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Moving home – again

July 12, 2011 in Religion with 1 Comment

My family recently moved back to our home that we left a few years ago while I took a position with the U.S. Army Reserve at lovely Camp Shelby, Mississippi. We kept our house here so the move back was less painful. However, I’ve felt a lot like the fairy take character, Rip Van Winkle, who went to sleep and woke up a hundred years later.

Four years later – things were different.

Imagine that!

Oh, I kept up with our church news via email; someone got sick, a couple got married, someone died, someone divorced.

Life went on.

But it’s different to receive these new items from afar as opposed to being here and seeing the tears.

I was in Wal-Mart the other day and saw a woman I knew from church.

I hadn’t seen her in several years. But I knew some of what had happened. I am fairly sure she saw us, but she did not speak and I am also pretty sure she didn’t want to talk with us.

The marriage between her and her husband was one of those casualties that happened while we were gone. I’m sure she recognized us, despite our absence from the community; she just didn’t want to engage.

I don’t blame her.

I don’t know what happened to them, but I can be sure that there are many sides to the story. I know the husband better, but haven’t even asked him what happened.

What do you do with division when it happens in marriages, friendships, or churches?

I wish that I’d engaged her; that I had said hello (at least) and that I was glad to see her. Sure, it would have been uncomfortable, so what?

Sometimes people are discarded when they leave our social group.

The thing is, she is still here in the community living her life, the guy is still here, their kids are still here. They all have to interact at some level.

Wouldn’t it be better to engage and try to love rather than ignore and discard?

On a larger view: A few years ago a guy named Joe Beam wrote an article about what was happening within the church (of Christ). You can read it at: http://www.gracecentered.com/what_is_happening_to_churches_of_Christ.htm

He details his view of the division and the driving forces behind the divisions. I enjoyed the article and wondered just where I fall in the spectrum.

I also ran across a youtube video of a preacher named Rick Atchley (see above). The video is short and I think was taken from a larger sermon. The youtube video is called “Chairs” for obvious reasons if you see the video.

He kind of does the same thing as Joe did with his article, but in a more visually pleasing way.

But it wasn’t pleasing – it was painful.

Because division is always painful. Rick does such a good job demonstrating the foolishness of our constant and silly disagreements.

I’m sure no one in my religious tribe would disagree with what he said in the video.

Good thing that we don’t discard anyone from our religious groups when disagreements occur.

Enemy – by any other name

July 8, 2011 in Religion with 0 Comments

I know it is old, but one of my favorite movies is the Lion King. And these guys are my favorite characters.

My wife and I first saw the Lion King when she was pregnant with our first child. It was in Mobile, Alabama at the discount theater in the Festival Center – which sadly no longer exists.

Anyway, the scene I love is the opening scene (I think it is the opening scene) where Scar is about to swallow a hapless mouse that he (amazingly) had caught.

I say amazing because he’s kinda slow and lazy.

Nonetheless, he’s caught a bite-sized vermin and is about to consume him (without seasoning!) when his brother, Mufasa, interrupts his snack and chastises him for not attending some gathering.

Scar retorts that his brother had made him miss his lunch – and the mouse escapes. But like I said, it looked more like a snack to me.

Another of my favorite scenes occurs at the end of the movie. It’s where Scar has been defeated by Simba and is tossed over a cliff and lands in the hyenas’ den – so to say (as obligatory fires rage around the area).

“Through hazy and battered eyes, Scar blurts, “Friends.”

The hyenas are having nothing of it as they remind Scar that a few minutes before, he had called THEM enemies by blaming all the troubles on THEM.

“F-F-Friends! Friends? I thought we were the enemy.”

And they eat him.

Justice served – hot!

Several months ago the nation was shocked one Sunday night to learn that one of our real life enemies had been taken out by an elite military squad.

For weeks on, we learned some of the details of how Osama Bin Laden died.

Many Christians were disturbed by (1) the joy of some and, (2) the lack of joy and celebration by others. Mike Huckabee even welcomed him to Hell on his TV show. Many Christians balked at this kind of jubilation of the demise of an enemy.

Others have – I think righty – said that the whole issue of our reaction to his death is complicated. We’re glad he is gone and can no longer do damage to anyone while on the other hand I don’ think that God is happy to have one more lost soul.

The whole concept of enemies is somewhat uncommon in American culture. Well, the use of “enemies” is uncommon. But in reality there are those that we war against: at school we war against other kids for popularity, grades, looks, more friends, etc.

At work we war for the best office space, pay, benefits, popularity, more friends, etc.

Although it is something we aren’t too interested in, Jesus had a lot to say about our enemies:

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (NIV 2010)

There is a scene in Date Night (a most forgettable movie I must say). Except I like this silly scene. Steve Carell and Tina Fey are talking to the restaurant hostess about a cell phone:

Steve Carell: “We were in here earlier having dinner with our friend Sam.I.Am.”

The restaurant Hostess (Olivia Munn): “You mean Will.I.Am?”

Tina Fey: “Is that what you call him? That’s weird, I don’t like that.”

OK, my kids love this line. It’s somewhat funny and stupid. But whether Steve Carell (his character) calls the performer by the correct name or not, he is still Will.I.Am (or if you prefer, William James Adams, Jr.).

Whether we call them enemies or not (and Jesus said we’d have them), we still have people that we war against for mostly stupid reasons – sometimes legitimate. But most of all, we have enemies to do good to, to pray for, to bless, to clothe, and to love regardless of what we call them.

Places and people to avoid

July 6, 2011 in Religion with 0 Comments

There is a place in Mobile called Bull’s Head. It’s off Interstate 65 near Prichard. My dad used to take me with him there when he had business. I never asked the kind of business, but it usually involved working on an air conditioner or receiving a large amount of Freon (the chemical compound that makes refrigeration possible).

This was not the normal supply house where we purchased parts or Freon.

There would just be Freon and I’d load it on the truck.

This was not a particular safe or desirable place to be. But apparently there were people who had money and could pay my dad for his expertise.

There are some places you just don’t venture into, unless there is a good reason.

A friend works for the local gas utility. He was on a service call in Bull’s Head recently. The “house” he was working on had no windows and was constructed much like a fortress. While he was curled-up under a gas water heater he heard a loud noise, turned around, and was un-pleasantly greeted by the barrel of a 9mm handgun.

“MOBILE POLICE, PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!”

“I-I-I’m w-w-w-ith t-t-the g-g-g-gas c-c-c-company,” was all he could squeak out.

After showing them his identification and the unmistakable Mobile Gas truck, they ordered him to leave.

I don’t think he looked back.

You shouldn’t be some places, even if your boss tells you to go there.

What are the consequences of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Um, not good sometimes. A while back many German tourists were killed just by being in the wrong place. See here. http://www.mrmd.com/mir/german.html

One time, Jesus had to (wanted to) go through a place that the locals warned him to stay away from. It was so bad that when people had to travel anywhere near there, they walked around it – the whole country.

The country was Samaria and the Jews were trying to stay as far away as possible.

Which is kinda hard when they are right next door.

Since the time of Nehemiah, these people were considered half-blood. Part of the reason was that some of their ancestors were left behind by Assyrian and or Babylonian raiders and intermarried with the conquerors. Nehemiah was not too pleased with this or the fact that half of the children couldn’t speak Hebrew. (See Nehemiah 13) (On a side note, can you imagine the reaction Nehemiah would have had during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes? Considering Neh. 13. It wouldn’t be good).

OK, you get the picture of the Samaritans.

That’s where Jesus went and spoke to that woman at the well. She was apparently someone scorned because here she is during the day getting water and no one is helping her.

Good thing Jesus showed up and spoke with her.

Good thing that we don’t have any Samaritans today!

You know, anyone who is half one race and half another and ostracized.

That would stink.

Seems to me that Jesus wanted more than water. He wanted to break down the cultural and religious barriers that keep us from loving each other and looking for God.

 

Laws of the Medes and Persians

June 29, 2011 in Religion with 0 Comments

Heard an interesting question last Sunday from Tommy Huett. He an elder at UCC and was the Bible class teacher. Tommy was teaching from the book of Daniel.

 

DSC 0015 11

 

He noted that in Daniel, the laws of the Medes and Persians are held up as something set in stone. That is, if these guys passed a law, everyone obeyed it. Then he noted that after God rescued Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (I don’t know why everybody refers to their Babylonian names) from the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar (the Babylonian) starts praising God and gets religion and all. Then he makes one of these laws or proclamations about getting violent with anyone who doesn’t respect their God.

Later on: regime change.

Then a new guy comes to power and just rearranges all kinds of national boundaries. In chapter 6, the new guy – Darius – makes another of those earth shaking decrees that basically went like this: when you hear the loud noise, fall down and wallow in the mud…

Which is kind of like the kids game/rhyme –  “Ring-a-ring-a-roses.”

They made a lot of strange rules then. Imagine if they had computers to generate more… (Imagine if we used them to make less).

But the point is that everyone followed the laws of the new guys on the block (i.e., Medes and Persians).

So Daniel survived the regime change and makes it out of the lion’s den alive and unharmed and Darius (the guy who threw him in their in the first place) comes out and gets religion – like his father before him.

Darius makes a new decree (like they needed another one) that everyone in his kingdom is supposed to fear Daniel’s God.

Why? Because he is the real thing.

So from that point forth in Ancient and Near Eastern history all people feared the God of Daniel.

Ok, so maybe not the whole region; But at least in all of Persia, right?

Not really.

I guess the laws of the Medes and Persians weren’t that powerful after all.

Or maybe it’s hard to dictate religion to a nation when you are a polytheistic brutal ruler who is only interested in his own power.

Seems to make a difference just who the ruler is. But it is also hard to take people where they don’t want to go.

Just thinking…

 

 

The far country is a long way from home

June 26, 2011 in Religion with 0 Comments

It was good to be back at the University church in Conway recently. I have missed this church for over four years. Because they are in the process of looking for a new preacher, they are having guest speakers. Jim Woodruff from Harding University was speaking the Sunday we were there.

Interstate 65 - Mobile River Delta - c.1981

I had never heard him preach before, but I’m glad I was there.

The text was the Prodigal Son. When the guy read the bible text, I silently groaned. (Not because of the guy reading – he is a wonderful guy and superb guitarist).

“No,” I was thinking, “How many hundreds of sermons have I heard from this text?”

How many have you heard?

Probably many.

This time though, Jim opened up the text in ways I had not heard before. One thing I liked was his description of the far country. He said that it could mean, not only a geographical reference but also a depraved heart or a broken relationship.

I understood the text so much better because it reminded me that I’d been there too. Not that I needed reminding.

I remembered a younger guy driving off to attend college at Jacksonville State University in 1981 in a sweet 1973 Dodge Duster (with artificial snake skin roof). Because I didn’t want to leave early, I left at midnight – it is a six-hour drive. Apparently sleep was not a big need of mine back then.

Because the I-65 Bridge wasn’t completed, I had to go by Scott and International Paper Companies in Plateau, drive through Baldwin County, and follow Highway 225 north to I-65.

I arrived around seven that morning, completely exhausted.

I made a few friends and promptly went to sleep  - on a couch I think.

I missed all the advising sessions that helped you pick the right classes to take for the fall. So I advised myself.

Because of this daring move, I ended signing up for French 101, engineering 101, and a few other classes I had no business taking.

It went downhill from there.

After a year and a half in northeast Alabama, I realized that I had taken a wrong turn in life. Not because I took French and Engineering but because of some bad choices I’d made. I made a deal with God: let me transfer to Alabama Christian College in Montgomery and I’d major in Bible. I reasoned that by becoming a Bible major, that would somehow entice God to overlook the past year and a half of my life.

This was not an especially wise motivation for wanting to become a preacher.

Jim asked in his sermon, “What is it that turns on the light in the brain? What wakes someone up to his or her real situation?”

For the prodigal son, it was the sight of seeing the pig food in front of him and remembering that his father’s servants ate better than this. He was just starving to death!

Here’s the point: God accepts motivation less than noble to bring us back to him. It didn’t matter that the motivation to bring the son back was his empty stomach.

Your motivation for returning to God doesn’t matter. What matters is that he loves you and wants you back home. What matters is that you come home.

 

Rules 101

June 10, 2011 in Religion with 0 Comments

A few weeks ago I heard preacher say that, at his church, men couldn’t serve at the Lord’s Supper without wearing a necktie (Yes, it is 2011). In other words, they all had to look like they had emerged from a 1950s time warp. The church I grew up in also had this rule. I tried to get around it: When I was a teenager, my mom bought a string tie from Texas (I think). It was hideous. Slim Whitman comes to mind for some reason. I’m not sure if the string tie thing would have passed muster at this church though.

Boss neckties jpg

But, the preacher wasn’t praising the “no-tie-no-serve” rule. He was pointing out that these laws are neither biblical, based in common sense, nor particularly pleasant to look upon.

His swipe got quick results (considering the rules based tendency of this church): The next Sunday, not all the guys wore ties at Communion – not even a string-tie.

I’ve read that social groups adhere to unwritten rules; the rules that everyone knows instinctively. In most churches, there are probably hundreds of taboos or unwritten rules. Mine – it seemed to me – surpassed most in accumulating them.

This week, we are on a mini-vacation. I am sitting by a swimming pool in Orange Beach watching one of my daughters interact with some other young folks (using this word clearly shows my age) from Missouri on their Senior High School trip and I smell a cigar. Now I grew up with a father who specialized in inhaling the putrid and disgusting smoke from Pall Mall cigarettes (see here for details). But a cigar is nothing like a nasty cigarette. I don’t know the brand, but I really liked it. If I weren’t such a sissy I might just start smoking them.

My uncle CA (which stands Connie Alonzo – and not your typical Southern name) smoked Prince Albert pipe tobacco. I loved this smell, but again never took up smoking a pipe either. I am guessing that the Pall Mall’s inoculated me against any possible desire to smoke.

The unwritten rule in our church (and society in general now) is that smoking is a sin (but a tolerable indulgence that the church of big government readily sells to finance social programs). I don’t remember reading anything in the Bible overtly against smoking tobacco, but it is highly frowned upon nonetheless.

Which is funny because:

As a young teenager, I remember deacons standing outside the building corralling men to serve on the Lord’s Supper or say a prayer or take part in the service in general all the while puffing away on some awful smelling cigarette.

Now, if the deacons had been smoking a nice Ashton VSG or a Por Larranaga Hondouran blend, things might have been different.

They also didn’t have Google to find a cigar name, but that’s not the point. It may be a nasty habit, like almost any thing involving tobacco, but I just don’t see it as malum in se sinful.

Purposeful disobedience to Jesus? Now that’s is a different matter.

Sometimes it is just easier to build straw men arguments against bad habits and call them sin than to love and accept folks.

What are some of the taboos you were raised with?

 

 

Preaching on Your Feet

May 27, 2011 in Religion with 2 Comments

When I started preaching in 1989, I quickly realized that almost everything I’d been taught did not seem to me to be the correct way that I should speak. Now, I had some wonderful instructors along the way and would never want to malign them in any way. But the preaching I grew up with was not the method for me.

Preaching On Your Feet

Perhaps realizing that, I did not start preaching immediately after I graduated from a small Christian college with ONLY a degree in Bible. (I didn’t even look for a church until a friend called and talked me into an interview fours years later). I believe that Christian colleges do their students a great disservice by allowing Bible majors to “major” only in Bible. I met many guys who went back to school soon after graduating with a Bible degree for an additional degree – like engineering or business. The point is that – in my faith group anyway – there are many small churches that simply can’t afford to pay a person a livable salary. I believe that the preacher should be able to make a living elsewhere in addition to preaching. Just my two cents though.

But after the small East Tennessee church said I could move there and speak for them on a regular basis, I realized that I didn’t have a clue how to preach on a consistent basis. So, I started buying preaching books. I learned from people like Fred Craddock, Thomas Long, and Eugene Lowry and others. They all came from different churches and perspectives, but they taught me the necessity of preaching texts and doing my homework.

Unfortunately, and probably because of my backwardness, I preached many, many sermons from these guys – never completely developing my own style. Later, I took another unfortunate life-turn when I, wanting to escape the legalistic tendencies of the churches I’d worked with, and went to law school (thank you Dusty for thinking that was funny).

Next week, we are moving for the eighth time in 18 years. I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to preach again on a regular basis – but I hope so. One of the things I did in preparation for moving is to get rid of almost all of my hard bound books. I am going digital – as much as I can. But I also ditched all the sermons I used over the years. I did this primarily after reading and being convicted by a book called “Preaching on your Feet” by Fred Lybrand. It isn’t the most well organized book, but it caused me to realize just how important immersing yourself in the text is to the delivery of a message.

This may sound like common sense to you, but I had always focused on outlining and developing major points. Although I’d read many preaching books through the years, this one helped reshape my beliefs about preaching in a way that’s so basic I am somewhat reluctant to write about it. (I obviously overcame that reluctance!) I’m just hopeful that I’ll get to use the lessons in the future.

Here are some of the reasons for “preaching on your feet” that I copied from one reviewer named Scot McKnight on Amazon.com:

  1. Time management: you save the hours it takes to write out a sermon or write out thick notes.
  2. Connection with the audience: eye-to-eye is better than eye-to-manuscript-to eye. The struggle here is palpable for those who sit and listen.
  3. Remembering: if you can remember it, they can remember it.
  4. Humility: struggling to find the best word is normal human existence.
  5. Adaptability: good preachers read the eyes of those who listen and adapt and adjust to the levels of comprehension.
  6. Holy Spirit led. Obvious and potentially a source of abuse and an excuse for lack of preparation.
  7. Personality trumps plagiarism: Lybrand is big on each preacher having personality, that person’s personality and not someone else’s.
  8. An act of faith.
  9. Growth in confidence.
  10. Readiness.
  11. A walk with God is more intimate to preaching …
  12. You become sharper (if not smarter).
  13. Fresh delivery.
  14. Joy in preaching.
  15. Audience is expectant.