Praying and Praising

Something To Think About, Praying and Praising:

My co-pastor and I have been working through a series on prayer recently.  In part we have been dealing with some of the idiocy that is taught about the subject.  The view some folk have of prayer would cause it to end up being like one of those face-offs of wizards or witches that sometimes occur in fantasy movies.  The bearded ones, pointy hats in place face off and hurl lightning bolts at one another to see which one really has the most power.  Many folk think the power of prayer is me learning the proper power-techniques so that I can get God to do what I want.  So we've got prayer warrior A naming-and-claiming, rebuking the forces of foul weather, and praying through for sunshine for the Sunday School picnic.  Meanwhile right next door prayer-master B has grabbed hold of the horns of the altar and won't turn loose until God sends rain for the corn. Do we really want to live in a world where God suspends His omniscience, in order to use Hisomnipotence to do the bidding of creatures who are inherently selfish and who are horribly limited in what they can see in terms of both space and time? In the model prayer Jesus says that we should pray, "Thy will be done." Surrender. Prayer is not my manipulation of God.  It is my submission to Him. The great wonder and mystery is that God chooses to use our prayers to accomplish His will, and when His plan unfolds we are in a unique position to praise God for what He has done.             For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction . . . but [God] . . .delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.  (2 Corinthians 1:8–11)  The end result of the kind of prayer taught in the Bible is not me talking God into what I want, it is me entering into what God is doing, and praising Him for it. It's Something To Think About.

MASKS

Something To Think About, Masks:

I don't know, maybe it's just the view from where I sit, but it appears to me that dressing up in a costume and wearing a mask has gotten bigger among adults than it used to be.  It might be an accompaniment to the move away from Trick-or-Treat and toward events like Trunk-or-Treat.  To get into the spirit of the events, lots of adults assume the role of somebody or something else.   I don't remember stores selling adult costumes back in the day.  I've noticed ads for them a couple of times lately. Whether the number of adults "dressing up as" is really more than it used to be or not, it is clear that a lot of we grown-ups are working really hard every day to not let others know who we really are.  That's not all together bad.  An employee who is angry at his boss probably ought to keep that hidden until he gets it settled.  Otherwise she/he will have to assume a new role--unemployed.  And please take note that I'm only saying this might be a good idea for a short time.  Ultimately the answer is not to cover your anger but to deal with it and become not angry. I've worn masks.  It's hard work.  Every day, every moment, one must make sure that the masquerade is properly adjusted.  You tend to not look folk in the eye, because then they are looking in yours.  You can't disguise what shines--or fails to shine--out from these windows to the soul.  Since the getup I've adopted isn't really me I have to put out a lot of effort.  I can't really live life.  I end up being like an actor assuming the role of a character who is living life.  It'll wear you out. Some folk have the mistaken notion that Christianity is just a new role, a new way of appearing, a smiling mask in a frowning world.  Here is the good news from the Bible.    “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB95)   It's not a way of acting.  Christianity is new life that begins on the inside at the very core of my being.  As you help your kids or grandkids "dress up" this week, maybe as you yourself assume another role to help others have fun, ask yourself, beneath it all, who am I.  That is the level where Jesus Christ wants to meet you and change you.  Find out more below. It's Something To Think About. Here is a site where you can find out about Jesus Christ and His plan for you.  You'll find several opportunities to explore.  If we can help you, let us know. We would love for you to make the Live Nativity a part of your Christmas Season.  It is a very family friendly activity. Click the picture for more information.   November 17-24, CBC will be a drop-off point for Operation Christmas Child  shoe box-gifts.  covingtonbiblechurch.com -

You Bought What?!

Something To Think About, Are we upset in the wrong direction?

Breaking Bad is one of the most popular series on television.  It's the story of teacher who becomes a major force in the methamphetamine market.  I've never watched the show, but critics say it is well done.  It has received a number of awards. A toy company recently decided to make action figures of the main characters in the series.  The model of the main character, Walter White comes complete with a gun and a duffle-bag full of money and blue crystals. At first the dope dealing dolls were carried by Toys-R-Us, but after a petition stirred up negative publicity, they pulled them from their shelves.  I'm not sure if it is the official version, or a bad Breaking Bad toy, but I found Walter and Jesse, complete with hazmat suits, on Ebay. At first, like the Florida mom who started the petition drive to get Toys-R-Us to stop selling the dolls, I was upset with the retailer.  After I thought about it a while my thinking began to shift.  I still don't think it is a good idea, on any level, for a retailer to sell such a product.  However a bigger question began to loom in my mind.  Instead of asking, "Why would anyone sell that?"  I began to ask, "Why would anybody buy such a thing?"  Especially, "Why would any parent buy such a thing for their child?" Dad, Mom, retailers aren't responsible for the spiritual, ethical, moral health of your children.  You are. It's Something To Think About.

Thoughts on Christmas, #5, Let's Redeem Christmas

Something To Think About, Christmas, #5 Where will you be for Christmas?

In a letter I recently wrote to some fellow pastors I, tongue in cheek, suggested that, in light of our current celebration of the holiday, perhaps Christmas should be renamed "Santa-mas, Gift-mas, or Party-mas."  If I had been sincere, I would be four-hundred years too late.  Early Seventeenth Century Puritans called the celebration "Foolstide,"  and forbade its celebration.  Hugh Latimer is reported to have said,  "Men dishonor Christ more in the 12 days of Christmas than in all the twelve months besides." I'm gray-haired enough that I could assume the curmudgeon role and start a campaign to persuade Christians to cease and desist all Christmas celebrations.  If I did so, I'd be put in the rogues gallery along side Ebeneezer Scrooge and The Grinch. I think the Apostle Paul gives us better advice about Christmas, though.  Well, he really doesn't say anything about Christmas, but he does say that we ought to make the most of every opportunity" (Ephesians 5:16).  The opportunities that Christmas presents are many and obvious.  In my humble opinion, Christmas is a time ripe for redeeming to the Glory of God. It is the day we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world. It commemorates an integral part of God's plan for complete victory over all the evils that plague us and this world we live in.  Romans 8, Revelation 11:15, andIsaiah 65:25 are all made possible by the Babe in the manger, pictured millions of times in art, music, Christmas cards, and cretches. Be looking for ways to redeem Christmas, so you can point folk to the Christ, Whose birth we remember, and Whose life, death, and resurrection change lives. Look below for information on two ways we can help you do that. It's Something To Think About. We would love for you to make the Live Nativity a part of your Christmas Season.  It is a very family friendly activity. Click the picture for more information.   November 17-24, CBC will be a drop-off point for Operation Christmas Child  shoe box-gifts.  covingtonbiblechurch.com

Thoughts on Christmas, #4, Where Will You Be This Christmas?

Something To Think About, Christmas, #4 Where will you be for Christmas?

For all of my life Christmas has involved traveling. I grew up in a post-WW2, Baby-boom families.  Dad, a Southern boy, had gone North shortly after the war to seek his fortune and raise a family.  In the process he separated himself and that young family from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We often traveled South for a quick trip around Christmas.  On a few occasions some of our relatives would brave a trip to the frigid North to celebrate with us.  Sometimes we'd visit someone else from the diaspora, or they us.  I'd say well more than half the time Christmas involved somebody spending all day, or night, in a car or on a train.  When my boys were growing up we were always a day's travel from at least one set of their grandparents, and now my sons and their families are of at the fringe of what sane people drive.  Of course grandparents at Christmas aren't always in their right mind.  :) Over the years gasoline has been one of the major Christmas related investments in my family. Numerous times, though, when we would be on our way home from a yule odyssey my wife would comment about a particular family member.  "I never feel like I can get close . . ."  Packing presents in the trunk, keeping the snow boots from smashing the pumpkin pie, staying up all night to get there Christmas morning, those things are all doable, but bridging the gap that existed between my wife and this loved-one, even though they were both in the same room, just never got done. Most of what I've had to say, this week, about Christmas has gone in the opposite direction of the way our culture tends to celebrate the holiday.  Here is an area where, at least in part, the popular view of Christmas is right.   Christmas is about family. This Christmas make the most of family.  Don't let the busy-ness of the season keep you from reaching out to those you love, and who love you.  Gasoline and plane tickets can help bridge the miles, but it takes an act of the will to open your heart to those around you.  It's worth the effort. It's Something To Think About. We would love for you to make the Live Nativity a part of your Christmas Season.  It is a very family friendly activity.   Click the picture for more information.  covingtonbiblechurch.com

Thoughts on preparing for Christmas, #3

Something To Think About, Christmas, #3 What do you want for Christmas?

I'm not exactly sure where the age tipping point is, but over the next couple of months two questions will be asked over and over.  To the older set, "Are you ready for Christmas?"  And to the younger, some variation of this query, "What do you want for Christmas?" The two questions are not unrelated because a lot of "being ready" involves being prepared to give the kids what they want, and you don't have to be very old to realize that all the activity going on among the adults has something to do with what the youngster will find under the tree on Christmas morning. One question has an element of entitlement to it, the other has plenty of room for obligation to take root.  If allowed to go to the extreme both are problematic. Christmas can very easily become an exercise in adults feeling obligated to give what they can't afford to children who have a growing sense that the world--in particular mom, dad, and grandparents--somehow owe them the latest, greatest, and most fashionable.  The whole thing is made worse when what is given isn't good for the one who is receiving.  It's an ugly symbiosis.   The syndrome is not isolated to the family realm.  Every time we use the self-contradictory sentence, "I have to give . . . ." we are involved in this Christmas error.  Likewise whenever we think--we seldom say it--"he/she owes me a gift." We put another log on this yuletide fire that ought to be extinguished.  If one were given the task of teaching people, especially children, to have an unhealthy feeling of entitlement, he would be hard pressed to come up with a better curriculum than our current Christmas celebration. Haven't we had just about enough?  You can take that question in a couple of profitable directions.  Adults aren't obligated, and kids aren't entitled.  Look in your garland-decorated mirror and tell yourself that.  Believe yourself.  Then go do something about that reality. The gift that we celebrate at Christmas, was given without obligation, to people who had no entitlement to it.  Let's allow that gift to set the standard for this year's Christmas. It's Something To Think About. We would love for you to make the Live Nativity a part of your Christmas Season.   Click the picture for more information.

Sane Christmas, #2

Something To Think About, Christmas, #2

A dear lady, who is with the Lord, now, used to be famous at Covington Bible Church for leaving her Christmas tree up all year.  The basement of her house was a large open room.  She used it for entertaining, including Christmas parties, so, to save time and trouble, she simply left the tree up all year.  You have likely noticed bedraggled Christmas lights still "adorning" a house in the middle of summer.  For other folk, though, it is Christmas all year round, not because of neglect, rather it is the opposite--an almost obsessive focus on the holiday.  I've met some folk for whom you could remove the "almost." There is nothing wrong with planning, and shopping early--sometimes almost twelve months early--can certainly save money, but at some point all that planning and saving and organizing can becomeChristmas-itis.  The main symptom of this ailment is an obsessive quest for thePERFECT CHRISTMAS.  The problem is, or "one problem is," many of the elements that make up the perfect Christmas are beyond our control.  For instance, the perfect Christmas--just ask Bing Crosby--is white.  Unless you have access to snow machines that is simply beyond your control.  In the area where I live there is an over 80% chance you'll be disappointed.  And if you think the weather is hard to control, just try working with Aunt Mildred, or Cousin Eddie.  Christmas trees and turkeys get dry, babies get wet, lights burn out, and flu is no respecter of the calendar. CHILL! Likely if you take time to think about it, a lot of what takes up your time and money in the quest for the perfect Christmas, or even a less disastrous than last year Christmas, really doesn't matter all that much.  It may sound like the motto of "Slackers-R-Us," but one way of being pleased with the outcome is to lower your expectations.  Be humble enough to realize that much of what you obsess about is beyond your control. CHILL! It's Something To Think About. We would love for you to make the Live Nativity a part of your Christmas Season.   Click the picture for more information.  covingtonbiblechurch.com -