Reflections

Illegal Immigration

2006-04-30T22:52:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow illegal immigrants and their supporters from across the nation are planning to boycott businesses, schools and work places in order to show congress and the rest of us how important they are to our economy. The are planning to march en masse to prove their solidarity and to demand their rights to be citizens of this country. If the protests of the past couple weeks are any indication, many of these illegal immigrants will be marching under the Mexican flag.

I'm sorry, but am I the only person who has a problem with this? I would have a lot more sympathy if they marched through the streets of town with banners proclaiming: "We love America. Please don't make us leave." Or, "We want to be Americans, too." Shouldn't they be begging to stay instead of demanding their "rights"?

And, by the way, didn't they come here so they could work and go to school and pursue the American dream? So why would they leave their employment, walk out of schools and refuse to shop? Seems to me they are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

And marching under the Mexican flag? That bothers me most. They want all the benefits of being an American while proclaiming themselves to be Mexicans?

There may be 12 million of them, but there are far more of "us": people who love America and have pledged our allegiance to America and choose to obey its laws. Many people have chosen to make this their home and applied for citizenship legally. They worked hard to learn our language and culture and history. My great-grandparents came to this country from Poland (Austria-Hungary). They were immigrants. Legal ones. Is it too much to ask that those who want to be a part of this country obey its laws even before they are granted citizenship? If they don't, and if we don't require them to, I fear we weaken our country and America will begin to lose what makes it great in the first place.

I am prepared to go shopping tomorrow. I'm heading to the mall to buy something... anything. I want retailers to know that it is the American people who fuel our economy. I want our congressmen and women to know that, too. Illegal immigrants may contribute, but we don't make our policy and laws to give protections and freedoms and privileges to those who are breaking our laws. Or at least we shouldn't.

Whatever happens tomorrow, I hope it will wake Americans up to the preciousness of this country and cause us to stand together to maintain our laws and ideals. And I hope more than a few of the marchers will realize the privileges they are enjoying are ones others have given their lives for... and that they will be moved to become citizens legally.

A New Year

2006-01-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe it is already 2006. And I haven't updated my blog since September. I don't know why I've been having such a hard time writing lately. Maybe I did a little too much writing last year -- the Lectio Divina study on John, a couple weeks' worth of devotionals for Light from the Word, and several commentaries for Teacher's Helps. Last year this time I finished a huge project (for me, anyway) for my sister's computer company that they never did anything with. Nothing like feeling you're wasting your time writing to keep you from doing it!

Even though I haven't blogged, I've still been doing something. I spent the past month and a half trying to get all my old writing typed into the computer (much of it I lost on an old laptop that quit working about 4 years ago). Rebecca (precious 17-year-old daughter) helped with some of the typing. Then I worked at putting together a store on eBay to sell my writing as ebooks (in PDF format that every computer can read). At the time I started this project, I was convinced that this was something God wanted me to do. But now I wonder. I am so inept at business strategy. I have no idea how to market my writing, and sometimes I wonder why anyone would care what I have to say anyway. But I'll give it a try.

I am most excited about having my apologetics material available on the web. I taught several apologetics classes at our church in Wisconsin and then developed my own material based on hours and hours of study and seeing what worked with students. I must admit that I am very proud of this work. It's concise, but it is also full of good, practical, logical information. I am hoping it will be a great help to many people.

So what's up for the new year? My one goal is to write a book I've been thinking about for 10 years now. I hate the thought of writing it, because I know I'll be branded a heretic by most of the Christian world (at least the vocal Christian world). I want to call the book "Rethinking Revelation" and tackle the whole issue of the Second Coming, the Rapture and the Millennium. I am so weary of all this pretribulationism and dispensationalism I hear nowadays. I don't think Scripture teaches what they teach, but I don't want to write a book just to be "right." I want to write something that will motivate and inspire. So, I have a lot of thinking to do. And I could use any insights any of you out there have to offer.

In the meantime, if anyone is interested in my ebooks (electronic books that must be read online -- they're not printed for you, though you can print them yourself if you want to), visit my eBay store at www.stores.ebay.com/biblebasicsandbeyond.

Watch over the next couple days for my New Year's Resolutions. I never do them before the first of the year, because New Years Day is a holiday, and I usually break them all the first day. So, I'll be forming mine before the end of the first week of the year. Hope you are working on yours, too. Until then....

On Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

No one who has watched the news at all this past week could help but feel a desperate compassion for the hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana and Mississippi who have had their lives torn apart by Hurricane Katrina. Such devastation! Such suffering! Such pain! I can't even imagine how they feel. Forgotten, abandoned, hopeless. Our first response is to ask, "How can I help?"

But I found another response in my heart after watching the newscasts. I felt anger. And I'm not altogether sure why. I don't feel anger toward God. Or toward the government. Or toward any organization or official. But I do feel a certain amount of anger toward the "victims" of this tragedy.

First, it angers me that they didn't leave when evacuation orders were given. I understand that some were unable to leave town because of a lack of transportation or money. But they had 2 days warning. They could have hitchhiked. They could have done something.

I'm angry that people are looting and raping and shooting at relief workers. What are they thinking? Why do tragedies like this bring out the best -- and the worst -- in people? And why are so many of the poor also so uncaring toward their own that they would choose to hurt those who are already hurting? I just don't get it.

I'm angry because the victims are angry. They're hurting. We all understand that. But their anger reveals that they think they have some right to have relief provided for them. Given the compassion of Americans during catastrophes around the world, they do have a right to expect that people would also be compassionate toward them. But the folks in New Orleans act as if they are the only ones in need. And they forget that much of the efforts of the early rescuers was to actually rescue people whose lives were in danger. They were plucking people off rooftops, while those at the Superdome were crying because they wanted more food. I know they feel desperate. But I've fasted many, many times in my life. I've often gone a week without food. I've gone 3 weeks. And I wasn't terribly overweight when I started. And I survived. And I didn't complain.

Do you think it's because we're so spoiled here in America? We're not used to ever going a day without a meal. We think someone owes us something. We think we're entitled to quick relief and comfort.

Don't misunderstand. The situation is deplorable. But some of it I just don't understand. People urinating and defecating on the floor...? Pardon me, but wasn't there anyone there with any sense to suggest that they dig a hole outside and keep their personal waste away from everyone else? To me, that's common sense. Maybe the problem is that among the poor (those "left behind") there is very little leadership. Maybe their really was no one to step up and guide people. But no, I don't think someone else -- someone with a family of their own to care for, someone with enough sense to flee the category 5 hurricane -- should have been expected to stick around and put their life on the line for those who decided to stay in town.

When the tsunami hit in Indonesia, you saw pictures on television of the "victims" working to clear debris and to stack dead bodies away from the rest of the people. They were helping in search and rescue. But the victims in this hurricane all seem to be standing around waiting for someone else to do something for them, chanting, "We need help! We need help!" And they're angry that help isn't coming faster. I wonder if in the coming weeks we'll hear the refrain, "We detest this miserable manna."

One woman interviewed on TV tonight said, "We don't deserve to be treated this way!" What way? People everywhere are sending money. We're trying to get relief to them. People want to help. No one is treating them poorly. They're doing the best they can in a situation that is difficult. It's not too easy to get food to areas when the roads are impassable. For once I'd just like to see one person interviewed express thanks to God for protecting them and for the lives they have. I'd like to see someone express hope for the future.

Maybe I'm being too hard on them. I've never been in their position. I've never lost everything. But many others through the centuries have. And they survived not by waiting around for someone to help them and condemning the government for not responding quick enough -- but by garnering their inner strength, picking themselves up by the bootstraps, and making something happen.

Compassion and anger. Is there something wrong with me for feeling both? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and help me out.

Lectio Divina

2005-08-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot to let you know about the new Lectio Divina Bible Study series that is now available (at least partially) from the Wesleyan Publishing House. The series is being published by WPH in conjunction with Beacon Hill Press (Nazarenes). Right now John and Hebrews are ready, with Philippians and Mark available in the fall. A total of 12 titles will be available by the end of next year.

I wrote the study on the gospel of John. It was the hardest writing assignment I've ever had. And one of the most satisfying.

Lectio Divina is the ancient art of "divine reading." The reader is invited not just to read the Bible for information, but for spiritual transformation. Each of the eight Bible studies in each book are designed to help you interact with the text: What is God trying to say to me through His Word? They're designed to help you develop a rhythm in your devotional life, balancing praying with listening, and studying with applying. I think you'll find the series refreshing. Instead of simply giving you information, the books ask questions to help you discover the "living Word" for yourself.

A New Chapter in Our Lives

2005-08-19T22:42:00.000-04:00

In just over 8 hours we begin a new chapter in our family's life. Our 18-year-old son Jonathan will head to college. Sure, he'll only be an hour away, but it's still a great transition -- for him and for us. The mother part of me feels a sense of sadness. But mostly fulfillment. God has brought me to the point where I feel very much ready for him to go. Ready for him to grow up. Ready for him to make his way in the world. I firmly believe he will be wildly successful at whatever he does. This week he told me he feels God calling him to ministry. So much for someone to take care of me in my old age. But I couldn't be prouder. I want him to serve the Lord with all his heart. I want the Lord to use him in bigger and better ways than he ever saw fit to use me. I want him to be a world-changer. Or to serve humbly in obscurity it that's what God calls him to do. I just want him to be faithful.

Such joy to see your child grow up and (finally) make wise decisions. God be with him!

Rebecca is a senior this year. It will be her best year so far, I'm sure. And then she'll be off to college. She still has plans to become a meteorologist, but she's also open to what the Lord wants for her life.

So, in another year Dan and I will get to experience the empty nest syndrome. And we are so ready for it. We are ready to be spontaneous again and to feel the freedom we felt in our first 4 1/2 years of marriage (BC -- before children). We feel a release that can only be from the Lord. We're ready to release them to God. Ready to let them make their own decisions. Ready to catch them when they fall. Ready to keep loving them no matter what.

Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of being a parent. Thank you for the grace to let go. Thank you for loving our kids even more than we do!

AUGUST 20 UPDATE: Yeah, right. I cried the whole way home from Lakeland. Then I cried most of the afternoon. I need help! :)

On Suffering and Healing

2005-08-06T10:26:00.000-04:00

The month of July was a brand new experience for me. At the end of our vacation in June, I took a misstep off a curb in San Diego and, apparently, hurt my back. I thought nothing of it at the time, but the next morning I had great difficulty walking. The pain increased over the next couple days until I finally asked Dan to take me to an urgent care center in Las Vegas. They gave me enough medication to get me home.

Most of you have already heard the rest of the story. An MRI showed a ruptured disc, a disc that has a tear, 3 bulging disks (two with central bulging in contact with the spinal cord). It appears that there may be a free-floating fragment of disc from the ruptured disc. The contents of that disc are pressing on the sciatic nerve, which caused excruciating pain to radiate down my leg. I spent the better part of the month of July lying in bed in pain, just waiting for the next pain pill (Percocet).

The pain was probably the most intense I have ever felt in my life. After the first week, I told Dan and the kids to just take me out and shoot me. It was the first time I was ever able to truly understand why people with debilitating illnesses would contemplate suicide. Not that I ever considered it. But I understood it. All of a sudden I felt a tremendous repect and admiration for those who persevere through years of pain. I wondered how they could possibly do it. That's when I realized I'm a wimp. I always thought I had a pretty good tolerance for pain. But I learned that I'm not as strong as I thought I was. And I wondered how I would possibly last if the pain persisted for more than a couple more days.

But here I am. Six weeks after the onset of pain. And I feel great. I spent all last week in meetings in Indianapolis. The discomfort was minimal. I marveled because I knew it was only because of the hand of God on my life. I knew HE was working to make me well so I could do His work.

But I also have a lot of questions about healing. I read Jim Garlow's new book on healing this week and I must say I don't agree with him on every area. Is it always God's will to heal? Does He heal according to our timetable or His? Does God ever cause sickness or injury in order to teach us or to discipline us? My foray with pain and suffering, albeit short-lived, was valuable to me. I learned patience. I learned to depend on God. I learned to simply rest in Him. I learned that there were people (even church people) who loved me even when I couldn't "perform." I find myself (now) glad that God gave me the privilege of learning these lessons the only way I could have -- by undergoing a period of suffering.

I have no idea what lies ahead of me. But I do know that God will use every situation to draw me closer to Him and to make me more like Him.

You Determine Your Attitude

2005-05-12T08:47:00.000-04:00

I received this "forward" via e-mail this morning. It really is profound.

PROFOUND
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood." Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Michael continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man' I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'." Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34. After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. You have two choices now:You know the choice I made. God Bless, and smile, it could be contagious.

Questions on My Mind

2005-05-04T13:54:00.000-04:00

Here are some questions that have been on my mind in recent weeks.

1. The Roman Catholic Church elected a new Pope a few weeks ago. The American media had report after report on who should or shouldn't be elected, analyzing the opinions of both Catholics and Protestants around the world, as well as political leaders. My question is: Why should the Catholic Church care about who WE think should lead THEIR religion? If the office of Pope is God-ordained, shouldn't God be the One to choose a Pope? The fact that American Catholics were hoping for a Pope who was more "tolerant" and who was willing to change the historic positions of the Catholic church on such issues as abortion, woman clergy, birth control, homosexuality, etc. is appalling. The Pope is entrusted with guarding the doctrine of the church as it has been handed down from generation to generation. I don't happen to agree with a lot of their tradition, but I do respect the fact that they unchanging in what they believe to be the truth of God's Word. Christianity isn't for our convenience. We don't get to re-write God's laws so they're more appealing to us, or so we can fell better about our sins.

2. Is it my imagination, or are there more incidences of child abduction and murder than ever before? I read an article that said what was happening in the Tampa Bay area was highly unusual. Most cases of child abduction end with the child being found alive. But that hasn't been the case here in recent months. And almost every day there's a report of another child at a bus stop being approached by a pedophile. Last night a man tried to steal a six-year-old girl from Chick-Fil-A in broad daylight with family members watching. What's this world coming to? Will anyone be able to admit that the last 40 years of increasing promiscuity, rampant pornography and the outright ridicule of religious mores has done more harm than good to society? Why do people think getting rid of God in our culture will produce a safer America or one that people would WANT to live in?

3. Where does the time go? In just a couple weeks my little boy graduates from high school. He's now 18 years old. It seems like it was just yesterday that he was born. I remember when the kids were little having older adults tell me to cherish the time, because it would be gone quickly. I never realized how right they were until now. I guess that's why it's so important to make every single day count. I've always made a point to tell my kids every day that I love them and to hug and kiss them every chance I got. I'm so glad I did. I have no regrets. Just an eager anticipation of what comes next in their lives.

4. What now? In another year Rebecca will be ready to graduate from high school and head to college. Then we will be official "empty-nesters." So, what does God have in store for us in the second half of our lives? We've been pastoring now for 23 years. Will the next 20 years be more of the same, or does God have something else in store? What should we be doing to prepare for what's ahead? How will we know when God wants us to do something different? If we continue to pastor churches (and we're hoping to be in Zephyrhills for a long time), how will that ministry change because of the changing culture? What should we be doing differently? How can we ensure that we keep growing?

The Power of Perspective

2005-04-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

This is the time of year when I am tempted to become depressed. Each week we see a huge percentage of our congregation leave for the north, knowing we won't see many of them again for 8 months or longer. The numbers dwindle. Offerings taper off. We struggle to make ends meet. It gets harder and harder to attract new people to the church when the dynamics are so drastically changed.

But I guess, as with all things in life, it's just a matter of perspective. What could depress me doesn't have to if I look on the bright side.

We are the most privileged of all pastors. Dan and I have reminded each other many times over the years of how fortunate we are to know so many genuinely good people. Quality people. People who love the Lord and storm the gates of heaven with their prayers. Though many of those people are gone during the summer months, we know that they are not gone from our thoughts, nor are we absent from theirs. They are still praying for us. And many of them enlist their northern church friends to pray for our church. That means the prayers for this church and our ministry are multiplied many times over during the summer. How much more blessed could we be?

We also remind ourselves that we are not "losing" people to our church during the summer months. We have merely sent them out as short-term missionaries. For the past several months God has entrusted them to our care, so we could teach them and feed them and train them (according to His Word and His plan). Now they're off to various parts of the country putting into practice what we've shared. They are missionaries from Zephyrhills, expanding the ministry of this church many times over. What a powerful, influential ministry God has entrusted to us! We know "our people" are going to be a tremendous blessing to their northern churches, and when they return they'll share all the good reports with us. It just doesn't get any better than this.

The summer months teach us anew and afresh to depend on the Lord and to trust Him. We simply have to. Summer keeps us humble. We remember the value of hard work and being faithful in the little things. We never have been ones to prepare LESS just because we were expecting a smaller crowd. We like to think we put the same amount of effort into our ministries no matter how large or small the crowd. But having the smaller numbers reminds us what ministry is all about -- one soul at a time.

Summer also gives us an opportunity to regroup and rest from the hectic winter months. God has given us this time as a great pause -- not from ministry, but from over-activity -- so we can be renewed in our spirits. It's a time to think about people and pray for them. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," the old saying goes. And it really is true. We love our northern friends intensely. And we miss them.

So, though I'm tempted to feel down and look at the struggles ahead, I force myself to see the "Florida Syndrome" from a heavenly perspective. There is so much to praise the Lord for that to do otherwise would be downright sinful.

The Death of American Christianity

2005-04-08T22:38:00.000-04:00

These thoughts have been on my mind all week long, but I hesitate to share them. I don't want to be misunderstood and I certainly don't want to offend anyone. But as I look across the church in general, I can't help but lament the state of Christendom in America. Bluntly put, we're dying. And I think I know why.

It's because we see so little Biblical Christianity.

Don't get me wrong. People claim to be Christians. They feel passionately about many things. They understand the fundamentals of the Christian faith; but they're not Biblical Christians. They don't operate from a Biblical world view. Their "feelings" are inconsistent with Scripture and they don't care. Most people today believe what they want to believe and they don't want to be confused with Bible verses! They don't care if their views are inconsistent with the Scriptures.

So, this week I listened to a woman in Bible study passionately defend her position that Terri Shiavo "died 15 years ago" and her life had "no value at all" and she had "no quality of life." The Biblical concepts of all life having value, the purification that comes from suffering, and God's sovereignty meant nothing to this dear friend because she passionately believed that since she wouldn't want to live like that, Terri wouldn't, either. I went from that to a conversation with a former religious leader who explained why he was vehemently against the death penalty, which he felt was completely in harmony with Scripture. I couldn't help pointing out that it was God who instituted the death penalty. But it didn't matter. What he believed was "right" regardless of what the Bible taught.

I wish these were the only two examples.

American Christianity won't die because of persecution from without. It will die from a lack of Biblical understanding from within. Let's face it: When you take away the Bible all you're left with are a lot of really nice ideas and no objective standard of truth at all. Somehow we need to get Christians to be Biblical Christians -- to embrace the Word of God and to immerse themselves in it until it transforms their thinking. Maybe that's why Paul was so insistent that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds in Romans 12:2.

So, this morning I "happened" to read this excerpt from Dallas Willard's The Spirit of the Disciplines (in Devotional Classics, p.14, 16):

"The word 'disciple' occurs 269 times in the New Testament. 'Christian' is found only three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to the disciples. . . The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ.

"But the point is not merely verbal. What is more important is that the kind of life we see in the earliest church is that of a special type of person. All of the assurances and the benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose such a life and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian -- especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God.

"For at least several decades the churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition of being a Christian. One is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship. Contemporary American churches in particular do not require following Christ in his example, spirit, and teachings as a condition of membership -- either of entering into or continuing in fellowship of a denomination or a local church. . . So far as the visible Christian institutions of our day are concerned, discipleship clearly is optional. . . .

"Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God's overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10)."

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says we are to make disciples, not "Christians." We are to teach people to obey everything that Jesus has commanded in the Word. Disciples are continually being taught. They have teachable spirits. They spend so much time with their teacher that they begin to think like he does and talk like he does. They adopt his attitudes. And so must we if we are truly disciples of Jesus Christ. It's not enough to simply be grateful for the provision of the cross. It's not enough to have an experience of conversion. If we're not disciples -- if we're not seeking to be Biblical Christians -- do we really have anything at all? Or are we just fooling ourselves?

Lessons Learned from Golf

2005-03-28T07:53:00.000-05:00

A year before we moved to Florida, Dan and I had decided I should learn to play golf. We were looking for something we could do together to relax and de-stress. Then we wound up moving to Florida and for the past few years have been too preoccupied to add another element to our lives. Until a couple months ago. When Nancy Lester, LPGA, offered a free Monday afternoon golf clinic for our church folks, she promised me she could help me actually hit the ball. I know I held a golf club once when we lived in Iowa back in 1984. But I couldn't even remember how to hold one.

So, now I've been going to the driving range for the past couple months, preparing for a March 19 scramble in memory of Cecil Yager, a dear church member who died last year. The week of the tournament I finally stepped on a golf course for the very first time. We played 9 holes at Hidden Creek on Monday and 9 holes on Lake Bernadette on Friday. Then the 9 holes of the scramble at Valley Oaks on Saturday.

Here's what I've learned from my brief encounter with this game.

1. This is the most infuriating game ever invented. This came as no surprise. I always said you'd have to be stupid or bored stiff to try to hit a little ball hundreds of yards into a tiny hole. But I thought it would only be infuriating for a little while. I had no idea that even people who play every week sometimes get frustrated with the game. I never thought in my life I'd be watching golf on television, but now I actually hunt for it. I'm amazed as I watch these professionals hit the ball in the water, in the sand, etc. I never knew they did that! Last week Dan and I watched the movie, "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius." It was encouraging to see one of golfing's legends completely frustrated with the game he loved. He would become to angry he'd throw his club! I haven't felt quite that bad about it yet, but I have wanted to cry and walk out in the middle of a "game." (We haven't really kept score yet, so technically it's not a game, is it?)

2. I'm learning patience and humility. I am one of those people who is afraid to try new things because I'm afraid of failure. I have always known this was a problem, and I've always known that eventually I would have to try to work through it. Golf is perfect for me. It's humiliating. I have to be patient with myself. But the good news is that I'm getting better. Not necessarily at the golf, but at being patient with myself and not worrying about what someone else thinks about me.

3. I'm learning to enjoy the scenery. The only things I have missed since moving to Florida (besides the Green Bay Packers and some good friends) are lush lawns and hilly vistas. But now I've realized those things are hidden on the golf courses! They're beautiful. I love seeing the water and pretty grasses and perfectly manicured "lawns." So, I'm inclined to go golfing just to enjoy the view.

4. I'm learning more about my husband. Dan is the kindest, most patient man I've ever met. And he's amazing when it comes to golf. He's terrible. But it doesn't diminish his enjoyment of the game. If he hits a good shot, he feels great. He completely forgets about the bad ones. He told me I have to take every shot like it's my first and forget the last one. That's great advice for life, too. And that really is how he lives his life. I enjoy spending time with Dan doing something other than work. Maybe that's one of the hazards of working together. If we're not talking about the church, we're talking about the kids. Now we talk about golf and a whole lot of other things! It's our little escape. Sometimes at lunchtime we'll sneak away to the driving range and split a bucket of balls. It only takes about a half hour, so it's a nice little diversion in the middle of the day. And it's a whole lot healthier than a cheeseburger!

The toughest thing about golf is the expense. We figure we will probably be able to afford only one round of golf a month. I guess that will be our monthly "date" from now on. Luckily, the prices go down in Zephyrhills for the summer, once all the northerners go home. But a bucket of balls at the driving range is only $6. One day last week we splurged and split the huge bucket of balls $10. So, it's cheaper than a movie or lunch or almost anything else we could think to do. And it's refreshing. I guess it's worth the expense.

So, look out. I'm going to practice all summer. I figure I have 20 years before I'm retirement age. Think how good I'll be by then! Think how much I'll have learned. Yet somehow I think I'll still find it the most frustrating game in the world. But I'll have grown because of it.

Thoughts on Terri Shiavo

2005-03-21T14:06:00.000-05:00

[Note: Excerpts from this entry (880 words) were published in the March 24, 2005, edition of the Tampa Tribune as an editorial on the Opinion Page.]

Once or twice in our lifetimes we have the opportunity to experience history in the making. But we rarely recognize it at the time.

This is one of those times.

Years from now historians and theologians will be looking back to the events of this past week as a pivotal moment in the history of the United States. It marks a monumental shift in our collective attitude toward the physically handicapped and the sanctity of life.

Please indulge me while I share some random thoughts on Terri Shiavo and her desperate situation. For some unknown reason her heart stopped 15 years ago, resulting in irreversible brain damage. She has been diagnosed as being in a "persistent vegetative state," though doctors disagree over whether or not she has any chance of improvement. Her husband wanted her feeding tube removed so she could die peacefully, which he believes is her wish (based on a comment made while watching a television show years ago). Her parents feel otherwise. They believe they still have a meaningful relationship with Terri and that her life still has value. They believe she does not want to die now. Today a federal judge denied the parents' request to re-insert a feeding tube that was removed at the end of last week by court order, ending years of court battles and flying in the face of congress, the President, and state lawmakers.

When I was a very young adult, I distinctly remember thinking that I'd rather be dead than paralyzed (the story of Karen Ann Quinlan was on everyone's mind back then). I also remember my mother telling us that she wanted to die before she reached 60. How perspectives change depending on our circumstances. My mom is now 63, and I think she sees her age as an asset, not a liability. If she were incapacitated because of an accident, I don't think she'd appreciate it if I opted for "pulling the plug" because she told everyone years ago she'd rather not live at this age. And now that I'm a little older and wiser, I am sure God would give me the grace to live through the challenge of a physical disability. So, the fact that Terri Shiavo made a comment during a movie that she'd rather die than be kept alive on a machine (and she's NOT being kept alive by any machine) is a non-issue.

I find it interesting the perspectives people have on being starved to death. Michael Shiavo's lawyer said on the news last night that it's a peaceful way to die. He also said that Terri has no conscious thought, so there will be no suffering at all as we understand it. She is not aware of anything happening to her. If that is true, then how is she suffering by being kept alive? If this lawyer is correct, then she has no consious thoughts like, "I wish they would just let me die." Being kept alive isn't cruel if they're correct. However, if any one of us chose to starve a cat or dog to death as a means of putting them out of their misery, we would be hauled off to court by the animal rights activists. It's cruel to starve an animal but not a human being? I don't quite understand that one!

Any way, while I'm speaking of animals... let me throw this one out. Many people have said that we are more merciful with dying animals than with dying people. We would never permit an animal to live on and on for so many years in such a state. They believe it's cruel to force a person to continue to live this way. First, I think this is where we need to acknowledge that the life of a human being is of greater value than that of an animal. But there's also a deeper spiritual issue here. Let me explain.

In the Garden of Eden, God gave mankind dominion over all the animals of the earth. That meant we were given authority over them and also the responsibility to care for them. In some respects, we are their "god." We have the responsibility to determine when they live and when they die. That goes for hunting them for food, putting them out of their pain when they're severely inured or too old, etc. We are the ones who are put in the position to make such life and death decisions. It's a responsibility given to us by God. But God never gave us dominion over one another (except to decree the death penalty for certain crimes, carrying out God's judgment in the way He prescribed). We don't have the right to take on God's role. He is the One who decides when someone lives or dies. We acknowledge His sovereignty. We yield control to Him. We place ourselves at His mercy and trust Him to do what is best and right and just. Who are we to question His ways? Terri's heart stopped once. If God was ready to take her home, it could and would stop again, regardless of whether or not she has a feeding tube. The fact that she's still here is an attestation to God's will for her life.

Sometimes the lives we live aren't for US at all. There are times God keeps us on this earth to do something for or in someone else. Family members learn unconditional, selfless love; they learn the blessing of caregiving. There are character traits that are never developed in us until we experience tragedy. That holds true for Terri's parents and for Terri as well. Who knows what is really going on in her mind? All the speculation in the world is irrelevant when it comes to God. How do we know He is not conversing with her, comforting her, drawing her heart to Him? How do we know she is ready to meet her Maker? God is doing something in Terri. He's doing something in her parents. To short-circuit the process is to thumb our noses at God and to tell Him we know more than He does and we are more loving than He is. We are more merciful. We are more gracious. Who do we think we are?

Terri's husband has lambasted the "government" for getting involved in a personal family matter. Let me just say, if the whole family agreed, the government wouldn't have to step in. One person opts for death and the other opts for life. The "government" stepped in when the case was taken to the courts. And who are they to decide whether a person should live or die -- a person who has committed no crime, a person who has no terminal illness, a person who is not being kept alive by any machine.

My son had an interesting observation. He said people are being kept alive by machines all the time. We call them pacemakers. Will we eventually get to the point where we would rather let someone die than put in a pacemaker to keep them alive artificially, by machine? I guess we all better think twice before signing that living will.

Years ago I remember watching a missionary film about Marilyn Laslo and her ministry among the Sepik Iwam people of Papua New Guinea. One scene in the film has stayed with me all these years. Marilyn almost lost her ministry because of this incident. This group of people believed that life was in the throat (we think of life being in the heart). Consequently, if a person is unable to speak, they're not alive. I don't remember what happened to Marilyn's closest friend in the village, but she was very sick and could no longer speak. She was still moving. Her eyes were open. But he villagers held a funeral procession and buried her alive. Marilyn was beside herself. She knew a doctor could help. But these people didn't understand. I believe we are those Sepik Iwam people. Terri Schiavo can't communicate with us. How do we know she has no "life"? The simple fact is that we have no idea what is going through her mind. We all think we wouldn't want to live that way, so we project our own feelings on to Terri and believe she'd rather be dead than alive as she is. We believe her life has no value at all. She's already dead in our eyes. So, what's the harm in starving her to death?

Don't think we haven't stepped on a slippery slope. I wouldn't want to live with Down's Syndrome. Will it be acceptable one day to let children born with this deformity simply starve to death in the hospital delivery room? What if they're born with Cystic Fibrosis or some other disease? If we decide life isn't important, where will this lead us? If a relative is severly injured in an accident and will be paralyzed, will we be opting to withhold food and water to "get it over with"? I can't help but believe we are somehow cheapening life here. And I shudder at where this will take us down the road.

Terri will probably die within a few days. I pray God will give peace to her and her family. And I pray He will spare us the judgment that we deserve as a country for allowing this to happen.

Thoughts on Lent

2005-03-12T16:40:00.000-05:00

Do you usually give up something for Lent? I never did as a kid or young adult, but now I usually do. This year I gave up something dear to my heart, something that takes up a considerable amount of time, something I knew I'd miss: talk radio. Yes, I admit it. I'm a Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Bud Heddinger junkie. I love hearing about politics and popular culture. I love the arguing (often me arguing with a caller or host) and the mental challenge. But I do believe those kinds of programs make me more surly than I should be as a Christian. And they tie me to a world I'm called to be in but not of. So, as I have often done, I gave it all up for Lent. This year I have been very conscious of the fact that it's not in my life. I've been listening to the Christian radio station and have found myself much encouraged by the preachers and musicians. I have found myself growing closer to Christ this Lenten season than ever before. I've been challenged in new ways and my thoughts are on Him almost all the time now.

So, have I learned anything from this? Yes. I don't think I'll go back to my daily dose of talk radio when Lent is over. I have enjoyed this way too much. Maybe I'll listen just once a week so I know what's happening in my world, but I'll stick with the Christian station so I am constantly reminded what's most important.

Which leaves me with a dilemma. What will I give up next year?

I'm Back

2005-03-12T16:05:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe it's been more than 4 months since I've blogged. It's not that I haven't had any thoughts. But this is the busy season in Florida. Four out of every five of our church attendees are snowbirds. They arrive in November and December and start returning north in March and April. So, here's what I've been doing: Writing.

In November and December I worked on writing a manual for a computer program my sister's company is developing. Of course, that involved me actually learning the program, helping to debug it and then figuring out a way to make it easy for others to understand. I made this project top priority, since my sister wanted the product on the market ASAP and asked for the manual to be done at the end of the year. I finished late New Year's Eve. As far as I know nothing has been done with the manual and they are making loads of changes to the program, which means somewhere down the line I'll need to start all over.

On to project two: my least favorite type of writing. More devotionals for Light from the Word for Wesleyan Publishing House. I so much dislike the discipline of writing with such a small word count, but it's a good mental exercise for me. I finished those in just a couple weeks in February.

The Big Project. I was asked back in November sometime to write one of the new Lectio Divina Bible studies coming out from WPH. They're doing four volumes this year and four next. Not knowing much about Lectio Divina, I spent considerable time in December and January just reading about this type of "divine reading" and doing it myself to get a feel for it. I read books about various saints and other inspirational books just to get myself into the frame of mind for this more contemplative, mystical and meditative type of study. This is not at all what I'm used to (I usually write Bible commentaries!). For a writer, this assignment was very restrictive... 25-40 words for this section, 30-50 for the next, 125-175 for another, 500-600 for the meditation, 50 words for prayer, etc. etc. I'm sure I made it a lot harder than it was supposed to be. But I guess that's how I always am when it comes to the Word of God. I want what I write to be faithful to the text and deeply meaningful to the person who reads it. (So unlike my blogging!) I'll be honest and tell you that I agonized over this writing assignment. I finally finished my good rough draft on March 4 and the final draft on March 8. No other assignment has ever felt so good upon completion. I feel such a great sense of accomplishment just for having conquered the discipline of the written word.

My mother-in-law commented the other day how I have always seemed to keep busy with writing. But, I have never really written anything with the intention of having it published (other than a couple devotionals I did as a result of a writer's workshop I once attended). My very first published article was one I wrote for the old Wesleyan Woman magazine. JoAnn Drury had asked me to send her an article for that, and I did. After that, she asked me to write a series of 12 lengthy devotionals for the Wesleyan Women International yearly handbook. Which I did. Then Jerry Pence and Marlin Mull called from HQ to ask if I'd write the 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting material that year (Building a Household of Faith). I did. Next thing I knew Darlene Teague was asking me to write Bible commentaries for the Teacher Helps magazine. And a love affair was born. That's my favorite type of writing by far. I just love researching Bible passages and trying to make them clear to teachers. Somewhere in all that I had my Through the Bible published, but that's the subject of another blog someday.

In some ways I hate writing. But as long as someone asks me to do it, I'll keep plugging away at it, inept as I feel most of the time. Now that my mind is free from the chain of the approaching deadline, I can fill you in on what I've been thinking in my spare time. Read on...

A Sigh of Relief

2004-11-03T14:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Dan and I went to our polling location to cast our votes at 11:40. We were surprised when it took us only 10 minutes to complete the process (including waiting in line for about 7 minutes while one elderly couple tried unsuccessfully to find their names on the list of registered voters).

Our ladies had met for Bible study and prayer earlier in the morning, and from that time on I felt very much at peace with whatever happened in the election. However, I did wind up staying up until 4:00 a.m., hoping for some kind of finality before going off to bed. And I got up at 7:00 and watched the election coverage some more. When I learned shortly after 11:00 a.m. that Kerry had conceded to Bush, I was very much relieved. The last thing we needed as a country was a long, drawn-out legal process of contested elections. I thank God it's all over.

I think there are some important things that happened in this election.

• All eleven states that had referendums on their ballots concerning gay marriages voted to BAN same-sex marriage. I think the Democratic Party underestimated the core values and morality of most Americans. It is heartening to see that there is still a sense of right and wrong in many of our states and in the country as a whole.

• Almost 60% of eligible voters actually voted. This is the highest voter turnout since 1968. Both political parties should feel good about that. People seem more passionate about politics than ever before. It's always a good thing when people get involved in what's going on. There's still a long way to go. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we got to the point where 80-90% of eligible voters actually voted? Everyone's opinion is important. And they ought to have an opinion.

• George Bush received 3 1/2 million more votes than John Kerry. Bush received more votes than any president in the history of this country — more than Ronald Reagan; many, many more than Bill Clinton. For four years people have been claiming Bush was an illegitimate president who stole the 2000 election. Well, now they'll have to acknowledge that he does indeed have a mandate from this country, like it or not. Maybe we can finally move on from the division of 2000.

• John Kerry, unlike Al Gore, had the grace and class to admit when the race was over. I respect a man who refuses to whine about his loss, who refuses to call for recounts and legal maneuvers to win the presidency. It was good to see someone put the good of the country above their own self-interests.

• Osama Bin Laden's threat seemed to have little impact on our elections. One commentator today made the astute observation that the most Bin Laden could do to influence our election was to make a video tape. Remember Spain? He wreaked havoc with Spain's elections through terrorism. Does anyone feel any comfort in the fact that he was unable to physically harm us in order to influence our election? Maybe we're winning this war on terror after all.

Is there room for improvement in the way President Bush has pressed his policies? Well, sure. I don't know of anyone who can't improve. Hopefully he's learned some things over the past 4 years. America has affirmed that they're behind him and are willing to follow his leadership. So, what now?

We have an obligation as God's people to pray for those in leadership. If you don't pray for your president every day, you don't really have a right to criticize him. He needs to hear from God. He needs to do what is right, not what is popular. And the only one who knows what is right is God himself.

God is doing great things around the world

2004-11-01T22:48:00.000-05:00

For decades now the church in America has been declining. If we were to judge the impact of Christianity solely on the basis of what we see happening here, we'd have good reason to be depressed. But take heart! God is doing a great work all around the world. In the article "The Global Classroom" by Ted Haggard in this month's Ministries Today magazine, we are reminded once again that the world —and Christianity— doesn't revolve around the United States of America. He writes, "There are currently 480 million Christians in Africa, and 313 million in Asia, compared with 260 million in North America.... In 1900 Africa had just 10 million Christians out of a continental population of 107 million—about 9 percent. Today the Christian total stands at 360 million out of 784 million, or 46 percent.... by the year 2025... 50% of the Christian population will be in Africa and Latin America, and another 17 percent will be in Asia."

There was a time when missionaries from the United States were the primary vehicles God used to spread the Gospel throughout the world. That's no longer the case. Christianity is spreading like wildfire around the world apart from our direct influence. Now WE are the mission field. However, we tend to be very self-centered. We think the situation here is indicative of the situation around the world. But it's simply not true. God is moving in powerful ways all around the globe. The church is expanding exponentially. According to Haggard, "researchers estimate that more than 178,000 people come to Christ every day. Among these are some 28,000 in Communist China alone."

I'd like to think that the revival the rest of the world is experiencing will eventually touch us here at home. But it won't come by spending more money or coming up with more fancy programs. It will come when the Church stands up and becomes the Church, allowing God to purify us and fill us anew and afresh with His Spirit. When the rest of America sees we believe in something that is real and life-transforming, they'll want to know more. As 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, we (God's people) will need to humble ourselves, and pray, and seek God's face, and turn from our wicked ways.

But who knows what it will take for us to get to that point. Persecution? More terrorist attacks? A total collapse of our economy? The Church must wake up from her slumber! We need to get on board with what God is doing. He'll continue to draw people to Him —with our without the contribution of the American Church!

Thoughts on the Presidential Election and Voting

2004-11-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I wrote a long, impassioned essay for this blog on the upcoming election. But, when I tried to run a spell check, I lost the entire thing. Since I never had anything like that happen before, I took it as the Lord telling me not to publish it. But here I sit at my computer once again with election thoughts on my mind and wanting so much to share them with you.

I guess what really bothers me is the attitude of so many Americans and the blatant lies of so many politicians. Admittedly, many of this year's voters don't care about their candidate -- they just don't want "the other guy" to win. Many voters are so misinformed on the issues, and so trusting of the obviously biased press, that you wonder if they should even have a right to vote. And don't even get me started on all the "disenfranchised" voters who may lose their "right" to vote because they didn't sign their voter registration applications or failed to check the box verifying they were indeed American citizens. Will we ever get to the point in this country where we're willing to say if you're not smart enough to fill out an application then you're not smart enough to vote? In the last presidential election, before I was a Florida resident, I felt similarly about all those hanging chads, dimpled chads and the like. If you can't even punch a hole in a ballot and make sure it goes all the way through, do you really think you're competent to judge between two candidates on the vital issues facing our nation?

This week I stopped by one of the political party headquarters here in town to pick up some stickers. The folks in the office were nice enough, and the woman there offered to send me some information via e-mail (I'm still not sure why, since I had obviously already determined for whom I would be voting). She sent me three e-mail messages on various issues. I had to reply to two of them because they were "urban legends," e-mail hoaxes that were obvious enough to send me immediately to www.snopes.com to check them out. Honestly, can't we stick to real facts and figures without making up information to try to make the other guy look bad? Doesn't anyone check on information before passing it on anymore?

I am so glad there's only one more day of all this. I am so tired of all the TV ads distorting the records of candidates and present reality. I find myself arguing with the television on a daily basis. Some of the accusations are downright irresponsible. What is wrong with us as a country when we put up with this stuff?

So, tomorrow is the big day. We all get one vote (well, I guess some will get two or three). All I can say is make it count. Pray about your decision. Some say it's a choice of the lesser of two evils. Maybe they're right. But I do believe there is a clear choice for those who are Christians. We need to ask ourselves which candidate is more likely to honor God in his decisions. Which will move our country toward righteousness? Which will treat God's church as a friend and not a foe? Which has more integrity? I've heard Christians of late stating how there's more than one issue involved in this election, and how poverty, the environment and the war in Iraq are just as important as abortion, stem cell research and homosexual marriages. Really??? If this is how Christians think, then we're in sorry shape as a nation. It would serve us right for God to give us over to depraved minds (see Romans 1). No wonder we have so little influence on our culture here in America.

Whoever wins the presidential election tomorrow (or next month, if this ultimately winds up another close one), we can be sure that God is in control. His thoughts are higher than ours and He knows what He's doing. But remember: sometimes His punishment is to give us what we ask for. He sometimes gives us what we deserve instead of what we need. Maybe that's what we need in order to finally wake up as the people of God.

So, whatever you do, please VOTE. If you're fuzzy on the issues, ask someone who has looked at both sides. The issues we're facing as a country are too critical to leave up to chance.

The Longest Month

2004-10-23T20:22:00.000-04:00

October has been the longest month of my life — and the most stressful. The trial our family went through was greater than anything we've ever encountered. No, we didn't lose a loved one. No one was diagnosed with a serious illness. We weren't even voted out of our church. But we would have gladly traded our present trial for any of those!

This past month (and, actually, the past six) has been a battle for the soul of one of our children. Satan is so crafty. He comes as an angel of light. And he seduced our beloved son. I can't begin to express the agony we experienced as he seemed ready to throw away his faith in Christ. Our faith was tested. But God proved himself faithful.

God used this experience to teach me some lessons I should have already known. Before our son was even born we dedicated him to God. We raised him to love the Lord and to know right from wrong. I was reminded by a dear friend that I needed to trust that he really did belong to God, and trust him to do what was right. There's such a strong tendency for us to try to be the Holy Spirit and to forget that He really is speaking to the hearts of our children. God didn't want our son to be lost, either. God never let him go. And God reminded him to Whom he belonged.

I also learned the folly of pride. I have always been so proud of my children. And I still am. But I think sometimes I was proud in a wrong way. I thought that because we tried so hard to be good parents that surely our kids wouldn't stray. I thought we had done something right. Now I've been reminded that the grace of God is all I can depend on. We're certainly not perfect parents. And our kids aren't perfect, either. My children are human. They have free will. And they won't always choose what's right. But I will always love them and root for them and pray for them to follow the Lord. And if they turn out well, God gets all the credit.

I learned that God's Church is phenomenal. We had hundreds of people praying for us this past month. Prayer partners among our friends, relatives and church family prayed continually for our son. He was on other church prayer chains. People from television prayer ministries and Focus on the Family ministries prayed for him. And there is no match for that. God is greater than the Enemy! We were so humbled by the love and concern of so many wonderful people. We were prayed over by our District Superintendent and laypersons in our church. We were sent encouraging e-mails and cards from pastors and laymen and even one of our general superintendents. How overwhelming to experience such love! We were given a glimpse this past month of the true Church in action. And it's not often we get that opportunity to be on the receiving end of such grace. Thank You, Lord, for opening our eyes and surrounding us with Your love through Your people.

We know the trial isn't completely over. Satan doesn't like to lose. And I think he knows his time is short. He wants to destroy families. He particularly wants to destroy the homes of pastors. Praise the Lord that "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world"! We know God will receive glory no matter what happens. As I told my son on Tuesday, "I've read the last chapter of the book and WE WIN!" We're claiming victory in the lives of our children and we're committing ourselves to more persistent prayer on their behalf.

Thank you to all of you who are wrestling in prayer with us. You have blessed us more than we could have imagined. Your prayers are making a difference in the life of our son. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Enough Is Enough

2004-10-01T19:33:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I've done very little blogging lately. Who has time to write when every week (it seems) we have another hurricane to prepare for? I knew when I moved to Florida that hurricanes were a possibility, even a probability, but enough is enough already. Under the end table in my living room I have accumulated almost 100 bottles of water and over 20 pounds of charcoal just in case we should be without water and electricity for weeks on end. For the first time in over 2 years, my pantry is completely stocked with canned goods -- cans of tuna fish, SPAM, corned beef hash and Chef Boyardee beef ravioli. My freezer is almost completely empty, it's contents (along with my refrigerator's) having fallen victim to our 50-hour stint without electricity following Hurricane Frances. I'm very thankful that we didn't need to use our supplies -- it is a testament to God's gracious protection that we didn't! But the anxiety of the preparation and the thought of having to use our provisions and being without comforts, or possibly even without a home, has taken it's toll. I have joined the ranks suffering from hurricane fatigue.

However, I have learned some life lessons watching how people prepared or failed to prepare for the four hurricanes that hit Florida in the past two months. Some people were so busy with "life" that they never even knew a hurricane was coming. My sister was vacationing in Kissimmee the week that Frances hit. I called her a few days before and mentioned something about her flight home and whether or not she would still be able to catch it with the hurricane coming. "Hurricane? What hurricane? You're kidding, right?" was her anxious reply. Of course, I wasn't kidding, and my sister and her kids, after cancelling their flight twice, wound up driving all the way home to Buffalo, NY.

Other people knew the storm was coming, but they refused to believe it would hit us. And, for the most part, they were right. Here in Zephyrhills (30 miles northeast of Tampa) we barely got a breeze from Charley. Frances gave us a good amount of wind and floodwaters, but no massive damage like we saw on television. Ivan, after threatening us with catastrophic force, shifted to the west and missed us entirely. Jeanne, however, put a little fear into all of us, with hurricane-force winds that tumbled numerous trees in town. But all in all, we escaped with minimal damage. This time.

Still others knew the storm was coming but were somewhat cavalier about the whole thing. One neighbor told me when Charley was approaching, "Heck, it's only a category one or two. Ain't no big deal. I'm not afraid of no little hurricane." Charley wound up hitting Florida as a category 4 storm, but -- fortunately for my neighbor -- it hit much farther south than originally predicted.

Finally there were people like me who bought tons of batteries, food, water, extra flashlights, etc. We prepared for the worst and hoped (prayed) for the best.

Do you see a Biblical illustration here? These are the same ways people today prepare for eternity and the judgment to come. Some are so concerned about the cares of this life that they've never given it any thought. Others refuse to believe they will ever face judgment to begin with, no matter what the Bible says. Still others are arrogant enough to think that they'll tangle with God when they get there. And then there are those wise people who plan ahead and prepare. However, even those who prepare can become weary. I'll have to be honest, when it comes to hurricanes, I'm not sure how much preparation I'd do if I heard another one was headed our way. With Hurricane Jeanne, many people who had evacuated for earlier hurricanes decided to just stay put (even in their mobile homes) and take their chances. Hurricanes are one thing; eternity is another! Some good people who know Christ is coming back "someday" have simply become weary of the preparation. Peter described it like this:

2 Peter 3:3-4
First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

Paul reminds us:

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Although the paths of hurricanes are uncertain, the future is not. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment. Every single one of us will face a holy God and give account for what we've done with His Son. For some it will be more devastating than being hit head on by a category 5 hurricane. For others it will bring salvation and eternal life. But one thing is sure: The day is coming! Don't fall into the trap of "hurricane fatigue" in spiritual matters. You can't afford to! I can't afford to!

Destined to Be Holy

2004-09-01T14:26:00.000-04:00

This daily devotional reading is from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest. I read it this morning for my personal devotional time and was so blessed by it that I wanted to share it with you. I trust it resonates with you today.

September 1
Destined To Be Holy

. . it is written, ’Be holy, for I am holy’ —1 Peter 1:16

We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity— He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.

Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind— placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.

The Thrill of the Unexpected

2004-08-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

This post is for Ralph and Carole Huss, who gently reminded me tonight that it's been a long time since I've written anything in this blog.

Most of you know by now that Hurricane Charley hit Florida with a vengeance on Friday, August 13. I doubt any in our family will ever forget that day, especially since all the computer models were predicting the hurricane would hit the Tampa Bay area, putting Zephyrhills directly in the path of what they thought would be a category 3 hurricane. On Wednesday that week I stopped by our Super Wal-Mart to purchase some supplies, just in case the forecasters were correct. To my amazement, every single bottle of water in the entire store had been sold. All day Thursday Dan and I went from store to store trying to find batteries, water, and canned goods. We never did find any D batteries, and only found a couple packs of C batteries close to 9:00 p.m. at a K-Mart where the manager just happened to stumble on some batteries in a back closet just before we arrived. It's hard to explain the level of anxiety I had, even though I knew we were in the Lord's hands. I trusted Him completely, but, since Zephyrhills is home to 153 mobile home parks, I knew that a hurricane could drastically alter our community and our ministry for months to come.

So, when Friday arrived, I woke up early to make final preparations. All the outdoor furniture needed to come into the house and I thought I could get most of it done before anyone else even got up. After rearranging the furniture in our Florida room (which we use for a dining room), I brought in the umbrella and then began taking the cushions off the chairs to bring inside. I must admit that I was a bit annoyed when I pulled out one of the chairs and it was covered with wires, extension cords, and other "junk." I couldn't believe that Dan had left those items outside. I hastily scooped them up in my hand, thinking I'd throw them in the shed so they were out of the way, and Dan could sort them out or throw them away later. No sooner had I picked them up when something didn't feel quite right and I realized something was moving in my hand. I looked down and to my horror realized I had also picked up a very colorful snake. The bright orange and yellow markings reminded me of a copperhead I had seen once when camping with the Girl Scouts as a kid. Well, let me tell you, it didn't take me long to drop everything I was holding on to and to start hooting and hollering. I was completely "creeped out" and ran into the house, shaking and shrieking, and waking everyone up in the process. I still can't believe that I touched a snake!

It turned out that the snake was harmless -- it was a "corn snake" (part of the rat snake family). The Internet article I read told me this type of snake is easy to tame and makes a good pet. In spite of the article, the snake decided he wanted nothing to do with us (and the feeling was mutual). He was a little testy when Dan tried to get him off our patio, but he finally settled in under a downspout and waited along with the rest of us for the storm to hit.

As most of you already know, the storm wound up turning eastward and hit about 100 miles south of Tampa, sparing us the devastation we had anticipated. While my heart still breaks for the precious people of Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Arcadia and elsewhere who lost their homes and security, I must admit that on Friday the 13th, I was very much relieved. All the anxiety seemed to melt away in an instant and I was grateful that God had been merciful to us.

But I think the stress of the snake is still taking its toll on me. Saturday early evening I was in my office at the church. I was alone in a fairly dark building, huddled over my computer working on Sunday's PowerPoint presentation. As usual, I was engrossed in my work. All of a sudden, though, I felt something distinct and out of place -- something furry licked my heal! I immediately thought of a rat or a raccoon or something (but not a snake). I looked down at my feet in distress and didn't see anything, but I couldn't help jumping up onto my leather chair and squealing while I did so. I was frantically trying to get to my telephone to call Dan at the house to come to my rescue when I saw the cute little face of Gladys Wright's dog peek in through my office doorway. I immediately started laughing. I hadn't heard Gladys come into the church, but I know her dog well. He (or is it she?) had just stopped in to say hello, but he usually darts all over the church, so he obviously didn't wait for me to find him. Of course, with all the yelling I was doing, I probably scared him to death. Gladys and I had a good laugh about it, but I couldn't help but think that I need some serious help. I'm just a little too uptight and jittery.

So, who cares about all this anyway? I couldn't help but think of some of the spiritual lessons to be learned from my recent experiences. How many times are we just going about our business, doing the things that seem harmless, and find ourselves with a snake in our hands (metaphorically speaking)? Maybe it's a relationship we're engrossed with, or a habit, or a lifestyle choice. We thought it was a harmless extension cord on an unused chair, but then our eyes were opened to see that it was something much more sinister. Now, I know this turned out to be a harmless snake, but I'm still not too eager to meet him again. I never would have picked up that pack of cords in the first place if I had known there was a snake in the midst, harmless or not. Most of us would never think to begin a relationship or take a certain course in our lives if we knew the ultimate outcome. But sometimes we're just not paying attention. Now for the dog. He just came to say hello and to give me a little kiss on the heal, and I went off the deep end thinking I was being tasted by a rat that wanted to eat me. Past experiences sometimes cause us to interpret anything that happens in a negative light -- to doubt the kindnesses people show to us, to fear what we can't see, to misinterpret life's events or even God's intentions. I know there's a sermon in all this somewhere. I know I need to pay more careful attention to what's going on around me (so I don't pick up another snake). I know I need to relax and not overreact to some circumstances (so I don't miss an opportunity to pet a sweet little dog the next time he comes unexpectedly to play). And I need to do the same things in my spiritual life.

Hopefully, God won't have to go to such lengths to teach me the next spiritual lesson I need to learn.

Do we need a day of rest?

2004-08-06T15:53:00.000-04:00

In this week's TIME Magazine (August 2, 2004), an essay on the very last page by Nancy Gibbs is entitled, "And on the Seventh Day We Rested? (Maybe those old blue laws weren't so crazy after all)." The article offers historical insights into the sacredness of Sunday and the need for a day of rest -- something that has been all but forgotten in our society today.

I found it refreshing to hear from a secular perspective the importance of making one day of our hectic weeks sacred. Gibbs wrote, "... [T]he sense that Sunday is special is still wired in us, a miniature sabbatical during which to peel off the rest of the week and savor ritual, religious or otherwise: Sunday worship, Sunday football, Sunday papers, Sunday brunch, the day you call your mother, the night the family gathers around the TV to watch, once upon a time, The Wonderful World of Disney...." She concludes the article with, "In an age with no free time, we buy it through hard choices. Do we skip church so we can sleep in or skip soccer so we can go to church or find a family ritual -- cook together, read together, a Parcheesi challenge -- that we treat as sacred? That way, at least some part of Sunday faces in a different direction, whether toward heaven or toward one another."

I remember when I first became a Christian that Sunday was reserved for rest, worship and reflection. As a freshman in college, I remember not studying on Sundays, not eating in the school cafeteria on Sundays (because I would be causing someone else to work) and not doing much of anything other than attending church, reading my Bible, playing Christian choruses on my guitar and perhaps taking a much-needed nap. And many other Christians I knew did the same. Were we overly legalistic? Probably. But I can't help but think we were better off then than now.

For many people in the church, Sunday is a day just like any other day. They plan their grocery shopping on Sunday or their house cleaning or yard work, though they might attend a church service if it's convenient. When will we wake up and realize that the Sabbath (whether you consider that Saturday or Sunday) was made for us ? We need it to re-focus, re-center, refresh ourselves. It's pretty sad when the secular world starts to "get it" and the Christians shrug it off as merely a form of legalism, as something we're not bound to. I don't think God will send anyone to hell for working on Sunday, but that's not really the point, is it? It is to our benefit to make one day sacred. It's to our benefit to change the routine and spend an entire day focused on God and others. Maybe if we did that, we wouldn't have so many Christians suffering from the effects of stress and ill health. Maybe we would have more Christians whose eyes are fixed on Jesus and whose priorities reflect those of our Lord.

Too bad it takes the world to show us what is clearly revealed in Scripture. Blue laws will probably never be instituted again. No one is ever going to force us to take precious time to rest and focus on God. But no one should have to. We can do it on our own if we really want to. And why wouldn't we want to? My suggestion: give it a try. This is what God says regarding the Sabbath (His appointed day of rest):

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."

The Corinthian Catastrophe

2004-07-31T00:09:00.000-04:00

On the plane ride home from Philadelphia Thursday, I re-read a book from my father's library that I had read when I first became a Christian some 25 years ago. It's called The Corinthian Catastrophe, by George E. Gardiner. I guess I wanted to read it again because I've encountered a number of people in recent years who are very sincere Christians, but who also are very vocal about possessing a "prayer language" or having spoken in tongues. My experience over the years has almost always borne out the fact that those who are involved in speaking in tongues are less mature in their faith and generally less consistent in their Christian walk than Christians who are more grounded in the Word. This has not always been the case, though, so I don't want to appear to be making too broad a generalization. I've seen a drunk woman speaking in tongues, I've heard of non-Christians speaking in tongues. I've been told by a tongues-speaking church member that she doesn't consider herself to be spiritual. A tongues-speaking pastor friend recently resigned his church because he had a problem with pornography. And then there are others who insist that speaking in tongues is the evidence of being filled with the Spirit. I just don't see it. Not in experience. Not in Scripture. But I don't ever want to (1) miss something God has for me, (2) knock something just because I haven't experienced it, or (3) be in error about how I interpret Scripture. So, I decided to re-visit this book, not quite remembering what it said but maintaining a distinct impression that this book had been significant to me in my early years as a Christian (and young pastor).

Here are some interesting tidbits from the book (published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, 1974):

The baptism of the Spirit happens at the time of conversion (which I have always maintained), and there is no place in Scripture where we are taught to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In fact, no amount of praying, tarrying, or seeking results in the outpouring of the Spirit. Pentecost had to take place 50 days after the resurrection regardless of how much praying the disciples did. It happened in God's timing.
Speaking in tongues was not the usual occurrence when people were filled with the Spirit. If it had been, then when the Spirit came upon those in Cornelius' house 8 years after Pentecost, Paul would not have reported, "The Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning" (Acts 11:15). Instead, he would have stated that the Holy Spirit came on them "as he had on all the believers." He had to point back to an event 8 years earlier.
There are only 3 occurrences in the book of Acts of speaking in tongues: at Pentecost (Jews), at Caesarea (Gentiles) and at Ephesus (Old Testament Believers). And each time there were Jews (and at least one apostle) present. The author indicates that the gift of tongues was a sign to the Jews that judgment was coming upon them (see Isaiah 28:11-12). Once Jerusalem was ransacked and the temple destroyed in 70 AD, according to the author, the gift of tongues was no longer necessary. In 1 Corinthians 13:8, Paul says, "But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." Although prophecy, tongues and knowledge appear in the English translation to be linked together, in the original language there is a clear distinction made. Concerning prophecy, Paul uses a transitive verb in the passive voice. The same with knowledge. But concerning the ceasing of tongues, he uses an intransitive verb in the middle voice. You wouldn't miss it in the Greek. Both prophecy and knowledge will require an outside source to make them cease, but tongues will "cease in and of themselves." Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians 13 to discuss prophecy and knowledge (verses 9-12), showing they will not cease until we see Christ face to face. But no further mention is made of speaking in tongues. They will cease when they are no longer needed (which the author assumes is following the judgment on the Jews in 70 AD). "Tongues were a sign-gift (14:22) for the infancy of the church when Israel was still in her land. A sign of God's impending judgment upon the nation" (compare 1 Cor. 13:11 with 1 Cor. 14:20-22).
The Corinthian church, which had no shortage of people speaking in tongues, was characterized by immaturity, immorality and heresy. They were spiritual babies. Some of the symptoms of their immaturity were selfishness, division, criticism and toleration of evil. Read 1 Corinthians and you'll see all these characteristics very clearly and plainly.
"...any movement, teacher or teaching which exalts the Holy Spirit is not of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit always exalts Christ." I've always said this one! See John 16:7, 13-14
When Paul says he prayed with both the Spirit and with understanding ((14:15), he is not separating the two, but joining them, indicating he prayed with both the Spirit and understanding at the same time. Paul isn't saying he had some sort of prayer language (where he didn't understand what he was saying). There is NO substantiation for that in Scripture! The word glossolalia is always indicative of known languages. And the mention of speaking in the tongues of men and of angels (13:1) -- any time angels speak in Scripture, they always speak in a language understood by men.
The author believes our modern-day emphasis on tongues comes predominantly from those who are tired of a stale, ritualistic religion. They want an experience. Although it's been said that "a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument," if our experiences are not in harmony with God's Word then we should abandon the experience. The author writes, "The desire for experience coupled with instruction, motivation, and the approval of a peer group produces ecstatic speech.... It is a psychological phenomena." He firmly believes what we see today is not the biblical gift of tongues at all. He writes, "The desire for experience has subverted sincere people into involvement with a psychological phenomena which they mistakenly think is 'speaking in tongues.' In the process, because the inhibitions are lowered, many emotional experiences are realized -- euphoria, excitement, release, etc." But just because it feels good doesn't mean it's right.

So, I write all this at the risk of offending some very sincere people whom I love very much. But I want to make sure, more than anything else, that we are a people of the Word of God. Dan and I have always maintained that the greatest evidence of being filled with the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit, not the gifts of the Spirit. (And Scripture is very clear that not everyone has the same gift.) I think some people are lulled into a false sense of spirituality because they can point to an experience of speaking in tongues. The Corinthian church provides ample evidence that spirituality and speaking in tongues do not necessarily go hand in hand. What I hate to see is people settling for an emotional experience and neglecting to grow up in their Christian walk. Let's be in the Word. Let's be people of prayer and faith. Let's be obedient. Let's be content to experience the sweet presence of God without requiring "proof" or desiring recognition from others. Let's truly seek to be filled with the Spirit.

What do you think?

Farewell to My Gram

2004-07-30T22:55:00.000-04:00

On Monday I flew to Philadelphia to spend a few short days with my beloved grandmother. I last saw her a year ago, not long after she had had surgery for colon cancer. She came through that surgery so well and looked so healthy, I naturally assumed she'd be around a long, long time. Well, Gram turned 88 in April, and her strength had been waning over the months. A prolonged case of laryngitis turned out to be a plum-sized tumor in her esophagus. Further tests revealed cancer throughout her chest cavity.

When I arrived on Monday, Gram was still Gram. She couldn't talk for very long, but she was coherent and thoughtful. When the television commercials came on touting John Kerry's record, I could clearly hear her say, "I hate that guy," and then something about those "darn democrats." And you should have seen the look on her face. Yup. That was Gram. She was sure to tell me she loved me, too, which I already knew.

My grandmother has always been there for me. I remember countless times as a child when I ran away to her house. I guess that was one of benefits of only living a few short blocks away. Most summers I practically lived there, swimming in her and Pop Pop's pool until I shriveled up like a prune. I remember always sitting down to do the cryptogram with her while drinking a cup of hot tea, even in the summertime. She always re-wrote the day's puzzle on a piece of paper towel and was ready to give me a hint if I needed it. She never seemed to mind having me around. I think it was at the beginning of 8th grade when I came down with infectious mononucleosis (which I caught from my twin sister, who had it at the end of 7th grade). My parents couldn't afford to miss work, so I moved into the upstairs bedroom at Gram's and she took care of me until I was better. She slept with me every night, even though I coughed and tossed and turned all night long. I know she couldn't have slept much. I still remember the comfort I felt just knowing she was there beside me. And I remember the moment I was finally well -- my appetite came back and I told her I'd like to have one of those ginger snaps she always had in the cupboard. Well, I ate the entire box, and we both rejoiced. There were other times when I was sick and Gram rocked me in that overstuffed swivel rocker until I fell asleep. All I can think is how fortunate and blessed I am to have been able to have a relationship with my Gram for so long.

My grandmother is a very stubborn and independent woman. But not in a bad way, most of the time. She never holds a grudge. She always looks at the positive in every situation. I've never heard her say a mean word about anyone. And she never seemed to be afraid, even when life threw its worst at her.

At around 83 years of age Gram learned to do email. Up until a couple months ago I received email from her regularly. Mostly forwards, but occasionally a few words about how she was feeling and how much she missed me.

Anyway, I was surprised to see how frail my grandmother had become. Getting in and out of the car was a real struggle, and she was walking with a walker -- something I had never seen her do before. On Wednesday afternoon it took my mom and I 10 minutes to get her from her living room chair to the bathroom connected to her bedroom. It was a short distance, but the walk seemed almost unbearable. By evening, it took 9 minutes for her to walk from her bed to the bathroom (only 3-4 steps for the rest of us). She was so weak. Mom and I put her in bed, and she has been there ever since. Later that night she became very agitated and medication (even morphine) didn't seem to help. We called family members who were nearby together to see her one last time, sure she wouldn't make it through the night. She did, but she grows weaker by the hour. She hasn't eaten anything since Wednesday and hasn't had any liquids since Thursday. Gram's time here on earth is short.

On Tuesday night I had some precious time alone with my grandmother. I had been praying for an opportunity to talk to her by myself, which was quite a feat considering the number of people in and out all day long. But I had a good-night prayer with her and snuggled beside her on the bed to chat for a little bit. I wanted to talk to her honestly about heaven and how to get there, and how she didn't need to be afraid if she had given her heart to Christ. Up to this point, whenever anyone tried to talk to her about death, she just turned her head and wouldn't respond. But I knew she had to face it. I told her none of us knows when we're going to meet the Lord. But she had to be ready. And I wanted her to know that she didn't have to earn God's love, any more than she ever had to earn mine. God loves her not because of all the good things she's done, but because she belongs to Him. I wanted her to find some kind of assurance. Of course, she wasn't saying anything, and I thought maybe she wasn't listening. So I asked, "Are you mad at me?" (I thought she might be upset with my talking about such things.) Her eyes got real big and she piped right up, "No, I'm not mad at you." I prayed that God would prepare her heart and give her peace. I encouraged her to give her whole heart over to Him and ask Him to show her if there was anything else she needed to do. I am convinced that these past couple days, even though it seems like she's not responding, God is speaking to her heart and she is responding to Him. I trust that God is preparing her to take her home. I know for a fact that He loves her and wants her to be with Him forever, and I'm trusting she is learning in these final hours what it really means to be part of His family.

I'm not sure why I'm writing all this, other than maybe to thank all of you who have been praying so faithfully for my grandmother. I arrived home here in Zephyrhills Thursday afternoon, physically tired, but spiritually at peace. And I know it's because of your prayers. I'm also writing this because I want these thoughts recorded. I want someone to know how much I love my gram and how grateful I am for the blessedness of family. I also came to realize what a journey this is we're on, and how the final journey to heaven is so often a difficult one. And yet I know it's one I will face one day. I pray for the grace to die well.

But for today, I pray that God's grace will be sufficient for Gram during her final hours. And I pray for God's strength for my mom and for my aunts and uncle as they lose their mom (even if only temporarily). And I thank Him in advance for all He is going to do. To God be the glory.

8/1 UPDATE: I received a phone call around 6:40 this morning letting me know that my grandmother had died within the previous hour. Praise the Lord her battle is over! Interestingly, today also would have been my grandmother's mother's birthday (my great-grandmother died when I was in the first grade; she also lived in our same small town and I remember kissing her goodbye many times as she lay in a hospital bed in their living room). Life is difficult sometimes, but it's all part of the journey, isn't it?

The Cows Are in the Corn

2004-07-02T12:36:00.000-04:00

Dr. David Holdren, one of the three General Superintendents of The Wesleyan Church, read the following story as part of his message to General Conference on June 20. I thought you would all enjoy it as you think about some of the current debate on music styles in churches.

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the farmer, “it was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of regular songs, you know, hymns.”

“Praise choruses,” said his wife. “What are those?”

“Oh they’re okay,” said the farmer, “they’re kind of like hymns, only different.”

“What’s the difference?” asked his wife.”

“Well,” the farmer said, “it’s like this. If I were to say to you, ‘Martha , the cows are in the corn,’ well, that would be a hymn. If on the other hand, I were to say to you,: ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, Martha, Martha, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the cows, cows, cows are in the corn, in the corn, in the corn, in the corn, the corn, corn, corn.’ Then if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well, that would be praise chorus.”

As luck would have it, the exact same Sunday, a young, new Christian from the city church attended the small town church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the young man, “it was pretty cool. They did something different, though. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns,” said his wife. “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man. “Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.
“Well,” the young man said, ”it’s like this. If I were to say to you: ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well, that would be a regular song. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

‘Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry.
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by to the righteous inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain,
there in their heads is no shadow of sense,
hearkenest they in God’s sun or his rain unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight
have torn free from their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night, they all my mild sweet corn have chewed.

So look to that bright shining day by and by.
Where no foul corruptions of earth are reborn,
where no vicious animal make my soul cry, and I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.’

Then, if I do only verse one, three and four and do a key change on the last verse, well, that would be a hymn.”

Would God raise a squirrel from the dead?

2004-07-02T11:33:00.000-04:00

I'm putting my neck on the line to share these thoughts with you. Please read this entire post before you jump to any conclusions.

A week ago while we were on vacation, Dan and I took a little walk out in the countryside of Wisconsin. As we were walking and talking, we passed by a squirrel that lay dead on the side of the road. I didn't even notice it when we passed the first time, but the second time really caught my attention. I can't really tell you if this was just my imagination or if it was God talking to me. But I certainly "heard" the words in my head -- to go over and lay my hand on the squirrel and God would raise it back to life. Of course, the first thing I said (in my mind of course) was "You've got to be kidding!" I started a whole range of arguments in my mind of why I shouldn't do it. First, Dan would think I had gone crazy. It could be diseased. There would be no purpose to God raising a squirrel to life. My mind was just playing tricks on me. Didn't God also say in the Old Testament that we shouldn't touch anything dead? I can't tell you how weird the experience was. I didn't say anything out loud and Dan didn't seem to notice I wasn't saying anything.

I finally told God that I didn't have enough faith for something like that. I just couldn't do it. I told Him if He really was talking to me about this then He would have to shout a whole lot louder and that I would do my best to obey. I asked Him to increase my faith so I could.

I guess this isn't really the first time this has happened. Several times in the past year or so when I've been praying for someone, I really felt as though God wanted me to take authority over whatever disease or sickness the person had and take it from them. But there was always that nagging doubt in my mind. I guess I don't want to look foolish. I don't want to presume on God. I don't want to claim something if it's just my over-active imagination and not God speaking to me.

I know God still works miracles. I believe that with all my heart. Often in the Bible God's servants would lay their hands on people and they would get well, or evil spirits would be cast out. Was that just for then, or is that same power available to us now? Shouldn't we be seeing a whole lot more miracles in our churches than we do now? After all, Jesus' primary ministry among people when He was here was healing. And He said we'd do greater things than He did.

So, I'm tossing out these thoughts to you hoping maybe you'll have some wisdom to share with me. How do know for sure when it's the Lord speaking to you? Would God have really asked me to do something that seemed so silly? What should I do now -- or the next time these kinds of thoughts flood into my mind? Please help me sort all this out!

God has feelings, too

2004-06-06T14:02:00.000-04:00

Last night I had an epiphany. As you know, I just finished reading The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura. Her basic premise is "men have feelings, too." When I shared that concept with my teen Sunday School class, my 15-year-old daughter piped up, "Yeah, but, like, who cares?" If we are honest, we must admit that sometimes we ladies treat men like they don't have feelings, and if they do, who cares. Dr. Laura says we can't continue to ignore our husbands, treat them like they're our last priority, and withhold our affection without it eventually harming the marriage. Last night the thought came to me, "God has feelings, too." How long can we ignore Him, withhold our affection from Him, disregard everything He says, and make Him our last priority before it begins to harm our relationship with Him? We need to love Him like He deserves to be loved. How His heart must be grieved when we treat Him like He doesn't have any feelings, like we really don't care even if He did.

Perfect Love

2004-06-06T13:09:00.000-04:00

[It must be the devil who really doesn't want anyone to hear our messages on holiness. This morning our MP3 player was started and recording, and Jonathan (our son) turned it off after the service. But something went awry and it was completely blank (absolutely no recording) when I picked it up just a few minutes later. That means two out of the four messages haven't been recorded. My apologies. I'm putting a brief overview here so you don't miss out on this very important Christian doctrine.]

Over the past few weeks we've examined several aspects of holiness. Today we want to look at "perfect love." In Matthew 22:35-40, Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. And the second, He said, was to love your neighbor as yourself. This, Jesus said, summed up all the commandments. Love for God and love for others is at the very heart of Jesus' teachings. And it's at the very heart of holiness.

Earlier, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His disciples, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter heaven" (Matthew 5:20). What Jesus wanted them to understand was that holiness is not simply keeping a list of do's and don'ts. If anyone was seen as "holy" in Jesus' time, it was the Pharisees. They were meticulous about keeping the law, praying, tithing, and doing pious acts. In fact, many of us would be thrilled to have more "Pharisees" in our congregation. But for all the "good" they were doing, they were missing something. They were keeping the law outwardly, but not in their hearts. Their motive was power, position, prestige and pride, instead of love. Our righteousness must flow out of our love for God and others.

But notice what Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-48. He said we are to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. If we love only those who love us, what good is that? Check out verse 48: "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Sounds a lot like, "Be holy, because I am holy," doesn't it? Holiness is perfect love. It is love without conditions, without strings attached, without a "but."

1. God loved us without a "but"
In Romans 5:8 Paul tells us that God demonstrated his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Do you realize what an amazing statement that is? His love for us was an "in spite of" love; a love with no "buts."

Can you imagine if Jesus had loved like most of us love? He would have told God: "I love these people, God, but you don't realize how sinful they are... but it will hurt too much... but they don't deserve it... but I don't deserve to be treated this way... but they won't appreciate it... but I'm only 33 years old -- I'm not ready... but there must be another way... but I'm the Son of God! Instead, He said, "But not my will, but Thine be done."

Philippians 2:6-8 tells us that Jesus was God, BUT He made Himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant, being made in human likeness... He humbled Himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross.

There were no conditions on Jesus' love for us. No stipulations. His love was not a "because of" love, but an "in spite of" love. He loved us in spite of our faults... in spite of our failures... in spite of our sin... in spite of our sinfulness.

If anyone had a right to attach a "but" it was Jesus. But He loved us because He created us. He loved us because He decided to love us. He decided to redeem us. And He is our example. Holiness is Christ-likeness. And if we want to understand how to have perfect love, we need first to understand how He loved us. Then we'll understand how we are to love God and others.

2. We are to love God without a "but"

In John 14:15 and 23, Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey Him. Love and obedience to God go hand in hand. And our love for Jesus is to be without excuses, without strings attached, without the "but." Think how many times we say, "I love you, Lord, BUT... my family comes first... but my job is demanding... but Sunday is my only day to sleep in... but how could You let this happen to me?

Jesus a parable about this. In Luke 14:16-20, He told about a man preparing a banquet. But all the guests came up with excuses why they could't come. In Luke 9:59-62, Jesus called men to follow Him, but all they had were excuses: one had to bury his father, another had to buy a field, another had check out some new oxen he purchased. What they said was, "I'd love to, BUT..."

Jesus makes it very clear to His disciples that they need to obey. We need to obey. When we hear His Word, we must do what it says. There is no place for a "but." We can't say, "But that was the Old Testament... but that is too hard... but that doesn't make sense." We show our love to Christ by our unqualified obedience to His Word.

3. We are to love others without a "but"

Jesus said in John 13:34-35, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all amen will now that you are my disciples, if you love one another." And Paul concurs in Romans 13:8: if we love others, we fulfill the law.

Scripture commands us to love. We're not commanded to feel something -- to be filled with sentimentality. We're commanded to do something. Love is a decision to be obedient to the law of God. It's not an option. It can't have a "but." We can't say we love him/her "BUT I need to put him in his place... but I can't forgive him... but you don't know what she did... but I don't deserve to be treated this way... but they don't deserve to be loved... but he'll never change... but I can't be nice... but she's not nice to me."

Now, I know that many of you have been hurt by people in the past. Love doesn't mean we don't have pain or that we need to feel something. Love is doing what is right. It's action. We can let go of how we feel and do what is right! Look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and notice how it tells us what we are to do, not how we're to feel: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wroings. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

It's easy to love some people. But Jesus says were even to love those who have made themselves our enemies. There are no excuses. There are no "buts." If a "but" is attached it's not really love. At least, it's not the love of Christ. It's just a cheap imitation. It's counterfeit. It's no more praiseworthy than the qualified affection of the world.

We are to love one another without excuses, without qualifying it, regardless of how lovable the other person is. Our love for one another must be like the love of Christ: in spite of each others' faults... in spite of each others' failures... in spite of each others' sin... in spite of each others' selfishness. God will take care of the "buts" -- He will do the convicting and the cleansing. Your job is to love -- by acting with righteousness... By speaking the truth... By building up the body... By meeting needs when it is in your power to do so... By exposing sin... By praying for one another... By being Christ-like in every situation.

Love is doing what's right. It's making a conscious decision to set aside your feelings and to act in a way that is obedient to the Word of God. Perfect love is loving one another without any "buts."

So the question today is, Are you living a holy life? We've been asking God to cleanse us from any selfish desires or plans, to help us get our selves out of the way so we can be filled with Him. God wants to fill us with a perfect love for Himself and for others. Here's a simple check you can do to see if you are filled with the love of God. This is the holiness test. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in the first person -- and see if it rings true in regard to God, to your family, to your neighbors, to sinners. "I am patient, I am kind. I do not envy, I do not boast, I am not proud. I am not rude or self-seeking or easily angered. I keep no record of wrongs... I always believe the best and hope for the best." Can you do that? Perfect love is the mark of holiness. And it's God's desire and demand for every one of us.

The book I didn't want to recommend

2004-06-04T15:37:00.000-04:00

I finished reading a book on Tuesday morning, one that I didn't want to like. But I loved it. In fact, I think every women in America should read it. It's called, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. I guess if I had to sum up the contents of the book, I'd say, "Men have feelings, too," and "Stop being a self-centered wife." There were times when I was reading this book that I actually started to cry, realizing how insensitive I've been to my own husband at times. Even though he thinks I'm wonderful, I KNOW there have been many times when I have been much more concerned about having my needs met than in meeting his. The book also made me realize that there are a lot of hurting men out there.

I'd love to hear what you think of the book. Buy a copy, read it, then pass it on to a friend. That's what I did. And now I have a waiting list of those who want to borrow it. This book will definitely be on my Christmas shopping list this year for some of the favorite women in my life -- not as a way of criticizing them at all, but as a way of helping them to understand their mates and better their marriages.

This one is a quick read. Very engaging. Not too long.

Now I'm reading, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, a classic. I'll let you know if I'm equally impressed with this one!

The Pope has it right!

2004-06-04T15:36:00.000-04:00

(06-04) 07:58 PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) --
In his latest blunt assessment of U.S. society, Pope John Paul II on Friday denounced the acceptance of abortion and same-sex unions as 'self-centered demands' erroneously depicted as human rights.

The pontiff said that 'in the face of such erroneous yet pervasive thinking,' visiting U.S. bishops should stress to congregations 'their special responsibility for evangelizing culture and promoting Christian values in society and public life.'

'Rights are at times reduced to self-centered demands: the growth of prostitution and pornography in the name of adult choice, the acceptance of abortion in the name of women's rights, the approval of same sex unions in the name of homosexual rights,' he said.

I'm starting to like the Pope more and more. He's got it absolutely right. We're demanding "rights" in this country that are really nothing more than expressions of self-centeredness and decadence. He says we should be evangelizing culture and promoting Christian values. And He's right again! As Christians we should not be ashamed of standing up for what's right according to God's Word. But I'm afraid we don't seem to be making much progress. It seems to me that the world is encroaching on the church instead of the other way around. It's time for the church to stand up and be the church!

What do you think?

A Must-Read for All Christians

2004-05-27T11:56:00.000-04:00

About 1:00 this morning I finished reading the book, Cracking DaVinci's Code, by Jim Garlow and Peter Jones. The book, of course, is a reaction to The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, which has taken America by storm.

This is a book every Christian needs to read. The DaVinci Code is much more than a novel; it is a careful and calculated attack on the fundamentals of Christianity. By interspersing "historical facts" with fiction the book undermines everything we know to be true about Jesus. Brown asserts that Jesus was actually married to Mary Magdalene, the church of the 4th century "voted" on whether or not Jesus was divine, that 80 "gospels" were considered for the New Testament, etc. The author is clear that, though the story is fictional, the facts in the story are completely true. But the real fact is that his facts are wrong. Cracking the DaVinci Code reveals the historical facts.

Christians need to be prepared to answer the questions that undoubtedly will come from people who read this book. The purpose of the book, it seems, is to free people from the antiquated morality of the church and to endorse the worship of the "sacred feminine." Folks, it's nothing more than a call to ancient gnosticism and worship of the goddess Cybele, Ishtar, Asherah (or any of the other names she has gone by throughout the centuries). It's a call to embrace paganism

Just so you know, James Garlow, one of the authors of Cracking the DaVinci Code, is the senior pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church near San Diego, CA. He is a recognized biblical historian. He's one of our own. And his book is now on the New York Times best-seller list. People are looking for answers. Let's make sure we have them when they ask. Read it this week.

I picked up my copy at Wal-Mart for $10.43. It's more than worth the cost!

The Call to Holiness

2004-05-24T20:21:00.000-04:00

On May 16 Pastor Dan and I preached a message on the call to holiness. Since our son forgot to turn on our MP3 recorder, I thought I'd summarize the sermon here for those of you who missed it.

1. God Defines Holiness. Our understanding of holiness must begin with God. He defines holiness, not us. When we look through the Bible, we see that "holy" is the term overwhelmingly used to describe God. It's the word the angels use to sum up all His divine attributes (Isaiah 6:1-3; Revelation 4:8). Other Scriptures such as Ex. 15:11, Psa. 99:5, Isa. 5:16, 40:25 and 43:15 all point to God's holiness as the quality that separated Him from all else. "Holiness" describes God's justice, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, righteousness and moral perfection all rolled up into one word. Everything God does is holy because at the essence of His being -- His very character and nature -- He is holy.

Inherent in the concept of holiness is also the idea of separation. "Holy" or "sanctified" literally means "set apart." The Israelites saw God as separate from all His creation. He was above it, exalted, holy. He wasn't made of the same "stuff" as the world. God's holiness placed Him on a different plane than His earthly creation.

So, as we begin to define holiness for us, it goes beyond the way we wear our hair or our style of dress. It goes far beyond the legalism of our past. It begins with the holiness of God. God is pure, righteous and moral, on a completely different plane from the rest of the world. His holiness is the essence of His character that issues forth in everything God does. For us, too, holiness is purity of heart and moral excellence; it is separation from the world and unto God. If we are holy, it means we are available for God's use and pleasure and we are made of a different "stuff" than the rest of the world.

2. God Demands Holiness. Somehow we've gotten the idea in our minds that holiness is an "add-on" to our Christian lives; that it's optional or "icing on the cake." We treat salvation like buying a car. We know we need a vehicle to get us to our destination, but do we really need the deluxe package? After all, we reason, who needs power windows, power brakes and steering, air, stereo or leather seating? But that's not what the Christian life is like at all. What we think of as an option is actually a requirement. God demands holiness. It's not an extra; it's the main thing. Look up these Scriptures: Leviticus 19:2; 1 Thes.. 4:3,7; Heb. 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16. God says we don't have an option. He has called us to holiness. In fact, He says that without holiness we won't see Him. Holiness isn't just some nice ideal, a suggestion, or a goal to shoot for. It's the main thing that God wants of us. He demands it.

3. God Deserves Holiness. God deserves for us to walk in a way that honors Him. We were created to be like Him and He deserves for us to obey Him, to live in righteousness like Him, and to be separated from the world and available for His use. Why? Just read Romans 12:1-2, 1 Peter 1:14-19 and 2 Corinthians 7:1. Think of what God has done for you. He created you. He redeemed you. Jesus gave His life for you! He has given you abundant life and eternal life. Is there any price too high for you to pay in order to say thanks? Gratitude, reverence and obedience should be our response. God deserves at least that much. When we choose to live in sin or go our own way, we're just thumbing our nose at God. We're saying we don't care about Christ's sacrifice or God's commands. We're saying we don't love Him enough to want to be like Him. God deserves better than that! He deserves holiness.

4. God Delivers Holiness. In Leviticus 20:8 God says, "Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy." There are many verses in Leviticus that say the same thing. But down through the years our focus has been on the first part: "Keep my decrees." We have the mistaken idea that we make ourselves holy by what we do. So, we make lists of do's and don'ts; we conform to a dress code; we strive to be perfect. But holiness is not a journey of deepening disciplines. Holiness is what God does in us. Did you see what God said? He said He is the one who makes us holy. Holiness is allowing God to change who we are. It's not about "doing" holiness, but "being" holy. It is allowing God to change your character, your very nature.

Here is the good news: God can and will change us from the inside out. All we need to do is trust Him and obey what He says. He will change us and make us holy. You need to grab your Bible and look up these verses right now: 2 Peter 1:3-4; Hebrews 2:11, 12:10; Titus 2:11-12 and 1 Thes.. 5:23-24. These verses are exciting! God's Word says we can "participate in the divine nature," we can "share in his holiness." God will "sanctify you through and through"... He "is faithful and he will do it." God can do it and He will do it if we are willing to be made holy.

God defines holiness -- so, get to KNOW HIM. Read the Bible and learn what holiness really is.

God demands holiness -- so start to OBEY HIM.

God deserves holiness -- so show Him that you LOVE HIM.

God delivers holiness -- so EXPECT HIM to enable you to live the holy life He has called you to.

Holiness isn't just some add-on or option. Let's stop living below what God has made available. Let's become a holy people.

Want to learn more about holiness? Week 2 of our message, Understanding Holiness, is available in MP3 format on our sermon page at www.zhillswesleyan.org.

The Value of Pain

2004-05-19T21:30:00.000-04:00

Here I sit at my computer while missing, for the fist time since the birth of my children, the adult Bible study at church. And there's nothing I would love more than to be teaching right at this moment. Instead I'm struggling with a good deal of pain in my lower back and hip, the result of being too stubborn to wait for help taking out the garbage on Monday. You guessed it, I threw my back out and have had a difficult time even walking or sitting upright in a chair. I can't stay in any position for very long without a lot of pain. I saw a doctor this morning who prescribed a hefty NSAID that should help with the inflammation.

I've received a lot of lovely emails and phone calls from church folk letting me know they are praying for me, and sympathizing with my current state. During our ladies' Bible study on Tuesday mornings we've been discussing the book of Job. One of the most interesting observations was that Job never asked to be healed of his illness. He did a good deal of complaining (as is understandable) and soul-searching to try to figure out why, but for the most part his primary concern was being right with God. What burdened his heart most was the thought that he had somehow sinned against God. Interesting concept, isn't it? On Monday I asked Dan, my compassionate husband, to pray for the Lord to heal me. We are both firm believers in divine healing. But we both realize that it is not always God's will to heal. And sometimes the struggles we face are bigger than they appear on the surface. Job had no idea that Satan had challenged God's credibility by calling Job's devotion into question. Who knows, maybe God said, "Have you considered my servant Patty?" Probably not. I don't claim to be as righteous as Job, but I do think there is a reason for this set-back in my normal routine.

I have a whole new appreciation for the pain a lot of our older members experience on a daily basis. I am grateful that God has taught me to be empathetic through my current pain. And I'm doubly thankful that this won't last forever. But think if it did! Could I bear it? Would I still have a good attitude? Lots of time to think.
This has also been a time to rest. I guess the Lord has given me "permission" to step back and rejuvenate. I've known for quite some time that I was on the verge of burnout. Really, I've been exhausted lately, and yet I keep pushing myself to do more. But for the last 3 days I've been able to rest my mind and lift my own expectations of myself. When I lie down to ice my back or put on a heating pad, I fall asleep. Not for long because of the pain, but I'll bet altogether I've had more sleep in the past few days than I had in the previous week. Maybe God knew I wouldn't take a break until he forced me to. Maybe this is just what the "Doctor" ordered.

Do I hope I'm back to my normal self soon? You bet! Am I tired of resting? Yes. Do I believe God can heal? Absolutely. But I also acknowledge that there are things to be learned in times of pain. And I'm grateful that the Lord loves me enough to keep teaching me.

Thoughts on Teenagers

2004-05-18T15:58:00.000-04:00

I love being a parent. From the time my children were first born I have enjoyed almost every minute of being a mom. I know I pulled my hair out from time to time, but for the most part it was very pleasurable. I loved hugging my kids, kissing them, rocking them to sleep, even watching "Sesame Street" with them. But when they were very young I remember more than one well meaning friend or relative telling me to "wait until they're teenagers." They were sure I'd change my feelings about my children once they hit those wild and turbulent years.

Well, today Jonathan is 17 and Rebecca is 15. I'm full-force into the teenage years and I have to admit that I love it. Well, not EVERY minute of the day, but most of it. I still have a close relationship with my kids. I still hug and kiss them (and they let me). I still enjoy just being around them and hearing what's on their minds. I haven't experienced any of the "rebellion" I was promised would come. I guess I'm not out of the woods yet, but from what I see, I can only envision more smooth sailing. I have enjoyed every new stage in my children's lives more than the previous one, and I expect I will continue to.
Here are some things I've realized.

(1) If you expect your children to act like teenagers, they probably will. We told our kids early on that if they wanted to act like children, they would be treated like children. If they wanted to be treated as adults, they should act like it. Acting like a "teenager" was not acceptable at any time. We expect our kids to act like adults, not the typical teenager. For the most part, we've found that most people tend to live up to the expectations placed on them.

(2) As our kids get older we need to give them more freedom. Years ago I read an article in the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel by a columnist whose name I'll never remember. But she revealed a cultural tendency that has stayed on my mind ever since. She said that we have it all backwards in our culture today, and it leads to teenage rebellion. We give small children all the freedom in the world, allowing them to do whatever they want. As they get older, we tend to rein them in and start limiting their freedoms, which causes them to rebel. This columnist said that, instead, we should give children very little freedom and gradually give them more and more as they get older. Then, they tend not to rebel because they realize they're earning their freedom, instead of having it taken away. We allowed our kids to do very little when they were younger. We homeschooled them. They never went anywhere without us. They had to toe the line every minute. They knew they would be punished for disobeying the rules. Today they still know they'll be punished for disobeying the rules, but that rarely happens. When they disagree with our rules, they don't scream and throw a fit (something they attempted when they were two and found it didn't work well). They write out a very detailed defense of their position and all the reasons why we should change our position. It doesn't work every time, but it does work. We learn how much they've grown up and are assured that they're seeing all sides of the issue. It also gives us the opportunity to discuss things with them and to explain fully our position. You rarely have rebellion when your children feel like they're at least being heard.

(3) The more things change the more they stay the same. When I sit and talk to Jonathan and Rebecca about what's happening in their lives (they both attend the public high school here), I can imagine myself at that age saying the exact same things. I guess a lot of us has rubbed off on them. They tend to think a lot like we do. Their fears are the same ones we had when we were there age. Sometimes parents treat their children like they're aliens. But at the core of their beings, they are just people. If we could just treat them like they count and remember what it was like when we were their age, we'd find that the generation gap is really non-existent. We don't have to like the same music or have the same taste in clothing, but those aren't the things we talk about anyway. The things that really count pull us together and make us appreciate one another.

It's Massachusetts Law

2004-05-17T20:12:00.000-04:00

Well, now it's official. Homosexuals are legally permitted to marry in Massachusetts. The only question for the moment is whether or not other states will be required to recognize such marriages. It's probably only a matter of time before all states will be required to.

If you've listened to talk radio at all, you've already figured out that the country is divided. Although most adults feel homosexual marriage is wrong, the vast majority are still in favor of civil unions. How do we combat this? How do we defend the traditional family? How did we even get to this point?

Here's my rub. Without a belief in the Bible, there is NO reason to not allow homosexual unions or marriage. If the Bible isn't your authority, then anything goes. You can do what you want. As long as morality is subjective, conservatives don't have a leg to stand on. The reason why most Americans feel in their gut that something is wrong is precisely because our country was founded on biblical principles and those principles have shaped every law and cultural more we currently have.

So, how can Christians defend marriage and uphold the Bible while at the same time reaching out to the homosexual with the grace of God? I think we need to stand firm on what the Bible says, instead of trying to make it palatable to those who disagree with what it plainly states. That being said, we also need to acknowledge that the sin of homosexuality is no worse than the sin of pride, or of gossip, or of any other sin mentioned in Scripture. These people are people that Christ died for; people that God loves intensely. You don't win a homosexual to Christ by decrying their sin any more than you win an alcoholic to Christ by decrying the evils of their behavior. You let them know where you stand, but your primary means of evangelism needs to be sharing the love of Christ and their need of a Savior. Once God changes their hearts, He will work on their behavior, as He does with everyone. Start with the heart. Let God do the rest. You'll win them by your love, not by your condemnation.