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)
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.
The college football season has arrived in earnest and the first weekend provided a number of highlights, a couple of upsets, and a few close calls for ranked teams. And for the second year in a row Chick-Fil-A sponsored the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff football game and the Labor Day Giveaway. On Labor Day any customer visiting a Chick-Fil-A wearing any sports-related apparel received a free chicken sandwich. Well, that is an offer too good to pass up. So my son David and I pulled out our favorite Arkansas Razorback apparel and headed to the store on North Germantown Road. We weren't alone. In fact, I suspect most of north Shelby county was at Chick-Fil-A. The place was packed. I have never seen so many people in one place all for a chicken sandwich. Even though the lines ran all the way to the play area, and even though we were standing elbow to elbow and crammed in the place like sardines in a can, it was kinda fun. Everyone was proud to be donning their team's logo, there was lots of laughter, and no one seemed upset by the crowd or the long wait. In fact, I didn't hear a single person complain as they stood in line for 30-plus minutes to receive their free $2.75 sandwich. As I stood waiting to receive my sandwich it dawned on me that the church could learn something from Chick-Fil-A. We should have an annual Labor Day Giveaway. This would be a great way to get our AWOL members back in church. Every member or guest that wears his or her favorite "Jesus apparel" to church the Sunday before Labor Day would receive a free chicken sandwich. It can be a WWJD bracelet, a t-shirt with an embroidered fish symbol, a prayer of Jabez prayer shawl, or even a "faith, hope, and love" toe ring. Surely attendance would soar. After all, everybody loves Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. They sold over 270 million of the things last year. No doubt people would show up in mass for a free one and probably no one would complain about the length of the service or the overcrowding.
Now I know some people would complain saying the expense is just not worth it. I mean, do we really want to spend thousands of dollars just to get people to come to church? But wait, think about it. If the thousands of members who never come to church came to get their free sandwich certainly they would drop at least a dollar in the offering plate. Some might even drop a ten spot in the plate. If nothing else we would break even.
I think I am really on to something. If people won't come for the love of Jesus maybe they will come for the love of a chicken sandwich. : )
Last night I enjoyed another one of those moments only a dad can appreciate. As the first half of the First Assembly/Booker T. Washington game came to a close, I watched my son Caleb take a knee to run out the clock. The score was 35-0 in our favor. Caleb had thrown for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns and he had also run for another TD. I was pretty certain he was done for the night (and I was correct). Not a bad night for a kid who has never played quarterback and only learned he would be competing for the job a month ago.Of course I am proud. Who wouldn't be?
Interesting thing, however, is the reaction of other moms and dads. As I walked to the concession stand for a little H2O pick-me-up a fairly large number of fans congratulated me, as if I had something to do with Caleb's performance. As I told one dad, my only involvement took place about 18 years ago, but that is another story best kept between me and my wife! Caleb is larger than me. He is faster than me. He is way stronger than me. He is much more athletic than me. And he is fearless. So why congratulate me? What he does on the field is born out of natural giftedness, hard work, diligent preparation, great coaching, and a team of about 65 other guys working with him. Clearly, I had nothing to do with that. So, congratulations Caleb.
Later in the night as I reflected on the misdirected, but well meaning congratulations I could not help but think about how frequently praise is misdirected. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Many years ago I surrendered my life and will to Him. In exchange He gave me the right to become a child of God, He gave me eternal life, abundant life, and the privilege of representing Him before a depraved and defective world. Certainly, I am not the only follower of Jesus. Millions upon millions live, and breath, and serve Him daily. And somehow we act as though we have done something special. We carry on like we did something to earn our place in God's family. We highlight our accomplishments as if we actually achieved them on our own.
I am guilty. I consider my call to ministry and think I am special. I think about the hard work of academic preparation and believe I am "all that." I proudly remind myself that I "miraculously" escaped both high school and college unsullied by the sexual immorality that befell many. I have served God as a pastor of a local church, but I have also served Him as a denominational servant. Wow, I am good. NOT!Jesus died for me. He saved me. It was God's plan and God's activity all along. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:8, 9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." In 1 Corinthians 15:10 he wrote, "But by the grace of God I am what I am."
So you see, I had nothing to do with it. Neither did you.All praise to the One who is worthy. To God be the glory, great things He has done and is doing!
Francis Chan is a Spirit-filled, powerful proclaimer of God's Word, but he is also a very funny man. This clip was taken from the 2008 Willow Creek Arts Conference. He is dead on.
If you have ever served in church leadership in any capacity you know what he says to be true. God love them, there are some members of the body who just drive you crazy; whiners, complainers, people who believe the world and the church revolve around them. I must confess, people like that make me weary. I can't imagine that God called me into ministry, placed me in leadership, and led me to a church as pastor to deal with these kind of people.
In reality, however, those are the kind of people Jesus dealt with. Many whined because His ministry was not what they thought it should have been (see Matthew 11:16-19). More than a few complained because He didn't do it like they thought He should (see Matthew 9:9-11). Some even believed the world revolved around them or their group (see Acts 1:6). Though the Bible does not say, I am sure there were days when Jesus thought "ministry would great if it wasn't for the people." But people was exactly why He came. His mission was to seek and save people to the glory of His Father. And so He loved the whiners. He sought to change the complainers. He didn't give up on the self-centered.
Man, I hate that. I wish He had just given them the old heave-ho. I wish He would have told them to run up an alley and holler fish (words of infinite wisdom from Gomer Pyle). It would make it so much easier for me. But it is not about me or what is easy. Jesus was loving with the unlovable. He was patient with the irritating. And His behavior is a model for ministry.
Paul, in Galatians 5:22, wrote that the fruit of the Spirit is patience. Patience is what is demanded in ministry. Patience is what keeps leaders from thumbing our noses at irritating members. Patience is what causes us to listen when we have a thousand other things to do. Patience is what causes us to care when we don't really. Patience is what brothers and sisters in Christ demonstrate to one another. Patience is what Christ creates in us. And patience is what enables us to love even the appendix.
Last night I taught on the Spirit controlled life from Galatians 5:16-23. In the last two verses the Apostle Paul tells us of the fruit produced by the Spirit in the life of one under His control. One of the traits mentioned is faithfulness. A person who is faithful is one you can count on, is someone who is dependable, is someone who is a sure thing.
We celebrated faithfulness yesterday. For 30 years Jan Sparks has been faithful to her Lord and to her church. For 30 years, Sunday after Sunday, Jan has been a worship leader in our church from the piano. For 30 years, Wednesday after Wednesday, Jan has been at her place behind the piano for rehearsal. For 30 years Jan has taken serious her call to provide beautiful worship music for the people of God.
Jan has been faithful to music because it courses through her soul. She has been faithful to her church because its the only family she really knows. Her whole life has been spent at Bartlett Baptist Church. She has been faithful to her call because she loves Jesus. She has been faithful because she is the epitome of a lady controlled by the Spirit. And we are blessed because of it.
Jan, thanks for your faithful service. I look forward to many more years of the rapturous melodies we hear each week from you and your piano.
At least for me anyway. For the past few years I have been following a few blogs, but have resisted the temptation to begin my own. "I don't have the time to keep it current," Nobody really cares what I think," "I don't want the whole world (obviously I am exaggerating) to know what is going on in my mind," are just a few of the excuses I have used. No more excuses; it is time to enter the world of blogging. So what no one cares what I think. I don't have anything to hid so if the world wants to read my thoughts I say welcome. And as for time, well, I guess I need to be a better steward of the 24 hours I have each day and make time.
So why now? Why begin a blog now? A few reasons. First, sometimes I just need an outlet for my thoughts and ideas. A blog provides that outlet. Second, there are a handful of people who really want to know what is going on in my mind, life, and journey. They are interested in me and my journey because they are friends on the same journey. They hold me accountable. They spur me on to Christlikeness. Third, a blog provides a useful conduit through which to communicate with my Bartlett Baptist Church family.
So, like the adventurers of a bygone era, I set sail into a whole new world. I have some reservations, but mostly excitement about what I will find, who I will meet, and the possibilities before me.
end 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.
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