ought to be news that matters to me. Is there something I should do? If not, my interest might be morbid.


• A friend of mine regularly prays for those impacted by the world's tragedies. I know I will never measure up to my friend's level of compassion, but taking a moment to pray reminds me that this is SOMEBODY.

I look forward to hearing from you. For both of us it's STTA.

Drawn to the light--GULP!

As if marine life didn't have enough trouble from the likes of BP, now it turns out that left over Prozac is having a deadly effect on coastal shrimp. It seems that all that anti-depressant doesn't stop with the people who feel better after taking it. The basic ingredient in the medication passes through the people who take it, and, without supplying too much information, by a process which involves flushing the chemical reaches the shrimp habitat.
People take Prozac in order to feel better, less tense, more able to face life and its challenges. In the comparatively simple shrimp system, however, the drug--even in the minute amounts found in coastal waters--has a far different effect. It causes the little critters to head for the light. If you are a shrimp, and are therefore shrimpy, heading to the light where you can be more readily seen by crustacean-loving predators is not a good thing.
Am I saying that people ought to avoid Prozac for the sake of these aquatic cousins of the grasshopper? Not at all.
I would say that some caution is in order. Our society is becoming increasingly dependent on drugs that make us feel better, sit stiller, live calmer, stay awake longer, concentrate better, etc., etc. Might it be that some of them have some unseen consequences--consequences that don't invlove fins and shells?
I do know that there are too many folk who, metaphorically speaking, insist on remaining seated on a tack, eating pain-killers rather than taking the obvious solution.

Especially if you find yourself strangely drawn to the light, it's STTA.

http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/838466--for-shrimp-prozac-is-an-invitation-to-danger

Gender Discrimination?

I heard the argument a few times before it penetrated my "I'm-not-interested" barrier, but this morning it got my attention.
There is a new ruling in Minnesota, that bans "Ladies Night" at bars. It's one of those things that doesn't affect me personally--for several reasons--but it is part of a larger syndrome that has an effect on each of us.
The rationale behind the ban is that allowing women to have a night when they can get free or discounted drinks is gender discrimination.
Well, Duh!
Let me digress a moment.
From time to time I find myself in an establishment where the markings on the restroom doors are so cute, unclear, painted-over, defaced, or missing that I enter the men's room with a bit of misgiving. In such cases, I always do a quick survey of the room, looking for one particular kind of plumbing fixture. You only find these items in Guy's room. It is an admission of, and accommodation to, one of the basic differences between males and females.
I'm not really concerned about how much guys and gals pay for their cocktails in Minneapolis; I figure they will sort that out. But the idea that men and women should always be treated the same is not only wrong, it's just plain stupid.

It's STTA.

I'm Handsome. Pay me!

In one of his early books Dr. James Dobson wrote about an unfortunate, unplanned experiment in social response. His daughter, an exceptionally cute little girl, had a bad fall. The injuries left her with a grotesque looking mouth and nose--thankfully temporary. Instantly, the Dobsons had abundant illustrations of the beauty premium. Danae was the same child on the inside, but her appearance caused her to be treated radically differently than she had been just a few days before--sometimes by the very same people.

The Old-Testament King, Saul, was the recipient of this unearned and undeserved bonus. Samuel observes, "there was not a more handsome person . . . among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people." (1 Samuel 10:23) Unfortunately, he was a male version of this tragic Proverb, "As a ring of gold in a swine's snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion." (Proverbs 11:22) Today we might refer to such a person as an "empty suit."

The problem is the empty suit often gets gold ring. A recent Newsweek article indicates that being good looking is worth a quarter of a million over a lifetime. Hiring managers, when asked about female applicants, admitted that physical attractiveness has more impact than educational accomplishments.

It is another version of our tendency to externalism (see yesterday's STTA). Those of us who claim to walk with and serve the God "who looks on the heart," must resist this syndrome. A pleasant looking exterior is a gift from God. Like all God's gifts, good looks ought to be appreciated. But we must resist our culture's unfortunate tendency to focus on the outside to the exclusion of the consideration of deeper, more important virtues."

Beauty is vain, but a woman [or a man] who fears the Lord, she [he] shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:30) That's how God sees it.

It's STTA.

(As usual, Al Mohler has some thoughts worth reading on this matter,http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/07/22/the-snare-of-beauty-flashpoints-of-our-obsession-with-attractiveness/)

Shallow:

A number of the recurring issues in the church have to with a failure to distinguish the inside from the outside. I used to think that the seemingly endless arguments and posturing about music and standards and translations of the Bible, etc. would finally just die off. I take no joy in saying that my expectation was based on a failure to adequately reckon on the tendency of we humans to get it wrong. Given the choice most people will choose the surface and shallow over the real any day.

We just looked at the first part of Mark 7 this past Sunday. The religious leaders of Jesus day thought that the secret to being right with God and having the fullness of blessing that He desires to give us is to focus on a maddening tangle of external dos and don'ts. Jesus pointed to the heart.

I see the tendency in my day all over the place. There are important discussions to be had about songs, how we dress, and the accuracy of translations of God's word. Unfortunately those discussions usually go undiscussed. The conversation pretty well stops at the surface. Often, in the final analysis it comes down to what I like and what I'm used to. But I see the tendency in other ways as well. For some it is smells, as in incense, bells and chants, and stained glass and spires. Whether there is substance, or what the substance is, is seldom considered. Rather folk seek the holy-awe, with the same thoughtless intensity that others seek the holy-buzz through their frenetic activity.

Those who worship the Lord must worship in "spirit and truth." We are to love Him with "all our heart, soul and mind."

That which is only on the surface won't do.

It's STTA.

Dust is gathering . . .

I think all of it is temporary, but it does remind me of a permanent condition. I have a bruise on my side--from where, I don't know--a finger that I mashed loading the truck, a stiff knee from a tug-of-war that seemed like a good idea at the time, and a corn on my toe that's getting better. As I say, I expect all these dings and dents to get better, but it does remind me that I, like everything else in this fallen world, am winding down.
My piddly reminders pale in comparison to folk I know who are dealing with cancers, dementia, death of a loved one, and the personal impact of global conflict. "For we know that the whole creation has been groaning . . . and not only the creation, but we ourselves." (Romans 8:22-23, ESV) All of us, even youngsters, deal with aches and pains, some have to endure screaming discomfort. I'm glad we live in a time when aspirin, and other medical wonders help a lot. But as you reach for the pain-killer be reminded of the cosmic message in your pain-in-the-neck, or wherever. "This world is a mess. None of us are going to get out alive."* An old Gospel song says, "This world is not my home. I'm just a passin' through . . ." Indeed! Can you also continue the Spiritual, "My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue"?
It's STTA.

Could it be . . . ?

I don't know who first said it. I heard it attributed to the late George Burns, "People are impressed with sincerity. If you learn to fake that, you've got it made." Everyday, in the advertizing world, highly paid, very creative people get together and try to effectively "fake it."
Still, I'm impressed with a couple of ads I've been seeing lately. One is fairly drenched in sweat. It talks about how America used to make things--products produced with skill, ingenuity, creativity, pride, and hard work. The commercial builds to the punch line and shows pictures of its product. A voice that sounds like it is coming from someone who knows how to work, says something like, "This was once a country where we made things, beautiful things, and so it is again . . ."
The other ad features a voice I love. Sam Eliott must get up every morning and gargle with a mixture of broken glass and turpentine. It is just the voice to hark back to a time when men made deals based on a handshake. I have no doubt that if I went to buy the vehicle the gravely voiced spokesman is promoting there would be a lot of paper I'd have to sign, in addition to the hand-clasp, but, still I'm impressed that the ad looks back to a time when people's word was their bond.
It's highly possible--to the point of near certainty--that these ads are no more sincere than the quintessential promises about the used car owned by a "little-old-lady . . . ." Still, even if the commercials are smoke and mirrors, I see hope based on the buttons Madison Avenue is seeking to push. Could it be that there is a growing awareness that work--labor that actually results in something of value--and honesty are virtues worth preserving? And that our salvation as a nation depends not on more clever accounting, and even slicker speeches, but on hard work and honesty?
I hope so.
It's STTA.
(Here is an address to one of the ads.)

Bonhoeffer, Do I have a faith that motivates martyrs?

I don't know a great deal about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I read his book on discipleship quite some time ago. I know that he was opposed to what Adolf Hitler was doing to his nation, Germany, so much so that he joined a plot to assassinate the Fuhrer. I suppose more than anything I admire the preacher/Theologian because he stood against the compromise of most of the church leaders in his time. He was executed by Hitler's regime shortly before the fall of the Reich. There are two sides to our devotion the Lord. A friend of mine used to call it software and hardware. Getting it right Theologically and exegetically is what he called "hardware," but, he used to remind me, we need software-feeling right in addition to thinking right. Some talk about the difference between head and heart. The New Testament talks about the "splangkhnon," bowels, at least in part, the place where you feel emotion. I read recently about Bonhoeffer, that when he made a trip "to Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem [it] changed everything [for him]. He saw the full-throated gospel of Christ for perhaps the first time in his life. The worship and sermons stunned him. He'd seen the real thing, a Christianity based on wholehearted devotion to Jesus. When he returned to Germany, everyone could see that he was different. The experience deepened his faith quite dramatically." (From a book I need to read by Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy)Lord, may have the real thing, the kind of faith that will motivate others to go out and die for You, if need be.It's STTA

Horsepower Out of Control:

In our day when the power-plant on a simple push lawnmower is measured in multiple horse power, we tend to forget the just how powerful these beasts are. Through most of history military might was measured in number of men, and how many horses an army had.A tragedy in a fourth of July parade in Iowa reminds us of just how strong these animals are. It was the quintessential scene for a small town Fourth of July in farming country. A wagon with six passengers, smiling and waving to the crowd was pulled by a team of draft horses. Normally, as James in the Bible points out, a driver is able to control a horse "by means of a small bit in its mouth." On this day as the horses rubbed against one another the bit was dislodged from one of the horses, something happened to spook the team, and after a six block runaway, twenty-some people were injured-some critically-and one was dead.James uses the power of the horse to illustrate the destructive force of the tongue. Don't let that thing get away from you.It's STTA.

Frequently, I don't get finished with a message. I've learned over the years to not leave all the undone part at the end, but as I go along I have to do some editing on the fly. Last Sunday I was sharing from Mark 6 about the mission on which Jesus sent the Apostles. Something that rings loud and clear through the seven verses is authority. They went out not as Peter, John and Phillip, but as representatives of Jesus Christ, empowered by Him to deal with evil-spirits, to heal, and to proclaim a message of repentance. There is an important point, though, that I didn't get to. I don't claim authority in the same sense. I don't see God appointing Apostles today. But I do have a message that is totally reliable, has God's stamp of approval, and carries His authority. If you remember--if not look--Jesus told the disciples that when they came to a town they were to depend on the hospitality of someone in that town for food and shelter. If, however, no one listened to them or opened their home, "as you go out from there, "shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." Lane, in his commentaty, explains the cultural significance of this action, and concludes that that it was to symbolically consign these people to judgment. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. (Hebrews 10:31) It's STTA

Use that preacher. It will keep you on the level:

As a young pastor I was supplementing my income by working for a contractor who was a member of the church. I was priming the new siding on a house, working right behind a couple of guys who were nailing it on. After several yelled out comments like, "Where is that preacher?" or, "Use that preacher." The foreman came around the corner of the house and explained that they weren't talking about me. They had a stick that was cut in such a way that if you hooked it over the piece of siding already nailed up, it would give a guide as to where to nail next one. They called it a "Preacher," because it kept them straight. Weightlifters are familiar with "Preacher-curls." The exercise prevents the lifter from cheating; the biceps have to do all the work.
I'm not sure that it would occur to today's carpenters or body-builders to use "preacher" as a word that describes keeping something in line or honest. The problem is too few preachers proclaim a message of authority. If the Bible is God's word then we have a life and death communication that will not allow equivocation. If the standards of much modern preaching were used in carpentry and exercise the house would be, at best, kinda-sorta straight, and weightlifters might use a hydraulic assist while claiming to work on their biceps.
If the Bible is the Word from God to man, then we better proclaim it and obey it. If not, it really doesn't matter.

It's STTA.

Only In The Movies:

I'm not sure if August Rush qualifies for chick-flick classification, but there was a notable lack of car-chases and things being blown up. Really I kind of liked it, though. It has that pastel, breezy summer evening kind of feel. Following the plot requires a willing suspension of disbelief, and the ending is as predictable as tomorrow's sunrise, but I enjoyed the warm feeling, and interesting mix of music enough that I stayed with it. In the end, I realized I had been had. I figure a lot of folk bought the whole bill of goods. Many lack the ethical grid and moral compass that would let them know that the soft breeze, and lovely music gently compelled and softly lured them to rocky ruin. A "love-child" conceived in a one-night-stand is born to a talented cellist. "Dad," a soulful pop/blues/I-don't-know-what-to-call-him guitar player singer, is unaware that he has even fathered a child. Mom's dad, vicariously ambitious, tells his daughter that grandson is dead, and hands him over to the state. I've been doing, teaching about, and observing family long enough to know that this is not a formula for happily-ever-after, except in the movies, or at least this one. I don't want to go overboard, but music is nigh unto a pan-deity in this airbrushed universe. It sustains, gives hope, draws, and in the end causes all things to work together for good. Only in the movies. The Bible, on the other hand, speaks about real life in the real world, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." (Galatians 6:7, NASB95) It's STTA.

I'm not sure what it is, but it's not adult:

Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, is doing what little girls always do--growing up. Perhaps there is some truth to Dolly Parton's (Now there is someone who has never before been quoted on STTA.) comment this morning, that people should "ease up on their criticism while she 'finds her way.'" I'll grant that growing up today is hard, and doing so with millions watching has got to be tougher, but cutting the young star some slack would be much easier if Miley's growth-pains were not so similar to part of Dolly's anatomy--in your face. Or, as concerns me more, very much in the face of millions of teen and preteen girls who follow her music and every move. I imagine she has a lot of teen-boy fans as well, who likely follow her every move for a different reason, and that is my point, sort of. A popular defense of Ms. Cyrus' new more provocative turn in her career is that she is taking on a more "adult" image. That is a justification that was offered a few years ago for what became the train-wreck named Britney. I'm not going to offer rules on how much leg is too much, etc. etc. While not labeling her performances pornographic in any sense, I think the comment of the late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart is relevant. "I know it when I see it." Not everyone who speaks against the over-exposure of our day is mired in prudery. Some of us think there is virtue worth preserving, and like the judge, we know erosion of values and standards when we see it.But even that is not my main point.Here it is:Wearing fewer clothes, and acting provocatively toward those we shouldn't provoke is not adult.It's STTA.

Heritage:

Heritage:

I was reminded twice of its power last week.

It was a rare occasion when all my family was together. The values that Mom, who is still with us, and Dad, who has been in heaven for 25 years, taught us and, more importantly, modeled before us, still very much show through. My siblings and I are who we are because of that heritage. In many ways I see it reproduced in the next generation as well.

As part of the message yesterday I looked at a couple of Old Testament kings. Their heritage was felt for hundreds of years. He is not nearly as well known as David or Solomon, or even Ahab, but Jeroboam the son of Nebat left a major mark. I counted 14 times that 1 & 2 Kings records the phrase the "sins of Jeroboam," referring to the idolatry he introduced into the nation of Israel. "The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them" (2 Kings 17:22, NASB95) Two verses later the historian gives the account of the Assyrian conquest of the nation. A nation fell because of the actions of a man two centuries before.

Thankfully heritage can move people the other direction as well. Again

l notice all the times, for centuries after his death, that God said He would withhold judgment "for the sake of David."

The heritage you are leaving--and you are leaving one--will affect generations to come for good or ill.

Which?

It's STTA.

t likely won't surprise you to hear that I often disagreed with Senator Byrd's positions in the Senate. Nevertheless I find much to admire in the record of our longest-serving Senator. I was two years old when Robert Byrd was elected to Congress, eight when be became a Senator.

His career spanned wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was senator during the turbulent Sixties. His service to our country spanned one of the times of greatest change that history has ever seen. In his youth Bird was a member of the Klan. He later rejected that affiliation and philosophy, and became a proponent of civil rights. Some conservatives wrongly continued to harp on his former association. Rather his heritage of repentance is commendable.

The Senator was famous for bringing money and Federal projects to his home state. My niece, for instance, worked for a Coast Guard installation, that was located a long way from the coast because of the senior Senator's influence. Some of us from other states may look forward to a broader spread of "pork." Dare we hope that our legislators would take a higher view, and work toward making the nation healthier, rather than making their constituents feel better? In spite philosophical differences, I admire that Bird looked out for his own.

The Senator was a lover of the US Constitution and the traditions of the Senate. Again, I might not always have agreed with how he interpreted our founding document, and there were times when he used the arcane Senate rules to obstruct what many of us thought should be expedited, and vice-versa, but we could use more of his dedication to doing it right.

Senator Bird is a powerful reminder that each of us are where we are for a purpose. We can make a difference. What are we doing with our opportunity?

It's STTA.

But, What Does the Bible Say?

No doubt there is an element of the curmudgeon in what I about to say, but that doesn't negate the point.
I'm tired of Christians telling me that the Bible doesn't say that they can't drink.
A few years ago--keep in mind that at my age a few years can be 20 or 30--I observed concerning the clergy members of a particularly liberal denomination, that smoking seemed to be a requirement for ordination. It was at a time when the downturn in recreational burning of tobacco in America was already well underway yet these people of the cloth (this was a denomination that early began to ordain women) all exuded smoke on a regular basis. It seemed to be more than a craving for nicotine. In addition to stained teeth and fingers, and a hacking cough, the two-packs-a-day gave these "spokespersons for God" a definite worldly air. "We are just, hack hack, common folk like you--long drag--don't let the backward collar fool you." Finished with the practiced, nonchalant snuffing of a butt that only an old hand can pull off.
I get the feeling that a lot of the young, evangelical social drinkers are after the same sort of credentials. "This isn't my grandfather's Christianity, and I've got the beer, wine, ale (take your pick) to prove it."
They post pictures of themselves drinking their libation of choice on their social networking page, prominently display their winerack in their home, advertize for their favorite brand, etc..
They argue the merits of one brew or vintage over another in such a way that they make plain that they are knowledgeable of such things--dare I say "more knowledgeable than the unwashed non-imbibers"?
Some of my emergent, emerging, already emerged--I don't know--colleagues seem to imply that drinking is a necessary part of ministry. Every Bible study needs to include a round of beer, or better yet Guinness, and having a meal without wine is not only barbaric but so socially inept that it clearly cuts one off from the masses he/she is trying to reach.

How about this?
Quit telling me that the Bible doesn't say you can't drink alcohol.
I never said it did.
I have upset people by being honest in regard to my hermeneutic conclusions. I think Jesus drank alcohol, and even created it at the wedding feast at Cana. I think the "little wine" that Paul prescribed for Timothy's stomach trouble had alcohol in it. I think the content was low, but it was there.
So just quit saying that to me as if preached old Billy Sunday sermons every other week. Here it is in writing: The Bible does not say that you cannot drink.

OK, what does the Bible say?

• It says that drunkenness is wrong. A quick reading of Proverbs will give abundant evidence. Ephesians 5:18 gives a direct command.
  
  What are your limits?
  
  What indicators are you watching for that would tell you that you are one of the perhaps 10% of our population who tends toward alcoholism?
  
  If a beverage existed that tasted exactly like your favorite "adult beverage," but had no alcohol, would you drink it?
  
• Whether we like it or not, the Bible says that we are our brother's keeper. If 10 folk who never drank go out for their first beer or glass of wine, it is likely that one of them will develop a drinking problem. For the other 9 to glibly say that, "The Bible doesn't say I can't drink." won't cut it. Romans 14 & 15 indicates that especially within the body of Christ we have a responsibility for the welfare of others.
  My concern at this point is not theoretical. I've seen it happen.
  
• The Bible says that we are to be salt and light zealous of good works. Alcohol creates a lot of carnage in our world. In Jesus day if a drunk camel rider went off the road, probably the damage could be reckoned in a few bushels of grain, or lost grapes. Not now.
  A German friend tells me that among his colleagues whoever is going to drive doesn't drink at all. I wonder how widespread that practice is. (When I was in Germany, I was not encouraged by the fact that at the service plazas on Autobahn--where folk legally drive in excess of 150 mph--hard liquor was sold alongside snacks and soft drinks. Among my countrymen, the standard is most often expressed in terms of, "I only had ____ (You fill in the number.).
  

So, my Christian, drinking friends you are right.
The Bible doesn't say that you can't drink alcohol. It does however say a great many things about what you and I must do in that regard. Some of us have chosen to honor those Biblical mandates by not drinking. That does not make me a legalist or a Biblical ignoramus (Well maybe I am, but not for the reasons we are discussing.) I am concerned. I think that while merely quoting what the Bible doesn't say some of my friends are assuming no responsibility for what it does say.

I've seen too many situations where people young and old had their lives ruined by alcohol. I can't and I won't say that you can't drink. I do ask you to consider the reasons not to. To friends who claim to love the Lord, but whose only statement about the Christian and alcohol is, "The Bible doesn't say we can't drink."

I'm sorry (No, really I'm not.) but that won't cut it.

Biomimetics--Must mean there is something worth copying:

One would think that we had enough vermin in the world, but apparently not. The Universities of Bristol and Sheffield, in England are working on a robotic rat. (They call it SCRATCHbot.) Actually, what the high-tech team is seeking to copy and reproduce are the whiskers of hated rodent. The project is one of several "biomimetic robots" being developed. The robo-rats have whiskers that flick up and down much like those of their living counterparts. As they vibrate, the delicate antennae can sense various substances-depending on how the operators program the units. They could, for instance, help firefighters find people in smoke-darkened rooms. It sounds almost like a script for a Transformers movie, but the little machines can even work underwater-Robo-scuba-rat. The idea is to copy a rat's ability to navigate and function without vision, based on a sophisticated sense of touch.Nature is full of good ideas. For millennia we have been making machines based on the design specs of this world's Creator. We are often unable to improve on the Master's work. I just returned from some travel that involved airports. Beagle-hounds are still being used for drug detection. It speaks of design. Great attention to detail, incredible technology and creativity are required to copy the intricacies of rat's nose. It sure doesn't make sense to think that the prototype is just an accident.I don't know why, but I have a sudden craving for cheese.It's STTA.

"Get rid of the pocket Flap Velcro, and give us back our buttons." The US Army did a recent study on the effectiveness of the hook and pile tape-the official designation for the space program invention that has made it possible for youngsters all over the world to delay learning the intricacies of shoe-tying-and that was the verdict. It's not nostalgia that caused the soldiers to desire the ancient fastening technology. Pockets loaded with whatever a soldier needs when he goes into battle strain the fuzzy closures, which sometimes come open at very inopportune times. Like many more complex devices, the dust and sand of the desert tend to clog the press and stick fasteners. Tests show that three buttons per pocket work better in the grime and mud, don't give-off a tell-tale "RRRRRIP" sound when opened, and cost tax-payers about a buck per uniform less to boot.I'm apt to do a STTA, when some news item gives the right stimulus, about sentimentally holding onto something from the past too long, after modern technology offers a better way.The point is: Nothing is either right or wrong, or better or worse, just because it is older or newer. Closures on combat uniforms ought to be judged on the basis of utility. Other issues or objects have their appropriate metric-being old or new is not it. If you love the patina that only comes from decades of use, or if you enjoy the smell of new, go for it, as long as something more important-like keeping a pocket secure--isn't involved. It's STTA