The Curtain Falls

I've been in four plays. I was Prince Charming in first grade. I was type-cast then and it has followed me throughout my life. I was Johnny Appleseed in another elementary production. I had to dance. Don't tell anyone.

I was Obeey Upschlager in our junior play Hillbilly Weddin'. I had the opening line. "Ain't it soon time ya moved, Pa Belsnickle?" Eddy Tiner replied, "Ain't made up my mind which way t' move yet." And we were off and running.

Then I played the father/coach in our senior play but I can't remember much about it other than I struggled to remember my lines. I now had a job so I could make a truck payment. Thanks to a few offstage prompters, I made it through. Being a senior is much different than being a junior.

I spent a few years singing in a gospel group and the last song was kind of like the last scene of a play. When it was over I would often quote the Apostle Paul before we walked off the stage: "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

When the curtain falls on a performance the performers can have mixed emotions. Relief. It had been weeks or months of preparation. Then the performances. Everyone lets out a sigh of relief when the curtain falls.

Sadness. You've poured so much of your time and effort into something that is now over. How many times have the performers wanted just one more performance?

Memories. The people who work together to create a performance - whether it's on a stage or a playing field - bond in ways unique from other relationships. Not necessarily better, just different.

The end of a play, the end of a performance, the end of a season, the end of a year share these in common. Relief. Sadness. Memories.

All that you might consider to be a negative from 2015, let it impact 2016 only as lessons learned. Don't make the same choices that led to the disappointment or discouragement. Do your best to steer clear of people and situations that harmed you.

Everything positive from 2015 can serve as launching points for the new year. Build upon the successes. Tweak what was good to make it better or best. Find encouragement from what you did well and leverage that to energize new ventures. Your creativity this year is a window into what you can imagine for the future.

Bind all of this in faith. I like to say that faith is letting God be God and do what only God can do. His ways and thoughts are better than ours, so says King Solomon. I believe it's true and have found it to be so over and over again. When I trust my ways and thoughts over God's I get into trouble. Maybe you've found that to be true for you, too.

I want to be faithful. Then I can rest knowing that he is in control. Then I can charge forward knowing he is leading the way. Then I can dare to glorify him knowing the he deserves utmost glory. Then I can get up after I've fallen knowing that he forgives and restores those who love him.

2015 does impact 2016 whether you like it or not. But you have the choice whether or not the impact will be helpful.

It's Christmas Anyway

Yes, I just made a Christmas Eve shopping trip. Went to Walmart and Kroger. Not very busy at either place. Ran the AC in the car. Even wore shorts. It sure doesn't feel like Christmas.

It's a good thing that Christmas isn't based on a feeling. It's Christmas not because of the weather or the people I'm around or not around. It's Christmas because of Immanuel - God with us!

I hope you can look beyond the circumstances and focus on the Savior.

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Matthew 1:21

"When the fullness of time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons."

Galatians 4:4

Finals Week

I have spent years and years as a student. The regular K-12. Four years for a BS in Economics and Finance. A masters degree and most of a doctorate. I will tell you that through high school I didn't have to study. Maybe I had a good memory. But "straight A's" became harder in college.

More distractions with work and family, maybe. It just got harder. I still wanted the perfect test scores but soon settled for A's and B's. Then a professor told the class, "D equals MDiv." That's funny and true but it probably hurt me down the road.

http://blogs.luc.edu

So all that just to say that I understand the pressures of Finals Week. That's where we are around our house this week. Riley is taking finals for his first semester of 9th grade.

My advice to Riley throughout the last few years when finals became part of the experience was to be prepared. If you are prepared then there is nothing to worry about. Anything less than good preparation and you'll likely not recognize some of the test questions.

Panic can set in and blow the whole test. And the whole semester's grade. Nothing beats preparation. If you have prepared for the test then it doesn't matter if the questions are T/F, multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, or essay. Trick questions won't trip you up. So, as the Boy Scouts would say, "Be prepared!"

I worked for a few years leading a training department for a group of call centers. Part of my responsibility was to create training material, including the tests. Some employees complained the tests were too hard. Sure they were hard. But not too hard for those who were prepared. I worked by the motto, "If the training is hard, the job will be easy; if the training is easy, the job will be hard." I guess it worked. I recently heard from a friend that the company still uses some of my material. I've been gone nine years.

Life is like that. It doesn't matter if it's education, job training, athletic competition, or anything else. Preparation makes the difference.

What are you doing to be prepared for the next challenges in your life? Here are some tips.

• Always be learning. Learn more about what you currently do. Learn something new. Some of us know a great deal about one thing but very little about anything else. A broad knowledge base will help you when you face something new. Learners are leaders and leaders are learners.

• Read more. This can be part of learning but it's also part of protecting from the status quo. You can get into a rut regarding work, school, relationships, etc. Reading brings new ideas into your thinking process. Some ideas you will embrace. Others you'll cast away after pondering them. You may even quickly toss an idea you recognize as foolish. But if you aren't reading you aren't considering all the possibilities.

• Begin friendships with people who are different from you. You can choose the differences. And make sure the differences stretch your comfort levels. If you always surround yourself with people just like you, you'll never grow and the challenges may overwhelm you.

• Work or serve outside your area of expertise. Let your interests guide you. I am a pastor but I loved coaching youth baseball. I'm not a hunter but I love photography so I get out into nature with my camera. I'm an introvert but have volunteered to work the concession stand at busy ballgames just to work on interacting with others.

What else can you think of that will prepare you for the next challenges...many will be unexpected.

Training Our Children

Just outside my line of sight is a table of three old folks and a toddler. The toddler is a granddaughter to the couple; an uncle (great-uncle) is also with them.

The uncle asked the grandmother when the parents were coming back. "This week. Thank God!" I guess the joys of grandparenting can be tempered only by long sessions of having to do it.

Another part of the conversation caught my ear, too. As they sat down to eat the chicken biscuits they prayed. I don't really agree with the ritualistic way they did it but I appreciate that they prayed. And they made sure the toddler went through the motions with them. From their comments I could tell that the little girl is learning to pray with them.

The Bible tells us to teach our children the truths of scripture and the ways of God.

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NIV)

Years ago, a retired pastor told me, "We've raised a generation who have raised a generation without God." A lot truth rides in those words.

About 15 years ago I led a Bible study that focused on the problems associated with not following the Deuteronomy passage. The example in the center of the study was about King David and his descendants. David was a man after God's own heart. His son Solomon was a wise king but intermarried with pagans, and that diluted the worship of God. Solomon's sons were godless.

If we neglect, even slightly, the command to train our children in biblical principles we are making it easy for them to ignore biblical principles. And harder for them to adhere to them.

What are you doing to impress biblical principles upon your children and grandchildren? Here are some simple things you can do almost every day.

• Pray. Pray with them. Pray for them. Involve them in your prayers. Let them hear you pray for all sorts of issues. In this way they will learn that God cares about and can do something about every situation they will find themselves in later in life.
• Praise. If you are open and free with your praise of Holy God your children will learn that God is good and worthy of worship. So sing with the Christian songs on the radio or MP3. Acknowledge God's activity. Thank him for his goodness.
• Be involved. Going to church gatherings for worship and Bible study teach children that this is important. Going on a mission trip does the same. Regularly volunteering in a local ministry project (and take the kids with you!) tells them that loving God means loving others, too.
• Read the Bible. A teenager slogging through the kitchen at 6:45 each morning needs to see you with a Bible open. Or at least see the Bible open on the table so he'll know you've been reading. If you can involve them in Bible study with you that would be great. If not, at least you can share with them one truth you've learned that day. If you neglect God's word they will, too.

There is no silver bullet to make sure your children grow up to be faithful Christians. Modeling faithfulness is a good start. And it's commanded in scripture. No matter the age of your children or grandchildren, it's not too late to start training them in the ways of the Lord. And it's always too soon to stop.

Considering Retirement

Yesterday Kobe Bryant announced he would retire at the end of this season. David Ortiz said he would play for the Boston Red Sox one more year. We watched Sunday Night Football as the Broncos defeated the Patriots in overtime without Peyton Manning. Manning says he wants to play another year but his health may not allow that.

Sports is an arena for the young, strong, healthy. The person who can compete at a high level for a long time is an anomaly. Most of us never compete past the age of 18. Some sports allow participants to be ultra-competitive longer into life. It's not unusual for a 40 year old golfer to win championships but there aren't many at that age playing baseball, football, or basketball.

The physical nature of sports takes its toll on a body and there is nothing you can do about it. Except retire. So Kobe and Big Papi will run one more lap through their leagues. Peyton may make a comeback but even as amazing as he is it will be unlikely he will return to championship form.

We could list names from all walks of life that we've watched move into and out of the highest levels of success in their fields. One thing remains the same: time marches on.

As a Christian minister I see the same thing happen in churches. Whether it's the stress of serving or the glamour of retiring, each year another person steps away from teaching or serving or leading. "I've done it long enough. It's time for someone younger to take over."

I wonder what Paul (in the Bible) would say about that. His own journey tells me he would not accept the resignation of anybody. As a young man he was a zealous persecutor of the young Christian movement. After conversion he redirected his zeal toward evangelism. He pressed into new regions of the world taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to unreached people.

As the pressure against him ratcheted up, he didn't quit. Arrested, chased out of town, beaten, left for dead... Nothing stopped him from sharing Jesus with others. Nothing stopped him from teaching the truths of scripture. Nothing stopped him from mentoring young men to become leaders.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." These are some of the last word Paul wrote. Many of his letters to Christians are part of the New Testament. This letter to Timothy came from a prison cell. Paul would not live much longer but he served until the end.

You may not be able to serve int he same capacity you did when you were younger. You may be considering stepping aside and letting the younger folk take over. I want to encourage you to still be actively involved in ministry. No matter your age or physical ability, you can do something for the church.

Mrs. Margaret was a great example of this. She was elderly and couldn't attend church very often but she still found a way to serve. Every Saturday she would call every family in the church (it was a small church) and ask what their prayer needs were and remind them to come to church the next day. Then she would report her findings. When Mrs. Margaret could attend she would hand me a piece of paper with all the names listed along with their prayer needs and why they would miss church if they were not coming.

Imagine getting a phone call every week from someone asking how they can pray for you. I believe that would transform many churches. I believe that would transform many Christians. And it happened in this church because one woman didn't retire.

You are not an athlete with a multi-million dollar contract. You are worth much more than that. You may not be able to do what you used to do but you can do something. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith.

Black Friday

I'm not out shopping today. That's not to say I'm not shopping, just not out and about. Not yet anyway.

But social media has lots of good posts about the mess you guys are in out there.

For example, you are more likely to get in a fight on Black Friday in Arkansas than in any other state. So says estately.com and the thousands of us who reposted. Honestly, I think this may apply to any day of the year in Arkansas, not just Black Friday. Just saying'...

Everybody is posting pictures of the food they ate and who they ate with. The variety of the celebrations fascinates me.

erlc.com/theweekly

And most people post something about being thankful. Sometimes it's just a general statement and other times it's a pretty good list. I wonder if many of us think to thank God for all this rather than just to be thankful in some way that's detached from the giver of all gifts.

The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention distributes a weekly email called The Weekly that contains tidbits of information relevant to the week. This week's email came today and the following was the top article. Before getting to the article, let me make a couple of comments. Go to erlc.com/theweekly and sign up to receive The Weekly in your inbox.

Notice that Black Friday was first used to indicate the dark side of bad side of the holiday rush - traffic. What a mess the traffic must have been in the 1950s! Imagine what the Philadelphia PD officers from that time would say if they had to work today. Anyway, while shoppers think of Black Friday as The Day to get great deals, and while businesses see Black Friday as the key to making a profit for the year, the term started as a negative. Isn't it uncanny the way we can turn a negative image into a money-maker?

Here's the article.

5 Facts About Black Friday

Today is the unofficial first day of the holiday shopping season. Here are five facts you should know about “Black Friday.”

1. The term "Black Friday" was coined by the Philadelphia Police Department's traffic squad in the 1950s. According to Philadelphia newspaper reporter Joseph P. Barrett, “It was the day that Santa Claus took his chair in the department stores and every kid in the city wanted to see him. It was the first day of the Christmas shopping season.” Barrettt first used the term in the city’s newspaper, the Evening Bulletin, in 1961 to refer to the traffic problems on that day. Local merchants complained to police commissioner Albert N. Brown about the negative association of the term, so Brown released a press release describing the day as “Big Friday.” By then it was too late; the media had already started referring to the day after Thanksgiving as  “Black Friday.”

2. Because so few people were aware of the origin of the term Black Friday, an alternative explanation became popular: that it is the day on which retailers finally began to show a profit for the year (in accounting terms, moving from being "in the red" to "in the black"). The earliest use of this meaning, though, dates only to the early 1980s.

3. The predecessor to “Black Friday” was the “Santa Claus parade.” Canadian department store Eaton's held the first Santa Claus parade on December 2, 1905. Santa’s appearance at the end of the parade signaled that the holiday season — and Christmas shopping — had begun. In the U.S., the department store Macy’s adopted the idea and started sponsoring similar parades across the country. The most famous event, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City, began in 1924.

4. For several years in the 1930s, the date of Thanksgiving was moved to increase the Christmas shopping period. At the request of retailers, Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed to move his holiday proclamation up one week to the fourth Thursday in November. Of the then-48 states, 32 joined Roosevelt in the “Democratic Thanksgiving” while 16 stuck with the “Republican Thanksgiving” of the traditional date. After critics complained about “Franksgiving,” Roosevelt signed legislation making Thanksgiving a legal holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.

5. In 2009, K-Mart became the first major national retailer to open its stores on Thanksgiving morning. Several other large retailers—including Wal-Mart, Sears, and Toys R Us—also began opening their stores a day early in 2011. Since then, Black Friday has been replaced by what some retailers refer to as “Grey Thursday.”

Persecution

The last few weeks I've been reading about global religious persecution. Christians in Muslim and Communist contexts suffer greatly for their faith. Radical Islam calls for the extinction of the infidels. Communist dogma demands total allegiance to the government leaving no place for religion.

But Christianity is no stranger to persecution. As I prepared for a sermon from Second Thessalonians my study reminded me that the church in Thessalonica was birthed amid persecution (see Acts 17). Jesus told his disciples that they would certainly be hated by the world just as the world hated Christ. The New Testament repeatedly tells of Christians facing persecution.

The American church seems to be immune to it, though. Even in recent years while we have watched the culture and the government move away from biblical morality, persecution hardly describes our plight.

When I think of immunity I think of not being impacted (getting a sickness) by something negative around you. Maybe a person's tolerance is built up against the disease. Maybe they have been inoculated. The best way to avoid the flu is to wash your hands frequently, stay away from those who are sick, and get the shot.

It's that "stay away from those who are sick" that bothers me about the American church and persecution. I've learned in my recent reading that persecution is to be expected - it's natural - when the gospel moves into the darkness of sin. If one Muslim becomes a Christian and is the only believer in his village, he will be persecuted severely. If one house church in a communist country is exposed they will be shut down, jailed, or worse. As the light of the gospel pushes against the darkness, darkness wants to push back.

So why do American Christians not face persecution like so many of our brothers and sisters around the world do? Does it have anything to do with the conflict between the light of the gospel and the darkness of sin? I think so. We make a lot of noise about the gospel but do we make much progress in advancing the gospel.

Let me say it this way: We seem to be more concerned with making sure we are free to share our faith than we are with actually sharing our faith.

Have you had a child learning to play an instrument? Remember what you endured in those early months or years? It was noise more than music. But remember how it one day turned to music as they continued with practice and the tones were more melodic? When Christians sound off about things other than the gospel we sound like a toddler banging on pots and pans. But when we faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ it sounds right.

And what sounds right to the Lord sounds awful to darkness. So persecution is the response. We shouldn't go out looking for persecution. At the same time we ought not let the fear of persecution keep us from going out.

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). Let us live out our faith and tell others about our Savior even if persecution may come. Let us remember in prayer our brothers and sisters who face persecution today.

Troubles All Around

Do you think about the problems other people experience? If I'm not careful I will focus on my problems and pay no attention to what goes on around me. I'm trying to get better at it; it's a daily endeavor.

A social media post I saw yesterday suggested to listen for one hour and then talk for one hour and see which hour was better spent. We spend way too much time inwardly focused and miss the chance to engage in another person's life.

Jesus was great at perceiving the needs of the people he met. He often heard or saw through the smoke screen people put up. You now what I mean - we can be pretty good at projecting an image that's not a true rendering of our lives. Jesus cut through the fiction and spoke to the truth.

Was that because he is God? Yes, but we shouldn't give up on our ability to do the same. As believers we have the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Jesus - within us. The Spirit does much in our lives and one of the things he equips us to do is to see people as Jesus sees them, to hear them as Jesus does.

What might you hear? Longings of person who thinks there is no hope. Cries of a person who is deeply hurt. Questions of a person who is confused by the contradictions of this world. Anger from a person made at everything. Pessimism from a person who has been dealt one blow after another. Each of them needs someone to speak life and hope and joy into their souls.

You may also hear the relief of a person who has sensed the presence of God in their lives. Joy from one who finally let God have control of everything. Celebration that arises from victories only God can engineer. These people also need someone to listen to them and to encourage them.

In wedding ceremonies I will often tell the coupe that in the marriage relationship they will discover some interesting math. Their sorrows will be halved as they share the burdens; their joys will be doubled as they share the good things.

The same can be true for other relationships. People need people. Will you be the person someone needs today?

My friends in gospel music recorded a song many year ago that says, "If you'll move over a little bit I'll help you carry the load." Someone needs you.

Junk

Everyday I get gobs of email generated because I signed up for something that required an email address. If possible when registering for access to a website I try to uncheck the box that says I want to receive email from them. Have you noticed that most of the time this box is already checked? Do nothing and you get an inbox full of stuff from them and their partner companies and their employee of the month's grandmother. OK, I made up that last part but the rest is mostly true.

I also receive email that I intended to get. Some of my favorite speakers and writers have regular posts that I like to see. I get updates from my favorite sports teams. I'll get notices when my favorite blogs have been updated. (You can do that for this blog. Look over there to the right where it says, "Get new posts delivered to your inbox.")

Paying bills online is pretty cool. Make sure you trust the sites you use. But if you do use the online systems you'll get email when a new statement is available, when the bill is due, when the bill is past due, and when a payment is received. You'll get their annual privacy policy reminders they are required by law to send to their customers.

Now days I get fewer and fewer email that I really anticipate getting. When my family emails me…I like that. When a friend checks in…I like that. But I don't get as much email like that as I use to get. Why? Because email is not the most popular or easiest way to communicate. Do you remember when you first got into email - this is really for the 50+ crowd. It was new. We had never seen it before. We had to learn how to use the applications. Then we emailed everyone about everything. And if you are an information/communication packrat like me, you built up a very healthy data file.

The IT guy at the company I worked for when I first got email came to me one day. "You know, you have a pretty big data file for your email account. Don't you ever delete anything." "It's not that I don't delete email, it's that I save a lot of it." A LOT OF IT. Ever had that conversation with a boss that turns out to be "He said vs I said"? Yeah, I save email. Big data file.

So there are a lot of ways we can get information that have pushed email from the pedestal…at least in my circles. Social media and messaging rule!

What about church? Specifically, meeting together as a church in Bible study and worship? These gatherings seem to have become obsolete for many people. Do they think of gathering like this in the same way we might think of Andy Taylor's telephone? Do the Christians who skip most of the church's gatherings think there is a better way to be God's people?

And what about the information they receive through Bible studies and sermons? Does that just automatically go the the "Junk" folder to be ignored for a while then deleted altogether? Do Christians anticipate receiving the Good News found in the Bible?

I believe a person's attitude about the Word of God is on display in the way they apply its teachings.

Just like my email is full of stuff I don't really look at, my social media accounts are that way, too. I skip over much of it. But there is no page in your Bible you can skip over. None of it is junk. Every word was written on paper by men but inspired by the Holy Spirit to reveal to us great truths about God, to draw us to him, and to transform our lives.

Every moment spent reading God's word is valuable. Every Bible study you participate in is worthwhile. Every sermon you hear can help you. (I really feel like I should qualify "Bible study" and "sermon" to eliminate those that aren't true to scripture. But isn't it a shame that we feel like we have to differentiate between biblical Bible study and non-biblical Bible study? Between biblical sermons and non-biblical sermons? Like my preaching professor said on the first day of "Biblical Preaching" class, "Is there really any other kind of preaching?")

I should treasure every word from God even more than I treasure the email and messages and calls from my family and friends. So should you. Anticipate hearing from God. Prepare to hear from God. Enjoy hearing from God. Apply what you hear from God.

That will help you deal with a lot of the junk that piles up in your life.

I Will Give You Rest

In my line of work the word regeneration has a specific meaning relating to Christian salvation. It is the re-birth that takes place in a person's life when they call on Jesus' name believing he is the one and only Savior and Lord.

As I was reading Vance Havner's book Lord of What's Left, I came across that word and automatically had that definition in my mind. Maybe he was talking about regeneration in that sense but the point of his writing seems to be something I need. But I'm already born again and the Bible does not teach the necessity or possibility of being born again again.

The chapter I just read talks about the days gone by when people had time to get to know one another. Life was different, slower. Neighbors knew each other. We don't have much time these days to reflect on the good things in our lives or meet our neighbors or enjoy our families.

When talking about times of escape or vacation, Havner writes that we are "refugees from progress who've brought it all with them." Certainly, I rarely go anywhere without my computer. The last time I left my phone in the car when I went into a store for a few minutes I felt like I was going to have a fit before I could get back to it. Refugees from progress, sure.

"The main trouble is we've brought ourselves along. Escaping from that character is difficult business. It means getting through to God and being regenerated."

For sure, a person who lives outside a personal relationship with Jesus Christ needs to be regenerated. That's his only hope of escaping from that character.

As a Christian, I have found myself wrapped up in the happenings of post-modernity and it sucks the vibrancy out of me.

Jesus spoke words that have great meaning for those of us in either situation. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Peter said this: "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19).

James wrote, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" (James 4:10).

The way to escape the burden we refugees of progress bear is a right relationship with Jesus. Come to him. Repent of your sins. Humble yourselves before him.

We no longer live in the early 1900s. Those days are gone and will never return. Our lives are marked by a hurried-ness that threatens to keep the lost from being regenerated or the saved from living a regenerated life. But Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again," so it must be possible. It is possible through Jesus Christ.

The Worship Wars

I started out as a singer. When I surrendered to the Lord's call to ministry I really thought I would be in music. I had aspired to replace Don Reid with the Statler Brothers or Duane Allen with the Oak Ridge Boys. Alas, this teenaged dreamer did not know that those men were forever fixtures in those groups.

Then I decided to be the next Kenny Hinson. His voice was the best I had ever heard. That distinction still holds today even though Kenny passed away about 20 years ago. I admired him so much that I got an Ovation guitar and permed my hair. I still have the guitar. The perm and most of the hair are long gone.

Then that Thursday night of summer camp. I'll never forget it. My life has not been the same since. My closest friend at that time…well, we've not been on speaking terms since. That's all on me, by the way. But the Lord was altering my direction. It was a direction not everybody can go. I'm glad I jumped on board and made the change.

And I thought that change would simply be the way I used my music. A prophetic old preacher man learned of my surrender and told me - when he heard I intended to sing - "Bob, you aren't the best singer I've ever heard." I wanted to but did not say, "And you aren't the best preacher I've ever heard." Although I wasn't very wise I was wise enough not to say it.

And he was right about the direction my life would go. I started preaching. I kept singing, too. Since the last Thursday in June of 1982 I have been a pastor, a music leader, a youth director, and Bible study leader. When I surrendered to the call I said I would do anything. And I have done a lot.

One thing that has always bothered me regardless of my mode of service is the idea Christians have about worship. I've found that many Christians equate worship with music. It's so bad in some circles that the person whose primary responsibility it is to lead all things music has the title of worship pastor or worship leader. I understand that churches put more responsibility on many of these men and women so that the title of song director or music leader doesn't quite fit. Still, the titles seem to imply that worship equals music. In extremes they are teaching that worship is only music.

So when churches argue or split because of the style of music used in the services, we have called it a worship war. I read a headline today suggesting that the next "worship war" would be over lighting. That's right, lighting. Our church has a lighting problem and it pertains to whether we can see across the auditorium - commonly known as a worship center, by the way. As I think about lighting in a church, especially lighting that could cause an argument, I think about the light shows I've seen during "worship." Then the lights go steady (whether bright or dim) when it's time for the preaching.

Worship is music. Preaching is, well, preaching.

I believe worship cannot be contained in a lyric or melody. Worship can be expressed with an instrument but if that's all then so much is missed. Worship is our expression to God in response to who he is and what he does. It can only be limited by who he is and what he does and there are no limits there.

Don't put worship in a box. It's music but so much more. It's the spoken word but so much more. It's prayer but so much more. It's life but so much more. My music, my words, my prayers, and my life are limited by time and space…and sin. How can I think that anything about me can fully define worship. I can't even fully understand worship. I can't fully express worship.

But I can express it to the full extent of my ability and understanding. And that's what God desires: worshippers who worship him in spirit and truth. If I limit worship to something less than it is, then I'm not worshipping in truth. If I limit worship to something I am capable of doing, then I'm not worshipping in spirit.

I've settled the issue in my heart and mind. I'll not fight that battle. I'm not offended by the songs you sing or the lights you use or the hands you raise or don't raise. I have preferences and in my private worship I typically lean that direction. But I really see no value in arguing with someone about it. If there is a battle to be waged it is about how to get Christians to worship - not how Christians worship.

To generously adapt Ronald Reagan's famous quote: "Mr. Worship Argue-er, tear down that wall." Let's end a war that will only lead us to a lukewarm experience.

For All Us Progidals

A few years ago I was at Cracker Barrel for breakfast with some minister friends. The store always has music playing that, of course, you can buy.

A bluegrass gospel album was playing and I thought for sure it was Ricky Skaggs. I have a weakn so for his music going all the way back to the early 80s and "Highway 40 Blues." But it wasn't him; instead it was Dailey and Vincent. The song was "Living in the Kingdom of God."

So I bought the CD. I listen to it every once in a while now. Today was every once in a while. I like to play music while I brush my teeth and shave so I picked this album, "The Gospel Side of Dailey and Vincent."

Track 10 caught my attention in a special way today. The song is about a prodigal. You remember the story in the Bible, don't you?

A son took his inheritance and skipped town. He lived the high life in disrespect of his father.when the money ran out he realized what he had done. He wanted to go home but didn't know how his father would respond.

Listen to "Come Back to Me" and know that the story demonstrates God's love for his prodigal children like you and me.

A Great Thing About Being Southern Baptist

I am a follower of Jesus Christ. A relationship with him impacts everything and I'm glad to be part of his family.

I am also a Southern Baptist. Those words sometimes cause people to flinch or laugh or shake their heads. I'm glad to be Southern Baptist for one primary reason: the Cooperative Program.

Southern Baptists have some distinct beliefs but you will find others who hold many of the beliefs I do. Even within the ranks of Southern Baptists there are differing opinions about some doctrines but the essentials of salvation and life with God are common among us.

It's not the beliefs that make a person or church Southern Baptist. The one thing that distinguishes a Southern Baptist church from all others is the way we fund global missions. We do it together. No matter the size of the church (budget, people, whatever), through CP we share in meeting the obligations of the responsibility of the Great Commission. Southern Baptists have about 10,000 missionaries around the planet - supported by the contributions of all the churches.

I'm sipping coffee at a local coffee shop this afternoon. At the table next to me is a person telling a friend about his missionary work. I sat down somewhere in the middle of the conversation so I don't know where he serves or what his connection is to a local church or convention of churches. But he's talking about ministry both domestic and international.

My heart beats along with his.

I can't tell you what church he is associated with but I can tell he's not Southern Baptist. Nothing wrong with that. He seems to be evangelical and I'm all for that.

What tipped me off that he is not affiliated with churches like mine is that he was telling his friend how the friend could help him financially. Mission and ministry take money; we should not be ashamed to ask for money for those purposes.

However, missionaries supported by the Cooperative Program don't have to do that. I've never had a CP missionary ask specifically for money. They always thank our church for contributing to CP; they always mention the special direct offerings for their organizations; but they never ask for contributions directly to their ministries.

The beauty of the Cooperative Program - and why I'm glad to be Southern Baptist - is that missionaries are funded and do not have to worry about that. Those missionaries I know who are funded by CP tell me that their agencies take good care of them with housing, insurance, retirement, in addition to salary. A worker deserves his wages (Luke 10:7), right?

The guy next to me sounds like he would love to be on the field sharing his faith, making disciples, ministering to hurting people. Once he secures his funding he can do all that.

The Southern Baptist missionary is able to spend more time on the field because the funding mechanism is already in place. Not just for him but for thousands like him. We need to do better so we can support thousands more!

Thank God for believers sacrificing to live among people who are spiritually hungry - or starving. (By the way, we should all adopt a missionary attitude wherever we live!) Praise the Lord for the ability to support them so they don't have to worry about paying the bills or paying for the ministry.

Here's a video explaining how CP works. It helps us obey the Lord's Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

I Played Quarterback for the Oilers

Yes, it's true. I played quarterback for the Oilers. It was just one season but it really happened. The year was 1976. It was before the Houston Oilers moved to Nashville and became the Titans.

It was before a lot of things.

It was before the Landers car dealership was built at the Alcoa exit in Bryant, AR.

I know because that's where we practiced.

Wait, do you think I'm talking about the Houston Oilers of the NFL?

No, I played quarterback for one season on the Caldwell Oilers in the PFL - the peewee football league. The Houston Oilers? Are you kidding me? I was only 12!

A couple of weeks ago I told Riley to tell his football coach that I played quarterback for one season with the Oilers.

He told him.

I wish I was like Riley. He'll say just about anything I tell him to say. I wish I would say anything and everything my Heavenly Father tells me to say.

Maybe Riley has more confidence in me than I have in God. Like a man told Jesus one day, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."

OK. So here's the picture. This is part of a collage my mother put together several years ago. That's me at 12 years old. Cool hair. Probably the only quarterback to ever wear #70.

I had never played quarterback before. Except a little at recess and in the front yard of the Colonial Arms Apartments in Dardanelle. But I did play quarterback for the Oilers.

And Riley told his coach. Just like I told him to.

"Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."

Addictions

Our church family has a funeral this week for a man who had an addiction. You are probably close to a similar situation. Addictions range from food to money to sex to alcohol to drugs to accomplishment to attention. Maybe there are as many variations of addictions as there are people. We are weak at some point. We are all susceptible to addiction.

In his book Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who's Already There, Len Sweet wrote:

Every addiction is an honest attempt to fill the emptiness we feel when we deny Christ. Every addiction is self-medication… Desire is God ordained to encourage us to seek the divine and Christ's provision, but a self-focused response is to stuff the desire with whatever will quell the discomfort.

I have found the closer I am to Christ the less my addictions control me. It's not enough to say, "Jesus is the answer" and offer no help with the addiction. Addicts have real physical, chemical, or emotional stuff to deal with before spiritual disciplines will matter to them. The affects of addiction provide reasons or excuses to not follow Jesus.

I'm not diminishing following Jesus - he is the answer. A friend reminds me that sometimes you have to convince a lost person they are lost before you can help them know Jesus as Savior. The point is that obstacles between a person and Jesus must be dealt with as we point them to Christ.

If an atheist refuses to follow Christ because…well, he doesn't believe God exists, then the believer has an obstacle to overcome. If an alcoholic refuses to turn to Jesus it may be that he's not thinking clearly because his mind is controlled by the addiction.

I baptized a man on September 10, 2006. He calls me every year on September 10 to remind me and celebrate. He mentions his baptism and his sobriety. This year his message said it had been 9 years since his baptism and 11 years sober. He turned to Jesus during AA counseling. The help he received with alcoholism led to his salvation. Now he's been sober and happy and following Jesus for all these years because of Jesus. Jesus is the answer.

For some reason the addict begins by trying to feed an emptiness. He finds he must have more and more but still feels empty after the initial thrill.

Chase what you will but only Jesus satisfies the longing. Because the longing is caused by the absence of Jesus. Fill up with anything other than Jesus and you'll still be empty.

Len Sweet also wrote this:

Not too long ago it hit me that I had never preached on Jesus telling a ghost story about a haunted house. Jesus told this story to warn his followers that we must be careful what we replace ghosts and addictions with, because more unholy ghosts than what were banished can refill the house to rule and reign. If we clean up our lives without replacing them with the true Spirit, the house is left empty and vulnerable for new evil spirits and worse dependencies to come back and take over. One of my Facebook friends, Isaac Arten, puts it like this: "I'm not interested in self-improvement but self-replacement." It is the difference between cleaning the house and turning the house over to Christ, letting him live there and leaving no room for malign spirits.

We must deal with the addictions and replace the "false fillers" with Jesus. Jesus has miraculous power to help anyone overcome any addiction. And Jesus has the presence to fill you with purpose and hope. Jesus is the answer.

Living at Peace with Your Enemies

Several years ago I had an experience on Facebook that I vividly remember. So much of what happens on our social media pages gets replaced in our minds almost as quickly as it does on the screen. Social media can never replace social interaction but it does provide a platform for connection and information. Without it, how would we survive, right?

A friend - he really is a friend - posted on Facebook a question (rhetorical) asking why there are no love and hate buttons. Another friend - he really is a friend, too - replied, "Because it wasn't meant to be that serious?" Again, social media can never replace social interaction.

The experience from several years ago…

I posted something about our church using CRBC instead of spelling out the church name. It wasn't long before my friend - he was from my hometown but was several years older than me so I really didn't know him - made a comment asking if this stood for (insert crude comment here). I responded with a "Ha" and told him what it meant. He made another crude comment. I joked with him in a clean way and he shot back with another comment.

I thought about firing back with sarcasm (or worse) but decided against it. By the way, that is always a good decision. Instead, I asked how his mother was doing. I knew she had been sick.

Within a minute the chat bubble popped up; our public sparring went private. He apologized for attacking my church and beliefs and updated me on his mother. About two hours later we wrapped up a conversation that looped in and out of faith in Jesus Christ. He preferred to be agnostic or atheist but if he had to choose he would pick Hinduism.

He was a smart man. He had studied religions; or maybe he had studied how to argue against religions. At any rate, he had heard the gospel during that chat session. He died a year later (to the day). I hope he chose to follow Jesus during that year.

Today I opened my Logos Bible app to read a little. The app opened to Proverbs 16 because that's where our Bible study last night took us for the last passage. I began to read the Proverb. I thought of the story I just shared with you when I came to verse 7.

When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.

I wouldn't consider this man an enemy but at the least he was hostile to the gospel. Instead of choosing to lock horns with him in verbal attacks I chose to be kind. I guess that pleased the Lord because my friend's aggressive combativeness turned to peace. I'm glad I didn't have an ugly confrontation with him but more importantly I'm glad I was able to have a peaceful conversation with him that may have helped him see Christianity more clearly.

His problem with Christianity had a little to do with the claims of Christianity. How could Jesus be God? There's no way the resurrection really happened!

But most of his problem with Christianity was Christians. He grew up, as I did, in the buckle of the Bible belt where Christians may not have been…well, let me just say that there is a reason we joke about beating people over the head with the Bible.

I know that this man had to make his own choice whether to follow Christ or not. But I also know that people charged with sharing the gospel and loving him along the way didn't.

Here are some ideas to help Christians do a better job at our job of making disciples:

• Be humble. No believer is any better than a non-believer; without Jesus we would all be lost.
• Realize our task is to share how a sinner can be made right with God; the Holy Spirit will convict them of their sins and draw them to Jesus.
• Remember that each person must chose for themselves whether they will follow Jesus or not.
• Try to live at peace with those who have different beliefs or who reject Christianity. You do that by living in ways that please the Lord.
• Pray that God will send others into their lives so they hear the gospel many times.

What are other tips you would add to this list?

Three words from that chat session stick in my mind. He told me if Christians would talk about these things he and others like him might listen: forgiveness, redemption, and love.

Now I Know

Have you ever followed a plan not really knowing exactly if the plan was necessary?

I learned a budgeting tool from another religious organization a few years ago. That organization budgeted for salaries, of course. If an employee left the organization during the course of the budget year, the organization continued to pay the salary into a surplus account. This accomplished at least two things. First, had they stopped paying out the salary the budget reports would not reflect the reality. In other words, it would seem that the organization budgeted more for salaries than necessary, which might lead them to cut the salary budget for the coming year when they really would need it when they replaced the employee. The second purpose of this tool was to create a surplus fund to use for employee expenses that could be incurred because of losing one employee and hiring another.

At our church we could foresee a need to replace AC units soon but we did not have the cash to do it. So we implemented a similar plan that would allow us to save the money. Each month we move the budgeted amount for equipment repairs into a surplus account. We've been doing this for a few years and have accumulated a considerable amount. Our old way of budgeting would just show a surplus in the budget at the end of the year and our excess cash may have been spent on something else.

Now I realize a church should not be in the money-accumulating business, but we also have to be good stewards of our physical plant. The old way was a "spend it or lose it" system and a single year's budget for equipment and repairs would not ever replace on unit. Now we save what we budget for repairs, pay out of the surplus account for any repairs needed, and prepare for the big cost of replacing an AC unit.

The plan always seemed like a good idea but we went a few years without needing the surplus. Until this year. We've already replaced one unit. I found out today that another is in such condition that replacing it might be the best solution.

I hate spending money on stuff like that. I'd rather support a church plant, increase missions giving, or fund community ministry. We do all that already but if I had a choice I'd spend less on the physical plant and more on the other.

Do you know what the church in Peter's and Paul's day spent on the physical plant? Nothing! Everything they had poured into the mission and ministry. That's a great model. Probably the right model.

But we live in a day when churches have buildings and the buildings have needs and the needs cost money. We could just let it go and the buildings would eventually not be useable.

Or we can be good stewards and take care of the stuff we have. I'm all for stopping the accumulation of stuff. I'm also for taking care of the stuff we have.

Cross Road Baptist Church has been wise to plan for the big expenses we now face. The Lord has provided - as he always does. Sometimes he provides on the spot. Sometimes he provides over time. But he always provides.

A Posture for Prayer

Before leading our church in observing The Lord's Supper yesterday, I read this from Mark Batterson's The Circle Maker:

"One of my favorite prayer postures I learned from the Quakers. I lead our congregation in this prayer frequently. We begin with hands facing down, symbolizing the things we need to let go of. It involves a process of confessing our sins, rebuking our fears, and relinquishing control. Then we turn our hands over so they are facing up in a posture of receptivity. We actively receive what God wants to give—joy unspeakable, peace that transcends understanding, and unmerited grace. We receive the fruit and gifts of His Spirit with open hands and open hearts."

Then we did it. I added raising our hands upward in the beginning as a sign of surrender to the Lord. And again at the end in praise to the Lord.

My arms grew tired. We laughed about how Moses must have felt overseeing the battle led by Joshua. Moses needed Aaron and Hur to help keep his arms raised. I could've used a little help.

But my heart was full. My spirit was lifted. And although I believe God's Spirit is always with me, I felt closer to the Lord.

Road Construction Ahead

The road department closed the road in front of our house on July 28 to replace the culvert. The road reopened on September 2. I'm not a road builder but I would not have guessed it would take a month to replace a culvert.

As I watched the crew work day after day (except Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays), I learned some things about life. It takes time to build the right life. The crew took over a month to do something that seems like it should have taken just a few days. I get in a hurry to learn something or become something. Haste makes waste, right?

They didn't just dig up the culvert but they also dug up the road. Not just a few feet on either side of the culvert but about a few hundred feet altogether. Doing the job right often requires more work than we think. A simple patch job may seem like the right thing but rarely is. Are you content to let God change more of you than you think he should?

And they didn't just dig up the old road and put down new asphalt. Dozens of dump truck loads of gravel were added to the road bed. The surface is only as good as what's under it. Rollers pounded the gravel into the ground, shaking the pictures on the walls in the house. God's work in our lives seems to take so long but he's just doing all the groundwork well so the finished product will be outstanding.

Some delays kept the project from finishing earlier. I heard that the concrete contractor had problems. I don't know if it was a problem with the material or with logistics, but not having the right stuff in the right place at the right time slows the project. I can think of times in my life when God's plans were slow to unfold (or didn't unfold at all) because I wasn't cooperating. Many times, God won't force upon you what he desires but he waits for you to desire what he desires.

Your life is under construction. You probably don't know the extent of the project but you can trust God to do it right.

God's Blessings

The rain started here about 45 minutes ago. From my chair I can hear it. I glance out the window and see it. I try to avoid it these days but there was a time I would run outside; then I could feel it.

I suspect now I'll have to mow sooner than I thought I would yesterday. But nature needed a drink. A month or so without rain isn't good in our part of the world.

The last time I paid attention to the TV weather, they said we were ahead of average rainfall to date by 9" because of the heavy rains this spring. But we are under a burn ban. "What have you done for me lately?" applies to moisture in the soil and plants as well as it does to a sports team.

Although it isn't appropriate to ask God what he has done for you lately, it is appropriate to ask yourself how long it's been since you have felt the overwhelming joy of God's blessings. Here are some reasons it may have a while.

God may be blessing you but you don't realize it. Sometimes people will not expect God to bless them so they simply miss it. Today's rain is a blessing. Your health is a blessing.

Then there are those blessings we miss because we expect the blessing to come in a different package. You may have prayed for a specific job but God did not give you that one because he had a better opportunity coming. Maybe you felt like God had let you down when your child did not get accepted into your alma mater but he knew all along of troubles and problems down that path. Don't miss the blessing because you think you know better than God does.

Sometimes the lack of blessings is not just a feeling - it's real. God may be testing your character or faith in preparation for a great task in his mission. Maybe the disappointment you now feel equips you to help others. Then you both receive and are a blessing.

There's another reason. You may be defying God's will. Your disobedience can shut off the blessings. Sure, you'll enjoy sunshine and rain and oxygen and gravity because those are benefits for the just and the unjust. The blessings you miss are his guidance, his comfort, his peace, his joy. And you can fix that. Just turn to Jesus and follow him. God's blessings flow freely into the lives of those following Jesus.

The rain started less than an hour ago. It won't be much longer before the burn ban is lifted and I can burn my brush pile. After it dries out, of course.