Revival? Really?

       I searched google.com  and it lead to a dictionary that defined Revival as "a reawakening of religious fervor, esp. by means of a series of evangelistic meetings." Evangelistic is basically translated from words that mean "to proclaim the good news."
       How could anyone think that an evangelist can "preach a revival?" Shouldn't we say that "the Evangelist preach a series of evangelistic services?" I know that it is merely a matter of semantics, but as a teacher, I try to cut through all the clutter and teach truth at the heart of the matter. Less confusion equals greater understanding. For decades, preachers have been brought into churches for days, weeks, and even months to hold revival services. When did we, as the body of believers, start to believe that having "a revival" would bring actual revival. After all, if I am sick and dying and you bring in a great doctor, can he help me if I haven't become proactive towards my own personal healing first? In other words, how can I be part of revival unless I seek revival for myself first. Sure, an evangelist can visit and preach great, fiery sermons, that stir the soul and stoke the fires of my emotions, but does he have the strength to carry revival into the church?
       Check out 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) ...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

1. If Christians
2. pray
3. know him so well that you know his will without words, instead of seeking his hands and his handouts
4. turn from sin, instead of trying to find loopholes and justifications for them. "Being a Christan is less about cautiously avoiding sin but much more about courageously & actively doing God's will."
5. He will listen
6. Our lives are transformed

Did I miss the part about having numerous revival services? What about the part about people expecting someone else to bring revival? No. I don't think I missed anything.
       Our pastor has been preaching, for the past few weeks, about what revival is and isn't. He has hit the nail on the head. Does this mean that evangelism should be abolished? No way, Jose! Does this mean that evangelists should stop trying? Perish the thought! Does this mean that Christians should get up of their collective backsides and stop treat the church as a religious welfare system? You betcha! Our revival as a church will stem from our revival as an individual. Remember Deuteronomy 6: it basically says that we should read, write it, put it where we can see it, learn it, remember it, do it.
       What are we waiting for?

What should I look for in a church?

       I have often blogged on the subject of disappointment in what I find to be nominal churches. What I would like to know is "What should I look for in a church?"
       So often people don't seem to comprehend why I have such heartburn and dissatisfaction with what I find in churches. When we discuss the subject, they look at me with this far away, glazed-over look that says "I don't get it. Aren't we supposed to just go to church, have church, and leave church?" So what am I looking for? What should I be looking for? Am I striving to find the "perfect, but non-existant" church? Are there other searchers looking for the same thing? Have most people become so entreched in the status quo of church life that they don't even think to look for more?
       I recently re-read The Time Machine - by H.G. Wells. For those who have not read it, the time traveler travels very far (about 100,000 years) into the future and finds two groups of people; the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are are simple people. They live in a world that is very much a paradise. Their every need is taken care of. They have lost the ability to think complicated thoughts or do much for themselves. They have evolved into "cattle". (metaphorically and litterally speaking). Their one negative in life is that ever-so-often one of them is snatched by the Morlock, who drags them down into the Morlock caves and eats them.
       I have a friend who thinks his church is wonderful (I am glad for him), but if you read my post http://whatsupwithchristianity.blogspot.com/2011/06/check-out-email-i-received.html , it is his church that I refered to.
       So I am putting this question out there, and I want your input, please. What should a church be? How do I know when I have found the right one. What should I expect from it's pastor, it's congregation, etc?
       We will be visiting a local church, for the second time, this Sunday Morning. Read http://whatsupwithchristianity.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-were-they-thinking.html to find out about our first visit to this church.

Check out the email I received...

       So...we visited this one church some years ago, in our county, 2 or 3 times. It had been some years since we were there. I am sure that we filled out a visitor card because they had my email address. They had not emailed me in at least 2-3 years, at all. No interest in trying to reach out to us, to encourage us...nothing, right? So, in May of this year, I get an email from them. What follows is their email (copied and pasted, with their name omitted and replaced with question marks. Notes in italics were added by me):

From: matt@??????????????.com [matt@??????????????.com]


Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 10:49 AM

To: Michael Kennedy (that's me)

Subject: Now you can give generously online!!!!

Dear Michael,

Important Information:

Now you can give generously online!!!!

Whether you'd like to give a single gift, schedule ongoing donations, or view your giving history, you can do it all online. It's quick, easy, and secure. Here you can give your tithe as well as your gifts. With our new, enhanced service you can give by using your checking account, debit or credit card (understand-- The team at ??????(shortened church name) would rather you NOT give with a credit card if there is a chance that it will not be paid off at the end of the month), whichever is most convenient. This safe and flexible option is one of the easiest ways to give to ??????(shortened church name).

Please browse the options, and get acquainted with the new online giving option

Thank you for your support!

If you have any questions concerning this service feel free to contact our finance team at ???-???-????

Please join us by donating online at:

https://products.connectionpower.com/powergiving/donor/?church_id=251

You may log in using the username ???????? and the password ???????.(someone took time to develop a user name and password for me)

Sincerely,

?????? ???????? ?? ???(name of church)

Making Jesus Famous!!!

       This really struck me and maybe I was wrong for doing it, but, if you know me then you know that I have a very low threshhold for what I refer to as nominal churches. The following is my response (because someone needed to stand up and say "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

Really? So this is the first email (or any contact) that I have received from ?? (church initials) in I can't remember how long, but instead of being concerned for my spiritual wellbeing (which you obviously are not due to lack of contact, duh) you want money? You need to pass on this concern...close your doors and quit pretending to be a real church. So typical of nominal churces. "Give us your money and we will agree to leave you alone. We don't REALLY care if you go to hell as long as we are in your will." Please delete me from your mail list and get a clue. I am so tired of churches that hurt the name of Christ by being nominal. You are doing more damage than you will ever know or could imagine with your half attempts. If you could throw out all the crap and concentrate on the meat, then your church could experience true revival and not be just another superficially nominal social club under the guise of a religious congregation. I just thought that it was about time that someone said what needed to be spoken.


       So, how many blog subscribers did I just lose? Don't you ever see something wrong and something snaps and you have to try to make it right, even if you know that your words will probably fall on deaf ears? Or are you the one that would see a man slapping a woman around in Wal-mart and just say that its not any of your business? Well I received a reply that stated: "I am sorry that you received that email. You were not supposed to..." Still no concern for me? Really? Even after I told you that you overlooked your responsibility to reach out to people and love them "as Christ loves the church"? Is that kinda like me telling a man, who is beating his wife in public, to stop hitting his wife and he responds with "I'm sorry. I didn't know you could see me doing that"? Didn't he kinda miss the point?
       Am I the only one who thinks it is OK to shine a light on wrong in order to limit its future occurances? Are we so self-centered that we let churches abuse with no checks or balances? Will anyone else stand up and say "That's enough! You have got to be kidding! We can do better than this!" Or maybe we should just be punks, who say "well what good would it do for me to say anything? Who am I to judge?"
       Final thought: If you went to a resturant and it was really bad (bad food, bad service, overpriced or and combination of bad things) would you say nothing and let me go there or would you tell everyone to avoid the place? Why do we think that churches get a pass? There are movie critics, fasion critics and food critics...why not church critics?



________________________________________

Why are we taught to be satisfied?

       I recently moved to a small town. I really like it and the friendliness of the people there. This quaint little town has 7 or 8 places to grab a bite. Two of them are national chains. Although all of them have their good points, none are what I would call wonderful. Although I like a good burger, I prefer a fine steak. I am not one who eats at the same place all the time. I don't even like to go to the same place, each time, for vacation. I know folks who go to Myrtle Beach or Panama City Beach every time they go on vacation. That would drive me bonkers. "Been there...seen it!" Right? Or how about people who frequent the same restaurant time after time and oppose trying anything new.
       I wonder if these people are the same folks who sit in the same spot every Sunday and become agitated if someone sits in "their" spot. (ADD moment...want to test someones Christian attitude? Sit in their spot next Sunday and see what happens.)
       I have wondered if people are so accustomed to what they have, they become satisfied and deny themselves the pleasure of better. I see this in restaurants as well as church. I know that some people will say that I should be happy with what God has given me, and I am, but I am never satisfied. It is not greed that drives me. I don't say "God has given me a car, but I want a better one." I am happy with what he supplies for me. And My! He has blessed me! But, when it comes to church...that's a different kettle of fish. I can't find where scripture ever tells us to be satisfied with the number in our congregation, or the quality of our service. I do realize that when we read scripture, God shows us what we need at a particular time in our lives. But I never seem to see scripture saying that we should stagnate.
       As a teacher, I try to move my students forward. As a lifelong learner, I try to constantly move forward in my education. So why would I not try to move forward in my knowledge of God and his word. Why do we settle for the milk toast sermons of so many pastors instead of desiring an educational/enlightening experience?
       What do I want? What am I looking for? I want a pastor who is educated enough to challenge me. Who is secure enough not to be intimidated by fellow laborers who he sees as a threat to his power or authority. I want a worship leader who tries to give his best to God each time he steps into leadership. Who establishes a high degree of excellence. (Why not get the band and singers together for a practice each week? Is God not worth our giving him more than a thrown together Hodge-podge mess?) I desire a teacher who studies and presents more than a recitation of another person's teaching. (Don't read a lesson to me. I could have stayed home and done that. Study that thing and let God speak to you through it. Then come and share that with us as we do the same with you. Be a facilitator instead of merely reading a lesson from a booklet.) I am seeking a congregation desirous of true praise, worship, service, and spiritual growth. (It is not the worship leader's job to get you into praise and worship...come to service ready. It is not the preacher's job to revive you...get yourself revived and bring revival to the church. An evangelist does not bring revival, the church does...or at least should.) I wish to find a church that is not only friendly to newcomers, but to those who have been around a while. (If I attend your church for over a year and play in the band for over a year and you don't care what happens to me, when I leave, enough to contact me...)
       Here's another rant for you to chew on. Near my home there is a church. This church has no sign, no visible name, no visible phone number, no visible service times...nothing. How do they expect to reach people other than the merely nosey?
       Side note: I am so, so very bad...After visiting one particular church three times in two months (that's 3 out of 8 Sunday morning services) I saw the pastor in Wal-mart. I walked over and this is the conversation:
Me: Aren't you the pastor of ________church?
Pastor: Yes I am (noticable pleasure at peing recognized)
Me: Do you know who I am?
Pastor: No, I'm sorry, I don't.
Me: Well, that's a shame, because I visited your church 3 times in the last few weeks. I was never asked my name or even handed a visitor's card.
I walked away as he stood there with a stunned look on his face. You will probably say that I was wrong, or rude, or mean but maybe he will realize that people matter, next time he enters the church and wonders why it exists in the first place.

What were they thinking

       So...we visited a new church, Easter weekend. Well, it wasn't a new church, but it was new for us. I went expecting more, but left with less. I didn't want to see the negative but it just seemed to scream at me. Does no one ever take a step back and look at what is going on. I mean, when I get dressed up to go out, I take at least one glance into the mirror to see that everything is in place and make sure I have not spilled something on myself or forgotten something. Why would I put energy into putting myself together and not ensure that the outcome matches the effort? Why take the time to have Church and then settle for a mediocre experience? Maybe it's just me, but are we getting so desensitized that we don't see what's going on?
       So, let me share what has me so worked up. We visited this church for their Easter Sunday Morning service. The fellow that opened the service (not the pastor) was virtually ignored by the congregants in the back forth of the auditorium. They continued to talk while he tried to welcome everyone and go through the preliminaries of their service. The pastor participated in a duet while a "drama" took place. I mean a practiced drama. Not like the 8th grade drama I usually deal with. Anyway..."Jesus" comes walking up the middle isle followed by two roman soldiers. Jesus was wearing blue jeans and white t-shirt with red magic marker blood. The roman soldiers were wearing Roman soldier tunics with blue jeans and cowboy boots. I could imagine them saying "Git up 'ere Jew boy so we can whup ya." I hanestly wanted to stand up, look around, and say "Really?......REALLY? Is this the best you can do to remember the most important event in all of Christendom?" Don't even get me started on people singing solos who can't carry a tune in a bucket. Use your gifts, people, and not someone else's gifts. Stop coveting the gifts of the singer when God chose other gifts for you. And while we're at it...stop lieing to people by telling them they can sing when we all can tell they can't. Isn't lieing still a sin? I don't mean that you should be rude and tell people that they stink. That would be mean. I'm just saying that if you don't start a lie then you don't have to continue telling that lie. Teach people that their gifts and talents are at least as important as the showy ones. Is it all that hard to be honest? After all, we are Christians and we are supposed to lvoe folks. Is it really love if it is based on a lie? If I wanted to be a fasion model, someone would tell me that I don't have what it takes...wouldn't you?
       It is kinda like saying "That was the best canned SPAM that I have ever tasted!" Regardless...It was SPAM. It was not steak. How good could it have been?

The Parable of the Colors

       There once was a man, wearing a multi-colored outfit, who climbed a mountain that seemed to have no top, for it went on and on and he could not see to its peek. He climbed in search of a wise man. Upon find the plateau of the wise man, the climber asked "What is the secret of living a fulfilled life?" The wise man answered "To wear blue for the rest of your life." "I can do that," replied the mountain climber. "Is that all?" "Yes" said the wise man, "To wear blue is to avoid all colors that are not blue."
       The climber thought that this one requirement was very simple and that it would be amazingly easy to comply...until he began to analyze the requirement. He then asked the wise man "What shade of blue should I wear? Should it be dark blue, light blue, navy blue, aqua, pastel..." The wise man interrupted him with the single word "Blue". "What," said the climber "would you say to my wearing purple? After all," said he "it is made up of the color blue." To this the wise man sighed a long sigh and said simply..."blue."
       The climber and the wise man sat in silence for a very long time, as the climber stared off into the world of thoughts and the wise man stared at the climber. The wise man remembered all of the other climbers who had visited him, and wondered if today's climber would wear blue and continue his upward journey or, like so many before him, would stray and, wrapping himself in other colors, climb back down the mountain.
       "I will do it!" said the climber. "I will adopt blue as my very own! I will love blue!" With that proclamation, the climber rejected all but blue and resumed his journey. As he left, there was quite a remarkable change from what he had looked like when he had first arrived at the plateau of the wise man, and the wise man spoke these final words to him: "Be aware! There are those who would convince you to abandon the blue. All is not safe until you reach the summit."

True Followers?

       As a middle school teacher, I see societal trends that sway my students and I see how they try to be something that they are not. Sometimes this is positive and other times …not so much. I shared with my students that when I was in school, in the 80s, and we tried to pretend that we were something that we were not, we would pretend up. We who were not from the wealthier families would try to dress like we were in a vain attempt to be accepted by those who were popular. This was usually the wealthy kids. They were able to be the jocks and the cheerleaders. If you look at students today, you see a disturbing trend to pretend down. It has become popular to try and be like the thugs , drug dealers, and convicts who are portrayed in music videos, TV and movies as being powerful and successful. Instead of young girls dressing to impress, they dress like the trampy hollywoodistas, who vie for camera time and make a living of being celebrities. Young boys are sporting the Justin Beiber haircut while younger and younger girls are imitating their favorite attention-grabbing paparratzi-exciters. What we actually are seeing is true followers and true worship. It has been said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, have we not? Do we, as Christian, put as much time, energy and finances into worship? What does it mean to be a follower of Christ?
       If you were to say that you were my follower (not a wise move) then how would people be able to judge if you were a true follower or not?
       You would have to follow me. To follow me would be to listen to me and to watch me and attempt to emulate what I do or say. You would try to become like me, in every way. You would dress like me, talk like me, walk like me. You would learn about me and be able to tell, anyone who asked, anything and everything about me. You would be able to win a trivia contest based on me. Ask a middle-schooler about their favorite celebrity and they will tell you all about them. If the Idol is a singer, then the student can tell you the words to that person’s latest hit song. Have you notice that many “Christians” can’t tell you what Jesus said. They can tell you what they heard their grandmother tell them about what Jesus said, but although they have the words of their supposed idol, they don’t read them, much less commit them to memory. I had one person even tell me that Jesus was African “because he and his parents came from Africa and moved to Israel” she told me. I had to explain the part about Jesus’ parents taking him and fleeing to Egypt, following his birth. News to this lady.
       You would have to be obedient. What ever I asked you to do; you would have to do it. You would not argue with me or fail in any way to follow my commands. You would strive to do every thing within your power to succeed in carrying out my orders. You would even go beyond what you thought was possible, because you would put obedience before everything, including your own safety and life. Your mantra would become “I will do it, or die trying.” There are people who compete on reality shows for a prize. I believe the difference between most of the winners and the losers is decided by determining which contestant is willing to push the hardest without giving up. Most of us have two points that determine our limitations: physical and mental. I can do almost anything any other man can do, given time to prepare. I am, however, limited by what I will do. Can I base jump off a mountain? Sure I can. Will I base jump of a mountain? Not unless I am pushed. I can, and have, performed many back flips off diving boards and trampolines. I don’t, however, perform this flip the first time I step onto the board. Due to fear, I have to work up to it. Once I have pushed the fear down enough, I perform the flip. After the first time, I can do it with regularity. The problem is not one of ability, but willingness. Scripture states “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” This does not say that I will be given superpowers (although I wish that was the promise here), but that Christ will bring about a maturity and fear reduction that will allow me to push past my normal limitations.
       You would have to worship. What is worship? It is to love unquestioningly and uncritically. It is to Idolize or set up as higher than any other thing. To say that all else is unimportant in comparison; that although all else may pass away, the one that you worship will forever stand in the forefront of your admiration and love. If you were to worship me (again, not a very good idea) then I would expect you to tell me how wonderful that you think I am. I would expect more than for you to only call me when you needed something. I would think that you would try and build a relationship with me stemming from your great desire to spend as much time with me as possible. I would think that you would seek out alone time with me, when we could talk, one-on-one and not be disturbed by anything or anyone. Could I not expect that if I were to get into your car, I would find your radio tuned to a station that celebrated me, or CDs of my teachings or music? Would I find CDs of my biggest rival? Would you secretly be learning the teachings of my greatest nemesis when I am not around? Those who admire a particular movie star would not care who else was around if that star were to walk into the restaurant where you were eating. They would jump up and make a spectacle of themselves for the opportunity of having some contact with a person who does not know them and will, most likely, not remember them. How many “Christians” are unwilling to pray aloud before their meal, in public, due to concerns of public scorn?
       You do not want to follow me. That would be a great mistake, but how well are we following Christ? Are we just giving lip-service? Did you notice that church attendance was never mentioned? A follower will want to spend time with other followers, but spending time with followers does not mean that you are, in fact, a follower.

God's Wonderful Blessing

       So...we find a house that we really like and the owner, a very personable 77 years old retiree, offers to do owner financing at 4% interest over 30 years. We pay him 3.2% down. We will be making payments for the next 30 years. He asks "When do you want the first payment due?" I say "May 1st?" He agrees. Cool! After we close on a Thursday (he offered to pay all the lawyer fees or "closing cost"), I get a call on Sunday. He asks me if I'm sitting down. I get worried. He tells me that he has been giving it a lot of thought..."I've been talking to my wife and I layed in bed last night thinking about it," he says. "I have done well and I am in a position to help people. It is rare that I meet someone like myself. I am a plain ol' country boy. What you are doing, teaching those kids and trying to change their future...I just can't do that." He continues, "I figure that if your loan were 0% interest then your payment would be about $70 less each month and you could have it paid off in 20 years instead of thirty." My mouth fell open. "The lawyer will be in around 8:30 and I'm going to be there and tell him to rewrite the promisory note for the loan to 0% for 20 years."
       Have you seen the insurance comercial where the lady is dancing on the table and then it says "5 minutes ago..." and she is on the phone saying "I can save how much on my car insurance?" Well that was almost me. I almost have a shouting jag right there in Captain D's. Have you ever heard of such a thing as this? I called my father in law, who lives near us, and told him that God must really want us to move to this new home in this new town, near my job (6.5 miles to work instead of the 41 mile I have been driving for the past 3 years one way). "I don't know what he wants me to do" I told him. Pop said "Me neither, but what ever it is, you had better do it."
       I have looked over my backtrail many times and have seen where God has guided my path. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us, this time. It's kinda scary to think about, but he said that he would guide ue, walk with us, equip us, and I am excited. I can't wait to start hunting a new church and maybe start a home Bible study group. Pray, people, Pray!

Home Bible Study???

As we move into our new home, I am considering starting a home Bible study. Not a time for me to preach, but a time for me to get together with other seekers and learners and dive into scripture with the hope of having it speak into our lives. How can we as Christian follow God unless we can hear him calling us and instructing us? He does this through his word and I for one want to know more. I wonder who would join me?

The Science Teacher speaks

       I have had to teach my 8th graders about the theory of the history of the Earth, according to some scientists. I teach them that theory means a hypothesis (an educated guess) and not a fact. Someone has an idea of what may be truth and sets out to prove that truth. They gather evidence to support their hypothesis, but until they prove it, it is only a theory. I say "some scientists" because it would be wrong to pile all of them into the same cart. The beliefs of scientist vary as much as any group would. I felt somewhat guilty having to teach them something that I don't believe. My hands are somewhat tied, as a gov't employee. I am limited to what I can say, in the classroom, when it comes to my personal beliefs. That is why I felt the need to write this particular blog entry.
       I don't tell them not to believe what is in the text book. I tell them to learn what others believe, investigate, and determine what they believe. I told my students that they do not have to believe everything they hear, or what is in their text book. They mearly have to understand that the lessons they learn, in science class, are theories that some people believe. I tell them to follow the evidence. "What is important is that you know what you believe and have evidence to back it up. Don't say that you believe something based on someone else's beliefs. Be able to give reasons and a real argument for what you believe. This means that you have to understand what you believe, instead of blindly following what someone tells you. This is true regardless if you are talking about your beliefs in science, religion, politics, your favorie superhero, or your favorite food." They ask me what I believe and I tell them that what I believe is not as important to them as what they believe. I also explained that some things are believed based on faith until you have enough evidence to prove you theory. Faith (not only a religious term) is believing that the next breath I take will contain Oxygen, although I don't see or smell it. It means believing my car will start each time I try to crank it. The theory become fact when the engine starts.
       I believe that to tell them to blindly follow what they hear would be irresponsible of me, as a teacher. I am tasked with opening their minds and teaching them, not  facts, but how to learn. Thus, I teach them what the state descided that I should teach them first, and that is to investigate and decide what the facts tell us about a given problem. No where does the state teaching standards instruct teachers of science to teach our students to become sheep and blindly follow. I want my students to become more than just laborers who follow instructions to complete nominal tasks, I want them to be thinkers and life-long learners.
       What do I find, when I "follow the evidence." There are multiple definitions of evolution. One would be survival of the fittest that results in those animals who can survive and procreate, will. Those who can't, wont. Therefore, those that survive will change the makeup of the entire group; ex. white rabbits have a better chance to surving in a snowy climate , therefore there are more white rabbits procreating, like rabbits.
       I don't believe that people evolved from anything but people. We may have grown taller, through the years, and we have probably gotten fatter (I have), but there is no real evidence that proves that we were ever anything but the people that God created us to be. I reject the neanderthal mentality that points toward the neanderthal. I know that there are many people out there who will reject what I have to say. I have been told that "You would have to be crazy not to believe the evolution argument. Scientist have proven it." Really? How many people have told you that Picaso was a great artist. I have seen lesser know artists that I favor over any of his works. So an artist paints a picture. Someone says that his work is great. Someone else hears that and in the spirit of 'go along to get along' and to keep from looking like an ignorant hillbilly, they repeat what they hear and tell others of the greatness of the artist. Eventually enough people are saying it and who has the intestinal fortitude to go against so many people. After all "That many people can't be wrong", right? The number of people who support something does not make that something valid. For example. how many people thought that the Steelers were the greatest team in the NFL this past season, only to watch Green Bay defeat them in the Super Bowl?
       I believe in the Bible. I don't want to pick and choose the scriptures that I like. I want to celebrate the entire thing, whether it pains me or pleases me. There are things that overlap between the ideas of creation and evolution. I believe that evolutionists could explain more if they would remove the blinders that keep them from viewing creation. I can see the changes that have happened over Earth's history in the light of scripture. Do I believe that creation happened in seven twenty-four hour days? Not particularly. I think that days is as symbolic as days are in Daniel and Revelation. Does it reduce the power and glory of God by seeing creation as happening over hundreds or thousands or even millions of years? Not to me. Given an infinite number of years, I could never create anything out of nothing. Can I believe that there were creatures that roamed the Earth and became extinct before man walked the Earth? Sure I can. Can I believe in Pangea, where all of the continents were one large one and then broke apart? Sure, but I believe that it happened in about a years time. I think a better explaination would be that Noah (of the ark and flood fame) might have lived on Pangea, and when God sent the flood and saved Noah and his family (recorded in Christian, Hebrew and Muslim scriptures) he used the time that Noah was on the Ark (over a year) to break up Pangea and move the continents around (not to mention making the Grand Canyon). Whether Noah landed in his original area is another subject entirely. He was from the area near the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers and when he got off the boat he saw rivers and named them the same rivers. Surely the area, after over a year of flood, erosion, and sedimentation would not look the same, right?
       The Bible refers to people as sheep for a reason. Sheep are followers and not very bright. We follow what we are told without questioning. As a matter of fact, some leaders (in order to control their followers) discourage questioning. This has happened in science classes and churches for years and years. "The church" has been guilty of this throughout the years. After all, what was the inquisition and the tactics that were used against Martin Luther and other reformists all about anyway? Truth, however, will stand up to any amout of critique. A lie does not wish to be questioned, just as ignorance will avoid questions. That is why, I believe, people will state "I don't discuss religion or politics." They don't know enough about what they believe to defend their position and will resort to personal attacks when confronted.
       Should you sit in church and assume that your preacher is right or should you question and investigate? There was a time when "the church" didn't want people to have copies of the Bible for fear they would question the teachings of "the church."  I have heard many preachers make mistakes, from the pulpit. I have made a few myself. We are imperfect. If your is perfect then you have been fooled. Can you give a sensible arguement for what you believe. Many people can give a better arguement for their support of Ford vs Chevy than they can for Christ. It's sad, really.

"You can't sell Jesus for a dollar"

       Tammy (my wife) and I enjoy a good auction. We have discovered treasures that we can flip on Ebay and make a profit. We have made a purchase at one auction, on Friday, and sold it at another auction, on Saturday, and walked away with a healthy cha-ching in our pocket. So...we are sitting at this auction last night and the most tacky pair of pictures were being sold. They were pictures of Jesus, in gold frames and there was a set of praying hands attached to each frame. They were purchased by a couple who runs a thrift/junk store. I was surprised anyone wanted them, to tell the truth. Later, as we sat behind that couple, another pair of pictures came up for auction. These were also pictures of Jesus. They were less gaudy, but didn't sell. No one would even bid one dollar. I found it a bit humorous, to be honest, and commentted that "you can't by Jesus for a dollar." I sarcasticly asked the couple in front of me "If I buy Jesus' picture, do I get to go to heaven?" I realize that I was being a smart aleck, but  (in my defence) I am talented that way. We all know people who think that writing a check, or working in church, or giving to foreign missions helps them get in.
       I also commented that I find it amusing that pictures of Jesus portray him as a white dude with chesnut hair and blue eyes. He was Jewish, for crying out loud. Not European Jew or Americanized Jew or even Sammy Davis Jr. Jew. Israelis now have European influences, due to the many years of the Diaspora, but he was a middle east Jew. His ancestors were from Iraq. I hope that doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldeans, which is modern day Iraq. I wish I would see a picture of Jesus that shows an acurate portrayal of his earthly appearance. British actors may get the content correct, but they just don't fit the bill in the looks category. And people, please, quit trying to sell me on the Idea that Jesus was an African. I have a hard time believing that he had dreadlocks or braids, like the pictures in the mall kiosks.
       I know..."color is not important." and "he is all things to all people" but, come on, can't we at least try. I picture Jesus as love. I see kindness and warmth, gentleness coupled with strength. As a carpenter, he should have been in good shape, not some wimpy, scrawny guy. I really would like to know what he looked like when he walked through Israel. Which actor would I choose to play the part? Send a casting director to the middle east, why don'tcha?

The Department Store & The Gym

       The first argument that you are going to offer will probably be something like "but Michael, churches are not businesses."
       What would happen if churches stepped back and looked at themselves through the viewfinder of the business spectacles? Mind you, I am not saying that churches should begin to make themselves businesses, I am only suggesting that they see what they would look like with a business perspective. I will explain...A department store has one purpose and one purpose alone: to make a profit. Each year they compare their profit to last year's profit and if they have an increase then they are successful. I have worked for at least one national big box chain that evaluates their profit, by comparison, daily. Each day, they gather together and vocalize the profits from today and the same day last year. They compare each department of the store and discuss which departments increased profit and which departments need work. This profit is, of course, dollars. Any store that fails to make a profit from year to year, eventually will fail to exist.
       So, how does this translate over to church work? A church's profit would be what? Souls saved, right? I know that church is more than that, but this is, or should be, the number one priority. When we look at the New Testament, and read about "the church" we see entries like "were added to the church, daily." If we audit any church, would we see that, compared to the same date last year, there is an increase in the number of people who have accepted Christ? If a church is found to be losing people or not gaining, then could we claim "profit" or "loss"?
       How about a business who has less customers each year? How about the store that has just enough customers to keep the doors open, but not enough to reinvest in the business? Profit or loss? Would you consider yourself a successful businessperson if your business was not reaching the spending public, was woefully outdated and had lost touch with the community? Is it enough to merely be in business?
       I decided to seek a new gym. I noticed that a new one had gone in at a local strip mall. I stopped by and went in to inquire as to prices and hours. As I scanned the gym, I noticed that the equipment was dated and of lower quality. The guy told me that he and friends had opened a private gym and that each had donated equipment for the group to use. I was politely informed that I was unwelcome: Members (friends) only. I found another gym, and joined for a while. The owners had invested in good equipment and facilities. They had done their homework, too. They had figured out that people need to work out at varying times of the day. They had people trained to meet me where I needed them. They could teach me to work out on weights, involve me in an aerobic workout program, show me how to follow a weight loss program or offer a massage for my weary and hurting body.  I need a church that can offer the same. Why try to operate with substandard equipment, in an outdated facility? Why do we think that 10:45-12 (on the dot) Sundays is ideal worship time? So the pastor says "I have 5 minutes to finish up." Are the members going to revolt if God leads him to expound past noon? Does God not show up at other times? Can you not have trained leaders who can teach me to build my spiritual self, while offering me strategies to reduce the weight of the mistakes and sin that has weighed so heavy on me? How about a place that offers the opportunity to heal and rejuvenate?
       Can I hear some of you saying "I hear bitterness. Sounds like sour grapes." If this is what you are saying, then read it again, please. I am a participant in the system. I have been on both sides of the counter; customer and merchant, member and minister. I see failing businesses and wish to yell and scream, but to whom? I can sit in a restaurant and spot a bad waiter, as well as you can. Would the business benefit from a change in personel or at least some coaching on the fine points of customer service? I know bad food when I taste it.
       How many churches are operating in the red and have been for years, but keep the doors open with the faint hope that a miracle will take place. "After all" some of them may comment, "I showed up. I tried. I did my part. It's not my fault." I have heard that when Col. Sanders was at the helm of his chicken empire, he would walk into a sub-par KFC, shut the doors, fire and rehire. For church... look with the bosses eyes, and determine what would allow you (as a church and member) to be the best steward of the resources you were given.

A MODERN DAY PARABLE?

       There was a couple who, wishing to be involved in a church that was actively involved in ministry, searched for a church family with which to join. This couple had spent many years in full-time and part-time church ministry, prison ministry, and children’s home ministry. They had served in the capacity of Sunday school teacher, Minister of Music, Children’s pastors, and Youth Pastors and processed many talents and abilities. She was an organizer. God had given her the ability to take what was and organize it so that it ran more efficiently. She would work, behind the scenes, planning and setting things in motion, so that it ran smoothly and, although her efforts often went unnoticed, the lack of these efforts would surely have been detected. God had given him talents in music, singing and oratory. He was a teacher and expositor. Their gifts were complimentary and served to enhance the ministry of each other as well as others.
       In their efforts to find a church were they could serve, they would always consider their children. Whenever they visited a church, they would try to ensure their children would be ministered to, in order to avoid the “minister’s plague”. The minister’s plague is a debilitating disease that afflicts ministers’ families. Ministers who put such an emphasis on ministering to others, often neglect their own families, resulting in spouses who turn to others in order to have their needs met, and children who gain a certain reputation due to lack of parental supervision and/or guidance. (It is often said that “The preacher’s kids are the worst kids in the church.”)
       This couple searched and searched, but were always disappointed when, after attending a church for some time, they would find that their present congregation was a “nominal” church; that the members were happy to be a social organization, and that the pastorate was happy with the status quo, ignorant as to how to change it, unwilling to shake up the apple cart, or overwhelmed by the amount of work ahead. After all, if a church has a good number of congregants and the bills are being paid, then many a church folk will settle in and ride this train to glory. After all, people really don't like change.
       Early on, the couple made sure that the pastor knew their heart and abilities. They laid it out for him to clearly understand, that they were ready to get involved and work. They desired no position and wished to displace no one. They merely desired to enhance the ministries of the church. And they waited… The man saw that there was no one to play the guitar and volunteered. When needed, he would play other instruments, due to absence of fellow musicians (due to work or illness). He expressed interest in teaching. And he waited… The couple would attend church dinners. They desired to have friends, in the church. They felt that because they were outsiders, they should not intrude into already established cliques. They would rather be invited. They sat together, alone, hoping for an invitation. And they waited… The woman hoped for friends that she could share life with, but she was shy and reserved and wished for an invitation to friendship. “At least” she thought “the pastor’s wife will understand and reach out.” And she waited… Finally an invitation came. “Maybe we should accept,” said the woman “Even if it is from the senior’s ministry and we are no where near their age.” And she waited…Their children hoped that someone would reach out to them. And they waited...
       The couple, and their children, got tired of waiting...they began their search again...


       How many times does this story play itself out on the stage of churches around us? Are we the ones that should be looking around our church for those who are waiting for someone to reach out and make the effort? Are we the minister or leader that needs to reevaluate our role as a manager and learn to nurture those new people, motivate those cold people, and equip those people who are ready to serve? Are we the person who holds a position, in church, that is satisfied with having a position, for position's sake? Do we have a sense of urgency for those who are within our reach or do we settle for going to church, socializing with our little group of friends, being “friendly” to everyone without putting in the effort to actually become friends with anyone new? Are we satisfied with the way things are?

TRUTH, CALLING AND ANNOINTING

      http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3813670937/

       John Wayne has always been one of my favorite actors. He always portrayed the kind of guy that I would like to be; tough but fair, strong yet gentle. As John Bernard Books, in The Shootist he said "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them." When he was of a mind, he could kick butt with the best of them.
       When I read the Bible, I tend to be pulled to characters who fall into the same category. David and his Mighty Men (the "Dirty Dozen" of the old Testament, right?) are recorded as having such exploits that their story would make a great action/thriller movie. The Bible records where each of them would find themselves in a bad situation and the Holy Spirit would anoint them and there they go...they would fight and fight, usually against great odds, while all the while being poorly armed. They would defeat a bunch of highly trained, motivated soldiers and then move on (some might say that they "kicked butt and took names").
       Then comes Shamgar. This Old Testament hero wiped the floor with 600 soldiers, with the anointing of the holy spirit. Wow! All he had was an ox goad (8 ft pointy stick) and his God...and that would suffice.
       So, why is it that we have people in church who seem to misunderstand this very simple biblical concept: If God anoints you to do something, then you will be awesome? People make silly comments like "She can't sing very well, but isn't her singing anointed?" or "Pastor Mike. That choir may be well rehearsed, but we are anointed!" They were awful! Also, I am also reminded, when people want to justify allowing a soloist who can't carry a tune in a bucket, that "The Bible says to 'Make a joyful noise'." How often that is misquoted, and out of context.
       People often covet gifts that they do not posses. They fail to realize that God does not bless all of his children with the same gifts and talents. We aren't all arms in this body, you know. So many lust after the position of vocal chords, though. I have to remind people that if God calls you to do something then he will also equip you to do that something. Therefore, common sense dictates that if he has not equipped, then maybe he has not called. I once was asked to organize a youth praise band, as I am both a musician and singer. I started off our first meeting with "If you are called to sing, then you will sing. If you are not called to sing, then we need to find where your gifts and talents lie and help you to develop them in that area of ministry." I was not allowed to tell these interested teens that they could not sing. Instead, I was instructed to give them a dead microphone, so we did not offend them or their parents. (Remember the Andy Griffith episode where Barney was given the dead mic and someone else sang from back stage?) Needless to say, but I will anyway, I would not do it. How can I, as a professing Christian, lie to these kids and their parents? What happened to "Speak the truth, in love?" Wouldn't it make sense that if we taught people that we would tell them the truth, even if it hurt, that they could always trust us to be honest. If not, would we not teach our congregations to suspect our honestly?
       There are many things that I lack the knowledge and skills to accomplish. I truly believe that an intelligent person knows what they don't know. Therefore they know what they need to learn to avoid ignorance. If God has not given me the talent to sing, then I should not ask to be a soloist. If he has not called me to preach, then I should avoid the pulpit. (Following this line of reasoning, some folks might argue that I shouldn't blog.) After all, we wouldn't allow someone with no musical ability to play the piano for Sunday morning worship service, would we? Shouldn't we take a look at all the qualified candidates (believers with talent) and choose the best. If my savior was to physically walk down the aisle and sit in the front row, this Sunday, I would want our best musicians and singers on the praise and worship team. I would want to please the boss, so to speak.
       John Wayne's J.B. Books said that he treated people the way he expected to be treated. Sound familiar?


Afterthought: Can anyone give me the scripture reference for "Blessed are the tithe payers, for they shall be coddled and appeased"?
    

WILL THE REAL OWNER PLEASE STAND UP

       Imagine that you have a savings account, at the bank, and it contains...say...$20,000. You enter the bank and attempt to withdraw your money and close your account. How do they respond? Do they argue with you and try to convince you that they need the money and that they have done a good job with it thus far, or try to convince you that it really belongs to them? What they do is that they get your money, for you, and are very friendly and helpful in the process. They understand that you allowed them to use your assets, that they benefited from the use of them and if they show appreciation, you may continue to bank with them, in the future.
       Why is it then that we balk at the idea that, although everything we have was given us by the hand of our heavenly father, of God asking to use something that he supplied to us? He gave us our spouse, our kids, our talents and abilities, our job, our health, etc. Although he does not need our permission to take back all that he has left on deposit, with us, it pleases him when we come and lay it all at his feet. We proclaim that we give him our everything, but are these words merely platitudes? Is it akin to saying to someone "I would do anything for you" while actually meaning "If I can do something for you that isn't too inconvenient for me, and doesn't cost me too much, blah, blah, blah...then just ask, and I will try to get around to it when I can"?
       God doesn't want us to bring all that we have and lay it at his feet. Instead, what he desires is that we bring everything we have and lie at his feet, with all that we have. After all, nothing that we have, including ourselves, came from any source, other than him. Why would we not give him what is really his to begin with? 

"Wish I could go back and..."

       Ever let those words fly out of your mouth? Ever realize that you made a bad choice and wish that you could just go back and have a do-over? So many times, I could have made better choices, but experience is gained from poor choices in order to reduce the amount of poor choices we make in the future. I heard that somewhere, but really doubt its validity. After all, we do learn from those choices in order to keep from repeat offenses, but there are so many different things, in life, that requires choosing that they are often unrelated and therefore the prior lessons seldom apply to the current situation, right?
       So I was lying in bed and my mind started with this thought barrage. If I could go back and change one thing in my life, what would it be? One thing led to another, and I realized that there were many things that could be listed. If I had the opportunity to go back and changes failures into successes, would I?
       I am a big fan of time travel movies, Back To The Future is one of my favorites. This past year, I re-read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. I even spoke to my science class about the catastrophic outcome that would be the result if time travel was possible. If I, by traveling back in time, changed one single thing in history, the effect would be exponential. Here's an example: Let's look at a scene without time travel and then with. Your grandfather is walking down a city sidewalk. He spots a diner and decides that, due to the warm weather, it would be nice to pop in and enjoy a nice refreshing drink. He enters, sits at one of two unoccupied seats at the counter, orders, and enjoys his drink. A minute after he enters, another man enters the store and, seeing only one seat remains at the counter, decides to sit at a table. Half a minute later, a young lady walks in, sees an open seat at the counter and sitting down next to your future grandfather, looks at a menu. "Wow! What a looker!" Your grandfather (who is only 20 years old at the time) sees his chance and seizes the opportunity. He strikes up a conversation with the pretty young lady and the rest, as they say, is history. You know this story because you asked your grandfather "Grandpa, how did you and Grandma meet?"  Now, let's look at the alternative: I travel back in time and, as I walk down the street, I stop a young man and ask him for directions (it just happens to be your grandfather). This delays him for only a little over a minute; a fraction of time really. Afterward, he continues down the sidewalk, and enters the diner, a step behind another man. There are two open seats available at the counter but the man in front of him chooses one. To keep from crowding in, your grandfather chooses to sit at a table. Half a minute later, a young lady walks in, sees an open seat at the counter and sitting down, looks at a menu. Your great-grandfather (who is only 20 years old at the time) sees her, but also sees his choice of the table, with no crowding and plenty of room as good, and seizes the opportunity to read the newspaper, which he can spread out on the table. He strikes up a short conversation with the older waitress, and glancing back at the young lady, at the counter, thinks to himself "Wow! What a looker! If I were sitting next to her, I would definitely talk to her" and the rest, as they say, is history. You never exist.
       So if I go back and change things, then everything after that point is also changed. If I had not been in that place, at that time, then I would not have met my wife and... Sure I would have met someone and had kids, etc, but they would have been different kids. Understand?  Had I chosen to go to college after high school, instead of waiting until I was 38 years old...If, If, If. Had my wife's mother not died when Tammy was five years old, and she had not spent time in a children's home, and not been raised by her grandparents, and not been at that place and time...
       So, what is the point?  We look back on past mistakes and wish that we could have done things differently. That's normal. To wish that we had made better choices and said things differently, handled things another way, or acted in a more upstanding manner. The point is, we can't go back. If we did, we would foul things up even worse. Why worry about the past while navigating the future? Is there scripture, for this, you ask? Why of course there is. Here's one: Philippians 3:12-14 (New Living Translation)  I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
       We should strive to make right choices; to pave a path that will take us forward, that will allow us to look back and say "Well done."

Being Saved, But Not Quite There

1 Corinthians 1:18  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Acts 2:47  all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
2 Corinthians 2:15  Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.
2 Corinthians 2:16  To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?


       Now for a message that is sure to get someone's theological panties in a twist. I have been asked, as many of you no doubt have, "Are you saved?" To which I sometimes answer "Not yet." This usually brings about a stunned look or further questions about my salvation. I then tell them that I have been "born again" (as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3:3), but I am being saved.
       Imagine that you were on a journey and that you came to a lake. You survey the lake and decide that to go around the lake would take much too long. You decide, instead, that straight across the lake is much quicker. You judge that the distance across the lake is not so far as to be beyond the limits of your ability to swim, therefore, you step in and take off. As you continue to swim, you realize that you may have bitten off more than you can chew. Eventually, you come to the realization that you will not be able to make it all the way across, but you have come much too far to go back. You have overestimated you abilities. As you struggle to keep your head above water, you hear a noise, and turning you see me coming along side in a motorboat. After the obligatory howdys and hellos, I ask "Do you need some assistance? When you get to shore, you have to enter the port on a vessel. The harbor master insists on this and allows no swimmers to enter."At this point, you have an important choice to make. You can either accept my help or continue on your own. To reject assistance is to choose drowning, of course, but there is always a choice and some would rather die trying than admit their mistake and accept help from another.
       So the choice is made to enter the boat. Is the swimmer saved? I would say that salvation is attained upon reaching the shoreline. Let's continue along the journey. The swimmer (you) decide that you are rested and decide that you can make it on your own. I advise that you should remain in the boat. I explain that I am the biggest, toughest sailor around and that no one would be able to force you out of the boat, with me as its captain. No one can "take you out of my hand" I explain. But you have decided that you don't really need my help. "After all," you argue, "I was doing quite well on my own. And besides, your boat has quite too many rules for me. You want to control me and place boundaries on my life. To ride in your boat, you say that I have to follow your guidelines. Rules, rules, rules!" Splash! You dive back in and, with renewed vigor, you swim toward shore. As you swim away, I shout to you "I am here when you need me. Just call me and I will pull you into the boat." "You just call out my name, and you know where ever I am, I'll come runnin"...sorry, had a musical moment there.
       ADD moment...I used to run. I learned that if I ran a long distance and then stopped to rest, my muscles would tighten up and it would be harder to start running again.
       So you are swimming again. Of course you become tired again (after all, its my story. You didn't think I was going to let you be superman and ruin my allegory, did you?) and realize that you are not going to make it. Again with the choices...like Déjà vu, all over again. Choose life (in the boat) or death. Getting the picture? The Apostle Paul stated that we are in a race that must be finished. He spoke of completing not of being complete. He said that we are being saved. We do not loose our free will when we accept Christ. Some people have asked me "Why would anyone choose to stop following Christ?" as an argument that we can't. Who would choose to have their marriage dissolve when they have found the person that they love and choose to spend the rest of their life with? But it happens. People often neglect their relationship and grow apart, eventually being so far apart that they are no longer in a relationship. We do this same thing with Christ. At first, we are excited and tell everyone about this wonderful new relationship. Then we neglect the relationship and allow others to vie for our attention. We spend so much time with these other relationships that they become more important to us. He (Christ) stands there and pleads for you to return, but you have lost interest. Maybe, later on, you will come to realize what you have lost and desire to renew the relationship, but in reality, if you no longer hear him calling out to you, you will never (can never) respond.
       Once the boat has reached the harbor, without you, you are left in the open ocean with no way to approach the harbor. You eventually parish.

The Magician

       I really enjoy watching a good magician. I know that they have no real magical powers, but they do have some powers. They have the power to entertain me, and they have the power, or ability, to deceive me. This is a good deception though. I know that I am being deceived and I'm good with that. That's the whole idea. For many years, I was a performing, small-time, magician. I did parties, church groups, and schools. I had a good time performing. My enjoyment came from watching the faces of those who discovered, too late, that they had been deceived. The better a magician can deceive, the better they are as a magician. After all, who wants to watch a magician if you can see through all their tricks. That would be boring, or worse yet...annoying. 
       I remember one show I did, in particular where I was the entertainment, at a church dinner. One of tricks I performed consisted of having a volunteer choose a card from a deck of cards. They showed the card to the audience and placed it back in the deck. I went through a series of deck shuffles and then I would cut the deck and show them their card. Every time I shuffled the deck, I could cut the deck and reveal their card. I finally revealed that the deck was made up entirely of their card choice, only to reshuffle and show that the deck was back to a normal deck, with all types of cards. They loved it. I ended by putting the deck away and asking the pastor "Pastor? Before dinner, did I give you anything and ask that you keep it until I asked for it?" "Yes." he responded. "What was it?" I asked. "A hymn book." he announced. "Would you please open it up and tell everyone what is hidden inside?" I requested. Upon opening the hymnal, he pulled out a playing card, held it up and told which card it was. I just happened to be the card that the volunteer had chosen from my deck of cards. They were amazed. I was not. I know the trick behind the trick. I was the deceiver and they were the deceived. It was quite simple, really. But is it not true that most people are easily deceived? I am a rank amateur when it comes to performing magic tricks. I could not compete with a Vegas professional.
     Now the spiritual side of this whole thing. How long has Satan, the deceiver, been practicing and perfecting his performance? How easy is it for him to deceive those that sit and watch his performance of smoke and mirrors and sleight-of-hand? I will watch and rewatch a magician's performance, even in slow motion, in order to figure out how he pulls off the seemingly impossible. Sometimes I can figure it out and sometimes I can't. But I always watch. Even if I figure out what he is doing, I can usually admire his ability to do it.
       Then there is Satan. Not many people talk about him anymore. Many preachers are willing to talk about the love, grace and mercy of God (those are happy and nice), but fail to temper their sermons with a reminder that Satan is a very real threat to the future security of us all. Some have allowed their message to become so twisted that "the great magician" has been all but nullified. I am aware that Satan is not the equal/opposite of God or Jesus, the Christ. He is more the equal/opposite of Michael, the Messenger angel. But, he was given dominion over the Earth and the opportunity to influence us away from a right relationship with the father (God). This past Sunday, our pastor was preaching and stated "...you can't flirt with the devil and look like Christ..." Good point. I would add that unless you already know all the tricks, you can't sit through a magician's performance and not be taken in every once in a while.
       Here are a few of the tricks that I have already figured out: Let's call the first one the ol' "Confuse them by agreeing with them" or "agree with them till it hurts...them" trick. If you can convince people that they are safe, then they will not attempt to reach safety. If you convince me that I already have purchased my ticket, then why would I spend the additional funds to procure another? So instead of trying to get people to avoid accepting Christ, Satan whispers in our ears "Go ahead. All you have to do is 'believe, and you will be saved'. You don't have to do anything else. Scripture says that you are saved by faith alone and not by works, so that you can't brag about what you did. Don't worry. Christ will change the things that are wrong with you and if he doesn't change it then it must be OK. You got 'saved' when you were young and your preacher told you that Christ died for all your sins. That means that past, present, and future sins are taken care of, so don't sweat it. You're good to go. Have fun and live your life free of worry. After all, God wants you to be happy and we all know that a loving god would never send anyone to hell." Did you see that? Did you see how the magician was so close? How he made the trick look like the reality? How if you didn't pay close attention, you might have been taken in by the sleight-of-hand? How what is real is combined with just enough deception to fool us into thinking that what we saw was what we saw? Exactly.
       How about the "Crowds don't lie" or the "herd mentality" trick. Oh, that's a good one. The premise is this: a crowd offers the magician accomplices with which to sway the opinions of the holdouts in the crowd. Here's the magician's patter ("The dialogue used in the performance of an effect. Patter styles may differ from magicians to magicians - some prefer a serious patter, while others opt for a light hearted humorous patter to relax the audience and try to catch them off guard.-www.road2magic.com/magic-articles/glossary-of-magic-terms"): "All of you see what I have in my hand" he states. To which we all answer "Yes." Those who disagree will seldom disagree publicly, but will instead concur and 'go along with the crowd' for fear of standing out and inviting ridicule. It becomes easier to 'go with the flow' of popular misconception then to stand out , as an analytical self-thinker, and draw fire from the masses. What would happen, during a magician's performance, if one person stood up and stated "but, I saw how you really did the trick."  (Magicians hate that, by the way.) People would ridicule the standout for the "anti-go-along" statement. "Why don't you just shut up and sit down" they might respond.  Then the person either stands their ground or quietly sits and conforms to the crowd. No one else will speak out now. They know what will happen. They don't wish to be a Martin Luther or John Calvin. The mantra of this trick becomes "You gotta go along to get along." Most of the magician's audience will assume that "They can't all be wrong. I must have been mistaken." When discussing denominational dogma, I have actually been told "How can all those people be wrong?"
       If Satan , through his messengers, can convince people (although scripture says that killing oneself is a murder, for which one has no opportunity to ask for forgiveness) that it is God's will that I kill myself in order to go to heaven, then what else is he capable of? Sure, people drinking kool-aid or eating pudding in order to meet the mother ship to heaven is the extreme, but what about the "live like hell, going to heaven" misconception?
       So, you say "OK Michael. That's all well and good, but what can I do to avoid deception?" Well, what I have found is, learn the tricks, watch the magician closely and hang out with others who are doing the same. Sometimes my fellow audience member/magician "figureouter" will catch something that I have missed. Also, I have found that it is important to not be distracted by those the deceiver/magician has employed as assistants or brought on stage as volunteers. These a can include family, friends, ministry workers, etc. Just because someone is employed as a pastor does not mean they are teaching the right thing. I have met many who mean well, but are lacking in knowledge and others who are down right evil. When you find a pastor who loves God, studies the word, and is insistent on truth over fiction, you have found a real treasure. Also, know the truth (investigate on your own) so that you will recognize untruth, when you see it. When I was in the Army, we had to learn to recognize friendly aircraft and vehicles, as well as unfriendlies. We had to be able to spot the enemy and know the difference in order for survival.
       Go ahead. Enjoy watching that magician. I do. But remember, there is more there than meets the eye. Camaflauge is successful, when it works. Ask a deer.

The Big Picture: A Matter of Perspective

       This is going to take more than one post. I can already tell, by all that is going through my mind and spirit.
       First, let me say that if you are looking for a chance to nit pic and find errors, you came to the right place. Sorta. What I mean is this: If you read this, or anything, trying to find things that you disagree with, then you will be successful in finding things that you disagree with. I am perfectly willing for you to point those things out, by the way. I just would like you to be able to read this with the same mind that I wrote it.
       I have heard the questions "Why do bad things happen to good people?" and "Why does God allow bad things to happen to Christians?" We suffer from limited visibility (1 Corinthians 13:12 [New Living Translation] Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.)
       I have two sons. They are now grown, but when they were very young I tried to instill discipline in them. I required them to do certain chores around the house. One of those was cleaning their bedroom. Let's say that I gave my son the following instruction: "Son, go clean your bedroom. When you finish, I will take you to get an ice cream. If you don't do it, you will be punished." (Of course this is oversimplified, but you get the point). My son has a choice. He can choose to clean his room or he can choose not to. I cannot 'make' him clean his room. I can only motivate him to do so. Let's say that he chooses to clean his room. I then have a choice to make. I can honor my word or go back on it (that would make me a liar), but of course I take him for an ice cream. I'm not a jerk, ya know. What if he had chosen not to clean his room? I still have a choice to make: to punish or not to punish. If I don't punish him, wouldn't that also make me a liar? Therefore, I follow through and he learns that his ol' dad is a man of his word. He also learns other valuable lessons, like following the rules, etc. So... his punishment...was it a bad thing or a good thing? You probably agree that it is a matter of perspective, right. From his childlike point-of-view, his punishment is a bad thing. After all, they don't call good things "punishment", do they? However, from the dad's perspective, his punishment taught him valuable lessons that will serve him well in the future. Are you with me so far? So here's a short list of some "bad" things: homework, getting a shot at the Dr's office, having to go to school, eating vegetables, following your parent's rules, taking a bath, etc. Now for a short list of "good" things: homework (helps us practice skills and prepare for lessons), getting a shot at the Dr's office (helps in healing and/or prevention), having to go to school (to get an education or participate in sports, music, etc), eating vegetables (makes us healthier), following your parent's rules (teaches discipline, prepares us for adulthood, etc), taking a bath (duh! who wants to be stinky and gross?), etc. Another, short, example: Years ago, I went to Army Basic Training. Our drill sergeants made us do push-ups for any minor infraction. "This Private is looking at me." Everybody drop and give me 20 push-ups!" "You didn't move fast enough. Drop and give me 20!" "You are moving too fast. Drop and give me 20!" At the time I thought that these Drill Sergeants were mean to us. I began to realize that whether we did anything wrong or not, we were going to be made to do push-ups. This seemed like a bad thing to the recruits who were being screamed at. As an adult, I can see that the Sergeants were doing it for our own good. How would I feel if I were dropped into combat and was out of shape and couldn't keep up? They wanted us to reach our peak performance. That is a good thing. It was and is a matter of perspective.
       Real life...early 1985. I was in the Army, stationed at a training post, as an instructor. Because it is hard to gain rank (get a promotion) at a training post, and because I wanted to get out and see the world, I requested and received a transfer to Italy, effective in the fall of that year. I had once been engaged (to Tammy), but no longer was and had not seen her in over a year. I accepted Christ in June of ‘85. On July 5th, I had a motorcycle accident that put me in ICU and traction. I was in the hospital for over a month (for the first stay), home for a month of convalescent leave, then back to the hospital for another month. I experienced two surgeries the first month, one during the second stay, and two more to follow. While I was in the hospital, the first time, I was questioning why God would allow this terrible thing to happen to me. After all, I had just become a Christian. I was now one of the good guys, right? My sister sent me a letter. In it, she stated that we may not understand why things happen the way that they do, but that God has a reason for allowing them. What I did not know, at the time, was that Tammy had been thinking about me (or should I say us?) and had decided to pray for guidance. She later told me that she prayed “God, if we are meant to be together, then he will be single and still be stationed where he was, when we last talked.” You could say that she followed Gideon’s example and laid a fleece before the Lord. When she contacted me, Thanksgiving weekend at my parents’ home, she found that, due to my accident, my orders to ship out had been rescinded, and I had broken up with the non-believer I had been dating, shortly after accepting Christ (that relationship was anything but pleasing to God). Well, here we are (Tammy and I), 25 years later, married. I never went to Europe, but it’s been a great ride all these years. Was having that accident a bad thing? I guess it depends on your perspective. Had it not occurred, I would have been in Italy and Tammy would have taken that as her answer from God. I would not have the two sons I now have. How many other things would be different?
       Why do Christians get cancer? Why do they die? Many of the things that that we experience are due to the choices that we make. There are very few “real” accidents in life. Most are self-inflicted results of choice. But, if what we are experiencing is not of our own making, then I desire to have the fortitude to accept that my heavenly father has a plan for me and the confidence to trust his guiding hand upon my life. After all, I did say “I’m yours, Lord.” What right do I have to tell him what to do with his stuff? God sees the big picture while I have limited visibility and can only see what touches me directly, in the here and now. My arguing with God would be tantamount to a 3-year-old arguing about bath time. When it’s my time to cross Jordon, I hope that I can say “I am ready Lord. Your will be done.”

Undercover Christianity: When believers disguise themselves as non-believers

If you have never watched the movie My Fair Lady, the check out this clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdix8n_FksI
       I do it. You do it. They do it, too. From time to time we "drop our guard", "forget who we are", "eat a big ol' bowl of stupid." We revert to our old nature and embarrass dad (or our Heavenly Father as you might say).
       I remember watching the movie My Fair Lady. In the movie, "A misogynistic and snobbish phonetics professor agrees to a wager that he can take a flower girl and make her presentable in high society."-IMDB.com. Long story short, it works and the professor (Henry Higgins, played by Rex Harrison) wins the bet and falls in love with his beautiful protégé (Eliza Doolittle, played by Audrey Hepburn). It is a story of rebirth, as the caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Eliza, at first, pretends to be more sophisticated than she really is, but later becomes more sophisticated and no longer has to pretend. A good case of "fake it until you make it." In one particular scene, however, they visit the track to watch the horse races. This is meant to be a test case for Eliza's new self. An experiment to see how well she fits into the new social circle that she has been training for. All goes well until she gets caught up in the moment, lets her guard down and reverts to her old vernacular, shouting to the horse which she favors to "... come on Dover! come on Dover!!...move your bloomin' ass!!!!"
http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/screenplay/vi3227451929/
       ADD moment...I would like to preach a sermon about Christianity, but show My Fair Lady first. There are so many similarities between that movie and the Christian experience.
       In a nutshell...I guess, in my mind, the difference in a true follower of Christ and a non-believer would be that a Christ-follower periodically blunders and reverts back to the sin that they are trying to purge from their lives, and a non-follower lives a lifestyle of sin without trying to purge it. I know there is more to it than that, but I like to use the K.I.S.S. method (Keep It Simple Stupid). If I am living my life with no regards to the teachings of Christ, then can I say that I am a Christian? If I try to appear more like a non-believer than a believer, what does that say about my walk with Christ? I know, I know...you are saying "But Michael, the Bible says...We are not supposed to judge people." You ever notice that when people are trying to defend themselves or others they say things like this, but when they know that they have made the right choice or are "on track", so to speak, they are very willing for you to judge them?
       ADD moment...Some people know just enough scripture to use it out of context. Ain't that the truth.
       If you look up all the times that the word judge is used in scripture (and I did) you will find times that peolpe are instructed not to judge, times when they are instructed to judge, and even times when it is said that Christians will someday judge angels (what's up with that?).
       Christ's disciples were a rough group of guys. They ranged from blue-collar, working-class professional fishermen to a white-collar doctor; well respected and not-so-respected (Tax collector Matthew). Some of them were probably used to the rough and wild side of society. I have never read any accounts of Jesus' Disciples ever walking up to people and being abusive or mean. Nor did they party and sleep around. They weren't homosexual or manwhores. They did, however, try to copy what they saw in the actions and attitudes of the one they followed. I would have a hard time believing (I can hear the arguments already) that they would dress or try to appear more worldly. I can't see them out in the bars and pool hall or frequenting the tattoo parlors, unless it was to try and convert those who were found there. (I am not saying that shooting pool is a sin. I am not saying that a person with a tattoo can't accept Christ.)
       Ever notice, when there are boundaries, some people will try and get as close to the line as they can. Legalism comes into play as they ask "Can I do this?" or "How far is too far?" Do I bring glory to Christ or do I bring shame. I would want my father to be proud of me. I don't want him to say "I love my son regardless of what he does."
       So, should Christians (followers of the teachings of Christ, not the watered-down definition that most people use today) look and act differently from non-believers? You tell me. From everything that I read, in scripture, I am a "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!) Shouldn’t I be different from those who are of the old nature? Those who have sold out to this new life in Christ would say that there is a marked change that occurs in a person's life. So much so that others, in the Bible, could point out the Christ-followers. Do people see something different in me? In us? If I am changed, by the renewing of my mind, then why would I want to go back and imitate the life of my old nature?

Understanding Nature: A prelude to A Study in Forgiveness

This blog is going to be different, I think. I am hunting for real answers, instead of just blogging what I have learned.

Some years back, I realized that I was expecting non-believers to follow the same rules of conduct that I believed were expected of believers. Why did I expect people to act contrary to their nature? I would not try and pet a lion or tiger, for I would fully expect that they would, in the least, bite me, or, in the most, devour me. I would never expect a new-born baby to lead a quite existence, but would rather prepare myself for crying that resulted from hunger or discomfort. So why would I expect adults to lead a life that was contrary to the nature that leads them? When a non-believer "does me wrong", why am I surprised or offended? What makes me feel that this person somehow owes me fairness or "right-doing"? Is my pride a factor? Do I feel that I deserve more? The Bible is clear when it speaks about us having a sin nature. We are all born with a nature that aligns us with the "father of perdition." Therefore, by nature, we all tend to lean toward wrong actions and attitude more than right. When we accept Christ into our lives, and begin to pattern our lives after his example and teachings, his nature begins to grow in us. Although I would like to say that the new purges the old, I cannot. Here, I am not referring to forgiveness. Merely the nature that guides our thoughts and actions. One might compare this mix of natures by taking a glass and filling it with cold coffee. If the coffee represented the sin nature and pure filtered water represented Christ's nature, then we could visualize what would happen if either or both were added to the glass. When an unbeliever accepts Christ, it is as though water is poured into the glass of coffee. The glass overflows and the contents are spilled out as it reaches and overtakes the rim of the glass. The more that this new believer studies and prays and grows more mature in the knowledge of Christ, the more water is poured into the glass and the more diluted the coffee becomes. If a person adds the things of Christ to their lives,(reading of scripture, prayer time, practicing the teachings of Christ) then water is added. If they add the things of the sin nature, then coffee is added. This is not to say works and deeds. This is more about spiritual maturity and relationship with Christ.

How many people are able to meet someone for the very first time and live for decades and be able to state that they "know" that person intimately. I have a hard time remembering names of people and have to rely on frequency of use to remember them. My students learn, rather quickly, that I experience difficulty in committing their names to memory in the first few weeks of school. It is only after I have spent time with them , conversed with them, learned details that will serve as memory markers that I can say that I know my students. When they are promoted to the next grade and I don't see them for a long while, can I honestly say that I "know" them. Not to any significant degree. Then how is it that a person can say that they know Christ when they have never invested any time to get to know him? If we never take the time to converse with him, spend time with him, etc. how can we "know" him?

My favorite author, of all time, is C.S. Lewis. I enjoy his writing. I have read many of his books. I have spent time listening to his ideas and thoughts, through his writings. The more that I read, the more that I feel that I "know" him. Get it?

If I continue to pour clean filtered water into my glass of coffee, eventually there will be little trace of the coffee. But, if I pour water in and periodically pour in more coffee, then whichever gets added more will influence the contents of the cup more and those who look at the cup will surely be able to judge whether or not the cup is useful (drinkable) or not. Should I not be able to look at a glass that is darkened by coffee and know that if I were to take a drink I would not be happy with the taste. After all, I despise coffee. If I see that the  glass is not clear and I drink, do I have the right to curse the glass for tasting foul? Should I not have expected it?