It is a long way home, but it is worth the trip.

Sunday September 13, 2015

I write this in an airport waiting for a jet airplane to fly me back home. When I got up this morning I had one thing in mind, I was going home.  I had a speaking engagement, but that was secondary.  I was most looking forward to my wife picking me up at the airport and driving home. We have a lot to talk about; we always do, but this time more than usual. 

But getting home is not easy.  First of all, I have to check and recheck the hotel room; I don’t want to leave anything.  Also, make sure that I have the rental car full of gas, so I don’t end up paying $5 a gallon for them to fill it up for you.  Once at the airport, I give the rental car a once over to make sure I don’t leave anything valuable in it.  Check the car in and drag all my stuff through the airport to go get the boarding pass.  Oh great, the flight is overbooked and they didn’t assignment me a seat. 

Now let’s go follow the ritual of the TSA screening: 

Pockets empty?  Check!

Belt off? Check

Pants about to fall to my ankles? Check!

Jacket in the bin? Check!

Shoes off? Check!

Laptop in a bin by itself?  Check

Exposed to radiation?  Check 

Casually groped by a stranger?  Check

Now a race, like when you were at summer camp as a kid: gather up your stuff and put yourself back together.  A quick hike to the gate to sit in a chair designed by the Spanish Inquisition to extract confessions.

As I wait for the flight to the city where I am connecting, the airline is asking for volunteers to spend the night and fly tomorrow.    Without a confirmed seat assignment I am feeling a bit concerned.  I will have to wait for my flight and hope that I get a seat.  Getting home is a hassle; oh, but it is worth it.

Eight weeks ago I asked you to pray for my father-in-law.  We discovered he had cancer.  Yesterday afternoon he made it home.  His was a long trip home, with some important milestones along the way.  Over the next few days we will talk a lot about his life and those milestones.  We will hear and tell again- or for the first time-the stories that helped shape him into a man who loved the Lord, loved his family, and loved to laugh.  These stories will weave themselves into conversations and remembrances, which will come out in tears and laughter, and will culminate in the celebration of his life at his memorial service.

He made it home.  It was a long, and at times, difficult trip.  It seems hard to realize that it has only been two months since he was diagnosed with cancer.  Three months ago we were worried about him falling and hurting himself and about his blood sugar being too high.  We were apprehensive about his driving and his not seeing on-coming trucks or people in his path.  We wondered how long till he would go somewhere and get lost and not be able to find his way home.  As he approached his four score years, we were concerned about his medication levels and his worsening digestion issues.   But he has made it home; he is at rest.  We also put to rest our worries for him. 

This is so like Dad.  Over the years it was always Dad who was the first to want to go home.  It didn’t matter if he had come to our house for the day, or after worship service, or on a vacation, he was the first one in the car and ready to go.  On more than one occasion, mom was still visiting and hugging good-bye while dad sat behind the wheel of the car, motor running, window down and ready to go home.  Dad loved to visit, but he was always eager to go home. 

We are sad, but not for him.  We are sad for what we have lost, not what he has gained.   He is safe at home.  His travels are over; he can rest with the One who loves him.

Dad, we are glad you are safely home.  

Kim Davis, gay marriage, and manipulation

The small community of Morehead, KY, became the center of the cultural battlefield as Kim Davis, Clerk of the Court, refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples.   

I promise this will not be about Kim Davis, what she should do, should have done, or what needs to be done.  Nor is this about the media and the courts having an incredibly selective sense of outrage.  In 2012, a gay Texan refused to do weddings for straight couples.  There was hardly a cry, nor even a whimper, from the national media or the Government about an official failing to do his job.  Or take, for instance, the case of Charee Stanley, a Muslim, who took a job as a stewardess.  She knew that serving alcohol would be part of the job.  But after taking the job she claimed that serving alcohol was prohibited by her faith.  She is now suing the airline.  As a nation, we have hit a mother load of hypocrisy of rare and pure quality.   That is all I am going to say about that!

I believe, as is often the case with highly charged emotional issues, it is easy for our passions to run away with us.  Along with impassioned hearts we also need thinking brains.   I am not going to attempt to argue fine points of law, or doctrine, or theology.  There are many who are better at thinking the deep things involved in this case and our current circumstances than I am.  What I want to do is offer a warning about how we are apt to be manipulated in circumstances.

I am concerned that the cause of Kim Davis might be taken up by politicians, publicists, lawyers, or media types and used for their own purposes.  Allow me an example; a candidate is running for office.  This individual is not doing well in the polls.  They latch on to this hot button issue and attempt to become the champion of the cause.  They fire up the masses that feel strongly about the issue in hopes of gaining publicity, campaign contributions, and a point or two in the polls.  Or for example a T.V. or radio personality brings this issue to the microphone or screen in the hopes of getting some sort of scoop or some unique angle that will allow them to have a larger or more dedicated audience.

I am not questioning the motives of everyone who is speaking out.  What I am questioning is how much good it does to obsess about what has happened in Morehead, KY.   Some people will attempt to agitate you not primarily because they share our beliefs or because they are committed to the cause of Christ.  They will do so because it benefits them personally.

Unless the SCOTUS reverses itself, unlikely (see Roe v Wade) or the U.S. Constitution is amended, again unlikely (see Balanced Budget Amendment), gay marriage is the law of the land.  I can, like Don Quixote, tilt at the windmills or I can make a difference.  I do not believe that we as Christians have done a very good job in influencing our nation for Christ.   All of my life I have heard the calls to “take American back”.  As Christians, we have spent millions of dollars and man-hours on campaigns, and printing, and building lobbying organizations to be a Moral Majority build a Christian Coalition or start revival fire to rescue America, for God Family and Country.

Well, how is it working?  The indications are it is not working too well.  We have made some lobbyists rich, built some folks great buildings, and elected politicians that have paid lip service to our faith.  But if our culture is any indication, these efforts have largely failed.

Jesus by contrast stated that His disciples would be salt and light in their world.  With a profound commitment to Him, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and loving their neighbors, the Christians in the first centuries turned the world upside down.  They did so till the time of Constantine, when the church starting working to influence public policy.  Maybe Jesus’ way is best. 

What I am saying is simply this:  hold your convictions fervently, be informed, pray passionately, but when someone is wanting to get you riled up, ask one simple question;  “Will this result in God’s glory or in satisfying their personal agenda?”

Of Church and Football Season

I love football.  In my opinion, college football is the apex of all sports.  I have not watched a full baseball, basketball, softball, car race or any other sporting event of any league in years.  I have never watched an Olympic event live, ever.

But when it comes to college football, I can get carried away.  One of the reasons I love football is that it can serve as a teaching tool for the church and the church’s ministry.

One example where the church can learn something from football is the pre-game hype as the team comes on to the field.  Have you noticed how that the pre-game entrance has grown in scope and grandeur?  Years ago a team would run on to the field from the locker room to the cheers of their fans.  Then someone added smashing through a paper banner.  Now this might involve pyrotechnics, fog machines, light shows and special theme music.  Even at the high school level the pre-game hype has grown tremendous.  Fans and players chant, dance, and work hard to get their emotions to a fever pitch before the game.

I have watched teams that have had this kind of maniac excitement in the pre-game go out on the field and get their eyes beat out.  Here is a clue; games are never won on the high-pitched emotion of the pregame hype.  Games are won in the preparation, and the practice, and the coaching that occurs weeks, months and sometimes years before the team comes out of the locker room.

One of my concerns is that the church, like a bad football team, has mistaken pre-game pep for quality preparation.  Many churches believe that if we can get our members into a certain emotional state that we have them ready to go out on Monday and live their faith.  Let me offer this aside, I am not calling for dull lifeless worship services.  I believe we must be excited about the good news and our assured victory.  I have sat through too many dead services and have seen the non-impact of dead churches.  But our excitement must come from solid equipping (coaching) for works of service, not mindless hoopla.

Football has three phases: offense, defense and special teams.  A team that is desperately weak in any one of these areas is set up for defeat.  I believe it is the same for the ministry of the church.  We need to equip the church for all three key phases.

First of all, we need to equip the mind of the believer.  Many Christians do not feel prepared for the challenges of the secular world or other faith systems.  When challenged about why evil exists or charged with the alleged evils of Christianity of the centuries, many of our church members haven’t an answer.  There are difficult questions in our fallen world and the Christian faith offers the best answers.  But we haven’t taken the time to do the hard work and preparation so we fail to coach our congregations. 

Allow me to site one rather extreme example from a situation known to me.  Was I not privy to the facts, I would have a hard time believing this happened.  A youth minister refused to use some curriculum provided by his church.  He told the minister, “I’m not going to teach this because if the kids were to repeat this at school they would be made fun of and I don’t want them to be embarrassed.”  The lesson material was concerning one of the core doctrines of Christianity.  This youth minister was reported to be excellent in planning Christian rock concerts, retreats and games; he drew large crowds of kids and was cool in the extreme.  In short, he was great at the pre-game hype.

Second, we need to equip the soul of the believer.  When it comes to spiritual disciplines for most Christians it is limited to what ever they get on Sunday morning.  Personal time with God and His word is often left to the initiative of the individual Christian.  Most churches don’t have a plan in place to help Christians grow in their own soul.  Many in the pew don’t know how to search their own soul and compare and contrast it with what God has for them. 

Let me offer a simple first step.  Begin in the fall by preaching a series on the power and value of daily Bible reading.  Challenge your people to make a commitment to daily Bible reading, prayer, and note taking (journaling).  Provide your congregation with a Bible reading plan that will allow everyone in the church to be on the same page.  During the next year, preach from a text the congregation has read in the preceding week.  The best Bible reading plans have selections from various sections of the Bible.  If you have experience with the liturgical church this idea is nothing new to you, but the emphasis on daily congregational reading may be.

The third phase where we have not coached our people is the area of the leading of the Spirit.  I have a friend who grew up in the Church of God.  He is now a Church of God minister and describes himself as being charis-phobic.  He explains that he saw the excesses of some in the charismatic movement; things being attributed to the Holy Spirit that were clearly not the work of the Spirit and he was afraid to be like that.  He now serves a congregation in which the power of the leading of the Holy Spirit is evident, but the church is God honoring and focused. 

There is some value in determination and will power and hard work, but these will never change an individual or bring revival.  We must learn and understand to submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit.   Perhaps the best way to begin is to admit our biases, try to set them aside and read the Scriptures about how the Holy Spirit can minister in, through, and with us.

If we compare the contemporary American church to a football team, we would be the kind of team everyone would schedule for homecoming.  In my opinion, it is, in part, because we have focused too much on the pre-game hype and not enough on the hard work of preparation.

In the Cause of Christ
Charlie

BONUS FEATURE


At this point in the season my opinion is a good as anyone else's.  So here are my predictions for the SEC.  I don't follow other conferences  enough to have a bias.
West
Alabama
Ole Miss
Auburn
LSU
Arkansas
Texas A&M
MSU
Opinion:  If Bama has really good QB play they will contend for a national title, if not they could end of third.  The top four teams the in the west could all be in the hunt for a national title.  If it were its own conference the SEC west would be the toughest in college football.

East
UGA
Missouri
UF
UT
USC
UK
Vandy
Opinion:  UGA better do it this year UT and UF are on the way up.  UF will likely go 6 and 6 but with a couple of breaks could be a top 25 team by year end.  In two or three year the Gator will be in the SEC title game.  McElmain is such a good coach that some BAMA alumni have talked about bringing him back to Tuscaloosa after Saban retires.  

Serving like James and John

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that my father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer.   First of all, let me say thank you for all the kind words of support and the prayers that so many kind people have offered for my family.  I want also to share a brief update.  The news, as is often the case, is a mixed bag of bad news and good news.  The bad news is my father-in-law’s cancer is fairly advanced, being classified as stage 4 cancer.  The good news is that within the last year a new chemotherapy has been approved for his particular type of cancer.  This drug has produced wonderful results and has fewer side effects than most chemotherapy drugs.   So, while we are hopeful, we realize he is far from out of the woods.

This has been very difficult for my wife.  She spent last week with her mom and dad.  In addition to dealing with her own emotions, she had to help her mom in many ways, both large and small.  After 6 days of two-a-day trips to the rehab to help care for her dad and caring for mom in between, she was pretty spent.  She returned home exhausted and ready for some rest.  Let me return to this is just a moment.

When James and John came to Jesus and asked for the seats at His right and His left when he came into the kingdom, I don’t believe they did this flippantly.  I believe their offer was an honest offer of service.  To be prime minister and viceroy in a new government was going to be hard work.  Certainly they had selfish interests, but they also believed they could do the job and do the job better than anyone else available to the new King.  They probably looked at the other 12 and measured their resumes and found them wanting.  Peter was too much of a hot head; Andrew too easily dominated by his brother; Matthew was too much the bean counter; James the runt lacked a powerful presence; Simon had too much baggage from his years as a terrorist; Judas needed to stick to the department of treasury; and so they went down the list comparing their resumes with everyone else’s and came to the conclusion that they were the logical choice for the two, top spots in the coming government. 

I have and continue to do the same things.  I understand that the Lord’s Kingdom is not a political kingdom, but I still recommend myself for the position of higher leadership.  Over the years of ministry, I have sent resumes to churches explaining that I am the best person to lead their ministry.  As a college student, one of my preaching heroes was at Broadway Christian Church in Lexington, KY.  I decided that I should aspire to be the preacher there some day.  I have written sermons, lessons, and ministry programs so that others could be blessed by my great insight and wisdom.  I have wanted to teach young men and women about ministry and how to get things done.  I have wanted to start a monastic type retreat center so Christian leaders could have a place for a deeper walk.

None of these were bad things.  They were and are all positive things that had or could have a positive effect on people.  But they had this one common and unhealthy denominator, I was at or near the center of power and I was making the decisions and telling people what to do.   The week my wife was gone she demonstrated what Jesus was looking for in His followers.  She, even in the midst of her own pain and heartache, served others with grace, joy, and selflessness.  Usually when my wife is away with family obligations she tells me about the moments of laughter and mirth that occur in the day.  There were apparently few of these moments for her, if there were any, they were over shadowed by the weight and grimness of her moment-to-moment living.  Selfless and utterly empty of a personal agenda, she gave.  That is what Jesus calls us all to be and do.

As Disciples and especially as ministers, we tend to want to do the kind of stuff that will look good on a resume.  Maybe we need to have a different tally.  Maybe I should think less about a new book on leadership and more on washing dishes; less about leading a creative worship time and more about doing the laundry from hamper to drawer; less about leading a community of activists to bring about change and more about making sure the car is serviced and ready for my wife’s use.  Dying to “self”, needs to move from my theological concept to how I spend my minutes and days.

Maybe John and James’ problem was that they had a good resume, but they didn’t yet have the good heart of the Lord.

When the County goes Damp.

I was talking with a preacher friend of mine who minsters in a rural community in a small southern state.  He was telling me that in a recent election the county voted to remain “dry” and prohibit the sale of alcohol, I believe it has been dry since prohibition.  In a follow up election, the city that serves at the county seat voted to go “wet”, to legalize the sale of alcohol.  Thus creating what is called a “Damp” county. 

My friend, who is of the more conservative position, was deeply disappointed in the decision.  In practical terms this means that people who want to buy alcohol will have a shorter drive.  It also means that some businesses will experience increased sales and profits as they offer a new commodity.  Will it increase the amount of alcohol consumed in the county?  Will it result in higher rates of addition among the citizens?  Will there be an up tick in alcohol related crimes?  You can find statistical data for support both “yes” and “no” answers to these questions.

No one in their right mind is in favor of alcoholism or alcohol related crimes such a DUI or spousal abuse.  But what should the church do?  There is already talk of a boycott or political actions, of appling pressure to the city officials to repeal this recent law.  One individual reportedly has plans to shift all of their shopping to another county that is still “dry”.

Laws are not the solution to moral problems of our society.  Allow me to illustrate.  In this same community recently there was a kidnapping.  This kidnapping was a reprisal for a drug theft; a woman in the community stole a significant amount of money and heroine from a drug dealer.  This drug dealer in an attempt to recover the money and drugs from the thief kidnapped a child that he though was her son it was actually her nephew.   Thankfully, upon realizing his error, the child was released unhurt and the drug deal/kidnapper apparently fled the area.

In this case there are laws against dealing drugs, stealing drugs and money, and kidnapping children.  This rural county doesn’t need another set of laws for these crimes.  The churches in this rural county will likely not protest and call on the county commission to offer new legislation to prohibit drugs, theft or kidnapping. 

Law is essential for civil life, but is not perfect, and it can never be a substitute for He who is perfect.

Law is a great teacher, it can tell us what is right and what is wrong, but it can never make us want to do right.

Law can be a precious guard for freedom, and we must guard our laws, but it cannot impose freedom.

For this rural county I respect and admire their desire of proponents of “dry” to protect people from the ravages of alcohol abuse.  But a law will never do that, no more than a law will stop drug dealers, drug theft, or acts of reprisal.  The only effective antidote for the evil of alcohol abuse is the gospel, beautifully expressed in the ministry of the church.

Now before we become too condescending toward our country cousins, has the church in urban or suburban communities tried to argue for prohibition against different evils?  Do we retreat to the safety of our stain glass sanctuaries and decry the evil of, addition, abortion, white slavery or name your vice here.  The church must denounce evil but it must get so close to it that it can see beyond the façade to the person held captive. 

Side Bar: I am not about to wade into the “Can a Christian drink alcohol” debate.  Social media has of recent been flooded with raging debates on that issue.  These debates have offered more smoke, steam and hot air than substance. 

Prayer Request and the thoughts it prompts.

We got some bad news in our house this week.  My father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer.   It is too early to have any long-term prognosis but the first test results and first comments of the Drs. are not very encouraging.  There are a number of tumors on the surface of the skin, in the lymphatic system and spread through the trunk of his body.  The Drs. specifically noted at least two in the lungs.  His mother and father as well as his two older sisters died of cancer.  His surviving sister is a cancer survivor. 

Sunday afternoon a couple of men from the church where he attends came by to serve him communion and offer their support.  After the prayers and communion he shared how much it meant to him to have them come by.  He shared with them the family history and them told, “The clock is running out for me.” He then broke down and cried.  My wife, who was down for the weekend, said it was the first time she had ever seen her dad cry.    She and my daughter, who was granted special leave from the Navy, also gave way to the tears.  When he was first told the biopsy results he had been talking about being able to “beat this”.   Later he became angry about being moved from one room to another, he is not the kind of man who gets angry.  Perhaps he has moved from denial and anger into acceptance, if those categories or stages are even valid.  I am not qualified to say where he is.

We are hoping and praying for good health and healing but we also realize that unless the Lord returns we will all pass from this life to our reward.  With that in mind we are planning to make sure that we get all the visits in while we can.  We are planning for our oldest daughter and her two children will be down next weekend.  The weekend after that my son, youngest daughter and I will go down to have a visit.  When I have my time talk with my father-in-law I am not entirely sure what to say.

I could talk about how I was welcomed into the family and treated with a kindness that is hard to describe.  There was never a sense of my not belonging.  In some ways I have felt more accepted by my in laws than my immediate family.  (Then again my immediate family knows my faults and childhood).  I could talk about how wonderful my life is because of his wonderful daughter.  My wife is a delight and joy.  She is the star of our home with all planets finding place warmth and life in her.  That is the result of her dad imparting to her great love, honor and respect.  My wife tells me that growing up she went through an awkward homely stage; she said it was the worst year for a girl struggling with self-esteem.  But in that difficult year her tender hearted dad made her feel like a princess.  In fact he still carries that year’s school photo in his wallet.  I could, but will not, ask him about the troublesome and painful dysfunctions of his family, his in-laws and that generation.  He stood between his little girl and the bad old days and protected her from a lot of not good stuff.  My wife’s elementary school struggled with race relations and integration.  My father-in-law told my wife, “Black kids are just like white kids, if you are friendly to them you will make a new friend”.  Pretty color blind advice.  But it is even more remarkable when you remember that his mother rode the lead horse in the KKK parade.  He stood between the evil of one generation and innocents of another and protected my wife.  I could go on and tell other stories but the computer screen is getting blurry and my hands are shaking and my heart is heavy. 

I suppose that when I go to talk to ‘Papa’ I will simply tell him I love him, and “THANK YOU” for doing so much to make my life wonderful.

Preparing for a nuke or church taxation

I remember in the fall of 1969 receiving a booklet at school.  The teacher told us it was important and that we should take it home and talk about it with our parents.  It was a book on being prepared for “The A-Bomb”.  Over Christmas break that year we moved and in the spring in my new school I received another copy of that booklet.  This teacher was a little more conscientious; we spent some class time for a couple of days going over this booklet.  To this day, I can tell you that if you have a basement, you should cover any windows with sandbags rather than plywood; it will help keep out the radiation.

Let’s be honest, in the event of an all out nuclear exchange most of the advice we were provided would have been pretty useless.   Rural KY was not likely a hot target for Soviet Missiles.  I’m also not sure that warning second graders about the threat of the Soviet atomic threat accomplished much.  But it did have an impact on me.  Later that spring I saw my first jet contrail.  Convinced it was a Russian bomber I ran to warn my family.  They didn’t believe me so I sat on the front step and waited for a bright flash of light and a gray cloud of radiation (the booklets were printed in gray scale and radiation was depicted as a ominous gray blob).

When faced with a potential crisis, it is possible to develop plans of action that are either entirely useless or even counter productive.  So, if we are going to prepare for the possibility of the taxation of the church let’s make sure that what ever we do will be beneficial to our churches whether we are taxed or not.  Here are three things your church should do that will be advantageous no matter the circumstances: 

First: Develop a mindset of flexibility in your ministry. 

·      Never build a space that can only be used for one purpose.  A purpose built sanctuary that could only be used for one purpose can only be used 3 or 4 times a week.  Can you imagine a business that uses its primary tool only 4 times a week?

·      Become indispensable to the community we serve.  If your church were to close, would the people in your community notice?  The primary purpose of the church space must remain a place of teaching and discipleship, but when not in use let the community use the space.  (A.A., C.P.R. training, E.S.L. classes to name a few).

·      Share your building with another church (or rent it cheap).  We once shared a building with a house church that out grew any living room.  There were many unexpected blessings. 

·      Think like the persecuted or underground church.  We need to focus the majority of our energy on those things that are most important.

Second:  Your church needs to become DEBT FREE A.S.A.P.!

For a multitude of reasons your church needs to eliminate any debt.  If you had to pay property taxes on your current facility on our current budget, could you afford it?  If you are servicing debt, how far would the monthly interest payment go toward that kind of tax bill?  The best time to become debt free was yesterday, but now is a good time to start.  Rather than go into detail now, if you have church debt drop me an email and I will send you some additional information. 

Third: Teach Biblical giving.

I recently was talking to a friend and she said that in the church where she grew up, they never talked about money or giving.  It was considered uncouth to discuss money.  Jesus talked more about money than any other subject except for the “Kingdom of God”.  For Jesus, money was a very practical way to address spiritual realities.  When we fail to talk about money from the pulpit we are failing to teach the whole council of God.  The motivations for our silence are numerous, but the fact is we need to speak frankly with our people about stewardship.  God doesn’t need our money, but we as His people NEED to give.  That is why stewardship is never really about dollars, but is always about Jesus.  If you would like a resource that will help present stewardship in a holistic way, I would like to recommend the “MX3 Project”.  Just drop me an email and I will send you some information.

The church built upon the rock that Jesus is the Christ will assail the gates of hell and prove victorious.  So, if we face taxation by our government, we will not be defeated, but we will need to adjust to this new reality.