Angels and Wolves

Last week Albert Pujols signed a gia-nor-mous contract to play baseball for the LA Angels. This week Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are in the headlines for possible trades in the NBA that will gain them more money and a better chance at winning a championship in years to come. Next week employees will either be elated or mad because they did or didn't get a Christmas bonus that met or did not meet their expectations.

I'll admit it: I work to get paid, too. Most of us are that way. A few people don't need the money. I do.

The question I ask today is not whether a person should be paid or not. Every worker should be paid and should earn that pay. Professional sports stars generate more revenue for their teams than most of us do for our employers. That's why they get paid so much more than I do. Is Albert Pujols more valuable to the Angels than I am to Cross Road? Please don't answer that! But you get my point, don't you?

This afternoon, Arkansas State University will introduce Gus Malzahn as head coach of their football program. Coach Malzahn is coming from Auburn University where he helped the team win the NCAA National Championship last year as the offensive coordinator. He has won Arkansas high school football championships on two levels. He's been successful everywhere he's been. Up until today he has always taken a pretty big pay increase when he's moved from school to school.

But not today. I've read that he will take as much as a $500K cut to come to ASU. That's not a commentary on AU or ASU but it say a lot about Gus Malzahn. There could be more to the story, maybe much more, but based on what I know now I will say that Malzahn cares more about being the head coach of his own program than a highly paid coordinator somewhere else.

I'll guess that within five years he will make another move that will pay him the big bucks. I'm OK with that. I wish him well.

Malzahn is a committed Christian. I hope he is able to impact the lives of the students and athletes in Jonesboro. His predecessor Hugh Freeze did. A consistent Christian witness will do more for the futures of the young men and women at ASU than a winning football program will. What excites me is that they will get both.

Frank's Wig

One day Frank the frog leaped off his lily pad and landed with a big splash in the middle of the pond. Frogs usually don't care much about keeping their heads above water; after all, they live in a pond! But Frank struggled to swim to the shore with his head held high above the water. Ted the turtle laughed at him and Polly the perch just rolled her big eyes at him.

But it didn't phase Frank; he kept reaching with his tiny front legs and swishing with his huge back legs until he made it to the banks of the pond with every hair on his head perfectly dry. That's why he worked so hard to keep his head above water...his hair. Most frogs don't have any hair. As a matter of fact, NO FROGS HAVE HAIR!! Except Frank.

Frank's a little different. He's an individual. He does his own thing. He's like a fish out of water. (Oops, sorry about that.)

Well, it happened like this. There was a little girl fishing from the banks of the pond one day. She came often; usually with her Daddy. The little girl was very pretty. She always wore blue jeans, white sneakers, a pink t-shirt, and a yellow baseball cap. And Kermit the Frog sunglasses. I really think that's why Frank liked to swim close to the bank and watch her. She must have been about 7 years old and she sure loved fishing with her Daddy.

Then it happened. Summer was almost over and Frank had learned from earlier summers that the kids quit coming to the pond and start going to school. Polly the perch had told him that; but what did she know about school?

So Frank knew he had to make it to shore that day because it might be the last day the little girl came fishing. There he was acting like he was soaking up the warm sunshine while sitting on that rock. But really he was watching her.

Then it happened. Her fishing pole was almost bent double. Her Daddy was excited and trying to help her. As he reached for the fishing pole his arm bumped her yellow baseball cap and knocked it off her head onto the grass. Frank had never seen her without her yellow baseball cap. Now it was on the ground and she was struggling to land the biggest fish she had ever hooked.

But Frank lost track of the fishing when he saw her hair. It had been tucked under her cap all summer long but now it was flopping around on top of her head while the fish was pulling at her pole.

Hair. Nobody in the pond had hair. At first it looked strange but Frank began to think it was beautiful. Especially this little girl's hair. It was long and curly and brown. And it looked like a lot of fun. You know, having that stuff balanced on your head and hanging down on your shoulders and in your eyes and over your ears. Frank wanted some of his own.

There aren't any places at the pond to get hair. Frank spent the next two weeks looking for hair in the pond. There was no hair.

Frank knew he had to be creative so he hopped down the path that led away from the pond. He didn't know what was down the path but he knew there was no hair in the pond. Maybe there would be hair at the other end of the path.

Frank was disappointed to see there was no hair at the end of the path. Instead, there was only something called a barber shop. Discouraged, Frank wanted to go back to the pond. But he told himself that if he came this far he could go a little farther and check out this new place.

As he hopped into the barber shop, Frank saw the little girl with the long, curly, brown hair. He mustered all his courage and made his way toward her. When he got to the barber chair where she was sitting he hopped up to the footrest, then to the seat, next the arm, and finally the headrest. He whispered in her ear, "I'm just a bald frog but I would love to have hair like yours. Can you help me?"

She jumped to her feet and acted like she had seen a ghost. Really she had only HEARD a FROG. Frank didn't understand her reaction so he said, "Excuse me, girl. I'm Frank. Just a frog. No hair. See? Your hair is so pretty. Can you help me get hair like yours?"

She ran away.

Frank figured it was time to take matters into his own hands (if he had hands). He jumped from the chair into a pile of hair clippings he spotted just under the counter in the barber shop. Just next to the hair was a blob of mud that must have been tracked in by someone wearing muddy boots. Frank grabbed the mud and stuck it on his bald head. (I bet that looked funny.) Then he placed a few pieces of the hair in the mud. That's one creative frog! He made himself a wig.

As he hopped back to the pond, very proud of his hair, the other residents of the pond stared. First, in shock; then in amazement; then because they couldn't stop staring...and laughing.

That bald frog has worn that wig every minute since. I'm not sure how it stays on; wet mud on a slick frog head??

But I do know that the wig had 17 sprigs of hair in it. I know because I counted them.

Just like God has counted the hairs on your head. He cares that much about you.

(Originally posted June 16, 2005)

Christmas and Sunday

Christmas is on Sunday. That is so appropriate! Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. God became flesh and made his dwelling among us. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. In the fullness of time, God sent his son. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to son.

Since Christmas is celebrating God coming to earth and since Sunday is the day of the week set aside for corporate worship, it just makes sense that we'll worship together on December 25. Every other day of the week is OK for Christmas, but Sunday is best.

So we are having services on Christmas morning. One service at 10:30. I jokingly told the congregation we'd be done by 1:30! We will but they let me know we better be done WAY before 1:30! I understand.

Why the backlash against having church on Christmas day? Christians gripe when businesses try to say, "Happy Holidays!" in order to not offend anyone. Christians fuss when someone abbreviates the holiday Xmas. To quote a conservative radio talk show host, "That's just symbolism over substance."

People who call themselves "Christian" rail against taking Christ out of the holiday but many refuse to allow Christ prominence in their lives. They want to be called "Christian" but don't really want to be Christ-like.

Which is more important - calling the holiday "Christmas" or having the public call you "Christian" as the people of Antioch did the believers there?

Which is more important - celebrating a secularized version of the December holiday or worshiping with your faith family on the day we celebrate our Savior's birth?

Now, don't think I'm being dogmatic or pushing a point too far. I would like to see Christians gather for a time of corporate worship every Christmas, no matter what day of the week it is. Worshiping with my faith family on Christmas day just makes a lot of sense to me. Christmas is a holy day before it is any other kind of day.

Small Church, Big Church

Churches are not large or small based on numbers or money but based on vision.

I pastor a church with about 150 resident members, about 60 active members, and a budget of about $90,000. Some people would say we are a small church. In fact, I've heard people in our church say we are just a small church. I may have said it myself. Shame on us!

And shame on anyone who would choose to classify a church based on numbers in attendance or the size of the budget.

If a church should not be judged as large or small based on numbers and money, what is an acceptable way to measure the size of a church? I think vision is a good way to determine if a church is large or small. No vision or small vision and the church is a small church. Good vision and the church is big. I'm not saying that vision translates into numbers and dollars. I'm saying that a church no vision is not much of a church and a church with vision is exactly what God intends them to be.

Our church and yours are probably not alike. In some ways, yes. In all ways, no. But one thing we must have to make big impact is big vision. It's the impact a church makes upon lostness in its community and around the world that is important. And a church like ours can make a big impact if our vision is big.

If you pay a lot of attention to numbers and dollars you need a culture shift. We do. Rather than seeing ourselves as a small church, we need to see ourselves as a global missions outpost that trains and sends missionaries into the world. I want every member of Cross Road Baptist Church to be on mission. Some will go far. Some will stay close. But everyone can and should see themselves as missionaries to their community and to the world.

That's big no matter how you look at it.

At the Risk of Ungodliness

"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God." I've never been in a court room to hear if they really say this or not, but I've seen plenty of TV shows and movies where they did. The court swears in a witness to indicate the serious nature of the truthfulness of the testimony. If a witness lies under oath he can be charged with perjury.

We teach our children to be truthful. We admire anyone who tells the truth, though sometimes we prefer they soften the edges a bit. But then they aren't telling the whole truth! It's either true or false. A story-teller may tell a story and start by saying, "This is a true story," but if he embellishes it at all then it's not true. It may be a good story. It may be a fairly accurate story. It may be a story with no negative consequences. But it's not a true story. Nothing wrong with a tale, just don't call it a true story.

Is a Christian obligated to tell the truth even when he is not under oath? I think so. We are to reflect the character of God and one of his characteristics is truthfulness. God is absolutely truthful.

So when a Christian tells his side of the story he must do so with integrity by giving the truth the spotlight. Not just the truth that supports his opinion, but all the truth. And if he cares enough to dig for the truth to support his opinion he should also dig for the whole truth.

White lies. Partial truths. One side of the story. Christians can't take part in that. Not at the risk of perjury but ungodliness.

A New ACP

If you are a Southern Baptist minister, you recognize the letters A C P. Every year we must go through the ritual of reporting to our denomination the numerical statistics that capture a snapshot of our churches. The report includes membership, attendance, baptisms, contributions received, money spent on missions and ministers, and a few other things. It's the way we determine that there are 16 million Southern Baptists. In fact, it's the only place you'll find 16 million Southern Baptists.

We call it the Annual Church Profile - the ACP. I said that we "must" do it but that's not really true. Southern Baptists can't be told they must do anything. Sometimes I think that even applies to directives in the Bible. In Arkansas, a little more that 10% of the Southern Baptist churches will not complete the ACP. Not sure if they have something to hide or just don't think it really matters.

At Cross Road we are studying the book of Daniel on Wednesday nights. Tonight's study was in chapter 9 where Daniel prayed a prayer of adoration, confession, and petition in response to what he read in God's word. He was part of the group of Israelites that had been exiled to Babylon (under Persian rule at the time of his prayer). Other Israelites had been scattered to other places. Some had been left back home with nothing to call home.

Daniel was reading pieces of a prophecy from Jeremiah that said the exile was to last 70 years. When Daniel read this he had been in exile about 67 years. The realization that the exile would soon be over led Daniel to consider why they were in exile in the first place. They had turned from God, did not repent, and disobeyed the Lord's commands. So Daniel prayed. He confessed. He pleaded with God to restore the people to their home and make them a nation again.

Here's the pattern of his prayer: adoration, confession, petition - ACP. The prayer is one of the most significant in the Bible and a great pattern for modern Christians to implement. I wonder what might happen if Southern Baptists emphasized more ACP praying than ACP reporting.

I told my church tonight that when next year's ACP is due I will send in a paper about ACP praying. I was just joking. Or was I? Check back in October 2012.

Disclaimers:

-I think the Annual Church Profile has merit.

-A member of CRBC works for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. Her responsibilities include ACP.

-Adoration, Confession, Petition pattern taken from New American Commentary.

-Counting baptisms, budgets, and buildings is not just a Southern Baptist phenomenon. Maybe your church could use a little ACP praying, too.

Sunday Nights Indicate Good Days

Since mid-June our church has replaced the Sunday night services with other activities. We have Sunday Night Bible Study in a home. Anyone can host the Bible study. We sometimes sing, always eat.

We also have fellowship nights where we get together in our Activities Building for singing, missions studies, Bible studies, and other things. Seems like the folks enjoy hanging out, especially since we moved into the Activities Building.

We have tried to schedule at least two events each month. Only one person has told me that they miss Sunday night church.

Our decision was based on the participation in our evening services. Almost nothing. With only one or two exceptions, the participation in this new format is better. Most people who attended before still attend. But more people are taking part now who rarely came on Sunday evening before. I understand those who miss the other way but if we want to involve more people and disciple more believers we've done the right thing.

What I really want is to have more than one location for Bible studies on Sunday night. Our membership is spread out geographically. I can envision a location in Ferndale, another in Avilla, and maybe another fairly close to the church. We could have the groups meeting two or three weeks during the month and meet all together in the Activities Building once a month.

Not sure what this will look like down the road. We may even change away from this to something that looks like the old pattern. That really doesn't matter. What matters is getting the most people involved in disciple-making Bible study. These are good days at CRBC because we are willing to do things that can impact our effectiveness.

Helping Others

Been making calls today to folks we think might need a little help putting a Thanksgiving meal on the table this week. Our church family donated enough to provide for ten families. Thought we had ten but a couple of them have said they really don't need the help this year. That's a good thing but now I'm looking for more families.

When I talk with them I ask how we can pray for them through the holiday season. Here are some of the responses.

"My health." This person is dealing with infection from a recent surgery.
"My kids." This grandparent is keeping seven of the grandchildren on a temporary basis.
"That people will come to Christ." This person forsakes the assembling of himself with other believers and gets his "church" on TV. (He's not a shut-in.)

So I'm praying for their requests and for other issues the Spirit has impressed me with about them. I want the helping ministry to reach beyond the physical need and touch them spiritually, too.

If we claim to be doing missions ministry, we better be focused on the spiritual needs. If we just offer a cup of cold water it's not missions nor ministry. If we offer it in Jesus' name it's ministry. If we offer it in Jesus' name with the intent of sharing our faith it's missions.

Lots of folks will be helping others over the next few weeks. I hope you'll be involved. And I hope you'll think bigger than just delivering a bag of groceries. Look for opportunities to meet spiritual needs, too.

Timothy+Barnabas School

Deana and I attended the Timothy+Barnabas School held in Branson, MO this week. The school is the effort of Johnny Hunt and many others who intend (and succeed!) to encourage pastors and their wives. we have wanted to go to one of the conferences for years but never got around to it. Glad we did this year.

We made new friends while there. Tim and Katie Marr serve in Rattan, OK at First Baptist Church. I'm looking forward to cultivating a lifelong relationship with them. Deana and I are almost old enough to be their parents (!) but we connected in a special way. This will be a good friendship.

The pastors were encouraged through Johnny Hunt's teaching on growing your church and maximizing your influence. He has a huge heart for pastors and it really shows. The guys I talked with are so encouraged and we are ready to get back to work. It was a time of refreshing that I needed. And the content will help me be a better pastor.

The wives partied all week. Janet Hunt lavished gifts upon them each time they met and as they walked out the meeting room doors. Between the gifts and the shopping Deana did, I was beginning to wonder if there would be room in the car for me to ride home. Beyond the fun and games, the ladies talked about being a Christian woman, wife, mother, and pastor's wife to the church. I can tell that Deana liked the whole thing. She'll be going again whether I do or not!

If you are a pastor you must attend Timothy+Barnabas. Check out the schedule at timothybarnabas.org and get it on your schedule. You will not regret it. And take your wife.

Hey, the music just got louder!

I'm sitting in a Starbucks sipping a decaf Caffe' Americano, downloading some updates, reading the news online, and doing a few social media updates. Not your typical Friday activities for a preacher, at least a preacher my age.

The music is not very loud right now but about three minutes ago it was really loud. I have a theory why the volume fluctuates in places like this. When the volume was loud the crowd was loud. I believe the crowd got loud first then the music bumped up to cover the crowd. Anytime I'm in a place like this you can hear the other conversations but you can't really understand what they are saying. As the crowd noise gets louder, I think the music gets a little louder to maintain that "cover."

It was blaring a while ago! And that seemed to push the crowd noise up. Then about half the people left, the crowd noise diminished, and the music quietened.

People want to stick out. They get louder so everyone can hear them. They act out so everyone will notice them. They attempt what no one else is attempting so they can say they've done what nobody else has done. They want to beat the record and get mentioned in the media.

Nothing much wrong with sticking out. Just make sure you draw attention to Jesus. While Christians are called to fit into God's plan and his will, we are called out to be a witness for him.

Doing What's Right

I'm hearing the same things out of the Penn State sexual abuse situation that you are. You probably have heard more than I have. But what I hear is not good. Just saw a tweet that Penn State may be preparing for Paterno's exit.

So many issues come out of this mess. One is that we must always do what is right even if it is embarrassing or painful.

So what is right? If you meet the requirements of the law are you right? In some cases you are. If the law says the speed limit is 45 mph and you are driving 45 mph you are right. But if the rules say you must report wrong-doing and you do but you don't do anything else that might prevent or protect, are you still right?

I say, no. "Legal" is one step along the way to "right." Ethical action is often a greater action that simply taking the legally required steps. A legalist would say that a coach must report suspected wrong-doing. An ethicist would say that the coach should do more to prevent the wrong-doing from continuing or repeating and to protect those who may have been injured or harmed in some other way by the act.

A pastor is legally required to report cases of abuse that he might learn about through his ministerial position. If I learn about a case of sexual child abuse I have to report it - I've legally met the requirements when I do. Do I have a moral obligation to help the child? I think so.

It seems from what I know about the Penn State situation is that the legal steps were met but no further steps were taken.

Are we such a legalistic culture that we will accept this? You might not think that such a permissive culture as ours could also be legalistic, but that's a fitting description if we are satisfied with simply meeting the legal requirements.

We'll see if there are any moral absolutes left. Or if we care about them.

Off with the Old, On with the New

I've been watching the crew reroofing the church and parsonage. The church building is getting a new metal roof over old shingles and the parsonage gets new shingles. We've had hail damage and insurance is paying for most of it.

The two jobs are different in two ways. The new metal roof on the church is going over the existing shingles. The workmen are putting the sheets of metal in place and screwing them down through the layer of shingles already there. No problem with that. Seems to be a good way to do it. The old surface is completely covered and the new surface is to be water-tight. I imagine that will last a good long time.

But the parsonage is getting a new layer of shingles where a layer already exists. Not the whole roof, just one section. If the whole roof was being shingled then I imagine they would just put a new layer of shingles over the old. But since only part of the roof is getting a new layer, the old layer in the area being worked has to be removed. Otherwise one section would be thicker than the other. I'm trying to think why that would be a bad thing. Not sure you could see the difference from the ground. But the difference would likely cause a problem sealing out water. The roofing material needs to be level so it can join together to do the job.

That gets me to thinking about the church. Sometimes we just apply something new over something old and it works fine. New instrumentation or arrangements of old songs freshens them up and most of the time we enjoy them more. A modern translation of the Bible can be more accurate to the original - but be careful which translation you choose. A new teacher in a class may spark a little more interest and help the learners to, well, learn.

But sometimes we just need to tear off the old and come back with something new. A long-held belief that people new to the community won't like your church needs to be thrown away and replaced with a fresh perspective and willingness to reach out to them. A dogmatic view of the schedule of services can keep a church from making adjustments that may well be the key to growth. Since doing what you've always done will get you what you've alway gotten, maybe it's time to replace the old ways with something fresh, innovative, effective. And the renovation doesn't have to be across the board. Maybe just one or two things need changed. Or maybe everything but one or two things need changed.

Churches ought to assess their effectiveness on a regular basis. Be honest. When something no longer helps you reach your community, it's time to let it go. Put it out to pasture. Pull the plug. Or at least revise it. Irrelevance might be the biggest sin a church commits. A church that is irrelevant to its community is living in a community that is drowning in the high waters of spiritual complacency. Let's do what we must do to stir those waters and rescue the perishing.

The World's a Scary Place

The world can be a pretty scary place. Maybe you noticed some ghosts and ghouls and goblins running around earlier this week.

The real world can be pretty scary, too. Criminals kicked in our front door last week. Several central Arkansas banks have been robbed in the last few days. National news stories tell of a woman who gave birth to twins then killed the infants.

What's even more scary is the vision Daniel had of future (to him) kingdoms that would devour each other ultimately leading to a future (to us) kingdom led by Antichrist - the most devious and powerful and vicious of any earthly leader. That won't be a good time. But it will end swiftly and decisively at the coronation of Jesus Christ, King of kings. He will defeat Antichrist, establish a thousand years of peace on earth, then send Satan to his everlasting punishment.

It's appointed to man once to die, then to face judgment. When I die I want to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus. Is it possible to know that I will? I talked with a man in the VA hospital a few weeks ago about this. He said there is no way to know. A person's only hope is that Jesus chooses to let him in, according to this man. He thinks his eternity is left up to an arbitrary decision. He will die not knowing for sure.

When I pastored a church in north central Arkansas, we took a survey of our community to determine ways we might minister to the people. One of the survey questions asked if they knew for sure they would spend eternity in heaven when they died. The overwhelming response from this heavily Catholic area was, "Oh, I hope so." They didn't know whether they would be in heaven or hell. Their only hope was to do as much good in this life as they could in hopes that the good would outweigh the bad when they faced judgment. A person with this belief will die not knowing for sure.

I know for sure! The Bible says it is possible to know. It's not an arbitrary decision that God makes for us while standing at the pearly gates. It's not a judgment of whether or not good outweighs bad. Instead, Jesus died for my sins so I can be forgiven. If I trust Jesus for my forgiveness and salvation then my name is on the reservation list for heaven. No doubts. No questions. No problems.

You can know for sure, too. But you have to believe the right things about God and salvation. Re-read the previous paragraph to get to the truth. And send me a message if you have questions.

I know. Do you?

I'm not scared. Are you?

Why I Go to Church

During a recent prayer meeting when our church focused on revival, we talked about the lack of commitment to church attendance found among many believers. I've thought about that some more and have come up with this list of reasons why I go to church. Maybe you will connect with some of these...or be convicted by them.

1. My parents made me go. You may think that's a strange reason to go to church. It usually shows up on a list of why people do not go to church. Honestly, I'm not sure if I would be in church today if I had not been in church growing up. Even as a preacher's kid, I tried to find ways to get out of going in my teenage years. I volunteered to work the Sunday morning shifts at work. My mom and dad made me go to church and I think that is one of the most important reasons I go today.
   
   
2. That's my job. I am a pastor so it would be inappropriate to not go. My church expects me to be there and I expect me (and them) to be there.
   
   
3. I like the people there. Christians can really be fun people. They are loving, appreciative, and caring.
   
   
4. It's the main place where I get to study God's word with God's people. With all the technology around today, nothing beats sitting in a room with a few others believers and digging into the word. I don't have all the answers. You don't either. But together we have more right answers than either of us do alone.
   
   
5. Your testimonies encourage me. We need to do more sharing than we do. Your experience of living the Christian life will help me.
   
   
6. It's the house of prayer. Yes, I can pray anywhere and I do, but when I go to church I get to pray with you and for you. I can hold your hand, hug your neck, and feel your burden.
   
   
7. God said to. Remember that verse about not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together?
   
   
8. I get fitted for and dispatched to ministry. Ministry really is an "on-the-job training" kind of thing. But think of the church as the employment office that sends you to a job opportunity. And the resources you need to do the job are found in the church: teams, training, and tools.

What other reasons do you have for going to church?

They Aren't Always Just Picking At You

Do you have people in your life that you think are just always picking at you? Annoying you? Every little thing seems like they intend for your discomfort and irritation. The following funny story was in my email inbox this morning. It comes from a daily distribution from crossings.com and helps put these situations in perspective.

My husband and I took our two-ear-old daughter to the home improvement store.

Madison got tired of walking, so my husband let her ride on his shoulders. As he walked, Madison began pulling his hair. Although he asked her to stop several times, she kept on.

Getting annoyed, he scolded, "Madison! Stop that!"

But, Daddy," she replied, "I'm just trying to get my gum back."

What appears to be childish games may really be someone with a need. How they handle it may get under your skin. I suggest we should try to figure out the reason for the agitation before swatting at it.

Observing Groups

Sitting in my "office" this morning, I listened to a group of six parents talking about their children, their jobs, their "to do" lists for today. Here are some insights I've gathered from people-watching. I'm not an expert or even the most keen observer. These are just some ideas I think would make groups discussions - formal or informal - go a little better.

1. Everyone at the table has something to add to the conversation.
2. You probably aren't the expert on everything.
3. Humor isn't necessary every moment.
4. A sense of humor is always necessary.
5. If you are at the edge of the culture or opinion of your group, don't drag everyone to the edge.
6. Listen to everyone rather than starting a second conversation when you aren't interested in the first.
7. Ask more questions than give answers.
8. You need the group as much as they need you.

That's a good start. Maybe you could add to the list. Feel free to leave a comment.

Power, Courage, and Boldness

The fifth chapter of Daniel tells of a time when God got the attention of a blasphemous people in a dramatic way. I guess this is where the saying, "You can see the handwriting on the wall" came from. King Belshazzar held a party where immorality degraded into blasphemy. God had had enough.

The message on the wall was that the King's days were numbered, he did not measure up to God's expectations, and his kingdom would be smashed into unrecognizable pieces. God's judgment was immediate, complete, and decisive.

That's not a very pleasant message to have to deliver to a king! Daniel had once been in charge of those a Babylonian king would call to interpret dreams and mysteries. That probably ended twenty years earlier when Nebuchadnezzar died. Belshazzar either didn't know Daniel, couldn't remember Daniel, or just dismissed him from relevance.

Those two decades must have been difficult times for Daniel. It's one thing to be an exile in good standing with the king; it's another to be an exile without close ties to the king. But Daniel's courage and boldness before the arrogant and blasphemous Belshazzar indicates that he had remained true to God all those years. And close to him.

An intimate walk with the Lord empowers and encourages us to take a stand. A loosey-goosey walk with the Lord won't result in courage and boldness. (My Bible study group laughed at me when I called it that last night.) God wants to empower and encourage and embolden you. But that happens when you are walking with him. When you stray or just simply lag behind, the power and courage and boldness are absent.

I believe God wants us to be powerful, courageous, and bold witnesses. So you'll have to walk closely with him in order to be what he wants you to be. To get the greatest joy in this life - the greatest sense of fulfillment - be a maturing disciple of Jesus Christ. Here are a few simple things you can do to mature.

1. Read your Bible every day. At least a few verses, a paragraph, a story.
2. Pray each day. God is the only resource for what you need. And he'd like to hear from you. Praise him. Thank him.
3. Be with God's people. Go to church. Get in a Bible study group.
4. Serve others. When you help someone else you are acting a lot like Jesus.
5. Tell someone about your relationship with Christ. If it matters to you it will likely matter to them.

Side note: Historians tell us that the Babylonian Kingdom came to an end on October 12, 539 BC (on our calendars). We studied this chapter on October 12, 2011. Two thousand five hundred fifty years to the day after this happened. I am amazed at how God directs our study of scripture so that "coincidences" like this happen.

What I Learned by Praying for Revival

Cross Road met at my house Sunday night for a revival prayer meeting. We talked a lot and prayed a lot. I appreciate everyone who came. Why people stay away from prayer meetings astounds me, but that is another topic.

As we talked about what revival is and how much we need it, three ideas became the fabric of the conversation.

People need Jesus. We all agreed that a personal relationship is absolutely necessary to gain eternal life and that the current life would be greatly enhanced by it. Our church is small in number. The other churches within five miles of ours are small, too. But there are as many people living in this area as in the small town I grew up in. A few hundred people attend church regularly among all our churches; the community is home to a few thousand people. Most of the people living around us are either lost or, if saved, have decided that participating in a local church is not important. The New Testament will not support that position. Daily Christianity is experienced through the context of the local church. Certainly, the people living around us who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord need him.

The church must do all it can to reach them. That is the specific command given by the Lord Jesus in the Great Commission. For a reason know only to God, he chose the church as the vehicle by which the gospel will be taken to the nations. We are to be his witnesses to everybody everywhere. We need to focus on that task and, quite honestly, quit doing stuff that makes no impact on lostness. And we have to step outside our boundaries of tradition and preference. They (those not participating in our churches) are telling us they don't like it. Without changing the message, we must change our methods. The message is always relevant; the methods must be continually assessed for relevance.

Too many people who come into our building now and then are just playing church. They get their ticket punched. They check "church" off their "to do" list. They come in and out - at whatever frequency - without experiencing the change that ought to be indicative of a real walk with Jesus. I'm talking about people who may only come a few times a year to those who may come a few times a week. Being in the building is not the same as being part of the church. People who are part of the church participate in the mission. They encourage one another on to Christ-likeness. They support the ministry. They do all this inside and outside the building; during and away from scheduled service times. We all need to regularly check our motive for coming to church and repent when we realize we've just been playing the game.

CRBC (and your church, too) will experience revival when we humble ourselves before God, pray earnestly to him, seek his face and his ways, and turn from our sins. Then we'll be able to impact our world with the eternal message of God's loving gift of salvation.

God's Chisel by the Skit Guys

God has a great design for your life.

Human Pride Meets Sovereign God

What if God acted today like he did in ancient times?

King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered all enemies. He reigned successfully. He had everything. But he rejected the truth that God is the one true God. He held to his pagan beliefs. And he thought highly of himself.

The King was not unlike many people today. Successful careers lead to bountiful stores of stuff. Contentment and self-indulgence are commonplace. The goal then and now seems to be to get as much as you can with little regard for those around you. Don't get me wrong, Nebuchadnezzar provided adequately for those in his kingdom but only if they benefited him or were no threat to him. That sounds familiar, too.

Some call it a dog eat dog world. It's survival of the fittest. It's a rat race to keep up with the Joneses. The end goal is to come out on top.

Nebuchadnezzar built the "hanging gardens" of Babylon for his wife. She was from the mountains of Media and living in the plains of Babylon...well, she must have been a little homesick. The ancient Greeks considered the "hanging gardens" to be one of the seven wonders of the world. The King was possibly standing there looking out over his kingdom when gaudy pride flowed out. Immediately, he was banished from the royal compound to live with the animals. The Bible's description of all this tells us that he became more like the animals than a human being (Daniel 4).

Not until he lifted his eyes toward heaven and praised God was he restored.

God still acts in ways to replace pride with humility. He was sovereign over all earthly powers and still is. No business, government, family, or individual can continue in pride before the Lord. When and how he will deal with such arrogance is up to him but we can know he will deal with it.

The answer today is the same as it was 2,500 years ago. Lift up your eyes to the God of heaven and praise him. God gave Nebuchadnezzar a greater kingdom after his restoration than before. God wants to bless you and he will when you acknowledge who he is and surrender your life to him.