Saturday, October 22, 2005

Being Crafty


Spanish Fox
Originally uploaded by Prora.

I'm not sure where the notion that foxes were crafty came from - but the title fits - Crafty like a Fox.

God condemns craftiness -- Prov. 12:2 -- A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condemns a crafty man.

Is there much worse than a crafty person? God tells us to not be that way - don't deceive, mislead, contrive or sneak around for the betterment of yourself at the detriment of others.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Rita Hits East Texas

I'm not sure where this picture was taken, but it resembles my neighborhood in Lufkin, Texas, thanks to Hurricane Rita.

Thanks again for the notes. I'm still concerned for those in the Golden Triangle area of Texas and those in Lake Charles, LA, which is still in flood-type conditions - that area got hit hard.

We finally got power back at home today about noon - a very welcome site as it was approaching 100 degrees in Texas today. I'm still concerned for the elderly here, particularly those in outlying areas without power.

It appears as those we had 5 deaths related to Rita - one due to a falling tree, two to car accidents and two elderly patients that just couldn't handle the move.

It's the little things that bring happiness. I'm looking forward to crunching on a piece of ice this evening for the first time in days.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Hurricane Rita Update

Hey all, My first official check-in online. Sunday at 10:15 am - we have power and computers back up and running at my office - and unbelievably cable for internet.

The home is still totally without power. We are all alive and well. Lufkin got hit hard, but not near as hard as Jasper Texas, just 45 miles southeast of us. Lake Charles, LA got the brunt of this storm - so, keep that area in your prayers.We had a minor leak from wind/water, some missing shingles and just mess. My neighbor across the street got a major oak through his house. Everyone's ok, but we spent all afternoon getting that tree off his house -- and he's looking at a $50,000 repair job easily - thank God for insurance.

Lots of downed trees and downed power lines. My Admin's daughter attends college at Lamar in Beaumont - she'll probably be home for a couple of weeks as the Golden Triangle took the bulk of the Texas damage. But, all is ok, nobody hurt, just some sore muscles and lots of clean-up to do. Thankfully, the business will be cranking at full speed tomorrow a.m.

Appreciate all the prayers and positive energy - I felt it yesterday. We effectively got a Cat. 2 hurricane through our city, it was no fun, lots of stress on everyone, but, again, we are all fine.

Any reports you hear regarding shelters shutting people out in Lufkin are totally false. I'll go into that more later, but I can tell you I saw day care centers, gymnastic centers and homeowners bringing total strangers into their places/homes -- which is totally ill-advised by the Red Cross. But, we had probably 3,000 stranded people here as the storm was bearing down.

Keep far southwest LA, and the Golden Triangle of SE Texas in your prayers.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Hurricane Rita

At the ripe young age of 44 I'm about to experience my first major hurricane. Rita is about 10 hours from landfall and appears she'll be crashing in between Galveston and Beaumont/Port Arthur. My prayers are really with the Port Arthur area, they are far less equipped to take this storm. It appears the eyewall will come very, very close to Lufkin and we'll get heavy winds and rain. My only real personal concerns are a couple of big oak trees near my back yard and getting water into my office. The family will hunker down and stay safe.

The uneasy feeling you get in times like this is eery. Our fair city of 35,000 appears to have doubled. There are cars, RV's, trucks everywhere with their hoods up, folks have crept through and just run out of gas. Today, Friday, Sept. 23rd, we are hoping/praying that fuel trucks make it here and get these folks up and northward before nightfall. Of course, this scenario plays out in a dozen other Texas cities as well.

I have a feeling my next post will find me with a newfound respect for hurricanes.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Beautiful Song

One of the two or three most powerful contemporary Christian songs I've listened to has got to be Shawn McDonald's Beautiful. What a powerful proclamation of God's sovereignty.
Beautiful
Written by Shawn McDonald
As I look into the stars
Pondering how far away they are
How You hold them in Your hands
And still You know this man
You know my inner most being, oh
Even better than I know, than I know myself
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I, what am I
As I look off into the distance
Watching the sun roll on by
Beautiful colors all around me, oh
Painted all over the sky
The same hands that created all of this
They created you and I
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I
That You might die, that I might live
What am I, what am I, what am I, what am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
You can listen to a cut from it here:

Friday, September 16, 2005

New Orleans Poverty Map


New Orleans Poverty Map
Originally uploaded by tonguetyed.
Lord, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty..
II Chronicles 14:11.

This map highlights the abject poverty conditions in New Orleans. Seems these people have been somewhat forgotten. Millions pour in, but where does the money go. So many questions remain.

Relationship built on Mercy


Nailed to the Cross
Originally uploaded by
pashellabarger.

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us, he took it away, nailing it to the cross." Colossians 2:13-14

"...Christ came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst." I Timothy 1:15

We know that Paul had a very personal encounter with Christ. He was moving from one place to the next, devouring Christians like a man possessed by Satan. Then Christ simply ask Paul why he was hurting him. Jesus asked for and received a very personal relationship with Paul from that point forward. For that reason, Paul always knew his heinous past sins had been erased because he believed the message of the Gospel.

So, the question is -- why do we have such trouble receiving the same pardon and mercy from Christ? The question is not -- why do we continue to struggle with sin because Paul continued to struggle with sin - he tells us that in his writings. No, Paul received mercy and then moved to the deep, quenching waters of a mercy-filled relationship with Jesus. And, because of that, Paul moved well passed the pettiness of superficial churchy-type issues.

And, much more importantly, Paul was able to fully embrace and understand the message of Christ - that Jesus came into the world to save sinners.


Thursday, September 15, 2005

Tear the Roof off the House

I'm not sure where that hip, slang phrase came from, but it should have come from the Gospels. As Jesus was teaching in a crowded home - people were pressing in, cramming in, doing anything to be near this great Rabbi. Some men - probably early engineers - decided the only way to get their crippled friend to Jesus was down through the roof. So, they literally tore the roof off the house to get to him.

His healing hand, comforting words, strong spiritual presence - whatever it takes was the cry of many stories we read about in the Gospels. A great idea conceived by such a great spiritual hunger? It appears so. Surely we can discover a route to the nearness of Christ - but only if we seek him.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The answer


If you want to know the answer....
Originally uploaded by omj.

Reading through I Samuel I'm reminded that God gave the people what they wanted (a king) even though he knew it was the wrong answer for the wrong reasons and would certainly produce painful results.

The Israelites never really believed that God was big enough. 2000+ years later do we believe Jesus is big enough and "the" answer - or is our "king" our denominational doctrine/agenda?
Kind of like the old 8-ball we used to play with. Turn over the ball for a standard answer to whatever question we dreamed up.

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." -Dr. Seuss

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Give us a King


Pavilion
Originally uploaded by elsie!.

In Samuel Ch. 8, the Israelites ask God's prophet Samuel for a king. Demand is really a more appropriate word - they had to have a king. God responds to this request in vs. 18-24 in a direct, painfully wise, and not too kind response.

God knew the end result - the Israelits yet again wanted something "real" to worship - a king. And God was yet once again apparently not big enough on his own for a full worship experience.

Samuel told the Israelites what the result would be - in short, an over-bearing government and a loss of personal freedom. Hmmmm, could that be repeating itself today? I'm not getting all political here, just wondering if we want so badly for things to be "just right" here in our community at world at large, that we make requests of God that have no eternal bearing.

I Sam. 8:4-22

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead [a] us, such as all the other nations have."
6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."
10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle [
b] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."


Monday, September 12, 2005

The Storms of Life

I began this post several days before people had Katrina on their minds constantly. Kind of funny in a way almost, the pictures of the most ferocious looking storms I could find digging around online prior to Katrina were weak at best.

The devastation by Katrina has left me speechless. The acts of kindness shown by the good folks of Texas and so many other places has rekindled my belief in the Christian community.

In a simple group of words - "Peace, be Still" - Jesus calmed a major storm on the sea, eased fears and moved on. His power brings peace - if we let it. His presence brings communion with him - if we find the time for the presence. His love brings healing - if we accept his unconditional mercy and pardon.

Our personal storms are usually self-inflicted - the fruit of some bad decisions or chronic sin. Jesus seems small and far during those times. The storm brings pain and, hopefully, him into so much clearer focus.

Friday, September 02, 2005

Katrina - Lord Bless Them


orleans-mother-katrina
Originally uploaded by indi.ca.

Proverbs 10:3 - The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

John 16:33 - It is in you, Lord Jesus, that we have peace. In this world we will have tribulation, but we will be of good cheer, because You have overcome the world.

Lord, we pray for this family and the thousands of others grieving right now. I pray for Eleseanne Coco and her mother and grandmother who were transported to Houston. Give them peace.


Monday, August 29, 2005

Travel the Road for Christ

I guess it was back in June when I was teaching the young(er) couples class at my church that I started watching Travel the road (http://www.traveltheroad.com) on my local Trinity Broadcast station. I was pretty geared up on Saturday night, couldn't sleep and found this show as I was surfing. It's kind of a cross between Survivor and, well,..... I really don't know what. These two guys - Tim and Will - cross the Third World globe with a really phenomenal camera guy in tow, and all are absolutely fearless for the Lord. They are truly doing some pretty wild and zany - off the wall stuff -- and I love it!

I highly recommend it, although I can't really say I'd be crazy if these guys were my kids. But, I am officially hooked on this show. Tim and Will are an inspiration in servanthood for Jesus, and every step they take is based on faith. Yes, they could have a far better plan, yes the organization is essentially non-existent, but it is so Jesus it grips you.

Anybody watched Travel the Road or heard these guys speak?

Friday, August 26, 2005

Being a Man of God - Mark Richt




I was listening to ESPNRadio a few days ago and clicked on an interview with a head coacha bout midway through. I didn't recognize the voice or the player names he was discussing, but, within just a few minutes I heard this man give 2-3 incredibly warm and authentic witnesses for his Lord. The topic quickly turned to the two eastern European children he and his wife had adopted. While this sounds a bit over-the-top, I might say this was the most sincere witness for God I've ever heard, certainly the most memorable in a long time.

Based on the title and pictures, it's no mystery I'm referring to Mark Richt, head football coach at the University of Georgia. I didn't know his identity, however, until the 3-4 minute interview was almost over. But, I had absolutely no doubt early on where his allegiance lay. Wow, it was powerful for such a short interview I can't quite put a finger on it, but I just felt I had really heard from authentic man of God. I'm now a Mark Richt fan. Here's one of dozens of links for Coach Richt and his witness.

http://poptop.hypermart.net/testcmr.html

Another Special Life in Christ:
Coach Mark Richt:
On advice of our nephew, Paul Seybt, Betty and I watched the Georgia-Auburn football game on 16 November 2002. We were on a weekend get-away in Charleston, S. C. and watched the game on TV. UGA made a tremendous come-back to win the game in the last minutes. The sports person hurried up to coach Richt immediately post-game, "Coach, what is your reaction to your team's great come-from-behind victory?" "It's great! But first I'd like to give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." Wow...I sat up...who is this man? Not knowing anything about Mark, I couldn't wait to get home and do an internet search in hopes of finding his testimony. Here, from Atlanta Christian Weekly .com is a start:

UGA's Mark Richt is a Head Coach with a "Higher Calling"by Kyle Watson
The University of Georgia not only has a fine football coach. They have a man who has his priorities in the right place. Last Thursday, July 19 at First Baptist Church of Snellville men's dinner, Mark Richt shared his testimony before almost 900 men. After speaking with him and listening to his testimony, I learned that he is very sincere, humble, humorous and stern. He spoke of struggles after his first dreams didn't come true. He told us how his quarterbacking days in college were stalled by Jim Kelly, a star quarterback. His days at the Denver Broncos were ended by young John Elway's arrival at football camp. Later he tried his chances with the Miami Dolphins, only to have Dan Marino show up on the team. "This must have been God's way of showing me what a good quarterback looks like," said Richt, who later became a quarterback coach at Florida State University. Before becoming a quarterback coach, he coached a high school team that ended up with a 0-10 season. His struggles had gotten so bad that when he attempted to be an insurance man, he showed up on his first day of work only to see cops arresting and taking away his new boss. Some time later, he gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ after becoming a graduate assistant coach/quarterback coach. An incident where a FSU football player was murdered during a confrontation caused a meeting by Head Coach Bobby Bowden, where he spoke to the players about Christ. After that meeting, Bowden led Richt to the Lord. Although his parents divorced when he was a teenager, it is amazing how God has made him into such a loving family man. He really loves his wife and children. He works hard to divide his time between them and football. Richt spoke of how time consuming his position as Head Coach is. He praised his wife for being such a supportive spouse. With some of the off-season problems involving players getting in trouble, Richt spoke of how his goal is to be a role model for them. He doesn't just want to coach them on the field, he wants to teach them principles and disciplines. He hopes to teach them life lessons so that they will become better men. He strives to prepare them spiritually by his own example. He really cares for his players and wants them to "be great fathers one day." Coach Richt really loves Jesus. He seeks Christ in decisions by constant prayer and fasting. His motto is love and obey God. This coach spoke from his heart. As he said it best he wants to "serve the people instead of himself."
!!!give meyour commentsabout this true story!!!


Building a Family

Richt married Katharyn in 1987. They have four children. Two came along the usual way -- Jon and David. But two came in a very special way.
"We were in Sunday School class one day talking about the ills of society," said Richt. "We explored questions like `who's in charge of taking care of the poor and the elderly.' We felt like the church should do its share."
Also, Katharyn's brother and sister-in-law had previously adopted children from the Ukraine.
Months later, Katharyn was in the Ukraine, a former republic of the Soviet Union, arranging the adoption of two children, classmates in the same orphanage. She spent 31 days there while Mark spent about eight days. When they returned in July, 1999, they had Zack and Anya, in tow.
"They have been a special blessing to all our family," said Katharyn.

A Plastic Jesus to the World?


plastic jesus love you
Originally uploaded by eecue.

"Hey Bob, how goes it?"

"Just fine and you?"

"Fine. Hey, how about that Tiger Woods?"

"Awesome, man. Later."

"Yeah, later".

What does it take to be real and authentic? We know Jesus was real. He touched lepers, fed the hungry, spent time with the poor and oppressed, taught patiently and generally emptied himself completely for humanity.

But, what else? Didn't he speak in often plain, spiritual truth to people in the marketplace? Seekers like Matthew, Zachaeus, the woman at the well and Nichodemus responded. So, too, however, did the religious zealots. They responded with fear and loathing. He was real and he wasn't concerned if certain people didn't like his realness.

Being authentic is attractive, almost magnetic to those with aching hearts. It's uncomfortable to those consumed by the falseness, the plasticness if you will, of this world. They are controlled by plastic in their wallets, and they at times almost want to look plastic - no sags please.

What's on your heart? What has Jesus done for you?

Let someone know.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Jephthah and other Wacky People


Reading through Judges in the Bible can be kind of head-trippy -- there are some seriously dysfunctional people in that book. Realizing Leadership Training for Christ this year ( http://www.ctltc.net ) covers Joshua, Judges and Ruth in the Bible Bowl section, I guess it's a favorable coincidence that in my daily reading I just moved from Joshua to Judges in my Two Year Bible.

For that reason, maybe I'm paying special attention to each character, and, I gotta tell you, there are some oddballs. Most of us are familiar with the travails of Samson, but how about Jephthah in Chapter 11? Jephthah's (calling him Jeph for short) father was Gilead, who is also prominent in Judges, and his mother was a prostitute (11:1) - certainly not Jeph's fault to have that mixture of mom and dad.

Cutting to the chase, Jeph leads the Gideonites into battle and becomes a bit panicky. He swears to God that, if He will deliver them in this battle, Jeph will pledge in sacrifice whatever walks through his door to greet him as he returns home. Well, obviously not real brilliant there on Jeph's part - was he expecting a young bull to walk through his front door? So, who walks out into the front yard to greet Jeph on his return - his one and only daughter. And yes, sadly, Jeph keeps his word and sacrifices his daughter (see pic above).

I sat in absolute amazement as I read that story - how could a father do that? Why would someone make such a senseless pledge. Below is a great commentary from Dennis Bratcher which debates this issue far better than I.

It is amazing the people and stories that God put in his Holy word.


Jephthah's Rash Vow(Judges 11:21-40)
Dennis Bratcher
There are some stories in Scripture that present us with challenging questions, often because they come from a world and a culture far removed from our own, and because we have certain ideas about Scripture that prevent us from hearing the stories in that context. One of those Old Testament stories is the story of Jephthah and a foolish vow he made that cost his young daughter's life (Jud.11:36-40). With our modern sensibilities, we recoil from the story. Why did Jephthah sacrifice his daughter? Since God would never receive a human sacrifice, does that mean that if we say stupid things we should do them even if it is against what we understand about God?
In this case, an unfamiliarity with the nature of Scripture and how the Israelites used narrative to communicate theology causes us problems in hearing this story. There are many things in Scripture that recount past events that are not meant to be presented as positive or as models for our actions today. The book of Judges is an especially good example of that. The entire book of Judges is basically a negative book to show how Israel failed to live up to what they were called to be as God’s people. It is the negative counterpart to the book of Joshua in which the Israelites did respond faithfully to God. In Joshua, they were faithful and gained possession of the land. In Judges they blended the worship of God with the worship Ba’al and began to lose the land as well as fall under the oppression of surrounding people. Recall, the summary statement of the book of Judges (21:25): "all the people did what was right in their own eyes." For most of the stories in Judges, the point of the story is not made with a single verse summary. We are left to conclude the message of the individual story from the whole context of the book, read in light of this concluding theological statement at the end of the book.
Throughout Judges, most of the leaders (called a shophet, a "judge" or tribal military chieftain) that emerge are seriously flawed. They were only able to accomplish anything because God worked in spite of their failures. For example, Gideon, who is often presented as a hero, was most likely a Ba'al worshipper, was certainly a coward, was greedy, and finally led his entire family into the worship of Ba'al with the result that his entire family was killed. Samson, who is often the subject of heroic children’s stories, was a weak womanizer, and too often drunk, who simply could not control his sexual impulses (Ba'al worship was a fertility religion; see Ba’al Worship in the Old Testament). He ended up a pitiful slave whose final act was suicide. The most positively portrayed of the judges was Deborah, with the deliberate irony that the best of leaders during this period was a woman!
We are supposed to recoil from the monstrosity of Jephthah’s actions. The later community of Israel who included this story in the biblical traditions knew how wrong child sacrifice was, so there would be no mistaking this for a model of right behavior. It would be another example of what happens when God’s people become confused in their thinking about who is really God and how God works in the world. This becomes another lesson for Israel that God will not be manipulated by magical incantations or bargains that we strike with him on our own terms. That is precisely what Jephthah tried to do in making his vow to sacrifice the first thing that met him on his return home, if only God would help him win a battle. God did not need that bargain to aid Jephthah. Jephthah was yet another tragic figure in Judges who had not yet learned enough about God to know that God does not respond to magic or bargains, which lay at the heart of Ba’al worship. Jephthah’s battle against the Ammonites was not won because of his vow, but because of God’s presence (11:32). His lack of faith in God, and understanding of who God is, cost him his daughter.
The biblical traditions recall that as a great tragedy (11:39-40): "So there arose an Israelite custom that for four days every year the daughters of Israel would go out to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite." There is nothing positive about the story of Jephthah. Except it is a heartrending model of what not to do.
-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright © 2005, Dennis Bratcher, All Rights ReservedSee Copyright and User Information Notice
Related pages
Judges of Israel
Bible in the Church
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Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Jesus' idea of a banquet-goer


Street corner man...
Originally uploaded by portseye.

Jesus said invite the poor, oppressed and downtrodden to your banquet. The elite party-set may be too busy.

Luke 14:7-24

7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
The Parable of the Great Banquet 15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "


Tuesday, August 23, 2005

What we want / What He wants




Luke 14:7-24

7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
12Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
The Parable of the Great Banquet 15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
16Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
18"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "




Don't you just love it when a really sharp person, couple or family migrates to your church? It often feels like an answered prayer, and indeed, in many instances it is a true blessing to receive more workers at just the right time. But, how do you feel when someone less fortunate, or downtrodden stumbles into your church life?


At first, we're polite and friendly, maybe even helpful. But, let's be honest, after awhile we can find we spend most of our church time catering to these, rather than chatting up our real church friends.


It's a delicate balancing act. We all need to be refreshed and enjoy fellowship with our friends and believers. Yet, maybe we look a little too hard for refreshment from our friends rather than from the Lord. Praise God for more workers, and praise God for bringing those to us that need Jesus.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Humble Faith

Luke 7:1-9
"When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one "Go" and he goes; and that one "Come" and he comes. I say to my servant "Do this" and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Faith of the Centurion

Aren't you amazed at the humble spirit of this army leader. His reputation exceeds him, yet he remains humble. He gladly places himself under Jesus authority and leadership. Yet, even so, he has a tremendous belief - a "can do" faith. He likens Jesus to a leader that simply makes the "command" - and it shall be done.

Why does humbleness produce such great faith? Because you place yourself under the order/direction of a higher one - you acknowledge you cannot do it all - yet, you know it can be done.

The centurion placed his value (vs. 1) in people, not in traditions or things. Thus, his FAITH was in people, not in a PROCESS.

God places tremendous value in each of us - thus, we should do likewise with others.

This value equates to a "can do" attitude.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Those Pesky Chairs

You gotta love the guy that came up with "It's like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic".

My quick Google search says it may have been one Rogers Morton (1919-1979), a U.S. Public Relations Officer (not sure what that officer does), who was quoted in the Washington Post on May 16, 1976 as saying:

"I'm not going to rearrange the furniture on the deck of the Titanic."

In actuality, I think Jesus said it first when he told the religious biggots of his day "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness." (Luke 11:39)

I love that scripture. In all frankness, it's probably because I have a strong measure of cynicism running through my veins. I find much of the pomp and circumstance we perform in church buildings on Sunday morning as not much more than window dressing. Tired exercises that mask a frustrating life of wondering why we continue to sin and act foolishly, yet we perform religious acts on Sunday in our best threads as if our lives are very near perfect.

What Jesus is saying of course to this highly "religious" man is -- you perform outward acts of traditional worship without a thought or concern of what's going on in your heart - and that is dead wrong (literally).

Why can't we be authentic and honest and quit doing pretend worship?

I attended a youth conference a few weeks ago and one of the senior ministers - a fine, sincere man - pleaded with the young folks to be more authentic and sincere than what they observe.

Kinda like - do what I say, not what I do I suppose.

Here's my take - it's fear. The legalistic fear that if we actually obey scripture and confess our sins, others will think less of us. And, we certainly don't want that now do we. For others, pride masks the fear, thus, they scoff at the notion they're fearful of something.

Having said that, I do see strong glimmers of hope all around me. Many missional and growing churches have this figured out. Smaller urban churches are based purely on the love and authenticness of Jesus -- and they are flourishing.

The Titanic (our body) is going down -- let's focus on what matters.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Friday Questions

How many of the 72 that Jesus sent out in Luke 10 were still around at Pentecost? I'm assuming most, but I bet a few gave it up before then.

Why is the discipline of prayer such a struggle? Maybe it's because we don't really embrace the need to pray regularly.

Why do the disgruntled 1% have a stranglehold of control over many churches?

Do we really have faith? When someone says "but, we've tried that before" do we help that person out with their insufficient faith -- or, do we shrug and agree with them?

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Free will

A few days back I posted about Levi (Matthew) dropping everything to follow Jesus just because Jesus said "follow me". The same is true for Peter, Andrew and the other fishermen. They dropped net and followed.

But in Luke 9:57 and following, one unnamed man says he will follow Jesus no matter what. Jesus questions if he really means it. Then Jesus asks two more men to "follow me". Unlike the disciples, both beg off -- far too busy to follow him just right now.

Jesus gives us total freedom everyday to do our own thing. It's pretty rare to find someone who has never turned that freedom into personal stress, strife, or even a complete meltdown from time to time. He continues to ask us daily to follow him, but maybe we get so busy just like these two men we don't even hear the question.

Freedom is great, but it certainly has it's price.



The Cost of Following Jesus

57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
61Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good bye to my family."
62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Monday, August 15, 2005

Jesus in our Thoughts

Luke 7:36-47

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."
40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.
41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[d] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."



The first thing I notice and have emphasized here is that Jesus is answering Simon's thoughts, not his statement! Simon is thinking these things - and Jesus answers him. Simon throws the prophet-thing up in Jesus' face in his thoughts - and, despite this sarcasm - Jesus teaches him with love. How often do we do this? If Jesus really loved me, he would..... If Jesus really knew my needs, he would....


This story highlights the fact that sinners need Jesus. It also highlights the fact that a debt that cannot be repaid is simply that - if it can't be repaid, the size or scope of the debt is irrelevant. It's kind of like me getting upset because I can't run a marathon in 2 and 1/2 hours. I couldn't run a marathon in 3 and 1/2 or most likely even 4 and 1/2 hours either, so what difference does it make?


We all sin and fall woefully short of salvation on our own. It doesn't matter how close to perfection we may be, or (heaven help us) we think we may be - we still don't make it without Jesus.
Thank you Jesus for erasing my huge debt and having mercy on my soul.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Pleasing People

"We played the flute for you
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge
and you did not cry."
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, "He has a demon." The Son of Man came eating and drinking,and you say, "Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners" '. But wisdom is proved right by all children."
Luke 7:31-35
I do wonder why we work so hard to please others? I've read some really good comments on this topic lately, but the book and author escape me right now, and the topic frankly leaves me more baffled than anything. But, Jesus is clearly teaching us in this passage that we can't please all the people, or maybe even some of the people, any of the time. We tried to please you once with false cheeriness and that didn't work. So, we tried moaning and groaning next time, and that failed to please you also.
The saddest stories to me are when grown children develop an authentic walk with God that differs slightly (in some cases ever so slightly) from their parents and the parents express displeasure with their children's actions in this movement away from tradition.
Jesus was authentic, truthful, and, above all, loving of others where they were. Jesus never asks us to please him, only to love him, accept him and serve him by treating others in this same way.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Belief & Leadership

I believe in Jesus
I believe he loves us
I believe he came so he could save us
I Believe In Jesus - Michael Olson
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me" Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything an followed him.
Luke 5:27-28
Leadership produces strong belief and faith. Jesus' power was awesome. How else could he persuade Levi (Matthew), someone so steeped in wealth and power, to leave it all behind with two simple words - "Follow me"?
I think we cloud Jesus' ability to lead others to salvation with our constant disecting of his word. I believe in Jesus and his love. Salvation is only through him.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Two Gotchas

John 1:35-50 – Two big-time “Gotchas” in this Scripture.

From Stephen Arterburn - More Jesus Less Religion“Nathaniel was about to experience a most personal encounter with the Messiah – and it would change forever any notion he might have had about an aloof, impersonal God.”

Gotcha No. 1

Setting – John the Baptist is preaching at Bethany. Jesus of Nazareth is seen by John and John declares “He is the Christ, the Son of God.” Two people hear this declaration and follow Jesus. One of two who heard John and had followed Jesus was Andrew, a fisherman from Bethsaida. Andrew goes to tell his brother, Simon (Peter).

There Jesus first meets Simon for the first time – vs. 42. – Jesus already knew Simon and his family and tells him so! Somewhere between Bethany and Bethsaida, Jesus from Nazareth tells Simon from Bethsaida, having never met him, who Simon is. Wow!

Gotcha No. 2

Jesus then meets and calls Philip, also from Bethsaida. Philip goes to tell his friend Nathaniel about the Messiah. Nathaniel responds – vs. 46. Jesus meets Nathaniel in the same way he met Simon. Nathaniel is defensive “How do you know me” – Jesus responds – I saw you under the fig tree before Philip told you about Me.” Nathaniel also declares He is the Son of God. Jesus tells Nathaniel he will see far greater things.

Really is awesome that Jesus knows us that well - maybe a bit scary too - but don't we always go to the legalistic side of the ledger? :-) Yes indeed.

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

ABUNDANT THINKING

The following is a really great (and short) story I picked up from Tim Sanders, author of one of my favorite books - Love is the Killer App.

A STORY ABOUT ABUNDANCE THINKING

After giving a talk to CUNA Mutual Group in Orlando this year, I received the following story from Leanna Glenna. It supports the idea that our attitude can determine our altitude when it comes to serving and giving as away of life.

While working from a home office, I frequently use Kinkos and The UPS Storeto print and mail training materials, presentations, proposals, etc. On a rushed Saturday recently, I had some materials for a client that had tobe there by Tuesday AM. I was leaving on a business trip on Sunday, so Saturday was the day for printing and mailing. Kinkos told me that 5 PM wasthe absolute earliest they could complete my order. Ouch! The UPS Store closes at 5 PM. I drove to the UPS Store and asked how late the sole worker would be there.With a smile she asked, "how late do you need me to be here?" I meeklyresponded, " 5:15 or so?" She explained that she had her sister’s car andcould stay as late as needed. "Just bring me the materials when you getthem. I will be here."

At 5:20, I rushed through the door feeling very stressed. Belinda (we are now on first name basis) smiled a gap-toothed David Letterman smile and asked me not to worry. She chatted about her husband and 2 children while she packed, weighed and priced my very important client materials. When she was done, I expressed my sincere thanks and explained how grateful I was for the service she was giving me. She beamed and explained, "This morning, I asked the Lord to give me someone to bless. He gave me you."Belinda understands abundance thinking. I am humbled by her attitude.

Forward this note to a friend and have them visit www.timsanders.com<http://www.timsanders.com/> to sign up for this newsletter!

good stuff Tim - something to think about.

Monday, May 23, 2005

Picking Up Sticks & Other Major Offenses

Numbers 15:32-36 (from the NCT), 32When the Israelites were still in the desert, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and all the people. 32They held the man under guard, because they did not know what do to with him. 33Then the Lord said to Moses “The man must surely die. All the people must kill him by throwing stones at him outside the camp.” 33So all the people took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.

I met this obscure man last week. His name? I don't have a clue, but he leapt out at me as I was plodding through (sorry, just an honest reaction) the book of Numbers in the Old Testament in my Two Year Bible. I've been reading a One or Two Year Bible for over 15 years, and, I'll be brutally honest. Long about Leviticus I've been known to skim here or there -- and I was definitely in skim mode when this guy jumped out and way-laid me. My initial reaction was - wow - that was brutal. Did God really do that?

Thank God for the grace of the Cross. I've done far worse than pick up sticks for hot tea on the Sabbath.

This contrasts so strongly with the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8). The Jewish leaders had Jesus dead to rights on this one - slam dunk - he's toast. How can He not condemn this woman? Both - committing adultery and working on the Sabbath - were punishable by death. But - how fair were the two laws? The man was picking up wood for a meal for his family - a ticky-tack foul at best. She was picking up a married man.

No real answers here - only questions and awe - the shock and awe of an undeserved grace.

Heaven came down and the grace of God loves me the sinner despite my ongoing sin. His grace is shown to me even though justice would surely say otherwise. Jesus’ love for this woman moves beyond justice. Will we allow ourselves to understand this level of grace, or can we understand it?

Sure took me out of skimming mode. Wonder what else I missed last week.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

The heart of the matter

The more I read the story of Jesus the more I realize he had absolutely no interest in any issue outside the heart, and the religious people around him had no interest in any issue or thought inside the heart.

Last night at my local health club I over-heard a young lady state to her friend "I'm getting married on the beach, as far away from a church as possible. We'll stick a cross in the ground so we can say God is there."

I think most folks are generally turned off by religion, or certainly by over-bearing religion. I don't think people are turned off by God or Jesus, it's the promoters of God that get in the way.

Jesus went to the core or heart of the matter in his dealings with people. Yet the burning questions posed by the religious of his day were concerned about keeping a day holy or what happens when a brother's wife dies, or how much one should be taxed by the government. Details were the rule of the day.

As minister and fellow blogger Joe Cook asked today - why do we get so wrapped up what happens in a building 4 hours out of the week when it's the other 164 hours we need so much help with?

In my heart I know Jesus is minimally concerned with how church is done if it all, and is very concerned with the condition of our heart.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Trial Run

Procrastinators unite - I'm finally writing in my blog. No pics up yet, always have been slow with this computer thing, but we'll get one up soon, hopefully before the '06 Summer Olympics.

I guess life really is a trial run. We learn as we go, repeating the same mistakes over and over again - and either admit them, or not, get prideful or don't.

In my occupation I regularly talk to folks that have built several houses. They tell me you "start" to get the construction process down, get the mistakes worked out, about house Number 3 or 4. I've built one and it's filled with mistakes, but it's also filled with a ton of love.

It is amazing how a book, any book but particularly the Good Book, can speak so differently to you through life, depending on the stuff happening to you at that given moment. Brennan Manning's The Ragamuffin Gospel is speaking powerfully to me right now, and it is probably as much a reason for this blog's title and theme as anything. I purchased this book years ago because I was really digging Rich Mullin's music, flipped through it once, and let it start to gather dust about 10 minutes thereafter. Go figure - I can't put it down right now. Max Lucado is also speaking powerfully to me. I love what Max does, but I've never hung on his every word as I seem to be right now.

If you've found this blog my only question would be why and how.

Haven't found spellcheck yet - I will need to find that soon. Peace and warmth.