The Journey

Happy Endings

2011-01-05T13:10:00.009-06:00

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!

2010-06-22T09:56:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-06-09T10:01:00.004-05:00

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

2010-05-12T09:29:00.008-05:00

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

2009-10-27T08:20:00.005-05:00

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?

2009-10-15T11:15:00.012-05:00

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

For The Love Of Jesus . . . Or A Chicken Sandwich

2009-09-08T13:16:00.008-05:00

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. : )

Journey On,

Michael

I Had Nothing To Do With It

2009-08-29T08:54:00.013-05:00

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!

Journey On,

Michael

Patience with the Appendix

2009-08-26T09:33:00.004-05:00

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.

Journey On,

Michael

And the fruit of the Spirit is . . . faithfulness

2009-08-17T08:28:00.008-05:00

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.

Journey On,

Michael

A Whole New World

2009-08-10T11:46:00.005-05:00

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.

Journey On,

Michael