Ice - Not so nice

Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if I had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
~Robert Frost

Well it's happened. Here in Wilmore we finally have what every good Southern Boy dreads - Ice. Asbury Theological Seminary has done something it never does - operate on a two hour delay, and I am faced with the question should I walk to work today? Is the $15.00 I make over two hours worth risking my neck to go to work? The wiggling, giggling, smiling baby boy cuddled up next to my wife in bed after his o-dawn thirty feeding tells me yes. I agree with Mr. Frost. Ice is not so nice.

Disbeleiving the Atheists

Bring It On!!

Some how "Oi Vey!" just does not cover it. I had a chance to speak last night at Sunday evening service. The message was on God's family, baptism and advent. Afterwards a man came up to me and told me about an ad campaign he'd seen on TV put on by "humanists" which quoted a verse from Timothy where Paul says, "I do not allow a woman to have authority over a man." I had seen that commercial, but when I went to look for their website I couldn't find it. The gentleman from church sent me this news article from ABC News's website discussing the Ad Campaign Promoting Atheism. Evidently the American Humanist Organization have paid for advertisements on buses which are 2.5' x 12' long. Local churches are reacting by boycotting the buses to send a message to the city about this kind of advertisement. After I recover from smacking myself in the head, and push the civics lesson concerning freedom of speech out of my mind I consider what my response would be if I were a pastor in that city. My first instinct is to say to the atheists, "Bring It On!" The gospel has been attacked by much better organized groups that y'all, and can handle whatever criticism you bring against the Word. Then I pause to realize that kind of response is about me proving I'm right, or being afraid that if someone finds some fault in Scripture my faith will be harmed. A combative response is not helpful in this instance. As I think some more about the Atheists feeling of being alone and living in the closet I realize these are the very people we are to be reaching out to in Christian love. When Jesus is asked if he is the Messiah by disciples of John the Baptist this is what Jesus tells them.

"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:^(I) the blind receive their sight, the lame walk,^(J) lepers^[a] are cleansed, and^(K) the deaf hear,^(L) the dead are raised up,^(M) the poor have good news preached to them. ²³And blessed is the one who is^(N) not offended by me."

If this is Jesus' response to those who doubted Him, shouldn't this be our response to those who doubt and question Christ? How will the atheists know Christ is king if we do not live lives which show Christ's love and sovereignty in our lives? Let me challenge you during this season of Advent. When you go to church instead of just sitting with your friends take your family over to sit with one of the ChrEasters who probably haven't been to church since Easter. Invite them to lunch. Invite them to your Christmas party with friends and family. If we do a better job of sharing the love of Christ as a community of believers then our atheist friends won't feel so alone. Come to think of it, if we share Christ's love effectively they may feel comfortable discussing their rejection of Christ. And if we share Christ really well they may just see Jesus's acceptance in the face of their doubt.

Shakespear

"This above all-to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be fast to any man."
~Hamlet, act1, scene3, lines 78-80

I think I mentioned I've been reading "After You Believe" by N.T. Wright. I have to give a devotional message about character with information from this book for class, Tuesday November 30. So, I'm doing homework the day after Thanksgiving. Eat your hearts out you Black Friday Shoppers!

Wright asserts there is a powerful message within Western Culture which actually follows this line of thought from Shakespear. Many people take being true to themselves to mean they can, and should dow whatever the like. This is a concept I struggle against. I aggree with the idea being true to self often means do what you want in our culture. I struggle to not follow the idea. I've been trying to work out exactly when I fell off the train and bought into my culture entirely. I think it happened after I earned the rank of Eagle as a Boy Scout. I remember thinking I can't wait until I earn Eagle, because they I can do what I want. I had held leadership roles in my Boy Scout Troop and as a leader I had to lead by example. Once I earned the rank of Eagle I would no longer be bound by those rules and could even quit the Boy Scouts if I wanted. It wasn't until much later I realized living a life of honor with a strong sense of character while striving for something greater than myself were the first steps to finding a lasting joy in my life. I have never been joyful only living for what makes me happy. Are you simply living for what makes you happy, or are you striving for that something greater which offers lasting joy?

Scratching My Noodle

I'm reading a book for class by Bishop N.T. Wright called "After You Believe." I'm into chapter two, and some things from chapter one are still swishing around in my brain. Wright makes a point about people in Western cultures being stuck between two extremes. On the one hand there are those who want to know what the rules are so they can follow them and get their heavenly reward. On the other hand there are those who only want to follow their own heart, and trust that God is in their hearts guiding their actions. Both directions are incorrect, and both Paul and James speak directly to these points in the New Testament. The better way to think of it is like a long distance runner. Have you ever watched the long distance runners in the Olympics? They have to have tremendous mental strength. When Christians talk about that kind of toughness we don't call it strength. We call it character. It's that kind of character which enables a paramedic to use exactly the right treatment when the heat is on. Character is what gets the marine through tough combat situations when bullets are flying past their heads. On the cross it was the strength of Jesus' character and His love for the Father which got Him through the crucifixion. The point of character is to show our love for God through our character in life. When Abraham had this belief God accounted it to him as righteousness. I would like to be righteous. How about you?

Honor

"On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God, 

and my country, and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; 

to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight."

The Boy Scout Oath

   Today honor is treated like just another nostalgic idea like chivalry, helping an old lady across the street or paying your taxes. Honor is seen as an obligation, and because we, human beings, tend to be lazy by nature, we put off being honorable if we attempt to be so at all. However, a sense of Honor is a part of what has historically kept this nation together. The freedoms we enjoy, which are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, only work so long as the people are honorable enough not to abuse those freedoms. This is not just true of the people of the United States of America, but also of God's people. It has never been enough for God's people to just follow the rules of the Law. God has always wanted more. Too many people get hung up in Paul's teaching about faith being the key to righteousness instead of works while the apostle James teaches "faith without works is dead." What Paul and James are talking about is character. Each of them is talking to people taking their obligation to Christian faith in different extremes. Some wanted to earn their way to heaven. Others wanted to be Christian without having to do any work at all. Paul has teaching about how we are to tread this fine line.

1Thessalonians 4:1-12 is a call for Christians to be people of character, and to live a life of honor. Too often we think rules are to keep us from enjoying life. This is a mistake. Scripture is the guide to a better life, not just for me, or for you, but for us all. It is time for people of faith to consider what it means to live lives of character for God; for our country; and for ourselves.

Be Thou My Vision

Have you ever heard the hymn Be Thou My Vision? The lyrics of this song speak of a different kind of vision. All too often we get caught up looking at the pretty things of this world. We become distracted, or focused on what WE are doing. Take the story of a man and his donkey. This man decided he was going to do something God told him specifically not to do. So the man got on his donkey and began riding in the direction of the place where he needed to do his business. The man was so focused on his task he could not see what was right in front of him. However, his donkey saw the danger. Three times his donkey stepped off the path the man wanted him to walk, and three times the man beat the donkey for its disobedience. The man's name was Balaam, and the danger was an angel of the Lord standing, blocking the path with a sword in its hand. The donkey saw the angel, but the man did not. The donkey turned aside three times, and the man beat the donkey for saving his life three times. There's a powerful lesson in this story. It is easy to be caught up in the "have to's" of this world, and blinded by tunnel drive so as not to be able to see what God is doing around us - including telling us to turn around and go home. However, as the church we are called to look out for each other and to stubbornly do out best to become imitators of God. Sometimes that means telling a brother to turn around. Sometimes that means being told to turn around. Are you open to God's promptings in your life? Are you willing to let others speak truth into your life? Or are you still beating your friends for being just that - friends?

God Is My Strength and my Song

Azi Vuzimwrath Yah  

Before I came to seminary I was in a small group that was learning to read Biblical Hebrew. We didn't even make it up to verbs before I left for Asbury; but I felt like I learned a lot. I'm one of those people for whom Hebrew is fun. It's like a puzzle you need a decoder ring to understand. During the time I was learning to read Hebrew I was working as a courier in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wherever I went I would talk with various people I delivered to or picked up from. One of those people is a guy named Jeff who worked the pick up window at the Uptown post office in Charlotte. When I stumbled across this verse from Exodus 15 I decided to share it with Jeff. I taught him how to say the verse in Hebrew, and it became a combination inside joke and understanding between work acquaintances that God would support us and give us the strength to make it through the day. If Jeff was having a bad day, he didn't even have to explain. All he had to do was say Azi Vuzimwrath Yah when I came to the pick up window and we both understood. While I would never offer a whole sermon filled with Hebrew these three words have helped me through some very tough times because the are a reminder of from where my help truly comes.