God help us . . .

During the past six months it seems our nation has experienced an alarming spike in violence. The mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater, the rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, and a 15-year-old boy's slaying of his parents and three younger siblings in New Mexico are but highlights of almost epidemic senseless murder.

In the wake of these violent crimes, much has been made of the causes and possible solutions. Unless you are from another planet you are well aware that our country is in the midst of a heated debate over gun control. The President has appointed a task force to research and recommend more stringent gun laws and second amendment defenders are standing strongly opposed. 

Just this week, famed actor, Dustin Hoffman laid the blame at the feet of Hollywood by accusing movie directors of desensitizing audiences with a "fraudulent" depiction of real life violence. In response, Arnold "The Governator" Schwarzenegger and Samuel L. Jackson, accomplished actors in their own right, insist movie violence has no correlation with real life issues.

What I find interesting in the discussion is that politicians, actors, and the news network talking heads are quick to jump to and vociferous in their debate about the possible causes and solution, yet will not even entertain the thought that the problem might be spiritual. Consider this, long before there were guns, Cain killed Abel. Before Hollywood began pushing gratuitous violence in films and video games, "the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). Before a task force organized to tackle the problem, God said "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). Before glory hounds and confused conspiracy theorists began bombing heavily populated buildings Jesus identified the cause clearly when He said, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness" (Mark 7:21, 22). Without a doubt, the problem is spiritual.

So where does that leave us? Well, clearly we must not bury our heads in the sand. We must recognize, to some degree, that the movies and video games of the last 30 years have created in the minds of teens and young adults a false reality about violence and death. We must defend our constitutional rights to bear arms, but recognize that some citizens, either because of previous unlawful acts or mental instability, no longer have the right to own a gun. But more importantly, we must recognize that neither total gun control, nor a "Father Knows Best" Hollywood will solve the problem. The solution is a changed heart and a changed heart can be had only in Jesus. That is why Paul wrote "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). We, who are salt and light, must become determined in prayer and urgent in evangelism. And we must cry out, "God help humanity." 

Journey On,

Michael

Happy Endings

There are very few things I dislike as much as dropping $9.50 for a movie ticket, sitting through a seemingly good movie only to have it end poorly! A bad ending can ruin an otherwise good movie. I am sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. The characters are shaped, the plot develops, the critical climax arrives and bam; the wrong guy gets the girl or the hero dies. That is not how the movie is supposed to end. I would rather not see the movie at all than to see it and have it end poorly. I grew up in a home with a John Wayne-loving dad so you guessed it—I love John Wayne. I remember the first time I watched The Duke in The Sands of Iwo Jima. I was impressed with his portrayal of rough and rugged Marine Sergeant John Stryker and mesmerized by the fighting (as most little boys are). I loved everything about the movie until the end when Sergeant Stryker was killed by a sniper. An hour and thirty-five minutes of viewing pleasure was ruined by the last five minutes of the movie. What a shame.

Over the past two weeks I have been graphically reminded of the truth of Hebrews 9:27—“It is appointed unto man once to die.” You see, over the course of the last couple of weeks our church has lost six dear members: three WWII vets; a sweet 88-year old lady; a young, vibrant 22-year old man; and a 52-year old mom and grandmother. What a shame for six seemingly good life-stories to end so poorly! What a waste of life. That is, if death is the end. Thankfully, however, for followers of Jesus Christ death isn’t the end of the story. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 the Bible states “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

Now that is the way a story is supposed to end! The Hero, Jesus, overcomes death and the Right Guy, Jesus the Groom, gets the girl, His bride the church. And though I know it is a cliché, they live together happily ever after. The End!

Journey On,

Michael

I Guess I Really Am Cool!

Back in the day, Arthur Fonzarelli, a.k.a., the Fonz, was the epitome of cool. Everyone wanted to be like him; tough motorcycle riding guy, who got all the girls. Of course, the Fonz was a fictional character and no one could really capture the magic that was Fonzie. And even though I drove a Mustang, was an average athlete, and was a part of the "in crowd" at my high school, I never really thought of myself as cool.

Fast-forward to the early 90s. Jonathan was born in 1990, Caleb came along in 92, and David stepped into our lives in 95. The pressure was on. Every dad wants to viewed by his kids as "cool," or "hip," or whatever word is used by kids of the day to describe someone who is cut from the same bolt of cloth as the Fonz. For me, however, it was an uphill battle. The time demands of pastoring full-time, being a full-time post-graduate student, and fathering prevented me from being able to display my athletic prowess on the softball field. My poor sons never had the opportunity to know just how good I was in my mind. And to make matters worse, I drove a minivan.

For almost 17years now I have heard repeatedly from my children, "Dad, get rid of the van. It's just not cool." They have suggested pick-up trucks, Mustangs, Corvettes, and any other sporty car, but never a minivan.

Until recently I had become convinced I would never be cool in my kids' eyes. But now I know my lack of hipness is their problem and not mine. They simply do not know what cool is. I have been driving a minivan for about 17 years now and all along I have been cool! I have been the hip dad cruising in my stylin' ride. Thanks to the Sienna family I now know what cool is and I am it!



So, to all of you "uncool" dads struggling with your identity, just realize that only a few of us are cool enough to pull off wearing shorts from the 80s with black socks and tennis shoes, bald spots, and minivans ; )

Journey On,

Michael

They Are Everywhere!

Back in the day road trips were torturous. My brother and I would pile into the backseat of our red Ford LTD without Gameboys, PSPs, personal DVD players, or even iPods and dread the drive to our grandparents' or worse, family vacation. What would we do to entertain ourselves for the six or so hours of vehicular incarceration? Many of you over the age of 30 know exactly what I'm talking about. With no electronic babysitters we were forced to create games for our own entertainment. The game my brother and I played most often was Slug-a-Bug. It was a simple, yet painful means of entertainment. Every time a competitor saw a Volkswagen he would call out "Slug-a-Bug," then punch the arm of any one of the other competitors. I can't even imagine the number of hours we spent searching parking lots, driveways, and roads for those crazy little German personenkraftwagens. Nor can I imagine the number of bruises we sustained all in the name of entertainment.

My children have all of the electronic gadgets necessary to occupy their time while traveling, yet they still complain about being bored. So to pass the time away they have resurrected Slug-a-Bug under the new name "Punch Buggy." The rules are the same as when I played and because I grew up on the game I have found myself drawn into the fray. When they first invited me to play I thought the action would be slow, after all, there aren't that many VWs on the road. Wrong! They are everywhere. I had no idea so many people were driving the revised version of the Beetle. I guess I had never noticed because I wasn't looking for them. Once I began looking I realized the roads were teeming with Beetles.

I recently heard someone say they didn't share their faith because they just never encounter nonbelievers in Jesus. I immediately thought to myself, "Then you aren't looking." They live next door to you, maybe even with you. They work at your office, they sit in your classrooms at school, their children play baseball with your children. Nonbelievers are everywhere.

Maybe Jesus' disciples felt a little like most of us. They lived in the most religious land on the planet. Certainly everyone knew God. Who possibly could they share Jesus with? Their problem wasn't a lack of people with whom to talk. Their problem was they had never really stopped to look. Jesus, in John 4:35 said to them, "lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." In other words, guys, they are everywhere.

Let me encourage you to take some time in your life journey to look around. Nonbelievers are everywhere. Build relationships with them. Earn their trust to share Jesus. Explain His great love for them, and invite them into a journey with Him.

Journey On,

Michael

Time Flies

I was told times ad nauseam when my first son was born, "You better enjoy him now because time flies. Soon he will be gone." I heard it, but I didn't really hear it. Today, my oldest son is a month and a half from 20, my second son is celebrating his 18th birthday, my third son just passed his 15th, and my baby is 10. Furthermore, next week Carolyn and I will celebrate 25 years together. Where has the time gone?

I know I am getting older, but is that why I am having a hard time recalling memories from these past 25 years? I know my kids were once babies, but it seems so foggy in my mind. Carolyn and I have had many wonderful experiences since we married . . . I think . . . I know, but they all seem so distant.

Life can be pretty hectic at times; rushing off to work, throwing myself into ministry, making sure I exercise . . . the activities roll on. I have no idea how many years of life I have left, but I do know this. There are many memories yet to make so it is time to slow down, smell the roses, enjoy my family, and experience life at its best because time really does fly.

Journey On,

Michael

Enjoying the Beauty, Anticipating the Glory

I decided this weekend to take some time off and drive from Memphis, in the southwest corner of Tennessee, to Chattanooga, in the southeast corner of the state, and spend a few days with my son Jonathan who is a student in the Scenic City (Chattanooga's nickname). The long drive was made even longer by three areas of road construction. I hate road construction. What should have been a five and a half hour drive turned into a seven and a half hour drive.

Nevertheless, it really wasn't that bad. Just on the eastern side of Jackson the leaves began to change in color. For the next four hours (that is about as much daylight as I had) I soaked in the beauty of October. The rolling hills of middle Tennessee covered with green, and brown, and orange, and bright yellow, and colors I can't begin to describe reminded me why I love Fall. It was incredible.

On Monday morning I awoke in Chattanooga and was blown away by the surrounding mountains. The colors are brilliant! I couldn't help but thank God for His creativity! After Jonathan finished with his day of classes we headed out for some rock climbing at Sunset Rock, located on Lookout Mountain. Almost two thousand feet above sea level, Sunset Rock looks down into the valley where Chattanooga is nestled. It also provides an incredible perch from which to view the surrounding mountains. Again, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the colorful mountains set against the backdrop of bright blue skies. What an amazing sight.

At the end of the day as I thanked God for a great time with my son and the opportunity to take in the beauty of His creation I was reminded that all of this is but for a while. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:18 says "the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." As amazingly beautiful as creation is, it is passing away. I was also reminded, however, that one day the Lord will create a new heaven and a new earth. And while we know very little about this new creation, we do know it will be overwhelmingly superior to the one we enjoy now. I am sure it's natural beauty will shock us. Its true beauty, however, will not be the glory of creation, but the glory of the Creator. The new heaven will shine with the light of His glory. The colors will reflect His holiness and perfection. In the new earth there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; for the first things will have passed away. In the new earth we will see Jesus!

I really enjoy the beauty of the present creation, but I am longing for the glory of the next. So I pray the words of the apostle Peter; "we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells." (2 Peter 3:13)

Journey On,

Michael

Attacking Tim Tebow Or The Truth?

It is no secret that I am a sports fan. I love sports, all sports. Each morning I pour myself a cup of coffee, spend time in Bible study and prayer, then navigate to the sports pages at commercialappeal.com and cbssportsline.com to catch-up on the happenings in the world of sports. Periodically I visit the ESPN and USAToday websites. On Monday USAToday published this article by Tom Krattenmaker. His primary point in the article is that while professing Christians in professional and college sports are model citizens, they are bad for sports. The primary target of his frustration is Tim Tebow. On Wednesday, Sam Cook of the Fort Myers News-Press published this Tebow-bashing article for which he should receive a 15-yard penalty for piling on.

I know Tim Tebow has been hammered on the field. I have seen him play enough to know he delivers and receives plenty of hard hits. Over the last three years he has also been hit pretty hard by the media for his beliefs. As Cook and Krattenmaker take aim at Tebow, I believe they are actually demonstrating the pluralistic, relativistic beliefs that saturate our culture and are taking potshots at evangelical Christianity.

For starters, Krattenmaker states, "If their take on God and truth and life is the only right one — which their creed boldly states — everyone else is wrong." He points out that this belief is offensive to Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, non-evangelical Protestant, and agnostic sports fans. He fails, however, to point out that Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, and non-evangelical Protestant doctrines teach that they are right and everyone else is wrong. And while agnostics may not have a formal doctrine, they believe that it is impossible to know God, or any god, by human means; therefore anyone who claims to know God is wrong. I ask Mr. Krattenmaker, why not attack the exclusivity of every other faith? Why only evangelical Christianity?

Next, Krattenmaker argues that, in reality, most Americans disagree with the beliefs of Tim Tebow and other evangelical Christians, so they should keep their opinions to theselves. In commenting on the evangelical belief that salvation is found in Jesus alone, Krattenmaker states, "In making and acting on rigid claims about who is or isn't in good standing with God, the Bob Tebow [Tim's dad's ministry] organization is working at cross purposes with the majority of Americans — indeed, the majority of American Christians — and their more generous conception of salvation." Later he writes, "It's not just non-Christians who might have a thing or two to say about this exclusive theology. According to a December 2008 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion in Public Life, 65% of American Christians believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. Our pluralism is a defining and positive reality of American life — but not one that is much valued by those who define the faith coursing through the veins of sports culture." Wow! If 65% of Americans believe 2+2=5, should we recall all elementary math books and rewrite the texts? Absolutely not! Majority doesn't make right. The argument of Mr. Krattenmaker and 65% of American Christians is absolutely illogical. Each religion has exclusive truth claims, but only one can be right. Truth makes right. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me." That is truth and that is right.

Mr. Krattenmaker also mischaracterizes the heart of evangelical Christianity and those committed to its beliefs. When discussing the biblical teaching that those who do not know God will spend eternity separated from God, he points out that Baseball Chapel, which provides chaplains for all major- and minor-league baseball teams, believes "non-believers in Jesus can look forward to everlasting punishment separated from God." Actually, the Baseball Chapel website linked in Mr. Krattenmaker's article does not mention that non-believers can look forward to anything. Why would he include that phrase? I believe to mischaracterize Christians as mean-spirited humans who find great pleasure in knowing that non-believers will suffer. I understand that I do not know every evangelical Christian, but of those I do know, not one finds comfort in knowing that their unbelieving friends and family members will suffer for eternity. On the contrary, that is why we insist that all men and women and boys and girls must come to God through Jesus!

I know Mr. Krattenmaker and Mr. Cook are backed by the power of the press. I realize far more people will read their articles than my little blog. But Tim Tebow and every other Christian are backed by the power of the Holy Spirit. So Tim, keep wearing Scripture on your eye-black, keep praising the Lord, keep visiting the Philippines to share the Gospel, and keep playing hard because I really enjoy watching you. And maybe every other follower of Jesus will realize that while we do not have the same platform you have to preach the Good News of God's love, we have the same responsibility.

Journey On,

Michael